- Nucker101

lmao

stop the match, this man has a family

Yes. JVR is a little overpaid in $$, but if he got offered 7 years, 5 years at inflated $$ isn't too bad. We always talk about preferring that to term given our situation. He's actually a fit. It's hard to see him not providing his career norm here, perhaps with the chance to better it, for which he's worth at least $6 mil in a vacuum. If he play top 6 minutes and PP1 on a better unit, career highs aren't out the window. He's a very good 5v5 scorer with good underlying stats who is also a very good PP player. We need all that. If we could've gotten him for less money, sure that's ideal. But Kane just got 7 years. Give me the money over the term any day.

If the choice was keep Simmonds or sign JVR, I know which I'd choose. Having them more comfortable not signing Wayne is a big positive too in and of itself, let alone upgrading on him at 5v5 in a major way. I don't know how they can justify paying similar money to an even more PP dependent, worse 5v5, older RW now. Especially with the prospect pool. If that's another side effect, that's big. Signing Wayne was always more about the locker room than on-ice. This JVR signing, in lieu of that, is on-ice value.

JVR has a goals/60 at 5v5 of 1.3 goals/60 the last 2 years (p/60 of 2.1). Also, +3-4% in relCF% and relxGF% (sheltered as he is but still very strong).

Simmonds has a points/60 of 1.2 over the same span and is -2 to 3% in his respective underlying stats.

That's......something.

JVR also only averaged 12+ minutes ES last season and hit 36 goals. If you're willing to live with his flaws and insulate him (we have the defensive forwards), increasing his 5v5 minutes to real top 6 could unearth even more scoring potential. For perspective, Simmonds averaged 14 last year injured. Even Lindblom averaged more than JVR on the Flyers. That's an available 6-7 points alone at 14+. Not to mention the benefit of going from Bozak to Patrick or Couturier and likely playing more PP minutes.
- Mononoke

this means nothing and you're wrong


/mjl

Yes. JVR is a little overpaid in $$, but if he got offered 7 years, 5 years at inflated $$ isn't too bad. We always talk about preferring that to term given our situation. He's actually a fit. It's hard to see him not providing his career norm here, perhaps with the chance to better it, for which he's worth at least $6 mil in a vacuum. If he play top 6 minutes and PP1 on a better unit, career highs aren't out the window. He's a very good 5v5 scorer with good underlying stats who is also a very good PP player. We need all that. If we could've gotten him for less money, sure that's ideal. But Kane just got 7 years. Give me the money over the term any day.

If the choice was keep Simmonds or sign JVR, I know which I'd choose. Having them more comfortable not signing Wayne is a big positive too in and of itself, let alone upgrading on him at 5v5 in a major way. I don't know how they can justify paying similar money to an even more PP dependent, worse 5v5, older RW now. Especially with the prospect pool. If that's another side effect, that's big. Signing Wayne was always more about the locker room than on-ice. This JVR signing, in lieu of that, is on-ice value.
- Mononoke

People need to adjust to the new cap, 80M really changes the landscape of things.

$7M today is the equivalent of $6M back when the cap was at 69M during the 14/15 season

People need to adjust to the new cap, 80M really changes the landscape of things.

$7M today is the equivalent of $6M back when the cap was at 69M during the 14/15 season
- Nucker101

Very true. People's perceptions do need to change. It's not as much as it looks like, and the term is the best part. It doesn't seem crazily risky to me given his 55-60 point floor, and playing with players like Voracek and Couturier/Patrick in more minutes (instead of Bozak, Brown, Marner) and on PP1 perhaps, he will have the chance to eclipse that. If it forces them to trade or not sign Simmonds to a contract they would regret (idk how you pay both or why you would given you just got the better player and similar fit), I'm even more willing to live with the contract. If they wanted scoring help, it's really quite logical a deal now and later.




Now to sign Nick Shore as a cheap, upside bottom 6 center tomorrow and sniff around de Haan contract willing! Getting one of those guys too, and jettisoning out more crap roster players, would be a big win.

Mason traded and then put on waivers.....

Not too excited about JVR. But the team will be better as a result. They can afford it with the state of the cap at this point, and the term on the deal is quite good as well.

Honestly I don’t think you get JVR without playing him with Giroux again. Either Giroux moves back to center or to his natural RW position.

And no one has discussed how much better this makes it PP2.
- youarewrong

Lol Giroux just had the best year of his career at LW. And Coots just had the best year of his career centering him. He isn't moving anywhere. You plug JVR in for Weal. Instant upgrade.

5 years is the key, I’m cool with it. Could see him scoring 30 goals and 60-65 points playing with NP and Jake and that’s worth 7 million in today’s NHL. If they can find an effective 3C to slot between Lindblom and Simmer, they could be a very tough team to match up against.

