News Article: Was Chevy close to blowing it up?

[allan5oh]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sp...ce-talks-players-playoffs-and--295682571.html

The conversation that I had with Kevin on the Saturday before I was hired, we spoke of the direction of where the team has to go, and it has been word for word exactly what has happened. He also gave a couple of scenarios because if we had got to Winnipeg last year and it hadn’t gone well, he was moving a lot of pieces out and getting young.

Click to read more...

 

[mcpw]

Good. GM's not a lame duck.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Maybe he was talking about moving out the older rentals (Jokinen and Setoguchi, specifically) and going with guys like Lowry, Klingberg and O'Dell in their spots.

Fun to speculate, but I doubt that Chevy was seriously considering "blowing it up".

 

[KingBogo]

Good. GM's not a lame duck.

In no way is Chevy a lame duck. This is his team. He will be around for a long long time. Interesting interview.

 

[wpgsilver]

I thought this was the most interesting quote:

that’s the first place you build trust is how hard you train, how much effort you put into it. You don’t have to be in great shape, you have to be in better shape than you were last year. We had a few guys who didn’t, and it was really noticeable on the ice and they didn’t make the hockey team.

Any ideas who he is referring to?
O'Dell perhaps?

 

[Puckatron 3000]

Maybe he was talking about moving out the older rentals (Jokinen and Setoguchi, specifically) and going with guys like Lowry, Klingberg and O'Dell in their spots.

Fun to speculate, but I doubt that Chevy was seriously considering "blowing it up".

Dunno. It's hard not to interpret that quote as meaning exactly that, "blowing it up".

 

[jetkarma*]

In no way is Chevy a lame duck. This is his team. He will be around for a long long time.

Totally agree with this .

 

[Evil Little]

I thought this was the most interesting quote:



Any ideas who he is referring to?
O'Dell perhaps?

I'm guessing that meant camp, and O'Dell was injured during training camp.

Tangradi made camp, and subsequently didn't put on a Jets uniform. Maybe he was referring to Ellerby, as well, though he's also missed significant injury time this year. Other than Jokinen, Wright, and Setoguchi they're the only non-returning regulars from last year, if I recall correctly.

Convenient that it was two depth guys, though.

 

[mcpw]

In no way is Chevy a lame duck. This is his team. He will be around for a long long time. Interesting interview.

People suggested it because Tangradi was his biggest hockey trade.

Any ideas who he is referring to?
O'Dell perhaps?

Main targets are probably Tangradi (55gp 13/14) and Ellerby (51gp). Possibly O'Dell (30gp). Not sure about Albert (9), Cormier (9), Klingberg (3). My tinfoil hat says it's Morrissey

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Dunno. It's hard not to interpret that quote as meaning exactly that, "blowing it up".

Reading the quote again, it does sound like he's talking more fire sale than being sellers at the deadline.

 

[Skidooboy]

Oh yeah. That quote says "blow up"

 

[allan5oh]

I'm guessing he was referring to Tangradi in that second quote.

 

[allan5oh]

Reading the quote again, it does sound like he's talking more fire sale than being sellers at the deadline.

I'm confused by the timeline, and Maurice doesn't give specifics. Of course the Jets went on a tear after Maurice was hired so we'll never know. However supposedly we did have talks early this year about moving pieces, so it could be that as well.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Reading the quote again, it does sound like he's talking more fire sale than being sellers at the deadline.

Agree. When I heard the interview, I thought "blow it up / fire sale" as well. Maurice was pretty up-front. Sounded like things were going to change big time, if the current line-up didn't perform as they were expected to.

 

[EpicGingy]

It sounds like Maurice thinks Petan will be a winger at tje NHL level.

It's also cool to see his reasoning on Stuart and what he brings to the team. I'm not a very big fan of his, but if he can be relegated to bottom pairing duty I won't complain too loudly.

 

[Romang67]

If you can put them [forwards] in a third line, I think that’s ideal. You can’t have a young player on your fourth line.

