ThirtyONE

Was it 4 days ago that they were at the top of the entire league? I know some of that is smoke and mirrors but there's probably only one team in the league that hasn't had some luck in their rise to the top. They're miles ahead of the rebuild curve. We were hoping for 8th to start the year and now we're hoping for 1st. Stay the friggin' course. Bring in a body or two that could help them this April, but the team's foundation has been built. Smith is a decent option because he's (presumably) cheap and skilled. I'm fine with slightly more expensive players like Pavelski too. But, to me, this is the beginning. The main pieces of the roster are here. Every following season should be like this one: rentals come in and out, revolving around the main group of guys who are here right now. While that happens, Kakko and Lafreniere will either become stars or not, and if not, they'll remain cost effective until they're not. I think with a C and RW, this team could surprise some people. If they can't get either, they can still get some valuable experience this April

Seems delusional if he's being serious. He's 41. Hasn't played in 10 years.

Pavelski is top of my list. Giroux would be nice but I can't see that happening. Don't need D.

I hate the devils more than any other team. Never hope for injuries, but I'm not crying. The fucking excuses that those fans pull out of their asses are insane. I was recently told the Devils rebuild is going better than the Rangers because the Rangers gave up on the rebuild while the Devils remained committed. I wont be sad when they finish in the bottom of the league again.

I'm not sure who you're getting for a 3rd pair who's any better. I think Nemeth has been very solid. Tinordi does stink. Hajek has been fine. Lundqvist and Jones are the same (both NHL players IMO). So, again, we're talking about upgrading Nemeth, who just signed for 3 years. I don't see it happening. And again, who's an available, affordable, 3rd pair dman?

I don't like this rationale. "The team's not supposed to be this good so don't go for it" is basically what you're saying. You literally never know when you have a good chance to make a run. You hope to build yourself a decent sized cup window so you can make a run for 15 straight years but that doesn't happen by just sitting around and waiting for it. The team is set for the next 4-5 years. Go get two or three rentals and give it a crack. What's the worst that happens? we've been talking about dealing from strength for 3 years now and it still hasn't happened. Seems like nows as good a time as any. Vegas wasn't supposed to go to the final in Gallant's first year either.

Defensive help doesn't really make sense so I guess my question is: does Arthur Staple know anything?

Most people laughed at the changes made during the summer so to your point, the team is mostly the same, if not slightly worse on paper. They certainly didn't become more skilled. Theres a lot to be said for how GG handles his players. How he instills confidence and builds guys up. How he sees the game as a team game, not giving credit or blame to any one player. It's obvious the mentality of this team has changed drastically between coaching staffs. The proof is in the record.

I think the 2nd line right now proves that the Rangers are a proper C and RW away from being a powerhouse. Just imagine: 1) The Rangers land a center to play 3rd line with Lafreniere and Goodrow. 2) Rangers also make a move for a skilled RWer who can either play 1st line with Zibanejad and Kreider and move Kakko back with Panarin and Strome (who had a lot of success) or play RW with Panarin and Strome himself. That would create a monster team. And depending how the rest of the season shakes out, that would be a legit contender (assuming those two players are upgrades at their position)

There's one person asking if they're better without Panarin and I think the rest of us assume it's a joke question.

It's you.

They've been pretty damn consistent this season. That's why they are where they are. They need a RW and probably a 3C to move into legitimate "contender" status but for right now, I think we can all settle for "very good."

Rangers = Good Seems like the players are starting to believe. Strike up the bandwagon.

Why wouldn't we want to trade for actually good players?

I don't want to change the direction of this threat too drastically but if we were able to lock up Strome for under 6, bridge Kakko, and bring in someone like Toews to be 3rd line center along with another RW -- I think we're actually contenders as soon as next season. We're not far away. Just need to get our feet wet this year.

Goodrow? Reaves? They have vets that have been there. Multiple guys have rings. Experienced vets aren't the issue. The issue are inexperienced kids which can only get experience by doing it. Making the playoffs would be a massive step for this organization and this core of youngsters.

Funny because in the Arizona GDT people were saying that W felt like an L, to which I say, that W probably was an L the last three years. Points are points, no matter how they get them. Style means nothing. Winning games and learning how to win is very very important (see Buffalo Sabres). No matter where they end up in the standings, so long as it's 8 or higher, this season would be a success. No matter how they do in the playoffs, even if it's a sweep in the 1st round, this season would be a success. Because you can build off those things. You can learn how to win "better" once you know how to win at all. So, contender? No. But they're vastly improved and they don't need to be a true contender yet. Deadline day will be interesting to see what Drury makes of it.

I agree the talent could be spread but they do have the #6 PP in the league so I mean it's not necessarily a problem that needs fixing. I'm a Kakko stan though so I'd love to see him keep that net front spot. I would lose Strome and replace him with Panarin who likes to dish more than shoot anyway.

The hot start is amazing considering they're likely to come back to earth (and have done so in the last little stretch of games here). They're a playoff team but they're not cup contenders and that's part of the reason I'm not super excited about buying rental players as of now -- but we'll see where things land closer to the deadline.

I think Gallant gets credit for giving his players confidence. He gives them a lot more leash than basically every other coach here in recent memory - not just Quinn. But that said, Trouba deserves the credit for his game. He's the one out there making it happen. I didn't realize he had his name chanted, but I think that's well deserved. He's been a monster all season long. Paired with last season's collapse when he went out of the lineup, I think he's clearly ramped up his game to a new level and I love the kind of player he's become.

I guess they aren't gonna win every game... shame. It sorta felt like they were.

The team's good. It's built for what looks like sustained success with players who are only going to get better. I'm not selling kids for Patrick Kane or any other vet for that matter. I think there's an argument to be made for a rental but again Kakko and Lafreniere aren't going anywhere for a rental. So do I want Kane? No. We're one of the best teams in the league without him. I'm not interesting in shipping roster players. A better fit can be had for less.

Well this is really easy to say, isn't it? "Shit asset management" generally just means the GM didn't do what you the fan wanted him to do. Buch was undervalued. Georgiev was overvalued. Reaves was overvalued. Blackwell was undervalued. I mean, it can be said about anyone. People said two 2nds was too much value for Fox... Seems to me that the asset is only as valuable as the market dictates. No one wanted Georgiev for two summers in a row. They felt like they could use him as a backup more than they needed a 3rd or 4th round pick.

Yeah I agree. This is a bad look. He's simply not a backup goalie. He doesn't have the mindset. Whether or not he has the actual skills to be a starter, is another question. I think not, but I guess we'll see at some point when he's traded. He's more upset about his own playing time than the team's place in the standings. It's very high school goalie of him. This is the NHL, son. You're lucky to be here at all. This is another reason why Kincaid should be here. Whether or not he's better than Georgiev is debatable but he's a better teammate.

The player who have been on IR this season haven't been on very long. Let's hope this is the same.