Player Discussion: Sami Niku

[KingBogo]

He isn't making the team so being on the power play is a non issue.

I wouldn't discount Niku out of hand. While it is likely he starts on the Moose, he has the offensive talent that might explode if his development coincides with the right opportunity. IMO there is a real likelihood that Niku is our top point producing D-man at some point even if Morrissey is considered the better all around player.

 

[ffh]

I wouldn't discount Niku out of hand. While it is likely he starts on the Moose, he has the offensive talent that might explode if his development coincides with the right opportunity. IMO there is a real likelihood that Niku is our top point producing D-man at some point even if Morrissey is considered the better all around player.

I'm not debating that. But he surely plays on the moose this year. Maurice has said as much already.

 

[Board Bard]

I have to believe that the Left side Myers experiment will die in pre-season. It clearly isn't working and PM can see that as well as any of us.

I wouldn't bet on either of those, especially after hearing Maurice say emphatically today that Myers WILL play both sides this season.

 

[KingBogo]

I'm not debating that. But he surely plays on the moose this year. Maurice has said as much already.

Agreed. But there are always injuries that give opportunity. And in all truth there is not much on the left side behind Morrissey that would keep him from being able to quickly move up the depth chart if he starts producing given the opportunity.

 

[Daximus]

So Little is taken entirely of the PP in this scenario? A sure fire way for the coach to risk loosing the room esp if done at the start of the season.

I like this setup in principal but would replace KV with Little. Litts and Ehlers need to be on their one timer sides. Even if they are not going to be blasting one timers, the threat of the one timer will open up lanes.

I also want to try Lowry as a regular fixture as the net front presence this season. It will take an injury or two for that to happen though.

No one is scared of Little's one timer. So it's basically a non threat plus he's a righty which means he's trying to one time on the wrong side of the ice and has to receive a pass across his body. It just doesn't work. Someone would have to replace Connor on PP1 though. Or Little can play down low replacing Perreault. Really any righty can play the below the net position.

None of these 1-3-1's need a net front presence so Lowry is kind of useless. The main goal is to keep the puck moving and use the slot or cross ice one timers as the main focal points. But also to have the half wall guy be able to shoot if the PK focuses on taking away the pass options. The guy down low's main focus is to be a pass option for the halfwall guy or to reset the entire thing by passing back to the one-timer point guy. But he can also is supposed to creep to the post to clean up the garbage.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

Trouba Morrissey
Buff Niku
Myers Kulikov
Chiarot Morrow upstairs

Poolman is waiver exempt so Moose

8 D 13 forwards.

Connor Scheif Wheeler
Laine Little Perreault
Lemieux Roslo Ehlers
Tanev Lowry Copp
Dano

Petan wont be returning anytime soon

 

[Daximus]

He isn't making the team so being on the power play is a non issue.

Who Niku or Vesalainen?

 

[Teppo Numenor]

i saw about half the moose home games last year. I am not suprised at all by the attention he is getting. I think its ok to send him down to start but he should be up by the end of the season. it will be similar to a big trade deadline acquisition, except from an in house guy. Maybe take him and ves, on the finland trip. they will appreciate that.

 

[Daximus]

This is kind of what I'm visualizing for those not following.

 

[KingBogo]

This is kind of what I'm visualizing for those not following.

Ehlers would be able to make the passes, but Connor and KV should be able to finish. Those 2 PP's would be pure gold.

 

[Daximus]

Ehlers would be able to make the passes, but Connor and KV should be able to finish. Those 2 PP's would be pure gold.

We'd wreck the league on the PP. We could also take advantage of weaker PK's depending on the how they lineup as well. Basically we can dictate our matchup on the man advantage by focusing on the weak side of the ice when we need goals. As the game goes one we just role them like normal.

 

[Whileee]

From what I saw of him on the Moose last year he already has the chops to deal with anything the AHL will throw at him. Playing against AHL defence wont make him any better at defending NHL forwards. What he needs is a partner that he can learn from in the NHL while defending against NHL forwards. Hes not going to learn that from guys like Chiarot or Poolman who can barely defend against NHL forwards themselves and who definitely don't know where they need to be on the ice. Buff would be the perfect partner to teach him where to be and how to recover from going deep in the zone. The only way to learn it is to do it. In the meantime he can replace Myers on PP2 where he can actually get a shot through.

