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The Athletic: What to Expect from Each Metro Team in the Offseason


Gravesy

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New York Rangers

2018-19 Record: 32-36-14, seventh in division

 

Projected Cap Space: $21 million

 

Notable Free Agents: Pavel Buchnevich (RFA), Brendan Lemieux (RFA), Connor Brickley (UFA), Neal Pionk (RFA), Anthony DeAngelo (RFA), Fredrik Claesson (RFA)

 

Potential Free Agent Targets: Jordan Eberle, Artemi Panarin, Jeff Skinner, Matt Duchene

 

Best Fit: Artemi Panarin. Yes, he?d fit with the Rangers, just as he would be a fit for the Islanders. Chances are the Rangers, especially jumping up in the draft lottery to get the second-overall pick, will be a more attractive destination for the big city-seeking Panarin.

 

Outlook: Looking for a boost to their rebuild, the Rangers didn?t need to look any further than the machine that spit out the ping pong ball that gave them the second-overall pick at the NHL Draft. With New Jersey expected to take Jack Hughes with the first pick, the Rangers will almost certainly take Finnish sensation Kaapo Kakko, an elite offensive talent who should find his way into the top six for opening night next October. The 6-foot-4 winger has elite tools and knows how to use them and immediately creates an unexpected buzz. Kakko doesn?t guarantee a pass to the top eight in the Eastern Conference next spring, but he will bring some much-needed elite skill to a lineup that is heavy on role players and bottom-six forwards. The Rangers tied for 23rd in the league in goals per game and were 26th in 5-on-5 scoring, so Kakko, along with Russian forward Vitali Kravtsov, the ninth-overall pick in 2018 who signed his entry-level deal this spring, will get a chance to quickly assume prominent offensive roles for the Rangers.

 

Assuming an upward arc for Ryan Strome, the continued evolution of scrappy Brendan Lemieux and the addition of Hobey Baker finalist Adam Fox, and this is a Ranger team that seemingly overnight looks to be knocking at the door. Fox is a critical piece of this new wave. The Harvard star has an excellent chance at being in the Rangers? opening night lineup and could be the next franchise power play quarterback and puck-moving stud and will be a nice counterpoint to mercurial but talented defender Tony DeAngelo. One source close to the team said Fox will make fans think of Hall of Famer Brad Park, a defender who will think his way through you as opposed to blowing past you with raw speed. Both DeAngelo and Fox are right-handed shot defenders.

 

Throw in the emergence of young netminder Alex Georgiev and the news late this spring that goaltending prospect Igor Shestyorkin would also join the Rangers from the KHL, and all of a sudden a process that looked to require significant patience has taken on a much different tenor. As much as Henrik Lundqvist has been the face of the franchise since the 2004-05 lockout, the past couple of years provided an uncomfortable truth that the baton needed to be passed and Georgiev?s play ? he turned in a 2.91 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 33 appearances and was the de facto starter by the end of the season ? merely reinforced that notion. Along with Shestyorkin?s pedigree, it suggests the Rangers? future in goal is bright post-Lundqvist and that future might arrive sooner than later with Shestyorkin expected to start the season in the AHL.

 

The infusion of youthful talent does create a ripple effect. Fox?s arrival throws into uncertainty the future of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who is under contract through 2020-21 with an annual cap hit of $6.650 million. The 30-year-old has a limited no-trade clause and it?s hard to imagine a team taking on the contractual burden straight up, so either the Rangers sweeten the pot with assets or eat some salary, or both. Bigger question: is there room in the Rangers? top six or seven for Fox, Shattenkirk and Neal Pionk given the relatively slight stature of all three right-handed shot defenders? Does GM Jeff Gorton use his considerable cap space and plethora of young talent to lure a top-end scorer to the fold, someone like Artemi Panarin? Lots of potential Plan Bs if Panarin ends up elsewhere, like in South Florida, including New York area neighbors Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee.

 

Finding some veteran ballast (and talent) would seem to be key for Gorton in his free agent shopping, especially if he can find a right-handed shot given the team?s preponderance of left-handed forwards. As one source close to the team noted, with Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh and others having left the fold in recent years, keeping an eye on the leadership quantity and quality is important as well, even with Mika Zibanejad assuming some of that role.

