Rosenvold

I think it's going to be a blast. Hoping for a straight-forward playoff with top-4 in each division battling out for a semifinals spot. Simplicity is always good.

The East division is going to be tough, sure, but also really exciting. For me, the tiers are:

A: Boston, Washington

B: Philly, Pittsburgh

C: Rangers, Islanders

D: Buffalo, New Jersey

But there's every chance for the Rangers to pop into the top-4. Very exciting times ahead.

I'm still worried that the Rangers rush players in from Europe or Juniors. Lias, Chytil and Kravtsov (and maybe Kakko) should all have been given at least one more year in Europe before bringing them over. It does them no favors to have them struggling and failing in the NHL insted of growing slowly in Europe. Why the rush? All it does is give the guys a dent in their confidence and adds to the pressure.

Hopefully, that lesson has been learned with regards to K'Andre Miller and Nils Lundkvist. Let them develop slowly and bring them in when they are truly ready. The NHL is not a good developing environment - but it's not meant to be either.

Have you seen the article from Anthony Scultore of ForeverBlueshirts, he an excerpt:

 

Bottom line is this, they Rangers may have $14 million in cap space but need to reserve at least $4-5 million for performance bonus for players on ELCs. And once they add Lafreniere, that number will rise.

 

 

If this is right then so much for entry level contracts when a 925k base gives you another 2.85 mil. or 2.65 mil. in bonuses.

Well, that's not quite true. Performance bonuses do count against the cap, but you are allowed to exceed the cap by 7.5 pct. for performance bonuses. That should be more than enough for the ELCs that the Rangers currently have.

I don?t think it?s fair at this point to look upon Kravtsov unfavorably, at least to not much of a degree.

I agree. But I think it is a shame that he was brought over so quickly and played in the AHL only to go back. It was unnecessary. Let the russian kids follow a natural trajectory and don't bring them over at all before they are dominating the KHL.

Remember that Panarin spent 5 years in the KHL after his draft year and Buchnevich spent 3 years there. Of course, you expect a top-10 pick to be ready sooner, but I think it's very good for him to stay in the KHL for another year or two and focus on his development.

Kravtsov and Andersson are obviously not looking like good picks right now, but the biggest mistake was perhaps to bring them over far too soon. That certainly didn't do those two kids any favors. Let them stay and mature and bring them in whenever they are ready.

You gotta give Hank a shot at this in one of the exhibition games.

This situation could be exactly the kick he needs to up his hunger and desire. Coming back for one last playoff push and proving all the doubters and haters wrong? That would be all the motivation I need, but maybe I've been watching too much of the 'Last Dance' :D

Hate to speculate on "mental health" but I'm skeptical to say the least. Mental health and feeling sorry for yourself are two different things and that's the vibe I've gotten from him all along. You don't breach contract because of mental health issues, especially after Robin Lehner's situation in which the NHL was overwhelmingly supportive.

I'm sure it's nothing like that. To me, it sounds like he has been really stressed and pressured in NY and eventually, he cracked from all the negative experiences and had to get away from everything.

For me, it's a lesson about not bringing these young guys over too early. It would have been way better to have Lias develop in the SHL and then get a year in the AHL while being eased into the roster. Being forced into the lineup at the age of 18 and then being dropped again and again was by no means helpful.

What?

He gave an interview in Sweden today and he didnt say this, from what I saw translated. He said it was a complex situation that he "could not discuss at this time". He also mentioned that he was nursing a lower body injury, but it was no big deal.

 

 

The link above (G?teborgsposten) is the original source and not wrong. It's an elaboration from the TV interview.

"Psykisk h?lsa" doesn't mean that he is mentally ill, but that he has been feeling depressed/stressed or whatever.

Word-for-word, Lias says this to G?teborgsposten:

"There has been many incidents that drew on me on a personal level, issues that left me feeling less than well mentally. Hockeywise, this may be an idiotic decision, but I had to consider my private life also"

"There is a more important career - and that is friends, family and my health. Hockeywise, we will see in a few years, but probably it wasn't the smartest decision if I want to play in the NHL. But hockey is played many places. Many think this is a hockey decision, but it's a decision for my health"

"H?lsa" could also be translated to "well-being" rather than "health" for nuances - neither English or swedish is my native language, so I hope it makes sense :)

