Pre-Game Talk: 2013-2014 Rangers pre-season discussion

[Leetch3]

I get the feeling AV goes a lot by reputation so far in his decisions regarding the veteran players.

Richards and Callahan "should" be top-6 players so let's shoehorn them in with Stepan.

Everyone is super high on Kreider, let's start him on the top line. Luckily he realized how badly that worked before we played in any games that matter.

being said now that cally was on the line cause nash missed practice with a bruised foot...likely top line for the opener richards-stepan-nash

and the fact that richards is being tried there says more about how terrible we are on LW either hagelin hurt and kreider cut. we've right now have 2 LW on the roster (pouliot and pyatt). pouliot is paired with brassard and most don't want pyatt on the roster no less the top line...

so what are the other options for LW on that top line? MZA? Miller? fast? boyle?

richards gets the first shot almost be default...this is why i laugh when i keep reading about how deep we are...its quantity not quality

 

[OverTheCap]

being said now that cally was on the line cause nash missed practice with a bruised foot...likely top line for the opener richards-stepan-nash

and the fact that richards is being tried there says more about how terrible we are on LW either hagelin hurt and kreider cut. we've right now have 2 LW on the roster (pouliot and pyatt). pouliot is paired with brassard and most don't want pyatt on the roster no less the top line...

so what are the other options for LW on that top line? MZA? Miller? fast? boyle?

richards gets the first shot almost be default...this is why i laugh when i keep reading about how deep we are...its quantity not quality

I agree with you. I get why Richards is playing is top 6 LW, it's because we have no depth on the left side. I'm not thrilled with it but it's not the coach's fault that we have so few options at left wing.

It's just a frustrating situation because Richards is not exactly an ideal winger - he's a mediocre skater and lousy forechecker. Nor has he really earned a spot in the top 6. I'm hoping Miller plays well enough to get some consideration in the top 6 once the season gets underway.

 

[eco's bones]

Rangers have been going overboard for Richards. Doing everything possible to get him back on track. Hope it works but going to all this trouble makes me wonder if they're having second thoughts already. He was not very impressive in the games he played.

 

[LORDE]

This is shaping up to be a very, very frustrating year.

I have no clue where the goals will come from.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

This is shaping up to be a very, very frustrating year.

I have no clue where the goals will come from.

All of that massive depth we have! Deepest team in years!

 

[Blue Blooded]

I don't mind trying that line.

I don't think Richards has problems playing with anyone really, his problem is that he is weak in many areas and if he plays on a line that is a bit sloppy with the puck there is a risk he plays more defense than offense which is not good.

We don't have a Zubov or Dan Boyle or someone like that that BR always have had when putting up decent numbers.

At LW with Step and Cally, maybe he could get to focus more on what he does best. We don't have all that many variations to try, it's LW on that line or with Brass, or Brass on LW with BR or Step, or BR at center with the players we have see him before with.

So give it a shot, why not.

I would probably like BR-Step-Nash more, which frees up the Pouliot-Brass-Zucc line. Then Hags-Lindberg/Miller-Cally and Dorsett-Moore-Boyle down the road. With Fast and Kreider in the mix.

Richards sucks at driving the play 5v5. He can ride shotgun to a guy no problem, but he needs a guy who can bring the puck up the ice effectively for him. Then he can work his skills in the offensive zone to create higher quality scoring chances. This is one of the reasons why he has primarily been a PP guy in his career. Apparently this is only true for the Rangers version of Richards.

Eriksson did this for him in Dallas, Hagelin has done so for him in NY from time to time.

Richards' on-ice 5v5 stats look decent from 2012-13, which is at face value a good starting point of a "stats are totally misleading" argument. However, if one excludes the time spent on ice with Hagelin, Zuccarello, or Strålman (our best play driving players the past season), they drop off significantly.

The with/without stats for Hagelin in 2011-12 tell a very similar story with a much larger sample.

Stepan and Nash may be good enough to make it an effective line, but I fear Richards will just drag them down. If we want to prioritize him we should put him with Zucc.

But in Hagelin's absence I want Zucc on the top line to help Nash, so I'd just put Richards with Miller and hope Miller can be effective in that role.

 

[Tawnos]

This is shaping up to be a very, very frustrating year.

I have no clue where the goals will come from.

Nash and Callahan will be our leading scorers. Nash over 30, Callahan between 25-30. Stepan will get over 20. Hagelin will be good for at least a pro-rated 20+. Brassard, Zuccarello, Pouliot will be good for 15-20 each.

Brad Richards is an x-factor. Probably 15-20 also. They aren't going to overwhelm anyone with offense, but they'll probably be a 10-15 ranked offense again.

 

[Blue Blooded]

This is shaping up to be a very, very frustrating year.

