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Justin Williams "Taking a Break" from the NHL


Phil

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I've lost a bit of respect for him too, especially if he comes back this season at some point. Dude was the captain of an up and coming Hurricanes. They had a nice season last year. If he returns playoff time to the same or different team it seems a bit "uncaptain-ish" so to speak in my mind. Was he offered a contract this offseason?
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Losing respect for a guy like this seems pretty harsh. Who knows if there was any interest out there in him at this point? It doesn't seem he wants to retire and he also probably doesn't want to sign for a team that has no chance to win it so he leaves it open in a statement. At 37 the grind of the whole season is probably too much for just about anyone to still be fully productive come playoff time.
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Losing respect for a guy like this seems pretty harsh. Who knows if there was any interest out there in him at this point? It doesn't seem he wants to retire and he also probably doesn't want to sign for a team that has no chance to win it so he leaves it open in a statement. At 37 the grind of the whole season is probably too much for just about anyone to still be fully productive come playoff time.

 

Agree with the last part.

 

And his frustration was evident vs Boston.

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?Taking a break? is more apropos for a 18-19 year old who hasn?t played as much as the NHL schedule requires.

 

37? I get the physical and mental challenge and he has demonstrated his professionalism to this point. Question is, ?Do I continue to play ?team? or has this become about me?? It cannot be both IMO.

 

Retirement is a tough call for anyone who still feels they have something to contribute. A team sport requires that you show up. If you can?t or don?t want to then it?s time to face the music.

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“Taking a break” is more apropos for a 18-19 year old who hasn’t played as much as the NHL schedule requires.

 

37? I get the physical and mental challenge and he has demonstrated his professionalism to this point. Question is, “Do I continue to play ‘team’ or has this become about me?” It cannot be both IMO.

 

Retirement is a tough call for anyone who still feels they have something to contribute. A team sport requires that you show up. If you can’t or don’t want to then it’s time to face the music.

 

It can be if the way he serves the team best is by taking half the year off, being fresh for the post season, half a season cap hit, etc.

 

I also don't know why a 18-19 year old would need to take a break in September...Maybe in March?

 

Per fletch's point...

If you're Carolina, do you want him back for the last 20-40 games of the season. Is the answer different if you ask the players, coaches, or management?

I bet they'd take 40 games of Williams over 80+ of him, and then dead for the playoffs.

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@Pete -- I wasn't suggesting that a young man needs off in September but he might need time off in the spring due to the grind.

 

Yeah, not I'm not really on board with the notion of sitting out now to play later. CAP hit or not, it just seems like a new wrinkle to manage the roster and we might see other teams exploiting this (to me at least) loop-hole. #notafan

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@Pete -- I wasn't suggesting that a young man needs off in September but he might need time off in the spring due to the grind.

 

Yeah, not I'm not really on board with the notion of sitting out now to play later. CAP hit or not, it just seems like a new wrinkle to manage the roster and we might see other teams exploiting this (to me at least) loop-hole. #notafan

 

Other teams have been doing this forever haha. Mike Fisher did it last year with Nashville. It happens all the time and usually mgmt is aware.

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@Pete -- I wasn't suggesting that a young man needs off in September but he might need time off in the spring due to the grind.

 

Yeah, not I'm not really on board with the notion of sitting out now to play later. CAP hit or not, it just seems like a new wrinkle to manage the roster and we might see other teams exploiting this (to me at least) loop-hole. #notafan

 

I can't imagine a decision like this ever being management driven. It has to be the player's decision first and then, depending on how the team is doing, the team's decision. If the Rangers somehow find themselves to be in a position of a serious contender come February or March, wouldn't you want to sign Williams just for what he's historically done in the playoffs? Especially without having to give up assets.

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I can't imagine a decision like this ever being management driven. It has to be the player's decision first and then, depending on how the team is doing, the team's decision. If the Rangers somehow find themselves to be in a position of a serious contender come February or March, wouldn't you want to sign Williams just for what he's historically done in the playoffs? Especially without having to give up assets.
Why wouldn't management want to pay half a year and cap hit to get the best of a Justin Williams without feeling obligated to give him a letter or dress him every night.

 

Not sure it's DRIVEN by mgmt, but I have to think they're OK with getting deadline pickup without sacrificing picks.

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Management would certainly benefit from it but there are so many unknowns at this point of the season where I don't think they're approaching him with this scenario. I think Williams has to come to this decision first and then feel out the organization to see how receptive they'd be to it.

I think he's making a great move for himself if he truly wants to play again. I'd imagine quite a few playoff contenders would be interested in adding him late.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

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Management would certainly benefit from it but there are so many unknowns at this point of the season where I don't think they're approaching him with this scenario. I think Williams has to come to this decision first and then feel out the organization to see how receptive they'd be to it.

I think he's making a great move for himself if he truly wants to play again. I'd imagine quite a few playoff contenders would be interested in adding him late.

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

 

Gotcha. Agreed.

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