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What Happens at Center?


Phil

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3 minutes ago, Br4d said:

The contributions the two lines made were very similar during the run.  The difference is that we weren't expecting a lot out of the kids so their contributions were a pleasant surprise.  We were expecting a lot of Panarin, Strome and their RW - whoever and their contributions underwhelmed.

The matchups weren't similar.

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3 hours ago, jsm7302 said:

Seriously,  why no chatter about Toews? Atleast bring in a guy that fills a need. RW isn't an issue. Especially one that good to play with Panarin or Zibanejad. 

 

CENTER! They need a center! Wake up beat writers!

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3 minutes ago, Br4d said:

So it's day 2 of free agency.  The first wave has gone by and it did not include Strome or Copp.

 

The Rangers can have either or both for $5M/6 years with a 3 year NMC.

 

What do you do?

Copp. 5m for a center/winger presents a cost controlled top 6 position going forward with an option to upgrade either over the next couple of years.

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If the Rangers signed both we are running basically the same team we had last year out there alongside the probable addition of Will Cuylle.

 

Seems to me like that might be worth doing.

 

Kreider, Zibanejad, Copp

Panarin, Strome, Kratsov

Lafreniere, Chytil, Kakko

Cuylle, Goodrow, Reaves

 

Looks good to me from a surface perspective.  Cuylle, who is a big guy, gets to make his debut next to Goodrow and Reaves - both of whom will have his back in a big way.

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Rangers can’t fit two players for 5M each.   They still have to sign Kakko and Blais is on LTIR on cap friendly so he will count eventually against the cap.  Plus even filling out the rest of the roster with  league minimum contracts you’ll be down to maybe 5.5M cap space at most.  

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8 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

Rangers can’t fit two players for 5M each.   They still have to sign Kakko and Blais is on LTIR on cap friendly so he will count eventually against the cap.  Plus even filling out the rest of the roster with  league minimum contracts you’ll be down to maybe 5.5M cap space at most.  

Trade Nemeth for next to nothing.  Trade Lindgren for picks.  Put Fox and Miller on 1D, Trouba and Schneider on 2D.  Promote 2 of the young D in the system for 3D.

 

You get very close to the numbers you need to make Kakko, Copp and Strome all fit.

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If they could trade Nemeth so easy he would be gone already.  Fox looked lost without Lindgren in playoffs.  Miller isn’t ready for 1st D pair.  Schneider and Trouba both play the right side.  3rd D pair would be a problem all year.  I doubt we make the playoffs with that squad.   But we will never know because they aren’t ever signing both.  

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38 minutes ago, Br4d said:

Trade Nemeth for next to nothing.  Trade Lindgren for picks.  Put Fox and Miller on 1D, Trouba and Schneider on 2D.  Promote 2 of the young D in the system for 3D.

 

You get very close to the numbers you need to make Kakko, Copp and Strome all fit.

If you make all the moves you suggested plus rid themselves of Blais and Hunt’s contracts and go with Gauthier as 13th forward, Robertson and Lundkvist as 3rd pair with Jones as 7th D and Garand as back up goalie yes you can sign Copp and Stome for 5M each and have .59M cap space left.  

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11 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

If you make all the moves you suggested plus rid themselves of Blais and Hunt’s contracts and go with Gauthier as 13th forward, Robertson and Lundkvist as 3rd pair with Jones as 7th D and Garand as back up goalie yes you can sign Copp and Stome for 5M each and have .59M cap space left.  

The question is whether 2022-23 is a key year in the window?

 

If it is one of the Ranger's best opportunities at a cup I think you do everything you can to promote the year.

 

Then in 2023-24 you have real cap issues coming and probably need to trade Trouba for whatever you can get.  This assuming somebody is willing to take on the cap hit at any trade price.  If not you probably have to buyout Trouba to cut close to $6M off of his cap number for the next 5 seasons.  The money you save from Trouba goes to K'Andre Miller.  Obviously any trade for Trouba that includes less than $2M retention is a maker.

