Mercogliano 5 Possible Trade Partners for the Rangers

[torontonyr]

20 hours ago, Pete said:

Go look at his numbers over the last 20 or so games vs other centers. Then go through the list of players listed at center who are actually playing on the wing.

 

Wait, I know you don't like to actually research or post anything that backs up your opinion, so I'll do it.

 

Since Dec 15th...
https://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?reportType=game&dateFrom=2023-12-15&dateTo=2024-02-09&gameType=2&position=C&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=points,goals,assists&page=0&pageSize=50

 

I can name a handful of guys before we get to Zib who aren't centers. Verhaeghe, Petterson, Reinhart, Draisaitl (spends a ton of time on McDavid's wing), Barzal, Seguin, Barbashev...And again, 5 points behind McDavid. In the company of Larkin, Point, Miller, Crosby...

 

So where are you coming from with this stuff?

Agree. Also, most other teams play their top center with their top wings. We operate a bit differently.

[RJWantsTheCup]

Brodzinski with 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points in his last 4 games and a plus 3.  
I have a feeling Rangers are going to stick with him.  Even though the Rangers say they’ll trade their #1 I think that was a wink wink between Dolan and Drury.  

[fletch]

On 2/9/2024 at 8:23 AM, Albatrosss said:

Looks back at the Kane rumors thread. Lots of peeps didnt want him, especially after the Tarasenko trade. 

There's lots of reasons for being against acquisition of veteran player X (not to focus on Kane) at trade deadline, so people could have been against acquiring for various reasons:

1.  Is there enough time for player X to learn the system, for the coach to find the right line, and for player X to mesh with line mates?

2. Is player X a good fit for team Y culture; is player X going to be a positive in the locker room, or does player X bring baggage that is going to be a distraction?

3. How much does player X have in the tank, that team Z was going to let him go as a rental; was player X a 5+ year player with team Z and loved being with team Z; will player X bring the same kind of effort to team Y as did for team Z.

4. Is player X killing time until free agency and finding the best offer, or will player X be an asset in the playoffs?

5. Is player X hurt; how close to career peak/plateau is player X; are you acquiring player X based on reputation/performance 2-5 years ago, and hoping that player X can perform close to that level?

6. What are you giving up in order to acquire player X; are you setting back the franchise's future by trading draft picks/young players, and is the cost not worth the potential reward?

7.  How much are your odds improving for a deep playoff run/cup for what you are giving up, given the rest of the roster?

 

Some reasons for acquisition of player X.

1. There is a glaring hole in the roster (injuries, unexpected subpar performance from one or more players, or poor roster construction by GM) that will keep team Y from anything more than a puncher's chance at a deep playoff run, with player X expected to fill the hole () and dramatically improve the team's odds at a deep playoff run.

2. There is an aging core of veterans that have a limited 1-2 year window for a deep playoff run, and the GM is going to maximize the team's chances for a deep playoff run/Cup.

3. GM job is on the line and failure to make the playoffs or a deep playoff run will result in being fired, so GM is going to maximize the team's chances for a deep playoff run/Cup.

4. Lineup is stale and underperforming, and roster turnover is needed as a wake-up call.

5. Coach or key franchise player really likes X from previous interaction and advocates for getting player X.

[Br4d]

2 hours ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

Brodzinski with 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points in his last 4 games and a plus 3.  
I have a feeling Rangers are going to stick with him.  Even though the Rangers say they’ll trade their #1 I think that was a wink wink between Dolan and Drury.  

 

Watching Kakko, Cuylle and then Brodzinski go to the net on that goal was a revelation.  I don't think I've seen a forward line crash the net like that in about 9 seasons now.

[BrooksBurner]

12 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Watching Kakko, Cuylle and then Brodzinski go to the net on that goal was a revelation.  I don't think I've seen a forward line crash the net like that in about 9 seasons now.

You can survive with Brodz. We have been seeing that. Could they find a better 3C if they opened the bank? Sure, but the impact of available upgrades is minimal and mostly in name only. They still need a depth center  after they cut Bonino though. If one of these Cs goes down what is the contigency plan? Find someone for a 4th round pick and call it a day.

 

The real issue, again, is top 6 RW. They have one guy. Lafreniere. I don’t trust Wheeler on the Zib line. Not at all. I don’t hate him, but I wouldn’t settle with relying on him to a top 6 degree in the playoffs. He’s a clear weak link if trying to have a formidable top 6 attack. But Vatrano and Duclair aren’t significant upgrades either, so I wouldn’t open the bank for them either. Drury has to earn his money and identify a target who is 1) a clear and significant upgrade, and 2) not a name populating the rumor mills.

