News Article: Ken Wiebe sits down with Paul Maurice for an exit interview.

[CorgisPer60]

All Chevy has to do in his exit interviews is not say "Pavs is the starter next year." like he did last year.

One more year. One more year.

 

[Whileee]

All Chevy has to do in his exit interviews is not say "Pavs is the starter next year." like he did last year.

One more year. One more year.

The likelihood that Chevy says that Pavs is the starter next year after Maurice said it would open competition is near nil. I am pretty sure they discuss these issues in considerable detail, and are careful with their public messaging.

 

[HannuJ]

How is that part in of itself a reference to Trouba? It's an open disclaimer to everyone on the team that if you don't like it here and can't make it work, then you can and will be traded. PMo explicitly avoided talking in specifics during all of that

because there has been a lot of talk in wpg and around the league about Trouba. there's talk that he's looking for a big $$ long-term deal now. plus there were the grumblings about his mid-season play, which looked like it took a solid step backwards. [mod]

so, the old "smoke and fire" adage usually proves to be true

 

[CorgisPer60]

Great interview. Maurice confirmed some of the thoughts batted around here about the Jets youth transition this year, and how the Jets brain trust felt that the team needed to move to a new core that would be able to truly compete in the longer term.

Not sure what to make about the answer re: Scheif and Trouba, but I think you could interpret that they either have a sense that there is reluctance to sign long-term, or they have had no indication at all. Knowing who Trouba's agent is, there is a possibility that he'll try to play games to try to inch him towards UFA as early as possible as he did with RyJo. Whether or not that's what Trouba wants might remain to be seen.

Now that the Jets feel that they have some options in net, it seems clear that Pavs is not going to be anointed the #1 spot. I think it's Hellebuyck's to lose.

At least we know that we're not going to be handcuffed by it. Buff signed for 5, Myers for 3 more, and Enstrom for the same amount of time. Trouba is an amazing defenseman, who I'd love to see commit long term to the Jets, but if it happens to where Trouba gets traded, I hope it's to Philly for one of their prospects. Mmmmmmm.

 

[Howard Chuck]

At least we know that we're not going to be handcuffed by it. Buff signed for 5, Myers for 3 more, and Enstrom for the same amount of time. Trouba is an amazing defenseman, who I'd love to see commit long term to the Jets, but if it happens to where Trouba gets traded, I hope it's to Philly for one of their prospects. Mmmmmmm.

I agree that we would be fine on the blue line, especially if we received good value in return. Hate to lose someone like Trouba, but I've gotten the feeling all season that he would be traded. I actually thought it would be at the trade deadline.

It's just a feeling and I have no facts to back it up, I just feel like he doesn't fit.

 

[CorgisPer60]

I honestly started feeling off when he decided that making his own mobile app to expand his brand was a good business move. I don't see anyone else doing that, so what made him decide that he was special enough to do so?

I guess we'll find out in a couple of months. The other GMs know that the Jets have a load of cap space and will match pretty much any offer sheet for Trouba, so there's no worry about what happened with Dougie Hamilton.

 

[buggs]

Weird. I don't have that feeling about Trouba at all. I wouldn't be surprised if he was frustrated after being paired with Stu all this time though. The first year, not so bad, but after that he was a weight to pull around and it will cost him money. He has no leverage to try to get Hamilton money at this point - I think the talent is there but the numbers aren't yet.

I'm also not especially keen on Hamonic being his replacement as I don't see his ceiling being as high. Short term I like Hamonic but Trouba's big advantage is age. If he can settle in he could be an effective contributor to the Jets for the next ten years plus. I don't think Hamonic will last that long.

 

[SoupaTroupa]

I honestly started feeling off when he decided that making his own mobile app to expand his brand was a good business move. I don't see anyone else doing that, so what made him decide that he was special enough to do so?

I guess we'll find out in a couple of months. The other GMs know that the Jets have a load of cap space and will match pretty much any offer sheet for Trouba, so there's no worry about what happened with Dougie Hamilton.

