[brooks] Rangers Gave Lundqvist an Out at the Deadline; He Refused to Take it

[Giacomin]

I'd want to know if Karlsson is still damaged goods beffore signing him to a 9 million contract and years.

 

In fact, forgedddaboudit, I don't want to sign another FA, and this is important >>coming off a bad injury

 

Do you want to risk going there with this?

 

And there's another quote elsewhere ? on a virus-laden site that I wont link ?*about how "they took half my anklebone out." That sounds like one blocked Ovechkin/Chara/Subban/Doughty shot short of a catastrophe.

 

He's super talented, but we've been burned too many times before. For me it's a pass. I'd prefer to see the org try to drat or get these guys while they are younger and healthier.

 

I don't want to be closed-minded to the opportunity for improvement via strategic free agent acquisition, but injury history so often comes to bite us in the butt, I would prefer not to go where there has been significant and recent damage of a career-threatening type.

 

The type I'd consider right now is Tavares because he's supposedly healthy and fits 2 immediate needs top-tier center, potential captain/team leadership.

 

Blue, his injury had me thinking about, remember this.... Barry Beck. Damn did we all want him. He was Pronger, before Pronger. The Ranger's tried to pry him away for more than a year, before the big trade. However, he never fully recovered from his major shoulder injury. He came here and was a beast until he quickly became just like Bernard King. You loved him, he dominated when he played, but ultimately they were never the same as before the injury.

 

Now with the cap, it is even more risky to give the biggest contract ever for a Dman, to a guy with half an ankle. A guy who was also on the ice for a multitude of terrible goals this year. Karlsson defense was pretty bad this year. Ask folks who followed Ottawa closely. And yes I realize he still put up very good O numbers.

[Gravesy]

I think it would have been really hard to move Hank.

 

He'd likely only want to go to a contender, which doesn't make sense because Nashville, Jets, Bruins, and Tampa all have goalies. That second tier of teams that could use an upgrade at goalie - Dallas, Philly, Toronto, Avs - isn't all that big. The teams that actually need a goalie are no better than the Rangers. I just don't see how this move would be possible.

 

The only actual contender that might go for it is Pittsburgh and they haven’t a chance in hell to make it work cap wise.