He hasn’t played centre at the pro level yet. He used to be a centre before pro though. I don’t see him in that spot at the nhl level. We probably see him top out as a middle 6 powerforward.

As for cost, the jets probably won’t move him unless they get a too 4 d-man back. The same can be said for almost every jets forward. However, he’s probably going to seattle

Ok gotcha I wasn’t sure if it was a possibility, but if he’s naturally playing better on the wing as a pro, there’s no point in forcing him into the center position and hoping he does well. The Sharks could offer like Šimek or Burns but I highly doubt either of those guys are game changers for Winnipeg.

Thanks for the feedback, it’s much appreciated

Burns would be nice but he’s signed too long. SJ and WPG just aren’t good trading partners right now unless the sharks are willing to give up a high pick (those are always nice for draft and develop teams like the jets)

Funny this came up . . . With the Toninato signing (another forward that meets Seattle exposure requirements) it could signal that Appleton may be traded for almost any kind of asset so as not to lose him for nothing to Seattle.

But if San Jose wants a 3C, perhaps Winnipeg would explore trading Copp your way, instead (?) . . . and protecting Appleton. (??)

Until today, this wasn't a possibility without that 2nd forward that meets expansion requirements. Interesting

I really like Copp a lot to be honest, but I don’t really think that’s a possibility since he will cost at least a 2nd if not more which is just too much for SJ to pay frankly. Also his next contract might be out of our ideal cap hit and term range. We have a few players to resign in the next 2-3 years so a shorter term player with a smallish AAV would be ideal for us.

So yes to Copp, but ultimately no because I don’t think the logistics would work out.

Yeah, that's kind of where the Jets might be with Copp. After a breakout year he may want a substantial raise that I don't think the Jets are too excited about. Couple that with his arbitration rights, and how he could walk himself to UFA, I am not-so-secretly hoping he's traded so Appleton is protected. But who knows. . . Maybe tomorrow Copp extends for 3 more seasons and I can start hypothesizing other ways for the Jets to protect assets this month!

I feel you. It was a really bad time for Copp to have a breakout season lol

Oh, and I agree with Arafay. If not for his age and that contract, I'd love me some Brent Burns in Winnipeg. My young son is a Sharks fan . . . joked with him that I was "negotiating a trade for Burns" and he got real excited (his favorite player), but then disappointed that he might leave San Jose!! LOL

Be interested to know what you think or hope the Sharks will do in their situation? SO many dollars and term locked up on aging players.

I don’t think the Sharks would move Burns cause Wilson has an irrational attachment to him for some reason. But I’d like to move on from Burns personally while he’s still actually good. Like you said we have a lot of cap tied up in a couple players; Karlsson and Vlasic are anchors, but with Jones (inevitably) bought out and Burns off the books, we could lessen our pain in the future. Couture is another one I want to get out of before his contract gets bad, but we’ve still got a few years before that happens.

But yeah my hope is just that we can slither out of a few of our big contracts without giving up assets to dump them cause we can’t really afford to do so.

Copp is way too important to the jets to trade unless he forces his way out. The jets aren’t moving him if they can sign him for anything under 4.5-5M

As for appleton, if the jets don’t let Seattle take him, they take one of Stanley or berdin, which are bigger losses for us.

I won't argue as to the (over)valuing of one player or another, LOL, but if Stanley and Berdin are superior players to Appleton, then logic would dictate it's probable, or at least highly possible, that a brand new team like Seattle would select one of them ahead of Appleton, regardless.

I'd be happy with a Copp extension, too, so long as it's at the right dollar figure and for more than 1 season . . . The only point I was making was that if Jets protect Copp over Appleton, I would hope the Jets are in his long-term plans. If he plans on walking in a year, maybe expose his a$$ next week, instead! Lol

Darn expansion forcing all our fave teams to make these tough decisions!

I think appleton has more value than either right now, but the jets can let appleton go easily, they have the depth. Not so much on defence (Stanley had a good year) or on goaltending where berdin will likely be our backup next year. It’s more based on need than value tbh.

Honestly, 1 year of Copp is much better for the jets than the next 2-3 of appleton. That’s my opinion though. Copp is too important for the jets right now. I wouldn’t expose him even if he wants out. However, I would be willing to trade him for defensive help if he isn’t willing to stick around long term.

Whether the jets make a side deal, let Seattle do their worst, or move out any prices of value for picks so Seattle gets jack ****, one thing is for sure: the jets will lose at least 1 good piece.