Edited February 10 by BrooksBurner

[Br4d]

The problem is the Rangers keep renting RW's and then they're gone the next season.  No point at all in doing that this year.  We saw what happens to the vet core when they get reinforcements last season.  They all stand around waiting for the new guy(s) to do something.

 

If Wheeler can't get it done in the playoffs put Jimmy Vesey up on RW with CK-MZ.  Fill the 4th line vacancy with a callup from Hartford, not necessarily Othmann.

 

At some point you have to make your stand and artificially pumping again with a rental is like punting instead.

[Long live the King]

16 minutes ago, Br4d said:

The problem is the Rangers keep renting RW's and then they're gone the next season.  No point at all in doing that this year.  We saw what happens to the vet core when they get reinforcements last season.  They all stand around waiting for the new guy(s) to do something.

 

If Wheeler can't get it done in the playoffs put Jimmy Vesey up on RW with CK-MZ.  Fill the 4th line vacancy with a callup from Hartford, not necessarily Othmann.

 

At some point you have to make your stand and artificially pumping again with a rental is like punting instead.

 

You keep saying this, yet never mention the previous year when Copp and Vatrano came in just fine.

[Br4d]

1 minute ago, Long live the King said:

 

You keep saying this, yet never mention the previous year when Copp and Vatrano came in just fine.

 

The Rangers are never going to get backup goalie after backup goalie in the playoffs again.  That's why '21-'22 went so well.

 

Copp and Vatrano cost the Rangers a 1st, a 2nd, a 4th and a 5th.  They got back a 6th in exchange alongside Copp and Vatrano.

 

If they could find a Vatrano level player for a 4th I guess that's fine.  Odds they can do that?  Close to zero.

[Long live the King]

27 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

The Rangers are never going to get backup goalie after backup goalie in the playoffs again.  That's why '21-'22 went so well.

 

Copp and Vatrano cost the Rangers a 1st, a 2nd, a 4th and a 5th.  They got back a 6th in exchange alongside Copp and Vatrano.

 

If they could find a Vatrano level player for a 4th I guess that's fine.  Odds they can do that?  Close to zero.

 

Now you're changing the parameters.  What does any of this have to do with how Copp and Vatrano fit in?

[Pete]

16 minutes ago, Long live the King said:

 

Now you're changing the parameters.  What does any of this have to do with how Copp and Vatrano fit in?

It doesn't. It's just another way to shit on the team. It's a popular practice around here. 

[jsm7302]

5 minutes ago, Pete said:

It doesn't. It's just another way to shit on the team. It's a popular practice around here. 

Yea, I gotta say, I try to stay positive but it can be hard not to fall in line with the nay sayers at times.

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

Yea, I gotta say, I try to stay positive but it can be hard not to fall in line with the nay sayers at times.

There is 1,000% a time and place to be negative.

 

The shit I read here after a win, even convincing ones like spanking Ottawa, just makes me shake my head. 

[BrooksBurner]

29 minutes ago, jsm7302 said:

Yea, I gotta say, I try to stay positive but it can be hard not to fall in line with the nay sayers at times.

It’s about staying even keeled when indicators say to do so, regardless if losing when the team should be winning, or vice versa.

They are on a three game win streak, but if I’m breaking down my reaction based on how they played it’s meh against Colorado, happy against Tampa, meh about Chicago. We want to see strides in the ability to have a consistent approach, play sound hockey, and the ability to shut games down when leading. They required great goaltending to hang on to their cheeks against Colorado. The Rangers had their doors blown off analytically. They blew a two goal third period lead (again) to a bad team last night. 3-1 with 6 minutes left in a game against a team that scored 3 total goals in their previous 5 games. You read that right. 3 total goals with 3 shutouts in their last 5 games. They hang a 3 spot on us and the Rangers can’t hold a 2 goal lead against them.

 

Enjoy the 6 points, but the signs are still not great. I’ll continue to look for and hope for better. More Tampa games.

Edited February 10 by BrooksBurner

[RangersIn7]

3 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

It’s about staying even keeled when indicators say to do so, regardless if losing when the team should be winning, or vice versa.

