Br4d

The task in front of the Rangers is catching the 'Canes for the #1 seed in the Metropolitan.  Want to avoid the Bruins in the playoffs for as long as possible and hope somebody else knocks them out.

If Tarasenko has chemistry with Panarin the deal is worthwhile.

Just now, Cash or Czech said:

 

We've done the math in other threads. You don't need to move Lindgren to sign Chytil, Laf, and Miller. Only if you're adding another significant piece.

It's hard to imagine an addition being more significant than Lindgren.  The Rangers would need to add a top line RW that opens up both Panarin and Zibanejad to get into that ballpark and even then it's gotta be a guy who is a driver on that line not an efficient passenger.

Kane is having a down season with injury concerns.  Tarasenko is having a down season.  I don't think either of them is worth giving up Lindgren this year or next.

1 hour ago, Cash or Czech said:

 

If we move Lindgren to free up roughly $2M in cap space (because replacement will cost $1M), he's probably one of the guys competing for that spot. Neither Jones and Hajek have shown they can beat out Harpur for the 3rd pair, and he plays 12 minutes a night. 

Lindgren looks like a potentially necessary move to free up some cap space however that's in a scenario where you are doing it to sign Chytil and K'Andre and Lafreniere while unable to move any of the vets due to NMC.

Doing it to extend a rental into a real deal ignores the fact that the Rangers have pressing cap issues elsewhere.  This in the context that Lindgren is both young and affordable and is likely a top 10 player on this roster.

You have to give GG some credit for recognizing that the kids just play better on their own line.

I'd never have believed that Lafreniere and Zibanejad were a worse match than Lafreniere and Chytil but it is clearly true.

The extra pass last night from Chytil to Kreider at the end was like a glaring red light on that situation.

3 hours ago, phillyb said:

Is Bedard that good? Does he step in immediately (next season) and help us win a cup? Not for nothing, but we went to the ECF last season...this team's window is literally now - not sure you give up those three for 1OA next year. 

A lot of this teams talent is unmovable due to NMC and the young guys that aren't unmovable fit within the Shesty window.  It's be really easy to trade a few young guys and find ourselves capstrung for the next 5 years and unable to get over the top.

Alternately just use the kid line on PP2 (as GG has been doing) and raise the time they get on the ice.

8 hours ago, LindG1000 said:

 

 

The "no kick" thing exists for one very clear reason: blades are sharp. Blades raised off the ice can cause absolutely catastrophic injury - and that has to be regulated. That makes total sense.

 

The "distinct kicking motion" thing is stupid, though, because instead of an entirely objective thing (the blade of the skate remained on the ice), the issue becomes unnecessarily subjective. There's little doubt in my mind that what Mangiapane did should absolutely be a legit goal. 

They should change the rule to reflect the position of the skate.  "You cannot score a goal off of a skate blade that is not on the ice."  That would resolve the intent issue pretty clearly and it would make replays a bit easier.

1 hour ago, Jdog99 said:

Maybe i havent been paying attention, but last night seemed like a step up - he was out for blood.

C setting an example after the break.

He looked great last night and he did it in a way that you can't miss twice.

4 on 4 OT that ends at 10 minutes and goes to a shootout.

Can't eliminate OT and make ties a thing and no point for the losers again because that would make teams go into a shell and play for the point at the end.  I remember those games and they sucked.

The extra point in OT lets the home-crowd go home with a consolation prize and the NHL isn't going to eliminate that.

The kids are rolling like they were in the second round last year.

However we should also ask ourselves whether anybody has ever been as hot as Chytil and it turned out just to be a streak.  The guy looks like he's going to be a 50 goal scorer.

So now we know why Chytil didn't take the shot at the end.  He was just setting up his linemate to be the hero.

He's a dinosaur but he's our dinosaur.

Just now, Blue Heaven said:

Players will put this in their memory bank when the playoffs come along and alter their play to avoid the Trouba Train

The Crosby hit last year should have done that.

4 minutes ago, Blue Heaven said:

Lucic is going to do something stupid if he can catch up to someone

Rangers should keep the kids off the ice when he's on in the 3rd.

