If the team could buy out one player

[Mortimer Snerd]

On the books but not playing?????
I was talking about him playing and his playing makes us a stronger team down the centre and you can argue that until the cows come home and you will not change my mind.

You can believe in how well he played before he was hurt. He will be a year older the next time he plays and be coming back from a pretty serious injury. You have nothing on which to base an opinion of how good he will or will not be. We will have to wait and see what we get when and if the time comes.

 

[10Ducky10]

I will base my opinion on the player that I have seen play over the past 9 or so seasons.
Yes, he will be a year older but not much wear and tear on his body this year.
I think that not only does Little come back and play, but he shuts up the naysayers as he was about to this season before taking the puck in the noggin.
If he plays next season, out of the players we have mentioned, he would have to really fall off a cliff to become less than the 2nd best center on the team.

Also, people that are suggesting trading our best prospect we have for a player like Domi? Gimme a break. What does Domi have left until free agency anyway? Two years?
Is he even a 1C? 44 points?
I wouldn't include JMo, Pionk, Heinola or Slamberg in a trade centering around Domi.
Niku, Stanley and 2021 2nd is as high as I would go and that might be too much.

 

[JetsFan815]

Wheeler's stats are heavily padded by EN and pplay situations & associated points. Most can see that our pplay is actually likely to improve if you pull him off the #1 pplay.

But you dont buy him out, you move him if possible. But even that is unlikely unless you retain salary or throw in some sweetener or take a bad contract as part of the deal in return. I think we are stuck with him and it will get really bad really soon.

There are no real contracts worth buying out right now. Chevy deserves some credit for that. But we had a clear buyout contact a while back - Pavelec - and we never did it. I dont think Chevy has that in his toolbox.

"Most" also criticized Buff last season for his PP performance and blamed him for "not passing to Laine" and said that the Jets would be better off if he was replaced on that unit with Morrissey or Myers. But this season with Buff gone our PP has gone back to the stone age, even with Pionk on the point. I would not be so sure that replacing Wheeler on the PP is an automatic upgrade.

Also Wheeler has proven his value by keeping that second line afloat while playing out of position and looking at how much Scheifele and that top line struggled without him on it should also make fans appreciate what he brings to the table.

The idea that the Jets would have to add a sweetener to move that contract and/or take a bad contract in return is ridiculous. The guy has been PPG for the last season and even this season is putting up .92 ppg even while spending most of the season playing out of position as a C. The way some fans talk about Wheeler is completely out of touch with reality, you'd think he was Lucic or Ladd or Eriksson reading some of the posts here. Be assured that if the Jets made Wheeler available this offseason there would be a lineup of teams eager to acquire his services and pay a good amount in return.

 

[Jets 31]

Don't need to buy out anyone now with Buff and Kulikov gone . If Little comes back and we sign Eakin i like our depth on forward , there is also a expansion draft coming and we are going to lose someone . If Little retires though i hope he gives Chevy notice and we don't lose Little and Eakin for nothing in return . If that happens Chevy will definitely have to get a center and 1 defenseman .

 

[Jetfaninflorida]

"Most" also criticized Buff last season for his PP performance and blamed him for "not passing to Laine" and said that the Jets would be better off if he was replaced on that unit with Morrissey or Myers. But this season with Buff gone our PP has gone back to the stone age, even with Pionk on the point. I would not be so sure that replacing Wheeler on the PP is an automatic upgrade.

Also Wheeler has proven his value by keeping that second line afloat while playing out of position and looking at how much Scheifele and that top line struggled without him on it should also make fans appreciate what he brings to the table.

The idea that the Jets would have to add a sweetener to move that contract and/or take a bad contract in return is ridiculous. The guy has been PPG for the last season and even this season is putting up .92 ppg even while spending most of the season playing out of position as a C. The way some fans talk about Wheeler is completely out of touch with reality, you'd think he was Lucic or Ladd or Eriksson reading some of the posts here. Be assured that if the Jets made Wheeler available this offseason there would be a lineup of teams eager to acquire his services and pay a good amount in return.

Wheels isn't even a top 100 player even strength points / 60, or if he is he is around 100th. Just watch his play, he is declining and losing his speed, and with his advanced age the decline will accelerate. Credit to Chevy and Maurice making sure that he can pad his stats like crazy in powerplay and EN situations to try to make him look like he could be worth $8m+. People see through that pretty quickly.

 

[Jet]

I definitely do not get a hair trigger when it comes to Little for several reasons. First of all, before this freak accident with him this year, he played all 82 games the previous 2 seasons. He's played in at least 70 games in 8 of his 12 full seasons in the NHL.