I don't really like the sound of that. It could mean that he simply wants veterans on his fourth line, but it could also mean that he's comfortable having a crappy fourth line, and basically roll three lines...

 

[garret9]

Kruger was a young player that made a good fourthline...

 

[Derfel*]

I'm guessing he was referring to Tangradi in that second quote.

Tangradi and/or Klingberg.

 

[wpgsilver]

I'm guessing he was referring to Tangradi in that second quote.

Forgot about that dude.

 

[Hunter368]

Agree. When I heard the interview, I thought "blow it up / fire sale" as well. Maurice was pretty up-front. Sounded like things were going to change big time, if the current line-up didn't perform as they were expected to.

If they didn't finally start to performing up to expectations, damn right blow it up. Group has finally shown some heart and backbone this year. Had they not performed as they did this year and CHEVY blew it up......I wouldn't have shed a single tear.

Now let's hope they can sqeak into the playoffs for the experience......I have zero expectations of them other than that (this year). We need to set the bar in this organization, the bar being the playoffs year after year. Those expectations are set on the players, management and ownership.....anything less should be considered failure unless we're in total tank/rebuild mode. Then comes accountability, if they fail to meet those expectations there needs to be accountability. Accountability from the players, management and ownership.

Get it done Jets! Get in the freaking playoffs this year and never look back.

 

[ps241]

Haven't read the article (busy day) but before Mo arrived Friedman reported Zinger and Chevy were frantically trying to trade "several" core members but the market was terrible so they had to can Noel.

You can bet if the leaders didn't respond to the coaching changes Chevy would have cleaned house with the older core. only guessing but I think Chevy and Zinger would have been pi55ed when the team bailed on Noel.

Now as it turns out the players responded to the change in coaching so as Garth Brooks would say thank god for unanswered prayers.

 

[Bob E]

If the team started really slow, there may have been a fire sale earlier this year.

The temptation to go younger with this draft year would have been very hard to resist if they didn't perform. To their credit, they did.

 

[Aavco Cup]

If the team started really slow, there may have been a fire sale earlier this year.

The temptation to go younger with this draft year would have been very hard to resist if they didn't perform. To their credit, they did.

I think Maurice was talking about last year. There were rumours Chevy wanted to trade some vets before the coaching change. They went on a tear once Maurice was hired and that was that. Perhaps this team would look very different if they had not gone on that run last season.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I don't really like the sound of that. It could mean that he simply wants veterans on his fourth line, but it could also mean that he's comfortable having a crappy fourth line, and basically roll three lines...

Bingo!!

He uses it to get some specialists into the game. PK specialist, face off specialist, face punch specialist, etc.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

If they didn't finally start to performing up to expectations, damn right blow it up. Group has finally shown some heart and backbone this year. Had they not performed as they did this year and CHEVY blew it up......I wouldn't have shed a single tear.

Now let's hope they can sqeak into the playoffs for the experience......I have zero expectations of them other than that (this year). We need to set the bar in this organization, the bar being the playoffs year after year. Those expectations are set on the players, management and ownership.....anything less should be considered failure unless we're in total tank/rebuild mode. Then comes accountability, if they fail to meet those expectations there needs to be accountability. Accountability from the players, management and ownership.

Get it done Jets! Get in the freaking playoffs this year and never look back.

At that point, if a coaching change had not produced results blowing it up would have made perfect sense. When Chevy arrived on the job he had to decide if the roster he inherited would be the basis of a consistent playoff team. He decided it would and proceeded accordingly. If after 3 years it appeared that early assessment was wrong it is time to move quickly. Get maximum value for those assets and start over before their value starts to erode. I think what Mau said was quite clear. He and Chevy saw enough in the last half of last year to decide that the original assessment had been accurate and that they could still make a playoff team out of it.

I think it is funny to have put it that they would get young given that the Jets were and are one of the youngest teams in the league already.