2021-22 Off-Season Thread — Go Into the Sadness

[Pete]

1 hour ago, josh said:

Traktor training camp started around the 15th. Seemed like he specifically got out before that. I feel like he came over later in previous seasons.

 

Kravtsov has still been my favorite drafted prospect, maybe ever. He has the potential to complement some of these skilled winger more than anyone else. Perfect off-wing for Panarin AND Lafreniere. 

You called him lazy like 3 hours ago homie. 

[josh]

that was a joke based on how he was labeled bc the low heart rate. I thought I was going to get called out for the Cuylle comment, not Kravtsov. Hahaha

[The Dude]

6 hours ago, Br4d said:

The issues the Rangers have going into '21-'22 are:

 

1.  No RW for the top two lines.

 

The guys they're depending on to fill those slots are Kratsov, Kakko or a move of Lafreniere to RW of which probably Lafreniere is the only option that looks notably top 6 worthy.

 

 All 3 options carry some risk.  Kratsov is still an unknown at the NHL level.  For all his talent we have no idea if he's going to be an NHL RW, let alone a top 6 guy.  Also he's in Russia at the moment which makes his return to the USA an unknown factor until he's actually on the plane and out of Russian airspace.

 

 Kakko has had significant time in the NHL and so far he hasn't put it together at this level.  He's a step late and missed open net waiting to happen at this point.  He's very young and definitely could put it together but that is just a "could" at this point.  Nobody would be surprised if he was packaged at the deadline this year. 

 

Lafreniere clearly has the talent and has proven his ability at the NHL level but he's making the switch to RW if this is the path the Rangers take and we have no idea if that switch would be profitable, breakeven or a setback.  Odds are probably even on each possibility.

 

2.  3C is still Chytil on paper however 4 seasons play suggest he is marginal at 3C.  The Rangers hope that his playoff run was a breakthrough and not just a 2 week hot streak.

 

3.  Logjam at LW with Panarin and Kreider firmly ensconced and the Rangers considering moving Lafreniere to RW.  Young talent abounds in Cuylle and Othman and Trivigno is a decent bottom 6 option.

 

There are a lot of moving pieces on the Rangers at this point and a team that got 110 pts in the regular season and to the conference finals is very unlikely to have even one line that looks the same as it did last season.  Given a coach who wants proven options the Rangers may be severely lacking in the consistency he demands, particularly given the number of young unproven players in the equation.

I'm not sure RW is going to be an issue this year. As long as they keep the Hunts,  Carpenter's and Goodrows out of the top 6, they will be in good shape. 

 

Whether it’s Kravtsov,  Kakko, Blais, Lafreniere, Chytil, Othmann, or even Gauthier, they have plenty of options or players that could switch to that position. 

 

Who knows. Maybe they invite a vet in on a PTO for competition as a depth forward that can slot up. Even if they don't, it think top 6 RW won't be an issue. Heck, it really wasn't this past year. 

 

Distribution of icetime for Lafreniere, Chytil, Kakko and Kravstov are my only concerns about the top 9. Maybe center depth. 

 

As of now it looks like Schneider is a lock for the 3rd pair. If they sign some vet, that may change. I want to see Schneider develop here. Hopefully the fast track doesn't ruin him. 

[Br4d]

46 minutes ago, The Dude said:

As of now it looks like Schneider is a lock for the 3rd pair. If they sign some vet, that may change. I want to see Schneider develop here. Hopefully the fast track doesn't ruin him. 

Schneider is on track at this point.

 

Most great players are great at his age, maybe a year older at the outside.  This assuming they haven't been playing outside of North America and latecomers for that reason.

 

This is one of the reasons Lafreniere is so important this year.  If the Rangers don't get him on the star track this year they lose a significant amount of the potential that this ever happens.

 

It's why Kakko's troubles last year were really troubling.

[Phil]

On 7/23/2022 at 10:17 AM, RJWantsTheCup said:

If Motte wanted only 1.5M or less someone would’ve signed him already.   Rangers still have some minor moves to make but Drury is in no rush to make them.  Have a feeling he wants to see how some young players perform in pre-season first. 

 

The only move left is to sign a veteran LD to a PTO. Before Jordie Benn signed, I'd have said him. Now, I think it's Andy Greene. 

[RJWantsTheCup]

They still need to do something with either Gauthier or Hunt and possibly Hajek.  3rd pair left d is up in the air and 7th d.  

[Cash or Czech]

9 hours ago, Phil said:

 

The only move left is to sign a veteran LD to a PTO. Before Jordie Benn signed, I'd have said him. Now, I think it's Andy Greene. 

I rather go Jones/Robertson and keep the cap space. We don’t need another Nemeth situation right after alleviating ourselves of the problem in the first place 

[Phil]

6 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

I rather go Jones/Robertson and keep the cap space. We don’t need another Nemeth situation right after alleviating ourselves of the problem in the first place 

 

A PTO isn't another Nemeth situation. Any Andy Greene-type is getting a one-year deal at league minimum ($750K).

[RJWantsTheCup]

Very doubtful they keep Jones and Robertson up.  More chance you see Tinordi as the 7th D instead of one of those 2.   Greene signed as 7th D is possible.  They aren’t going to keep a young D up to not play. 

[RangersIn7]

40 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

A PTO isn't another Nemeth situation. Any Andy Greene-type is getting a one-year deal at league minimum ($750K).

Agreed.

I don’t know why anyone would view it even somewhat similarly. 
There’s zero commitment in a PTO. Zero. And if the guy does well and you keep him, as you said, typically cost you league minimum or slightly north of that. 

