Jump to content

RodrigueGabriel

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4,107

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    30

 Content Type 

Posts posted by RodrigueGabriel

    2019 NHL Entry Draft / KAKKO SZN

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    I think, for me at least (and the title of this thread says it all), after NJ got the number one pick we all assumed Kakko was our guy. He's kind of become "our thing." Like I was convinced that watching him in this tournament would be the equivalent of watching a player already in our farm system, especially after Hughes' performance over the past month. Kakko couldn't help but feel like a bit of a consolation prize, somewhat soured by NJ getting Hughes because, as we all know, we're never allowed to be truly, truly happy. That said, we all kind of had our hearts set on Kakko.

     

    That said, Jack Hughes has had a date with destiny as the #1 overall pick since he was 15. I have legitimately been hearing his name for three years already, and anyone who monitors non-professional hockey will agree with me I'm sure. The latest CSS rankings have them firmly as #1 and #2, at least prior to this tournament. Before this season started, it was Jack Hughes and then everyone else in the draft. Even last year when we whiffed on the lottery and actually ended up moving down (I was foolishly hoping that we'd actually end up with Dahlin), I was hoping against all hope that the greatest US-born player since Patrick Kane would end up wearing a Rangers jersey. It just seemed so perfect after all the shit we've been through and our efforts to, nonetheless, play it straight and not tank.

     

    If you had told me last summer that we'd be getting Jack Hughes as long as I didn't ask any questions, I'd have become a mute. Now, however, there's a genuine question of whether he truly is the best player in this draft. Kakko is dominating against men whereas Hughes dominated against boys. Kakko has size and looks to be more NHL-ready.

     

    Honestly I go back and forth, but mainly the place I'm at mentally is where I started after the lottery happened (albeit with some obvious ups and downs based on recent developments): we quite literally cannot lose. Either we get the chance to draft a franchise center like we've NEVER drafted in almost a century, or we get a big, physical complete package winger that has done the impossible in changing the minds of many scouts regarding Hughes' unquestioned status as the best player in this draft.

     

    Truly, either way, this year's lottery was arguably the best thing to happen to this franchise since June 14, 1994.

    Very eloquent description of where we're at. Poignant even.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    2019 IIHF World Championship

    in Hockey Around the Globe

    Posted

    Thinking Kakko just might be more ready to play against men than Hughes. He'd probably have more of an immediate impact than Hughes, until Hughes fills out.
    That's very possible. Just learned that Kakko is 3 months younger. It's also possible that he could get bigger (spoken as someone who grew 2 inches after high school). Scary.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    2019 IIHF World Championship

    in Hockey Around the Globe

    Posted

    Not me. We can't lose, be it Kakko or Hughes. But my last post came at the moment that his 3rd goal went in yesterday. While an empty-netter, his evasive move on the defender was a thing of beauty and it seemed in that instant incomprehensible that any GM with full faculties that wants to keep his job would not take Kakko withthe 1st pick. Hughes could come back today and score 5 goals and it's a new ballgame. But man, 24 has been impressive.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    2019 NHL Entry Draft / KAKKO SZN

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    You may be right on. Even some of the most positive write-ups for Podkolzin depict him as an innately - even insanely - talented lone wolf that isn't particularly concerned with being liked or getting along. I definitely get the sense that he's a mixed bag.

    Rangers Acquire D Adam Fox from CAR for 2019 2nd Rounder, 2020 Conditional 3rd

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    On the leverage issue, both in the Canes development camp last spring and again in December Fox said that his goal was to get to the NHL as soon as possible. In Dec, he put it in context of not just wanting to play for the Rangers. (I know the common wisdom was that he only had eyes for MSG, but that's at least not what he said.) https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl/carolina-hurricanes-very-confident-they-can-sign-adam-fox/ar-BBQOw8k He didn't want to go back to Harvard and he apparently didn't want to get in Carolina's long and robust D queue. It is not inconceivable that someone else might have made a better offer that would guaranteed that Fox was on an NHL rink come October. I think it would have seriously tempted fate to have turned up our nose at acquiring his rights now, evenfor 2 2nds. I wouldn't say the Canes had no leverage. It wasn't much, but there was some and if we wanted to lock him up, now was the time.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    Rangers Acquire D Adam Fox from CAR for 2019 2nd Rounder, 2020 Conditional 3rd

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    I'm cautiously optimistic. Through good luck and some good moves, the rebuild is getting far enough along that we need to start moving from quantity to quality. Despite the fact that Fox himself went #66 in the 3rd in 2016, the willingness to use 2nd rounders represents a shift in that direction. Seems like a very good player, but how much quality we got is to be determined. "Hobey Baker Finalist" is now the equivalent of a good citizenship award or some other warmed over pablum for me based on the fact that they gave the whole freaking award to Vesey in 2016.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    Rangers Rebuild Centered Around Tricky Artemi Panarin, Kevin Hayes Pursuit

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    Got a link to an article?
    I saw something a couple weeks ago which struck me and I'll try to run it down. But Sean McIndoe made fun of it this week in the Athletic in his article "Finding Positive Thoughts For Non-Playoff Teams." Positive note #3 for the Hawks was, "Let's face it, they're signing Artemi Panarin this summer," which I read as a sarcastic take on the optimism that has been out there in CHI.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    Vacation Thread

    in The Bar Room

    Posted

    Unlikely. They will start a re-building project that will take almost as long as the original one, due to lack of the proper building skills and debates over funding.

     

    Salma Hayek's husband just pledged $113m to a rebuild, with more likely to come from other places. At least they'll be arguing over how to spend the money instead of how to get it.

    2019 NHL Entry Draft / KAKKO SZN

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    Just out of curiosity , does that number exceed the number of people who feel Hughes is the number 1? And how close has it become? I know the gap has closed fairly significantly, but how wide is it now?

     

    Can't speak for GM's, who are really the only ones that matter, but I have a spreadsheet of 12 different prospect raters. 11 of them have Hughes at #1, but several were done in January. We'll see if that changes as they are revised and finalized pre-draft, but there is certainly a current of opinion to swim against to pick Kakko first. (NHL Central Scouting gets to punt on this one because they separate N America and everybody else.)

    Rangers Rebuild Centered Around Tricky Artemi Panarin, Kevin Hayes Pursuit

    in New York Rangers

    Posted

    And what Pete originally said, there will be more opportunities in ny than Florida. Choosing to believe otherwise is trolling, at this point.
    Is Panarin and his people are strategic, raising his profile in hockey terms could result in endorsements that play in Russia. Ovechkin is on millions of pizza boxes in Putinland. NYC is certainly a better place to do that than is Columbus, and probably better than FL.

     

    Sent from my [device_name] using http://Blueshirts Brotherhood mobile app powered by Tapatalk

    Igor Shesterkin

    in In The System

    Posted

    I haven't seen anybody raise the issue of why in hell the team itself played much better for Georgiev than it did for Hank down the stretch. Hank wasn't great, but even faced with Quinn trying to get him 20 wins they came out flat and uninspired against Ottawa. Then they went and got 3 points in the last two playing fiercely against tough teams in front of Georgiev. What was that about?
×
×
  • Create New...