Optionless in North America, Jokinen heads to KHL?
by Donny Rivette on May 5, 2010 5:26 PM EDT
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PrintIf this comes to pass it's utterly remarkable that a player with 568 points in 881 NHL contests has somehow alienated every remaining team for which he has not yet dressed. How is this even possible? No one will take a chance on Olli Jokinen?
A free agent come July 1st, there's not a chance in Heaven or Edmonton that he'd receive anything close to the $5.5M he was granted by former Panthers GM Mike Keenan in 2006, a deal no one questioned as being anything other than fair considering his numbers in Florida to that point. And now? After a season capped by 15 goals, the Rangers are only too happy to show him the door. If the KHL wants to toss gobs of cash his way then by all means, more power to him; he's not worth anything north of (a very charitable) $3M per on these shores.
Really a rather tragic downfall. The guy's only 31 years old; by all measures he should be nailing home 30+ goal seasons for the next half decade in North America. For whatever reasons, it just isn't working for him any longer, so it's off to the KHL's Dynamo Minsk alongside such noted talents as Duvie Westcott and Jeff Platt. Best of luck, bro.
UPDATE: GR at On Frozen Pond offers up a rebuttal of sorts:
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Hmm
OK, follow me on this one… Booth\Jokinen\Horton, (3rd overall pick)\Weiss\Frolik, Stillman\Matthias\Reinprecht, (insert rotating 4th liners here).
Doesn’t that sound like a lineup that might produce more than our 208 goals we got this season? From my limited memory, Jokinen’s beef with the club stemmed mainly, if not entirely, from Jacques. He’s out. I feel like I remember a lot of players having his back, despite the “locker room cancer” tag applied by Barnaby (I think? Some former player on TSN’s deadline coverage anyway). And if we can get him back for a cheap price tag so he doesn’t have to go wilt away in Russia (albeit on a pile of cash), than why not? Give him the option of Minsk or Sunrise… he’d be back, with limited expectations, new blood in the roster and behind the bench. Certainly worth looking into, isn’t it?
I have said since the end of the season that Olli would be one of 2 ex Panthers I would consider bringing back. His wife and children have never left Parkland, I am sure that would mean a lot to him in that he would be with them more often than not during the season. I am sure he realizes he is not getting anywhere close to his recent salary of 5+M based on his production since he left here, oh and that’s another thing it is HERE where he “created” his career, so why couldn’t he resurrect it here as well. So a 2 – 3 year deal starting at 2.1M and ending at 2.5 M with bonuses based on goals, points, GWG, and playoffs might be enough.
LOOK you are not bringing him in to be the “face of the franchise” nor are you bringing him in to be Captain. All you are asking is for him to re find the magic he once had here and to finish what he started, that is helping bring the Panthers back to the playoffs.
As for those who say he was a cancer in the locker room, I say ti was JM that he couldnt get along with and while Olli never wanted to leave the Panthers, he couldnt get away from Martin fast enough after JM continually pinned him as “the problem” seems to me a guy who scores ya 30+ goals for 3 straight seasons might have a point. That is that we have the horses to play a more offensive game, rather than the typical JM style of defense first.
I couldn’t agree with the two of you more…..it’s like the two of you are speaking my thoughts LOL. As soon as I heard that he was going to be an UFA, my thoughts were “let’s bring back Olli”. As soon as we got Coach DeBoer, I thought that Olli would have flourished better under his coaching style.
I wasn’t terribly upset, when they let him go, since Olli was gone long before that in many capacities. But I would love to see him come back & maybe find what he lost.
Wow this would actually work out for florida. We all know that no free agent wants to sign here under normal circumstances, if Olli really is as unwanted by the other teams to the extent this news suggests that would create exactly the circumstances needed to bring him back to florida. Of course he wouldn’t make 5.5 and he probably wouldn’t be the 30 goal scorer he used to be, but he’s still a a big centremen not shy of using his body with decent skill. Remember all those things Sexton said about Reinprecht last summer? well they would actually be true if spoken about Jokinen this summer.
Hopefully the Sexton sees the possible upside of bringing back Jokinen for a discount, but with the Franchise’s history I’m not holding my breath.
If the price is right, maybe we should go for it.
2009 NY Phin PhansFantasy League Champion
2009 Best Regular Season Record in NYPPL.
2010 The Jim Mandich NewsFlash Award Winner.
I think Sexton is too much of Jacques Martin’s little whip boy to bring back Olli
by HockeyAndLoathing on May 6, 2010 12:36 PM EDT reply actions
I’m not so sure. A reasonable assumption, but I’m guessing Randy’s at the point where if he feels a certain deal or signing will improve the club, he’ll pull the trigger, regardless of any leftover “affection” for his former employer.
by Donny Rivette on May 6, 2010 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Florida
|
55 | 27 | 17 | 11 | 65 |
|
Washington
|
56 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg
|
57 | 26 | 25 | 6 | 58 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
55 | 24 | 25 | 6 | 54 |
|
Carolina
|
57 | 21 | 25 | 11 | 53 |
(updated 2.13.2012 at 10:29 PM EST)
Eastern Standings
| GP | W-L-OT | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New York Rangers
|
54 | 36-13-5 | 77 |
|
Boston Bruins
|
53 | 34-17-2 | 70 |
|
Florida Panthers
|
55 | 27-17-11 | 65 |
|
Philadelphia Flyers
|
56 | 31-18-7 | 69 |
|
Pittsburgh Penguins
|
56 | 32-19-5 | 69 |
|
New Jersey Devils
|
55 | 31-20-4 | 66 |
|
Ottawa Senators
|
58 | 28-22-8 | 64 |
|
Toronto Maple Leafs
|
56 | 28-22-6 | 62 |
|
Washington Capitals
|
55 | 28-22-5 | 61 |
|
Winnipeg Jets
|
57 | 26-25-6 | 58 |
|
Montreal Canadiens
|
56 | 23-24-9 | 55 |
|
Tampa Bay Lightning
|
55 | 24-25-6 | 54 |
|
New York Islanders
|
55 | 23-24-8 | 54 |
|
Buffalo Sabres
|
55 | 24-25-6 | 54 |
|
Carolina Hurricanes
|
56 | 20-25-11 | 51 |
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