Waived: J.T. Brown placed on waivers | claimed by Anaheim

HoseEmDown

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Mar 25, 2012
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I mean Brown has put up 22 points in a season which is higher than Paquette ever has. He hasn't been good since that year but Paquette hasn't been that good since his rookie year either. We won't miss either player too much if the Crunch kids keep it up the way they're developing.

I would like to see Callahan sitting a few games to see if it can spark some offense from him when he gets back in. He's been an offensive black hole the past few years.
 

Bolt 45

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I mean Brown has put up 22 points in a season which is higher than Paquette ever has. He hasn't been good since that year but Paquette hasn't been that good since his rookie year either. We won't miss either player too much if the Crunch kids keep it up the way they're developing.

I would like to see Callahan sitting a few games to see if it can spark some offense from him when he gets back in. He's been an offensive black hole the past few years.
Brown was done the minute teams grasped how fast he was and adjusted for it, because there's literally nothing else of significance to his game. Injuries have been Paquette's problem. Paquette's game is balanced enough that it's not unrealistic to see him as a potential asset in a fourth line role. There's a reason he was chosen to shadow Toews in the SCF. He's next on the chopping block, you're right about that, but there's more to work with than there was with Brown.
 

HoseEmDown

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Brown was done the minute teams grasped how fast he was and adjusted for it, because there's literally nothing else of significance to his game. Injuries have been Paquette's problem. Paquette's game is balanced enough that it's not unrealistic to see him as a potential asset in a fourth line role. There's a reason he was chosen to shadow Toews in the SCF. He's next on the chopping block, you're right about that, but there's more to work with than there was with Brown.

But if he's never healthy enough it doesn't matter what he can do. You can't go forward with a guy you can't rely on for even 65 games a year. If he was a superstar you can overlook that but a 4th liner you need to move on from him which I think we do this off-season.
 

Bolt 45

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But if he's never healthy enough it doesn't matter what he can do. You can't go forward with a guy you can't rely on for even 65 games a year. If he was a superstar you can overlook that but a 4th liner you need to move on from him which I think we do this off-season.
I don't disagree, but I see why we chose to keep Paquette and waive Brown. Kunitz-Paquette-Cally has been a pretty solid fourth for us this year. I'm inclined to think that Paquette's injuries are a direct result of the way he plays, but there's always a chance that it's just been dumb luck. If so, and we can count on him in the lineup for more than two weeks at a time, then he's fine until whichever Syracuse guy is ready to take his spot.

Personally, I'd be okay with letting Peca or Erne or Joseph or whoever have a go at his spot right away. Make Paquette fight to stay in the lineup and see if that changes anything.
 
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Werewolf

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Guys like Brown, Paquette, Kunitz (at this stage in his career), Sustr, Dotchin, Conacher ... are fully replaceable, depth pieces. I like them as they were developed by the Lightning into NHL players and will get opportunities in the league because of it (minus Kunitz of course). They hold little value and are just placeholders by the hoarde of depth this organization has been accumulating.

Brown and Sustr embodies exactly what the Lightning want to do with their depth prospects. Squeeze every ounce of talent they have and keep them on low value, short term contracts. And as they are ready to turn UFA ... either recycle for a pick or move them. In my opinion Yzerman was probably praying for a waiver pickup. Brown's salary while still playing in the AHL is $1,250,000 plus his cap hit would still be near almost $1Million. The main pieces in the AHL while still on their ELC (Tammela, Cirelli, Yan, Cernak, Masin, Erne, Volkov, Stephens, Verhaeghe, Spencer, Joseph, Ingram, Thomas, Walcott) are making $70k each down in the AHL. All those players listed ... make as much money as Erik Condra. One of the many reasons Yzerman likes to hoarde picks ... they make the economics of running an AHL organization much, much cheaper. Next year we can run almost the entire Syracuse club off ELC contracts as we add Howden, Katchouk, Hajek, Raddysh, Foote, and Sosunov and only Erne, Walcott, and Verhaeghe come off ELC. Plus I think we have one or two long shots in the NCAA graduating ... I'd have to look.

Paquette is not at risk of getting waived. He is 24 and RFA. Sustr and Brown are 27 and UFAs. Sustr holds more value than Brown. He could end up getting flipped for a pick or be kept as depth for the playoff run. Either would be fine but flipping would have been preferable. That is ultimately what I didn't like about losing Blujus in the pipeline. He could have been the depth that would have replaced Sustr this season as a call-up and we could have just flipped Sustr without worries.

Other thing to remember Coburn has played his entire career on the right side - on the top pairing. If we flip Sustr at the TDL ... and we get an injury to the right side we could still line up Coburn on that side. I bet he is more than serviceable on that side on the third pairing.
 
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Shoresy Snipes

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Brown is already a scoring threat on the Ducks. Here's got a point in every game he's played for them yet. 1 assist.
I'm sure Kessler is thrilled to be paired with him. <--(Sarcasm, by the way)
 

HoseEmDown

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If they wanted to save money in the AHL they could've traded a pick with Condra to get him out of there so I don't think he was really hoping for a claim. Domingue is making 1mil in AHL salary so money down there isn't an issue. I don't mind losing Brown but our depth is getting killed, we traded McGinn with Leighton for Domingue, Dumont claimed and now Brown. The kids have stepped up but we could really use some vet bodies for insurance down there and playoff experience. Just think we could've traded one for a late pick or AHL player but the Crunch have been rolling so no need to mess with them too much.
 

