Saw this coming

[IslandersHKY]

wingman said:

I'm not sure what is going to take place with Paynter this season. I would like to see him remain in a Rocket uniform because of his enthusiasm and also many times he was the only player on the ice who was working his ass off instead of playing like he was going through the motions like other Rocket players. But if the Rocket are going to be rebuilding and are looking at playing the rest of this season with next year in mind, then he might be in tough to get his share of ice time this season because I can't see him being back as an overage player next season. Like Bois said, Junior A might be his best option unless some team in the Q has a place for a 19 yr old, hard working 4th liner, but I don't think the phone will be ringing off the hook with inquiries about him from other teams.

I don't know Paynter but I suspect he knew the situation when he started the season. And that is he will continue to be a 4th line player for this team. But so far Chouinard has shown that he will utilize his 4th line much more than Jean ever did so I would surprised if he didn't stay for the full season which is a good thing with his great attitude and work ethic.

And I don't want to be unfair to Cliche but he has had his chance to show what he can do and I expect that come Christmas he will be moved or released. So the 4th line might be a little full right now but after Christmas I think we will see a regular 4th line of MacLean-CoonCome-Paynter with DesRoches subing in occassionally. That could be an effective 4th line with a nice balance of youth, energy and skill.

[wingman]

Alot of that depends on how this trading period plays out. It depends if Chouinard goes for a major overhaul or not and if that plan includes acquiring and playing younger players like Desroches, Coon-Come and Maclean more often. Paynter probably wasn't promised more than 4th line duty to begin with, but if the Rocket go on a youth movement and with Paynter being 19, it wouldn't be surprising to see his ice time reduced. If they do go in that kind of direction, some of the 19 year olds might find themselves with less ice time or possibly not even be a part of this team after the trading period.

[bois]

I think the Rocket could get a mid-late round pick from somebody for Paynter.... a team looking to win a round or two in the playoffs (but not necessarily contend) might want to add some depth and grit up front

I agree if the Rocket truly rebuild it would seem unlikely Paynter would get any more icetime and the choice might be given to him to stay and play most nights on the 4th line and fight or go play tier two and actually get to play some hockey

[IslandersHKY]

bois said:

I agree if the Rocket truly rebuild it would seem unlikely Paynter would get any more icetime and the choice might be given to him to stay and play most nights on the 4th line and fight or go play tier two and actually get to play some hockey

That is the argument that I made back in the offseason but it appears that Paynter made his choice that he was content sticking with the Rocket and playing on the 4th line.

[coreyapple]

bois said:

I think the Rocket could get a mid-late round pick from somebody for Paynter.... a team looking to win a round or two in the playoffs (but not necessarily contend) might want to add some depth and grit up front

But wouldn't the Rocket be one of those teams that is looking to win a round or two in the playoffs?

Can they afford NOT to be?

[wingman]

Rebuilding or not, going into the season I don't think that Paynter was going to get more than 4th line ice time. But if they do go into a rebuild I am thinking there will be games that he won't even be dressed to give some of the younger players more ice time.

[bois]

coreyapple said:

bois said:

I think the Rocket could get a mid-late round pick from somebody for Paynter.... a team looking to win a round or two in the playoffs (but not necessarily contend) might want to add some depth and grit up front

But wouldn't the Rocket be one of those teams that is looking to win a round or two in the playoffs?

Can they afford NOT to be?

If they rebuild by gutting the goalie, and all the scorers over 17 years old... nope

[coreyapple]

Honestly, I don't think the Rocket organization can afford to gut the team.

Support for the team has decreased dramatically since Year One, but last Friday, the team played well, the crowd was OK, and I sensed some enthusiasm in the air; the Rocket played well and won, and that is something to build on.

So fan enthusiasm and interest in the team may have bottomed out, and a potential recovery is in the air.

Cold weather, snowflakes, a new coach, a few good home games, a team that plays like a team and has four set lines that all contribute, all of this may up the crowd numbers substantially for the rest of the season.

Gutting the team would nix that completely, in my opinion.

Rocket play in a league where making the playoffs is almost a given, so winning one round should be every team's goal, including the Rocket's.

It would be an improvement over last year, and that's all one can really ask for.

So make a couple of strategic trades, yes, but no way should they gut the team - of Walker, Morrison and Latal, I wouldn't consider letting more than one go, and personally, I consider Latal almost untouchable, since he's the most entertaining player the franchise has ever had here on PEI.

[bois]

If they follow your advice they'll be subpar again next year

one entertaining game is not enough to justify changing your plan.. that's the sort of micro managing Savard has been doing since year one that got us in this mess to begin with

by the way Latal hasn't done much of anything the past 7-8 games

[coreyapple]

What I'm saying is that if this was a team where fan support is not a worry - say this was Rimouski, or Hull, or Québec - then you could gut the team and plan strictly for 08-09 and 09-10.

But realistically, with the Rocket fan support being where it is, you can't afford to do that.

Gut the team, stay in 17th or 18th place, and you'll be looking at crowds of 1500 after Christmas.

THAT'S what I'm worried about.

[wingman]

I understand what you are saying in regards to attendance if they gut the team, but if they don't take the steps to build a winning team, they are eventually going to lose those fans anyways. The problem is that the Rocket have never taken those steps to build a winning team and look what has happened to attendance, it dropped anyways. Eventually the Rocket will wind up with crowds of 1500 if they keep building teams that exit the playoffs after the first round. The team got themselves in this mess where they might have to get the crowds of 1500 in the short term if it means having larger crowds in the long term. The question is whether they will be able to afford to do that or not, but either way, if they keep doing what they have done for the past 5 seasons they are going to have those small crowds anyways.