 

A proven vet, if he can still play, on a cheap contract, is a good thing to have as a 6th or 7th D. 
 

Honestly, I could very easily see that last spot being a platoon situation between a vet and one of the kids. 

[Phil]

1 hour ago, RangersIn7 said:

Agreed.

I don’t know why anyone would view it even somewhat similarly. 
There’s zero commitment in a PTO. Zero. And if the guy does well and you keep him, as you said, typically cost you league minimum or slightly north of that. 

 

A proven vet, if he can still play, on a cheap contract, is a good thing to have as a 6th or 7th D. 
 

Honestly, I could very easily see that last spot being a platoon situation between a vet and one of the kids. 

 

Right, and that assumes they even make the team. Most PTOs don't.

 

I'm fine giving Jones and/or Robertson all the runway they need to make the team, but competition is a good thing.

 

And another thing: let's say it's Greene and he does fairly well, but then looks like garbage by November? Bury him in the AHL. Costs you nothing against the cap.

[Cash or Czech]

I really just don’t want a veteran to come in and have a good camp, then get signed and fade after 25 games. These guys are old and washed up. We can’t afford prime/young and good. I rather young and potential in a limited role

[RangersIn7]

2 hours ago, Phil said:

 

Right, and that assumes they even make the team. Most PTOs don't.

 

I'm fine giving Jones and/or Robertson all the runway they need to make the team, but competition is a good thing.

 

And another thing: let's say it's Greene and he does fairly well, but then looks like garbage by November? Bury him in the AHL. Costs you nothing against the cap.

And you have a veteran D is Hartford you can call up at a moments notice.

[Phil]

54 minutes ago, Cash or Czech said:

I really just don’t want a veteran to come in and have a good camp, then get signed and fade after 25 games. These guys are old and washed up. We can’t afford prime/young and good. I rather young and potential in a limited role

 

I just don't see the harm.

[josh]

1 hour ago, Cash or Czech said:

I really just don’t want a veteran to come in and have a good camp, then get signed and fade after 25 games. These guys are old and washed up. We can’t afford prime/young and good. I rather young and potential in a limited role

This my hope (sorta).

But look who Drury has brought in - all veterans, all that have a specific role. I have a hard time believing he wont do that for the LD spot.

 

This was also a known hole going into the offseason, which makes me think he might go with a Robertson/Jones/Lundkvist competition for that last spot.

[josh]

enh Kravtsov got a dumb sleeve. But looks like he put on some mass.

[Ozzy]

37 minutes ago, josh said:

This my hope (sorta).

But look who Drury has brought in - all veterans, all that have a specific role. I have a hard time believing he wont do that for the LD spot.

 

This was also a known hole going into the offseason, which makes me think he might go with a Robertson/Jones/Lundkvist competition for that last spot.

 

We could've probably even kept Braun for a million bucks.  He was decent back there....I think you're right though, Josh....it may be a battle of the kids....which I'm actually more in favor of.  If they have a hard time, I suppose we add veteran stability at the deadline.

[RJWantsTheCup]

I think Braun was signing with the Flyers no matter what.  They probably had some sort of agreement when they traded him at the deadline 

[Sharpshooter]

Weren't there rumors of Motte to the Rangers still possibly being a thing? They still need to re-sign Kakko, but they can probably do both, albeit barely. He hasn't signed anywhere else yet, but I don't see him wanting to take one million or less to come back here either.

[RangersIn7]

11 minutes ago, Sharpshooter said:

Weren't there rumors of Motte to the Rangers still possibly being a thing? They still need to re-sign Kakko, but they can probably do both, albeit barely. He hasn't signed anywhere else yet, but I don't see him wanting to take one million or less to come back here either.

The longer he goes unsigned, the more that becomes possible.

Still probably more likely he gets more elsewhere though. But if he loves NY so much, maybe they duke him an extra year at less money and that does it. 

[Ozzy]

26 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

I think Braun was signing with the Flyers no matter what.  They probably had some sort of agreement when they traded him at the deadline 

 

You're probably right, man.....Hey!  Shouldn't you have a margarita in your hands about now?? 

[Phil]

1 hour ago, Sharpshooter said:

Weren't there rumors of Motte to the Rangers still possibly being a thing? They still need to re-sign Kakko, but they can probably do both, albeit barely. He hasn't signed anywhere else yet, but I don't see him wanting to take one million or less to come back here either.

 

Not that I saw. Last update we got on him was direct from Drury, saying the team "probably" couldn't afford him. Something to that effect.

[Sod16]

5 hours ago, Cash or Czech said:

I really just don’t want a veteran to come in and have a good camp, then get signed and fade after 25 games. 

More often than not, that's what happens with PTO "finds."  You get a veteran on his last legs playing like it was the Stanley Cup finals against listless competition.  Then the regular season starts and oops.

[RangersIn7]

1 hour ago, Phil said:

 

Not that I saw. Last update we got on him was direct from Drury, saying the team "probably" couldn't afford him. Something to that effect.

Yeah

 

But I think people look at probably and say it’s not a definite so they hold out hope. Plus it’s been a while and he hasn’t signed. And he’s publicly stated he likes NY and would like to stay.

 

So people think it’s possible. 

[The Dude]

On 7/24/2022 at 4:53 PM, Phil said:

 

The only move left is to sign a veteran LD to a PTO. Before Jordie Benn signed, I'd have said him. Now, I think it's Andy Greene. 

Damn, I was just about to post that they should try for Robert Hagg, whom I felt was a lesser Holden type of guy, who could skate and be a somewhat competent defender, but he signed with Detroit today.