 

Let?s not overstate things here. This is still a team that is very young down the middle. Heck, they?re young everywhere. The clock continues to tick on Lias Andersson, the seventh-overall pick in 2017. But if there were continuing growing pains on the ice for the Rangers it appears they have found the perfect tonic behind the bench in coach David Quinn who stepped seamlessly into one of the most demanding jobs in the league. ?He?s the Rangers? most important free agent addition,? one longtime executive and scout said recently. ?He?s a today coach through and through, he?s a communicator.? But he also makes players accountable.

 

Of course, the draft lottery wasn?t the only news the Rangers made as longtime GM and current team president Glen Sather announced he was stepping down. This created a flurry of rumors about who would replace the Hall of Famer, including Columbus executive John Davidson.

 

https://theathletic.com/966329/2019/05/15/nhl-offseason-outlook-what-to-expect-from-every-metropolitan-division-team/

 

I think he's probably over cooking how far along the Rangers are in the rebuild, regardless of signing Fox and getting 2OA. I would probably tone down the idea of this being a roster "knocking on the door" just a little bit.

I'm also not crazy about the idea of going after Lee or Eberle should the Panarin move fail. Not crazy about it at all.

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I think he's probably over cooking how far along the Rangers are in the rebuild, regardless of signing Fox and getting 2OA. I would probably tone down the idea of this being a roster "knocking on the door" just a little bit.

I'm also not crazy about the idea of going after Lee or Eberle should the Panarin move fail. Not crazy about it at all.

Why? How much worse than the Islanders or Blue Jackets do you think the Rangers will actually be next year? Pitt and WAS are slipping, Philly and NJ are both still going to suck next year. I guess it depends on what you mean by "knocking on the door," but there's no reason they can't flirt with the playoffs next year.

 

I don't think they go after any of those guys. The Rangers are going to go Panarin, offer sheet, or bust in the FA market. Though I do think Duchene makes a lot of sense, if his price reasonable.

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Gravesey. could you post the rest of the metro as well. i can't bring myself to pay for the atlantic.

 

thanks,

 

I'm sorry, as per forum rules we don't allow that. Excerpts only. Thanks

 

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http://www.blueshirtsbrotherhood.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_rulebook

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Why? How much worse than the Islanders or Blue Jackets do you think the Rangers will actually be next year? Pitt and WAS are slipping, Philly and NJ are both still going to suck next year. I guess it depends on what you mean by "knocking on the door," but there's no reason they can't flirt with the playoffs next year.

 

I don't think they go after any of those guys. The Rangers are going to go Panarin, offer sheet, or bust in the FA market. Though I do think Duchene makes a lot of sense, if his price reasonable.

They weren't much worse this season, until the deadline.

 

I think Gravesy means the guys havent played a second in the NHL. It's a lot to expect 5 teens to jump onto the team and make an immediate difference, while also assuming Strome, Zibanejad and Lemieux continue to improve upon last seasons performances.

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Why? How much worse than the Islanders or Blue Jackets do you think the Rangers will actually be next year? Pitt and WAS are slipping, Philly and NJ are both still going to suck next year. I guess it depends on what you mean by "knocking on the door," but there's no reason they can't flirt with the playoffs next year.

 

I don't think they go after any of those guys. The Rangers are going to go Panarin, offer sheet, or bust in the FA market. Though I do think Duchene makes a lot of sense, if his price reasonable.

Well I just think it’s a bit early to assume 4 kids with a combined zero minutes of ice time in the NHL are going to be the catalysts in making up a 20 point deficit. It’s possible, by all means, but it’s equally likely to be another year of development. I also think Strome’s production is unsustainable and Lemieux’s production tailed off badly.

As per now it’s a full season without Zucc and Hayes as well.

If Panarin comes it’s a different story, but right now I’d say arguing Fox, Kravtsov, Kakko/Hughes and Shesty immediately turns the team from playoff no hopers to playoff contenders is jumping the gun a little bit.

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This team will be fun to watch next season and probably the one following but it?s hardly a contender and won?t be until the guys drafted last year and this year have more experience.

