Well if you goy minutes Lowry's line is actually our 2nd line. and therefor the position we are in, in the standings ( which you have said we will finish first ) I guess is largely in part to whoever is playing the most. so ya, you are wrong about Lowry since he is clearly playing a major part in us winning hockey games.

but if you want to keep thinking Stanley is Bobby Orr and Lowry is Peter Taglianetti, knock yourself out.
- Ross77

Stanley is not Bobby Orr, he’s the next Zeno Chara, or an upgraded version of Tyler Myers. I think Stanley is great and he has earned more ice time. I am thankful that Poile took Sbisa as if he had not Big Logan Stanley would never have gotten a shot under Maurice. The only thing that stands between Stanley and greatness is Bealieau’s health. Once he’s back, its going to be sad watching the big fella go back to the taxi squad

I wouldn't pay that price or anything close it, he has not looked very good to me at all. Cant pay for the player he was 4 years ago, he is not that anymore.
- Ross77

Yeah, I like Giordano and no doubt he'd help this D core but no way is he worth parting with a Heinola, Samberg, etc for, at most I think I'd give two 2nds for him.

Gostisbehere on waivers, maybe thats the eco-deal the Jets need for their playoff run.

Gostisbehere on waivers, maybe thats the eco-deal the Jets need for their playoff run.
- Jetlag

Gost makes 4.5 million a year and plays the left side. I would rather keep Stanley playing our third pairing on the left than picking up that over payment of a contract and giving up on development time for Stanley.

Gost makes 4.5 million a year and plays the left side. I would rather keep Stanley playing our third pairing on the left than picking up that over payment of a contract and giving up on development time for Stanley.
- Napolean-Mennonite

and he is small and not an improvement over anyone we already have.

new topic,

did you guys know you have to play 800 games to qualify for a pension in the NHL?

that is ridiculous!!!!!!

as an example, Trevor Lewis has played 12 season and 710 games, probably all at or near league minimum and he needs another 90 to qualify!! that is just wrong!!

yes, yes, I know these guys have made a great living playing the game they love but still!!! 800 games to qualify is ridiculous. it should be 400-500.

the players association should be embarrassed this is how they treat their own.

*if I'm right and it is 800 that is, I only googled a little so hopefully I am wrong*

Never would it cost that much, as BW pointed out earlier, Karlsson and Stone never got that big of a return for the Sens.
- TheUltimateJet

Giordano has term on his contract, not a rental

Gost makes 4.5 million a year and plays the left side. I would rather keep Stanley playing our third pairing on the left than picking up that over payment of a contract and giving up on development time for Stanley.
- Napolean-Mennonite

I never thought he'd be an awesome add, but for some reason I thought he was a RHD. I looked up his salary after posting, yeah at 4.5 not a great option.

This post is full of many errors. Yes any team in this division can beat any other on any given night. Do you realistically believe that any Canadian team can beat the Jets in a 7 game series?

Our core is locked up for 3 more years and not infinity more years. Our best chance to win is while Scheifele is on his current contract after that we will have to overpay for him, thus really messing up our salary cap situation. Wheeler is 34 and Stastny is 35, do not really know how many more productive years those guys have (maybe 1 at max 2?).

If you believe that trading Vesalainen a first (32nd) overall (in a draft where no one really knows how to rank players) and Perreault is the farm, we have very different ideas on what selling the farm is.

Finally the Jets do not have to play an American opponent until the semi-finals and by that point it all comes down to coaching and goaltending. Goaltending we have the advantage on. Coaching.....you know my take.
- TheUltimateJet

Really. What errors ? I checked the contracts before my post to be sure and my 4-year window (of which we are in year 1) is intact. We also have players coming on such as Gus and Perfetti who may supplant guys like Wheeler in another 2-3 years. We can also pick up guys through a trade such as we did with Statsny. I think we re-sign Statsny for cheaper next year anyways. The bottom line is the core is there and Chevy will work around it. Heinola and Samberg are also coming into the picture. The foreseeable window is 4 years.

