Joel Armia was one of the key pieces in the trade that had the Winnipeg Jets sending Evander Kane to the Buffalo Sabres. While Armia has turned into a serviceable NHLer in that time, he seems to be falling on the lower end of his potential.
This is why Armia is just outside of the top-10 as ranked by the writers at Arctic Ice Hockey: Armia is a useful player, but he has the potential to be so much more than he is. That potential shows itself at odd times and does help the Jets fourth line sometimes.
Tim: Joel Armia continues to tease upside that at this stage likely isn't there. He remains an interesting package of puck skills and two-way smarts. He isn't fast, but he works magic in tight spaces and has the ability to completely undress defenders. He also generates a ton of shots, but his finishing ability has been below average. Armia is undoubtedly a useful depth player who can kill penalties, but I'm not holding my breath for him to figure things out in the O zone at the age of 24. It would be great if he did, I'm just not holding my breath.
Brian: Armia is a good fourth liner. He's not gonna turn into much more than that, and that's okay. He's very good in the role he fills.
Andy: Armia surprised some last season as he's developed into a possession specialist of sorts. For a time, whenever Armia was on the ice, we were treated to a player who would steal the puck and hang on to it, no matter what the situation was. Valuable? yes. More needed? Yes.