I think it's kind of weird as well, but I read an article about this once. His Dad and a family friend made this app and were using Trouba as sort of a trial to see how it went. So, it wasn't necessarily his ego that decided to do this. He rarely, if ever, interacts on it though, so I don't see it being very successful.

 

[surixon]

I wonder if the open goalie competition means that there is a small chance that Pavs is not back next year. One can hope!

No idea if Maurice is referencing Trouba or not with his comments but we shall see what transpires this summer. I personally don't get the feeling that he's unhappy here but we shall see.

 

[Guerzy]

A part of me feels like something is up with Trouba, but it's just a hunch of mine. I could see him wanting to be on a defensive unit where he is "the guy" playing close to 30 minutes a night. A part of me thinks it's possible Trouba believes he can do and contribute a lot more, but he needs/wants the minutes to do it.

He played 81 games this year, you know how many of those games he got 26+ minutes? 5 games.

I'm not saying his play did or didn't warrant a bigger role with more minutes, but a part of me thinks it may be something he would want.

 

[surixon]

A part of me feels like something is up with Trouba, but it's just a hunch of mine. I could see him wanting to be on a defensive unit where he is "the guy" playing close to 30 minutes a night. A part of me thinks it's possible Trouba believes he can do and contribute a lot more, but he needs/wants the minutes to do it.

He played 81 games this year, you know how many of those games he got 26+ minutes? 5 games.

I'm not saying his play did or didn't warrant a bigger role with more minutes, but a part of me thinks it may be something he would want.

Can't say I'd blame him for not liking being shackled to Stuart. It likely has cost him on his contract this summer. My thought process is this, if he wasn't in the long range plans why did they invest a lot of time trying to see how he played in a top pairing role at LD. It seems to me that recognize the need to get him more ice time, but due to having Myers and Buff figure it will best happen at LD. He also had excellent results when paired with either of the two.

 

[Hunter368]

I really didn't get anything from this article, another fluff piece, nothing more. Didn't expect anything before reading it either. Meh

 

[JetsFan815]

Great interview. Maurice confirmed some of the thoughts batted around here about the Jets youth transition this year, and how the Jets brain trust felt that the team needed to move to a new core that would be able to truly compete in the longer term.

So now we are taking Maurice at his word. If only there was a way for mere mortals like me to tell when Maurice is saying stuff for manipulation purposes and when he really means it ....

 

[Whileee]

So now we are taking Maurice at his word. If only there was a way for mere mortals like me to tell when Maurice is saying stuff for manipulation purposes and when he really means it ....

Season's over. Context changes. I can't help it if you are struggling to figure out "hockey speak". Why are you so upset with not being able to figure out what Maurice means?

What he said today is exactly what I suggested the Jets were thinking / doing after last season. It also happened to comport with my opinion about where the team was and needed to go after last season. Maybe I just got lucky and this is a deeper mystery than it appears.

 

[Whileee]

I really didn't get anything from this article, another fluff piece, nothing more. Didn't expect anything before reading it either. Meh

Hmmmm... I thought it was interesting that he clearly stated that they knew the core had a ceiling that was too low, and they needed to identify who to keep and then move to a better and younger core. Also said there would be competition in goal and elsewhere on the roster. I thought that was interesting.

 

[garret9]

Season's over. Context changes. I can't help it if you are struggling to figure out "hockey speak". Why are you so upset with not being able to figure out what Maurice means?

What he said today is exactly what I suggested the Jets were thinking / doing after last season. It also happened to comport with my opinion about where the team was and needed to go after last season. Maybe I just got lucky and this is a deeper mystery than it appears.

See we believe when it matches Whilleee jk

 

[Whileee]

See we believe when it matches Whilleee jk

I can't help it that some couldn't see the writing on the wall. A youth movement and step backward this season didn't seem like a tough call. Maybe some are still amazed that they could break up an elite core. ;-)

 

[Hunter368]

Hmmmm... I thought it was interesting that he clearly stated that they knew the core had a ceiling that was too low, and they needed to identify who to keep and then move to a better and younger core. Also said there would be competition in goal and elsewhere on the roster. I thought that was interesting.