Your final point just echos what I said about the top four teams in the CDN division beating each other on any given night. A lucky bounce here or there or a bad penalty call may be all the difference in any of those games. One would hope that those things even out but the playoff series but I still have nightmares about that series against the Blues which was lost because it never did even out. The breaks and bounces were very lopsided in the Blues favour that series and it was the difference. An injury to Schief in the Calgary series was a game-changer as well. One has to be realistic.

Gostisbehere on waivers, maybe thats the eco-deal the Jets need for their playoff run.
- Jetlag

Just look back at those two lopsided losses the Flyers had against the Rangers and then ask yourself if you still want Ghost.

Stanley is not Bobby Orr, he’s the next Zeno Chara, or an upgraded version of Tyler Myers. I think Stanley is great and he has earned more ice time. I am thankful that Poile took Sbisa as if he had not Big Logan Stanley would never have gotten a shot under Maurice. The only thing that stands between Stanley and greatness is Bealieau’s health. Once he’s back, its going to be sad watching the big fella go back to the taxi squad
- TheUltimateJet

Logan ( the not-so-friendly giant) Stanley is for the most part a stay-at-home defenseman. Myers was very good on offense. So was Chara. Chara also had a serious mean streak, Myers had none at all. All very different styles. Just because they are all tall doesn't mean they are very good comparisons. The only real similarity is their reach.

Really. What errors ? I checked the contracts before my post to be sure and my 4-year window (of which we are in year 1) is intact. We also have players coming on such as Gus and Perfetti who may supplant guys like Wheeler in another 2-3 years. We can also pick up guys through a trade such as we did with Statsny. I think we re-sign Statsny for cheaper next year anyways. The bottom line is the core is there and Chevy will work around it. Heinola and Samberg are also coming into the picture. The foreseeable window is 4 years.

Your final point just echos what I said about the top four teams in the CDN division beating each other on any given night. A lucky bounce here or there or a bad penalty call may be all the difference in any of those games. One would hope that those things even out but the playoff series but I still have nightmares about that series against the Blues which was lost because it never did even out. The breaks and bounces were very lopsided in the Blues favour that series and it was the difference. An injury to Schief in the Calgary series was a game-changer as well. One has to be realistic.
- jetsnation

If I am Blake Wheeler, I am really angry reading this post. The guy has been with Jets 2.0 since day 1. His reward for being the team captain and most dedicated member of this team is just to watch it have potential. This could realistically be the last year where he can make a meaningful contribution to this team on an extended playoff run. I don’t think he is too worried about the future as you are. Poor Blake, though I have been hard on him at times, I have really hoped that he would be the captain to raise the cup when the Jets eventually win it!

Edit: How would Perfetti supplant Wheeler? Wheeler is a winger and Perfetti is a center. You have stated many times that Perfetti would play center and not wing. That is just weird.

Logan ( the not-so-friendly giant) Stanley is for the most part a stay-at-home defenseman. Myers was very good on offense. So was Chara. Chara also had a serious mean streak, Myers had none at all. All very different styles. Just because they are all tall doesn't mean they are very good comparisons. The only real similarity is their reach.
- jetsnation

Chara started off as a stay-at-home defenseman. Stanley is able to get his shot through like Tyler Myers. Perhaps he will be a hybrid of the two. He is slowly starting to show that he can be an offensive contributor. This is one giant beanstalk that needs to be nurtured and cultivated. I can see this guy becoming the future anchor of the blue line.

new topic,

did you guys know you have to play 800 games to qualify for a pension in the NHL?

that is ridiculous!!!!!!

as an example, Trevor Lewis has played 12 season and 710 games, probably all at or near league minimum and he needs another 90 to qualify!! that is just wrong!!

yes, yes, I know these guys have made a great living playing the game they love but still!!! 800 games to qualify is ridiculous. it should be 400-500.

the players association should be embarrassed this is how they treat their own.

