ThirtyONE

Rangers aren't gonna trade Georgiev in season. 

I loved it. Probably the best lineup an LA superbowl could have had and they crushed it. 

I dunno. Are the Rangers really concerned with a joke team/franchise/player who's in last place? Probably not. 

I know Blais is out for the year, and Reaves got the Slewbban treatment, but the Devils probably aren't even on their radar. Personally, I completely forgot about that incident. 

Reaves leads the league in hits and he's always looking to catch someone with their head down, but I doubt he purposely targets anyone. I don't see that as soft behavior either, like the Devil's season is over, why bother? It sounds like you're wanting revenge which also sounds like a suspendible offense. I don't see the point in going that far against a team that doesn't matter.

TBH, my interest has wained since the long Christmas break. That huge break coupled with the trip out west where I couldn't watch any games and this massive break, I basically haven't watched much hockey in 2 months.

I think it's pretty poor scheduling by the NHL but I'm not sure what the solution is.

Honest question: does anyone care about these anymore? 

2 hours ago, Pete said:

Pretty much this. Standing pat is obviously an option but would be amazingly foolish to do that.

 

Let's say for argument that the front office did't think this team was gonna do anything this post season...Too inexperienced, shitty at 5v5...Fine. There will literally never be another situation where you:

1. Have this much cap space
2. Know who you "can" part with (Krav, Nils, picks, etc)
3. Have "this" team in a sense of Kreider being 50G guy, Shesty being a Vez nom, Fox another Norris nom (this is a more likely annual scenario, but still)

When you add it all up, it's found money. The IRS just refunded you $10K, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, cuz you don't need it... buy that hot tub baby, there's no reason not to. Low risk, high reward potential.

I'm ready to run through a wall.

1 minute ago, Kick save and a beauty said:

Turning away from a hattrick in that last game was a really big deal IMO.  Good for the team on so many levels.

I wonder how much stock the team puts in him going to the ASG as well. You know, Mika had a chance to represent the Rangers and turned it down. Kreider has always attended. That might seem like a minor thing, but the captain of the team is more than just the guy who makes speeches, he has to be the face of the team in the media.

3 hours ago, Pete said:

In last games post presser he literally called himself a backboard for skill guys.

I'm so glad he's realized this. 

Funny how his contract went from a burden to a steal overnight. As far as the number retirement talk goes, I don't think there's any chance unless they win a cup. If they win a cup half the team's numbers will be retired.

5 hours ago, Phil said:

 

The problem is the third and fourth lines are still just where everyone else goes to hopefully find a role/place, like an island of leftover/misfit toys. They don't have an identity outside of the Rooney-Reaves duo, largely because Chytil is just a black hole of a player. Wherever he goes, he sucks ... everything into oblivion.

 

If the team is resigned to make Lafreniere and Kakko top-six RWs, fine, but the bottom-six should be carved out and well-defined. Any way you try, Chytil is the odd man out. He's big, but plays small, and undynamic hockey. And Barron probably isn't sniffing this roster in the playoffs unless he's the 13th forward.

 

Kreider-Zibanejad-Lafreniere

Panarin-Strome-Kakko
Lehkonen-Pavelski-Goodrow

Hunt-Rooney-Reaves/Gauthier

That's a playoffs lineup.

 

It also gives you a legitimate scoring threat in Pavelski to play outside your top-six, or even in it depending on how things shake out. Because Goodrow can play center just fine, so if things get tight, you can move Pavelski up to, say, Kakko's spot, move Kakko down to 3RW, and still go with a defensively responsible checking unit of Lehkonen-Goodrow-Kakko.

Yeah that's fair. And easier to acquire a 3 line wing than a 2nd or 1st.

So, yeah. I hear you and I like that.

I don't want Radulov. Guy's toast. 

I think what happens after break, and Vince said something similar, Kakko plays on the 2nd line where he actually looked good. Laf on the 1st. Hopefully that works and they only have to worry about getting a 3rd line center (Pavelski would be ideal).

Assuming Kakko and Laff work in those positions, that leaves you with:

Kreider Zib Laf

Panarin Strome Kakko

Goat/Barron/Chytl, Pavelski, Goodrow

Hunt Rooney Reaves

I like that roster, honestly. It's deeper than most.

