Phil Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 Quote Because let’s face it, the Blueshirts were ultimately physically dominated by a Tampa Bay team that did not relent for so much as a single shift. Borrowing a precept of Freddie Shero’s almost a half a century old, the Lightning arrived on time and with malice. They hit with purpose. The Rangers could not win battles. The Rangers could not get to the inside. For the only time in the playoffs, the Rangers looked small. And so as it was Drury’s responsibility last summer to add grit, sandpaper, mental and physical toughness and leadership pedigree to supplement the considerable talent that had been amassed under Jeff Gorton’s tenure as GM, it will now be on him to add size, bulk and a meaner edge up front. It will be on Drury to construct a team that will be able to get to the net when the Rangers’ open-ice, rush game is eliminated. It will be on the GM to ensure that the portfolio up front is diversified so that the team can score different ways, not simply off neat backdoor plays and odd-man rushes through open spaces that occur fewer by the week as the playoffs advance. Drury obviously will have to work within the constraints of the unforgiving salary cap and the various no-trade/no-move clauses contained in several of his players’ contracts. There is the issue of the second-line center to be addressed before the picture comes into focus. Quote Are the Rangers one kind of team if Ryan Strome returns, another if Andrew Copp is the second-line center and yet another if Filip Chytil gets a crack at a top-six role in the middle? Or do the Blueshirts need a more physically formidable second-line pivot via even free agency or the trade route? That’s what I believe. https://nypost.com/2022/06/13/rangers-must-add-bulk-to-close-challenger-to-champion-divide/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valriera Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Yeah I agree - this is why I would let strome and copp walk because neither one of them are it. I don't know who is and maybe they don't exist this year, which is OK. Neither one of those two guys are signing for anything less than 4 years and i don't want to be stuck with the same problem when the guy finally does exist. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 J Toews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsm7302 Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 3 minutes ago, josh said: J Toews. HARD NO from me. Id offer Malkin 6 mil x 4 years though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash or Czech Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 10 minutes ago, jsm7302 said: HARD NO from me. Id offer Malkin 6 mil x 4 years though. And he’d play 82 games across those 4 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 9 minutes ago, jsm7302 said: HARD NO from me. Id offer Malkin 6 mil x 4 years though. Toews has 1yr left, and the actual pay is low so you’ll get him at 5m cap at most. malkinnis a 35+ contract that can’t come off the books. Toews does the little things. And wins faceoffs. He can transition into a role player with leadership. Malkin can’t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long live the King Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 47 minutes ago, Phil said: https://nypost.com/2022/06/13/rangers-must-add-bulk-to-close-challenger-to-champion-divide/ Maybe it's my homer glasses, but I disagree with that assessment. I don't think the got out physicaled as much as they just ran out of gas. 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 (edited) 24 minutes ago, Long live the King said: Maybe it's my homer glasses, but I disagree with that assessment. I don't think the got out physicaled as much as they just ran out of gas. Team does not go to the net nearly enough. Without looking they were outshot and usually outchanced because most possessions ended pretty quickly. Not enough greasy goals from the slot. But temper that with the regular season is a different game that requires more skills than sandpaper. Tuesday in February in Winnipeg, yeah, they''ve got some scouting and seen some tape, but not the same thing as a 7 game series in May when they've scouted the living shit out of you, seen it over and over up close and seen tons of tape. Edited June 14, 2022 by Bugg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 33 minutes ago, Long live the King said: Maybe it's my homer glasses, but I disagree with that assessment. I don't think the got out physicaled as much as they just ran out of gas. As soon as Tampa took it up a notch physically, the rangers were done. they played scared against the Penguins, they gave the Canes too much respect, and they turtled against the Lightning (disclaimer: saying this for offseason discussion.) too many times in which they weren’t hard to play against, especially down the middle. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooksBurner Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Bulk (stronger) and a bit meaner, yes. The Rangers have plenty of raw size on the roster. It’s going to come down to adopting the mentality of doing the dirty work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 1 hour ago, Long live the King said: Maybe it's my homer glasses, but I disagree with that assessment. I don't think the got out physicaled as much as they just ran out of gas. Them running out of gas was a byproduct of getting physically out-worked. From the second half of game three to the final buzzer of game six, the on-ice results were the same: the Rangers found no quarter anywhere near the middle of the ice, because they were physically pushed to the walls, where they seemingly happily stayed, producing an endless amount of low-danger chances. Panarin, specifically, became notorious for blind, backhand passes into a sea of bodies that never had a remote chance of going in, and would almost always directly result in a turnover. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 12 minutes ago, rmc51 said: Bulk (stronger) and a bit meaner, yes. The Rangers have plenty of raw size on the roster. It’s going to come down to adopting the mentality of doing the dirty work. Size is useless if it isn't used to your advantage. Ryan Whitney was 6'4, probably 220lbs at his playing weight. He played like he was 5'10, 175lbs. This isn't to say they all need to be bulls, either. Zibanejad is also quite big, but doesn't really use his size to his advantage as often as you'd like. Certainly not when you compare him to the guys across the ice who routinely found room because they made room. Stamkos and Cirelli are similarly built, so why didn't they struggle nearly as much as the Zibanejad line did to create space? Because they exerted their will. The Rangers didn't. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsm7302 Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Nah, we need shooters. Trouba was almost tossed for throwing big hits in each series. The team addressed this last off season. We need another goal scorer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieNextel305 Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 I agree that I think we may need another threat up front. Our 5v5 play was really exposed. Obviously you have to hope and pray Lafreniere can become that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 20 minutes ago, jsm7302 said: Nah, we need shooters. Trouba was almost tossed for throwing big hits in each series. The team addressed this last off season. We need another goal scorer. They need shooters who shoot from the slot, which means they need players who go to the slot. That's a "strength" issue in that you have to be strong in will and to some extent in stature to accomplish it. Yes, there are guys like Point who aren't big who do it, but it's easier for bigger guys to do it because they're less likely to get physically pushed off the puck in the process. Really, it's a combination of skill + will. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontonyr Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Can we not play Goodrow at 3C? If healthy, I think he's a good plug and filling a 4th line C role feels much easier. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindG1000 Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 This is gonna be a weird offseason and dumb as it sounds the prudent thing may be to wait for free agency to start sorting itself out before trying to strike. The Venn diagram of "places with cap space", "places where free agents want to play", and "places with competitive teams" lacks significant overlap. If you add in the wildcard of "places without internal spending caps", it gets even tighter. Let a few bigger contracts fly, and swoop in on a trade target. Either that, or target like Eakin, Johan Larsson, or Janmark for a bottom 6 role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 6 hours ago, Long live the King said: Maybe it's my homer glasses, but I disagree with that assessment. I don't think the got out physicaled as much as they just ran out of gas. I agree. It's not that they don't have have the size to go to the middle, they don't have the willingness. That doesn't mean you need to get bigger, just means you need players with the mentality to play in traffic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keirik Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keirik Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Bring him on home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long live the King Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Okay, new plan... Panarin - Zib - Krav Laf - Chytil - Kakko Kreider - Nick Paul - Connor Brown Motte - Goodrow - Blais 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torontonyr Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 The deal with the Rangers is finalized and the name on the contract does say Strome, however the contract reads Dylan Strome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keirik Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Imagine a center depth of Ziby Strome Gourde Boyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 1 hour ago, Long live the King said: Okay, new plan... Panarin - Zib - Krav Laf - Chytil - Kakko Kreider - Nick Paul - Connor Brown Motte - Goodrow - Blais Absolutely. @Dunny was Paul the guy you were pushing for at the deadline? I can’t remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunny Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 I can't take credit, it was Tierney lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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