Drew a Penalty

2 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

Any trade for Connor McDavid probably just makes us Oilers East in the not-terribly-long haul, barring something that defeats the purpose (i.e. Zib or Panarin going to EDM). 

 

I don't really want to sign up to be Oilers East. 

Yeah, I'd much rather wait until the summer 2026 to even really consider McDavid.

9 hours ago, phillyb said:

Bretzky, is that you?

Needs more Del Zotto.

Breakout game. Can you smell what Zib is cooking?

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"Obviously, as a goal-scorer and a guy who’s scored a lot of goals in the past, it gets frustrating at times," he said. "But the positive way of looking at it is, I’m still getting my looks. I think I have four or five shots every game. I might have the worst shooting percentage in the league right now, but you’ve got to look at it like it’s going to turn around at some point soon. So, I’m not too concerned."

Leaning on vets

Despite the scoring drought, Othmann has managed to contribute seven assists, including one in each of the last two games.

 

The organization shares his confidence that the goals will come − "He can shoot the puck," Smith said − with much of the early focus on the other side of the ice. Othmann's minus-five rating is the worst on the team, with defense an area he'll have to tighten up in order to earn an NHL call-up.

 

Figuring out how to defend effectively at the higher levels will take time, which is why he's in the AHL to begin with. But Smith has been encouraged by his commitment, saying, "He’s shown that he’s more than willing to learn the defensive side of the game."

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Othmann credited Nash, Belzile and Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski for offering guidance, pointing to a particularly strong bond with Nash.

 

"He’s played over 1,000 pro games now and he has a mindset for the game," he said. "He’s been doing it for a long time now and I have a lot of respect for him. He’s kind of taken me under his wing over the last month or so. He’s an outstanding guy who’s been an outstanding mentor and leader for me."

 

That advice includes specific game situations, but extends to "preparation, cool downs, working out (and) how to manage your body," according to Othmann. It even includes occasional cooking tips, although his go-to source for that remains his mother, Lisa.

 

It's all made for an instructive start to his pro career, with the main message being to keep a positive outlook and trust the development process.

 

"You can’t go from mountain to mountain without going through a valley," Othmann said. "So, going through a little bit of a dry spell here is good for my career. It’s good for the mind, I think. There can be some ups and downs for the mind, but it’s good that I’m handling it now, with all the older guys in the locker room helping me out along the way."

Link

16 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

I don’t remember that one lol, pretty funny

Brought to us by the same dude who also questioned whether Adam Fox was worth two 2nd round picks lol.

To get back to Panarin, I don't think there's one particular change you can credit, but he has undoubtedly done a ton of work to rehabilitate himself. Nikita Zadorov mentioned in an interview this summer that Panarin has OCD and there were a number of reports that Panarin became a bit of a hockey shut-in during the offseason. 

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Rather than taking time to escape from the game this summer, Panarin immersed himself in it.

 

That included "extra" training sessions and workouts, as well as video review of every game he played last season in an attempt to "learn something and see the mistakes, because when you're in the game, it's hard to find."

 

"I didn't see my family much," he added

Link

It's pretty obvious he's gone over tape because he's not falling into many of the same habits he'd display under Gallant and the latter part of Quinn's tenure. He's shooting with consistency, he's working incredibly hard down low and forcing turnovers, he's backchecking meaningfully, etc.

You can also see it by just looking at him but he added extra weight this summer.

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Despite shedding some weight in hair, Panarin said he actually gained weight this offseason, during which he tried to lift more than usual in order to try something different with his routine.

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There's something to be said for the chemistry he's developed with Lafreniere and the consistency with which they've played together. It seemed like Panarin at least had a different right wing every few games, and then would always end up with Zibanejad for spurts as well. 

Laviolette has also put Panarin in situations that work to his benefit — Panarin has a team-high 82.69 Offensive Zone Start % this year compared to 50.77 last year. For comparison, Jimmy Vesey had 52.63 OZS last year and is at a team-low 13.16 this year. There's just a much clearer delineation of roles under Laviolette than under Gallant.

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Panarin sounded excited about a system that he said "looks like Russian hockey," noting that Laviolette's preference for high cycles and drop passes to create space should play to his strengths.

 

"What he’s shown in the offensive zone, I really like it," Panarin said.

