2015- A summer of dissapointment and incompetence?

[Gump Hasek]

Raffl

huh?

http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2015/09/02...pto-to-raffl-older-brother-of-flyers-michael/

 

[KCjetsfan]

I'm not really sure what grade I would give.

On one hand there are several big disappointments I have, and you can argue how much of an impact they will have but they do have an impact and make me wonder about the thought process. Signing Peluso, (Halischuk I don't care so much about because I do believe he's more a Moose option), re-signing Stafford (which I'll admit I've long held a bias against him from his Buffalo days, but I still think we'll be disappointed with him this year), and letting Stempniak go, and to a lesser extent Tlusty.

On the other hand, we've built up a reasonably solid team, and it's not inconceivable that we will get some potentially solid contributions from rookies. I'm more of a believe it when I see it guy, but the consensus seems favorable. So knowing we have a couple of rookies pencilled in as potential starters, I can understand the relative quietness of the summer.

Pavs is Pavs, and we hopefully just have one season left of him, and maybe he'll be an adequate starter again this year. That's a black mark for a prior summer, not this one.

I don't think it's necessarily fair to complain that neither Buff nor Ladd are signed currently. Maybe Chevy's playing hardball, maybe the players are. I'll be disappointed if they both play out the year and leave but I think that's part of the new reality.

I'd give it an optimistic incomplete I guess.

 

[pegjets]

Wow that's a pessimistic ramble. I think the bottom 6 losses have to take into account that some kids are going to be coming up, so it's premature to bemoan the loss of those that walked. I agree losing Frolik for nothing wasn't ideal, but if we traded Frolik at the deadline, we may not have made the playoffs.

Also resigned =/= re-signed

 

[Gump Hasek]

This thread (and others) also feature a lot of unwarranted chirping at Halischuk - a guy that is essentially just a utility player and likely slots in at 13th forward. What the complaints about guys like him (& Thorburn/Peluso) underscore to me however is how much this team has progressed over just the past few years. A couple of years back I viewed them as beginning the year with just four legit top-6 NHL forwards (LLW & Kane); now the glass-half-full crowd is relegated to complaining about the 4th-line. Change is ongoing there as well however as it looks like we could possibly see a few upgrades on that line this year.

 

[veganhunter]

My biggest issue this summer in terms of the roster we will be icing this winter is the bottom 6.

We have decided to go with youth, which is great, but since we insist on keeping plugs to occupy several roster spots we have no contingency plan.

If Ehlers, Copp, Petan, Armia, etc. prove not to be ready we are going to get a heavy dose of Fraser, Peluso, Thorbs. If we stopped handing out dumb contracts to plugs we could sign a decent player like Tlusty to a 1 year and leave room for youth and have a back up plan that can actually play.

 

[Edgar Halliwax]

Overall a B. Chevy had another killer draft. I see at least 2 middle 6 or better forwards and a couple other potential players. He kept to the draft and develop plan and keeps setting the stage for the future. Very excited to see guys with rea nice upside get their opportunity (Ehlers, Petan, Armia, Copp). Potentially a difference maker or 2 in that group.

Not getting Ladd and Buff signed yet is a bit disappointing, but better to grind out a more favorable deal for the organization then to cave to players initial demands.

Frolik walking was going to happen after last summers 1 year deal, so that is in the past.

Getting Burmi back for a song is nice.

The rest is minor noise around the edges and really has little to no impact on the future.

Chevy gets a B from me too. I agree with all your comments.

And regarding Frolik, by all accounts the Jets offer was at least as good as the deal he signed with the Flames. He wanted out.

 

[Winnipeg Jets]

Wow is that OP bias. I honestly don't think it was such a tragedy as you're alluding to. At some point you have to ease the young guys in, unless you want to be the NJ Devils. I think production will remain the same. Yes there will be growing pains but that is necessary.

Losing Frolik sucks and Chevy seemed frustrated at his press conference, it seemed like something was close or they might have had an agreement and suddenly it all falls apart. I feel like Burmistrov will mirror what Frolik brought to the team.

HF reminds me of the talking heads on TV. Always have the sky is falling mentality. We were slated as a lottery team last year and look how that turned out, I have a feeling something similar is going to happen this year.

