Tciso wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2019 8:37 am
micky107 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:48 am
Jake's contract is up this July. Ya! Playoffs would be a great chance to see what he can do in that situation. He's cheap at 1.25.
Early to be on this but if he has a decent year and can show better consistency, all round, and get in some playoff time and look effective
doing it, I would not be adverse to taking advantage of his homer roots and offer him two or three years at 1,5.
Really important to have lower priced guys that don't look out of place in the line-up.
He'll get more then that. I dunno when he becomes a UFA (2022/23?), but a bridge deal to the end of his RFA years is likely to be $2.2. I'd love to see the Canucks give him something like the Colton Scissions deal. Maybe 6x2.5 instead of 7x2.8. Jake seems to have locked up a solid 3rd line role. Sign him while he's cheap.
Long term deals for third line wingers isn't generally a good idea. Add to that the fact Jake hasn't ever been trusted on the PK, hasn't had success in very limited PP time, isn't "elite" defensively, doesn't play consistently hard or fast (despite being able to hit and possessing + speed), and we are talking about a player who is simply not marginally all that special. Marginal is the big word here -- how hard is it to sign a player equally valuable as Virtanen is expected to be if he were to leave and his spot needs to be filled?; how hard is it to develop one? What exactly is a team buying when they give 6 years to that kind of player? To sign up a "locked in" third line winger to 6 or 7 years, the answer has to be that they are buying (1) a unique player, or are either (2a) saving a lot of money by making the deal with an RFA vs. what's available or (2b) there's not much faith that the farm will push the player out. He isn't (1), (2a) comps are probably available for short term deals through UFA, and (2b) there is some winger prospect depth in the system.
There's always reason (3) -- this player is going to get better and we will be buying low, and maybe Virtanen is that guy. While I can see him getting better (he is slowly improving with each season) and earning a 7x2.8 contract if he signs it (and maybe being worth a little more), what I don't see him doing is crushing it in a manner where that deal becomes one of the best in the league. (Put differently, there is some potential to outperform a deal like that, but limited potential for a great windfall).
Don't get me wrong. I think JV is important to your 2019-20 Canucks. I am not at all disappointed with the amount of chances he's created or been part of -- its not below expectations. I also am a big believer that the speed element of his game is very much needed in the bottom 6 -- something that should be looked to be replaced if JV isn't here. And I am also curious to see how he plays in a playoff series. And I think this season will be his best ever from an offensive production standpoint.
But while I think that JV has value -- especially when you throw out as sunk costs the fact he was a #6 overall -- JV is simply not a core player, and he has yet to look like a difficult-to-replace player through development or free agency. Guys like that should get shorter term deals to allow maximum contract flexibility with the players who are or will be core.
