We are going to be contenders and not pretenders!

[Mortimer Snerd]

Sorry I don't agree with this post. No guarantees for semi good or good players? Uh?

Our bottom 6 still sucks, if we had good players they would be a lock. Now yes we have a bunch of prospects coming up, trying to push for spots......but if any were good enough they would be locks. We simply have a horrible bottom 6, shouldn't be hard to improve on it.....virtually everyone agrees for the last 5 years our bottom 6 sucks and has needed to be improved.

And now it is in the process of wholesale improvement. It is too late to do it 5 or 4 years ago. Sorry.

Are they multiple possible ways to improve it or do you have 1 way in mind and no other will do?

 

[JetsFan815]

I want us to go HARD after Ladd and Stempniak in the summer. By the sounds of it NHLPA is going to use the escalater so the cap is not going to stagnate giving teams another ~3.5 million to work with, that reduces the opportunities of getting a cap-constrained team's good players (besides of we haven't done that by the time free agency has started, we aren't going to do that anyways). Get Ladd for 5.75 million or under, get Stemp for 2.5 million or under if possible. Put the C back on Ladd and put an A on Stempniak to entice him to come back

 

[Whileee]

I want us to go HARD after Ladd and Stempniak in the summer. By the sounds of it NHLPA is going to use the escalater so the cap is not going to stagnate giving teams another ~3.5 million to work with, that reduces the opportunities of getting a cap-constrained team's good players (besides of we haven't done that by the time free agency has started, we aren't going to do that anyways). Get Ladd for 5.75 million or under, get Stemp for 2.5 million or under if possible. Put the C back on Ladd and put an A on Stempniak to entice him to come back

Now.... I have seen it all.

 

[10Ducky10]

Because nothing has changed. Stuart Peluso and Thorburn are regulars on this team. Regulars in year 5. There is no higher indictment of Chevy and repudiation of this thread than these facts.

If you think nothing has changed in five years, take a look at the prospects now and then look at what the prospects were when the Jets came back. How can you say nothing has changed?
Thorbs and Peluso are gone after next season Stu the year after if not sooner.

 

[winnipegger]

put an A on Stempniak to entice him to come back

Why stop there, the team is captainless. I hereby start the "make Lee Stempniak Captain #stemp4life" campaign.

 

[Gil Fisher]

I want us to go HARD after Ladd and Stempniak in the summer. By the sounds of it NHLPA is going to use the escalater so the cap is not going to stagnate giving teams another ~3.5 million to work with, that reduces the opportunities of getting a cap-constrained team's good players (besides of we haven't done that by the time free agency has started, we aren't going to do that anyways). Get Ladd for 5.75 million or under, get Stemp for 2.5 million or under if possible. Put the C back on Ladd and put an A on Stempniak to entice him to come back

A-level satire!

 

[SensibleGuy]

I want us to go HARD after Ladd and Stempniak in the summer. By the sounds of it NHLPA is going to use the escalater so the cap is not going to stagnate giving teams another ~3.5 million to work with, that reduces the opportunities of getting a cap-constrained team's good players (besides of we haven't done that by the time free agency has started, we aren't going to do that anyways). Get Ladd for 5.75 million or under, get Stemp for 2.5 million or under if possible. Put the C back on Ladd and put an A on Stempniak to entice him to come back

lol...what the fizzy?

 

[Channelcat]

Yes there is still a pile of unproven talent in this lineup BUT as we've watch the new guys come in and impress this year, many of them could actually exceed our expectations! With fill-in UFA's and upgrade trades, just imagine where this could take us!!

WE ARE GOING TO BE CONTENDERS AND FOR A LONG TIME!

How would your dreams change/add to this?! Realists, negative types or naysayers need not pay attention to this dream thread!

Leaf fans have been saying this for 40 years. I'm still trying to be positive and hope its a quick trip to the bottom, but pro sports rarely works that way. We know that great organizations tend to stay in contention and bad organizations tend to stay out of contention.

 

[SensibleGuy]

There's reason for optimism for sure. The idea that "nothing has changed" in 5 years is ridiculous. Next year there's a decent chance we have both Conner and another really high quality new guy in the line-up plus a bunch of other guys we're just starting to see now. We're right on the precipice of finally seeing OUR team as opposed to a team still largely left over from the Thrashers org.

