Jori Lehterä

[Alklha]

Great deal!

Click to read more...

 

[KirkOut]

i don't know that seems like a bit much

 

[Multimoodia]

...I knew that contract to Mr. "My Eye Hurts" by Colorado was going to bite the Blues in the end.

 

[Blanick]

Wow.... I like Lehtera and think he is going to be even better next year but that is a big contract for one year of work.

 

[542365]

Ehhh.....that's a lot of money for someone that we're not sure can handle a full season in the NHL. That said, if he's able to build on last year and put up 55-60 points, he would've been in line for a monster contract in free agency next year, so this could work out great. I love Jori's ability, I just wish he would've shown up in the last couple months of the season.

 

[ManyIdeas]

that is a boatload of money and kinda writing on the wall for DB

 

[Alklha]

If Lehterä puts up 55-60 points then he is getting at least $5.5m for 4 years in UFA. If the team believe they can get his fitness in order, which they should be able to do, then 55 points isn't exactly a stretch considering what he put up last season.

This is a good risk.

 

[zachws6]

If he progresses just a LITTLE BIT, I'm fine and happy with the amount. He can not regress though. Gamble of a contract.

 

[Robb_K]

i don't know that seems like a bit much

It appears like a LOT too much. He hasn't proven much in The NHL. I would guess it should have been $3.5 first year, $3.7 second, $3.9 3rd.

 

[Jzk]

UH, Lets just hope he got a really good conditioning coach.

 

[The Grouch]

Woah, that's quite a bit of coin for the 3rd best center on the roster.

 

[BlueDream]

It's a bit steep, but not too bad for someone who I believe will be a pretty consistent 50-point center in this league. He's making 1 more mil than Patrik Berglund and will score a lot more, and I think his conditioning and defensive play will improve as he adjusts to the NHL. It's only steep because he's played one year. If he improves even a little bit, he'll be worth that.

Now the interesting thing is what happens with Backes. With Stastny and Lehtera signed at center for a combined 11.7 million the next few years, along with Petro at 6.5, Steen at 5.8, Shattenkirk at 4.25, and having to give new deals to Schwartz and Tarasenko, I don't think we can give Backes the deal he'll want.

 

[Oberyn]

Don't like this deal at all. I'm still not sold on Lehtera.

 

[Thallis]

Better player than Anisimov. I'd say this is pretty fair looking at the going rate of guys.

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

Hope he plays like the way he did early on in the season. I really thought he would be a 65 point player.

 

[taylord22]

That's about the current market value of a 3rd line C that can slide up. The fact that he has some "+" ability makes this a pretty good signing, IMO. Though, that's based on the idea that Lehtera will come in next year with more endurance.

 

[Blanick]

Don't like this deal at all. I'm still not sold on Lehtera.

I think his biggest issue is conditioning. He wore down hard at the end of the season. Everyone saw it. No one can deny his chemistry with Tarasenko and if he can raise his conditioning I could easily see him as a 60+ point guy.

 

[Oberyn]

I think his biggest issue is conditioning. He wore down hard at the end of the season. Everyone saw it. No one can deny his chemistry with Tarasenko and if he can raise his conditioning I could easily see him as a 60+ point guy.

His chemistry with Tarasenko is so overblown on these boards it drives me crazy.

 

[Multimoodia]

My concern with Lehtera is he still didn't show he can be effective with anyone not named Tarasenko on his wing.

Now whether that's an indicator of his play or the fact that the Blues utterly lack players to take advantage of quality passes is a fair questions, but it's a concern nevertheless.

 

[Alklha]

The thing about is his conditioning is that it should be correctable. He put in the work last offseason, however it was in the wrong areas. We have to assume that the team has given him an improved regime and we should see significant improvement next season.

This could backfire, but these are the proactive deals you have to make to get the most competitive team out there.

 

[Thallis]

My concern with Lehtera is he still didn't show he can be effective with anyone not named Tarasenko on his wing.

Now whether that's an indicator of his play or the fact that the Blues utterly lack players to take advantage of quality passes is a fair questions, but it's a concern nevertheless.

He never had to until he was already dead. I'm not too concerned about it, if you go over the first 30 or so games in the season again, you see that his passing ability really shines.

 

[Multimoodia]

He never had to until he was already dead. I'm not too concerned about it, if you go over the first 30 or so games in the season again, you see that his passing ability really shines.

I think I brought that point up in the latter half of my post.
I know I did.

 

[Jzk]

His chemistry with Tarasenko is so overblown on these boards it drives me crazy.

I agree. Shattenkirk and Schwartz had a bigger impact. Berglund is better than Lehtera at everything other than passing. He also came over 2 years too late. But what can you do. Maybe he gets his fitness in order.

 

[Dbrownss]

If he learns to lift the puck...hell be a 25/40 kinds guy playing with Russian Jesus.


If he takes a step forward, his contract could be even worse if we waited

 

[Oberyn]

My main issue with this is that Lehtera has shown no indication that he can play with anyone other than Tarasenko, especially when many believe Frank should play with Stastny. The flexibility in our line combinations is reduced when Lehtera is on the roster. This deal could turn to be fair if Lehtera makes adjustments next season, but I'm not holding my breath.