Confirmed with Link: Nate Thompson 1 year 750k

[KingBogo]

Just by listening to him and Hendrix's it seems these guys are brought in to work with the rookies/youngsters as their primary job. Stuart served a similar function from what I recall. My guess is they don't want the the Wheeler's, Scheifele's, Morrissey's of the leadership core dealing with the kids on a day to day basis as they likely have other things they need to look after so they bring in someone specifically for that role.

I have no issue with it as long as he doesn't play much but I don't trust Maurice to use him as just a mentor. He will over use him just as he has over used all of the good glue guys that no longer are capable of performing at an NHL level.

We have kids like Appelton and Harkins that should be in the lineup everyday now based on merit but imo Thompson is going to eat into some of their ice time just for being a vet.

I think Harkins and Apples are past the point where a player like Thompson is a threat to their icetime. It is more likely Ves, Suess or Luoto would be in competition for ice time if they are around the team. IMO it is not a bad thing to have a grizzled vet around for your tweeners to have to push past. And I'd bet Nate doesn't believe he isn't capable of performing at the NHL level. Philly thought he was capable of playing in the NHL by dressing him for all 16 of their playoff games this season, averaging over 10 mins a night.

 

[surixon]

I think Harkins and Apples are past the point where a player like Thompson is a threat to their icetime. It is more likely Ves, Suess or Luoto would be in competition for ice time if they are around the team. IMO it is not a bad thing to have a grizzled vet around for your tweeners to have to push past. And I'd bet Nate doesn't believe he isn't capable of performing at the NHL level. Philly thought he was capable of playing in the NHL by dressing him for all 16 of their playoff games this season, averaging over 10 mins a night.

One would hope, but this is the same coach that held Harkins out of the opening night playoff roster cause he wanted vets like Shore in the lineup.

Yeah I know teams continue to play these guys despite what the results say, I think it is one of the major short commings still being employed by coaches in the league.

I just wish this org was capable of finding good hard working leadership vets that are actually good depth players. I would love a grizzled fourth line C that can help the kids while actually garnering above average on ice results.

 

[voyageur]

One would hope, but this is the same coach that held Harkins out of the opening night playoff roster cause he wanted vets like Shore in the lineup.

Yeah I know teams continue to play these guys despite what the results say, I think it is one of the major short commings still being employed by coaches in the league.

I just wish this org was capable of finding good hard working leadership vets that are actually good depth players. I would love a grizzled fourth line C that can help the kids while actually garnering above average on ice results.

Thompson should get you above average results on the PK. That's what the recent metrics would suggest. Add it's important to have leaders on this squad, guys who have been around long enough, that they can coach players positionally. I'd say we have 2 guys on the PK like that in Thompson and Sbisa. For centres, neither Gustafsson or Suess have taken NHL reps on the PK, so I'd look for him to be a guy to lean on. He's been around long enough that he can probably tell you the faceoff tendency of every centre in the NHL.

For me it's Perreault who is the guy who should be demoted at some point. He's put up a - in 4 of the last 5 seasons, and his production, including PP, is falling off drastically. If Harkins doesn't get past him in the lineup this year, I will be disappointed in our coaching staff, because they are ignoring impact. And the asset of speed in a transition game.

 

[surixon]

Thompson should get you above average results on the PK. That's what the recent metrics would suggest. Add it's important to have leaders on this squad, guys who have been around long enough, that they can coach players positionally. I'd say we have 2 guys on the PK like that in Thompson and Sbisa. For centres, neither Gustafsson or Suess have taken NHL reps on the PK, so I'd look for him to be a guy to lean on. He's been around long enough that he can probably tell you the faceoff tendency of every centre in the NHL.

For me it's Perreault who is the guy who should be demoted at some point. He's put up a - in 4 of the last 5 seasons, and his production, including PP, is falling off drastically. If Harkins doesn't get past him in the lineup this year, I will be disappointed in our coaching staff, because they are ignoring impact. And the asset of speed in a transition game.

Yeah I would be fine with Perrault in the pressbox for most of the year. Thompson may get decent results on the pk but his es results are awful. I'm just sick of icing a fourth line that needs to buried due to it being full of players that all they can do is PK.

 

[voyageur]

Yeah I would be fine with Perrault in the pressbox for most of the year. Thompson may get decent results on the pk but his es results are awful. I'm just sick of icing a fourth line that needs to buried due to it being full of players that all they can do is PK.