They are on a three game win streak, but if I’m breaking down my reaction based on how they played it’s meh against Colorado, happy against Tampa, meh about Chicago. We want to see strides in the ability to have a consistent approach, play sound hockey, and the ability to shut games down when leading. They required great goaltending to hang on to their cheeks against Colorado. The Rangers had their doors blown off analytically. They blew a two goal third period lead (again) to a bad team last night. 3-1 with 6 minutes left in a game against a team that scored 3 total goals in their previous 5 games. You read that right. 3 total goals with 3 shutouts in their last 5 games. They hang a 3 spot on us and the Rangers can’t hold a 2 goal lead against them.

 

Enjoy the 6 points, but the signs are still not great. I’ll continue to look for and hope for better. More Tampa games.

That’s a 4 game win streak Brooksie!

 

They need to be more consistent. When you point out the quality of play being inconsistent not only from game to game but within individual games, that’s the big issue to me.

But I think they’ll stabilize.

 

Having the break to regroup will help with that.

Getting some key players going again will help with that.

And adding a player or two at the right spot will lengthen and strengthen the lineup…. Which could potentially help A LOT!

 

Right now they are suffering from “wangular softitude.”

[Pete]

59 minutes ago, BrooksBurner said:

It’s about staying even keeled when indicators say to do so, regardless if losing when the team should be winning, or vice versa.

They are on a three game win streak, but if I’m breaking down my reaction based on how they played it’s meh against Colorado, happy against Tampa, meh about Chicago. We want to see strides in the ability to have a consistent approach, play sound hockey, and the ability to shut games down when leading. They required great goaltending to hang on to their cheeks against Colorado. The Rangers had their doors blown off analytically. They blew a two goal third period lead (again) to a bad team last night. 3-1 with 6 minutes left in a game against a team that scored 3 total goals in their previous 5 games. You read that right. 3 total goals with 3 shutouts in their last 5 games. They hang a 3 spot on us and the Rangers can’t hold a 2 goal lead against them.

 

Enjoy the 6 points, but the signs are still not great. I’ll continue to look for and hope for better. More Tampa games.

I wish there was more even keel. Unfortunately there's too much focus on the negative, and too much negative spin put on positive outcomes.

 

Winning close games is somehow bad... Blowing out the worst team in the league just gets complaints about how Kakko can't score when it matters. Zib scores in overtime and it's "well it's not 5v5".

 

There are some games you lose that you should win, and some games you win that you probably shouldn't. This is true of every team. They deserved to beat Colorado. They handled an onslaught and yes, the goalie needed to be part of it. I don't see why that's a problem. The goalie is a player on the team, are we not allowed to expect a big game every now and then? From one of the most high-powered offenses in the league?

 

I don't see a lot of even keel here, TBH. Every win is followed by a reason why it's still not good enough and every loss is followed by "told you so".

 

Every team goes through a rough patches, some longer than others. Colorado doesn't look nearly as good as they did before the break, neither does Vancouver. The Kings were awesome and now they're terrible, their stretch was even worse than the Rangers stretch. 

 

It's a long season. It needs to be evaluated by high points and low points. 

Edited February 10 by Pete

[Scott]

I get some of the negativity around last nights game it was damn ugly.

 

I think Lou Holtz said it best here  — 'You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose.'

 

That said I don't think they get to the promise land with Brodz and Wheeler playing the roles they're plugging now especially if they're going all in and based on the orgs track record for what seems like forever. (giving up picks etc. around the TDL) 

[RangersIn7]

3 minutes ago, Scott said:

I get some of the negativity around last nights game it was damn ugly.

 

I think Lou Holtz said it best here  — 'You're never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose.'

 

That said I don't think they get to the promise land with Brodz and Wheeler playing the roles they're plugging now especially if they're going all in and based on the orgs track record for what seems like forever. (giving up picks etc. around the TDL) 

They played down to their opponent last night. Got a lead. Got loose. Let Chicago back in the game. 

It happens.

Got 2 points though. 

They desperately need an upgrade at RW and at C too.

 

 

[Ozzy]

3 hours ago, RangersIn7 said:

Right now they are suffering from “wangular softitude.”

 

Ok, this is absolutely getting coined!!!

 

Fucking priceless!!!  LOL

Edited February 10 by Ozzy

[RangersIn7]

6 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

 

Ok, this is absolutely getting coined!!!

 

Fucking priceless!!!  LOL

There’s a related condition… 

Homo Erectus

 

Thats a condition wherein your wang is hugified, not by a woman, but by a man. 

[RichieNextel305]

To what Pete said, there isn’t one team that has gone end to end (well, beginning to now) without a stretch of bad games, no matter small or large. 
 

