Player Discussion: Kyle Connor

[LowLefty]

I am saying that KC is not on that 1st line because he deserves it, but because he is being sheltered and given confidence thru quality linemates and top minutes.
Because he is a rookie.

And he is getting more sheltered than any other rookie in this team was. Ehlers in his first year did not get those minutes or consistency of linemates, nor Laine.

And this is basically a soph season for kyle, I know he played 20 games only, but its not Ehlers fault he was not good enough to stick around 2 years after draft as Ehlers was - I think people are forgetting. this part when matching up their rookie seasons.

should match this season with Ehlers last to be fair, and even there Ehlers didnt get the same linemate consistency.

People in here are inclining that he is there over say, Laine and Ehlers because he deserves it more.

Before he was there to start the season, Ehlers was there and doing very well.

KC had done nothing to get the spot when he first got, and Ehlers deserved to stay, but thats not how PoMo rolls.

When both Laine and Ehlers have been there they have deserved it and played well.

KC is a good fit, but lets not make him out to be better than Ehls or Laine. He has been getting a little more leash than they have.

So with all that extra leash, ofc he has more 5v5 pts. He is playing alot of minutes with quality linemates, he is also getting heavy time in the 1st pp.

Laine and Ehlers are arguably the two most rotated players - Having been on several lines with many different linemates, playing less minutes than KC. Often facing tough match - up's. and still produce well, Something I think they dont get enough credit for.

KC is good, but some here make it seem like his performance is massively better than Ehlers or Laine.

And no, he was no where near as productive on the 4th line - And btw Ehlers and Laine also score anywhwre they play, even with low toi.

IMHO, KC earned his time on the first line and is sticking not just by scoring with the help of elite players, but by working his tail off to fit on that line.
Scheif and Wheels appear to work best with a forward who plays their style of game including hard work and cycling - plus he also happens to be very good in tight and has a very quick release.
I like him where he is and I don't think anyone is doing him any favors - Maurice will reward the rookies (or any player for that matter) that work hard and contribute - and it's hard to find any wrong in that.

 

[aessi]

Maurice will reward the rookies (or any player for that matter) that work hard and contribute - and it's hard to find any wrong in that.

I dont think so, Laine or Ehlers didnt earn their ice time before he gave them chance in top line. Also Armia is not getting any opportunities in top 6 even thought he has the skillset to be more than 4th liner and atleast had pretty good p/60. I like how Maurice gives the rookies chances to succeed but i dont think anyone has had to "earn it" to get there compared to what i have seen in Tampa where alot rookies got 4th line treatment first.

 

[Adam da bomb]

I dont think so, Laine or Ehlers didnt earn their ice time before he gave them chance in top line. Also Armia is not getting any opportunities in top 6 even thought he has the skillset to be more than 4th liner and atleast had pretty good p/60. I like how Maurice gives the rookies chances to succeed but i dont think anyone has had to "earn it" to get there compared to what i have seen in Tampa where alot rookies got 4th line treatment first.

Armia is not in the same class as the rest. Armia was not a rookie when we got him he was a guy who was inconsistent and had been in the NHL for multiple years.

 

[Vekke]

I am not the greatest fan of PoMo but I have to admit that he has done great job with rookies. He has gave them the honeymoon and it has paid off.

Only problem with the honeymoon thinking that it tends to drive salaries up and leads to cap issues.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Only problem with the honeymoon thinking that it tends to drive salaries up and leads to cap issues.

That's when you bury them on the "3rd line" with scrubs like Stastny.

Seriously though: I see nothing wrong with sheltering players via QoT, then expecting them to stand on their own to help drive other lines. 1 line teams suck - the fact that we now have:

Connor - Scheifele - Wheels
Ehlers - Stastny - Laine (this line still make me laugh with joy)
Perreault - Little - Roslovic
Copp - Lowry - Armia (our 4th line!??!)

...makes me very optimistic about how deep we can go in the playoffs. Ehlers and Laine picking up their games plays a big part in this, but it started with both of them having stints on the Scheif line, like Connor is benefiting from now.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Armia is not in the same class as the rest. Armia was not a rookie when we got him he was a guy who was inconsistent and had been in the NHL for multiple years.

When we got Armia he had spent a year and a half in the AHL and had exactly 1 NHL game under his belt.

 

[Adam da bomb]

When we got Armia he had spent a year and a half in the AHL and had exactly 1 NHL game under his belt.

