Jori Lehtera Player Discussion

[The Madrigal]

The good news is the Flyers can buy him out after this season if they want to and it would only carry a dead cap hit of about 1.5 million for two years. This would run side by side with Schenn's contract and provide the Flyers with a cap savings of about 3.5 million for two years in addition to assets they got for Schenn.

 

[Lord Defect]

44 points his first season, 22 points his last. I don't want to say he's trending downwards, but it certainly looks that way. If he had Bellemares contract I wouldn't care about where this guy plays, but he basically has Schenn's contract. I would rather have seen a phantom in Lehtera's position.
We may not need the cap space now, but who knows how we play this season and if a trade deadline pickup could push us over the top.
I'm not going to give him MacDonald level hate just because of his contract, or any hate at all until he gives me an on ice reason to.
I just wanted to know what this guy can do that helps us.

 

[Rebels57]

And that's reason to already "hate" on him in June? That's reason to not judge him properly? He's very likely better than most of our bottom 6 forwards, yet posters here are thinking he could end up in Phantoms or be 13 th forward.

Ridiculous. Many users here probably don't know much about players from other teams, unless they are star players... or don't know how else to explain this.

Calling him a 13th forward or AHL bound is a bit extreme. I agree there. I don't see him as better than most of our bottom 6 though.

Let's just say our top 6 looks like this, for arguments sake:

Lindblom - Giroux - Simmonds
Konecny - Couturier - Voracek

That leaves..

Patrick
Filppula
Raffl
Weise
Read
Laughton
Vecchione

and maybe Weal for the bottom 6. We don't know what we will get from Weal, Laughton or Vecchione next season if they make the team. So I would say that the only bottom 6ers I would take Lehtera over are Read and Weise for sure.

 

[potsiev2]

44 points his first season, 22 points his last. I don't want to say he's trending downwards, but it certainly looks that way. If he had Bellemares contract I wouldn't care about where this guy plays, but he basically has Schenn's contract. I would rather have seen a phantom in Lehtera's position.
We may not need the cap space now, but who knows how we play this season and if a trade deadline pickup could push us over the top.
I'm not going to give him MacDonald level hate just because of his contract, or any hate at all until he gives me an on ice reason to.
I just wanted to know what this guy can do that helps us.

I just read an article saying he's hired a personal on ice training for the first time in his career so maybe he's had a wake up call concerning his conditioning which can only be a positive heading into next season. I think if he can come into this season with good conditioning he has the skillset that might blend well with filpula. His best asset is his passing/playmaking ability

 

[tade]

Lehtera is better than Laughton, Read, Weise, Vecchione. Weal/Raffl are debatable. In other words some of you would rather downgrade our team for the sake of playing young player / AHL'er on the 4th line.

Vecchione will be better suited in the AHL to start the season, and Laughton will have to fight real hard for the spot on the team right from the start of season, unless a forward is traded.

 

[Alchemy]

You have to give the guy a chance. He might be overpaid but he could prove to be a useful utility guy.

 

[Rebels57]

Lehtera is better than Laughton, Read, Weise, Vecchione. Weal/Raffl are debatable. In other words some of you would rather downgrade our team for the sake of playing young player / AHL'er on the 4th line.

Vecchione will be better suited in the AHL to start the season, and Laughton will have to fight real hard for the spot on the team right from the start of season, unless a forward is traded.

I said we don't know what we will get from Laughton and Vecchione..they are unknowns for next season. Read and Weise I agreed with you.

 

[BritainStix]

And that's reason to already "hate" on him in June? That's reason to not judge him properly? He's very likely better than most of our bottom 6 forwards, yet posters here are thinking he could end up in Phantoms or be 13 th forward.

Ridiculous. Many users here probably don't know much about players from other teams, unless they are star players... or don't know how else to explain this.

There isn't any "hate" going around. You have completely made that up. Just many posters saying that he's going to have to beat out all of his competition for the bottom line, He's not going to have a spot handed to him. You pretty much need to be a strong skater to play on the bottom line of any contending NHL team, unfortunately thats one major weakness of his.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I'm not crazy about him but I doubt he was viewed as a pure cap dump. If he's on the fourth line he should be fine.

I think another forward is getting shipped out anyway.

 

[FatTugboatFlahr]

There isn't any "hate" going around. You have completely made that up. Just many posters saying that he's going to have to beat out all of his competition for the bottom line, He's not going to have a spot handed to him. You pretty much need to be a strong skater to play on the bottom line of any contending NHL team, unfortunately thats one major weakness of his.

He's going to have a spot handed to him. He's clearly a top 12 forward for us.

 

[BritainStix]

Please demonstrate how he is "Clearly" a top 12 forward for us.

 

[The Madrigal]

Please demonstrate how he is "Clearly" a top 12 forward for us.