1. Artemi Panarin

2. Mika Zibanejad

3. Ryan Strome

4. Adam Fox

5. Chris Kreider

6. Tony DeAngelo

7. Filip Chytil

8. Jacob Trouba

9. Jesper Fast

10. Alexander Georgiev -1

11. Pavel Buchnevich

12. Henrik Lundqvist

13. Brendan Lemieux -1

14. Ryan Lindgren

15. Brady Skjei

16. Brett Howden

17. Kappo Kakko

18. Marc Staal

19. Libor Hajek

20. Gregg McKegg

21. Brendan Smith

22. Micheal Haley

23. Steven Fogarty

When considering Kreider's pricetag, you have to consider the market. The demand for rental forwards is unquestionable - especially since Kreider is a well-rounded forward. Physical, can score, does PK etc. And then there's the supply of good UFA forwards for the rental market, which could be extremely narrow considering which teams are likely to be selling:

Chris Kreider

Tyler Toffoli

Michael Frolik

Wayne Simmonds

Vlad Namestnikov

Conor Sheary

(potentially some guys from Nashville, Florida or Edmonton if they are sellers)

Out of that bunch, Kreider looks like the top target in my opinion, which should drive up his price tag, especially since Hall is already gone from the market.

The biggest issue is the cap hit of next season.

Basically, the Rangers have 15-17M of cap space (depending on cap increase) to fill 9 roster spots. You can fill in Shestyorkin and Kravtsov plus a further 3 AHL/ELC guys. That's about 5M. Then you have 10-12M to resign or replace deAngelo, Kreider, Strome and Fast, who all hold trade value at the deadline. Therefore at least one of those four guys must be traded - it's as simple as that.

You could argue for trading both Kreider and Strome, although I doubt it. The forward rental market seems extremely thin this year, so their values could be high near the deadline.

It's an interesting question whether the Rangers bring in prospects too early - specifically Lias, Chytil and now Kravtsov.

Right now, the doctrine seems to be - "bring them in and then send them back or demote them" rather than "bring them in for Traverse, but only bring them to camp when they have proven ready in juniors/Europe".

If Lias and Chytil was only brought in this summer - would we view them differently? If Kravtsov simply had been given another year in the KHL without coming to camp - would we view it differently? Would it be better?

The fascination with DeAngelo by the Rangers fanbase is mind boggling. I don't question that he has talent, or potential, but he hasn't done fuckall to earn anything more than the Rangers want to give him.

Well, he did put up 52 points in his first 132 NHL games, including 30 in 61 last season.

In his first 130 NHL games, Jacob Trouba had 51 points (at age 19-21, admittedly). I know points are what they are, but it's gotta count for something.

I'd love to see a line-up like this:

1st: Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko (Reliable and comfortable landing spot for Kakko)

2nd: Panarin-Chytil-Buchnevich (Exploiting Panarin to get Chytil and Buchnevich going)

3rd: Namestnikov-Strome-Andersson (Two reliable, experienced guys that you can attach Lias or Kravtsov to)

4th: Lemieux-Howden-Fast (Potentially a very nice matching line)

Jonathan Toews (Born 1988)

Mikkel B?dker (First name Mikkel)

Mario Lemieux (1988 Art Ross)

Yeah, my first name pretty much kills this line :banghead:

Just to sum it up - currently, the Rangers have a cap hit of 82.4M. They need to fit under 81.5M (1M) and still need to re-sign Buchnevich (3.5M), DeAngelo (2M) and Lemieux (1M). Re-signing the three remaining RFA's leave the Rangers with 25 players on the roster. That means that two players will be sent to Hartford, clearing 0.7M-1M each, depending on who is sent down. That's 1.5-2M cleared.

So, by my calculations, the Rangers need at the very least to clear 5.5M to fit under the cap. Realistically, it's more likely in the 6-7M range. The realistic options seem to be:

1) Trading Kreider (4.6M)

2) Trading Namestnikov with 50% retention (2M)

3) Buying out Ryan Strome (2.7M, but hits with-0,6M in 20-21)

4) Buying out Brendan Smith (3.4M, but effect until 2023)

5) Buying out Marc Staal (2.8M, but effect until 2023)

6) Buying out Kevin Shattenkirk (5.2M, but effect until 2023)

Personally I go with 3+4 and perhaps 2 if possible. It really hurts to buy out a 2-year-deal in the middle of a re-build, but the only alternative is to trade Kreider. Buying out Shattenkirk helps a lot in year 1, but also sends a very bad message.