 

[Howard Chuck]

I'm more in the excited camp!

Had we kept or signed FA's, some would be complaining that they were 'blocking' the prospects. Chevy really can't please everyone, but he can do what is best for the overall development of the team.

I personally am very happy with the return of Burmi, the possible emergence of some up and coming players, and the continued growth of our current younger players (Scheif/Trouba/Lowry).

We were going to D&D all along, and now we are going to finally start to reap the benefits of this strategy.

Disappointed? Not one bit. Chevy and co. have done a great job of getting us here while continuing to build a great team and infrastructure around it.

 

[CaptainChef]

Summer is over- for the past 2 season we have heard that this was it, 2015 summer was going to THE SUMMER THAT DEFINES CHEVY!! All the other summers- pffft this is the summer where Chevy would show us what he's made of. Well?

I hate being this negative towards the team but I have lost all confidence in Chevy. I used to roll my eyes at people like arby who have been negative towards Chevy for years but the Chevy detractors were right. If the team does well this season it will be inspite of Chevy. So freaking disappointed to see that we are going to ice a much much weaker team than we did in the last game of the regular season last season.

Agree -hate being negative but Chevy has done sweet f-all to improve this team. Burmi fell in his lap - thank goodness. Fro was walking anyway - he facilitated that with his inaction last summer. Staff was oversigned - would have been just as good with Stemp or Tlusty at 1/4 the salary.

Stemp & Tlusty we paid for at the TD but they were given their walking papers because they might make the 4th line look like a real 4th line. Hali & Peluso - totally unwanted.

Only thing I like is that 2-3 rookies are supposedly being gifted jobs -- and that too is the wrong way to go about it. Bring in real players like Stemp & Tlusty instead of Hali & Peluso, make the rookies be good enough to make these vets expendible, if it takes a few months to see how some of these rookies are performing on the Moose & deserving of moving up -- good lets go then.

I'm not usually one that arguing for keeping the rookies down, but having them compete with Hali & Peluso, come on. If they don't pan out, well we will just have to revert to last year's 4th line (minus Slater true, but still a recipe for disaster).

No, I'm totally frustrated with the lack of action from "I'm at the lake" Chevy. He gets a D for his summers work (probably should be a F).

 

[Board Bard]

2. when the OP mentions incompetence and then has a poll asking about the "summber"? the ironing is thick

Speaking of irony . . . maybe the Jets equipment guy who handles laundry can help with this one.

 

[Jeti]

I'm disappointed that there's dozens of LHD signed (I'm exaggerating) but only 1 top-4 capable one. That's a bad situation and nothing was done to remedy it.

Otherwise, I think the summer was about making room for prospects. Stafford over Frolik, IMO, was about term (see previous sentence). I'd have liked to see Stempniak brought back, but that's not a big deal really.

Ultimately, it depends on what happens with Ladd and Buff. If both walk and we lose them for nothing, then you can point to this summer as when they should have been dealt. If they both re-sign and the prospects step in to the roster smoothly this year, you can say the team is better off.

It was a summer of patience. I'd think people would know that about this organization by now.

 

[Gump Hasek]

For all of the talk about a supposed hole at LHD, I recall Ben Chiarot doing just fine in the quasi-#4 slot at LHD last season until he broke his wrist. I also take issue with the claim made earlier in this thread that Buff carried him. Nope. Chiarot stayed home and took care of his own end while Buff wandered. The Jets were happy enough with Chiarot that they re-signed him. There is no glaring hole at LHD; in fact, competition is now ramping up there with Morrissey ready to soon take a run at a job.

 

[Flair Hay]

0/10 for actual insight into the game beyond what's written on paper.

We're going with young guys management is betting on to succeed while still fielding a team capable of making the playoffs.

Good enough for me for now, not good enough for some other folks, I guess.

 

[Weezeric]

I don't understand the negativity. We've has the worst 4th line in hockey for the last few years and now young players with upside will be given a shot. And the whole "there's no backup plan!!"?? We did trade a prospect who's now I'm Europe for stempniak remember? Basically got him for nothing. Depth players are easy to acquire.