 

Then you have the Lafreniere question, which is largely going to be answered next season.  If he breaks out then you have to find a way to sign him and the answer there will be a trade of Kreider most likely.  If he doesn't break out next season the Rangers trade him for what will likely be a good return.

 

If this is a key moment in the window, and I would argue that it is, the Rangers need to be prepared to take full advantage of it and to preserve maneuverability in the next couple of seasons before the cap starts to inflate.

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I seriously doubt Drury is crazy enough to go with 4 of 7 defenseman being rookies and 1 of the other 3 only playing defense for a few years.  
After going to the conference finals every year they should be looking to improve.  Taking steps back will eventually cost Drury and Gallant their jobs. 

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50 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

If you make all the moves you suggested plus rid themselves of Blais and Hunt’s contracts and go with Gauthier as 13th forward, Robertson and Lundkvist as 3rd pair with Jones as 7th D and Garand as back up goalie yes you can sign Copp and Stome for 5M each and have .59M cap space left.  

Didn't they just resign Blais? What happened to Schneider?

 

They aren't getting both. They may not get either. 

 

It's Chytl or a big trade. 

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A few things to throw more gasoline on the fire/correct some things

 

1 - Capfriendly, during the offseason, includes LTIR folks in cap calculations. So you don't need to add Blais back into the number; we're at 10.2m in cap space with Kakko as the only remaining RFA. 

2 - When considering the roster for next season, I'd bet on slotting in Gustav Rydahl at 4C. I seriously doubt that Rydahl leaves one of the best teams in the SHL for Hartford, and I doubly doubt the Rangers pay the (now higher) transfer fee to the SHL for a Hartford addition. This guy is our 4c, so slot him on in.

3 - I also think there's no way we go into next season without adding a depth defender.

 

Assuming we're unable to trade Nemeth and Kakko signs for 2M/y, we have around 8m to handle a depth defender, a mid-six C, and a backup goalie. We could also probably - somehow - use a bottom 6 LW.

 

 

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24 minutes ago, The Dude said:

Didn't they just resign Blais? What happened to Schneider?

 

They aren't getting both. They may not get either. 

 

It's Chytl or a big trade. 

According to Br4d Schneider is playing with Trouba after Lindgren is traded and Miller moves up to the 1st pair with Fox. 

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10 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

A few things to throw more gasoline on the fire/correct some things

 

1 - Capfriendly, during the offseason, includes LTIR folks in cap calculations. So you don't need to add Blais back into the number; we're at 10.2m in cap space with Kakko as the only remaining RFA. 

2 - When considering the roster for next season, I'd bet on slotting in Gustav Rydahl at 4C. I seriously doubt that Rydahl leaves one of the best teams in the SHL for Hartford, and I doubly doubt the Rangers pay the (now higher) transfer fee to the SHL for a Hartford addition. This guy is our 4c, so slot him on in.

3 - I also think there's no way we go into next season without adding a depth defender.

 

Assuming we're unable to trade Nemeth and Kakko signs for 2M/y, we have around 8m to handle a depth defender, a mid-six C, and a backup goalie. We could also probably - somehow - use a bottom 6 LW.

 

 


Agree on Rydahl. A Rydahl/Brodzinski is your 4C competition. It’s very cheap. Both players are under $800k. And like you said, Rydahl isn’t coming here unless there is some understanding he has a great chance to be that guy.

 

Looking at the overall C picture right now, the Rangers have Zib/Chytil/Goodrow/Rydahl down the middle. Instead of getting a bonafide 2C, if they sign a mid-6 C or trade for one (cough Suter cough), Goodrow gets pushed to wing and either Chytil is 2C and the new addition takes Goodrow’s spot, or the new addition is 2C and Chytil takes Goodrow’s spot.

 

They should bring in another C for depth purposes anyway, but the quality of the center they bring in changes the equation and whether Chytil or <new guy> slots in at 2C. A Victor Rask slots below Chytil. A Paul Stastny might initially slot above him.

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31 minutes ago, Br4d said:

You think Kakko is going to sign for $2M?  Why would he not go looking for an offer sheet if that's the Rangers offer?

