Player Discussion: Sami Niku

[Zambaloni]

Niku returns as soon as Heinola gets sent back after a few more games. My opinion: strictly a matter of waiver exemption, no other hidden agenda.

Edit: looks like Bitetto is a 2-way contract, but probably being kept in for consistency as he's had more reps with the Jets this year than Niku.

 

[ffh]

Niku returns as soon as Heinola gets sent back after a few more games. My opinion: strictly a matter of waiver exemption, no other hidden agenda.

I cant see it. would believe this if he was on the 3rd pair playing 10 minutes a night but he is on the second pairing playing 20 minutes a night plus on the 2pp unit. things can change but heinola for sure is a long ways away from going back to finland.

 

[Zambaloni]

I suspect they're working on deal to have Finn team release Heinola's rights so he can play on the Moose instead.

 

[ffh]

Only someone blindly following Maurice's outdated mentality believes Niku hasn't played better and earned a chance over Bitetto and Poolman. He most CERTAINLY has the merit to play above those two. Easily. Not even a question.

ok then give me an example of a couple of coaches in the nhl who don't have an out dated mentality like Maurice so I can go check their roster decisions and how their fanbase on the boards all say how they are such wonderful coaches.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

You took that from my post?

The point was nothing Bitetto does will effect Niku future with this team, and becoming a full time player with Maurice as coach.

And last night, Maurice was right, Bitetto played very well and deserved to be in that game. Its an 82 game season, and if you recall other 82 game season, injuries will occur and most of the D will get their shot in the lineup.

Yes, I took that from your post. What else could this mean?

I can tell you right now, Niku will be a 200 plus game defender, with this team, with Maurice as the coach and with Bietto getting as many games as he wants.

I don't know what significance you put on 200 games. But if Bitetto is getting as many games as he wants, he is getting all of the games. If Bitetto is playing, that means someone else is not. In this case it means Niku doesn't play. It means that Maurice thinks Bitetto is better than Niku. If Bitetto actually is better than Niku then Niku is never getting 200 NHL games, with this team or any other.

Bitetto came into this season with 132 games at the age of 29. Until Maurice fell in love with him, no one would have expected him to get 200 games so why would Niku get 200 games if he is not as good as Bitetto? If Bitetto actually is better than Niku, then I don't give a rat's ass if he plays.

While I prefer Sami and am a big fan, I also understand that he has not had a smooth start to his season with the accident, with missing games.

What does the accident and missing games have to do with it? Niku is clearly fully recovered. This has nothing to do with his health. With the Moose games he has played, he is fully up to game speed. He played in 1 Jets game and was very good.

We right now have the youngest blue line in the league, with Bietto in, and Maurice probably wants some veteran presence back there to keep the youngsters grounded.

What does age have to do with anything? Experience maybe, but not age. Yes, the vastly experienced Bitetto with his 132 games compared to Niku's 31 games brings that experienced veteran presence. Keep the youngsters grounded? What does that even mean?

I don't have a personal investment in Niku. It doesn't make me feel any better knowing that he will get some games as injury replacement. All I care about is seeing our best possible lineup playing. Maurice clearly has Niku as Dman #8 or less and he has Bitetto in the top 6. I believe he has that backwards. Niku should be playing and Bitetto should be sitting.

When Beaulieu returns Niku is down to #9 in Maurice's depth chart. As weak as our D is, a player who is #9 does not have much of a future here.

Bitetto has improved since the pre-season games and the first couple of regular season games. But he is still the weakest link in our D corps.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

It was an inference I made based on what Maurice said when he was initially sent down for conditioning following the groin injury. I made that post in error as I thought the poster I was replying to was referencing the earlier incident when instead he was referencing the recent scratch (which I wasnt aware of when I made my post).

I took back what I said later in the thread (which you liked btw)and now I have doubts about his "injury" from the beginning. So in short - "Never mind"

And I made that post before I saw your other post that I liked.

 

[Jet]

ok then give me an example of a couple of coaches in the nhl who don't have an out dated mentality like Maurice so I can go check their roster decisions and how their fanbase on the boards all say how they are such wonderful coaches.

Out dated mentality says you.

Not sure how this meme still exists but Maurice has shown time and time again he will play a guy who is ready to play.

FFS we have an 18 year old who's nary 180 lbs playing 20 minutes on defense with PP time!

