Jokinen Waived (update: Traded 2/7)

[backstop]

http://blogs.tampabay.com/lightning/...n-on-waiv.html

I was thinking one of the mods might be willing to move the Jokinen discussion here so we don't clog/get lost in the game day thread?

[Coldrice]

Oh, and for the record, I am not "Geografer" who posted on the SPTimes blog... I swear to you.

[Bolthed]

It really is a shame they didn't even try to get him going this season. The guy nearly had a point per game on the top line last year after the trade and never once got a chance to skate with Vinny and Marty this season. Wasted asset in my opinion. I'm not saying Jokinen is blameless. He was kind of a soft floater this year and he just didn't produce enough points to tolerate that. But I would have liked to have seen the Juice turned loose.

To be fair, I drafted him (really late) in my pool, but obviously for the Lightning I would have preferred they actually get something of value for a guy who does have offensive ability. Oh well, I can only hope he picks it up with another team. He's got too many skills to be waiver fodder.

[chad]

Did they attempt to get him and Halpern reunited when Halpern returned?

[Bolthed]

Reunited? Halpern played mostly with Ouellet and Darche last season, while JJ was on the top line. I guess you are referring to their time in Dallas, but I don't know how much they played there either. Jokinen was second line for his first two seasons until he was pushed down to the third line in his third season before the trade to Tampa.

[chad]

Originally Posted by Bolthed

Reunited? Halpern played mostly with Ouellet and Darche last season, while JJ was on the top line. I guess you are referring to their time in Dallas, but I don't know how much they played there either. Jokinen was second line for his first two seasons until he was pushed down to the third line in his third season before the trade to Tampa.

I have no idea what I was thinking. My brain is full.

[timothy]

This season, I thought that Jokinen's best contributions came early on when he played center. When Halpern returned, he got shuffled back to left wing and couldn't crack the Top 6 with Prospal and Malone playing so well. He just didn't have the grit to play left wing on the 3rd line.

What I would have *liked* to have seen after Szczechura went down with his injury is JJ centering a 3rd line with Stamkos on left wing and Downie on right wing:

Stamkos - Jokinen - Downie

But for some reason, no one wants to entertain Stamkos on wing. That line might have been able to jump start Jokinen back to his early season success. Who knows.

[backstop]

The rub for me is that he has been singled out like he is the only guy not producing. The guy may not hit like Arty or take stupid penalties like Roberts, but he skates (which is more than can be said for some on this team), is defensively responsible, and has a proven track record of scoring points.

The big killer is that the one time this season he was able to have consistent line mates, he was tearing it up. Even to the point that people here gave the line a nickname (remember "R2J2"?) That was the only line on the team that was producing with any regularity. Then things get shuffled, Jokinen has a couple off games and suddenly he's on the shitlist. Maybe Tocchet just doesn't like him, I dunno. But it would have been logical to me to try to squeeze a little more from the Artyukhin-Jokinen-Recchi combo on the third line that was doing so well before they were split up, then have tried Stamkos-Halpern-Malone on the second. Or some variation of that.

Guess that's why the "sports management professionals" are running the show...

[timothy]

Originally Posted by backstop

The big killer is that the one time this season he was able to have consistent line mates, he was tearing it up. Even to the point that people here gave the line a nickname (remember "R2J2"?) That was the only line on the team that was producing with any regularity.

It was a hot line for a few games. But it suffered the same fate as any line other than the 4th with Artyukhin on it, and that is well, it has Artyukhin on it. R2 has *zero* puck possession skills. Zero. He has to be the easiest player in the NHL to steal the puck from, and you can't play in the Top 9 in the NHL if you can't hold on to and cycle the puck. R2 is the classic energy line player -- hit, punish, energize the team, scare the hell out of the opposition. The R2J2 experiment suffer the same fate as any other Top 3 line combo that includes R2.

Now... I'd entertain a Stamkos - Jokinen - Recchi experiment...

[CTLightning26]

Originally Posted by backstop

, but he skates (which is more than can be said for some on this team), is defensively responsible, and has a proven track record of scoring points.

He sure didn't show great skating ability for us this season, maybe some of it was due to his knee not being 100 percent.
Im not sure where you can say he has this great track record for scoring points.
He had 55
48
42 last year actually 14 in 20 games for us playing on the top line
and is on track for in the upper 20s this year if that (he's got 16).
--
Going down every year and Im pretty sure those first two years in Dallas he was on the top two lines, compiling some secondary assists.
Hey, I don't mean to rip him. He's an ok player and he does some things that can help a GOOD team. But if he's gonna play like he's played this season, I'd rather have a young player play instead and give him a chance to maybe provide more than Joki at a cheaper rate in the future.