As for frolik, I'm a big fan for sure. He will be missed. The term was too long. Look at the blackhawks. 2 years ago they signed bickell to a long term deal. Last summer, due to cap constraints they had to trade saad. It's easy in retrospect to see how one led to the other. If the Hawks let bickell walk they no doubt would've been able to keep saad, a 22yr old first liner. It's not identical, but imagine if we signed fro and had to let ehlers go in a few years...

 

[SoupaTroupa]

I voted B-. but it's kind of hard to give a final grade until we know how the roster is going to end up at the end of training camp. I'd like to revisit my grade then.

 

[StronGeer]

Voted B. Only thing I'd have wanted different is to have Ladd resigned, but I'm confident that gets done.

 

[Channelcat]

Theres probably plenty of reasons to be pessimistic if thats what your looking for, but players like Stemp, Staff, Peluso, Thor, Tlusty, Fro, Burmi etc aren't going to determine whether you're a contender or not. In hindsight, Stafford may have been an overpayment, but I think the main concern for the Jets is the continued development of their top talent.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think you have to look back to when the Jets first relocated back to Winnipeg and the mantra was draft and develop. I remember some of the first interviews after the draft and the next year after that when we had our first development camp. During that camp and meetings, it was stated, that when you are ready, we will open a spot for you, or something to the effect.

Now it's 4 years later from that camp and alot of pundits don't like the fact that some players were not signed and young guys are coming. Look down the line and another 2 years when guys like Conner will be ready, there just isn't enough roster spots open. Someone is going to get traded or not be resigned. That is just the way it is going to be. you should be happy tho that the quality of players in the Jets room has improved. Remember GST as the 3rd line or back when we had to claim people off waivers to get talent.

The rest has already been hashed, I'm pretty sure it was stated during exit meetings or somewhere there abouts that Buff would be the guy to move to LD in the top4, or at least try at the start.

I don't like Pavs starting more than anyone else but at least for the first time there are possibly other options now when he sucks.

Just remember what it looked like at the start of last year.

Adam Lowry – Mathieu Perreault – Dustin Byfuglien

T.J. Galiardi – Jim Slater – Chris Thorburn

I believe that was the starting 3rd and 4th lines last year.

I am somewhat in the middle here. I'm convinced that some things have been done wrong this off-season. Frolik should have been kept instead of Stafford, although the Frolik thing goes back to last off-season. Stempniak should have been signed. Peluso should not have been. None of those things add up to a completely botched off-season though and none of them would make much difference to the bringing in of prospects. Stempniak on the 4th line would have kept one prospect out of the lineup until there was an injury. In the meantime that PB time could have been rotated among the rookies. It is not a bad thing for a rookie to get a little time watching and learning. Injuries would keep that total PB time small anyway.

The big issues that will determine the success or failure for this off-season are Ladd and Buff. None of the things that should have been accomplished by now have been done so it does not look good right now.

I didn't vote in this poll and won't until the Ladd/Buff situation becomes more clear.

 

[powder88]

I'm torn on this one:

On the one hand, Chevy and his team deserve credit for an impressive drafting resume and making the playoffs last year when many of us (myself very much included) felt they would be on the outside looking in.

On the other hand, there is no question in my mind that this team is, as another poster pointed out, worse than the one that finished the season last year. Worse still, is Chevy's apparent disinterest in improving it, especially when veterans all over the league are available for the one year deals that won't impact the Ladd/Buff/Trouba/Scheif/Lowry discussions.

I am growing concerned that TNSE's apparent strength in evaluating Junior talent is outweighed by a lack of ability to assess NHL talent. There are too many Ponikarovsky/Pavelec/Stuart/Thorburn/Stempniak type decisions for me to feel good about the brain trust. Couple that with some questionable in-game personal management by Maurice and I am concerned.

The Kane thing is interesting because the return is good in the circumstances, but Chevy himself bears some responsibility for creating the circumstances. A drunk driver who causes a crash, but then heroically pulls a victim out the the flames of their car is not totally a hero.

I think what we have learned is that Chevy is a mid-tier GM; not top-10, but probably not bottom-10 either.

 

[Whileee]

I've said for the past couple of years that I'd like to see the Jets go on a youth movement as their prospects hit the right windows. Last year Lowry started off a bit slow but was a force by the end of the year. Same with Scheifele the year before.

