-Vintage Canuck- Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Alex Burmistrov will not extend his KHL contract and appears to be heading back to NHL. It is unclear if he will join Jets or become a trade bait: Alex Burmistrov's KHL Contract is up and it appears he is planning on a return to the National Hockey League. As reported by The Hockey News, Burmistrov is planning on returning to the NHL after wrapping up a two-year stint in the KHL. Burmistrov bolted for Russia after being displeased with his playing time in Winnipeg under former head coach Claude Noel. The Jets still own Burmistrov's rights and with the change in the head coach position, Burmistrov could flourish offensively under current bench boss Paul Maurice. Winnipeg is trending up under GM Kevin Cheveldayoff after making the playoffs this season and could be a more enticing place than in previous years. Burmistrov, 23, has been productive in his time in the KHL scoring 20 goals and adding 43 assists in 108 KHL games over the past two seasons. http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/wpg150502.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejazz97 Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Watch out for the Jets the next few years, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Money Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Good player, and only 23 (turns 24 on Oct. 1st) With Stafford, Frolik, Tlusty, Slater, Stempniak, Halischuk, Galiardi, and O'Dell all UFA, there will definitely be a spot for him if he wants to be there. At least half those guys will be gone next season. Stafford will probably be re-signed, and maybe Stempniak too...but the rest didn't get a single point in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZY_4_NAZZY Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 He is gonna have to earn his keep again. Hasn't really been super successful in the KHL so I don't really see him lighting a fire here in the NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Good player, and only 23 (turns 24 on Oct. 1st) With Stafford, Frolik, Tlusty, Slater, Stempniak, Halischuk, Galiardi, and O'Dell all UFA, there will definitely be a spot for him if he wants to be there. At least half those guys will be gone next season. Stafford will probably be re-signed, and maybe Stempniak too...but the rest didn't get a single point in the playoffs. Out of all those guys, Stafford should be the top priority. He fit in perfectly playing alongside Scheifele. And with the Jets thin on right wing, they should look at 4 years at $4.5-$5M for him. As for Stempniak, I wouldn't be uncomfortable with him for 2 years at $1.5 per, at most. Jim Slater is a prototypical 4th line center and a great character guy. The problem with keeping him is that the Jets will be seeing if Nic Petan is ready, or if Burmistrov ends up playing for them. If either of those two guys are either ready (Petan) or willing (Burmistrov) to play 3rd line center, than Slater is gone. Reason for this is that Adam Lowry played incredibly well for his first full year in the NHL, and had a solid playoff outing with 3 points in 4 games on the 3rd line. So yeah, as nice as Slater is, he's just taking up a spot. As for Burmistrov, the likely scenario is that the Jets sign him to a contract and then trade him after 10-20 games; unless, of course, he has a strong showing. Maurice coached successfully in the KHL before, so he has a positive history coaching Russians. Perhaps Burmi just needs a different coach. Either way, if Burmistrov does indeed go to another team, it won't be without the Jets signing him first; otherwise he holds little to no value if they just trade his rights, as there is not guarantee that he will even play for that team (i.e. bolts back to Russia). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Surely with Winnipeg's depth he'd be 3LC? They should look to package him up with their 1st rounder so they can move up in the draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Surely with Winnipeg's depth he'd be 3LC? They should look to package him up with their 1st rounder so they can move up in the draft. He would be. However, one of the problems last go around with Burmistrov is that he was a perfect 3rd line center for the Jets. He played incredibly responsible defensively. But Burmistrov didn't/doesn't see himself as a 3rd line center, he sees himself as a 1st or 2nd line center who gets moody when not given that role. And the problem with that is that when he was given repeated opportunities to play 1st and 2nd line center, he was clearly not able to handle that role, at the time. Now, he may have developed further and might be ready to take on that role. But the Jets certainly aren't going to bump down Little or Scheifele just to appease Burmistrov. And as a third line center, Lowry has already shown that he's ready and capable to play that role. And not only can Lowry chip in offensively, but he's an absolute nightmare to play against physically. Like I said, the likely scenario is that Burmistrov is signed by the Jets, gets his feet wet for 10-20 games with them, and then gets shipped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 If the Ruskies want out of Russia maybe Sergi Sirokov will want another shot with Vancouver. I see him playing on Team Russia in the IIHA tourney in Prague. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baer. Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Jets are gonna be real good in 3-4 years. Look out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Jets are gonna be real good in 3-4 years. Look out. Tough to say, really. While the homer in me wants to agree with you, the fact of the matter is that the Central Division is ridiculously competitive. Most thought that the Jets and the Preds would be the odd teams out in the Central Division this season. However, the Avs and the Stars crapped the bed for various reasons. But I wouldn't bank on either of those teams keeping things status quo next season. Also, while the perception for a while was that Chevy couldn't make deals, he was actually just taking time to assess his assets. He did come from the Hawks organization, one that saw them trade Byfuglien, Ladd, Versteeg, and let Niemi go after they first won the cup. I wouldn't expect the Jets team we saw this season to be the same next season. Don't be surprised if Byfuglien and Frolik are not on the roster next year. Now, if Ehlers can successfully make the jump next year, then Frolik's absence means nothing. As for Byfuglien, they'll get a sizable return for him if (and they should) trade him. So while I agree that the team looks dangerous, it all depends on what they get for Byfuglien and whether Pavelec becomes Dominik Hasek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatedkid666 Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Western Canada is going to be dominante in 3-5 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Surfer Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Tough to say, really. While the homer in me wants to agree with you, the fact of the matter is that the Central Division is ridiculously competitive. Most thought that the Jets and the Preds would be the odd teams out in the Central Division this season. However, the Avs and the Stars crapped the bed for various reasons. But I wouldn't bank on either of those teams keeping things status quo next season. Also, while the perception for a while was that Chevy couldn't make deals, he was actually just taking time to assess his assets. He did come from the Hawks organization, one that saw them trade Byfuglien, Ladd, Versteeg, and let Niemi go after they first won the cup. I wouldn't expect the Jets team we saw this season to be the same next season. Don't be surprised if Byfuglien and Frolik are not on the roster next year. Now, if Ehlers can successfully make the jump next year, then Frolik's absence means nothing. As for Byfuglien, they'll get a sizable return for him if (and they should) trade him. So while I agree that the team looks dangerous, it all depends on what they get for Byfuglien and whether Pavelec becomes Dominik Hasek. Why trade Buff now? He's finally fighting fit and playing hard... My understanding was he was now a solid part of the room (see ejection of Kane from the room)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Why trade Buff now? He's finally fighting fit and playing hard... My understanding was he was now a solid part of the room (see ejection of Kane from the room)? The reason to trade him, and why it has been a discussion throughout Winnipeg over the last 4 months, is that he's entering the last year of his contract. They won't let him walk to free agency, as he's way too valuable to lose for free. If the Jets do sign him to an extension, he'll be expecting a huge raise from his current $5.2M cap hit. If Dion Phaneuf, same age, is getting $7M for worse production, it would not be inconceivable for Buff to ask for $8M; especially considering there are teams that need to hit the cap floor, and teams that also desperately need defense (i.e. Edmonton, Flyers, Avs, Stars). As for the Jets, I believe their record without Byfuglien in the lineup this year was at 9-2-2. And with Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers both younger and either locked up long term (Myers) or an upcoming RFA and will be cheaper (Trouba), the right side is already safe for the future. As for the left side, while Enstrom is small and hasn't been delivering, his NMC and his chemistry with Myers makes him unmovable at this point. Josh Morrissey may be ready to step in next season, getting ready to play serious minutes. And Mark Stuart is an absolute rock, so they have all they need. And with Ben Chiarot stepping up in a huge way and Adam Pardy playing very solid when called upon, Byfuglien isn't really needed. Now, I'm certainly not saying that Stuart, Chiarot, or Pardy are better defenseman than Byfuglien. But what I am saying is that Trouba needs to play 25 minutes to be successful, this has already been shown. And Myers is definitely good for 20 minutes per night. And it has also been shown that neither Trouba, Myers, or Byfuglien play well when paired together. They all need to play the right side. Lastly, the Jets have never been a cap ceiling team. And with Andrew Ladd also entering the last year of his contract and looking for an extension, not to mention that Jacob Trouba, Mark Scheifele, and Adam Lowry are also going to be RFA's next year, that leaves the Jets situation where they can't afford to give Dustin Byfuglien $8M per season, not when Trouba and Scheifele will be looking for around $4M per, Adam Lowry looking for around $2M per, and Andrew Ladd looking for about $6M per. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzle Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 If the Ruskies want out of Russia maybe Sergi Sirokov will want another shot with Vancouver. I see him playing on Team Russia in the IIHA tourney in Prague. There'd be a fair amount of competition for Shirokov still. Huge risk for him to come over (again). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniwaki Canuck Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 There'd be a fair amount of competition for Shirokov still. Huge risk for him to come over (again). Doesn't Florida still have his rights, you know, the ones we dealt them in that blockbuster trade for Mike Duco? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzle Posted May 8, 2015 Share Posted May 8, 2015 Doesn't Florida still have his rights, you know, the ones we dealt them in that blockbuster trade for Mike Duco? Yes, that's a really good point. Wow. Mike Duco. Totally forgot about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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