Rangers Sign Experience but They Need Speed?

[RangersLEETCH]

After watching the Rangers lose to the NJ Devils in the first round this year I was shocked not to mention disappointed. Not showing up for games 5&7 which is a problem in itself the Rangers were a couple of steps behind the Devils. (Need speed!) Does anyone feel that Chris Drury should have addressed this problem during the free agency period instead of signing veterans?  

[Br4d]

Speed costs more than vet minimum off of buyouts elsewhere.

 

On the bright side we still have K'Andre Miller at least for now.

[RangersLEETCH]

Which guys cost more for speed? There had to be someone available/affordable that’s quick. 

[Phil]

Yes. They got slower, not faster, and that could very well be a significant problem if they run into the Devils or other fast teams in the playoffs again. The key here is going to be doing what they can to defend against the faster teams. Systems/structures can go a long way in defusing it, like we saw with Carolina (who aren't blistering fast either).

[RangersLEETCH]

25 minutes ago, Phil said:

Yes. They got slower, not faster, and that could very well be a significant problem if they run into the Devils or other fast teams in the playoffs again. The key here is going to be doing what they can to defend against the faster teams. Systems/structures can go a long way in defusing it, like we saw with Carolina (who aren't blistering fast either).

 I agree Phil I think the Rangers need speed though you could clearly see it against the devils and if this year goes on, it’s not just going to be the devils. The Rangers had problems with the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators those teams are fast and they’re up-and-coming. I think the Rangers need to look at their team again in order to not only compete, but beat these teams. Just my opinion. 

[RangersLEETCH]

2 hours ago, Br4d said:

Speed costs more than vet minimum off of buyouts elsewhere.

 

On the bright side we still have K'Andre Miller at least for now.

I do like the Miller signing total agreement with you Br4d. You think the Rangers put him back to being a winger at anytime ? which I understand was his original position in the minors. 

[RichieNextel305]

Different teams have different strengths. I know the flavor of the week right now is speed since we got beat by a fast team. But, speed is likely not the identity here. That isn’t to say that we are this big lumbering slow team; we’re not. We just aren’t as fast as teams like the Devils, who’s identity is built around their speed.

 

The flavor of the week is always usually based off of who won or who the team is that beat you. But the Rangers need to keep pushing forward, build some structure in a Laviolette-run system and play their own game and dictate the tempo. Carolina isn’t what you would call a dangerously fast team, but they had no issues neutralizing the Devils. Hell, neither did we 3 out of the 7 games. Build your system, rely on your top guys to find time and space and lets not crumble in front of Igor. 

Edited July 12, 2023 by RichieNextel305

[Pete]

You don't need fast skaters to play fast. The puck moves faster than players do.

 

Remove the guesswork from zone exits and entries and the team will have less decisions to make, they'll make better decisions, the puck will move faster, the team will feel faster. 

[Br4d]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

You don't need fast skaters to play fast. The puck moves faster than players do.

 

Remove the guesswork from zone exits and entries and the team will have less decisions to make, they'll make better decisions, the puck will move faster, the team will feel faster. 

 

No way.  If you don't have speed on the ice you will get circles skated around you by teams with lots of speed.

 

That's what happened in the Devils series.  Younger, faster skaters made the Rangers look like they were standing still at times.

 

This Ranger's team is close to perfect in terms of precision passing, long lead passes on target, etc.  It's almost their hallmark with Fox, Panarin and Zibanejad.  It still did not allow them to keep up with the Devils fast skaters who come in all sizes.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Br4d

[Ozzy]

I think you guys are forgetting what happened in games 1 and 2 against the Devils.  They looked like shit and we were all over them like spots on a Dalmatian.  I'm not saying speed is not required, but it's not the end all, be all.  I didn't think Boston was all that fast, and they made a mockery of the NHL last season.  They actually lost to a Florida team that I thought was slower than they were.

 

It just seems to me like we're always chasing our tails...First it's grit, now it's speed, next it'll be skill...

