Player Preview: Adam Pardy

Adam Pardy was signed by the Jets following a few journeymen seasons which seen him play for the Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabres in the NHL as well as their AHL affiliates in Texas and Rochester.

Pardy was brought in to give the Jets some depth defenders. Interestingly enough, Pardy was part of a solid 3rd pairing with Keaton Ellerby. It was assumed however though that Ellerby was the driving force on that pairing and Pardy’s re-signing was questioned by fans once again.

As a guy who watched the Jets from a far previously, the biggest thing of importance for Adam Pardy was when some drunken fan ripped his helmet off his head. Yep, that’s the biggest headline from Pardy’s 2013-14 NHL season.

Haha, that still makes me laugh. At least Pardy will be in some fan’s memories, just not for his playing heroics.

The last time Pardy scored a goal in the NHL it was in 2010-11 with the Calgary Flames. The good news for Pardy is that team’s don’t expect him to produce on the score sheet, as long as he helps prevent opponents from doing the same.

Pardy’s Corsi numbers have been as high as 55.8% (with Calgary in 2010-11) and as low as 44.4% (with Buffalo in 2012-13). It’s anybody’s guess who the real Pardy is, but one can rest assure that his best work is usually unnoticed. 

I have Pardy pencilled in as the 7th defenseman, but I strongly believe that he will lose that spot to one of Ellerby, Morrissey or Kichton as the season goes on. While Pardy has a one-way contract, the price is only $700,000 for the following season. 

You can’t expect much of stay-at-home defensemen in the point production side of things, and as long as he doesn’t sport a plus/minus rating of -15 or worse, then the player has a place in the league. Since plus/minus is becoming a less intriguing statistic due to the storm that is advanced-analytics, so his Corsi numbers will be tracked a lot closer.

I really expect Pardy to be toiling in St.John’s by season’s end, and am predicting he suits up in only 35 games for the Jets. Let’s give him four assists during that time before he heads off to the east coast.

Pardy could also end up being dealt for a late round draft pick to give hims chance to stick with another club. There’s always one or two NHL teams that need to add to an injury-riddled defense and Pardy could find himself a spot somewhere.

1.    
Why was Pardy signed and Ellerby let go (at the
time)?

Ellerby was finally re-signed later in the
off-season to a two-way deal, but many believed Ellerby was a better choice
than Pardy. The mystery that is the Jets management have become notorious for
their head-scratching signings. The fact is, Pardy is an NHL veteran and those
guys tend to get deals when it seems like they don’t deserve them. That’s the
only logical explanation I can find.

2.    
What does Pardy have to offer the Jets?

Well, to be blunt, he can play 10-14
minutes in the NHL and be average.  He’s
likely headed for either AHL duty, or will likely never have a top-six spot in
the NHL again. The number seven job on an NHL team is ripe for a 30 year-old
defenseman who has only 260 NHL games to his name.

3.    
How does Pardy’s season play out?

He’ll start as the 6th defenseman
before Clitsome is fully healthy and then sits in the pressbox for a while.
Brenden Kichton and Keaton Ellerby get sips of coffee in the NHL and Pardy
finds it harder to get into the games. Eventually Pardy is sent to St.John’s
where he plays decent and is dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes who prepare to
tank for Connor McDavid. Just a guess.