 

That's the working idea right now, and they're pretty far down the path from what we've heard from beatwriters. 

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28 minutes ago, rmc51 said:


Agree on Rydahl. A Rydahl/Brodzinski is your 4C competition. It’s very cheap. Both players are under $800k. And like you said, Rydahl isn’t coming here unless there is some understanding he has a great chance to be that guy.

 

Looking at the overall C picture right now, the Rangers have Zib/Chytil/Goodrow/Rydahl down the middle. Instead of getting a bonafide 2C, if they sign a mid-6 C or trade for one (cough Suter cough), Goodrow gets pushed to wing and either Chytil is 2C and the new addition takes Goodrow’s spot, or the new addition is 2C and Chytil takes Goodrow’s spot.

 

They should bring in another C for depth purposes anyway, but the quality of the center they bring in changes the equation and whether Chytil or <new guy> slots in at 2C. A Victor Rask slots below Chytil. A Paul Stastny might initially slot above him.

And what happens when Chytil gets injured as expected? Rydahl is not the answer to any question around C. He's just another chip to play. 

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9 minutes ago, Pete said:

And what happens when Chytil gets injured as expected? Rydahl is not the answer to any question around C. He's just another chip to play. 


That’s why they need another center. In the event either Chytil or <insert name here> gets hurt, Goodrow slides back to center to cover. That doesn’t mean they need to sign or trade for a high quality 2C though.

 

The idea of Stastny for a year has been growing on me. Can still put up 40 points. Great on faceoffs. Even with his age, he has enough skill to play 17-18 a night if Chytil isn’t cutting it enough, or can slide up if (when? Lol) Chytil gets hurt.

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Kreider - Zib - Lafreniere

Panarin - Stastny/Chytil - Kravtsov

Goodrow - Stastny/Chytil - Kakko

Blais - Rydahl/Brodz - Reaves

Hunt

 

Lindgren - Fox

Miller - Trouba

Jones - Schneider

Nemeth

 

Stastny is a decent stop-gap option. Relieves pressure of having to pay to dump or buy out Nemeth. Should leave cap room to make in-season/trade deadline moves similar to this past season.

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33 minutes ago, rmc51 said:

Kreider - Zib - Lafreniere

Panarin - Stastny/Chytil - Kravtsov

Goodrow - Stastny/Chytil - Kakko

Blais - Rydahl/Brodz - Reaves

Hunt

 

Lindgren - Fox

Miller - Trouba

Jones - Schneider

Nemeth

 

Stastny is a decent stop-gap option. Relieves pressure of having to pay to dump or buy out Nemeth. Should leave cap room to make in-season/trade deadline moves similar to this past season.

 

In that scenario the 2 line has to be very productive.  Lafreniere has to make a smooth move to RW.  The 3 line has to be able to score some goals.  Also unfortunately the best defensive line is once again the 1 line and that makes matchups tougher on the road because you don't want your best defensive line which is also your best scoring line consistently matched up against the other team's checking line.

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36 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

In that scenario the 2 line has to be very productive.  Lafreniere has to make a smooth move to RW.  The 3 line has to be able to score some goals.  Also unfortunately the best defensive line is once again the 1 line and that makes matchups tougher on the road because you don't want your best defensive line which is also your best scoring line consistently matched up against the other team's checking line.

 

Short of picking up a true defensive 3c, that's probably true for any scenario we lay out. 

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50 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

In that scenario the 2 line has to be very productive.  Lafreniere has to make a smooth move to RW.  The 3 line has to be able to score some goals.  Also unfortunately the best defensive line is once again the 1 line and that makes matchups tougher on the road because you don't want your best defensive line which is also your best scoring line consistently matched up against the other team's checking line.


I would have a high degree of confidence in a Goodrow-Stastny-Kakko defensive line.

 

But also what @LindG1000 said. I don’t think you escape most of what you said this season. There’s going to be holes and “hopes” filling a couple key parts of the lineup no matter what.

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