Rumour, Trade & Free Agent Discussion

[Adam da bomb]

Regarding Eakins, I think it's a moot point of him being here beyond this season. I just have a feeling that he would rather be somewhere else.

Nothing to back that up, mind you. For all I know, he might be willing to stay here. I just wouldn't bet money on it.

Which may be true. And may be the most ridiculous thing ever considering no other "good" team plays him at 2c.

 

[surixon]

12 pts in 36 gms is not much. Why was his usage bottom 6 in SHL? Yes, I know he was young. Can you compare that number to other NHL'ers who -played in that league at that age? Same goes for prior years and younger peer groups.

He had a good WJC but i don't believe in overvaluing that short tournament. His recent AHL performance is encouraging but you are looking at another very small sample.

I am not saying that 4th line is his ceiling - but I think it is where he projects right now. If he can bump that up to 3rd line, great. 2nd line, even better. But I will continue to pencil him into the 4th line until after he raises my expectations.

I would say fourth line is selling him way short. I am not sure why that projection gained so much traction around these points. I have always thought is likely outcome was as a good 2 way 3C. That is still my projection but if he can keep proving that he can score well while playing great defense in top 6 situations then that bodies well for us.

Sample size is small at the AHL level but not that small against his peers age groups:

2017-18:

7 points in 7 games at the world under 18 championships that lead to a total of 13 points in 17 under 18 games that year.

2018-19

3 points in 5 world junior championship games and a total of 7 points in 12 under 20 games.

2019- 20
4 points in 7 World Junior Championship games and 9 points in 14 total under 20 games.

That is pretty solid scoring. I would have to do an analysis on scoring rates in the SHL to really know how he stacks up against others

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Gus has 7 points in his last 7 games in the AHL. He actually scored at very good level in the Swedish top league given his usage was predominantly bottom 6. He also has scored really well against his peer ago groups outside the world junior hockey championships but was still a key part of Swedens top line.

He is now getting first line minutes in the AHL at age 19 and is contributing all over the ice. I am absolutely not going to write him off as a legit two-way 2C like a Backlund.

I am not writing him off. I am just not writing him in. I'm very happy with his recent progress. But I sense a little excessive exuberance here. I would be very happy to see Gus develop into a 2C.

Its not like things like that don't happen. Cirelli was taken 72 OA (in an epically strong draft), Gus was taken 60 OA. There are plenty of examples of players exceeding their draft positions. But I'm not convinced it has happened here until I see more.

 

[Adam da bomb]

I am not writing him off. I am just not writing him in. I'm very happy with his recent progress. But I sense a little excessive exuberance here. I would be very happy to see Gus develop into a 2C.

Its not like things like that don't happen. Cirelli was taken 72 OA (in an epically strong draft), Gus was taken 60 OA. There are plenty of examples of players exceeding their draft positions. But I'm not convinced it has happened here until I see more.

So right now are we giving Gus better odds than Harkins?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I don't understand how anyone could possibly believe that Eakin is a long term fit at 2C.

The guy is 28 and has fairly consistently been a mid 30's point player outside of that career shooting year.

I have zero interest paying 4 million for an aging third line guy no matter how he performs down the stretch.

They need to go for an established option imo not a bandaid.

I agree, mostly. But Eakin could be a good stopgap. The key will not be the AAV. It will be the term. If he continues to play well enough to earn an extension, I would want it to be no more than 2 years, tops. Is he likely to accept that?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

With the talk around here you'd think Ehlers doesn't need anything other than more minutes to be productive.

He has made very good use of the minutes he has been given. What do you expect people to think? How else can we judge?

 

[Adam da bomb]

He has made very good use of the minutes he has been given. What do you expect people to think? How else can we judge?

There are no other ways but why are we worrying about the second line when it has 2 of the most productive players on the team. Just give the 2nd line heaps of minutes. Give Ehlers way more 4 on 4 and 3 on 3 minutes and the team is golden.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Who is young and also cost controlled that he doesn't take all Laine's money before Laine can demand it.

Don't know what you mean. Is that for Cirelli, or against him?

 

[Adam da bomb]

Don't know what you mean. Is that for Cirelli, or against him?

Does it have to be for a specific player. I'm saying the case against developed options vs drafting is they are older and more expensive. Period. No specific case against anyone Cirelli, Domi, Jon Doe.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I would say fourth line is selling him way short. I am not sure why that projection gained so much traction around these points. I have always thought is likely outcome was as a good 2 way 3C. That is still my projection but if he can keep proving that he can score well while playing great defense in top 6 situations then that bodies well for us.

Sample size is small at the AHL level but not that small against his peers age groups:

2017-18:

7 points in 7 games at the world under 18 championships that lead to a total of 13 points in 17 under 18 games that year.

2018-19

3 points in 5 world junior championship games and a total of 7 points in 12 under 20 games.

2019- 20
4 points in 7 World Junior Championship games and 9 points in 14 total under 20 games.

That is pretty solid scoring. I would have to do an analysis on scoring rates in the SHL to really know how he stacks up against others

Not sure if Maurice started that projection or not. If not, it was still obvious from his play here in the fall. Yes, I know he is very young, but he also showed that he needed to improve to get up to 4th line level.

I don't think it was unreasonable to hope that he would develop enough offense to move up to 3C. But he was slow. Apparently he has already gotten faster, which surprises me. I expected it to take at least 1 off-season. Improving speed and quickness could make all the difference in the world to his ceiling. So now maybe his ceiling is 2C. You don't count on every player hitting his ceiling though.