Yet, still, everyone persists. If Maurice has an idea of roster balance (which is very valid and not outdated) then he should be allowed to exercise it. The guy is trying to get Niku playing time after an injury, what the hell is wrong with that?

Bitteto has played his role very well, but because the golden child isn't playing everyone is in an uproar. I think it's just a matter of time before Niku is part of the Jets platoon, Beaulieu is back, and Bitteto probably ends up the odd man out.

However, if Bitteto continues to have the types of stats he has - people arguing that he's not an NHL defenseman are clearly blinded by bias and are too stubborn to have their minds changed.

 

[KingBogo]

I see Sami didn't make it onto the score sheet last night for the Moose. Did anyone go to the game and want to give a scouting report?

 

[ffh]

Out dated mentality says you.

Not sure how this meme still exists but Maurice has shown time and time again he will play a guy who is ready to play.

FFS we have an 18 year old who's nary 180 lbs playing 20 minutes on defense with PP time!

Yet, still, everyone persists. If Maurice has an idea of roster balance (which is very valid and not outdated) then he should be allowed to exercise it. The guy is trying to get Niku playing time after an injury, what the hell is wrong with that?

Bitteto has played his role very well, but because the golden child isn't playing everyone is in an uproar. I think it's just a matter of time before Niku is part of the Jets platoon, Beaulieu is back, and Bitteto probably ends up the odd man out.

However, if Bitteto continues to have the types of stats he has - people arguing that he's not an NHL defenseman are clearly blinded by bias and are too stubborn to have their minds changed.

I agree with you. someone else said he has an outdated mentality. I was defending maurices decision not to play niku.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Yes, I took that from your post. What else could this mean?


I don't know what significance you put on 200 games. But if Bitetto is getting as many games as he wants, he is getting all of the games. If Bitetto is playing, that means someone else is not. In this case it means Niku doesn't play. It means that Maurice thinks Bitetto is better than Niku. If Bitetto actually is better than Niku then Niku is never getting 200 NHL games, with this team or any other.

Bitetto came into this season with 132 games at the age of 29. Until Maurice fell in love with him, no one would have expected him to get 200 games so why would Niku get 200 games if he is not as good as Bitetto? If Bitetto actually is better than Niku, then I don't give a rat's ass if he plays.



What does the accident and missing games have to do with it? Niku is clearly fully recovered. This has nothing to do with his health. With the Moose games he has played, he is fully up to game speed. He played in 1 Jets game and was very good.



What does age have to do with anything? Experience maybe, but not age. Yes, the vastly experienced Bitetto with his 132 games compared to Niku's 31 games brings that experienced veteran presence. Keep the youngsters grounded? What does that even mean?

I don't have a personal investment in Niku. It doesn't make me feel any better knowing that he will get some games as injury replacement. All I care about is seeing our best possible lineup playing. Maurice clearly has Niku as Dman #8 or less and he has Bitetto in the top 6. I believe he has that backwards. Niku should be playing and Bitetto should be sitting.

When Beaulieu returns Niku is down to #9 in Maurice's depth chart. As weak as our D is, a player who is #9 does not have much of a future here.

Bitetto has improved since the pre-season games and the first couple of regular season games. But he is still the weakest link in our D corps.

I think you might need to go back and read the posts I was replying to.

My reply post, which you piggy backed, was a reply to someone that said Niku will never become a full time NHL player with Maurice as his coach.

200 games is a full time player.

It’s delusion that Bitetto’s career will us will determine Niku’s fate. If and when there’s a time both must clear waivers we know which ones going

And after the last game I rather Bitetto in than Kuli, so maybe point your distain at him

 

[Jet]

I agree with you. someone else said he has an outdated mentality. I was defending maurices decision not to play niku.

Apologies

 

[AKAChip]

I prefer to think in both short and long terms. The long term has been discussed at great length but in the immediate future, Bitetto in the lineup over Niku makes the team worse. It's bad from both perspectives.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

I think some need to better understand that an 82 game season is a marathon that requires you to run 8 to 11 deep on your backend.

With Buff out, with the amount of youth we are running on the backend and with a risk of losing a player on waivers, it only makes sense to move Sami down, keep him playing and ready for when you will inevitably need him to step in, and most importantly keep what little depth you have on defense.

No one thinks Bitetto is better than Sami, but none of us have managed an NHL roster thru an 82 season grind. There is a reason many teams have better options on the farm and decide to keep them there due to contract waiver risks.

