Post-Game Talk: Laine Gets 40 Not Enough - Flyers 2 Jets 1

[Ducky10]

Help me understand how would you make things work with Little. It seems that he can’t find the chemistry with any winger on team. So we are having an expensive 3 C. What would you do? Trade all wingers and if that doesn’t work trade wingers again?

Little is more than capable of producing with a variety of players on this team. Your knowledge on these things seems pretty limited, I'm not all that interested in helping you understand. Really don't care if you agree with me or not.

 

[Vekke]

Little is more than capable of producing with a variety of players on this team. Your knowledge on these things seems pretty limited, I'm not all that interested in helping you understand. Really don't care if you agree with me or not.

All you have brought to the discussion is that Little is capable to this and that and then you attack against other posters. Nice work!

 

[Duke749]

All you have brought to the discussion is that Little is capable to this and that and then you attack against other posters. Nice work!

You haven’t brought anything to the conversation either. Little has been discussed ten fold all year and I doubt many want to keep explaining things over and over and over to those who refuse to try to understand.

 

[Vekke]

You haven’t brought anything to the conversation either. Little has been discussed ten fold all year and I doubt many want to keep explaining things over and over and over to those who refuse to try to understand.

What can I bring to table because in my eyes it really seems that who ever Little plays with results bad scoring. I was politely trying to ask who he should play with in order to actually do something offensively.

I have also stated many times that Jets are having ton of offensive wingers and 2 C should be able to play with those wingers. We have Stastny now but what about following season?

 

[Jet]

IF you have to lose Roslo or Connor as people are saying (Our future) than he is costing us our future for our past.

Well, I'm not sure who is saying this, but it's not me. IF we ever got to the point where we had to lose a high performing Roslo or Connor to keep Little, that would be a totally different situation BUT at this moment, what we do not know is too much to make the claim that Little is sacrificing our future. Things like:

• Will Little rebound offensively?
• Will Connor continue his level of play and build on it?
• Will Roslovic continue his steep development path?
• Will both of the latter outperform the former?
• What will the cap be?
• What other moves with the org make for cap relief?

So, forgive me for questioning the ominous post that somehow, this year's Bryan Little is costing us the future, because is absolutely incorrect. It's like saying that we should all sell our cars because we could get into a serious accident.

Well, I'm not adammlis, but...if you have $5.3M tied up on your 31-year-old 3C for the next 6 years after this one, you may be painting yourself into a corner. Even if you're happy with Little's contributions this season, are you going to be happy with less for more money over the next 6?

I think you address the future when it becomes pertinent. Right now, we don't have to worry about that. Too many variables and what if''s.

Of course you don't keep an aging overpriced Little if he is going to cause you to lose a young, cost controlled star.

 

[Calendal]

It's interesting we really haven't lit up another team for awhile. Yes we just won the last three but two of them were very close. Just saw St. Louis won 7-2 we haven't done that in a real long time.

7-2 against Panthers was not that long ago?

Laine with his 40th and nothing from the Professor?

He’s busy on main boards 40 goal thread. Also: armia should play 1st line.

 

[Dayofthedogs]

It will be impossible to keep all of our young forwards past their RFA years. Little or no little. That's my impression and as far as I know I'm the only one seriously believing we won't keep both those guys.

Its a numbers game. You need to augment your core pieces with fresh players on ELCs and cheap contracts.

If anyone thinks we are gonna keep all of

Chef
Ehlers
Laine
Connor
Roslo
Lowry
Armia
Copp
Tanev
Helle
JoMo
Trouba

And have them signed to long term reasonable deals with or without Little I think your kidding yourselves.

Not to mention at some point room will need to be made for Appleton and Vesalainen sometime soon.

Roster expectations I feel are unrealistic and the idea of having no vets around to help guide these young players seems silly to me.

Chef isn't ready for the extra pressure of not having Wheels and/or Buff and Little around.

 

[10Ducky10]

I am wondering how many Finns want their countrymen to do well regardless of the Jets...

 

[Aavco Cup]

Can someone name me one Jet player that was not?

Lee Stempniak was never raked over the coals

 

[Vekke]

I am wondering how many Finns want their countrymen to do well regardless of the Jets...

I believe it is pretty one way street? Jets are doing great and Laine is doing great and other way.

 

[sipowicz]

Help me understand how would you make things work with Little. It seems that he can’t find the chemistry with any winger on team. So we are having an expensive 3 C. What would you do? Trade all wingers and if that doesn’t work trade wingers again?

You need high end skill to play with Ehlers and Laine, sorry but Little is no longer that guy and Copp with those two was a joke. Stastny pretty much proves that with a high skill centre that Ehlers and Laine can work well together with the right centre!

 

[ps241]

The Bryan Little bashing is interesting? I doubt he falls off a cliff any time soon and BTW he has two seasons left where his movement is protected then for the last 4 years of his new deal he has modified NTC. Dustin Byfuglien is in the last season of his no move clause and starting next season he moves into a modified no trade clause for the last 3 seasons of his term. TNSE seems to be building in options to deal with issues if and when they arise with their vets. We are getting the cart miles out in front of the horse here team??

 

[sipowicz]

Lee Stempniak was never raked over the coals

We just never got the chance. Damn it!

 

[Ducky10]

All you have brought to the discussion is that Little is capable to this and that and then you attack against other posters. Nice work!

Actually I've noted lots of things that Little does well, it's not my responsibility for you to read or understand them. I didn't attack you, I just pointed out your knowledge on these things seems limited because it's all very recent. Sorry if that offended you.