Werewolf

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That's not good logic. So they already have a ton of salary down there ... it doesn't matter if they add more? That's the logic? You basically increase payroll in the AHL by 20 - 25% with the addition of Brown. Yzerman was willing to do it (cause Vinik isn't counting pennies when the Dollars are the good will and political capital of the community that allows for his multi-billion dollar investment downtown) but that is a ton of money and dead cap space. By having him claimed he doesn't have to worry about it and I'm betting that's what he and Brown would have preferred.

When Yan and Cirelli come back ... they'll be running two AHL first lines, one second line, and one third line. Plus Brisbois recycles from the ECHL ... he has done a good job with that over the years. A vet forward pushes a prospect out of the lineup. We'll call up Erne or Peca and Walcott comes into the lineup ... Crunch would still roll.

Verhaeghe - Peca - Condra
Bournival - Lynch - Erne
Yan - Cirelli - Joseph
Tammela - Stephens - Volkov

... and you still have Gallant and Walcott.

Masin - Cernak
McBain - Bodie
McNeil - Thomas

... and you still have Spencer.

Plus you'll get some CHL'rs at the end of the year. Joseph, Howden, Stephens, Hajek, etc all participated down the stretch and in some playoff games. Granted, they'll see longer CHL playoff duty but we are not short on players at the moment. Knock on wood.
 

HoseEmDown

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They've already paid Brown half his salary and I'm sure they budgeted for the rest, it would've just been to play in Syracuse. They could've flipped him easier if he passed through too. Like I said they could've moved Condra out as he makes 1.5 this year, Brown was really good last time in the A so think he would be an upgrade over Condra.

I wanted a vet not to push a kid out but to not have to play Walcott or Gallant. I also think come playoff time we could use someone over Tammela. Or a PPQB to help out in that area. I also don't think the Crunch will get many CHL players till much later than usual. The big names, Howden/Raddysh/Katchouk have potential Memorial cup runs. Foote should make it to round 2 maybe the 3rd and he would be a great add. I just think the Crunch with Brown, Conacher or vet forward is much more dangerous than they already are.
 

Werewolf

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Gallant is pretty terrible all the way around. Just takes too many stupid penalties and lacks skill and speed. Walcott is surprisingly not that bad. He is the AHL version of Brown in the NHL. That doesn't sound good...but he has a role to play and he plays it well. The ability to play both as a defender and a forward is huge. But now that he is just a forward I think he can be a decent AHL contributor for the organization. I'm pretty sure he wears an A too. I don't know what we have in Tammela yet ... I'll give him 20 games or so to get re-adjusted then evaluate.

You nailed the organizational need in the AHL though ... PPQB. Their PP is an eye sore.
 

Crunchrulz

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Agree on Gallant and Walcott. Gallant has been a HUGE disappointment this season. He just has not fit in well with the style of play that the organization uses. Walcott can play forward or defense and not hurt you either way. He is a team leader whether he has an "A" or not, and does not hesitate to stand up for his teammates. Walcott is the kind of player every team needs and every coach wants, willing to do whatever he has to to win and stay in the lineup.
 

Werewolf

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Brown getting really good reviews on the Ducks board. Lot of ex-Lightning players that developed in the organization got regular NHL jobs ... Pyatt, Barberio, Connolly, Marchessault, Brown, Gudas, Panik, Witkowski, Dumont. I'm sure to be missing a few more...
 

AndreRoy

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Other thing to remember Coburn has played his entire career on the right side - on the top pairing. If we flip Sustr at the TDL ... and we get an injury to the right side we could still line up Coburn on that side. I bet he is more than serviceable on that side on the third pairing.

As I recall Sergachev actually prefers the right side so that gives us another option in case of emergency. Ideally of course we keep him paired with Stralman but it’s nice to have the flexibility.
 

The Macho King

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As I recall Sergachev actually prefers the right side so that gives us another option in case of emergency. Ideally of course we keep him paired with Stralman but it’s nice to have the flexibility.
Given the option, Yzerman and Coop will play an inferior player on their strong side to a superior player on their off side (and I'm starting to come around to that line of thinking).
 

TampaJay

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Given the option, Yzerman and Coop will play an inferior player on their strong side to a superior player on their off side (and I'm starting to come around to that line of thinking).
Agreed. But I wonder why when we talk about how the D are deployed, we don’t talk about the guy who actually deploys them. Rick Bowness is the most experienced coach on the staff and I doubt Cooper overrides his decisions on a regular basis. For example with Koekkoek’s usage. We know what Yzerman thinks of KK and Dotchin based on the huge price he paid to protect them at the expansion draft. He could have easily kept his 2nd, 4th, and Gusev and let one of them go like WSH did with Schmidt. And we know SY cherishes his picks. While the coaches were playing Nesterov ahead of KK, Yzerman trades him for a 6th. It is an interesting dynamic.

BTW, Brown may have been moved for a TDL acquisition, but has Yzerman ever traded for a pure rental at the TDL? Can’t think of one.
 

The Macho King

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Agreed. But I wonder why when we talk about how the D are deployed, we don’t talk about the guy who actually deploys them. Rick Bowness is the most experienced coach on the staff and I doubt Cooper overrides his decisions on a regular basis. For example with Koekkoek’s usage. We know what Yzerman thinks of KK and Dotchin based on the huge price he paid to protect them at the expansion draft. He could have easily kept his 2nd, 4th, and Gusev and let one of them go like WSH did with Schmidt. And we know SY cherishes his picks. While the coaches were playing Nesterov ahead of KK, Yzerman trades him for a 6th. It is an interesting dynamic.

BTW, Brown may have been moved for a TDL acquisition, but has Yzerman ever traded for a pure rental at the TDL? Can’t think of one.
"huge price" was a 4th round pick in KK's case (most likely).
 

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