What the Jets need to address positionally this off season

winnipegger

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Dec 17, 2013
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Do the Jets hang on to Roslovic, Ehlers, Connor, Laine, Wheeler? That is 5 top line wingers. Bit of a log jam.
 

Hunter368

RIP lomiller1, see you in the next life buddy.
Nov 8, 2011
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Do the Jets hang on to Roslovic, Ehlers, Connor, Laine, Wheeler? That is 5 top line wingers. Bit of a log jam.

Ideally Jack becomes the dynamic 2C that we need badly. We will see what happens with Wheeler.....his age is getting up there despite him playing well. Not sure you want to resign a guy his age long term big bucks and I love Wheeler.
 
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Adam da bomb

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May 1, 2016
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Ideally Jack becomes the dynamic 2C that we need badly. We will see what happens with Wheeler.....his age is getting up there despite him playing well. Not sure you want to resign a guy his age long term big bucks and I love Wheeler.
But Wheeler has another year as 1st line then 2-3 as a 2rw
 

Gm0ney

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Oct 12, 2011
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No chance Wheeler signs that
He could get more on the open market, but if Wheeler likes where he's at and wants a chance to win, I think he and Chevy will find a way to make it work.

Wheeler will be 33 when his next deal kicks in. Not a ton of comparables:

Thornton signed a 3 x $7M deal at age 32
Spezza 4 x $7.5M at 32
Backes 5 x $6M at 32
Steen 4 x $5.75M at 33
Marleau 3 x $6.25M at 37
Radulov 5 x $6.25M at 31
Gaborik 7 x $4.875M at 32.

The average value of those comps is $27M. Wheeler could sign for 5 of 6 x $5M if he wants to get approximate value on the total contract and make it team friendly enough to keep other guys around. But maybe he's about the money and honor and would feel slighted making less AAV than Scheifele or Laine.
 

Whileee

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He could get more on the open market, but if Wheeler likes where he's at and wants a chance to win, I think he and Chevy will find a way to make it work.

Wheeler will be 33 when his next deal kicks in. Not a ton of comparables:

Thornton signed a 3 x $7M deal at age 32
Spezza 4 x $7.5M at 32
Backes 5 x $6M at 32
Steen 4 x $5.75M at 33
Marleau 3 x $6.25M at 37
Radulov 5 x $6.25M at 31
Gaborik 7 x $4.875M at 32.

The average value of those comps is $27M. Wheeler could sign for 5 of 6 x $5M if he wants to get approximate value on the total contract and make it team friendly enough to keep other guys around. But maybe he's about the money and honor and would feel slighted making less AAV than Scheifele or Laine.

Wheeler has a much better resume than any of those players, except maybe Thornton.

For Wheeler, I think the only real option is to go long term with a lower AAV. He stays very fit and has had very few injuries, so he should "age" reasonably well. My concern is more about his effectiveness as he starts losing his top-end speed.

I tend to think he'll be looking at Kesler as a comparable, and you couldn't really blame him. He's done much more than Kesler. Kesler's deal started at age 32... 7x$6.85M. I think the Jets would be very lucky to get Wheeler for something like 6x6.5M. That seems on the low side.
 
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Jun 15, 2013
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Don't forget about K-ves. That's why I hope Mo tries Roslo as a centre. Then logjam gone.

Other than casual fans, no one of note has Vesalainen making the Jets out of training camp next year.

TSN's last ranking of the top NHL affiliated prospects had him fail to make the top 50.

K-Ves is good, but nowhere near NHL ready. He didn't even get invited to play for Finland at the World's.

That said I'm excited for him to be a big part of future. That future is a full season away.
 

Bigfish

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Oct 12, 2016
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Would Wheeler return a 1st pairing defenseman? If so you trade Trouba to Florida for Trocheck who would make a great 2c and is signed to a great contract. Trouba might be willing to give Florida a better contract than he would the Jets. I don't know if Florida would agree to that trade but I think it is close. Then you trade Wheeler, whose value has never been higher, for a young 1st paring defenseman although I think Chevy would have a hard time trading Wheeler.
 

StatisticsAddict99

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Feb 24, 2017
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Other than casual fans, no one of note has Vesalainen making the Jets out of training camp next year.

TSN's last ranking of the top NHL affiliated prospects had him fail to make the top 50.

K-Ves is good, but nowhere near NHL ready. He didn't even get invited to play for Finland at the World's.

That said I'm excited for him to be a big part of future. That future is a full season away.

I agree he’s probably not ready to jump into the NHL and atleast needs a little bit of time to season in the AHL.


