confirmed: Brett Howden is Not Having a Good Season

[LindG1000]

 

Put simply: Brett Howden is a below average offensive player, and an almost catastrophic defensive player. Just yikes.

[Kevin]

 

Put simply: Brett Howden is a below average offensive player, and an almost catastrophic defensive player. Just yikes.

 

And it's so obvious to the eye test which makes me seriously question what the coaches are seeing that they like from him. Especially when he hasn't been a healthy scratch at all this year but Blackwell was and Blackwell has performed light-years better than Howden.

[BrooksBurner]

We've known this for well over a year now, but seeing it on a chart is horrific. Always feel bad for the guys that finally made it and are living their dreams, but just not good enough to cut it.

[josh]

My signature is the kiss of death.

 

Sorry Bretty Pancakes

[Karan]

Is there really no one at Hartford that could do even slightly better than Howden? I'm sure they could acquire someone with a 9th round pick that would contribute more than he does.

[Bugg]

Pisses me off to no end what he did Sunday; has the puck all alone ifo Pens' net, and instead of simply taking a shot, makes some stupid move that ends in a turnover. Take a shot, you may score, you may not, but may be there's a rebound and someone else has a chance, or there's a save and an offensive zone faceoff. Kind of thing a good coach drills into players; don't do more than we ask of you, know your role. It doesn't reflect well on a coach that his 4th line player is stupid and doesn't get what his role is, not even close. And that's his whole career here.

[Phil]

And it's so obvious to the eye test which makes me seriously question what the coaches are seeing that they like from him. Especially when he hasn't been a healthy scratch at all this year but Blackwell was and Blackwell has performed light-years better than Howden.

 

I honestly don't think it's an issue of the coaches seeing something in him as much as the organization fully engaged in sunk cost fallacy. Both, in some sense, but primarily the latter. The fact is, they've waited too long to do something about this (like sending him to the AHL). He's played too many games, and would require waivers, which we all know he wouldn't pass through simply because he's 22, extremely coachable (albeit with minimal results), and a former first-round pick.

[ThirtyONE]

LOL @ the title.

 

I can't suddenly pretend to care about advanced stats, because I don't. But you don't need advanced stats to know Howden isn't an NHL player. I don't care how hard he works in practice. I don't care if he's a good guy. He's simply not an NHL player.

 

This isn't really an issue. Not all prospects are hits. In fact most aren't. I don't blame him in any way.

 

What frustrates me is that Quinn, Gorton, and JD sucked him off at the end of last season as if he was the best player on the team. Chytil has been sent down 3 times. Lindgren twice. Igor. Georgiev. Etc. Brett Howden has not spent a single day in the minors. Why? It's one of the most perplexing things I've ever seen the Rangers do - and they've perplexed me many-a-times. They dumped their own 7th overall pick like he was garbage. They demoted their 9th overall pick then loaned him to Russia. It can't for the life of me understand why Howden is still playing for the Rangers. Maybe he could have turned into something if they didn't rush him into the NHL.

[Long live the King]

And it's so obvious to the eye test which makes me seriously question what the coaches are seeing that they like from him. Especially when he hasn't been a healthy scratch at all this year but Blackwell was and Blackwell has performed light-years better than Howden.

 

Gotta assume it's his prominent role on the league's 3rd best PK. Once Panarin is back in let Howden play the wing and put Rooney as the 4th line center. Might not be as dreadful.

[Phil]

LOL @ the title.

 

I can't suddenly pretend to care about advanced stats, because I don't. But you don't need advanced stats to know Howden isn't an NHL player. I don't care how hard he works in practice. I don't care if he's a good guy. He's simply not an NHL player.

 

This isn't really an issue. Not all prospects are hits. In fact most aren't. I don't blame him in any way.

 

What frustrates me is that Quinn, Gorton, and JD sucked him off at the end of last season as if he was the best player on the team. Chytil has been sent down 3 times. Lindgren twice. Igor. Georgiev. Etc. Brett Howden has not spent a single day in the minors. Why? It's one of the most perplexing things I've ever seen the Rangers do - and they've perplexed me many-a-times. They dumped their own 7th overall pick like he was garbage. They demoted their 9th overall pick then loaned him to Russia. It can't for the life of me understand why Howden is still playing for the Rangers. Maybe he could have turned into something if they didn't rush him into the NHL.

