To Hell and Buck- Burmi to Buffalo?
If you watched some of the recent World Hockey Championships from the Czech Republic you may have noticed a goalie for the United States, his name is Connor Hellebuyck. He is also a Winnipeg Jets prospect and could be one of the most intriguing variables that might affect the Jets as they enter training camp and next season.
Below are his stats, and the other goalies who appears in the WHC.
Only two goalies played more minutes than Helleybuck, and they were Bobrovsky and Pavelec.
Only two goalies faced more shots than Hellebuyck, Bobrovsky and Masalskis
Only Pekka Rinne had more shutouts than Hellebuyck and Mike Smith of Canada had the same number- 2
Only 2 goalies who played 300 minutes or more had a save percentage above .920- Hellebuyck had a .949
Only 2 goalies who played 300 minutes or more had a GAA below 2- Hellebuyck was the lowest at 1.37
Only one goalie gave up less power play goals than the single goal allowed by Hellebuyck- Smith allowed none.
The most telling aspect of the the tournament, at least over -hyped narratives matter, was that in the bronze medal game in front of the home crowd and his likely pre-season competition (Ondrej Pavelec) Hellebuyck dropped his second shutout.
This is no longer the AHL where Hellebuyck played this past year with the St. John’s IceCaps this is professional players from the best leagues on the planet. The IceCaps were ‘terri-bad’ this year finishing last in their division at 32-33-9 (Hellebuyck went 28-22-5 with a .921 save %).
Is it accurate to say that when having a decent team in front Hellebuyck got better? When looking at the 10 games from the WHCs it would appear so for Hellebuyck. It’s small sample size but when facing the best teams Hellebuyck was still better than average just like he was on a dreadful team. That’s all that matters and it’s possible Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is about to enter a situation earlier than he thought.
Does he need three goalies competing for two spots when his starter still has 2 years left on a deal?
The Jets, like most teams, will not want to eat 3 million in the minors and that’s why it makes sending Pavelec down unlikely. To further that position is this a team and coach who wants to run with a rookie and sophomore tandem for goalies?
Now the issue becomes how to get Hellebuyck in the line-up. It’s a good problem to have but it’s still problem.
The title of this blog is ‘To Hell and Buck’ and one player who bucked the Jets and went to what some people may consider hell, the KHL, is Alexander Burmistrov. Is he coming back? The longer things go awry with Frolik in terms of a contract the more the rhetoric on Burmistrov will heat up, so let’s turn on the stove.
Today Hockeybuzz’s own Ryan Wilson tweeted out this:
It’s the compensation model for offer-sheeting and successfully acquiring RFA players. His point was that Buffalo should take a stab at either Toffoli or Saad. What about Burmistrov if you offered him 1.2 million?
Forget whether the Jets feel he is worth that much or not and look at the compensation. There is none. If the Jets want to keep a top 10 draft pick they would have to match the offer. Can they afford not to?
The simple argument is ‘yes Tessier they can, he hasn’t been here in 2 years and they made the playoffs’. That’s a fair point but…
Can any organization lose assets for nothing? That’s what might happen with Frolik and how damaging would it be if Burmistrov left too? The Jets run that risk if a team like the Sabres, who are loaded with draft picks and money, decide Burmistrov is worth a shot. In fact former Jets Bogosian (a friend of Burmistrov) and Kane might have the insight and influence to push Buffalo towards the enigmatic Russian forward.
If you don’t recall, or were unaware, the tandem of Burmistrov and Kane were fantastic penalty killers when on the ice together. They brought a dynamic combination of speed and possession where an east-west game met a north-south one. Re-uniting these players could give Buffalo one of the few positive things from the early Jets 2.0 seasons.
Even if the gamble was in the 1.5 million dollar range the compensation is only a 3rd round pick for Buffalo. This would be on of those ‘smart’ signings based on some solid scouting and use of analytics. Despite the way Burmistrov and the Jets ended their relationship two seasons ago the player remained a favourite of the ‘numbers crowd’ and yours truly, if not an under-appreciated asset.
The Jets have the ability to work something out with Burmistrov and it has been suggested that some overtures to mending fences has been done already. However, the Jets appear to stand hard and fast on their valuation of players, as evidenced by how little progress there has been with Frolik, If the two sides are far apart in money then the onus is on the team to ensure they do not lose him and Frolik without some sort of compensation. Buffalo could play the role of spoiler and wouldn’t that be some interesting irony if at the end of it all the Jets were left with Stafford, a pick and two prospects while the Sabres had Kane, Bogo and Burmi?
Some smart GM should be on the lookout for Burmistrov especially if he might only cost you a 3rd round pick. That’s a risk worth taking if that same GM does his homework, I’d imagine lots is being done in Buffalo this off season.