THN Doesn't Like the Jets Offseason

Can't say I agree with the premise of the article. Spending money for the sake of spending is ridiculous. Winnipeg was smart to stay out of the initial contract frenzy. This team is far from playoff bound and will benefit from smart, value signings while the young kids mature. Also, Dudley and Ramsey were far from making this team a playoff contender, so keeping them just for their NHL experience is a little odd. Dudley might have been well respected, but his experience as a GM amounted to 1 NHL season - which kind of contradicts the author's argument. Ramsay was a head coach for a total of 131 NHL games, again not exactly what I would call vastly experienced when compared to Noel.

So far I like what Chevy has done as GM, but I'll take the wait-and-see approach with Noel. But if we think that NHL experience was all that mattered, Guy Boucher proved a few people wrong in Tampa.

And by the way, saying all the best free agents have been picked off may be relatively true in regards of talent, but it's categorically untrue in regards to value. Many of those signings were to extremely high dollar values, which makes absolutely no sense to a fringe playoff team looking to add long-term value to it's roster.

11 months ago SO_RyanP 12 comments 1 recs |

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I think firing Dudley and Waddel made the team better. :P
Seriously Waddel gone is the best news the franchise got since drafting Kovalchuk

Success is not a goal..its a byproduct

by SumOil on Jul 8, 2011 3:42 PM EDT reply actions

i didnt know that. i was a die hard thrashers fan for 9 years. i remember milan hnickla, yannick treblay, patrick stefan and all the miserable moves waddell made over the years. IM SO GLAD HES GONE!!! MY DAY JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT BETTER!!!

by #8dangilitis on Jul 9, 2011 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions

And by the way, saying all the best free agents have been picked off may be relatively true in regards of talent, but it’s categorically untrue in regards to value. Many of those signings were to extremely high dollar values, which makes absolutely no sense to a fringe playoff team looking to add long-term value to it’s roster.

Every team should have a “team Bible” with this printed in the “Book of Free Agents” 1:1.

I'd like to let all those NHL teams that passed me up in 2002 know that yes, I have managed to fill out my frame.

Co-Manager at Arctic Ice Hockey

by Bettman's Nightmare on Jul 8, 2011 3:45 PM EDT reply actions

As a fan of a team that has taken a similar approach w/r/t free agents, I would agree with the sentiment against THN.

Your last paragraph explains it perfectly.

The statistics you don't compile never lie.
-Stephen Colbert

by kentcheesehead on Jul 8, 2011 3:52 PM EDT reply actions

Well maybe THN will like their offseason better now

after the Jets acquire Eric Fehr for Danick Paquette and a 4th round pick! Wow!

Arctic Ice Hockey Contributor and Season Ticket Holder for the Winnipeg Jets! Stay tuned for local coverage of the NHL in the River City. Follow me on Twitter!

by arby_18 on Jul 8, 2011 5:08 PM EDT reply actions

I really don't see why we're getting the hate from media.

When the team moved here, TNSE made it clear that this team would be built through the draft, with long term vision in mind with all their moves. From my vantage point, I thought it was clear to everyone that Chevy was not going to be a major player in free agency. We’ve got a plan and we’re sticking with it. Maybe its not as exciting as signing a Brad Richards type player every few days, but we’ve seen the effectiveness of an internal rebuild in other markets.

WTF: Appropriate initials given my thought processes.

by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Jul 8, 2011 11:58 PM EDT reply actions

I wonder if TNSE was perhaps just a little hesitant to green light any major spending until they’re sure what kind of market they’ve got in Winnipeg. Sure the season tickets sold out in an impressive fashion, but they also have the smallest rink in the league which is going to cut into revenues. Maybe ownership just wants to have a year under their belt so they can have a better idea of what sort of profits (or losses) they’ll be dealing with and how much money the team can realistically afford to spend on players.

by melancholyculkin on Jul 9, 2011 12:30 AM EDT reply actions

That’s probably a fair point. That said, it makes sense for 90% of the teams in the league to wait until the crazy money is done before they start handing out contracts. The other 10% are the top earners who can stash horrific contracts and the teams that are actually one or two players away from a sustained cup run. Even they shouldn’t break the bank though.

Regardless of the motive, the Jets were smart to sit on the sideline given the money handed out for largely Tier 2 players.

Ryan Popilchak

Matchsticks & Gasoline, Artic Ice Hockey, &Hockey Prospectus. My twitter handle is @sprtopinionated

by SO_RyanP on Jul 9, 2011 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Echo this. I think the teams that stayed out of the way and let Sather and Tallon go insane were the smart ones this year. Although I really do think that something ought to be done about stashing contracts in the next CBA (along with the “long-term” nudge-nudge wink-wink contracts).

by Parallex on Jul 11, 2011 9:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m just an echo here for prior comments, “echo, echo, echo…”

Does anyone think the Jets should have made a big FA splash? This is draft – reload – draft time. A team in the making.

But the Jets are still going to push for the playoffs, get used to hearing me say that until mathematically irrefutable this season… : )

by Mitch Smith on Jul 9, 2011 12:38 AM EDT reply actions

When will you people finally learn it? The biggest spenders, or those who sign most key players, will automatically capture Lord Stanley’s Cup. Geez, remember the legendary seven time Cap champ NY Rangers between the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

by Acer9 on Jul 9, 2011 2:49 AM EDT reply actions

well i think we can still make a playoff spot this season

we were leading the southeast in early december last year. ramsay and his shit coaching finally caught up with us when we stopped making adjustments in january. this team needs to be more defensively minded and more responsible. does anyone know what kind of coach claude noel is?

by #8dangilitis on Jul 9, 2011 6:14 PM EDT reply actions

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