2 or 3 years ago I think Maurice would definitely have focused on developing Niku at the NHL level, because at that stage the Jets were trying to introduce and develop a young team to be ready to contend by now. At this point, I don't think the Jets are focusing as much on rapid development, but rather on trying to win. Maurice is going to play whoever he thinks gives him the best chance to win each game, so if he thinks Morrow or Chiarot is even a little more effective than Niku, they'll play. I think it's reasonable to question that assessment of player performance, but I think it's okay to put more weight on performance than on development at this stage.

 

[Daximus]

2 or 3 years ago I think Maurice would definitely have focused on developing Niku at the NHL level, because at that stage the Jets were trying to introduce and develop a young team to be ready to contend by now. At this point, I don't think the Jets are focusing as much on rapid development, but rather on trying to win. Maurice is going to play whoever he thinks gives him the best chance to win each game, so if he thinks Morrow or Chiarot is even a little more effective than Niku, they'll play. I think it's reasonable to question that assessment of player performance, but I think it's okay to put more weight on performance than on development at this stage.

That's kind of the point I'm making. Niku is no worse than Chiarot on defence and already provides much more offence then Chiarot will ever be capable of. Morrow's best abilities are in his puck moving abilities which Niku already far exceeds. You can say it's a developement year for him but when he's already better then the other options we have, is that not a good thing for him to learn how to play as an NHL defender now? Rather then next year? If our window is now then we are delaying someone's developement to down the line so they can help us later? That doesn't make any sense to me. You use the best players you have now when you are contending. You don't marinate guys because you are scared of losing guys like Chiarot and Morrow to waivers.

 

[The Big M]

That's kind of the point I'm making. Niku is no worse than Chiarot on defence and already provides much more offence then Chiarot will ever be capable of. Morrow's best abilities are in his puck moving abilities which Niku already far exceeds. You can say it's a developement year for him but when he's already better then the other options we have, is that not a good thing for him to learn how to play as an NHL defender now? Rather then next year? If our window is now then we are delaying someone's developement to down the line so they can help us later? That doesn't make any sense to me. You use the best players you have now when you are contending. You don't marinate guys because you are scared of losing guys like Chiarot and Morrow to waivers.

I totally agree with you. I would love to see Niku start with Bufuglien.
However, Chevy and Maurice have practiced patience in the past. Sending Niku back to the AHL is for Niku's benefit to focus on his defensive play.
Maybe a partial season down will give Niku even more confidence to come back to the NHL as a top flight defenceman similar to Morrissey with even a higher scoring upside.

 

[PhilJets]

This is kind of what I'm visualizing for those not following.

Nice we have upgraded we have visual presentation now

 

[Daximus]

I totally agree with you. I would love to see Niku start with Bufuglien.
However, Chevy and Maurice have practiced patience in the past. Sending Niku back to the AHL is for Niku's benefit to focus on his defensive play.
Maybe a partial season down will give Niku even more confidence to come back to the NHL as a top flight defenceman similar to Morrissey with even a higher scoring upside.

I just don't see the benefit to defending NHL forwards in the AHL at this stage. He's learning nothing defending guys he has no issues defending. At some point he has to learn. Unless everyone just thinks that him spending another year in the A is all the sudden going to make him a Hedman level two-way defender. Hint: It won't.
He isn't going to learn anything he hasn't already learnt in the AHL.

 

[Whileee]

I just don't see the benefit to defending NHL forwards in the AHL at this stage. He's learning nothing defending guys he has no issues defending. At some point he has to learn. Unless everyone just thinks that him spending another year in the A is all the sudden going to make him a Hedman level two-way defender. Hint: It won't.
He isn't going to learn anything he hasn't already learnt in the AHL.

I think it's more about Vincent working with Niku to be faster and more aggressive in closing out opponents in his own zone. Morrissey needed the same improvement and made big strides with the Moose in that area, then never looked back.

 

[Daximus]

I think it's more about Vincent working with Niku to be faster and more aggressive in closing out opponents in his own zone. Morrissey needed the same improvement and made big strides with the Moose in that area, then never looked back.

