Raffl, Petan, Lipon Ehlers & Copp walk into a bar
“You’re buying Copp!… shouts Ehlers as they sit down at a table not far from the bar. “Why me? What makes me the baller in this group?… Comp replies back rather perplexed. Petan chimes in, “because you already go paid for nothing last season when you turned pro we were battling it out in junior still, you know what the wages are there? NOTHING!!…
“Whoa whoa whoa there fellas,… says Lipon. “Raffl is buying, he’s been a pro for years over across the pond and gets paid in real currency too.…
“Look guys, it’s not about who buys what, this may be our last drink together because some of us are getting sent down soon. Let’s find a better way to do this and think about the scenario here, it’s going to end.…
The five players look at each other quietly and realize that come next week they won’t all be together and that is what Jets fans are speculating about too. Who and where will the remaining five play.
Let’s take a look at the lines as we probably know them.
16-18-26 12-55-42(??) 55-17-6 ??-51-22
Who plays on 4th line left wing? Who should play the wings on the 4th line on either side of Andrew Copp?
Raffl brings size and some skill but is not the swiftest skater but has not made himself indispensable to the team, yet.
Petan brings skill, speed and play-making ability not seen since Tlusty was a Jet for a brief period.
Lipon has skill but his real benefit is an agitator, the type of player who gets under the opposition’s skin and the kind the Jets have never really had.
Ehlers has shown that he has the skill, the speed and the hockey prowess but does he have enough experience making the jump from the AHL?
Then there’s Copp, also making the jump but with hardly any of the expectations or profile of Ehlers. Impressive in the pre-season-he was a steady force who played his role.
The Jets can’t keep all five players although that would be a luxury they would love to have. They can however send some down and bring them back as injury allows and for the Jets cap space will not be an issue. But who?
The tricky one is Ehlers as he would have to go back to junior, a place he has no business being as he’s ready for the next step but that might be pro hockey and not the NHL yet. There may be a loophole that his agent is exploring but no one seems to really understand how that would work.
The key to understanding the future players assignments may lie from a comment Paul Maurice made yesterday. In it he described how he wants to see how the remaining guys fit in with the projected roster and that they may be used based on situation, which would be the opposition in that particular game.
If he wants to stir the pot Maurice could dress Lipon. If he expects the opposition to take liberties with his players he may want Peluso or Thorburn in on the other side. If he wants to push his 4th line into the 10 minute mark and take pressure off the top lines putting Petan in would be smart, and if he wants size and skill use Raffl. Those are the options but they cannot be used so efficiently due to roster size limit of 23 players.
The safe bet is to assume Ehlers and Copp are locks but what about the other three? Something tells me that the choice may come down to budget and waiver eligibility something JC Lipon is still waiver exempt and should Raffl make the team he would only be exempt until the end of this season. This does not help make the picture any clearer.
Also remember that in a 20 man roster on the ice there are three players in the press box. The Jets usually carry 2 defence with them so that leaves one spot for a forward. Now assume that Ehlers and Copp are locks to make the team and that leaves….
Raffl Petan Lipon Peluso Thorburn
4 out of those 5 are not staying and 2 of the 5 have to clear waivers and we still haven’t looked at the defence yet.
Enstrom Byfuglien Trouba Myers Stuart Chairot
Pardy Postma Harrison
There’s cuts coming and they won’t be easy to make. There may also be a calculated risk when they happen but if I were betting I’d say the organization takes the safest route and assumes players will get their chances when injuries happen.
If and when that happens the discussion will be about who is the right player to call up, and the resulting handwringing after it happens.