What is Mark Jankowski?

[DiracSpike]

GioforPM
Hah.

The funny thing is, there aren’t a whole lot of players taken afterwards that have done any better (especially round one). It wasn’t a great draft year.

If memory serves the logic behind the Flames trading down that year was they thought they could profit off of being the smartest guys in the room about Jankowski into additional draft capital and take the guy they wanted all along later. The next five picks after the Flames original slot in order was Ceci, Wilson, Hertl, Teravaianen, Vasilevski, it's pretty tough to know we skipped over all five of those guys to draft Jankowski. Any of those guys would be a great investment of a mid first round pick today, and it's not totally using the benefit of hindsight since it's five picks in a row immediately after, odds are good we might have taken one of them.

[Vedder]

By this stage of his pro career he needed to make the appropriate changes to his body and game to sustain himself as a depth NHLer. Hasn't happened.

He is still weak on the puck, doesn't use his size effectively, and doesn't really have one part of his game that stands out. His shot might be his best asset, but that doesn't help when you can't get in the position to use it.

I am also at a loss about why he is still around. Perhaps there is hope that he could be a value chip in a bigger trade, and sitting him in the press box / waiving him doesn't help that cause.

[Poe969]

The fact that they missed on Vasilevski really hurts. I remember watching the draft really wanting them to take him since he was the top rated goalie. That draft sucked for so many reasons.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Poe969

The fact that they missed on Vasilevski really hurts. I remember watching the draft really wanting them to take him since he was the top rated goalie. That draft sucked for so many reasons.

That draft was so embarrassing as a Flames fan. I knew we were circling the drain with that brain trust as soon as they publically proclaimed him as the next Joe Nieuwendyk. The rest of the GMs must've been mocking us so hard for that one. Best player in the draft lol. Basically calling the previous 20 GMs stupid for passing on such a stud.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Hah.

The funny thing is, there aren’t a whole lot of players taken afterwards that have done any better (especially round one). It wasn’t a great draft year.

Probably the worst Top 10 draft ever, and the best 11-20.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by DiracSpike

If memory serves the logic behind the Flames trading down that year was they thought they could profit off of being the smartest guys in the room about Jankowski into additional draft capital and take the guy they wanted all along later. The next five picks after the Flames original slot in order was Ceci, Wilson, Hertl, Teravaianen, Vasilevski, it's pretty tough to know we skipped over all five of those guys to draft Jankowski. Any of those guys would be a great investment of a mid first round pick today, and it's not totally using the benefit of hindsight since it's five picks in a row immediately after, odds are good we might have taken one of them.

Right - I forgot they changed positions. Bad.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

I feel awful about him, he showed so much promise last year and really did well in a PK role. Not sure how things went this bad for him. Especially since he proved all the doubters wrong when he was picked. But its clear that he is not he same player as last year

His prior 2 seasons were both promising, especially his last one. And that includes a Gulutzan season before that. I'm as disappointed as anyone in his play. But he's not the first player to suffer a stats-drop in their 3rd NHL season and won't be the last. I'd still give him an extra year to see if he can regain his past form. He's still only 25 and has I believe a year left on his contract to prove himself worthy of staying.

It's one thing if he never ever showed any glimpses of being an NHL caliber player. But he clearly demonstrated he was the past 2 seasons so I'm willing to be a bit more patient with him. 1 point all season seems to be an outlier and not the norm.

Unless we're fine with throwing away players who are in the midst of having a bad season after 2 good ones? We've seen it with Brodie and Gaudreau recently. Can't wait to see how people feel about trading away Tkachuk or Lindholm when they have a down year. That'll do wonders when trying to sign players here .

[GreenLantern2814]

I really wish we'd give this kid a look with the extra man before completely cutting bait on him.

Jankowski last had a PP goal in his rookie year. He had five shotorties last year, and he produced 7 more points and took his +/- from -7 to +6.

And yet he's never been given any meaningful time on the powerplay.

Jankowski doesn't play with talented players, doesn't play on the man advantage, and was part of an aborted trade that became public.

Fair enough if anyone wants to argue that he should have more than one point. But he's been very poorly handled, this year especially. 7 SH goals should buy you some Goodwill from the coach and some powerplay minutes.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I really wish we'd give this kid a look with the extra man before completely cutting bait on him.

Jankowski last had a PP goal in his rookie year. He had five shotorties last year, and he produced 7 more points and took his +/- from -7 to +6.

And yet he's never been given any meaningful time on the powerplay.

Jankowski doesn't play with talented players, doesn't play on the man advantage, and was part of an aborted trade that became public.

Fair enough if anyone wants to argue that he should have more than one point. But he's been very poorly handled, this year especially. 7 SH goals should buy you some Goodwill from the coach and some powerplay minutes.

There are like 10 better forwards than him on the roster. There's no room to be gifting him pp time to make him feel better about himself The 6 SHG was clearly an aberration. He's as likely to never score another shorty as he is to put a year like that up again. Not trying to diminish his pk ability, because it is good, but people focus on his shorties too much, it's not repeatable.