I don't know how you effectively measure the results of a player who is taking 60-70% d-zones starts, I don't know if the advanced stats are weighted for such an impact. You wouldn't expect positive results.

Points wise Perreault put up 7-8-15, 2 PPG, -9 in 49 games, Thompson 4-11-15, -1, and 1 SHA, 1 GWG, in 70 combined games. Ice times were similar, though Perreault averaged 1:26 in PP ice time. How Perreault gets above 50% CF ES is still a mystery to me, it doesn't pass the eye test of the player, but sometimes maybe luck or Lurch is on your side.

I am hoping Thompson has a positive impact. We might try to go with a 35+ minutes a night with our our top 2 lines, 15 out of the checking line. So for a 10 minute- line, where 2 mins at least are devoted to PK, I am just hoping for something better than last year, which was plain bad, from beginning to end, whether it be Bourque, Letestu, Appleton, Gustafsson, Luoto, Shore, Perreault (late season), Shaw etc. Appleton was probably the only salvageable one from the pile. Maybe Shore. It would be nice if players like Gustafsson or Suess get looks as well, depending on the type of matchup, but I'm happy we brought in a guy who is respected around the league as a solid leader. Not going to lead in points, but might lead in faceoffs, PK%, and fights this year.

I know you prefer more rounded 4 line hockey, as do I, but that's not the way a Canadian division looks to be shaping up at all.

 

[Guardian17]

 

[Buffdog]

Kevin Bieksa is our assistant GM?

 

[jetsforever]

Forgot we signed him but seems like he could be a good character guy
Just once I want to hear that someone doesn't love Paul Maurice, players can never seem to find any fault with him (except some of our Euro friends)

 

[DJBiffWPG]

Forgot we signed him but seems like he could be a good character guy
Just once I want to hear that someone doesn't love Paul Maurice, players can never seem to find any fault with him (except some of our Euro friends)

Good character guys belong off the ice not on.

im sure he’s a great guy, but as an NHL player he will hurt more than help.

 

[jetsforever]

Good character guys belong off the ice not on.

im sure he’s a great guy, but as an NHL player he will hurt more than help.

Hey I wasn't saying I like the signing
He can join the ranks of Thorburn, Hendricks, etc. but at least he might not be a total negative.

 

[DJBiffWPG]

Hey I wasn't saying I like the signing
He can join the ranks of Thorburn, Hendricks, etc. but at least he might not be a total negative.

Just on the ice.

 

[Eyeseeing]

Good character guys belong off the ice not on.

im sure he’s a great guy, but as an NHL player he will hurt more than help.

Well you are likely correct but let’s give him a chance.
Wondering now if we will even have a season as cases mount especially in the West

 

[KingBogo]

Just on the ice.

The Flyers thought he was good enough to be on the ice for all 16 of their playoff games. They even traded for him at the TD.

 

[garret9]

The Flyers thought he was good enough to be on the ice for all 16 of their playoff games. They even traded for him at the TD.

And Jack Johnson keeps finding a hockey job. The NHL is a funny place.

 

[surixon]

The Flyers thought he was good enough to be on the ice for all 16 of their playoff games. They even traded for him at the TD.

Old school coaches being old school.

 

[voyageur]

Old school coaches being old school.

Faceoffs are magnified come playoff time. I can think of 2 occasions off the top of my head where we have lost a playoff lead because our centres didn't win a defensive zone draw.

It's a part of the game that doesn't get much scrutiny, but it's an area we can improve on. With Stastny, Lowry, Thompson the Jets will be tough on the draws.

He didn't have much of an impact in Philly, in the playoffs he was hardly used in the defensive zone, but that may have had to do with avoiding matching up against impact centres like Suzuki and Barzal, and not being able to skate with them. I think at this point experience is his best asset, and having veterans, especially one who knows the defensive side of the game well, can help the younger players we are trying to bring into the fold, in practice.

One thing I like is that we are on paper tougher than last year's team, with the additions of Thompson and Forbort. You don't need to goon it up, but there are some tougher opponents in Western Canada, Ottawa looks to be a tougher team, with the additions of Watson and Gudbranson. Montreal can play mean too. I don't think the Jets want to rely on "team" toughness as much as last year, so at least there are some guys coming to town who can play the trenches game, without really impacting the overall skill of our team.

 

[surixon]

Faceoffs are magnified come playoff time. I can think of 2 occasions off the top of my head where we have lost a playoff lead because our centres didn't win a defensive zone draw.

