Arthur Fonzarelli
"aaaaay"
Lot's of talk has been ongoing as to whether the Jets will go 7-3-1 or 8 skaters+1. Speculation has been endless with pages upon pages devoted to the debate of who among Perrault, Lowry, Armia, Copp or Dano will be exposed. There's been the talk of Enstrom waiving his NMC as well as the thoughts that Myers is damaged goods & will be not be protected.
Let's avoid that entirely.
There's been relatively little attention made to the huge potential the Jets have to take advantage of expansion to improve their roster.
Las Vegas will certainly draft 30 players, but of these 23 or less will ever play a regular season game with the Knights as the NHL opening day roster is set at 23. Waiver eligibility plays a huge role & the rules have been set up so that every player eligible for the expansion is also waiver eligible next season.
As such these 7+ players will be the currency with which Vegas builds it's minor league affiliate. The NHL has set a minimum threshold of 20 players being selected that are under contract for the 2017-2018 season, so any list should include ten 2017 RFA's to take full advantage of these rules.
Another valuable commodity for Vegas will be defensemen. Vegas can select as many as 13, which in most cases should prove to yield better returns than the selection & subsequent trading that forwards would.
I feel the Jets will likely be the biggest movers & shakers following the expansion draft as they have more currency in terms of prospect forwards than any other team in the NHL. Hopefully the abundance of high ceiling waiver free forwards can offset at least can one quality left shooting RFA defensemen.
This means the Jets are losing much more than one of the oft mentioned 5 forwards listed above. These additional losses will come via the trade of prospects, something collectively as valuable to the Knights organization as any single $5 million+ player they have the opportunity to select.
Many like myself have had major issues with the Jets defensive depth & have been vocal with Chevy’s lack of attention to this area, but it’s entirely possible he’s been drafting as many forwards as he has preparing for this moment. It also explains why the Jets devoted so much time this year to line juggling & provided so many prospects NHL experience in 2016-2017 from which to evaluate their future as Jets.
We're not the only ones faced with tough exposure decisions. The situation in Pittsburgh is among the most interesting with Fleury having a modified NMC. Barring a trade, Vegas takes Matt Murray who either plays for them or generates a huge return from a team like the Jets.
The situation in Brooklyn has the Islanders also debating the 7-3-1 vs 8 skaters+1 model. Boychuk has a NMC, but then decisions involving "local boys" like Minnesota born Leddy, Winnipeg born Harmonic, Dauphins' Pulock as well as Calvin De Haan have to be made. The Islanders certainly can't protect them all. Leddy's contract is $5.5 until 2022 so I doubt the Jets could add another contract like that, but a cost controlled RFA defensemen like De Haan would certainly significantly improve the Jets left side immediately & for years to come.
Obviously there are far more teams and players than the ones I brought up, but it underscores the opportunity that presents itself beginning June 18th.
The Jets may not be the team expanding, but this date has huge implications for the future of this franchise.
Let's avoid that entirely.
There's been relatively little attention made to the huge potential the Jets have to take advantage of expansion to improve their roster.
Las Vegas will certainly draft 30 players, but of these 23 or less will ever play a regular season game with the Knights as the NHL opening day roster is set at 23. Waiver eligibility plays a huge role & the rules have been set up so that every player eligible for the expansion is also waiver eligible next season.
As such these 7+ players will be the currency with which Vegas builds it's minor league affiliate. The NHL has set a minimum threshold of 20 players being selected that are under contract for the 2017-2018 season, so any list should include ten 2017 RFA's to take full advantage of these rules.
Another valuable commodity for Vegas will be defensemen. Vegas can select as many as 13, which in most cases should prove to yield better returns than the selection & subsequent trading that forwards would.
I feel the Jets will likely be the biggest movers & shakers following the expansion draft as they have more currency in terms of prospect forwards than any other team in the NHL. Hopefully the abundance of high ceiling waiver free forwards can offset at least can one quality left shooting RFA defensemen.
This means the Jets are losing much more than one of the oft mentioned 5 forwards listed above. These additional losses will come via the trade of prospects, something collectively as valuable to the Knights organization as any single $5 million+ player they have the opportunity to select.
Many like myself have had major issues with the Jets defensive depth & have been vocal with Chevy’s lack of attention to this area, but it’s entirely possible he’s been drafting as many forwards as he has preparing for this moment. It also explains why the Jets devoted so much time this year to line juggling & provided so many prospects NHL experience in 2016-2017 from which to evaluate their future as Jets.
We're not the only ones faced with tough exposure decisions. The situation in Pittsburgh is among the most interesting with Fleury having a modified NMC. Barring a trade, Vegas takes Matt Murray who either plays for them or generates a huge return from a team like the Jets.
The situation in Brooklyn has the Islanders also debating the 7-3-1 vs 8 skaters+1 model. Boychuk has a NMC, but then decisions involving "local boys" like Minnesota born Leddy, Winnipeg born Harmonic, Dauphins' Pulock as well as Calvin De Haan have to be made. The Islanders certainly can't protect them all. Leddy's contract is $5.5 until 2022 so I doubt the Jets could add another contract like that, but a cost controlled RFA defensemen like De Haan would certainly significantly improve the Jets left side immediately & for years to come.
Obviously there are far more teams and players than the ones I brought up, but it underscores the opportunity that presents itself beginning June 18th.
The Jets may not be the team expanding, but this date has huge implications for the future of this franchise.
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