 

Those guys didn't require waivers. Howden would. Again, sunk cost fallacy.

[Bugg]

Those guys didn't require waivers. Howden would. Again, sunk cost fallacy.

 

Somebody would claim him, but really so what. Only reason they would be disinclined is it would be admitting they made a bad trade.

[ThirtyONE]

Those guys didn't require waivers. Howden would. Again, sunk cost fallacy.

 

But that's today's problem. Not last year's or the year prior. They've had many opportunities to move him down and put him in a place to succeed.

 

You know we've complained about almost everyone's usage except Howden because he seeming plays way too much - but that in itself can also be a problem. It's clear as day he has no confidence. He's hanging on to his career for dear life at this point. It's unfair that the Rangers threw him into shark infested waters without knowing if he could swim (or seeing that he couldn't swim and not throwing him a life line).

 

IMO his career here is shot.

[ThirtyONE]

Somebody would claim him, but really so what. Only reason they would be disinclined is it would be admitting they made a bad trade.

 

Could be. But you'd think that Gorton has murdered the majority of trades he's made, one bad one wouldn't hurt his ego enough to force feed a 22yo into the lineup. He doesn't strike me as that kind of guy, but hockey guys are fucking weird people and you never know.

[Capt]

LOL @ the title.

 

I can't suddenly pretend to care about advanced stats, because I don't. But you don't need advanced stats to know Howden isn't an NHL player. I don't care how hard he works in practice. I don't care if he's a good guy. He's simply not an NHL player.

 

This isn't really an issue. Not all prospects are hits. In fact most aren't. I don't blame him in any way.

 

What frustrates me is that Quinn, Gorton, and JD sucked him off at the end of last season as if he was the best player on the team. Chytil has been sent down 3 times. Lindgren twice. Igor. Georgiev. Etc. Brett Howden has not spent a single day in the minors. Why? It's one of the most perplexing things I've ever seen the Rangers do - and they've perplexed me many-a-times. They dumped their own 7th overall pick like he was garbage. They demoted their 9th overall pick then loaned him to Russia. It can't for the life of me understand why Howden is still playing for the Rangers. Maybe he could have turned into something if they didn't rush him into the NHL.

 

great post.

[Sod16]

It's always a good sign when we're back to discussing Howden. It means we don't have any new immediate problems, which hasn't been the case since la affair ADA.

 

That he has never set foot in Hartford is a travesty and example of gross coaching and general managerial malpractice. As he came close to the time where he would require waivers, he should have been shipped down.

[Keirik]

You know who’s probably just as coachable? Morgan Barron. Same age as Brett HowQuinn and even a tad bit bigger. I don’t think he wowed anyone in camp but he’s doing pretty well in the A and I’d really like to see him get a couple of games just to see where he’s at. Howden has been garbage.

[Phil]

Somebody would claim him, but really so what. Only reason they would be disinclined is it would be admitting they made a bad trade.

 

But that's a viable/legitimate reason not to do it. He has trade value. Waiving him knowing he'll be claimed isn't just giving up on the player, it's giving up on him for free, which is silly.

 

But that's today's problem. Not last year's or the year prior. They've had many opportunities to move him down and put him in a place to succeed.

 

You know we've complained about almost everyone's usage except Howden because he seeming plays way too much - but that in itself can also be a problem. It's clear as day he has no confidence. He's hanging on to his career for dear life at this point. It's unfair that the Rangers threw him into shark infested waters without knowing if he could swim (or seeing that he couldn't swim and not throwing him a life line).

 

IMO his career here is shot.

 

I don't disagree. He's not succeeding here, and almost certainly won't. The fans have largely turned on him, too (at least the vocal ones on social media). But the team has other means to move on. He should be traded, not placed on waivers effectively knowing he'll be snapped up.