It's a part of the game that doesn't get much scrutiny, but it's an area we can improve on. With Stastny, Lowry, Thompson the Jets will be tough on the draws.

He didn't have much of an impact in Philly, in the playoffs he was hardly used in the defensive zone, but that may have had to do with avoiding matching up against impact centres like Suzuki and Barzal, and not being able to skate with them. I think at this point experience is his best asset, and having veterans, especially one who knows the defensive side of the game well, can help the younger players we are trying to bring into the fold, in practice.

One thing I like is that we are on paper tougher than last year's team, with the additions of Thompson and Forbort. You don't need to goon it up, but there are some tougher opponents in Western Canada, Ottawa looks to be a tougher team, with the additions of Watson and Gudbranson. Montreal can play mean too. I don't think the Jets want to rely on "team" toughness as much as last year, so at least there are some guys coming to town who can play the trenches game, without really impacting the overall skill of our team.

I would rather run Copp and Lowry as our bottom 6 C's and then we will be be both tough on draws but also ice 4 real quality centers. We have the winger depth to accomplish this especially if Vesalinan keeps performing extremely well in Finland. He would add some much needed size/grit and scoring to our bottom 6. He would also be an asset on PP2

Also given the fact that the schedule is going to be fairly compressed this season I don't think we can afford to run our top line into the ground this season so we are going to need a bottom 9 composition that can absorb a decent chunk of ice time to keep everyone fresh.

 

[voyageur]

I would rather run Copp and Lowry as our bottom 6 C's and then we will be be both tough on draws but also ice 4 real quality centers. We have the winger depth to accomplish this especially if Vesalinan keeps performing extremely well in Finland. He would add some much needed size/grit and scoring to our bottom 6. He would also be an asset on PP2

Also given the fact that the schedule is going to be fairly compressed this season I don't think we can afford to run our top line into the ground this season so we are going to need a bottom 9 composition that can absorb a decent chunk of ice time to keep everyone fresh.

There's a lot of different combinations you can run. Copp-Lowry is a legit checking line, possession line.

I still think Gustafsson is closer to NHL ready than Ves. I don't get excited about Liiga stats. Last time I checked Lundell was the leading scorer. But Ves-Gus is the next wave. And could play up the lineup if we don't have the same kind of fortunes in the health dept. as we did at forward last year.

I'm just hoping that Harkins gets regular shifts this season, if we go back to Copp-Lowry-Roslovic, then you hope it's Harkins-Appleton as your 4th line wingers. Maybe you throw Thompson in there, or Harkins at centre and Perreault on the wing. Suess or Gus could be centre options, because those PK minutes are important minutes. And our team needs to improve in that area. The late season points accumulation coincided with those improvements. Whereas the early failures on the PK left us catching up right from the start. This is Thompson's specialty, one of the reasons he is still playing in the NHL.

 

[surixon]

There's a lot of different combinations you can run. Copp-Lowry is a legit checking line, possession line.

I still think Gustafsson is closer to NHL ready than Ves. I don't get excited about Liiga stats. Last time I checked Lundell was the leading scorer. But Ves-Gus is the next wave. And could play up the lineup if we don't have the same kind of fortunes in the health dept. as we did at forward last year.

I'm just hoping that Harkins gets regular shifts this season, if we go back to Copp-Lowry-Roslovic, then you hope it's Harkins-Appleton as your 4th line wingers. Maybe you throw Thompson in there, or Harkins at centre and Perreault on the wing. Suess or Gus could be centre options, because those PK minutes are important minutes. And our team needs to improve in that area. The late season points accumulation coincided with those improvements. Whereas the early failures on the PK left us catching up right from the start. This is Thompson's specialty, one of the reasons he is still playing in the NHL.

Well Ves is scoring at a greater clip then Lundell but is older, not that I disagree with your point. I don't put a lot into Liga stats but he is scoring from his office and will have a leg up on competition by being in game shape. Confidence and consistency are really the only things lacking in his game. Gus is scoring ok in a second tier league, I am more interested in giving him more runway to grow his offensive game in the AHL this season then having him play on the fourth line.

I agree that we need to get Harkins some more ice time which is why I would like to seperate our two checking C's so that we can run the bottom 6 fairly evenly in terms of ice time. I would also like to see Harkins get some PK time this year. He is a smart, responsible player.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Harkins doesn't seem to be a legit option at C.
with a shortened season and the expansion draft, it's looking like Gus is staying in europe, which may not be a bad thing.
Lowry's our 3rd C.
Copp needs more than 6 min of icetime per game.

so yeah, Thompson.