I was wrong bout length in Nhl but was not wrong about Armia not being in the same class as Connor.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I was wrong bout length in Nhl but was not wrong about Armia not being in the same class as Connor.

Agree. Very different kind of player though.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Agree. Very different kind of player though.

We are talking about top line with Chef and Wheeler so third liners don't improve that line.

 

[Adam da bomb]

I am not the greatest fan of PoMo but I have to admit that he has done great job with rookies. He has gave them the honeymoon and it has paid off.

Only problem with the honeymoon thinking that it tends to drive salaries up and leads to cap issues.

It also drives their trade value up.

 

[GNP]

That's when you bury them on the "3rd line" with scrubs like Stastny.

Seriously though: I see nothing wrong with sheltering players via QoT, then expecting them to stand on their own to help drive other lines. 1 line teams suck - the fact that we now have:

Connor - Scheifele - Wheels
Ehlers - Stastny - Laine (this line still make me laugh with joy)
Perreault - Little - Roslovic
Copp - Lowry - Armia (our 4th line!??!)

...makes me very optimistic about how deep we can go in the playoffs. Ehlers and Laine picking up their games plays a big part in this, but it started with both of them having stints on the Scheif line, like Connor is benefiting from now.

_______________________________________________________

Like this idea a lot with Roslo line being set back to # 3 line,/ and Laine. Ehler's line at # 2 spot. Connor should stay where he is.

 

[Weezeric]

Connor is a flipping beauty. People forget how amazing his college season was. At that time, some thought that he was just the product of a great college line, but look at where the other 2/3 of that line are. Nowhere.

That being said, he's not going to be as good as Laine. He is in a class of his own. We've just started to see the tip of the iceberg with Laine the last 5 games or so. He's a +100 point player sooner than later.

Connor and Ehlers to me are on a similar level. They're both going to be ppg players in their careers.

The scary thing is how young the Jets scoring wingers are. The next 3-5 years are going to be fun. Especially if Chevy can sign these guys to value contracts.

 

[Aavco Cup]

Connor is a flipping beauty. People forget how amazing his college season was. At that time, some thought that he was just the product of a great college line, but look at where the other 2/3 of that line are. Nowhere.

Not sure I agree that Denver and Vancouver are nowhere.

Compher has actaully had a pretty decent year and will likely end up with 15 goals. 2nd line potential? Motte was just traded to the Canucks, not trending as well.

 

[pucka lucka]

So now Connor earned his spot on the top line? Based in his AHL numbers?

Connor has been great on the line, for the most part. Lately, he might actually be the best player on that line, but he did nothing to earn it. Earning it is a dumb concept at the pinnacle of the sport anyways. Performance of the team is what matters.

PoMo seems rather confused about the concept of merit. Is there anyone more inconsistent with how he creates his lines? Did Perreault only earn 8-10 minutes a night on the 4th line until injury forced that change?

Until this year, when we didn't have Connor, Roslo, Stastny (& Petan who should be in that group), PoMo made so many bizarre lineup choices. It's rather hard for him to put out a bad lineup right now even if he wanted to. Dressing Hendricks over any of Tanev, Petan, Dano is about the worst thing he can screw up right now. Well that and playing Kulikov on his offside instead of dressing Poolman over Chiapet

 

[10Ducky10]

Armia has average speed and Ehlers and Connor have blazing speed.
Armia knows how to play D, enough said about that.
Armia is inconsistent and that has been said about him since before we got him. If he played a high level consistently, there is no doubt in my mind he would be playing with more offensive players but Maurice likes his D game...especially since Lowry has been out.
Ehlers' and Connor's ceilings are much higher in my opinion. It isn't any good to have a team of Ehlers or Connors though, we need the Armias and Lowrys.
I'm glad we have all 3 and Chevy protected the team at the XD and still walked out of the first round with a LWer that might make it to the 2nd line! Let's not forget that Armia was quite the sniper in Finland as well.

 

[Bob E]

Not sure I agree that Denver and Vancouver are nowhere.

Compher has actaully had a pretty decent year and will likely end up with 15 goals. 2nd line potential? Motte was just traded to the Canucks, not trending as well.

Size seems to be the biggest issue with the other two. As 2 yr pro, Connor is doing great.

Can’t wait to see what he’s like in 3 years.

 

[10Ducky10]

Connor is considered a rookie thos year.

 

[aessi]

Agree. Very different kind of player though.