 

[HannuJ]

Peluso has played in half the games. If that's not a regular then you're being purely semantic. Give me a break.

i'd argue that 6 min of icetime and playing in half the games makes one irregular, not a regular

 

[surixon]

Bottom 6 depth doesn't look like it will be an issue moving forward. We will have a number of prospects/young players competing for ice time.

Dano, Armia, Burmie, Lowry, Copp, Kosmachuk, Lipon, DeLeo. Plus depending on how the top 6 works out you might be seeing quality players like Perrault pushed down or an impact rookie like Conner on the third. The days of Thor playing a lot of minutes are likely coming to an end.

 

[White Out 403*]

i'd argue that 6 min of icetime and playing in half the games makes one irregular, not a regular

I've time is irrelevant. For half the season he occupied a roster slot.

 

[Channelcat]

I've time is irrelevant. For half the season he occupied a roster slot.

Yes, a roster spot that wasn't going to be occupied by any other difference maker. Yes we need bottom 6 upgrades but I just dont buy that Peluso, Thor, Stuart are the reason we suck.

 

[Aavco Cup]

If you can only replace one player out of Pavelec, Stuart, Thorburn and Peluso. Which one would have the biggest impact on wins and losses?

 

[White Out 403*]

Yes, a roster spot that wasn't going to be occupied by any other difference maker. Yes we need bottom 6 upgrades but I just dont buy that Peluso, Thor, Stuart are the reason we suck.

Wow. What an absolutely fallacious argument.

If peluso was cut from this team and we had Stempniak instead those minutes increase and so does productivity. I mean... Really?

 

[White Out 403*]

If you can only replace one player out of Pavelec, Stuart, Thorburn and Peluso. Which one would have the biggest impact on wins and losses?

Oh god that's a tough one. Pavelec probably but Stuart is so close at number 2

 

[Aavco Cup]

Oh god that's a tough one. Pavelec probably but Stuart is so close at number 2

Exactly, Peluso plays so few minutes that he has vey little impact on wins and losses.

 

[Channelcat]

Wow. What an absolutely fallacious argument.

If peluso was cut from this team and we had Stempniak instead those minutes increase and so does productivity. I mean... Really?

Ok, yes, I was thinking of players who were in the organization. Perhaps I missed the beginnings of this conversation.

Count me among the people who were pretty shocked to see LS go to NJ for 850,000$.

 

[Howard Chuck]

Yikes, a positive thread sure doesn't last long here at this time of year

 

[cbcwpg]

If you can only replace one player out of Pavelec, Stuart, Thorburn and Peluso. Which one would have the biggest impact on wins and losses?

Skaters can have their negative impact controlled by their minutes and the situation the coaches put them in, but there is one player that is always on the ice if he's in the game..... so goaltender ( Pavelec ) of course. Most important player on a team, and it doesn't matter how good your team is if your goalie sucks. And not just for the results....it's also for the psychological effect is has on the team. It's a lot harder to play if your worried that the puck is going to end up in your net every time it's in your end of the rink.

 

[HannuJ]

If you can only replace one player out of Pavelec, Stuart, Thorburn and Peluso. Which one would have the biggest impact on wins and losses?

considering our goal differential? my honest answer would be taking their ice time into consideration. in order:

Stuart
Pavs
Thorburn
Peluso

 

[White Out 403*]

Exactly, Peluso plays so few minutes that he has vey little impact on wins and losses.

Oh cmon. Of all three players peluso is the easiest solved problem. And yes his impact is lowest but that doesn't mean Chevy should have just ignored that issue.

 

[winnipegger]

At least Peluso is good at what he does. There aren't many face punchers who can hang with him. For the amount of playing time they see, Stuart and Pavelec are the two biggest problems facing the team. The day they are replaced by Morrissey and Hellebuyck will be beautiful days indeed

 

[Daximus]

We are most certainly going to be contenders!
We are missing a few key pieces but the good news is the new core is still very young led by future captain Mark Scheifele and we have some time before we really have to make a push to add those pieces.
I've never felt more excited about the future of this team.

 

[Flair Hay]

Having Connor and adding a top five this year is going to bode well for us in a few years.

If that pick is Matthews that would put us in a very good spot long term and possibly back in the playoffs next year.

Even if we walk away with Chychrun or Dubois, that will help us a lot down the road. Both those guys could probably play one more year of junior.

It's taking more time than I would like. But sooner or later, our few really good vets and our better than most young players will do some damage to the league.