Alternatively, the ideal scenario would be to trade Namestnikov and Strome with no salary retained. The problem is that their salary is even higher than their cap, so it's not really attractive for Ottawa, Carolina etc. unless you strap them with a 1st or a top prospect.

50+ games played

 

what really hurts is picking that bust in the first round outside of that 80% hit rate

By those standards, Dylan McIlrath is as much of a draft success as Alexander Ovechkin. Both count as 1 in that statistic. Important to remember.

Anyway, nice graph and interesting numbers. How are 1st rounders counted? Average of all 1st round picks or only picks 15-31? The latter would be the most relevant, since lottery picks are so rarely traded.

I don't think I'd do that, but I'd flip him in a second for an older prospect, change of scenery, type player.

Depends on the prospect. Right now, Georgiev has upside as an NHL starter and those aren't easy to come by. He shouldn't go cheap and definitely not until Shestyorkin has proven his worth.

These things often have to do with momentum as well. Hughes started the season as the undisputed, Dahlin-style clear number one. Now they're neck and neck.

Certainly, if Kakko has a strong showing in grown-up worlds I could see him go first.

 

I'm actually warming to the idea that the 2nd pick is the best one in this draft. Have someone make the decision for you. Pick 2 will be a no-brainer either way.

I see your point, but hopefully Gorton doesn't care about hysterical twitter fans ;)

If Kakko lights up the Worlds, I agree that he could go first - otherwise I'm sure whoever is up there will go for the American franchise/generational center. You can't pass on that.

Don't disagree on the choice. But when fans hear the coach stand up after enough games and use words like "grit" and "edge" enough times and enough players a benched enough times for failure to display said qualities, you may not have to be a weatherman (or Scotty Bowman) to tell which way the wind is blowing.

That's a little too simple, I think. Coaches will always talk about "grit" and "edge" because that is what they can influence short-term through sending messages. You can't ask your players to skate faster or shoot more precisely - those are qualities that you work on long-term.

The only answer to the core thus far is Zibanejad, panarin, ek and the young guys. The young guys are years away from being anything to rely on. Most of them aren’t even rangers yet. The ones that are are all struggling. Which is expected but what are they?

That's why you need quality players around them to develop them properly. Surely, we want the young guys to be part of a competing team that can grow a winning mentality? Surely, we want them learning from the absolute best in the game?

The biggest issue for the re-build right now is the incredible pressure on the young guys coming over. You have already seen Andersson and perhaps Buchnevich struggle with the expectations and they are going to be even greater for Shestyorkin, Kravtsov and whoever they pick this year. It would be very, very healthy for this group of young players to have some stars to lean on and to take the pressure off them a little bit.

Besides, no-one is suggesting that the Rangers will be competing next year, even if they add Panarin and Karlsson. Look at Ottawa this year. They have done a heavy tankjob with a superstar like Mark Stone on the roster.

Panarain at $11m a year has a very real possibility of being a problem.

A problem?! How on earth could signing a world class winger suddenly be a problem? There is literally no sign that he will slow down or face injuries. All signs point to Panarin being an elite winger for the next 4-6 years.

In theory, which free agent should the Rangers ever sign by that logic? There are risks to any deal, but that does not mean you should never do deals.

A re-build is about selling your assets to bring in new faces, preferably world class talent. Here is a world class talent - and you would seriously turn him down because he would make the team too good too early?

People are seriously overthinking this and are way to focused on tanking. It's not about taking - it's about building a new world class roster.

Let's not overthink this. Panarin is a proven world-class player. He can re-envigorate the entire franchise and draw attention and pressure from Kravtsov, Chytil etc.

Cap space? Next year, the Rangers have more than 20 million worth of cap space. From 2020, that figure is 40 million. There are literally no cap issues to worry about.

The 2020 draft? Well, it's not like Panarin is going to make the Rangers a contender on his own. This year, Ottawa has pulled a very heavy tankjob with a guy like Mark Stone on their roster. And who knows whether that 4th overall draft pick is going to turn into Panarin anyway? That's not a given unless you are really lucky in the lottery and go 1st/2nd overall. Panarin is as close to a given as they come.

Term? Panarin has only played around 300 NHL matches and has shown no injury concerns. There is no reason why he shouldn't still be world-class in 6 or 7 years.