With Lowry or Copp at 4C, our 4th line gets more than 5-6 min TOI.

Thompson probably will play regularly. That dooms our bottom 6 to be same old, same old.

We have the players to ice a very good bottom 6 but it doesn't fit PMo's vision of how the game should be played.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

One would hope, but this is the same coach that held Harkins out of the opening night playoff roster cause he wanted vets like Shore in the lineup.

Yeah I know teams continue to play these guys despite what the results say, I think it is one of the major short commings still being employed by coaches in the league.

I just wish this org was capable of finding good hard working leadership vets that are actually good depth players. I would love a grizzled fourth line C that can help the kids while actually garnering above average on ice results.

Lowry

 

[voyageur]

Well Ves is scoring at a greater clip then Lundell but is older, not that I disagree with your point. I don't put a lot into Liga stats but he is scoring from his office and will have a leg up on competition by being in game shape. Confidence and consistency are really the only things lacking in his game. Gus is scoring ok in a second tier league, I am more interested in giving him more runway to grow his offensive game in the AHL this season then having him play on the fourth line.

I agree that we need to get Harkins some more ice time which is why I would like to seperate our two checking C's so that we can run the bottom 6 fairly evenly in terms of ice time. I would also like to see Harkins get some PK time this year. He is a smart, responsible player.

I agree the good thing about playing is being in a rythym. That's why Perfetti is happy to be in Team Canada's TC. He might be an option to start before either Vesalainen or Gustafsson, if there is an AHL which can continue developing the chemistry between those 2 players and no OHL for development. Will be interesting to seeing how having the leg up on playing regularly vs. playing on North American ice again plays out for several of our players overseas. I think the European ice is ideal for a big framed player like Vesalainen, but what will get him to the NHL is quickness, and where you lack quickness, anticipation and tenacity.

I'm not sure if Harkins had PK reps on the Moose, though I agree it's an area where his skating could help the team. Roslovic I know had a prominent role, but that has evaporated in the NHL. Suess is a guy to watch as a PKer, and Gus scored a beauty SHer in the Moose's final game, so I hope Thompson can help those 2 players have an impact, if they get the call.

I'm still not even sure what to expect for a lineup, seems like all the spots are filled with 1 way contracts, somebody is going to have really impress to knock one of them down or out. Being able to call upon guys like Gus and Ves should bring the Jets closer to a 4 line attack,

 

[KingBogo]

With Lowry or Copp at 4C, our 4th line gets more than 5-6 min TOI.

Thompson probably will play regularly. That dooms our bottom 6 to be same old, same old.

We have the players to ice a very good bottom 6 but it doesn't fit PMo's vision of how the game should be played.

Even with Maurice's vision of having a checking 3rd line, when we have had the talent available we have had effective 4th lines that got more than 5-6 minutes. If Harkins and Appleton are ever going to be more than 4th line/AHL tweeners they should be able to carry a 4th line no matter who their center is at this point in their careers.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Even with Maurice's vision of having a checking 3rd line, when we have had the talent available we have had effective 4th lines that got more than 5-6 minutes. If Harkins and Appleton are ever going to be more than 4th line/AHL tweeners they should be able to carry a 4th line no matter who their center is at this point in their careers.

If they have Thompson as their C, and get 5 min/gm, will they be able to impress enough to get more TOI than that from Maurice? Maybe, if they are really good, they will get 6:30. If Thompson is also good, maybe the line gets up to 8 min. But we still won't have a dynamic bottom 6. I think the issue is bigger than just getting an additional couple of minutes for the 4th line.

 

[surixon]

Even with Maurice's vision of having a checking 3rd line, when we have had the talent available we have had effective 4th lines that got more than 5-6 minutes. If Harkins and Appleton are ever going to be more than 4th line/AHL tweeners they should be able to carry a 4th line no matter who their center is at this point in their careers.

The center ice position is the most important position upfront. Having a liability in that slot makes it much harder on the wingers to effectively do their jobs. I dont see why we should expect much from players who are not put in positions to succeed. Playing limited minutes with an over the hill vet isn't a recipe to succeed.

Continuing to trumpet 17-18 when we had a legit second line elite play driving winger in Perrault and a very strong two-way third liner in Armia to carry old man Henriques is just nonsensical. We aren't likely to have the ability to play the caliber of player Perrault was at that time in that spot moving forward so we need to come up with different solutions. The easiest one is to play a quality center cough Lowry cough in that spot.