 

Fuck it!  No roster is perfect, and especially in a flat cap season.  This roster has everything it needs to win now.  They added a coaching staff that can use the roster it's equipped with to dismantle teams with more speed than they have.

 

Wanna see how you combat speed?  Lay an open ice hit on Hughes, or finish more bone bruisers against their defensemen when they go back to retrieve a chip & chase!  You wear them down, and make them think twice about getting to it first.  Next thing you know, they're on their heels and after that, the little black disc finds the twine more often.

 

Not to mention if you have some sort of basic outlet plays that exit our zone much more efficiently, and not making everything a 50/50 puck battle!!

 

....or of course you could watch any replay of the Canes/Devils series, and watch how Brind'Amor made the Devils his bitches!

 

That's how it's done in a system, kids! 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Ozzy

[Pete]

23 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

No way.  If you don't have speed on the ice you will get circles skated around you by teams with lots of speed.

And yet the Hurricanes, who no one would accuse of having the best team speed, beat the Devils. 

 

Quote

That's what happened in the Devils series.  Younger, faster skaters made the Rangers look like they were standing still at times.

The Rangers were standing still ... Deciding what to do with the puck.

 

But beyond that, I'm so tired of hearing about the devil series. This team shouldn't be making decisions based on their worst 4 games of the season, just because their worst 4 games were playoff games. Two of their best games of the season happened to be playoff games. 

 

Quote

This Ranger's team is close to perfect in terms of precision passing, long lead passes on target, etc.  It's almost their hallmark with Fox, Panarin and Zibanejad.  It still did not allow them to keep up with the Devils fast skaters who come in all sizes.

I have no idea what team you're watching, but yeah no. 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Pete

[Pete]

5 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

I think you guys are forgetting what happened in games 1 and 2 against the Devils.  They looked like shit and we were all over them like spots on a Dalmatian.  I'm not saying speed is not required, but it's not the end all, be all.  I didn't think Boston was all that fast, and they made a mockery of the NHL last season.  They actually lost to a Florida team that I thought was slower than they were.

 

It just seems to me like we're always chasing our tails...First it's grit, now it's speed, next it'll be skill...

 

Fuck it!  No roster is perfect, and especially in a flat cap season.  This roster has everything it needs to win now.  They added a coaching staff that can use the roster it's equipped with to dismantle teams with more speed than they have.

 

Wanna see how you combat speed?  Lay an open ice hit on Hughes, or finish more bone bruisers against their defensemen when they go back to retrieve a chip & chase!  You wear them down, and make them think twice about getting to it first.  Next thing you know, they're on their heels and after that, the little black disc finds the twine more often.

 

Not to mention if you have some sort of basic outlet plays that exit our zone much more efficiently, and not making everything a 50/50 puck battle!!

 

....or of course you could watch any replay of the Canes/Devils series, and watch how Brind'Amor made the Devils his bitches!

 

That's how it's done in a system, kids! 

Bingo. 

 

The Devil's have a lot of speed on there roster so they use that to their advantage. The Rangers now have a coach who will evaluate their roster, see with the strengths are, and use those strengths to their advantage.

 

And frankly, the way you defend speed is with tall defenseman who have range, can skate, and have long sticks. We saw this from more than one team besides the Knights, who won with this type of defense.

 

And yet, people whine about Miller being a "marshmallow"... Yet Trouba was too slow to deliver more than 1 "impact hit" on Meier, which had zero impact on the series. 

[Br4d]

55 minutes ago, Pete said:

 

But beyond that, I'm so tired of hearing about the devil series. This team shouldn't be making decisions based on their worst 4 games of the season, just because their worst 4 games were playoff games. Two of their best games of the season happened to be playoff games. 

 

 

 

Ah, so you've come around to the idea that firing the most successful regular season coach in Ranger's history was maybe an over-reaction to the Devil's series?

