No way little will accept a 3 year term nor should he . I honestly believe it is not $$$ driven but the issue will be term. If he would really like to retire a jet then unless he is looking to retire at age 33-34 he will not accept a 3-4 yr term. I think you could have him commit to around $5M for 6 years.
Should the Jets re-sign Bryan Little?
- Thread starter pegcity
- Start date
scelaton
Registered User
- Jul 5, 2012
- 3,645
- 5,562
There are many differences between Ladd and Little, and their respective situations:
-Little is a 2-way 1C and has made the players around him--including Ladd--better. Ladd plays a less pivotal position and needs to feed off a good center.
-Little is a better point producer and shows no diminution in his scoring pace, as Ladd did in his final season.
-Ladd was signed to a $38.5 contract in 2016. Using a very modest 3% annual escalator, that is the equivalent of > $40M in 2018 contract dollars.
-As such, offering Little less than half of that--a (3X 6.5) $19.5 UFA contract--would be an insult to him and an invitation to leave.
In contrast, a $33M (6X5.5) package would be a 20% discount to the equivalent Ladd deal, for a better player. And although it'd be a year less than Ladd's in duration, it will likely be the last contract for both.
How is repeating the same mistake made with Ladd ok? Little needs to be extended this summer or moved at the draft for a premium. The return will be way less if you wait until the deadline.
^ If they're in the playoff mix next year they won't even bother to move him.... so you lose Little for nothing.
No. Little is legit
Only issue is injuries
Little is a better finisher than Wheeler, Ladd, etc. Who's also got good 2-way play and is pretty good in the dot.
Don't think his contract will hurt us and it's worth it
Wheeler probably has a higher trade value, but Little is more valuable
Little>Wheeler>Buff
Something doesn't line up here. Little is the longest serving (top 6) Thrasher player currently on the Jets.
garret9
AKA#VitoCorrelationi
Hank Chinaski
Registered User
The ideal situation would be to sign Little to a Plekanec deal ($6M * 2).
Good 2C for the next few seasons, keeps him a tradeable asset once we start feeling the cap crunch.
Good 2C for the next few seasons, keeps him a tradeable asset once we start feeling the cap crunch.
Little is one of the few draft choices the Thrashers got right.
5 x 5.25m AAV but offer him a 5m signing bonus.
5m signing bonus and 4.25m a year. NMC the first 3 years. We need Little and have nobody to replace him.
Sign him as soon as you can Chevy.
If I had to choose who to trade between Buff, Little and Wheeler, it would depend on how Buff played next year as he has a NMC for the next season yet. If he is still playing like he has this year, I would deal him. If he plays consistently smart hockey, I would trade Wheeler first. Little would be the last one of the three that I would move. Even if we won the lotter and drafted Patrick, I would still sign Little.
5 x 5.25m AAV but offer him a 5m signing bonus.
5m signing bonus and 4.25m a year. NMC the first 3 years. We need Little and have nobody to replace him.
Sign him as soon as you can Chevy.
If I had to choose who to trade between Buff, Little and Wheeler, it would depend on how Buff played next year as he has a NMC for the next season yet. If he is still playing like he has this year, I would deal him. If he plays consistently smart hockey, I would trade Wheeler first. Little would be the last one of the three that I would move. Even if we won the lotter and drafted Patrick, I would still sign Little.
Wheeler and little are the exceptions
Byfuglien can be good. But he's not and cost too much
All thrashers became a liability eventually
Was/is Ladd a true #1 lineman? Or just on the Jets/thrashers
I think Little has more value. He's more reliable. Can offer as big of an impact on the ice, both ways
Last edited:
garret9
AKA#VitoCorrelationi
Ladd was a bina fide too liner, and was better than Little, until that surgery. His last year on the Jets, and since, he was not.
Last edited:
Exactly.
I think Little has been in the (my?) Jets MVP conversation since day one. It's wonderful to witness the emergence of our youth up front, however 18 is still doing exactly what he has always done, consistently and with no sign of slowing down. Seeing 29, 27 and 55 develop (and including Roslovic) in the picture doesn't change that or make him expendable in any way. Are we trying to win a Cup here or not? Show him the money.
I doubt the return would differ a whole lot. Teams arent crazy about anyone over 30 anymore. Maybe someone would knock our socks off. But then they'd have to resign him to the same deal that will be sketchy for us. Can't see anyone giving up a stupid package for Little.
It wasn't a mistake with Ladd. The mistake would have been guys like you and me locking up Ladd instead of Buff in July from being afraid to wait. Would have got more back for Buff last July than we got for Ladd at deadline. But we'd have Ladd's albatross to deal with too.
Plakanec is 5 years older. Thats the sort of contract you offer buff at 35 not little at 29. You think there might be a cap crunch in 2 years . He will get at least 5 years in the summer even 6 will be fine
Puckatron 3000
Glitchy Prototype
In Garret's graph, I'm having trouble understanding what Little's negative "EV Defense" means compared to almost everyone else's positive "EV Defense". Little can't possibly be below a replacement level player in even strength defense...
I chuckle at some of these contract suggestions here of 2 and 3 year terms. Players of Little's stature and age (29/30) do not sign 2 or 3 year contracts and I suspect the posters suggesting as such know that. The real motivation behind those horrible proposals in all likelihood is that you are not particularly interested in him remaining with the team.