*if I'm right and it is 800 that is, I only googled a little so hopefully I am wrong*
- Ross77

The NHLPA is just like society, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the middle class is getting squeezed out.

If your research is right Lewis is really gonna want to try to get one or two more years in!

new topic,

did you guys know you have to play 800 games to qualify for a pension in the NHL?

that is ridiculous!!!!!!

as an example, Trevor Lewis has played 12 season and 710 games, probably all at or near league minimum and he needs another 90 to qualify!! that is just wrong!!

yes, yes, I know these guys have made a great living playing the game they love but still!!! 800 games to qualify is ridiculous. it should be 400-500.

the players association should be embarrassed this is how they treat their own.

*if I'm right and it is 800 that is, I only googled a little so hopefully I am wrong*
- Ross77

You actually qualify for an NHL pension once you hit 160 games. You qualify for $255 000 annual pension at 62 if you play 800 games. You also have to take into account that other pension payments are based on how much you earned and if you opted to start payments earlier in life.

You actually qualify for an NHL pension once you hit 160 games. You qualify for $255 000 annual pension at 62 if you play 800 games. You also have to take into account that other pension payments are based on how much you earned and if you opted to start payments earlier in life.
- Napolean-Mennonite

Good to know, so you qualify at 160 games but it’s just no where near as much as those who get to 800 games? Is that right?

I believe that in the 80's, 400 games was the magic number of games needed for a pension....I could be wrong

I believe that in the 80's, 400 games was the magic number of games needed for a pension....I could be wrong
- bennythehat

I actually think it used to be 1000 games

Are Lewis and Thompson in for tonight’s game? Uncle Paul will make sure that both get their games in to get their pensions. Too bad this comes at the expense of Harkins and Vesalainen’s pensions. Those guys better do their best to stay in shape as they are going to have to be healthy for a long time to eventually qualify for pensions. Currently it looks as if, Uncle Paul is not too concerned about Harkins and Vesalainen’s retirement futures as he is for Thompson and Lewis’s.

I think both camps financial advisors are eventually going to have to get on the ice and sort this mess out. Hopefully Harkins and Vesalainen and employing different financial advisors than Lewis and Thompson in order to avoid any conflict of interest.

I actually think it used to be 1000 games
- Ross77

Good issue to bring up - thanks for that Ross. Surely the players union has addressed and is active on this issue as they have negotiated hard on all things hockey. Perhaps a prorated system would make sense.

It would also make more sense if it was based on seasons with an NHL contract (for NHL pension) 10 seasons is about 800 games, some players practice, travel, study, train, rehab injuries and take pre-game skates while getting in a limited number of games - they do almost all the same work with exception of 15-20 minutes on some game nights. A guy like Mark Stuart put in 13 NHL seasons plus a couple minor seasons mixed in and ended up at 673 NHL games. pretty sure Chris Thorburn got into a few extra 'merci' games to get to a career 801 - a prorated system or system based on seasons with contracts would take the pressure off coaches and GMs and allow a few more kids to get a shot.

Chara started off as a stay-at-home defenseman. Stanley is able to get his shot through like Tyler Myers. Perhaps he will be a hybrid of the two. He is slowly starting to show that he can be an offensive contributor. This is one giant beanstalk that needs to be nurtured and cultivated. I can see this guy becoming the future anchor of the blue line.
- TheUltimateJet

Meyers and Stanley only have height in common. Meyers came into the league a Calder winning, all offensive D who played a relatively soft game. Stanley is much more comparable to Chara in terms of style. Both struggled to crack a lineup until 22 years old (and Stanley has doubled Chara's 1 point through his first 25 games), as their hands took time to catch up with their size. Now Chara is an instant hall-of-famer, so Stanley still has a ton of work to do if he plans on playing 1600 games and notching 665+ points while being the toughest guy in the league. But I do have high hopes for the kid. It's affordable and effective ELC's like Stanley that every winning team requires for success. Happy to see the kid getting a fair chance, albeit due to injuries and a massive cap-crunch.