I guess personal choice, imo it was everything we knew already or spin or soft as fluff. But that's just our media, not blaming TNSE.....if I was them I would be happy to having bubble gum media tossing nothing but soft balls over the plate.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Don't know if Maurice is just towing the company line, but it's pretty ridiculous that the Anaheim series was somehow seen as an indictment of the Jets core players.

Why wasn't there "another level to get to"? Well let's start between the pipes. Pavelec was good in games 1 and 2 (the GWG by Silfverberg in game 2 was pretty soft), and then went full sieve in games 3 and 4. You're going nowhere in the playoffs with Pavelec as your goalie, but we all knew that! Scheifele looked every bit like a playoff rookie and was rendered ineffective. Key contributors like Ladd were playing with injuries. They probably could have used one more reliable defenseman (perhaps in lieu of Stemp and Tlusty) to help beat Anaheim's forecheck. And most importantly, it's four freaking games. Anything can happen. FFS, they lead for most of the series!

I'm sorry, but talking about not being able to reach another level in the Ducks series sounds like retconning to justify the mishaps of the 2015 offseason and how 2015-16 appears to be a completely wasted season. Did Maurice emphasize the need to get younger and re-tool at any point before their season went into the toilet in November?

/rant

 

[Gm0ney]

There is a great deal of chance and variance in PK and PP so I buy waiting it out before acting too hastily with the assistant coaching changes.

About "acting hastily"...

Year | PP % | PP RK | PK % | PK RK
2015-16 |14.8%| 30 |78.4%| 25
2014-15 |17.5%| 20 |81.8%| 13
2013-14 |15.4%| 25 |83.2%| 10
2012-13 |13.8%| 30 |79.7%| 24
2011-12 |17.9%| 11 |80.1%| 24

The power play has been bad relative to the rest of the league, since 2012-13. The 29th best PP in the league this year was the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs with a 15.4% conversion rate. The Jets are kind of in their own tier of bad powerplays.

The PK used to be alright...but *COUGH* MARK GODDAMN STUART *COUGH*, and also *cough* 282 times shorthanded - 5th most in the league *cough*.

 

[Whileee]

About "acting hastily"...

Year | PP % | PP RK | PK % | PK RK
2015-16 |14.8%| 30 |78.4%| 25
2014-15 |17.5%| 20 |81.8%| 13
2013-14 |15.4%| 25 |83.2%| 10
2012-13 |13.8%| 30 |79.7%| 24
2011-12 |17.9%| 11 |80.1%| 24

The power play has been bad relative to the rest of the league, since 2012-13. The 29th best PP in the league this year was the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs with a 15.4% conversion rate. The Jets are kind of in their own tier of bad powerplays.

The PK used to be alright...but *COUGH* MARK GODDAMN STUART *COUGH*, and also *cough* 282 times shorthanded - 5th most in the league *cough*.

Is it possible that the Jets have lacked some talent on the PP (and PK)?

I don't like their PP scheme, but I also think that a lot of other teams might have better talent.

 

[JetsFan815]

Season's over. Context changes. I can't help it if you are struggling to figure out "hockey speak". Why are you so upset with not being able to figure out what Maurice means

All I was hoping to find is a consistent way of telling when the Jets representatives are telling the truth in interviews and when they are bs'ing, since in one thread the word of the Jets representatives is taken as gospel whereas in another thread if you try to do the same people say something like "Why are you falling for the Jets mindgames with the media?"

Don't know if Maurice is just towing the company line, but it's pretty ridiculous that the Anaheim series was somehow seen as an indictment of the Jets core players.

Why wasn't there "another level to get to"? Well let's start between the pipes. Pavelec was good in games 1 and 2 (the GWG by Silfverberg in game 2 was pretty soft), and then went full sieve in games 3 and 4. You're going nowhere in the playoffs with Pavelec as your goalie, but we all knew that! Scheifele looked every bit like a playoff rookie and was rendered ineffective. Key contributors like Ladd were playing with injuries. They probably could have used one more reliable defenseman (perhaps in lieu of Stemp and Tlusty) to help beat Anaheim's forecheck. And most importantly, it's four freaking games. Anything can happen. FFS, they lead for most of the series!

