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Not Unthinkable: Buying Out Hank


Sod16

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We have two good young goalies and a 38 year old entering the last year of his contract at the end of the season. We will not get much of a return on Georgiev at the moment if we trade him. Keeping Sheshty and Georgie lays a foundation for a fabulous tandem in an era when tandems are coming back. At a minimum, it provides assurance that we will have at least one excellent goalie in the future. No one is going to want the last big year of Hank's contract, even with some retention, and he's not amenable to being traded. It all adds up to the cold possibility that buying out the last year of Hank's contract is the most viable option. I hate to trade Georgiev just so Hank can have one last year here. Does Hank's status foreclose this? It shouldn't. Anyone signing a nine year contract has got to recognize that the last year might be bought out. Bathgate was traded for prospects. Giacomin waived. Gilbert forced into retirement in the middle of the season. Messier not re-signed etc. The Devils had to cut the cord with Marty B. Some will cry "dead cap space," but $9 million for a 39 year old goalie in his last year is de facto dead cap space even if he's here. In the expansion draft, Sheshty is exempt, Georgiev can be protected, and a stooge with an NHL contract can be left unprotected.
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Nah, it's unthinkable. He's the face of the franchise. You don't buyout the face of the franchise when he's already shown a willingness to reduce his work load and give up runway to heir apparent(s). He was given this contract in good faith and it should be honored the same.

 

The simplest solution is to trade the the probably overperforming backup, then platoon Hank and Shesty. None better than Hank for the Prince to learn from anyway.

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I'd rather pay 8.5M to let Hank go out how he wants while playing 30-35 games and being a mentor and leader on the team, than 5.5M to tell one of the franchise's legends to go away. Is that really worth saving 3M? No way.

 

Not to mention the decades of stink such a move would waft over the franchise. Penny wise, pound foolish.

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It's not like Henrik is some .887 goalie who can't stop a beachball. What are we one month removed from his epic 45 save performance in Carolina?

 

I swear the second another goalie shows competency in a Rangers uniform Rangers fans start screaming "DAE THE END OF HANK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

 

We always knew the last few years of his contract would be tough to bear, but honestly it's going way better than expected.

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Not to mention the decades of stink such a move would waft over the franchise. Penny wise, pound foolish.

 

Right. What does that tell their current young players who may be admired like Henrik one day, if they don't show some loyalty until the end. Especially when it's not like he's bad. He's still good. He's just not top 5-10 good anymore.

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It's not like Henrik is some .887 goalie who can't stop a beachball. What are we one month removed from his epic 45 save performance in Carolina?

 

I swear the second another goalie shows competency in a Rangers uniform Rangers fans start screaming "DAE THE END OF HANK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

 

We always knew the last few years of his contract would be tough to bear, but honestly it's going way better than expected.

 

Yes. This.

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Right. What does that tell their current young players who may be admired like Henrik one day, if they don't show some loyalty until the end. Especially when it's not like he's bad. He's still good. He's just not top 5-10 good anymore.

 

"Thanks for all the years. Go fuck yourself."

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Talbot wins a couple of games, get rid of Hank. Raanta wins a couple of games, get rid of Hank. Georgiev wins a couple of games, get rid of Hank.
I bet the reason Geiorgi is so good is the same as with Talbot and Raanta....we have Allaire as a goalie coach....look what happened after both were traded, the teams were not able to get the same out of them that the Rangers were.

 

To buy out Hank would send a bad message to anyone else who thinks about closing out a career here who started here.

 

He is healthy at his age, no real issues that older goalies usually have like groin problems and yet he does his best given the defensive system in front of him.

 

Had we had a coach like Trotz who plays his D first system, Henrik would probably be in Vezina conversation at this moment. He cannot do what he used to as far as steal games day in and day out, but he is a capable goaltender.

 

The organization owes it to him to honor their end of the contract.

 

NYCKrash......LGR

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I don't really think Georgiev compares to Talbot and Raanta in any way besides being backups.

 

Talbot and Raanta were both 26 when they backed up Lundqvist on what were still competitive Ranger teams. That's not to discredit their performances but Talbot had a team in front of him that went to a Stanley Cup final and then a conference final. Phenomenal as he was in that stretch that he started at the end of 2015, he was still on a Presidents Trophy team. Raanta, while the rosters in front of him were not as good, was one meltdown of a playoff series away from being on another pretty successful team. The teams that Talbot and Raanta played for had structure and experience.

 

Georgiev was 12 days past turning 21 when he first backed up Lundqvist and has consistently done so on some of the worst Ranger teams of the last 15 years. Since making his debut he's still been one of the youngest goaltenders in the league and shown considerable growth in many of his outings, sometimes besting some of the best teams in the league. There's considerably more room for development in Georgiev, and there has been, than ever was possible for Talbot or Raanta. Never mind that both of them were soon to be UFAs while Georgiev is just now having his ELC expire.

 

Georgiev has more value to both the Rangers and other organizations than Talbot or Raanta did. This isn't Mackenzie Skapski stepping onto a Presidents Trophy team and shutting out Buffalo. Let's stop pretending like it is.

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I don't really think Georgiev compares to Talbot and Raanta in any way besides being backups.

 

Talbot and Raanta were both 26 when they backed up Lundqvist on what were still competitive Ranger teams. That's not to discredit their performances but Talbot had a team in front of him that went to a Stanley Cup final and then a conference final. Phenomenal as he was in that stretch that he started at the end of 2015, he was still on a Presidents Trophy team. Raanta, while the rosters in front of him were not as good, was one meltdown of a playoff series away from being on another pretty successful team. The teams that Talbot and Raanta played for had structure and experience.

 

Georgiev was 12 days past turning 21 when he first backed up Lundqvist and has consistently done so on some of the worst Ranger teams of the last 15 years. Since making his debut he's still been one of the youngest goaltenders in the league and shown considerable growth in many of his outings, sometimes besting some of the best teams in the league. There's considerably more room for development in Georgiev, and there has been, than ever was possible for Talbot or Raanta. Never mind that both of them were soon to be UFAs while Georgiev is just now having his ELC expire.

 

Georgiev has more value to both the Rangers and other organizations than Talbot or Raanta did. This isn't Mackenzie Skapski stepping onto a Presidents Trophy team and shutting out Buffalo. Let's stop pretending like it is.

 

This is true. At the same time people (not you) need to top thinking Shesty is just some goalie prospect.

 

Shesty broke into the KHL at 18. At 21-23 he established himself as one of the best goalies in the history of the league. 2nd in GAA, T-3rd in SV%, T-7th in shutouts. Those are career ranks. 80 wins to 19 losses. People said it was because he played on a good team. Well 15 games into his NA career he leads the AHL in GAA and is 4th in SV%. He has taken the Pack from the bottom of the conference to the top. No matter how good Georgiev has been, Shesty is the goalie of the future.

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Agreed, he is, but it's worth lengthening out the Georgiev sample size if you think he's a legit NHL starter, which I do.

 

Nobody has a gun to our head, yet. Gortons comments the other day seem to suggest that Shesty will have to wait his turn.

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