I want to see: if he comes back, and what he is going to play like once he does. We really do not know what he has been doing to prepare to come back, and knowing what an all round, quietly good player he is you hold on to veterans like that.

Finally, a good org doesn't pull the plug on a career franchise player when they have a freak accident.

With the players coming off the books (Buff, Perreault, and Kulikov) we have some wiggle room). If we can get some cheap options in and playing (Samberg, Heinola) now we are actually looking pretty good.

Of course, we don't know how much the salary cap will contract but that might actually work in our favor as some teams will need to shed salary to fit.

It will be pretty interesting, that's for sure.

 

[BatVader]

I definitely do not get a hair trigger when it comes to Little for several reasons. First of all, before this freak accident with him this year, he played all 82 games the previous 2 seasons. He's played in at least 70 games in 8 of his 12 full seasons in the NHL.

I want to see: if he comes back, and what he is going to play like once he does. We really do not know what he has been doing to prepare to come back, and knowing what an all round, quietly good player he is you hold on to veterans like that.

Finally, a good org doesn't pull the plug on a career franchise player when they have a freak accident.

With the players coming off the books (Buff, Perreault, and Kulikov) we have some wiggle room). If we can get some cheap options in and playing (Samberg, Heinola) now we are actually looking pretty good.

Of course, we don't know how much the salary cap will contract but that might actually work in our favor as some teams will need to shed salary to fit.

It will be pretty interesting, that's for sure.

How is Little a franchise player?
He’s an overpaid 3C, who is holding up the Jets from upgrading their 2C slot because the coach has a fan girl crush on him.
Littles cap and roster slot can be better used on an actual 2C that would fit in and help the team.

 

[surixon]

Its Little and it's not really close. He is an aging player that is signed for another 4 years at a significant amount of the cap. Outside of a small stretch of games this year he hasn't resembled a good 2C in a good 3 seasons. The chances of him finding a second wind in his mid 30's is slim.

He was a great player for us in his prime and has been a class act but from purely a cap management and getting the best bang for you buck he would be player I would buy out of we were given a compliance buyout.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

How is Little a franchise player?
He’s an overpaid 3C, who is holding up the Jets from upgrading their 2C slot because the coach has a fan girl crush on him.
Littles cap and roster slot can be better used on an actual 2C that would fit in and help the team.

I think he meant that Little has spent his entire career with the franchise.

 

[jetsforever]

I guess it'd have to be Little but I'd then be concerned about our centre depth.

 

[DRW204]

I would not write Little off completely until we see anything other than Ehlers-Little-Laine for a period of time. However, i'd argue most SC caliber teams have 2 C's superior to Little. We probably do as well if Wheeler is at C.

 

[Eyeseeing]

I definitely do not get a hair trigger when it comes to Little for several reasons. First of all, before this freak accident with him this year, he played all 82 games the previous 2 seasons. He's played in at least 70 games in 8 of his 12 full seasons in the NHL.

I want to see: if he comes back, and what he is going to play like once he does. We really do not know what he has been doing to prepare to come back, and knowing what an all round, quietly good player he is you hold on to veterans like that.

Finally, a good org doesn't pull the plug on a career franchise player when they have a freak accident.

With the players coming off the books (Buff, Perreault, and Kulikov) we have some wiggle room). If we can get some cheap options in and playing (Samberg, Heinola) now we are actually looking pretty good.

Of course, we don't know how much the salary cap will contract but that might actually work in our favor as some teams will need to shed salary to fit.

It will be pretty interesting, that's for sure.

Bryan Little is always criminally under appreciated here

 

[Jet]

How is Little a franchise player?
He’s an overpaid 3C, who is holding up the Jets from upgrading their 2C slot because the coach has a fan girl crush on him.
Littles cap and roster slot can be better used on an actual 2C that would fit in and help the team.

Sorry, my verbiage probably led to the misunderstanding. I meant to say he's a lifer with the Jets franchise - and for good reason.

Your assessment is neither fair nor accurate. Healthy Little provides more than fair value for contract - but he doesn't do the flashy sexy things that people seem to covet. He just plays the right way every shift. There is something to be said for stability, especially with a forward group that is woefully inept defensively.

The organization has very openly and obviously made several moves to push Little into the 3rd C role. They have twice aquired centres at the TDL, and they have tried in house solutions there as well. Yes, Maurice loves him (and rightfully so) but that has not stopped him from looking for a more dynamically offensive option in the 2C spot.