Pre-Game Talk: Montreal @ Winnipeg - Thursday Feb 25/21 - 7 PM - TSN3/2, RDS

[Mortimer Snerd]

Well, if we all waited until we had the total picture of every player before forming an opinion, then this would be a pretty quiet place!

And on one hand you're saying "the jury is still out" and on the other you're proclaiming that "Jets management knew what they were doing" with Stanley and Niku. Not sure we can make that determination if the jury is still out.

Did they know what they were doing handling Laine and Roslovic?

Maurice sent Connor down to the Moose because he wasn't ready when a bunch of people here thought he had a great camp and preseason - then Perreault gets injured and miraculously Connor was ready...I guess he needed one more week of AHL seasoning. If he'd been blocked for another year or forced to work his way up from the bottom 6 I wonder what team would he be scoring goals for today?

And what metric doesn't show Ehlers to be the best winger on the Jets - yet Maurice plays him less, sticks him on PP2 and feeds the press horseshit about "sweet spots" for TOI minutes and that Ehlers wants to be on the second unit getting a quarter of the powerplay ice time.

Geez, it just seem like a couple of months ago Maurice was saying young players wouldn't be sitting on the taxi squad...well I guess Vesa, Gus, Harkins and Stanley are getting up there - into their early 20s. I mean, we can't have those guys taking time away from the Nate Thompsons of the world. Thompson was shitty in his prime...but now he's 35!

But I guess Jets management know what they're doing. After all, 2 playoff series wins in 10 years - you can't argue with results...

Connor did not have a great camp and pre-season. A lot of people here thought he belonged based on the previous season. He had a disappointing TC and pre-season by my memory. Sending him down was exactly the right thing to do. Not because he needed 4 games of AHL seasoning but because he needed a kick in the ass. Fortunately, he responded well and was quite ready when he was called back up.

Edit: Otherwise agree though.

 

[Evil Little]

Maurice sent Connor down to the Moose because he wasn't ready when a bunch of people here thought he had a great camp and preseason - then Perreault gets injured and miraculously Connor was ready...I guess he needed one more week of AHL seasoning. If he'd been blocked for another year or forced to work his way up from the bottom 6 I wonder what team would he be scoring goals for today?

This is a great example of why outsider takes are woefully incomplete. You thought Connor should be up, Maurice thought Connor should be on the Moose.

And Connor's take on it? You're wrong, Maurice was right:

“After about the first 10 games or so, I thought I should be playing more and had a bad attitude,” Connor said Tuesday. “Wheeler pulled me aside and said, ‘You think you’ve proved yourself? I’ve been in the league nine years and I still have to prove myself every day.’ I appreciated that.”

He lasted 19 games before being sent to AHL Manitoba, where another challenge awaited.
“I was pretty pissed off, mad at myself for not performing the way I could. [Moose coach] Pascal Vincent showed me how it was all about the mindset.”

 

[larmex99]

Funny how quickly everyone here has turned on both Niku and DeMelo

Not surprising. One bad game by our Vezina winning goalie and he will be ***T.

 

[DRW204]

Funny how quickly everyone here has turned on both Niku and DeMelo

Haven't turned on DeMelo. Niku is crap though and probably our 7th best lhd.

 

[STZD]

That and wasn't one of Niku's 2 career goals was scored against Montreal?

I was at that game! First game, first goal

 

[RabidOne]

Start without me ....

They riot here in Vancouver for any excuse.

 

[libertarian]

Funny how quickly everyone here has turned on both Niku and DeMelo

It's what have you done for me lately crowd.

 

[buggs]

Turning 25 on 25 I reckon we win 2-5.

They say you start shrinking at 25. Oh, happy early birthday btw.

 

[Bristo]

And Connor's take on it? You're wrong, Maurice was right:

And just absolute crickets chirping in this thread now. Hmm.

 

[Romang67]

This is a great example of why outsider takes are woefully incomplete. You thought Connor should be up, Maurice thought Connor should be on the Moose.

And Connor's take on it? You're wrong, Maurice was right:

Wrong season. Connor was sent down to the Moose in his rookie season after he had 5 points in 20 games with the Jets. I don't think anyone argued against that. Then he was sent down to the Moose to start the next season, which many people didn't agree with.

 

[Mud Turtle]

View attachment 400099
why does Marc Bergevin look like a Gibb brother (Bee Gee’s).[/QUOTE

Haha. He looks like he’s had too many Nights on Broadway

 

[flyingkiwi]

They say you start shrinking at 25. Oh, happy early birthday btw.

No shrinking yet but I've already started getting up way too early each morning too pee like an old lady. Like clockwork. Maybe some of you dads and grandad's on here can relate.

TMI? Why else do you think I'm posting at 6am?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Wrong season. Connor was sent down to the Moose in his rookie season after he had 5 points in 20 games with the Jets. I don't think anyone argued against that. Then he was sent down to the Moose to start the next season, which many people didn't agree with.

Yes - but it was still absolutely the right thing to do. He had a weak TC and pre-season.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

No shrinking yet but I've already started getting up way too early each morning too pee like an old lady. Like clockwork. Maybe some of you dads and grandad's on here can relate.

TMI? Why else do you think I'm posting at 6am?

That's bad at 25. I didn't start having that problem until I was 70.

I suspect you have just allowed your body clock to get out of sync. You need to resist the urge until a more reasonable time. Resist!

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

 

[10Ducky10]

I still think Maurice wanted him up and Chevy sent him down.

 

[voyageur]

Funny how quickly everyone here has turned on both Niku and DeMelo

I think De Melo has been quite well of late. He was good paired with Stanley, and I am sure because he's more of a stable defenseman, that's why Maurice has him with Niku.

For Beaulieu well he gets a shot at avenging his old team. I'm not really sold on a Beaulieu-Morrissey pairing, but at least we have one puck mover on each pairing. I don't think Maurice has enough confidence in Beaulieu-Niku after their first debacle together. I kind of wonder if Thompson gets in for his knowledge of the opposing team, as well.

For Niku this is a chance for him to prove something. If he's being scouted in trade talks, his chance to make an impression. You could see that he was lacking confidence in his last appearance. It's a chance to build some. Big thing for Niku is stay out of the box.
I suspect if he has a poor game, Stanley gets the 2nd game. But in terms of offsetting the loss of Poolman's speed I can understand bringing Niku in. I'm sure a lot of people would prefer it were Heinola or Samberg moving up, with Poolman's injury. But that debate will resurface I'm sure. in time.

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

I was at that game! First game, first goal

I was at that game as well in montreal when Niku played his first NHL game and scored his first goal. I believed he played often with Buff...... who often makes his d-partner look better than they were/are.

I know ..... Niku has been out of the line-up for a while and they want to get him back in there...... but I would have gone back to Stanley and his size against Montreal instead...

 

[DEANYOUNGBLOOD17]

prediction....... PLD brings his A game against Montreal tonight..... and he is all we are talking about tomorrow morning.

 

[Ggg99]

He's just trying to stay alive.

Bergeron said the team needed to “hear a new voice”. Maybe he’s just jive talk’in but that same sentiment could apply to a few other teams with some long in the tooth coaches.

But considering how deep is the love between Chevy and Mo, there is no danger of hearing a new voice here anytime soon.