[Phil]

You know who’s probably just as coachable? Morgan Barron. Same age as Brett HowQuinn and even a tad bit bigger. I don’t think he wowed anyone in camp but he’s doing pretty well in the A and I’d really like to see him get a couple of games just to see where he’s at. Howden has been garbage.

 

Agreed. I actually think Barron, based on playing style, size, etc. is actually a better fit for a modern fourth-line anyway because even though I don't think he'll score much, he can actually give you some identity to work with.

[BrooksBurner]

LOL @ the title.

 

I can't suddenly pretend to care about advanced stats, because I don't. But you don't need advanced stats to know Howden isn't an NHL player. I don't care how hard he works in practice. I don't care if he's a good guy. He's simply not an NHL player.

 

This isn't really an issue. Not all prospects are hits. In fact most aren't. I don't blame him in any way.

 

What frustrates me is that Quinn, Gorton, and JD sucked him off at the end of last season as if he was the best player on the team. Chytil has been sent down 3 times. Lindgren twice. Igor. Georgiev. Etc. Brett Howden has not spent a single day in the minors. Why? It's one of the most perplexing things I've ever seen the Rangers do - and they've perplexed me many-a-times. They dumped their own 7th overall pick like he was garbage. They demoted their 9th overall pick then loaned him to Russia. It can't for the life of me understand why Howden is still playing for the Rangers. Maybe he could have turned into something if they didn't rush him into the NHL.

 

On the money :clap:

[Pete]

LOL @ the title.

 

I can't suddenly pretend to care about advanced stats, because I don't. But you don't need advanced stats to know Howden isn't an NHL player. I don't care how hard he works in practice. I don't care if he's a good guy. He's simply not an NHL player.

 

This isn't really an issue. Not all prospects are hits. In fact most aren't. I don't blame him in any way.

 

What frustrates me is that Quinn, Gorton, and JD sucked him off at the end of last season as if he was the best player on the team. Chytil has been sent down 3 times. Lindgren twice. Igor. Georgiev. Etc. Brett Howden has not spent a single day in the minors. Why? It's one of the most perplexing things I've ever seen the Rangers do - and they've perplexed me many-a-times. They dumped their own 7th overall pick like he was garbage. They demoted their 9th overall pick then loaned him to Russia. It can't for the life of me understand why Howden is still playing for the Rangers. Maybe he could have turned into something if they didn't rush him into the NHL.

I think you can say that he's the only player on that list who's playing to potential.

 

The other players you mentioned got sent down because they had more to learn, or had more to give.

 

Howden has niether.

[BrooksBurner]

I think you can say that he's the only player on that list who's playing to potential.

 

The other players you mentioned got sent down because they had more to learn, or had more to give.

 

Howden has niether.

 

I don't think he's playing to potential at all in terms of what the Rangers thought they were getting back with him as a piece back in the McDonagh trade. I doubt they thought his potential maxed out as a 4th line scrub.

[Pete]

I don't think he's playing to potential at all in terms of what the Rangers thought they were getting back with him as a piece back in the McDonagh trade. I doubt they thought his potential maxed out as a 4th line scrub.

What the Ranger saw, and what Howden is, are very different things.

[BrooksBurner]

What the Ranger saw, and what Howden is, are very different things.

 

Fair LOL

 

[Bugg]

But that's a viable/legitimate reason not to do it. He has trade value. Waiving him knowing he'll be claimed isn't just giving up on the player, it's giving up on him for free, which is silly.

 

 

 

I don't disagree. He's not succeeding here, and almost certainly won't. The fans have largely turned on him, too (at least the vocal ones on social media). But the team has other means to move on. He should be traded, not placed on waivers effectively knowing he'll be snapped up.

As to trade value, it's really negligible. Someone might give you some low round pick. But really Howden thus far looks like a career AHL guy on his best night. He's not even a 4th line servicable guy right now. Really, is that of any value? Are they hanging onto him for the expansion draft? For a team who is probably not going to the playoffs that may have value.

[josh]

Howden is the representation of the Quinn/Gorton era.

 

 

Clean house.