Agree with the premise , Buff has elite talent , he simply is in the top level for that and raw skills and measurables.
He has flashed , for periods of time , but not where he has been dominant for lengthy , prolonged stretches , let alone most of a complete season.
We all have dreamed about how impactful he would be to the Jets if he truly bought in . We may just see that going forward. He potentially is the player that can elevate his game and production the most , therefore doing that for the team as well .
However I do think there are others that can do this as well , not to the same potential mind you. Evander Kane can and imo will do this too. He has been very good but will be much much better than that going forward in his career. He has the hunger , the confidence and talent to take several steps forward , and is most likely to increase his production and game of all the Jet players imo.
Bogosian can be another , however while I don't downgrade him , he isn't as sure a bet for this as Kane again as I see it. He has the want but he has to now produce , have his overall game reflect his ability and elite talent. Results need to occur.
Those three players can become franchise type players that become cornerstones for this franchise and propel the Jets to not only a playoff team , but one that can win at least a couple of series in time ( shortly ) . Surround them with contributing teamates , depth , and let the young talent develop and we have reason to be optimistic.
Of course , team defense needs to improve and Pavs need to be more consistent and improve . Still not sure if that will happen or how likely that may be. Needs to have a better save % , allow less iffy goals , fine tune some areas like not allowing as many sweet rebounds. Saying that , in 2 years he may be pushed , and pushed hard by the Jets young goaltending talent.
I really have liked what I have seen from Buff this year , I mentioned after year one that the big man may be the litmus test for this team . How or if he bought in and with last year's lock out , this may be the real first chance to see. I LOVE what I see .
Buff can be elite and a difference maker on a regular basis , and that would be HUGE for the Jets .