Eh, Armia has definitely changed his game since he arrived to NA but he was drafted high because of his scoring ability and skating. He was scoring well in international tournaments and played with men in FEL and was still able to score. If he didnt change he would have never been able to make it to NHL but he still has the skillset and ceiling to be better than 4th liner. His points/60 is 1.99 from this season playing in 3rd and 4th line compared to Connor 2.41. And yes i do think Connor is the better talent, is playing better and should kept in first line. But i also think that Armia should have deserved shot in top6 role due to injuries. He has never gotten that chance.

 

[10Ducky10]

It's a great debate to have...I agree he should be a 2nd or 3rd liner but which player would he replace? He has more moves than a pail of worms. Look at all the shorties he got last year!
He's too good at D and has too good of a stick for Maurice to not make him a checker. He'd be in my top 3 of any and every shootout the team ever had. If I am right, he hasn't had one.
The way he undressed Price last year was one of the best moves I have seen in years.
For your viewing pleasure...

 

[LowLefty]

I dont think so, Laine or Ehlers didnt earn their ice time before he gave them chance in top line. Also Armia is not getting any opportunities in top 6 even thought he has the skillset to be more than 4th liner and atleast had pretty good p/60. I like how Maurice gives the rookies chances to succeed but i dont think anyone has had to "earn it" to get there compared to what i have seen in Tampa where alot rookies got 4th line treatment first.

Ehlers and Laine are no longer on the top line (although that is now debatable).
They had opportunities but they didn't stick or work in the mind of many including the coach.
Connor has moved up and down but worked his way back to the top when there were other choices to fill that hole. He developed and worked on another dimension in his game that Maurice determined was needed to work with Wheels and Scheif.

Armia, as noted by a few others, has a defensive skill set that makes it hard for Maurice to move him - he's better utilizes where he is.

 

[Heldig]

With Scheifle - Wheeler struggling right now in the D zone I would not mind seeing Wheeler and Roslovic switch spots.

Connor - Scheifele - Roslovic
Laine - Stastny - Ehlers
Perrault- Little - Wheeler
Copp - Lowry - Armia

**I dont see the Little line as a third line...also Wheeler still gets 1st PP minutes and PK time.

 

[truck]

_______________________________________________________

Like this idea a lot with Roslo line being set back to # 3 line,/ and Laine. Ehler's line at # 2 spot. Connor should stay where he is.

We've seen Perreault - Little - Ehlers dominate tough matchups. I think No will go back to that at some point.

I love the idea of:

81-55-26 < Scores a lot
85-18-27 < Dominates tough matchups
52-25-29 < ???, but I like the mix
9-17-40 < Dominates tough matchups

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Ehlers and Laine are no longer on the top line (although that is now debatable).
They had opportunities but they didn't stick or work in the mind of many including the coach.
Connor has moved up and down but worked his way back to the top when there were other choices to fill that hole. He developed and worked on another dimension in his game that Maurice determined was needed to work with Wheels and Scheif.

Armia, as noted by a few others, has a defensive skill set that makes it hard for Maurice to move him - he's better utilizes where he is.

Yes and no, I think. We have had times when a pair of wingers was not working, or not working with a C. I'm thinking ELL, for one. PMo could have swapped Laine and Armia to get better D play from the 2nd line and to jump start their scoring. But he wanted to keep his shutdown line.

Not arguing with the shutdown line, just saying that there have been other options available.

 

[LowLefty]

Yes and no, I think. We have had times when a pair of wingers was not working, or not working with a C. I'm thinking ELL, for one. PMo could have swapped Laine and Armia to get better D play from the 2nd line and to jump start their scoring. But he wanted to keep his shutdown line.

Not arguing with the shutdown line, just saying that there have been other options available.

There's always other options - the interesting part is determining if they are better options.
I've come to the conclusion that Maurice is going to leave pcs in place if he can - the Lowry line is the strongest example of this (aside from injuries).

 

[LowLefty]

With Scheifle - Wheeler struggling right now in the D zone I would not mind seeing Wheeler and Roslovic switch spots.

Connor - Scheifele - Roslovic
Laine - Stastny - Ehlers
Perrault- Little - Wheeler
Copp - Lowry - Armia

**I dont see the Little line as a third line...also Wheeler still gets 1st PP minutes and PK time.

I like this -

I'm not sure the 1st line would be better but it could be - IMO, it should help the 3rd line (based on what you are calling a 3rd) get back on track.

It's been brought up before - splitting up Wheels and Scheif - not sure it will happen but I'd like to see them try something similar to what you've drawn up