1 hour ago, Phil said:

Friedman said on numerous shows — 32 Thoughts, Jeff Marek Show, etc — that this is "pretty much a done deal."

I get that but how can a professional league operate this way? I mean for 20(?) years that franchise has bene a dumpster fire and the NHL has propped them up, and now they're becoming the 2nd tenant in a college arena? It's shocking.

Everyone shits on Nemeth, Chytil, and Kakko - and it's warranted. But my god, the current lineup is brutal. Nemeth is miles better than Hajek and Jones. Chytil is miles better than Barron and who ever Brodsinsksi is. Kakko is better than literally every other RW. We're legitimately icing a preseason line up right now and when they go down in a game, it's hard to keep the faith.

I dunno how long some of these guys are supposed to be out, but we might lose out until the All Star break.  

I still can't ever seeing this happen. This would be so embarrassing for the NHL, I just can't imagine they would let it happen... 

Right?

Why is the lineup so horrendous. Who are we missing besides Kakko and Fox? 

Suddenly half the hartford wolfpack are playing in the NHL.

Love Dubi, love Torts. Probably because they have similar public-facing personalities. It's also no surprise then that they didn't get along.

12 minutes ago, Cr00zng said:

 

Oh, that's why tomorrow's game is starting @8, instead of @7. Note to self, tune-in to the game @08:15....

Pretty sure the ceremony is at 7

21 minutes ago, CBrowningPI said:

Stromes game is not made for playoff hockey. I truly hope I'm wrong and he excells in the playoffs but I just don't see it happening. Signing him could be a huge mistake if you're thinking of going deep into the playoffs.

What is this based on?

Brandon Dubinksy

I can all but guarantee Panarin will be the best player he'll ever play with in his career. As we've established, Panarin doesn't carry him, but it's certainly a beneficial partnership. I think if he holds out for more than what the Rangers are willing to offer and goes somewhere else, he'll be a disappointment. 

He is a Ranger. And he sort of has to be.

I'm a Jones hater. I don't see it working at the NHL level. Hopefully they trade him before everyone figures that out.

By the same logic, half the league is going to Montreal because their agent is the GM. 

Makes no sense. The more likely scenario is that Lafreniere has to get a new agent.

14 minutes ago, RichieNextel305 said:

The Rangers always do a good job with these nights. I’m real excited to see who from yesteryear will be there on Friday.

Hadn't even thought of this, but yeah! Should be an awesome show. 

2 hours ago, Sod16 said:

With 32 teams now, there are going to 6-8 real contenders at any given moment, and your year may just not happen.  You can have a team poised to win a cup, like the Rangers in 1997 and 2015, and then suffer too many injuries in the playoffs.  We'll see.  Filling holes becomes very difficult cap wise starting next year.  I think an objective oddsmaker might say we have a 45 percent chance of winning the cup in the next four years.

 

Rupp never says anything negative about anyone.  Every trade is good for both sides.  Things are looking up for just about everyone.   Blah, blah, blah.  That's state controlled NHL Tonight media.

Funny how someone can say something nice about the team we love and still be shit on, lol

4 hours ago, Pete said:

I don't know what "ahead of schedule" means when you're getting no contribution from your "rebuild" players. It's been veterans pulling most of the weight, then Fox and Shesty the youth movement...Lindgren, maybe throw Miller in...jury still out on Schneider.

 

But Chytil, Laf, Kakko, VK, Andersson, Howden, Hajek, Nils....the fruits of "the letter"...are not ahead of schedule or part of the success. 

 

I dunno man, I think you're looking at it the wrong way. Our highest-rated prospects are not producing yet and we're still 1st in the division. We still have a Norris winner. We still have a Hart and Vezina candidate. Our D is 2/3 "fruits of our rebuild" as you said. 

If Laf and Kakko can amount to anything, we'll only be better -- which again, we're in 1st. 

And if they don't they can be moved for someone who will, because they have enough pedigree that someone will want them.

We're ahead of schedule in that we bottomed out and bounced back in 3 years. I'm not sure if there are any other teams who've done this.

1 hour ago, Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc said:

A bit off topic, but anyone know what he's referring to? Nemeth has taken some time off for personal reasons this season, but any there any indications of it being anything really bad?

He's missed quite a bit of time, even got removed from the roster at one point. Not often you see someone step away for personal reasons let alone twice in a year. Hope he and his family are alright.