At the rate he's going Chytil might be the Rangers 2nd most valuable player right now.

9 minutes ago, Keirik said:

How does adding a top 10 level 4th liner get us stomped? I'm not sure why you make this into an idea of trading for this "instead of"when its really being discussed "in addition to...." 

Don't give GG any more veteran 4th liners.  He does not know how to appropriately use them because he sees "vet" but not "4th liner".

At least not until you trade or demote some of the existing vet 4th liners.

2 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

Nobody said this is an "or" thing - that's your own assumption. It's an "and" thing.

 

We cannot go into the playoffs with our fourth line getting absolutely worked at even strength, and we also can't go into the playoffs with one top 6 RW. 

Where do you see the 4th line getting worked at this point?  The +/- numbers suggest the 4th line is pulling their weight.  We had issues earlier in the season but those have mostly worked out at this point.

29 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

 

Yes. Absolutely. Our fourth line gets absolutely caved in at 5v5, and we need them to be reliable enough for 8-10ish minutes a night in the playoffs. We absolutely should be adding the sort of depth players that can be trusted for 8 minutes of even strength hockey that isn't exclusively defense.

All I'm saying is that the Rangers are winning nothing this year with 3 4th line RW's on the ice and Kakko.  Right now any problem with the 4th line is due to the fact that we have 2 4th liners playing regularly in the top 9 including one on line 1.

Adding 4th line players to this team is just going to get us ROFL-stomped by the teams with actual top 9ers playing in the top 9.

At 5v5 Panarin, Zibanejad and Vesey have been invisible.  It's not a good lineup so far for the Rangers.

Just now, Keirik said:

I'm not sure how that applies here though.  Acciari is top 10 in the entire nhl in hits and already has double digits in goals for the season. In the playoffs you need depth. There are going to be injuries. He's already better than Blias. He's better than Lyschishdbin or however u spell his name. He's better than Carpenter. You get the point.  Plus he doesn't affect thr ability at all to add a top 6 guy. He isn't a guy that'll require a boat load of assets to obtain.  

So I get this but do you really think the 4th line is a problem for this team right now, even if it doesn't have the best 4th liners on it at the moment?

The answer is either for GG to stop acting like GG and slot the Kids in for 18 minutes a game or for the Rangers to acquire a top line RW that pushes Vesey to line 3.  If that happens the 4th line is going to get 5-6 minutes a game anyway and whoever the Rangers acquire just doesn't matter even if they are better than what we have.

Being thin in the top 6 is basically a result of Panarin - Zibanejad - whoever as line 1 and Kreider - Trocheck - whoever as line 2 with the kids getting 14-15 minutes a game as effectively line 3.

So I may be missing the point but aren't the Rangers swimming in guys that can play on the 4th line right now?

The problem is the 1st line RW and maybe the 3rd line RW if you really don't want Vesey on a checking line with Kreider and Trocheck.

4th liners currently on the roster: Goodrow, Vesey (depending on 3rd line RW acquisition), Gauthier, Cuylle, Kravtsov, Lechyshyn, Blais, etc.

The problem with the Rangers right now is the same problem we had at TDL last year: we are short a couple of players in the top 9 and we're promoting solid 4th liners to fill those slots.  Add to this the fact that GG won't give the one kind of fixed line enough minutes with the kids and we look shaky all up and down the top 9.  4th line is fine - it just keeps getting robbed of the best two 4th liners (Goodrow and Vesey) to fill slots on line 1 and 3.

47 minutes ago, Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc said:

Look at my man Kakko. The league ain’t ready for a confident big swinging Kakk.

He's got a blonde on his arm and a drink in his grip and his girlfriend just took out her dentures and gave him a wink!  Top of the world.

This all comes back around to how GG plays things the next month or so.  If he keeps jerking the kids around they'll probably go on-again off-again fulfilling his view that they're not capable of being a solid line 2.   Chytil is basically whacking him in the forehead over and over again at this point but I don't know that he sees it even through all the stars circling his head.

I was really annoyed when the kids weren't in the rotation at the end of the Toronto game.  That was just disrespectful of GG given how the game had evolved to that point.

It's only 5 months until the off-season (again)!