Not a fan of retreads. 2nd stints rarely work out. Let the grass stay greener on the other side on this specific player. I would have liked some new blood. Plus, the term and $ per year is too high for JVR. I do not think he will put up similar numbers wearing orange and black.
- Corporate_hater

2nd stint with Recchi went pretty well.

It's not my favorite but it's not the worst
- Giroux_Is_God

That just about captures the spirit of the thing.

Bill Meltzer: Quick Hits: Free Agency Eve, Dev Camp,
- bmeltzer

Happy Canada day! Bring the noise today hexy!

I’m thrilled. A) LW depth improves B) JVR scored ALOT with a smaller role last year. C) Shows Hexy will sign the bigger fish (finally).
- arichardson22

I was shocked to see this personally. I always liked jvr, and am stocked hextall is now going for it. We needed a lw

So is Ronald Hextall ever going to take the UFA plunge and sign a high impact player, or are we going to just keep signing the Weiss and Boyd Gordons if the world?

5 years is the key, I’m cool with it. Could see him scoring 30 goals and 60-65 points playing with NP and Jake and that’s worth 7 million in today’s NHL. If they can find an effective 3C to slot between Lindblom and Simmer, they could be a very tough team to match up against.
- BiggE

Yes.

I'm honest: JVR is a flawed player. His defense is weak, and he's not going to scare anybody coming across the middle and going into corners. You have to hide him. Never a d-zone start. Ever. You probably don't want too many NZ starts in a close game, either.

If that's all that people want to focus on with him, then you're gonna be pissed for the next five years. Can't tell you anything that's gonna make you feel better if you want Shjon Podein to check really hard and score 8 goals in this roster spot.

But if you believe that at some point, a coach has to actually do something behind a bench and put his players in a position to succeed -- as Mike Babcock recognized and did -- then the guy is gonna score 25 goals in his sleep. He just is. Wait until you see what he does on the PP as the netfront. He gets the puck up and under the bar as fast as anybody in the sport today -- and that's not hyperbole.

The funny thing about JVR is that yeah, he's still kinda soft...except in the offensive zone. If he has the puck, he will take it to the net. He'll cut across the middle. He'll take a guy with him. He isn't soft on the puck. He is soft when he doesn't have it and should be trying to get it.

I personally believe that if you can have defensive specialists and PKers/checkers who can't score, then you sure as hell can have offensive specialists who can flat-out score goals. I don't need 20 guys who can be out there in the last minute of a game to protect a lead if those 20 guys can't score enough to get me the lead in the first freaking place

Hockey still needs the coach to actually do some coaching. Put the guy in a position to succeed, don't run L2 out there in the d-zone against Sidney Crosby's line, don't put him out there when you're up by a goal with 90 seconds left

There are better players than JVR. No doubt. But there are far more players who aren't as good, and he's gonna score goals for them and help them to win games. He just is, and at some point that has to count for something more than guys who just can't score anymore but are still taking up roster spots

I guess the reason I am excited is that I'm freaking sick of the narrative that you absolutely have to be this 200-foot-player who is kinda OK at a few things but doesn't have the hands to finish

Yeah, I want players to try on defense. We all do.

But FFS. I like Michael Raffl. I do. He is a good hockey player who tries and plays good defense and has heart.

But we have gone as far as Michael Raffl is gonna take us.

Sometimes, you need Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel and now, Alexander Ovechkin -- sometimes, you need guys who if it's on their stick, it's under the freaking bar
- AllInForFlyers

Would you consider Travis Konecny a 200 ft player?

Yes. JVR is a little overpaid in $$, but if he got offered 7 years, 5 years at inflated $$ isn't too bad. We always talk about preferring that to term given our situation. He's actually a fit. It's hard to see him not providing his career norm here, perhaps with the chance to better it, for which he's worth at least $6 mil in a vacuum. If he play top 6 minutes and PP1 on a better unit, career highs aren't out the window. He's a very good 5v5 scorer with good underlying stats who is also a very good PP player. We need all that. If we could've gotten him for less money, sure that's ideal. But Kane just got 7 years. Give me the money over the term any day.

If the choice was keep Simmonds or sign JVR, I know which I'd choose. Having them more comfortable not signing Wayne is a big positive too in and of itself, let alone upgrading on him at 5v5 in a major way. I don't know how they can justify paying similar money to an even more PP dependent, worse 5v5, older RW now. Especially with the prospect pool. If that's another side effect, that's big. Signing Wayne was always more about the locker room than on-ice. This JVR signing, in lieu of that, is on-ice value.
- Mononoke

If the choice was keep Simmonds or sign JVR, keep Simmonds all day long!

We don't know that his means they're not going to re-sign Simmonds.