 

Even with signing panarin, getting rid of Smith and shattenkirk Which are big IFs this team still has a lot of holes and question marks. I also think it?s detrimental to think this way.. let these guys gel and form a team let?s stop expecting them to go from 6th worst nhl team to contender over night.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

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We've not had raw talent like this throughout the lineup since the 90s. Panarin aside, I am in no rush to sign anyone outside the organization to big time money. We will need cap space down the road. The list of young, talented players is long, and I have never been more excited.
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Well I just think it’s a bit early to assume 4 kids with a combined zero minutes of ice time in the NHL are going to be the catalysts in making up a 20 point deficit. It’s possible, by all means, but it’s equally likely to be another year of development. I also think Strome’s production is unsustainable and Lemieux’s production tailed off badly.

As per now it’s a full season without Zucc and Hayes as well.

If Panarin comes it’s a different story, but right now I’d say arguing Fox, Kravtsov, Kakko/Hughes and Shesty immediately turns the team from playoff no hopers to playoff contenders is jumping the gun a little bit.

Oh, well yea I agree with that, in general, but I think natural growth of some players (Buch, ADA, Lias, Chytil, Howden) will make the bigger difference. Where Kakko and Krav make a difference is that, even if they aren't super productive, they can hold the puck on their stick. I don't think the Ranges' forwards get enough criticism for how shitty they are at just holding onto the puck. Their ability to do that makes them immediate upgrades in the middle-6 over Fast, Vesey, Strome, Lias, and Howden last year. The ripple effect is that the defense looks a lot better, and guys like ADA, Fox and even Shatty & Pionk are far more able to be first-pass and transition players than just get throttled in their own zone.

 

I also don't really think that the jump from being a 78-point team to a 98-point team is that drastic. I think there's a far greater difference between 70 and 90 or 95 and 115, especially when so many of the teams above the Rangers are going to decline.

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Oh, well yea I agree with that, in general, but I think natural growth of some players (Buch, ADA, Lias, Chytil, Howden) will make the bigger difference. Where Kakko and Krav make a difference is that, even if they aren't super productive, they can hold the puck on their stick. I don't think the Ranges' forwards get enough criticism for how shitty they are at just holding onto the puck. Their ability to do that makes them immediate upgrades in the middle-6 over Fast, Vesey, Strome, Lias, and Howden last year. The ripple effect is that the defense looks a lot better, and guys like ADA, Fox and even Shatty & Pionk are far more able to be first-pass and transition players than just get throttled in their own zone.

 

I also don't really think that the jump from being a 78-point team to a 98-point team is that drastic. I think there's a far greater difference between 70 and 90 or 95 and 115, especially when so many of the teams above the Rangers are going to decline.

 

Whomever they wind up with at #2 overall makes a large and immediate impact IMO. We’ve seen it so many times in the past. And both those players are in the same mold of the guys who’ve done it previously

 

Kravtsov May take a little time

 

The only way they could conceivably make the 20 point jump from lottery team to playoff team would be with not 1, but 2 huge FA adds. And I do t know how viable a possibility that is.

I can see adding Panarin or Karlsson

Harder to see them adding Panarin AND Karlsson

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I'm really looking forward to seeing these kids and actually rooting for them next year!!! Looks like they're trying to make the right moves and I'm back on board this year. Once we get out from under some of these old vet contracts, I think the ride is going to be a good one!! ....and for a while too!!!

 

Fuck it....it's Friday....Raise a glass....or in my case, several!!!! :cheers:

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The only way they could conceivably make the 20 point jump from lottery team to playoff team would be with not 1, but 2 huge FA adds. And I do t know how viable a possibility that is.

I can see adding Panarin or Karlsson

Harder to see them adding Panarin AND Karlsson

The Isles jumped from 80 to 103 and LOST their best player.

 

20 points, for a team in the Rangers' position, is attainable through chemistry and simply buying into a strong system as much as it is through acquiring better players.

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If they sign Panarin and their restricted free agents they are looking at Panarin, Zibs, Kreider, Buchnevich, Chytil, Kaako, Lemieux, Strome, Kravtsov, Andersson, Howden, Fast, Vesey & Names as forwards.

With Skjei, D'Angelo, Staal, Fox, Hajek, Shattenkirk, Smith & Lindgren on D.

Should be an improvement on last years squad.

Think some combination of Vesey, Names, Pionk and or Shattenkirk will be moved though.

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Tell me when Ovechkin and Crosby are in serious decline and I'll tell you when the Rangers window is open. I think the Penguins and Capitals are still the class of the Metro and this playoff year was an aberration. But looking forward to when the Rangers are a serious threat in the playoffs again.
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