[nik-]

The biggest "mishandling" of Jankowski this season is that he's played 35 games.

He's done nothing to deserve more opportunity.

[Eric Vail]

I'm not sure how an ability to score short handed correlates to being good on the power play. I don't think there is any connection.

Jankowski is a bottom six player, and this season is worse than that. If he can't be productive in a bottom six role, he won't be in the NHL for long.

I'm hoping for a bounceback from him.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

I'm not sure how an ability to score short handed correlates to being good on the power play. I don't think there is any connection.

Jankowski is a bottom six player, and this season is worse than that. If he can't be productive in a bottom six role, he won't be in the NHL for long.

I'm hoping for a bounceback from him.

Jankowski will be in Rieder land next season. He will be 26 coming off of a nearly pointless season.

I can't imagine many teams will be willing to pay him more than the league minimum. Personally, I wouldn't hate it if the Flames signed him for a two way league minimum contract for one year, my guess is that he will be a PTO somewhere.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Vedder

By this stage of his pro career he needed to make the appropriate changes to his body and game to sustain himself as a depth NHLer. Hasn't happened.

He is still weak on the puck, doesn't use his size effectively, and doesn't really have one part of his game that stands out. His shot might be his best asset, but that doesn't help when you can't get in the position to use it.

The part of his game that stands out is his defensive positioning and his stick checking with his long stick.

Originally Posted by Vedder

I am also at a loss about why he is still around. Perhaps there is hope that he could be a value chip in a bigger trade, and sitting him in the press box / waiving him doesn't help that cause.

I am at a loss as to why people think he needs to be moved so badly. I mean he's expendable but he's not actively hurting the team. Why wouldn't he still be around? I don't see any better candidates for 4th line centre given the current lineup construction.

Why would we sit him regularly or waive him? That would suggest he's been incapable of doing his job but he's been fine for the most part.

Are people really trying to suggest that the 4th line centre should be only judged on points? Because that's a really poor metric to try and sum up their play.

This Jankowski obsession continues to be a head scratcher. It's almost like people get personally offended when our prospects don't reach their full potential and they can't stand the sight of them anymore. Gotta get them out of here at any cost! Waive em! Bench em! trade em for peanuts!

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

I am at a loss as to why people think he needs to be moved so badly. I mean he's expendable but he's not actively hurting the team. Why wouldn't he still be around? I don't see any better candidates for 4th line centre given the current lineup construction.

Why would we sit him regularly or waive him? That would suggest he's been incapable of doing his job but he's been fine for the most part.

Are people really trying to suggest that the 4th line centre should be only judged on points? Because that's a really poor metric to try and sum up their play.

This Jankowski obsession continues to be a head scratcher. It's almost like people get personally offended when our prospects don't reach their full potential and they can't stand the sight of them anymore. Gotta get them out of here at any cost! Waive em! Bench em! trade em for peanuts!

Typically, I am a huge player sympathizer, and I will admit, I like 4th liners who can kill penalties. I don't think that Jankowski has lost the Flames any games, that said, he hasn't helped them win any. Also, I would love it if he turned his season around.

Be that as it may, Jankowski is, at best, a replacement level player. He plays with what appears to be very little intensity, and his production is non existent. The bottom line is that the Flames need players who move the needle. Someone like Hathaway, for the most part, did not score goals. But he was involved, he killed penalties fore checked hard, stood up for teammates and made the most of every minute he was given until he was a full time player worthy of a 4 year contract.

Jankowski does not play like a hungry player, outside of a few low quality shots and drive by stick checks he is a non factor. That is why I think he should be sat, because his draft standing, and previous seasons can only make him entitled to so many games. Constantly, we see the Flames seemingly ' not give a ####', and no one is more emblematic of that then 77. Bennett at the very least showed signs of frustration and tried his guts out to contribute in other ways. Maybe, if he sits for 5 straight he will play like is career is on the line, because it is.

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by DiracSpike

If memory serves the logic behind the Flames trading down that year was they thought they could profit off of being the smartest guys in the room about Jankowski into additional draft capital and take the guy they wanted all along later. The next five picks after the Flames original slot in order was Ceci, Wilson, Hertl, Teravaianen, Vasilevski, it's pretty tough to know we skipped over all five of those guys to draft Jankowski. Any of those guys would be a great investment of a mid first round pick today, and it's not totally using the benefit of hindsight since it's five picks in a row immediately after, odds are good we might have taken one of them.

It's easy to forget of the move down, we always hear of the Olli Maata 'miss' that turned out to not be such a miss, but the Ceci, Wilson, Hertl, Teravaianen, Vasilveski picks are forgotten about.

https://flamesnation.ca/2012/06/23/f...-21st-overall/

And what did the Flames get for that 42nd overall?

Patrick Sieloff


One of Ceci, Wilson, Hertl, Teravaianen, Vasileski

or

Jankowski + Sieloff

Thank Feaster...for all the accolades he got for picking Gaudreau, we seem to forget the bad picks.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Typically, I am a huge player sympathizer, and I will admit, I like 4th liners who can kill penalties. I don't think that Jankowski has lost the Flames any games, that said, he hasn't helped them win any. Also, I would love it if he turned his season around.