But Morrissey was in a different state when we got him. He needed to get his skating back. Remember he bulked up to much before camp? Niku is not in that state. I just watched the last two games he played there is not a single time where his partner is not just as out of position if not more so than him at the worst of times. Yet we fixate on Niku like he needs the help. We focus on the younger guy to get better. Chiarot's breakout and gap conrol f***ing sucks. Why shouldn't he go to the A to get better? Poolmans positioning is atrocious at best, why doesn't he go down to get better? Morrow can't defend behind the net to save a newborn kitten, why shouldn't he go down to get better?

The truth is we think that the younger guy has more to learn so we should suffer in the short term to be rewarded in the long term. But the truth is we can be rewarded now while the young guy learns how to be better than everyone of the terrible 3rd pairing D we have at this level.

 

[JetsFan815]

I think there is a lot of merit to mirroring our PP1. Throw Ehlers up on the point and then eventually Vesalainen on the halfwall.

Damn we have a lot of shooters...

Perreault
Vesalainen- Rosie
Niku/MoJo - Ehlers


Could be interesting. We have Ehlers, Vesalainen and Connor as left shots that could set up at the right point or the half wall.

No one is scared of Little's one timer. So it's basically a non threat plus he's a righty which means he's trying to one time on the wrong side of the ice and has to receive a pass across his body. It just doesn't work. Someone would have to replace Connor on PP1 though. Or Little can play down low replacing Perreault. Really any righty can play the below the net position.

In the setup you posted above, it looked to me that you had KV on the left circle, Roslovic in the high slot and Ehlers on the his one-time side on right side. Under that, in my scenario, Little would repalce KV on the left circle on his one-timer side. Essentially the same overall PP as last season but with Ehlers and Little flipped.

 

[Daximus]

In the setup you posted above, it looked to me that you had KV on the left circle, Roslovic in the high slot and Ehlers on the his one-time side on right side. Under that, in my scenario, Little would repalce KV on the left circle on his one-timer side. Essentially the same overall PP as last season but with Ehlers and Little flipped.

I flipped it after I realized KV has the better one timer. I don't even think I've seen Little take a one timer. It's a skill on it's own. It's not like EA NHL where anyone does it. But Little is a righty on a left heavy PP. He will always be on his offside taking a one timer. He's the same handedness as Laine and Schief so in order to take a one timer he'd need to be on a right side heavy PP.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I wouldn't bet on either of those, especially after hearing Maurice say emphatically today that Myers WILL play both sides this season.

Didn't hear that. We have noticed before that Maurice can be stubborn. I hope it only happens late in games we are trailing.

 

[Afterburner]

Starts with the Moose, finishes with the Jets. Book it.

 

[Aggie204]

Starts with the Moose, finishes with the Jets. Book it.

I hope he brings his sister, for you know; moral support.

 

[Jets 31]

Niku will be on the Jets just in time for the games in Finland .

 

[surixon]

But Morrissey was in a different state when we got him. He needed to get his skating back. Remember he bulked up to much before camp? Niku is not in that state. I just watched the last two games he played there is not a single time where his partner is not just as out of position if not more so than him at the worst of times. Yet we fixate on Niku like he needs the help. We focus on the younger guy to get better. Chiarot's breakout and gap conrol ****ing sucks. Why shouldn't he go to the A to get better? Poolmans positioning is atrocious at best, why doesn't he go down to get better? Morrow can't defend behind the net to save a newborn kitten, why shouldn't he go down to get better?

The truth is we think that the younger guy has more to learn so we should suffer in the short term to be rewarded in the long term. But the truth is we can be rewarded now while the young guy learns how to be better than everyone of the terrible 3rd pairing D we have at this level.

Well I would hope that Chariot is riding the pine for most of the year again. He's not exactly a high bar to set for defensive competence for Niku. The biggest thing hurting Niku imo is the fact that the defense is already predominantly offensive oriented. We already have 4 to 5 dmen who score at a good to very good level in Buff, Trouba, JoMo, Myers and Morrow. Three of them are also average to below average defensively which hurts the teams ability to shelter him. We need a RH Kulikov for him to play with on the third page.