Confirmed with Link: Justin Williams Stepping Away

[cptjeff]

Dang. His leadership is going to be missed. Was so hoping he’d come back and bring back the Storm Surge again. Don’t know if the Surge can happen again without Justin. But if last year was his last, he ended on a dang impressive note. Last season was easily one of the best seasons ever to enjoy as a Canes fan, Williams being a huge part of that. So thankful for the memories he brought and created last season for us.

I wonder how much the Boston series affected him and the the overall toll of playing a full season + 3 rounds of playoffs. He was getting visibly frustrated on the ice during the conference finals, something we didn’t really see much of during the regular season, just didn’t look right at the near end.

I think the surge has been established and has plenty of buy-in. Other players will lead it, I'm sure. Lots of players led different surges last year, and the ideas apparently came from everybody. Apart from guys like Mac that admitted to forgetting to check the group chat and having to wing it last minute.

 

[DougieSmash]

Well, this sucks. For me, we need Justin. He is still the leader of the group.

 

[Svechhammer]

Dang. His leadership is going to be missed. Was so hoping he’d come back and bring back the Storm Surge again. Don’t know if the Surge can happen again without Justin. But if last year was his last, he ended on a dang impressive note. Last season was easily one of the best seasons ever to enjoy as a Canes fan, Williams being a huge part of that. So thankful for the memories he brought and created last season for us.

I wonder how much the Boston series affected him and the the overall toll of playing a full season + 3 rounds of playoffs. He was getting visibly frustrated on the ice during the conference finals, something we didn’t really see much of during the regular season, just didn’t look right at the near end.

The Surge will be back

Once again, I have it on very good authority it's part of our identity going forward.

 

[To Be Determined]

make faulk captain, trade him in january, and williams walks back in with the c without stepping on toes (too much) in the room?

 

[Lempo]

Selling the captain would be a jerk move.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Selling the captain would be a jerk move.

Got to be Aho or Slavin for exactly this reason imo.

 

[AD Skinner]

The Surge will be back

Once again, I have it on very good authority it's part of our identity going forward.

I dont doubt you at all though in case it comes off like I did- I cant imagine them getting rid of it so soon

 

[My Special Purpose]

Does this still sound like a contract impasse? I'm sorry, but those takes were just horrible from the start. If it weren't for the existence of Dundon, they never would have even seen the light of day.

I'm honestly surprised by the news today. JW doesn't strike me as a fence-sitter. He's obviously struggling with this decision a lot more than we know. It's always tough for a pro athlete to know when it's time. We're familiar with it here with Roddy and RF both hanging on a year too long and it was painful to watch. Williams produced very well last season, so my thinking is that this is mostly mental. Maybe he needs a few months to clear his head. I hope that's the case.

Either way, I hope we don't name a new captain anytime soon. JW is our captain until he officially hangs 'em up. Three "A"s if it was up to me, adding Martinook to Faulk and Staal, making it easy for Justin to resume captain duties if he returns mid-season.

IMO, next year is the year for big changes in official leadership, with Williams probably done and Faulk probably gone. This has the added benefit of giving another year for a clear leader to emerge from among our young guys. I very much feel that leadership is not something that can be assigned. It has to be revealed. Despite everyone feeling it's Aho or Slavin or whomever, I just do not get the vibe that anyone has shown much in the leadership area.

Paraphrasing here, but if you've got a captain controversy, you ain't got a captain.

 

[Roboturner913]

I have it on very good authority he will be back this season

It is known.

 

[My Special Purpose]

I have it on very good authority he will be back this season

The Surge will be back

Once again, I have it on very good authority it's part of our identity going forward.

You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

[Lempo]

You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Respect his authority.

 

[GoldiFox]

Does this still sound like a contract impasse? I'm sorry, but those takes were just horrible from the start. If it weren't for the existence of Dundon, they never would have even seen the light of day.

I'm honestly surprised by the news today. JW doesn't strike me as a fence-sitter...

It seems to me like the amount of money being offered to play would be a primary factor in one's decision to sit on the fence. Not even directly related to the Canes, it could be a league-wide unwillingness to commit resources to aging players (see: Rick Nash, Thornton, Marleau, Brassard signing late, etc.).

 

[Canes]

Disappointing but completely understandable given his age and what he has already accomplished.

 

[Svechhammer]

 

[Navin R Slavin]

It seems to me like the amount of money being offered to play would be a primary factor in one's decision to sit on the fence. Not even directly related to the Canes, it could be a league-wide unwillingness to commit resources to aging players (see: Rick Nash, Thornton, Marleau, Brassard signing late, etc.).

Not at 37 when you've made like 40-50 million dollars in your career.

 

[vorbis]

my hunch is all this cagey language and ambiguity boils down to "I'm not ready to do the stuff I need to do to be ready to play" and there is an understanding with all parties involved as to what it will take for that to change. and I'm sure a general timetable of this sort of thing has already been established between Brind'Amour and Williams.

and most of the things required to get ready have to do with Williams himself. if he starts to ramp it up in the next month or two then he's absolutely coming back save a setback of some sort. and the Canes will easily shuffle the deck to make a spot for him, commensurate salary included. if he doesn't ramp it up by American Thanksgiving or so and he's liking the time away, then he puts his feet up and fondly recalls a career well-spent.

 

[My Special Purpose]

It seems to me like the amount of money being offered to play would be a primary factor in one's decision to sit on the fence. Not even directly related to the Canes, it could be a league-wide unwillingness to commit resources to aging players (see: Rick Nash, Thornton, Marleau, Brassard signing late, etc.).

May I present, the long-standing message board tradition of the "triple down when you know you've been beat."

 

[My Special Purpose]

What's happening here is clear. Tom Dundon thinks NHL contracts that require players to be available from mid-Sept. through mid-June are ridiculous. Why have full-time employees with full benefits when you can mix-and-match part-timers? JW is just using up a bunch of his saved-up vacation days before Dundon does away with them in favor of comp time. Punch clocks are being installed as we speak at entry points to the locker room, weight room, down the tunnel leading to the ice, and the massage room (get massages on your own time, guys). Backup goalie has become an unpaid internship position.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Inconceivable.

 

[Johniac]

I was a bit surprised by a "maybe" answer but it does seem like a Mike Fisher situation. Some time off will let JW know if he misses it that bad or not. Welcome back if so!

 

[HisIceness]

Sucks to hear but I get it. The daily grind of being a professional athlete can wear on a person, and given what Williams has accomplished and set out to do with this team in his second go-round (make the playoffs) it's not that big of a surprise.

 

[zman77]

 

[zman77]

 

[zman77]

 

[VAcaniac]

This is weird. But he did look pretty out of sorts end of the playoffs.