BrooksBurner

So what? Lavi should be worried about best matchups, not questions from the press if they lose. Are Rempe’s 6 min a game against Washington why they won all 4 games?

3-1-1 against playoff teams not named the Islanders. 0 games for reference against the Canes. 13 of those wins were against non playoff teams. The fact Rempe is super fun to watch against the Devils of the world doesn’t mean he’s the reason for the wins in that stretch. There should be legitimate concern he’s not a good enough skater against the Canes, and that Lavi didn’t trust him in the 3rd periods against a bad team like the Caps will leave the bench short. Especially if we start getting into OT games. Part of that isn’t Rempe’s fault. I think Lavi is scared the refs have targeted him and doesn’t want penalties at critical times.

Have to see if Rempe even plays…this is kind of an anti-Rempe matchup here.

It says hello to your wife

Deleted?

That was a sickening loss

Just running down the list: Special Teams: Even (2 years ago: Rangers, modest edge) Depth: Even (2 years ago: Canes, big edge) Faceoffs: Even (2 years ago: Canes, big edge) Physicality: Even (2 years ago: Canes, modest edge) 5v5: Canes, big edge (unchanged) Goaltending: Rangers, big edge (unchanged) Scoring Talent: Rangers, slight edge (2 years ago: Rangers, big edge) Coaching: Even (2 years ago: Canes, slight edge) I think the Rangers completely closed the gaps on depth/faceoffs/physicality/coaching, and the Canes closed the gap on special teams and narrowed the gap on scoring talent w/ the Guentzel add and progression of Jarvis/Necas. The Rangers were sizable underdogs two years ago and Igor stole it. This time around is a closer matchup in every department except two, and those two haven't changed at all from 2 years ago: 5v5 and goaltending. We talk all of the time about how the Rangers shouldn't pay Shesterkin his next contract because it's not how you build a Cup winner, and that teams should spend the money on the rest of the team because if the team is playing the right way at 5v5, then the goalie matters less. The reason for that is that, more often than not, great 5v5 play matters more than paying a great goalie. The Canes have that edge. They will have the puck in the Rangers' end of the ice more in this series. They will generate more chances, and they have a more cohesive forecheck. This is all pretty guaranteed to happen. This is why the betting odds will favor the Canes, and it should, but it's not a lock. The Rangers will need Shesterkin to be the difference again, and he's capable.

Head says Canes in 6, maybe 5. Heart and hope says Rangers in 6, maybe 7.

Well you’re just wrong on both accounts here. There are plenty of examples, but the premise you started with that Kreider’s position on the PP has anything to do with Lafreniere is honestly just nuts. I don’t know of any teams who put their first overall picks in front of the net on the PP, in a position where the puck isn’t on their stick to create chances and take shots.

I wonder what the trade offers were like. I think we all assumed a 1st and a B prospect. So a pick in the 20s and we would have watched Kreider post 40 goals a year elsewhere. That would have been so brutal. Gotta give Gorton some props for sure for that decision. It wasn’t an easy one.

Lafreniere’s main problem didn’t have anything to do with opportunity. It is evident that it was pretty solely related to his physical training. Zibanejad and Panarin block Lafreniere on the PP because those are the positions he would be playing. Kreider blocks…Will Cuylle as a big net front presence I guess? No biggie.

Yeah I remember being in the trade Kreider boat given where the team was at, but the train of thought leading up to it was that he was going to get mid-7s on a long term extension. I think pretty much everyone was a bit surprised to see the 6.5 per, and that was before he became one of the best bonafide first line goal scoring wingers in the league. He’s been performing at roughly a $9m pay rate for 3 years now. Incredible.

Hard to disagree with him