By using this thing called common sense.

 

[tade]

Please demonstrate how he is "Clearly" a top 12 forward for us.

Because he's clearly better than Weise, Read, Laughton or Vecchione...and arguably also Weal/Raffl.

And if you don't think so.... then you are out to lunch and haven't watched Lehtera play.

 

[Rebels57]

Because he's clearly better than Weise, Read, Laughton or Vecchione...and arguably also Weal/Raffl.

And if you don't think so.... then you are out to lunch and haven't watched Lehtera play.

You dont know that Lehtera is clearly better than Laughton or Vecchione could be next season.

Laughtons sophomore season at 21 years old was on par with Lehteras 3rd season at 28/29 years old.

Laughton was protected for a reason. He needs to be given an opportunity again after he had a very good AHL season. Lehtera makes the opportunity a bit murky now.

I wish we just got the two 1sts.

 

[deadhead]

Oh, I wouldn't say he's clearly better, that remains to be seen in TC, what kind of shape he comes in, whether any of them take a step up or are more comfortable with a year in the system.

Odds are Flyers will carry 13-14 forwards and rotate the bottom 5 or so, resting guys with dings and playing guys to keep them sharp. Over 82 games you're likely to need all of them.

 

[Rebels57]

Oh, I wouldn't say he's clearly better, that remains to be seen in TC, what kind of shape he comes in, whether any of them take a step up or are more comfortable with a year in the system.

Odds are Flyers will carry 13-14 forwards and rotate the bottom 5 or so, resting guys with dings and playing guys to keep them sharp. Over 82 games you're likely to need all of them.

Well said.

 

[Striiker]

Hopefully another forward added to the roster scares Weal away.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I think Veechione is pretty much out of the mix at this point. He's the lowest man on the totem pole when it comes to players with waiver exemption.

It sounds like Weal isn't a slam dunk to come back anymore either. Not to say he won't be back but it sounds like he's going to hear other teams out too.

 

[Magua]

I think another forward is getting shipped out anyway.

Maybe Meat, with his $3.6 mil basically offsetting Lehtera. If there's a taker at full cost that is.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Maybe Meat, with his $3.6 mil basically offsetting Lehtera. If there's a taker at full cost that is.

I'm curious if Weal doesn't come back if Hextall will take a run at his boy Justin Williams? In that scenario I think it would sense for both parties given everything there.

 

[Lord Defect]

I just read an article saying he's hired a personal on ice training for the first time in his career so maybe he's had a wake up call concerning his conditioning which can only be a positive heading into next season. I think if he can come into this season with good conditioning he has the skillset that might blend well with filpula. His best asset is his passing/playmaking ability

That's fantastic news. Hopefully it works well for him. I wish jake did too. The only good thing Bernie did was light a fire under Jake. He played phenomenal that season.

 

[Magua]

I'm curious if Weal doesn't come back if Hextall will take a run at his boy Justin Williams? In that scenario I think it would sense for both parties given everything there.

Would be pretty great to not have Filppula and have Weal and Williams in the top 9, no other changes. Putting Williams next to Patrick would be a helluva way to start his pro career.

Doing the math, if the Flyers traded Read, didn't sign Weal, and signed Williams to $3.5 mil (he's coming off a $3.25 mil contract, previously a $3.8 mil one....but he's just getting older).....signed a JAG for ~750k to be the 23rd forward, Laughton press box and Patrick on the roster, Hagg and Morin up, goalie signed for $4 mil (might be high depending, but I'm hoping we aren't dumpster diving).......cap space is 725k. I'm not sure about bonuses though, but that's pretty tight. Flip and Lehtera and MacDonald cost so ****ing much. Just one not being there, even eating some salary, and the cap space is not an issue.

Of course, just signing Weal would leave close to $2.75-3 mil in cap space. Wouldn't rule out Hextall offloading both Raffl and Read either. Would he just have Laughton not play? But it's all pretty workable.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Hopefully another forward added to the roster scares Weal away.

You feel about Weal the way I feel about Cousins. We should wager a vital organ on who is out of the league first.

(jk, I wish them both the best of luck)

 

[GingerJesus28]

I think Lehtera was the throw in so we could get 2 1sts. Like we had to take Lehtera or else we wouldn't have got that 2nd 1st. He isnt preventing us from signing anyone the next 2 years. 2 years he'll be up, and then we can re-sign Simmonds/Konecny/Provorov/Sanheim.
If he plays 4C, thats perfect. Yes, an insanely expensive 4th line center, but again, not hurting us financially. We have space.

Hakstol just needs to not overplay him... 3rd liner at best, so should play 3rd line minutes at most.
Depth is a good thing to have.

 

[The Madrigal]

Hopefully another forward added to the roster scares Weal away.

I don't think you have to worry about that as it doesn't look great for him being back at this point.