You live with the lesser skilled lineup and sacrifise it for depth to manage the season grind. Sami will be in the lineup as soon as one dman drops or we start showing cracks.

Last game they looked solid back there so no need to risk depth for skill, yet.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think you might need to go back and read the posts I was replying to.

My reply post, which you piggy backed, was a reply to someone that said Niku will never become a full time NHL player with Maurice as his coach.

200 games is a full time player.

And as for this delusion that Bitetto’s career will determine Niku’s fate is as comical hyperbolic narrative there is.

It isn’t fyi

And after the last game I rather Bitetto in than Kuli, so maybe point your distain at him

OK, maybe I misinterpreted some parts of your post. But I still disagree with your twin assertion that Bitetto will get as many games as he wants AND that Niku will become a full time player with the Jets. Those 2 things are mutually exclusive given the attitude that Maurice has shown toward both players.

200 games is not a full time player. That is an arbitrary standard for having "made" the NHL. A part time player can achieve that with 6 seasons averaging 35 games a year. Bitetto has played in the NHL for parts of 5 seasons. He averaged 26.4 games for those 5 seasons. Last year was his highest total at 36. Considering his late start and sub par play so far he shouldn't ever make the 200 game magic number. Maurice appears determined to take care of that for him.

Kuli had a weak game, but he is a much better player than Bitetto.

 

[Sammy225]

Sami is out of the lineup today. Groin is still bugging him apparently.

 

[Imcanadianeh]

I prefer to think in both short and long terms. The long term has been discussed at great length but in the immediate future, Bitetto in the lineup over Niku makes the team worse. It's bad from both perspectives.

Can you actually provide any stats that backup that playing Bitetto over Niku makes the jets worse.....

 

[AKAChip]

Can you actually provide any stats that backup that playing Bitetto over Niku makes the jets worse.....

I have posted numerous charts that express this. You can find them if you like.

 

[Psych0dad]

ok then give me an example of a couple of coaches in the nhl who don't have an out dated mentality like Maurice so I can go check their roster decisions and how their fanbase on the boards all say how they are such wonderful coaches.

Brindamour.

 

[Rheged]

 

[ffh]

Brindamour.

Are you serious. You mean the guy coached by maurice that looks up to him and cant say enough good things about him. Look it up. Loves maurice and said he is a great coach and that he could never be as smart. Being one of the smartest guys in the room means you are never out dated cause you never stop learning.

 

[pucka lucka]

Yet he’s playing top pair minutes in the ahl. Makes perfect sense...

 

[Imcanadianeh]

I have posted numerous charts that express this. You can find them if you like.

I guess I never saw them, but comparing the 2 for the 18-19 season they both had almost identical TOI and Bitetto had a better CF%, xGF% and xGA%.

Edit: it also looks like Niku is still nursing an injury and would also explain why Bitetto is playing instead of him.

 

[Psych0dad]

Are you serious. You mean the guy coached by maurice that looks up to him and cant say enough good things about him. Look it up. Loves maurice and said he is a great coach and that he could never be as smart. Being one of the smartest guys in the room means you are never out dated cause you never stop learning.

And that's why Maurice is no good. He doesn't learn. Little-Laine is your evidence that he can make the same dumb mistake for years.

Brind'amour might like Maurice but his coaching is more evolved.

 

[tbcwpg]

Yet he’s playing top pair minutes in the ahl. Makes perfect sense...

Yep, playing, lemme check.....0 minutes today.

 

[Lempo]

Niku returns as soon as Heinola gets sent back after a few more games. My opinion: strictly a matter of waiver exemption, no other hidden agenda.

Edit: looks like Bitetto is a 2-way contract, but probably being kept in for consistency as he's had more reps with the Jets this year than Niku.

Two-way contract means *only* that the player has one salary for when he is in NHL and other salary for when he is in AHL. The same player being or not being waivers-exempt isn't dependent of his contract but on the waivers eligibility rules in the CBA.

Waivers-exemption is mostly dependent on the amount of years the player has been playing under an ELC/in the NHL (but there is also a hard cap on the games played in NHL). In Heinola's case, they are not thinking his usage on the terms that he will (as a player who signed at 18) lose his waivers eligibility after 160 games. He is *not* going to be sent down in season 2021-22.