Link

There's also the fact that Laviolette's system plays into Panarin's strengths. Laviolette's system allows the Rangers to attack with numbers which was often a fault of Gallant's. Panarin isn't left curling to the boards without a trailer or someone he can wrap the puck around the far side to, he actually has options. This Rangers team actually knows how to provide support options because they've practiced it.

Panarin has done a ton of work to rejuvenate himself while Laviolette has done everything to help maximize Panarin's usage and contributions.

29 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

For context, the “trade Panarin” thread being referenced was started by someone two years ago, and I still can’t tell if it was started as a joke or not. It rightfully got shat on.
 

Since then, there’s been two really bad playoff performances where he looked incredibly soft and ineffective with turnovers galore. The “bad joke” gained legitimacy, and the topic isn’t settled until we see what happens in the playoffs. Cups aren’t won in October and November. Panarin’s contract can’t be earned in October and November either.

And that was the second iteration of a trade Panarin thread. There was a trade Panarin thread that started the offseason he signed before he had even played a game as a Ranger.

Zib wake up game

1 minute ago, Goodvibe said:

 Somebody mentioned trading Panarin. That’s probably the dumbest comment I’ve ever read. For who? Look what he’s done to his line mates and that lethal PP. you absolutely cannot be a Rangers fan with a comment like that. 

First off, welcome to the forum.

Secondly, given you're new there are likely a number of discussions you haven't been exposed to. One such discussion was a long-running thread musing about trading Panarin. That's not a consensus belief, but one that a few posters considered given his postseason struggles and various other reasons.

Thirdly, I'd recommend that you don't come out guns blazing despite not understanding the context of a post. It's a poor way to ingratiate yourself here and we don't really go for calling comments the "dumbest I've ever read."

I haven't tuned in since the season opener, so I can't comment on his game, but it's been a slow start for Othmann. After coming out hot, he's at 2-7-9 in 15 games. 7 of his 9 points are on the PP and only 4 of his points are primary. Othmann leads Hartford with 48 shots on goal, though, and is shooting just 4.2% so it could be that he just hasn't found his shot yet. Hopefully, he starts to assert himself a bit more in the coming weeks.

They have two 3-day breaks in December, 8 days off for the All-Star break in January + early February, and then a 4-day break in March that precedes the final stretch of games. Following that final break, there's a game every other day with the exception of two back-to-backs. It's going to be a nonstop run into the playoffs.

41 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

I actually a little thankful for this one, fellas.  We're a little banged up, and even though we were hot going into this little hiatus, we were slipping a little.  You could feel the wheels wobbling on the wagon....kinda.

 

We come back after 5 days and start it up again with fresh legs, fewer bruises and of course:

 

THIS MAN!!!!

Agreed Oz. In years prior I'd be more afraid of a break killing any kind of momentum, but I think this coaching staff knows how to keep these guys engaged. I believe they have two more breaks of similar length throughout the season so they might as well get used to maximizing it. Could always happen in the playoffs.

17 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Well he made a huge number of line adjustments.

 

Did he have somebody else running the practices?  Because you definitely hear from the coach in those.

Vince has covered the difference in intensity and focus of practices multiple times throughout his articles and on his podcast. Other beats have covered it as well. I don't feel like digging too deep to find it, you can do that on your own. One of the biggest complaints about GG was that his practices were too short and lacked any real direction.

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Laviolette's practices have been detailed, fast-paced and grueling − not just because they're longer than we typically saw under previous coach Gerard Gallant, but because every session is focused on creating competition.

https://www.lohud.com/story/sports/nhl/rangers/2023/10/14/rangers-lineup-blue-jackets-peter-laviolette-practice/71161198007/

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Kaapo Kakko said it was the hardest training camp he’s ever participated in entering his fifth NHL season.

 

The uptick in tempo to the Rangers’ on-ice sessions is one thing, but the variety of work and range of drills that Laviolette, his assistants Michael Peca, Phil Housley and Dan Muse, as well as skills coach Christian Hmura have brought to the club is another.

 

The Rangers practice three-on-three and four-on-four often.

 

They set up tight drills in the corner, with two goals facing the curve of the boards at 90-degree angles, to encourage strong stickhandling as well as physicality in the dirty areas of the ice.

