RangersIn7

Well…. That’s also a part of the conversation that perhaps you are maybe missing/ignoring/devaluing etc. Perhaps for different reasons. So let’s talk about Chris Glider, shall we? Over the exact same circumstances … 3 seasons and number of games Paired with Mika, same EVERYTHING. Kreider has 238 games, 126 goals, 201 points, and is plus 58. Hes been the leagues best net front guy in that span. On a top PP. While also being a primary PK guy. Has a 50 goal season. Has a 35 goal season Approaching a 40 goal season. And he’s contributed in the playoffs too. Hes not dragging Kreider. Theyve worked well together. Kreider is a massive reason why they’ve been successful.

I think theres also some other significant stuff that gets completely lost when it comes to Mika. You can talk about the ES stuff till you’re blue in the face. But let’s take it all into consideration. And I’m talking over the last 3 years. Over the past 3 seasons… The Rangers have won 152 games and counting. Mika has played 240 games and counting and has 240 points and counting. 94 goals and counting. So he’s been a Point per game player as the 1C on a team that wins 50+ games over 3 seasons. And as much as we harp on his lack of ES production or whatever, he’s +68 in that span. And doing it while he’s playing 20 minutes per night against other team’s top players. Wanna talk about special teams… ok. Let’s talk. Over the last 3 seasons, the Rangers have basically had a top-5 PP and a top-5 to top-10 PK. Over that time, Mika has acted as their primary C on their top PK unit, and the primary shooter/trigger man on their top PP unit. He’s logged huge ice time on those special teams units, and that ice time comes vs the other teams best players when they’re killing a penalty and vs the other teams top defenders when they’re on the PP. Obviously other guys contribute to those units and their success. But he’s right there, in the mix, in a MAJOR ROLE on units that have been extremely successful. His two-way, all situation, production and effectiveness has been excellent and a primary factor in the success they’ve had. We can’t act like his contribution on special teams doesn’t count. Or make a huge impact. Cause it does. Being a great player and finisher on the PP is a hugely important and skill. He has it. Being a great penalty killer is a wonderfully important and useful skill. He has it. Playing +68 hockey in 20 minutes a night over 3 seasons, despite not having overwhelming numbers at ES while playing vs top players is tremendous. He’s a fantastic player and the best C we’ve had since Eric Lindros or Mess. Look at everything. Or you’ll miss the picture. Stop looking for McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews, Crosby, etc. Hes not that. Only those guys are that. He’s outstanding

Crush their hopes tonight! LGR!

I have the little one put on my Leetch jersey. That seems to work pretty well. Little girls in giant hockey sweaters seem to bring luck.

I get what you’re saying. And to be fair, I’ll say that while I absolutely think Mika is a true 1C, he’s not in the same tier of 1C’s as MacKinnon, McDavid, Matthews, and a few others, but rather is just a step below them. But put and view it all in context: They are about to set a franchise record for both wins and points in a season… Win a division title Potentially win the Conference and the President’s Trophy. And will go into the playoffs as one of the favorites to win the Cup. It hasn’t effected them. And let’s be real. He’s drawn a good deal of assignments this year and played big minutes vs top players on the other side. Which has helped the Panarin-Trochek-LaFreniere line a lot. And it’s also helping the Cuylle-Wennberg-Kakko line too. That line especially. Even when they aren’t scoring. They’ve been excellent and look at the matchups they draw cause Mika and CK play a ton vs the other teams top line. His deployment may actually have something to do with that, but hard to quantify. He’s approaching 30 goals and 70 points, In an off year. Playing 20 minutes per night. And is a plus player by a good margin. It hasn’t hurt them at all.

This is true of and for every team. In every sport. In order to win a championship, you need your best players to play their best in the biggest spots in the most important games.

St Louis is doing just fine there and I think he’s got a real future in coaching.

With Troy McClure? I remember him from such films as “Dial M for Murderessness” and “The Wackiest Covered Wagon in the West.”

They’re getting a lot more of the two-way role shifts lately. FWIW… In the 2 games vs Colorado this year… Zib and CK drew MacKinnon and Rantanen a lot it seemed and did well.

If your top-6 forwards, top-4 D, and your goalie do not play well… yeah… you aren’t winning a Cup. Thats true of any team. They are all in the same boat. Even historically good teams with no observable weaknesses are vulnerable to the indiscriminate weakness of bad luck…. Look at Boston last year… You really believe Florida wins that series if Bergeron doesn’t get hurt, misses 4 games in the series, and clearly plays hurt in the other 3?

What do you want bro? To not have any anxiety going into the playoffs? Have zero possibility of losing? I bet that Colorado is worried that someone might shutdown or win a matchup vs MacKinnon in a short series (which happens). Because they need to have their top 3 forwards play 20+ minutes a night to beat people. I bet Florida is worried that they might have to play Toronto, cause that’s not a friendly matchup for them. I bet Boston is worried due to their lack of depth at C. I bet Winnipeg is worried cause they don’t have enough high-end talent up front. I bet Dallas is worried cause their forwards aren’t the greatest defensively and Oettinger has been meh this year. No team is super dominant. Especially this year. You go in and play and take your chances.

Another game they should win. LGR!

They need that line to go come playoff time. Trochek’s line is going to draw top defenders every shift. And their depth will be fine. But they need Mika’s line to be productive.

That’s an even bigger mistake… and one I understand even less. Anyone who has watched the Pens over the last 15+ seasons should know that they’ve had their biggest successes when they had deep teams, not being top heavy. I guess my point is that if you’ve got a team that already has star power up top, maybe that big chunk of cap space you’re about to use on 1 player is better spent on multiple players.

Toronto sealed their own fate for the better part of a decade when they signed Tavares. Nothing has changed in that span.

He didn’t play for a month. So yeah. There’s gonna be that.

He’s progressing still. There’s more there and more coming.

Tough one with this one tonight. Wings are fighting for their lives. LGR!

Seth Jarvis couldn’t hold his French Canadian wang.

It’s not that simple. He needed physical maturation. He needed reps And experience And perhaps greater opportunity. He also needed TO SEE. He didn’t see prior. He sees now.

Kakko is consistently good every night. Just not in the ways we want or think he should be. Hes gonna be fine. And looking more and more like he’s poised to put it together.

Yes. And all fair. Seems though, maybe more than anything, it was the strength side of it. Particularly as it related to his skating, but still about strength. Again, he may not have had the capacity at 19 or so that has now 3 years later to add some strength and mass. Clearly he needed some assistance and the right trainer and program and to do the work. He’s done that and it’s paying off and he’s only 22 and improving.

I was hoping the building collapses with both teams in it.

He clearly needed to get stronger in some areas and work on and improve in some areas. That takes effort which he put in and it takes time too. Your body at that age is still growing and developing in ways. Your capacity at 18-19 isn’t what it is at 21-22. He also needed to play more.

Yeah. Honestly just a bad stretch of about 10-12 minutes there with some breakdowns. I give the Devils credit in that they came in pretty hard there and really used their speed and skill. They got those chances and potted them on some very nice plays and finishes. But they tightened up and got it screwed on straight and got the win.