You are quoting one small sample after another. They aren't necessarily additive. You have to go back to his Midget level to see him excel offensively in a season. All those little samples are somewhat encouraging though.

I'm quite high on Gus, really liked him in the NHL to start the season. I liked that him staying was an unexpected rise for him. He is a big part of why I would plan on trading Lowry. Bottom 6 C is getting a little crowded. But I'm not projecting him as the 2C solution yet.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

So right now are we giving Gus better odds than Harkins?

Some people seem to be. We haven't seen a single game of Harkins at C in the NHL yet.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

There are no other ways but why are we worrying about the second line when it has 2 of the most productive players on the team. Just give the 2nd line heaps of minutes. Give Ehlers way more 4 on 4 and 3 on 3 minutes and the team is golden.

Because we need to maximize what we have. Just that. We can't say that we are getting 50% from this guy and that guy, but 50% is pretty good so it doesn't matter.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Does it have to be for a specific player. I'm saying the case against developed options vs drafting is they are older and more expensive. Period. No specific case against anyone Cirelli, Domi, Jon Doe.

They are also better, all else being equal. The experience is valuable. Look at how poor Scheifele was in his D+3 and 4 years. He didn't start playing 1C until D+5. Cirelli is in D+5 now. We do still want to win now, if possible. We don't want to waste more years of Scheifele, Laine, Morrissey, Connor and Ehlers.

 

[DRW204]

I would say fourth line is selling him way short. I am not sure why that projection gained so much traction around these points. I have always thought is likely outcome was as a good 2 way 3C. That is still my projection but if he can keep proving that he can score well while playing great defense in top 6 situations then that bodies well for us.

Sample size is small at the AHL level but not that small against his peers age groups:

2017-18:

7 points in 7 games at the world under 18 championships that lead to a total of 13 points in 17 under 18 games that year.

2018-19

3 points in 5 world junior championship games and a total of 7 points in 12 under 20 games.

2019- 20
4 points in 7 World Junior Championship games and 9 points in 14 total under 20 games.

That is pretty solid scoring. I would have to do an analysis on scoring rates in the SHL to really know how he stacks up against others

Follow this account:

guy has multiple viewings of a lot of the Jets prospects along with statistical analysis. might not agree with all his takes or opinion

 

[DRW204]

That's like saying we need 2 1c's. I think Little would be better if paired with guys who play his style of game which is north to South. The results would be better with Connor and Wheeler. We have strengths in the wings you can't have the best everything in a salary cap NHL you need good enough to win.

yes we probably do need two 1cs. Maurice seems married to Scheifele-Wheeler so i do not anticipate ESL happening any time soon

 

[Adam da bomb]

yes we probably do need two 1cs. Maurice seems married to Scheifele-Wheeler so i do not anticipate ESL happening any time soon

Also that wouldn't be fair to connor and Wheeler to have to play with the weaker c.

 

[DRW204]

Also that wouldn't be fair to connor and Wheeler to have to play with the weaker c.

if it's for the betterment of the team overall and gives us a better chance to win, then boo hoo

 

[Adam da bomb]

if it's for the betterment of the team overall and gives us a better chance to win, then boo hoo

Yep that's what the team is saying right now to Ehlers and Laine hence the boo hoo.

 

[DRW204]

Yep that's what the team is saying right now to Ehlers and Laine hence the boo hoo.

so you think in the past having Ehlers-Little-Laine was for the betterment of the team?

 

[Adam da bomb]

so you think in the past having Ehlers-Little-Laine was for the betterment of the team?

When CSW was lighting things up sure. And our chances of winning have been good we have just won 5 of the last 6 so that's betterment of the team. Yet here we are complaining about the usage of Ehlers and Laine.

 

[surixon]

If you want to win in the next 3 years it's going to be on the back of an established 1B C. Let's not pretend that Chevy doesn't share those sentiments given that he's gone out and tried to upgrade that position. Two of those deadlines featured a healthy Little, management knows he's no longer good enough for the role on a contending team.

If one is on the market you go out and get it just like how the Blues did and it got them a cup.

 

[DRW204]

When CSW was lighting things up sure.

which wasn't the case in 18-19

in 17-18, CSW was good but ELL was not. the year prior (16-17) ESL put up fantastic results, and Wheeler-Little were very good together too (Connor wasn't on the roster at the time).

Idk why it's a a far-fetched concept that having 2 strong productive top 6 lines is better than 1.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

yes we probably do need two 1cs. Maurice seems married to Scheifele-Wheeler so i do not anticipate ESL happening any time soon

So .... Ehlers - Barkov - Laine as our 1st line, getting about 12 minutes each.

2nd line of Connor - Scheifele - Wheeler gets 23 minutes.

 

[DRW204]

If you want to win in the next 3 years it's going to be on the back of an established 1B C. Let's not pretend that Chevy doesn't share those sentiments given that he's gone out and tried to upgrade that position. Two of those deadlines featured a healthy Little, management knows he's no longer good enough for the role on a contending team.

If one is on the market you go out and get it just like how the Blues did and it got them a cup.

he is also the GM that handed Little the 30M+ contract.

 

[Adam da bomb]

which wasn't the case in 18-19

in 17-18, CSW was good but ELL was not. the year prior (16=17) ESL put up fantastic results, and Wheeler-Little were very good together too (Connor wasn't on the roster at the time).

Idk why it's a a far-fetched concept that having 2 strong productive top 6 lines is better than 1.

Because to me it doesn't seem that ppl are interested in 2 strong lines they just want more for Laine and Ehlers. And right now we have two productive lines. Yet, ppl prefer Connor Eakins and Wheeler play only 15 minutes.