Confirmed Signing with Link: [WPG] Neal Pionk signed (4 years, $5.875M AAV)

[robertocarlos]

I think at the time of the trade no one would have said that Pionk would have evolved into what he is now. It looks like getting him on the PP and keeping him on the PP seems to have really unlocked his potential.

Glad to see him doing well.

Ranger fans said he was terrible.

 

[McHelpus]

No, not really, actually not at all.

Nurse, jones >>>> Pionk.

 

[Zats Muccarello]

Really happy for Pionk, always liked him as a Ranger and could see the potential was there.

 

[Bob E]

I thought Pionk would be $6.5 MM AAV over 4 yrs. Thank goodness Chevy is a much better negotiator than I would have been.

 

[Shane Diesel]

Rags got taken to the cleaners on the Trouba trade. Ouch.

 

[Shane Diesel]

Nurse, jones >>>> Pionk.

I'd take Pionk over both, especially considering the cap hits.

 

[Guardian17]

Great signing by the Jets!

Compared to some of the contracts signed this summer for defensemen, this was a steal!

If it means we can't keep Copp, so be it!

 

[RustyCat]

I mean this respectfully, but the Rangers can have Trouba. I would rather Pionk and Heinola any day of the week. Pionk has been a wonderful addition and I am glad we locked him up. Heinola seems to be projecting to a top 4, so overall it is really hard to complain about the return.

 

[LyNX27]

Ranger fans said he was terrible.

There's a Ranger fan who compared NYR 2004 2nd round pick Enver Lisin to Wayne Gretzky... There were a decent few that liked Neal Pionk and what he brought to the table as a bottom-4 defenseman with offensive chops who was still developing.

If Trouba signed for 1 million less and had a little puck luck, Rangers fans wouldn't even care.

Regardless, NYR fans would make that deal every time and Jets fans with a crystal ball agree to it each time too.

 

[NYRKing]

Happy for Neal. He really turned it around in peg. As a limited viewer, I don’t see first line anything with him. Feels like he checked Mcdavid one game and got paid.

 

[LyNX27]

Happy for Neal. He really turned it around in peg. As a limited viewer, I don’t see first line anything with him. Feels like he checked Mcdavid one game and got paid.

No need to be salty. He's fringe top 2 with his play as a Jet but his PPQB ability really makes him stand out. These metrics make sense based on the 5 or so games I saw of the Jets last season.

In a perfect world, he's in his prime and he gets put on the 2nd pairing on a team making a cup run.

 

[MrBoJangelz71]

Nurse, jones >>>> Pionk.

I think your keyboard is stuck.

Only an Oils fan would think like this, due mostly to not knowing what a decent dman looks like; due to having a lineup that has been notoriously void of one for the past several seasons.

If you think Nurse is worth 3.5 mill more per season, you think very very wrong.

Nurse was a gross overpayment fyi and Pionk will make it look even worse during the next 4 seasons

 

[Daximus]

No need to be salty. He's fringe top 2 with his play as a Jet but his PPQB ability really makes him stand out. These metrics make sense based on the 5 or so games I saw of the Jets last season.

In a perfect world, he's in his prime and he gets put on the 2nd pairing on a team making a cup run.

If we are lucky and Schmidt pans out as the player he was in Vegas that we should have three pretty stable pairings with Morrissey-Schmidt, Dillon-Pionk and Stanley-DeMelo. Not as high quality as our 2018 pairings but definitely more stable throughout. Dillon is probably going to be the best partner Pionk has had at the NHL level and plays a brash physical shutdown game that should complement Pionk nicely.

 

[GreenLine]

It's more than I was hoping for but the term is good. Given the horrific contracts handed out to defensemen this summer, this is still a relief.

 

[Paulinbc]

That seems surprising.
But the money has been flowing this summer. So maybe it’s me.

 

[Paulinbc]

We all need a solid #2.

I took a solid #2 this morning.

…pretty happy with myself.

 

[Scrantonicity 2]

Ranger fans said he was terrible.

Rangers fans complain about everything.

Pionk is very good and this contract is fair at worst and a bargain at best. The contract looks even better when you see what the rest of the D are getting this summer.

 

[Chayos]

I think your keyboard is stuck.

Only an Oils fan would think like this, due mostly to not knowing what a decent dman looks like; due to having a lineup that has been notoriously void of one for the past several seasons.

If you think Nurse is worth 3.5 mill more per season, you think very very wrong.

Nurse was a gross overpayment fyi and Pionk will make it look even worse during the next 4 seasons

I think you are mixing up a good deal with Market value. Pions is a good deal based on limited amounts of games at this level. He is solid and deserves that money and more, but if I am in a 7 games series against a team with some size then I want Nurse or Jones in that spot and I am willing to pay extra for the size and grit.

 

[Jets]

I think you are mixing up a good deal with Market value. Pions is a good deal based on limited amounts of games at this level. He is solid and deserves that money and more, but if I am in a 7 games series against a team with some size then I want Nurse or Jones in that spot and I am willing to pay extra for the size and grit.

Market value for Nurse shouldve been 7-7.5. Market value for Pionk shouldve been 6-6.5.

Its a clear win for Pionk/Winnipeg here.

 

[GreatSaveEssensa]

Nurse, jones >>>> Pionk.

As evidenced by the first round of the playoffs?

You know that Pionk had a huge part in shutting down McDrai that series right?

 

[MardyBum]

Rangers fans were right to say he was terrible.

He was with them.

He's just been much, much better with the Jets. Maybe he just fit into the system here better? The Rangers were awful defensively as a team the two years he was there , but the Jets were also awful in 19-20. *shrug*

 

[Barnaby]

Ranger fans said he was terrible.

Guilty.

I honestly thought he was a 6/7 at best. He always seemed like a liability. In his defense he was playing on a top pair with Marc Staal...

I saw him as a defensive liability and offensive defenseman whose offense wasn’t great enough to justify that. I’ll gladly admit I was wrong - good for him.

 

[Barnaby]

Rags got taken to the cleaners on the Trouba trade. Ouch.

That’s a little dramatic, but it ended up being a very fair trade where at first glance it seemed like a mid-late 1st and a spare part.

 

[MardyBum]

That’s a little dramatic, but it ended up being a very fair trade where at first glance it seemed like a mid-late 1st and a spare part.

It's been a lot better for the Rangers with Trouba bouncing back this year after a rough first year.

 

[Barnaby]

It's been a lot better for the Rangers with Trouba bouncing back this year after a rough first year.

Honestly, his first year wasn’t that bad. He had lousy partners. I think it was more a case of Ranger fans seeing the name and the contract so they were expecting a little more of a franchise defenseman while Trouba is really just a solid all around #2 or terrific #3. Id still rather pay Trouba 8 million than Pionk 6 million. I think this is a trade that worked for both clubs.