Little has struggled a bit offensively this year, nowhere near as much as you and some others maintain. I don't think he's fallen off a cliff as a hockey player and is likely to rebound a bit, apart from already bringing some valuable play to the team. I find the assertion he can't play with any of our current group of wingers ridiculous, it makes no sense.

 

[surixon]

That was a weird game. It' hard to really read into things with how many players are out. We are missing our first line center and shut down c and half our starting d including our number 1. It' not surprising that we are struggling to control play (corsi and gf%) Not to mention it seems the flu has gone through the team.

I'll take 3 and 1 on the trip given the circumstances.

It would be nice to get some of our vets going though.

 

[BigZ65]

Well, I'm not sure who is saying this, but it's not me. IF we ever got to the point where we had to lose a high performing Roslo or Connor to keep Little, that would be a totally different situation BUT at this moment, what we do not know is too much to make the claim that Little is sacrificing our future. Things like:

• Will Little rebound offensively?
• Will Connor continue his level of play and build on it?
• Will Roslovic continue his steep development path?
• Will both of the latter outperform the former?
• What will the cap be?
• What other moves with the org make for cap relief?

So, forgive me for questioning the ominous post that somehow, this year's Bryan Little is costing us the future, because is absolutely incorrect. It's like saying that we should all sell our cars because we could get into a serious accident.



I think you address the future when it becomes pertinent. Right now, we don't have to worry about that. Too many variables and what if''s.

Of course you don't keep an aging overpriced Little if he is going to cause you to lose a young, cost controlled star.

You're right.

Even buying out Little in 2019 or 2020 is better than losing one of the productive cost-controlled players. There are lots of possibilities if they become necessary.

The Jets aren't in dire straights because they have quite a few guys who are overpaid related to the contribution who are expiring the next couple years. Most of the rest of the team is in their prime or coming to it. They have a core and they will build around it.

IMO to build for contention next season it is crucial to find a way to get rid of Mason and probably one of Kulikov/Myers while taking back minimal cap hit.

 

[Adam da bomb]

Also no one ever said anything bad about Frolik.

 

[sipowicz]

Actually I've noted lots of things that Little does well, it's not my responsibility for you to read or understand them. I didn't attack you, I just pointed out your knowledge on these things seems limited because it's all very recent. Sorry if that offended you.

Little has struggled a bit offensively this year, nowhere near as much as you and some others maintain. I don't think he's fallen off a cliff as a hockey player and is likely to rebound a bit, apart from already bringing some valuable play to the team. I find the assertion he can't play with any of our current group of wingers ridiculous, it makes no sense.

It would be pretty hard to find anyone that watched 3-4 months of Little with Laine and Ehlers say that the line worked even a little. Not saying Little is done but Little as a top six C with production seems to be over, besides the Jets have their 1C and 2C now, Little is going to need to beat out Lowry for 3C. Copp would make a very solid 4C when Gramps departs!

Tanev looked pretty good in his two games back, makes you wonder why Mo would leave a healthy Tanev in the PB over gramps, makes NO friggin sense or does Mo need to be reminded that the NHL is a speed game!

 

[10Ducky10]

It would be pretty hard to find anyone that watched 3-4 months of Little with Laine and Ehlers say that the line worked even a little. Not saying Little is done but Little as a top six C with production seems to be over, besides the Jets have their 1C and 2C now, Little is going to need to beat out Lowry for 3C. Copp would make a very solid 4C when Gramps departs!

You think Stastny re-signs?

 

[Adam da bomb]

7-2 against Panthers was not that long ago?
10 games ago. Last 8 games other than the one where laine got a hatrick (win by 3) the rest have been one or two goal games.

 

[sipowicz]

You think Stastny re-signs?

We all need to cross our fingers and toes!

 

[larmex99]

When coaching is required this team will struggle. It doesn't take a high hockey I.Q. to see that we were far far better with wheeler at center on the first line then forcing little there.

But pomos solution? Demote Conner lol.

Because clearly the problem isn’t injuries to multiple key players. It is because Conner was put on a different line. Good observation.

 

[Howard Chuck]

Wheeler has to stop the long shifts , there was at least 3 times he was so tired he was just standing in one place . Manning is a dirty POS , i hate when stuff like that happens and we don't get to play them again this season . The team looked tired to me , we need to get healthy soon .

Not only is he too tired with the long shift, it’s our top goal scorer who doesn’t get out on a regular shift with Stastny and Ehlers.

 

[Ducky10]

It would be pretty hard to find anyone that watched 3-4 months of Little with Laine and Ehlers say that the line worked even a little. Not saying Little is done but Little as a top six C with production seems to be over, besides the Jets have their 1C and 2C now, Little is going to need to beat out Lowry for 3C. Copp would make a very solid 4C when Gramps departs!

I agree that line didn't work at all, not going to be convinced that had everything to do with Little however. I think he can still be productive with Wheeler, Perreault, Roslo, Connor and others. Stastny has gelled well with Laine and Ehlers for sure but he's highly unlikely to be around next season and Laine and Ehlers are destined to play with Scheifele anyway.
Little still skates well, is very good positionally and has good offensive instincts. While I don't think he's going to be the answer at 2C three to four years down the road, I'm not yet that concerned with him doing over the next couple of years. If another player comes along and produces more than Little and it pushes him to 3C, I see that as a good problem. Perhaps he even becomes a winger at some point.

Moving Little eventually in order to hold onto a young cost controlled players is obviously something the Jets will ultimately look at, it's why his deal is structured the way it is. Let's cross that bridge when we come to it.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Too lazy to find these stats myself so here's an interesting reddit post:



Little doesn't seem like the problem right now.

The first line is all sorts of f***y, though.