 

Morning skate sessions are designed to get players to feel the puck, get into the flow of a game and put the team in a battle-oriented head space.

 

Mika Zibanejad noted that Laviolette’s morning skates are a bit different than what he’s experienced in the past.

 

Morning skates are an opportunity to set the tone for the day, Laviolette said earlier this season, noting he likes to have structure in the team’s schedule ahead of a game.

 

No two practices look the same under Laviolette, who is as engaged and involved with the Rangers as they are with the puck.

 

He is conscientious of giving each player individual attention with private conversations, on and off the ice.

https://nypost.com/2023/10/27/sports/peter-laviolettes-constant-intensity-translating-to-rangers-practices/

If you followed enough of the information coming out about Gallant over the summer, you'd understand how hands-off he was throughout his tenure.

44 minutes ago, Morphinity 2.0 said:

Not a prospects expert by any means, but he has 1g, 10a in 8 games with BC. I guess feeding Will Smith and Ryan Leonard has its perks.  

He was pointless in his first two so his 11 points have come in a 6-game point streak.

53 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

You're asking for Jesper Fast, who never should have been left to walk in the first place. @Drew a Penalty

Nah bro. Don't get me started. A dumb move with numerous compounding consequences.

31 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

Should be interesting to see Cuylle and Bro together. Didn’t they play a lot in Hartford?

They were on the same line for most of the season and played on the PP together.

Jones-Schneider is an absolute disaster. Anything but that.

1 minute ago, Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc said:

Well it's basically impossible to quantify something like culture and togetherness so I don't know how I'm supposed to do that. You say the team was looser and happier on account of being a more successful team. You sure it's that way, and not the other way around? GG got them happy and together, so the results followed?

 

I just find it funny how GG took a lottery team to a conference final with barely any additions to the team, no tactics, no idea how the game works, no idea how to bring a team together and also being disliked by most of the players. Feels like an easy cop-out blaming everything on him while not recognizing anything he did well.

 

He let the players to their own thing and didn't bother them too much. I think the players really liked that once he came in and that together with good results got the team together.

Have you actually listened to or read anything about the locker room under Gallant? He didn't talk to players. How is he making them happy so that results followed? He didn't like having personal conversations with players, he rarely gave speeches in the locker room. Explain what he was doing to actually bring them together beyond their success?

The Rangers barely made additions for Gallant? They made additions like Goodrow, Reaves, Nemeth, Carpenter, etc. for Gallant. They had back-to-back historic trade deadlines by acquiring players like Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Andrew Copp, Frank Vatrano, etc. He's had one of the most talented rosters the Rangers have ever had. He never had solutions when the Rangers weren't just rolling the opposition.

He let the players do their own thing until it became an actual detriment to the team. What did the team end up seeking out? Actual help. Coaching. Communication. They want to be provided with the tools so that they can do the work themselves. Gallant was never going to provide that because Gallant approached the job differently. 

18 minutes ago, Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc said:

There was a big difference in the togetherness after GG took over from Quinn.

How are you quantifying that? The team may have been looser and happier on account of being a more successful team under a less vocal coach, but there was a big difference in togetherness? One of the biggest grievances about the teams under Quinn and Gallant was a lack of identity and culture. That's wholly different under Laviolette. Guys might have liked each other under Gallant, but they're actually learning how to support each other under Laviolette. 

Just now, BrooksBurner said:

 

Thats fair. After a promising start with underlying stats, the team is now 19th in xGF%, 15th in CF%, and 22nd in HDCF%.

 

This is a GG record right now.

The offense will come at some point once the systems become second nature. I think they're still playing a little conservatively and without the true counter-punch ability that the system can allow for.

1 minute ago, BrooksBurner said:

ES points

 

Kreider - 3

Zib - 3

Kakko - 2

 

Kakko‘s production isn’t a Kakko question right now. It’s a line 1 question. It’s not working.

The Rangers just aren't producing at 5v5 in general. Is it really just a first line problem?

Panarin has the most 5v5 points at 6 followed by Chyil at 4 and then Miller and Lafreniere at 3 points. Everyone else is at 2 or below. This is still a team that's running its offense entirely through the powerplay. They still haven't figured out how to translate their defensive play into consistent offense.