BrooksBurner

1st half Buchnevich was inconsistent. 2nd half Buchnevich post-benching was very good. I'm just willing to bet on the 2nd half. The problem with Skjei is you couldn't point to any progression for really any stretch of time in the season before they extended him. That's why it was a head scratcher, and he didn't progress last year either. I know nobody is dumping on Buchnevich, just like I'm not going to hate on a bridge deal either. There's such a thing as a good bet versus a bad bet. I just view this as more of a good bet than others.

You would know why it matters if you've read anything being written. It requires just a touch of critical thinking though. Skjei is an example of a player you bridge because, while he is/was young, he had been trending downward. Buchnevich is an example of a player you consider buying UFA years because he's young and has started to trend upward.

Right. I actually agree that's how they are viewing it, which is why they mishandled it. Their problem was and still is immediate cap space. Somehow they failed to realize that. They could have let Ceci walk.

He really has though. And it's hard to call 4M 2nd line money to be honest. If it is, it's bottom of the barrel.

Skjei was.

Term wasn't their problem. It was immediate cap space. I don't get what they are doing. Really the only way they fix this is by trading Nylander and they have little leverage in negotiations unless they can or have incited a bidding war. There hasn't been any reports of such though.

I don't know why they dumped Zaitsev just to pay Ceci that same amount of money. Then they signed their other RFAs instead of prioritizing Marner. I mean just a colossal fuck up of the cap by Toronto every which way.

Who didn't get scratched by Quinn last year? I also think that motivated Buch to be a player we hadn't yet seen, so your attempt to denigrate actually gets put in the plus column for me. The Rangers need to hit on some value contracts moving forward and I see an opportunity for a value contract here. I will admit I am higher on Buchnevich's ceiling than most. Given his progression has trended up, I look at it as a logical gamble. Last summer with Skjei was not because he had been trending downward since his rookie year.

I meant the 4x4. I wouldn't expect him to sell any UFA years at less than 4M AAV.

Agreed to an extent on the first part, but my thought is that Buchnevich has already shown that he is a 15-20 goal scorer and capable of well more than that. He is 24 years old and a solid candidate to get even better. We all saw the progression he made last year (15g, 12A in last 42 games), which is a 30 goal/50+ point pace over a majority of the season. His production sky-rocketed when he received 2nd line-ish minutes. He's the exact kind of talent you try and lock up on the cheaper side while you have the leverage.

Good point. That would be even better.

Good thing 4-4.5M is not 1st line money.

Buch was 8th on the team in average TOI for forwards, played 62 games, and still put up 20 goals. He's doing it on 3rd line minutes, not 1st line minutes. I generally agree with your point about danger zone contracts, but I don't think 4-4.5M makes it to that plateau. It's still fairly cheap and a lot easier to move if needed. Once you get to the 5-7M range for average middle 6 players is when it gets hairy.

New acquisitions is good reason to roll the dice to keep cost down. Do you see him being worse than a 20 goal scorer? He scored 21 in 64 last year. If he is willing to sign a longer contract between 4-4.5 per year, it would be a wise gamble. Doesn't have to be 6 years. Could be 4 or 5 as well. If he signs a 2 year bridge and puts up 25 goals a season, you'll probably be priced out. I mean shit, we are talking about losing Kreider because we don't want to pay him. I see the talent there with Buch, and I saw it in spades the last 2-3 months of the season.

Well there's 4 wings in the top 6 and you listed 3. I'd say getting an affordable option that can pot 25 goals on the 2nd line would be ideal.

By the looks of things, I don't think Kreider will be around. Kreider at 6.5 versus Buchnevich at 4-4.5 is actually a tough call. I probably lean Buchnevich in all honesty since he hasn't peaked and his production at 23 isn't even that far off of Kreider's at 28.

I'd give Buchnevich a 6 yr/24-27M contract. I'm much more confident about his long term outlook than I was in a guy like Brady Skjei last summer. Buchnevich is trending upwards and Skjei had regressed. I see a solid 25 goal 2nd liner for many years to be honest, and locking that up at 4-4.5M a year is going to be a good thing. Not only is it beneficial for the Rangers, it will be a tradeable contract if needed also.

Do they even have their 1st rounders?

I noticed the spelling right after I voted and couldn't change it. Ugh. I got bamboozled.

Two words: breakfast club.

Strawman. The rest of this post is why many thought Rangers fans couldn't handle a rebuild.

Yeah. Let's hand out unearned spots to 18 year olds because of draft position, and throw in the towel on 20 year old rookies because they didn't produce playing 10 minutes a night with solid stay at home names like Cody McLeod, Connor Brickley, and Vinni Lettieri. Solid development plan is solid.

From what I've seen thus far, Andersson is a shifty skater who uses his edges well. He's just not overly fast in terms of north/south speed. I don't quite follow the "bad skater" thing that's been promoted around here. For every one player that performs instantly at 18-20 years old, there are dozens of players that take a few years before they start to produce at the NHL level. The Rangers were wrong with how NHL ready Andersson was, but I agree with you in that it doesn't mean they were wrong about his talent and/or compete level.

It's a sci-fi-ish show with an 80s theme. I'm not sure why all the hysteria to be honest.

Gorton gets half credit for not raising the offer to guarantee the signing. It takes some restraint to hold steady when you know the offer is under what others are offering, and he didn't waiver unlike other Rangers GMs of summers past.