Have your say on Olli Jokinen and his future with the Jets
Today, after a few days off with the family, I pulled out of my garage to hear the well-spoken Matt Leibl of TSN 1290 say "people have bought in to re-signing Jokinen".
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
The above was how I started my tweet to Matt as this seemed to be news to me. I had after all been away from Winnipeg for 3 days and things move fast with the Jets right? Not that fast I don't think.
Matt's response was fair for his position on Jokinen but it raises a bigger question- why would fans want to bring him back?
@Teddier Well, I have (for the right price) and I think a lot of fans have come around on him this season.
— Matt Leibl (@mattleibl) April 2, 2014So who are these fans and what is their reasoning for bringing back a player who was a woeful disappointment last season and one now playing for what may be his final contract in the NHL.
First, I won't bore you with the inner workings of Jokinen's stat sheet. This is about reasoning for the future of the team and 'a lot of fans' have apparently come to the conclusions this season that perhaps it's best to retain Jokinen.
What is troubling about this talk is that it was followed by trading Evander Kane for 'key assets'.
It's this kind of stuff that can drive people batty because it represents no real plan, no real depth of thought to what building a perennial winning team is about. Think 'age-gap'. Teams chase for players like Kane on affordable deals at age 22. This logic is from the same media outlet that has had it's own people, and guests, challenge the wisdom of buying out Pavelec because there is no known alternative that is better or available.
How does anyone know that the return for Kane is so great? Or if it is why are we not asking what the plan is like some are doing about a Pavelec buyout? More importantly do you trust Chevy to make his first meaningful player-for-player(s) deal with one of this magnitude?
Anyhow back to Jokinen, the person who got us started on this path. What does he do that makes him so valuable to this team that at age 35 he should be retained for a year or more? Here's the list of players since lockout 2004 that have been age 35 or older and had 40 or more points with at least 15 goals in 75 games played right here. Here is the same list at age 36 Does Jokinen seem like the same guys on that list?
Hardly scientific but you see evidence that perhaps he could be that guy, like those older warriors still producing in the twilight, but is that what the Jets need? I'm not of that belief and at some point this team needs to stop with place holders while the management hopes prospects develop. Conversely, if you have to use place holders why use 3 million to 4.5 million dollar per year ones? Could Eric O'Dell not provide adequate value at far less cost with the savings applied to the other holes the Jets need to fill?
This situation, like a few more for Jets GM Kevin Chevaldayoff, are the the ones that might define him as a GM in his first tenure. He is in a point where he has to start making something out of nothing, or very little, with this team.
He has no coach signed for next season, a major issue looming between the pipes, a bottom 6 that is a shell of what it needs to be and a rotating defense core that has performed just well enough that no one misses waiver wire fodder Grant Clitsome and his 2.1 million deal.
There are Jets who are giving great value on their deals, Little, Wheeler, Ladd, and Buff to name a few. But with Frolik needing a raise and the harsh reality of improved depth both for skaters and goal should the team try to afford Jokinen, even at a discount to this year's 4.5 million?
Have your say below. Tell us what 'a lot of fans' think.