This league is wide open; this conference is wide open. You have a team that is about as all-in as you possibly could be. We don’t have a perfect set-up. No one does. But come June, one of us is going to look perfect. I see no reason why it can’t be us, even though we talk a lot about why it should be us. We have warts, so do other contenders. We’ll see how the chips fall come June.

Edited February 11 by RichieNextel305

[The Dude]

8 hours ago, Br4d said:

 

Watching Kakko, Cuylle and then Brodzinski go to the net on that goal was a revelation.  I don't think I've seen a forward line crash the net like that in about 9 seasons now.

I saw it 2 weeks ago when Wheeler was on that line. But, he sucks and all that. 

Edited February 11 by The Dude

[The Dude]

8 hours ago, BrooksBurner said:

You can survive with Brodz. We have been seeing that. Could they find a better 3C if they opened the bank? Sure, but the impact of available upgrades is minimal and mostly in name only. They still need a depth center  after they cut Bonino though. If one of these Cs goes down what is the contigency plan? Find someone for a 4th round pick and call it a day.

 

The real issue, again, is top 6 RW. They have one guy. Lafreniere. I don’t trust Wheeler on the Zib line. Not at all. I don’t hate him, but I wouldn’t settle with relying on him to a top 6 degree in the playoffs. He’s a clear weak link if trying to have a formidable top 6 attack. But Vatrano and Duclair aren’t significant upgrades either, so I wouldn’t open the bank for them either. Drury has to earn his money and identify a target who is 1) a clear and significant upgrade, and 2) not a name populating the rumor mills.

Meh. You trust Brodzinski but you don't trust Wheeler? Come on man. 3C is the bigger need. I'd prefer both, but I definitely do not want to go into the playoffs with Brodzinski as the 3 C.

 

I can live with rotating Wheeler,  Lafrenière, Kakko, Vesey,  Goodrow and Brodzinski in any fashion for the RW need. Heck,  you have options in Hartford too in Othmann,  Berard and Sykora 

 

I can't live with Brodzinski as the only option for 3C. There's no depth at all here or in Hartford. Maybe Nash as the 4 C and slide Goodrow up to 3C? But that seems to be something that isn't on the table. I'd think we'd have seen Goodrow there atleast once this season. 

[The Dude]

2 hours ago, RangersIn7 said:

There’s a related condition… 

Homo Erectus

 

Thats a condition wherein your wang is hugified, not by a woman, but by a man. 

[jsm7302]

15 minutes ago, The Dude said:

Meh. You trust Brodzinski but you don't trust Wheeler? Come on man. 3C is the bigger need. I'd prefer both, but I definitely do not want to go into the playoffs with Brodzinski as the 3 C.

 

I can live with rotating Wheeler,  Lafrenière, Kakko, Vesey,  Goodrow and Brodzinski in any fashion for the RW need. Heck,  you have options in Hartford too in Othmann,  Berard and Sykora 

 

I can't live with Brodzinski as the only option for 3C. There's no depth at all here or in Hartford. Maybe Nash as the 4 C and slide Goodrow up to 3C? But that seems to be something that isn't on the table. I'd think we'd have seen Goodrow there atleast once this season. 

Brodzinski has been good in that role. He really has. Goodrow has had a HORRIBLE season. He seems to be out of place quite frequently and can't seem to get it together. I'll def jump on the bandwagon for more depth in the C role though. 

[The Dude]

1 minute ago, jsm7302 said:

Brodzinski has been good in that role. He really has. Goodrow has had a HORRIBLE season. He seems to be out of place quite frequently and can't seem to get it together. I'll def jump on the bandwagon for more depth in the C role though. 

Brodzinski has been very on and off and has been better lately. I'm still not hitching a wagon to him. The wheels can and likely will fall off with him. 

 

IMO, Goodrow has been like this for most of his tenure here. I'd rather have Motte than this guy. I don't see a heart and soul player like others claim. I get so happy when he plays an in your face and aggressive game,  because I thought that's what the Rangers were paying for.  It just hardly ever happens. 

 

This "defensive minded 4th line" moniker those guys have adopted, is kinda laughable. They seem to pat themselves on the back for it too (Veseys quote that was in the PO of yesterday's game thread is an example of some inflated ego).

 

They were better defensively with slow AF Bonino as the 4C. I don't know how everyone came to the conclusion that the current 4th line was the 4th line that started the season for the Rangers.  It wasn't. It was Goodrow- Bonino- Vesey. They played much better defensively. Now? They really kinda stink.  Why Bonino ate that bullet is maddening.