cupalife

Agreed. Chytil wasn't very liked and considered a bust not long ago by this fanbase. Same with Kakko. Hard to believe Hockey Canada would be so wrong about a player. Maybe their love for Laf is more like Shane Down or Brendan Morrow love. Always vastly overrated but loved for intangibles. Not a generational player but a very good one and one who the Rangers could use.

Line placement means next to nothing. Zacha is not better than Hall. Does anyone believe that? It's about ice time and usage. Kreider is now playing on the third line too and Goodrow the first. Teams try to build chemistry and depth within their lineup. @Petethere you go again trying to hijack another thread with bring it back to Panarin. The discussion is about Trocheck and his place. Oh any more insight to how you know "that nobody wants to play with him" I do agree though his contract will not age well. His style of play and the fact he's got a metal rod in one of his legs probably doesn't lend to long prime to his career

Trocheck's contract is going to be a problem. Chytil's emergence is a curse and a blessing. They need their kids to develop but they have left themselves little cap space to lock up their kids if they do emerge. @Pete "Trocheck is the guy nobody in the locker room wants to play with". Can you expand on that and your knowledge of how you know that?

It's going to very hard for the Rangers to do that though. I could see it if they were trading him for an established star, but that will surely come with a large cap hit. Trading him for a prospect or picks would be an admission of failure from this organization.

What you conveniently leaving out is that by ice time he is our #2 center. https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/stats/_/name/nyr/new-york-rangers

https://nypost.com/2022/12/16/rangers-rare-faith-in-second-power-play-unit-immediately-delivers/ Maybe Larry does read this board. Or maybe I'm Larry?

I don't think they were better than Toronto. What I think is that they stood toe to toe with one of the best in the league. Of course they leaned on Igor. They did like Toronto leans on Matthews or the Oilers McDavid. He's our best player. I actually see this team gaining depth the fourth line looks solid and the kid one is contributing. I thought Panarin was creating tonight and not giving up on anything. He actually had some decent chemistry with Zib for the first time ever. I thought tonight the Rangers competed for the full 60. Of course there are times when they get dominated. Toronto will do that to every team in the league. They withstood it and pushed back. I thought both teams played well. You're right though I don't think this team is a contender this year. They are a very flawed team. Right now they are winning on the backs of the goalie with time scoring from their kids and depth players. That leaves me room to believe that if their top guys tart scoring and Trouba improves his play this team has room for big time improvement. That said they didn't roll over when they could have tonight. They leaned on Igor and competed. It was enjoyable to watch. It also seemed like finally GG has determined he has to get more form the rest of his lineup. He gave the kids pp time and they scored a beauty. He dressed Kravtsov and he looked really good. He looked like a NHL player.

Kakko: strength, size, board play, playmaking ability, hands, shot, all around game, maybe a future Selke Candidate. Laf: strength, size, compete level, physical, playmaking, hands, tends to raise his game in big moments. I think pre draft both were considered strong skaters. That couldn't be more wrong. I thought Kakko was out of shape his first year or two. It seems like he's learned that lesson. I think Laf is obviously not in the shape he should be. He probably thinks he trains hard. He could probably use a summer following Kreider's workout program. Regardless I have no worries about Kakko anymore. He's going to be fine. Laf I agree I have worries. I do think both need some confidence. Powerpay time would go a long way to helping that. The Rangers would be stupid not to give it to them. In the long run their franchise depends on those two not busting. It matters more to lose some battles along the way to win that war. If it means less time to PP1, then so be it. They desperately need those kids confident and contributing. All anybody has to look at was the playoffs last year.

Just watched the game. Thought it was one of the best I've sen of them in a long time. I also thought it was Panarin's best in probably a year and a half. No points but completely engaged everywhere. I thought he was awesome tonight. Give me that and no points and I'll shut the fuck up forever. Igor was stellar. The kids on the power play, please more of that too. Great game and lastly I thought Kravtsov looked really good too. The Rangers have got to let him play because watching him tonight, he maybe an answer to some depth issues and cap issues in the future. He looked really good.

Maybe I'm an exRanger player too, who just wants to see the franchise and fanbase succeed. Or maybe I'm Bretsky.

The entire hockey world and especially this board called them "gifted" among other godly comparisons when we drafted them. Kakko was shitting all over professionals at the World Championships right before his draft. The Rangers get a hold of them and they immediately look like they have no idea what made them top draft picks. It's like the rangers are trying to develop them into Jan Erixon instead of giving the room to make mistakes and grow. Kakko was a scratch in an elimination game last year in the playoffs. Even after his positive showing in the payoffs. Dryden Hunt was deemed more important. A injured Strome was deemed more important. Both players were not in the Rangers future plans, yet this organization decided to scratch their 2OA, in favor of them. It's a joke. Everyone here knows or ought to know that this team is going to go as far as those kids take us. If they bust, it's a lost decade maybe decade and a half.

Maybe I am

You're discounting the leadership aspect to Trouba. Schneider has been very good they need more of the not less. Trouba is a very good NHL defenseman. Overpaid but very good. Did you not watch last year? Did you not see him change a series or 2 in the playoffs with his physicality? I haven't seen that from Schneider yet (I think it could be there). Regardless there are not many guys like Trouba in the league. The entire NHL is of that view point. That is a fact. He's having a bad year for sure but he's not a bad player. Laf put up 19 5on5 goals last year. You have got to feed him power play time to expect production. You have to that with any offensive player. Take away Panarin or Mika's pp time and see what you get. The powerplay is where talent gets confidence. The Rangers should be ashamed of themselves how they have "developed" both Kakko and Laf. Both guys were not reaches. They were consensus generational players. Both have struggled mightily. Only the Rangers could take two offensive gifted guys like that and immediately put them in a third line checking role. I agree Panarin is going nowhere just like this team.

This sums up the Rangers and Rangers fans existence. 1 cup in 100 years is the result

Not praising the Devils. Just saying I would trade situations. The guys you mention them bringing in were not signed to 7 year deals with NTC. They were short term stop gap circumstances. They needed to filed a NHL team with guys their kids could develop. Hischier and Hughes were given the ice time and power play time and now are both looking great. Hamilton maybe a mistake but they didn't bring him in until years into their rebuild. N team is going to be perfect. However the Rangers problem is always their half measures.