I'm actually okay with the Jets opening up space and bringing in their prospects now. That's how "draft and develop" works.

Thorbs and Peluso are here for their muscle. Maurice obviously wants that. It's no big deal to me.

I think that the Jets might take a bit of a step back this year, but I like how their pipeline has shaped up and I'm interested to see how they develop.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

1. you summarized the summer and retorted perfectly.
2. when the OP mentions incompetence and then has a poll asking about the "summber"? the ironing is thick

Now that's irony!

 

[CaptainChef]

Theres probably plenty of reasons to be pessimistic if thats what your looking for, but players like Stemp, Staff, Peluso, Thor, Tlusty, Fro, Burmi etc aren't going to determine whether you're a contender or not. In hindsight, Stafford may have been an overpayment, but I think the main concern for the Jets is the continued development of their top talent.

Just how can you say that. It was pretty apparent that it was the lack of play from our 4th line all season that was the reason why our top 9 was so beat up & wore out that we just didn't have enough to advance in the playoffs.

Yes, we were swept, but we were ahead & that close to winning every one of those games. With a healthy rested top 9 we take that series handily (IMHO) and we were a serious threat to win one or two more rounds as well. Once you're there, heck whose to say you might not get lucky or hot & go all the way.

So for those of you saying don't sweat the small stuff, its the small stuff & the depth of your lineup that's the difference between going somewhere in this game & playing golf. Peluso, Fraser & Halischuk are not in anybody's books quality depth players.

 

[Grind]

I'd have to say i'd give him a C


I thought we did excellent at the draft

Losing Frolik was bad

Bringing back burmi draws that to about an even

Signing Stafford is maybe a slight negative, but the term makes it manageable

We did excellent at the draft which I loved.

We seem committed to giving the young guys a good shake which I love.

The blackmarks to me are

No replacement/resigning of one of stempniak/tilusty
No Ladd contract/movement
No Buff contract/movement

A favorable contract or trade to Buff or Ladd by the end of training camp would be worth one letter grade increase each.

A good moneypuck signing/camp invite for a replacement to stemp/tilusty would be worth moving that flat C to a C+


If the kids are unable to stick and either Halishuck, Fraser, or Peluso are on-ice regulars that'll quickly drop to a D or worse.


That's pretty much how i see it.

 

[CaptainChef]

I'm torn on this one:

On the one hand, Chevy and his team deserve credit for an impressive drafting resume and making the playoffs last year when many of us (myself very much included) felt they would be on the outside looking in.

On the other hand, there is no question in my mind that this team is, as another poster pointed out, worse than the one that finished the season last year. Worse still, is Chevy's apparent disinterest in improving it, especially when veterans all over the league are available for the one year deals that won't impact the Ladd/Buff/Trouba/Scheif/Lowry discussions.

I am growing concerned that TNSE's apparent strength in evaluating Junior talent is outweighed by a lack of ability to assess NHL talent. There are too many Ponikarovsky/Pavelec/Stuart/Thorburn/Stempniak type decisions for me to feel good about the brain trust. Couple that with some questionable in-game personal management by Maurice and I am concerned.

The Kane thing is interesting because the return is good in the circumstances, but Chevy himself bears some responsibility for creating the circumstances. A drunk driver who causes a crash, but then heroically pulls a victim out the the flames of their car is not totally a hero.

I think what we have learned is that Chevy is a mid-tier GM; not top-10, but probably not bottom-10 either.

Excellent post. The bolded item's are indeed what keeps us wondering what the heck they are thinking.

 

[surixon]

Excellent post. The bolded item's are indeed what keeps us wondering what the heck they are thinking.

Every fan base makes the same complaints of in game management by their coach.

I'm also not sure why people question their ability to judge pro talent. Getting guys like Perrault and Frolik both had for a song fly in the face of that. They also brought in stemp and Tlusty last year that also back up the notion that they have a good eye for pro talent. If they believe that they have the pieces in house to contribute at the same rate as the players they elected not to bring back then I feel that they deserve the benefit of the doubt. After all they saw first hand what those players brought to the table last year and have elected to go with youth.