All that said the kid did nearly dropped a single PPG in FEL(against men) and played much better than Tolvanen at the U20’s(a player who did make it to the Worlds, as Vesalainen played a much more effective and dominating performance. The fact he didn’t make the Top 50 is clearly not a sleight on him but rather one on Craig Button who didn’t even take a second to look at a single Jets prospect(there where zero Jets ranked in that top 50, including Niku and while Philip Myers a defender of the same age and development in the AHL made it and did not win the Eddie Shore Award, heck Niku wasn’t looked even within the Jets prospects).
 
Jun 15, 2013
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I agree he’s probably not ready to jump into the NHL and atleast needs a little bit of time to season in the AHL.


All that said the kid did nearly dropped a single PPG in FEL(against men) and played much better than Tolvanen at the U20’s(a player who did make it to the Worlds, as Vesalainen played a much more effective and dominating performance. The fact he didn’t make the Top 50 is clearly not a sleight on him but rather one on Craig Button who didn’t even take a second to look at a single Jets prospect(there where zero Jets ranked in that top 50, including Niku and while Philip Myers a defender of the same age and development in the AHL made it and did not win the Eddie Shore Award, heck Niku wasn’t looked even within the Jets prospects).

Yeah Button was really out to lunch on that one. Lot's of discussion here back in February on this. My thoughts at the time were he cherry picked through the top few round of draft picks from each season & as a result ignored 7th rounder Niku.
 

surixon

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Wheeler has a much better resume than any of those players, except maybe Thornton.

For Wheeler, I think the only real option is to go long term with a lower AAV. He stays very fit and has had very few injuries, so he should "age" reasonably well. My concern is more about his effectiveness as he starts losing his top-end speed.

I tend to think he'll be looking at Kesler as a comparable, and you couldn't really blame him. He's done much more than Kesler. Kesler's deal started at age 32... 7x$6.85M. I think the Jets would be very lucky to get Wheeler for something like 6x6.5M. That seems on the low side.

Well if that is what he wants I would just as soon as let him walk. He wont be worth close to that a couple years in.

Also Spezza has arguably had a better career than Wheeler as well. He was close to a PPG both in the regular season and the playoffs when he signed his deal.

If I where the Jets I would be going at it from the Spezza and Thornoton angle. If Wheeler doesn't want to go that route that is his prerogative.
 

KingBogo

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Nov 29, 2011
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Would Wheeler return a 1st pairing defenseman? If so you trade Trouba to Florida for Trocheck who would make a great 2c and is signed to a great contract. Trouba might be willing to give Florida a better contract than he would the Jets. I don't know if Florida would agree to that trade but I think it is close. Then you trade Wheeler, whose value has never been higher, for a young 1st paring defenseman although I think Chevy would have a hard time trading Wheeler.
No Wheeler's value doesn't equal a young pairing defenseman. Wheeler had a great season but he is a winger on the wrong side of 30 with 1 year before he is a UFA. Young 1st pairing defenseman are worth their weight in gold. Morrissey is a young 1st pairing defenseman, would you trade him for 1 year of Wheeler?
 
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KingBogo

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Wheeler has a much better resume than any of those players, except maybe Thornton.

For Wheeler, I think the only real option is to go long term with a lower AAV. He stays very fit and has had very few injuries, so he should "age" reasonably well. My concern is more about his effectiveness as he starts losing his top-end speed.

I tend to think he'll be looking at Kesler as a comparable, and you couldn't really blame him. He's done much more than Kesler. Kesler's deal started at age 32... 7x$6.85M. I think the Jets would be very lucky to get Wheeler for something like 6x6.5M. That seems on the low side.
What I'd like see is for Chevy not be in a rush to sign Wheeler. Let next season play out before committing term and money. I'm a pretty big Chevy fan but IMO he didn't need to rush out and sign Little a year early. If he was still unsigned we would have more options with Stastny, or at the very least sign him for less term and less AAV.
 
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Adam da bomb

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Other than casual fans, no one of note has Vesalainen making the Jets out of training camp next year.

TSN's last ranking of the top NHL affiliated prospects had him fail to make the top 50.

K-Ves is good, but nowhere near NHL ready. He didn't even get invited to play for Finland at the World's.

That said I'm excited for him to be a big part of future. That future is a full season away.
Not next year. I meant eventually those guys will be around for awhile.
 

Bigfish

Registered User
Oct 12, 2016
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No Wheeler's value doesn't equal a young pairing defenseman. Wheeler had a great season but he is a winger on the wrong side of 30 with 1 year before he is a UFA. Young 1st pairing defenseman are worth their weight in gold. Morrissey is a young 1st pairing defenseman, would you trade him for 1 year of Wheeler?