I'm sorry, but talking about not being able to reach another level in the Ducks series sounds like retconning to justify the mishaps of the 2015 offseason and how 2015-16 appears to be a completely wasted season. Did Maurice emphasize the need to get younger and re-tool at any point before their season went into the toilet in November?

/rant

First of all great post Hank

On the bolded, what I find most frustrating about this narrative is how often the Jets representatives come out and say they hope to get better through the progression of their young players to the next level. Apparently this doesn't apply to the playoffs? I remember the narrative about playoffs being something like step 1 make the playoffs, step 2 become a consistent playoff team and maybe win a round and then eventually become a contender. I recall the playoff narrative always pointing to an early exit the first time we make it and that loss being a part of the **ahem** process, am I just crazy here?

 

[Whileee]

Don't know if Maurice is just towing the company line, but it's pretty ridiculous that the Anaheim series was somehow seen as an indictment of the Jets core players.

Why wasn't there "another level to get to"? Well let's start between the pipes. Pavelec was good in games 1 and 2 (the GWG by Silfverberg in game 2 was pretty soft), and then went full sieve in games 3 and 4. You're going nowhere in the playoffs with Pavelec as your goalie, but we all knew that! Scheifele looked every bit like a playoff rookie and was rendered ineffective. Key contributors like Ladd were playing with injuries. They probably could have used one more reliable defenseman (perhaps in lieu of Stemp and Tlusty) to help beat Anaheim's forecheck. And most importantly, it's four freaking games. Anything can happen. FFS, they lead for most of the series!

I'm sorry, but talking about not being able to reach another level in the Ducks series sounds like retconning to justify the mishaps of the 2015 offseason and how 2015-16 appears to be a completely wasted season. Did Maurice emphasize the need to get younger and re-tool at any point before their season went into the toilet in November?

/rant

It was pretty obvious that the Jets went younger long before November. They had 3 rookies and Burmi in the line-up. There are plenty of sources citing the Jets interest in getting younger after last season, including Stempniak.

Personally, I loved the team last year for how they played and what they achieved, but it never felt like a team that could consistently contend to me. Great heart but just not quite enough talent.

 

[Gm0ney]

Is it possible that the Jets have lacked some talent on the PP (and PK)?

I don't like their PP scheme, but I also think that a lot of other teams might have better talent.

A power play featuring Wheeler, Scheifele, Little, Perreault and Byfuglien shouldn't be in the bottom third of the NHL. It's been consistently lacklustre for 4 straight seasons. How'd we end up 30th by a mile with Wheeler and Scheifele having career years and Buff 8th in D scoring? I just can't believe that the problem is lack of talent...

 

[Hank Chinaski]

It was pretty obvious that the Jets went younger long before November. They had 3 rookies and Burmi in the line-up. There are plenty of sources citing the Jets interest in getting younger after last season, including Stempniak.

Fair enough, but it feels like (and it could just be me) that there has been a shift in the reasoning as to why they went with young players. Prior to the season, the consensus seemed to be that players like Petan, Armia, Copp, Burmi, Ehlers et al were ready for NHL action. They were making room for them because they were (in theory) the best options.

Now that the season has been an unmitigated disaster, there seems to be a shift in the party line. Now Chevy/Maurice seem to be indicating that they didn't think this core could get it done, and that going with youth was necessary. And that rings hollow on so many different levels.

You know what the funniest thing is? The whole "youth movement" aspect of this failed season is a total red herring. The Jets didn't bomb this season because of playing young players, they bombed this season because of issues that could've been seen from a mile away. Although I never imagined their special teams would be as wretched as they were.

Personally, I loved the team last year for how they played and what they achieved, but it never felt like a team that could consistently contend to me. Great heart but just not quite enough talent.

That's a reasonable conclusion, but why did it take five years to reach? Moreover, it seems like they've reached that conclusion without doing anything to address the problems that have always existed with this roster outside of their core group.

Anyway, this seems like a very strange juncture to be remodelling with young players. A very bold one, too. How long does Chevy think he has to see this through to completion?