"I think it made me play a little more fearless knowing that I could play through that kind of pain and still have success."
Oh, the difference a year can make.
At his 2023 end-of-season media availability, Seth Jarvis appeared dejected by the campaign that was, answering the first question by saying, "I know I can bring a lot more to the table."
Going on to say that he wanted to bulk up in the offseason and add to his goal-scoring output the next time around, he laid out a clear set of objectives for himself.
How'd those work out?
Check, check, and check.
Jarvis certainly brought more to the table this past year, taking a massive leap forward in just about every area of his game.
Adding nine pounds of muscle before returning to Raleigh, he nearly doubled his 2022-23 season production, springing from 39 points to 67. Well surpassing his own hopes of reaching the 20-goal club for the first time, #24 blazed his way past the 30-goal mark too, finishing with 33.
His responsibilities also grew in important situations.
Two seasons ago the 2020 first round pick played a grand total of just 12:49 on the penalty kill, eighth among all forwards on the team. This past year? A whopping 165:15, trailing only Jordan Staal up front.
In the dot, Jarvis jumped from taking just 26 faceoffs to 352, with 127 of them coming while down a man.
One of the Canes' most important players this season, Jarvis ranked close to the top of the league in several NHL Edge metrics.
With a shooting percentage of 18.5%, #24 landed himself in the 98th percentile among all forwards. Using his speed to put himself in a scoring position quite often, he recorded 192 bursts between 20 and 22 mph, placing him in the 95th percentile.
"I was proud with the bounce back [season]... Being able to capitalize more [was nice]," Jarvis self-reviewed. "It felt more natural again to score. Coming from junior, scoring, losing it a bit, then being able to find it again and have success was really good for my confidence."
What makes all of the above even more impressive is that Jarvis played about 75 games with a torn labrum and rotator cuff, something he revealed at exit interviews.
Wearing a jacket-like contraption (medically known as a Sully brace) under his shoulder pads for most of the season, the third-year pro battled through and continued evolving.
"It's almost like having that little injury in the back of my mind freed me up a little bit. Just because I knew if I could play through this, I could block a shot or whatever and I'll be okay. I think it made me play a little more fearless knowing that I could play through that kind of pain and still have success."
Jarvis' head coach was impressed with what the blossoming forward contributed, given the circumstances.
"He had a good year," Rod Brind'Amour raved at this year's end-of-season press conference. "What I like about Seth is that he's getting better. He's willing to get better. You see the progression. I think there's still another level for him to get to. That's a real bright spot for our organization."
The Manitoba product agreed that he thinks there's even more to offer next year.
"I think there's a lot of levels to reach. I don't think I've scratched much of the surface," he continued. "I think there are so many things in my game that I want to improve and need to improve."
Citing the defensive side of his game as one of the areas that he'd like to keep growing, his comments came just one day after it was shared publicly that he had finished eighth in Selke Trophy voting.
"You just can't say enough about this guy... He's something else," then-President & General Manager Don Waddell reviewed at the end of the season. "Watch how he plays. Forget about the status of his size, if he's got a chance to go get that puck, it doesn't matter who is going to take him out, he's going to get it first. Every game he just amazes me. He's got big kahunas. He's a guy that you want to continue to build your team around, that's for sure."
If the Canes do in fact want to continue to build their team around Jarvis, he's going to need a new contract this offseason. With the two most likely scenarios being either a shorter-term bridge deal or a long-term deal that locks him in for seven or eight years, AFP Analytics (@AFPAnalytics) has laid out the below as two possible projections for Jarvis:
- 3 years x $6.3M AAV
- 7 years x $7.8M AAV
"That's something we're going to have to figure out," Jarvis answered when asked about the situation at the end of the season. "Obviously, it's going to come down to what they want to do with me here and what they see fit. I've never been in this situation before, so it's new. We'll feel it out a little bit, talk to people in my circle, and hopefully be a Caniac next year."