[Pete]

45 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Ah, so you've come around to the idea that firing the most successful regular season coach in Ranger's history was maybe an over-reaction to the Devil's series?

Stop spinning. It was the proper reaction to the same issues not being solved for 2 seasons. They were looking to replace him in November, so it's rather silly to suggest that they overreacted due to one series. 

 

But that's not the point, let's not deflect. 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Pete

[Ozzy]

I actually think Emile Francis would be considered the most successful coach in NYR history:  https://www.hockey-reference.com/coaches/francem01c.html

 

I always loved those early 70's teams!!!  I grew up watching them on TV6 with Jim Gordon and Bill Chadwick (The Big Whistle) 

[RJWantsTheCup]

29 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

I actually think Emile Francis would be considered the most successful coach in NYR history:  https://www.hockey-reference.com/coaches/francem01c.html

 

I always loved those early 70's teams!!!  I grew up watching them on TV6 with Jim Gordon and Bill Chadwick (The Big Whistle) 

The Big Whistle was the best.

[Br4d]

30 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

I actually think Emile Francis would be considered the most successful coach in NYR history:  https://www.hockey-reference.com/coaches/francem01c.html

 

I always loved those early 70's teams!!!  I grew up watching them on TV6 with Jim Gordon and Bill Chadwick (The Big Whistle) 

 

12 year old me thought Bill Fairbairn was the best player in the NHL.

[Phil]

10 hours ago, RangersLEETCH said:

 I agree Phil I think the Rangers need speed though you could clearly see it against the devils and if this year goes on, it’s not just going to be the devils. The Rangers had problems with the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators those teams are fast and they’re up-and-coming. I think the Rangers need to look at their team again in order to not only compete, but beat these teams. Just my opinion. 

 

Long-term, absolutely. But with the way the roster is built and with how locked down they are to the pieces they've invested in, they did about as good a job as they could in trying to win with this group. The speed issue will persist, but they can probably weather it with some solid structural defense techniques and a dash or two of luck (like avoiding the Devils in the playoffs entirely).

[Ozzy]

15 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

12 year old me thought Bill Fairbairn was the best player in the NHL.

 

Hey Brad...remember when Bruce MacGregor and Bobby Rousseau were the only players that wore helmets??  LOL

 

...Oh I loved Fairbairn!!  ...and of course I was a Gene Carr fan!!! 

[Sod16]

I was yelling "peroxide head" at Carr from the blue seats.  After making pals with rock stars in LA, he suffered from some sort of debilitating illness.  He is cared for by a daughter he had never known from some trist while he was in juniors.  

 

Two amazing playoff performances: MacGregor in '74 Canadiens series; Rousseau in Game 5 '72 finals.

[Ozzy]

...and then there was my man Steve Vickers, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time in front of the net!

[RJWantsTheCup]

21 hours ago, Ozzy said:

 

Hey Brad...remember when Bruce MacGregor and Bobby Rousseau were the only players that wore helmets??  LOL

 

...Oh I loved Fairbairn!!  ...and of course I was a Gene Carr fan!!! 

Damn you guys are old.

[Ozzy]

9 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

Damn you guys are old.

 

You ain't far behind, Junior!!!  LOL

[Pete]

17 hours ago, Sod16 said:

I was yelling "peroxide head" at Carr from the blue seats.  After making pals with rock stars in LA, he suffered from some sort of debilitating illness.  He is cared for by a daughter he had never known from some trist while he was in juniors.  

 

Two amazing playoff performances: MacGregor in '74 Canadiens series; Rousseau in Game 5 '72 finals.

 

18 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

...and then there was my man Steve Vickers, who always seemed to be in the right place at the right time in front of the net!

 

15 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

Damn you guys are old.

Group question, what was Lord Stanley like, really? 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Pete

[Ozzy]

26 minutes ago, Pete said:

 

 

Group question, what was Lord Stanley like, really? 

 

We knew "Lord" Stanley when he was just a Disciple!!