What are restricted free agents Andrew Copp and Neal Pionk looking to sign for? What can the Jets do to put Pierre-Luc Dubois in the best position to succeed? WiebesWorld weighs in on all that and more in his latest Jets Mailbag:
look significantly different than they did 10 days ago and a good chunk of the off-season to-do list has already been taken care of.
Most of these departures were expected and how those holes get filled is certainly coming into focus. Perreault might have been able to fit on a value contract to remain with the Jets, but there are some players in the system that are ready for an expanded role and ultimately the lure to play for the fabled Canadiens in his home province allow this to be a happy ending for both parties.@Oaktree65472824: What are the odds Andrew Copp plays for the Jets this season?
Both players chose to elect salary arbitration, which is merely procedural and was also expected. It doesn’t mean new contracts can’t be reached before things reach arbitration and the likelihood is that neither case will be heard. For Copp, I suspect his deal ends up being close to the four-year, $4.4 million AAV pact Sam Bennett signed with the Florida Panthers.
Nik Lynam: With the previous weakness now a strength, and locked in with term, could you see the Jets flipping Andrew Copp and one of the young left-handed defencemen for a top 6 scoring forward? As for the young blue-liners, it’s an open competition with Logan Stanley for the sixth spot and Nathan Beaulieu is likely the seventh D-man right now. If neither Heinola nor Samberg can supplant Stanley in training camp, starting in the American Hockey League with the Manitoba Moose is a real possibility.
Things change quickly and there’s no better recent example than Stanley going from likely needing at least part of another AHL season to spending a good chunk of last season as an NHL regular. Craig Zamzow: If you were Paul Maurice, what would your exit meeting with Pierre-Luc Dubois have looked like? What can the Jets do to put him in the best position to succeed in 2021-22? Play him at centre or left wing?
Dubois has spent the bulk of his NHL time at centre and that’s where he’s expected to start next season. Maurice made that clear last season, even when he was moving him around the lineup to the wing as a way to try and simplify the game for Dubois. It’s fair to question whether or not a goalie with nine NHL appearances is ready to handle the job, but this decision goes well beyond the numbers for the Jets.
One thing is certain, he’s going to be prepared to try and take advantage of this golden opportunity. As it stands, Kristian Vesalainen appears to have the inside track to replace Appleton but that means shifting to right wing — something he’s done a bit but not regularly. Vesalainen worked his way into the playoff rotation and has shown progress, but there’s another step for him to take when it comes to his offensive game. He’s got a heavy shot but needs to get comfortable enough to look for it more at the NHL level and that’s something to look for moving forward.
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