Be that as it may, Jankowski is, at best, a replacement level player. He plays with what appears to be very little intensity, and his production is non existent. The bottom line is that the Flames need players who move the needle. Someone like Hathaway, for the most part, did not score goals. But he was involved, he killed penalties fore checked hard, stood up for teammates and made the most of every minute he was given until he was a full time player worthy of a 4 year contract.

Jankowski does not play like a hungry player, outside of a few low quality shots and drive by stick checks he is a non factor. That is why I think he should be sat, because his draft standing, and previous seasons can only make him entitled to so many games. Constantly, we see the Flames seemingly ' not give a ####', and no one is more emblematic of that then 77. Bennett at the very least showed signs of frustration and tried his guts out to contribute in other ways. Maybe, if he sits for 5 straight he will play like is career is on the line, because it is.

Yeah he's replacement level. He's also playing on the replacement level line, the 4th line.

He has been sat. Asking for him to sit for 5 straight makes it seem like you have a grudge against him. If he's our best 4th line centre shouldn't the coach dress him because he's our best option there?

I don't see the problem. Not sure why the sight of him being dressed offends some of you. Well I guess I do know, it's a combination of lack of intensity, lack of physicality and lack of points. Despite all that, he's still a capable 4th line centre who is solid defensively. He rarely hurts the team.

Replacement level players don't need to be replaced unless they're playing at sub-replacement level and he's not.

One thing I don't understand is the need to find a whipping boy and then just attack and attack them. Bennett last year was just hated on. This year Janko is getting a lot of disproportionate hate. Expectations should be coupled with role. Jankowski is not one of the biggest disappointments this year and yet if you only read this board and didn't watch the Flames you'd think he was.

[Hoop27]

I'd like to move him to the wing, get him a VCR and a bucket of tapes of Tim Kerr and suggest he try to emulate that style.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I really wish we'd give this kid a look with the extra man before completely cutting bait on him.

But then what? He becomes a quasi-power play guy who is useless 5 on 5? I'm not sure that salvages anything for the team, other than getting Jankowski a few extra points on the pp.

[Firebot]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

One thing I don't understand is the need to find a whipping boy and then just attack and attack them. Bennett last year was just hated on. This year Janko is getting a lot of disproportionate hate. Expectations should be coupled with role. Jankowski is not one of the biggest disappointments this year and yet if you only read this board and didn't watch the Flames you'd think he was.

Last year Neal was the whipping boy and rightly so.

Jankowski has 1 point in 35 games and around 10 minutes TOI a game.

He's number 736 in the NHL rankings for point per game played...only player worse is Cale Fleury who is a defenceman and had a goal. Both have a 0.03 point per game rating.

Jankowski has no business being in the NHL right now.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Yeah he's replacement level. He's also playing on the replacement level line, the 4th line.

He has been sat. Asking for him to sit for 5 straight makes it seem like you have a grudge against him. If he's our best 4th line centre shouldn't the coach dress him because he's our best option there?


I don't see the problem. Not sure why the sight of him being dressed offends some of you. Well I guess I do know, it's a combination of lack of intensity, lack of physicality and lack of points. Despite all that, he's still a capable 4th line centre who is solid defensively. He rarely hurts the team.

Replacement level players don't need to be replaced unless they're playing at sub-replacement level and he's not.

One thing I don't understand is the need to find a whipping boy and then just attack and attack them. Bennett last year was just hated on. This year Janko is getting a lot of disproportionate hate. Expectations should be coupled with role. Jankowski is not one of the biggest disappointments this year and yet if you only read this board and didn't watch the Flames you'd think he was.

You raise a few good points here. I agree that he does get a disproportionate amount of 'hate' in relation to his responsibilities. Like I said, he isn't losing the Flames any games, but just because he isn't hurting the team does not mean that he is helping them.

Scoring has been a huge issue for the Flames. 2.8 goals per game average places them in the bottom 8 in the NHL. Where as shots against, and goals against per game the Flames are above average. In that sense, the Flames need more players who score then they need 'shut down guys'. On that note, it's not like Jankowski is out there facing the top 1 or 2 lines or even number 1 power play, if the Flames can help it. He is playing defence against 3rd and 4th liners. But to your point I think that Jankowski has been the Flames biggest disappointment this season, other players ( who are albeit more important) are only a little below average in their production. Jankowski is way - off the charts- below average in his offensive production in a year that the Flames need it the most. That only makes this more frustrating is not his draft position but his age. The man is 25, in the middle of his 4th pro year. That is prime time, he should be pushing to be at least a 3rd centre after a 17 goal season.


I think the only reason he hasn't been a healthy scratch more often is because the Flames hardly have a player they can call up to fill his position. Which might be another reason he is at the tail end of so much frustration. This is, from a prospects standpoint, a win now team. I agree, Jankowski shouldn't be a whipping boy, but he is, if only because there is no one to slot in as a replacement.