Giordano has term on his contract, not a rental
- 2.0

Maybe. But until the NHL actually cracks down on the "retirement" criteria, you never know. I found the timing odd for so many guys to LTIR retire recently. Seems like Barzal was all but gone, then Boychuck retires. Same goes for Seabrook, Steen, and many other guys given the golden ticket out of town.

Do not get me wrong, some of these guys may have serious injuries that actually should prevent them from ever returning. I just have a hard time believing it is 100% the case, when it seems to come from teams in the most need of a financial break. I am sure these players don't like the idea of fans hating them due to their cap hit, and could see a deal that has them paid, while not being hated by their fans as an easy way out. What Dr. in the world wouldn't believe an NHL player who voices concern for their long term safety in this league. It is a very easy option. You think Parise/Sutter/Neal/Ericsson/Bobrovsky/Weber/Price/Doughty/Karlson are playing our their contracts? No chance. LTIR retirement is going to be subject to some degree of abuse.

Good to know, so you qualify at 160 games but it’s just no where near as much as those who get to 800 games? Is that right?
- Ross77

From my understanding, payments are based on 2 criteria. The first being games played and the 2nd being total earnings. Anything between 160 and 800 prorated with the max being the 255,000 being the max. The next payout is total earnings.

I've recommended this book before but I would check out Sean Pronger's book Journeyman. He has a chapter explaining the mindset of fringe NHLers just plotting to get to the NHL minimum for games to qualify for the pension. It's what also makes it so important for veterans to get one way contracts instead of 2 way which the latter could create limits on their pensionable earnings.

In his book, he talks about why it may be in the players interests of a fringe player to go to Europe in the final years of their career as they will not add much to their pensionable games but can make more money than an AHL contract, have less travel and expenses covered.

Good issue to bring up - thanks for that Ross. Surely the players union has addressed and is active on this issue as they have negotiated hard on all things hockey. Perhaps a prorated system would make sense.

It would also make more sense if it was based on seasons with an NHL contract (for NHL pension) 10 seasons is about 800 games, some players practice, travel, study, train, rehab injuries and take pre-game skates while getting in a limited number of games - they do almost all the same work with exception of 15-20 minutes on some game nights. A guy like Mark Stuart put in 13 NHL seasons plus a couple minor seasons mixed in and ended up at 673 NHL games. pretty sure Chris Thorburn got into a few extra 'merci' games to get to a career 801 - a prorated system or system based on seasons with contracts would take the pressure off coaches and GMs and allow a few more kids to get a shot.
- 2.0

To be honest, I think any player that plays 1 game in the NHL should get a pension. It’s difficult to make it to the big leagues, especially nowadays with diets, training, time commitments and what not. Not to mention family sacrifices to get up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings taking little ones to the rink. I remember reading the sacrifices that Matt Duchene’s family made to get him to the bigs, almost cost the family everything to the point they sold their house and were living on a small boat.

This magical idea of playing a certain number of games is actually ridiculous.

Meyers and Stanley only have height in common. Meyers came into the league a Calder winning, all offensive D who played a relatively soft game. Stanley is much more comparable to Chara in terms of style. Both struggled to crack a lineup until 22 years old (and Stanley has doubled Chara's 1 point through his first 25 games), as their hands took time to catch up with their size. Now Chara is an instant hall-of-famer, so Stanley still has a ton of work to do if he plans on playing 1600 games and notching 665+ points while being the toughest guy in the league. But I do have high hopes for the kid. It's affordable and effective ELC's like Stanley that every winning team requires for success. Happy to see the kid getting a fair chance, albeit due to injuries and a massive cap-crunch.
- bikeguy99

Awwww yeah, this is a great post