Little will get a minimum of 5 years and is more likely to receive 6 with a possibility of 7 years. His AAV will at minimum be $5.5 million with a max of $6.25 million. And you know what? He deserves it. That is the market for one of the top-5 - 10 second line centres in the entire league. He knows this will be his last long-term contract so why would he sign a 2 or 3 year deal?
There are no obvious solutions internally. Perreault played poorly early this season when called upon to fill the 2nd line centre position when Little was injured. Petan has barely displayed an ability to fill in on the third or fourth line up to this point and is too small for the centre position. Connor has a game more suited to the wing and Roslovic has not proven anything beyond being a first line centre in the AHL. He will likely project as a low-end 2nd liner/high end third liner.
Trading Little and relying on Roslovic to perform 2nd line duties would be a regression for our 2nd line centre position and a regression for the team overall. If Chevy and True North do not due their utmost to sign Little (offering 5 or 6 years at $5.5 - 6 AAV) and trade him, or worse yet, let him walk at the end of 2017-18, it tells me they are not interested in building a Stanley Cup contending team and are merely happy with maintaining a competitive team (AKA non-playoff team) that will be fake .500 in perpetuity. I will call them out if that is what happens.
The posters who also claim this team won't have the room to sign younger players should they sign the likes of Little are also incorrect. Little will have just received a raise of 1.25 to 1.75 million per year should he sign an extension for the expected amount while we have just dumped an expensive contract in Stafford(who was in the final year of this contract anyways), will have Pavs contract off the books saving another $4 million, Enstrom's contract to expire next season at $5.75 million (this could be replaced by another short-term contract with him at a lower rate depending on how he plays..let's say $3 - 3.5 million and the expiration of Stuart's horrible contract. If need be they can trade a player like Wheeler or Perreault as centres are more valuable and the Jets are deeper in young prospects on the wing. There will be plenty of room to sign players like Trouba, Ehlers and Laine to extensions even with the signing of a core player like Little.
Side note, one thing about that article that bugs me is when they call Turris and Backlund middle-six centres. Those two, as of this moment, are top six players.
Little will get a minimum of 5 years and is more likely to receive 6 with a possibility of 7 years. His AAV will at minimum be $5.5 million with a max of $6.25 million. And you know what? He deserves it. That is the market for one of the top-5 - 10 second line centres in the entire league. He knows this will be his last long-term contract so why would he sign a 2 or 3 year deal?
There are no obvious solutions internally. Perreault played poorly early this season when called upon to fill the 2nd line centre position when Little was injured. Petan has barely displayed an ability to fill in on the third or fourth line up to this point and is too small for the centre position. Connor has a game more suited to the wing and Roslovic has not proven anything beyond being a first line centre in the AHL. He will likely project as a low-end 2nd liner/high end third liner.
Trading Little and relying on Roslovic to perform 2nd line duties would be a regression for our 2nd line centre position and a regression for the team overall. If Chevy and True North do not due their utmost to sign Little (offering 5 or 6 years at $5.5 - 6 AAV) and trade him, or worse yet, let him walk at the end of 2017-18, it tells me they are not interested in building a Stanley Cup contending team and are merely happy with maintaining a competitive team (AKA non-playoff team) that will be fake .500 in perpetuity. I will call them out if that is what happens.
The posters who also claim this team won't have the room to sign younger players should they sign the likes of Little are also incorrect. Little will have just received a raise of 1.25 to 1.75 million per year should he sign an extension for the expected amount while we have just dumped an expensive contract in Stafford(who was in the final year of this contract anyways), will have Pavs contract off the books saving another $4 million, Enstrom's contract to expire next season at $5.75 million (this could be replaced by another short-term contract with him at a lower rate depending on how he plays..let's say $3 - 3.5 million and the expiration of Stuart's horrible contract. If need be they can trade a player like Wheeler or Perreault as centres are more valuable and the Jets are deeper in young prospects on the wing. There will be plenty of room to sign players like Trouba, Ehlers and Laine to extensions even with the signing of a core player like Little.
Side note, one thing about that article that bugs me is when they call Turris and Backlund middle-six centres. Those two, as of this moment, are top six players.
I think that part of the consideration will be based on some sort of prognostications about where the salary cap is going. If the Jets believe that it will remain stagnant for the next 5-6 years, then they might have trouble paying Little what he's worth. If they think the cap is going to start rising at 2-3% per year, then now is a perfect time to re-sign Little. Same for Trouba.
I agree with much of this. Little is likely getting a Ladd type deal this summer and I'm fine with it. If the Jets feel a bit of a crunch down the line you move out the very portable contracts in Myers and Perrault for futures and there is another 9.5 million in space. Chevy knows what he's doing with regards to the cap and has set himself up nicely to pay the kids and retain the few vets he wants to keep.
Infact if they ink Trouba this summer I expect Myers will be moved within the next year.
The cap is predicted to increase by $2 million for next year. Even with the dollar remaining around .75 cents for the next few seasons we should see similar increases in the following years. Most teams raise ticket prices, receive greater sponsorships, higher ad revenue etc.
Don't forget about vegas 17 million doller christmas bonus in a month or so.
I know that but if you have an extra few million in the bank that you didn't have before paying players like little what they are worth won't hurt as much.
Jets4Life
Registered User
Keep Little and resign him to at least a 5 year contract. He is still only 29, and players like him do not grow on trees. He will be our #2 Centre for the next few years.