I personally wouldn't but that doesn't mean one of these crazy GM's wouldn't. I would expect that the team that traded for Wheeler would be looking to resign him after next year.
 

KingBogo

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I personally wouldn't but that doesn't mean one of these crazy GM's wouldn't. I would expect that the team that traded for Wheeler would be looking to resign him after next year.
Except Wheeler would only be of interest to a win now team, and none of them ever wants to give up a top pairing defenseman. Maybe you can squeeze out a almost ready promising d prospect, but I'd even doubt that with no assurance Wheeler would re-sign?
 

surixon

Registered User
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What I'd like see is for Chevy not be in a rush to sign Wheeler. Let next season play out before committing term and money. I'm a pretty big Chevy fan but IMO he didn't need to rush out and sign Little a year early. If he was still unsigned we would have more options with Stastny, or at the very least sign him for less term and less AAV.

I agree, we shouldn't be in a hurry to get him signed as this past year is likely the absolute high water mark for him in his career. His production spike is due to the following abnormal performance on the PP:

upload_2018-5-31_20-20-54.png


He produced at over double his average rate of production on the PP this past season. I doubt you see him replicate that amount, prior to this season he had only ever scored at a rate of over 5 pp/60 twice. I would think that his PP production drops and he drops back to being a high 60 to mid 70 point player next season.
 
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KingBogo

Admitted Homer
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I agree, we shouldn't be in a hurry to get him signed as this past year is likely the absolute high water mark for him in his career. His production spike is due to the following abnormal performance on the PP:

View attachment 123239

He produced at over double his average rate of production on the PP this past season. I doubt you see him replicate that amount, prior to this season he had only ever scored at a rate of over 5 pp/60 twice. I would think that his PP production drops and he drops back to being a 65 ish point player next season.
Interesting graph. I knew he got a lot of PP points but I didn't appreciate it was to that great of an extent.
 

surixon

Registered User
Jul 12, 2003
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Winnipeg
Interesting graph. I knew he got a lot of PP points but I didn't appreciate it was to that great of an extent.

Yup his ES rate of production was in and around what it has been the past 4 seasons in around 2.1 P/60 which is good but not elite first line production. He was also wasn't near as good at driving the play into the oppositions end this season. Most of that is due to the C experiment.

To me there are enough signs that lead me to believe that he is slowing a bit at ES. I like the player but I would think the smart money is on him being a good 1st line winger at ES for the next few years before settling in to being a good second line player for another 3 or so seasons. I think Chevy needs to be careful with this deal.
 
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GNP

Here Comes the Jets -look out hockey world !!!
Oct 11, 2016
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Honestly if Wheels would move to center that would be awesome.

Ehlers - Scheif- Rosie
Connor - Wheels - Laine
Perreault - Little - Armia
Copp - Lowry - Tanev

Wheels would be more sheltered then the last time he played center. Makes us a tough matchup still as well.
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I sort of like this lineup configuration you proposed Dax-- gives a very balanced 3 line scoring, or maybe 4 line scoring combination. I might shift Roslo to 2nd- and Connor to 1st line, and experiment a bit.:huh: Nice problems to have.

I think it's clear we don't have to chew up big money to sign Stats, as we accomplished our winning record without him. More important young guys to develop and sign--we'll need the money and Cap space.:cool:
 

GNP

Here Comes the Jets -look out hockey world !!!
Oct 11, 2016
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Winnipeg
People underestimate Roslovic way to much, he scored at a 37pt pace with 12 minutes per game, he was the best player in the AHL for a stint of time(personally my opinion but when he was playing on the Moose they where the best AHL team and teams couldn’t keep him from scoring), he lead the Jets in 5v5 Pts/60 and is dynamic as any player on the Jets.. I have no doubt in my mind that if this kid takes the 2C position he will score 55+ Points pretty easily and I’m sure he’d make his linemates better around him more so than Little.
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Really great post by WPG 99 -and I couldn't agree more. I just don't see why some posters don't see the huge upside in Roslovic :huh:

He really can do it all --and likely he'd score more than Statsny- at least 55-60 points. He's got the whole game--speed, puckhandling, good playmaker, and great scoring hands. I'm convinced he'll be our start 2nd line center next year. I just hope they don't wait to long to insert him, like they did with Connor last year, which I was very opposed to. Same thing happened with Ehlers--all our young guys fit right away.

IMO- Roslovic ia a lot faster than Statsny -- needs a little adjusting time, but he'll catch fire "bigtime." -- I have no doubt !!!
 

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