I have no clue where the goals will come from.

All of that massive depth we have! Deepest team in years!

Nash, Pouliot, Stepan, Brassard, Hagelin, and Richards will be our best 5v5 goal scorers.

Nash 3rd, Pouliot 15th, and Stepan 20th, Brassard 83rd Hagelin 98th, Richards 110th the past season. Only Pittsburgh should beat our level of 5v5 goal scoring, and no other teams are actually particularly close.

Our poor PP will likely limit our goal totals compared to other teams, but Callahan is the 2nd best 5v4 goal scorer in the league.

We just need AV to put together lines where the players help each other, not hinder.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

We don't have a Zubov or Dan Boyle or someone like that that BR always have had when putting up decent numbers.

Eriksson did this for him in Dallas, Hagelin has done so for him in NY from time to time.

As a Stars fan, I would just like to say both these statements are untrue.

Richards' 91 point season came without Zubov. In fact he got most of his points by QBing the PP, which he took over from Zubov leaving. Additionally, Richards was proficient at entering the zone in Dallas. Eriksson was more of the safety valve and finisher to his passing.

His decline has been unprecedented and makes no sense. It has nothing to do with what he did have in Dallas that doesn't have here.

 

[Blue Blooded]

As a Stars fan, I would just like to say both these statements are untrue.

Richards' 91 point season came without Zubov. In fact he got most of his points by QBing the PP, which he took over from Zubov leaving. Additionally, Richards was proficient at entering the zone in Dallas. Eriksson was more of the safety valve and finisher to his passing.

His decline has been unprecedented and makes no sense. It has nothing to do with what he did have in Dallas that doesn't have here.

Wow, really? Because Richards has truly been abysmal 5v5 without Hags or Zucc on his line as a Ranger. I figured he had similar help in Dallas.

I'm beginning to suspect that his concussion at the end of his Dallas stint has left him a different player. He wouldn't be the first player that it happened to.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

Rangers have been going overboard for Richards. Doing everything possible to get him back on track. Hope it works but going to all this trouble makes me wonder if they're having second thoughts already. He was not very impressive in the games he played.

They are desparate--the organization signed Richards because they thought he was one of the missing pieces they needed to win a Stanley Cup. I think they have rationalized the "performance" of Richards last season away and are trying to find someplace in the lineup where Richards will thrive. The whole thing is so messed up.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Just wondering if anybody made a printable game schedule for the Rangers this year? I can't remember who did it the last couple seasons, but they were fantastic...anyone know where I can find the one for 2013-14?

 

[Emptyvoid]

As a Stars fan, I would just like to say both these statements are untrue.

Richards' 91 point season came without Zubov. In fact he got most of his points by QBing the PP, which he took over from Zubov leaving. Additionally, Richards was proficient at entering the zone in Dallas. Eriksson was more of the safety valve and finisher to his passing.

His decline has been unprecedented and makes no sense. It has nothing to do with what he did have in Dallas that doesn't have here.

Thank you for this post, gives us some very valuable perspective.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Nash and Callahan will be our leading scorers. Nash over 30, Callahan between 25-30. Stepan will get over 20. Hagelin will be good for at least a pro-rated 20+. Brassard, Zuccarello, Pouliot will be good for 15-20 each.

Brad Richards is an x-factor. Probably 15-20 also. They aren't going to overwhelm anyone with offense, but they'll probably be a 10-15 ranked offense again.

Agreed, and combined with our awesome blueline and Lundqvist, it's why I think this is a very good hockey team. Not elite, but very good and on the verge.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

I'm worried about Kreider. So another camp/coach & the over hyped prospect who stayed in school an extra yr still can't make a team of 3rd & 4th liners, including 2 top 6 guys injured.

 

[Vitto79]

Knew Richards would be tried on wing, not a fan. He doesn't have great chemistry with Cally either.

I imagine that will be Nash and not Cally

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

The Rangers are going to struggle to score until Hagelin and Callahan get back.. The depth is pretty bad without them in there tbh.

 

[aufheben]

This is shaping up to be a very, very frustrating year.

I have no clue where the goals will come from.

They've been playing without a 1C and a pair of top 6 wingers. All of whom are much more important to the team than just their points might indicate.

 

[aufheben]

Agreed, and combined with our awesome blueline and Lundqvist, it's why I think this is a very good hockey team. Not elite, but very good and on the verge.

I think it's virtually impossible for this team to miss the playoffs with it's defensive core, and Lundqvist. They're not gonna need a lot of goals to win most nights. I don't think they're a contender, but I'd be shocked if they miss the playoffs. I've never seen such an overreaction to a preseason. It's essentially a tryout for younger players (who I think had a good showing overall), and for players coming back from injuries (Staal) to get back in the swing.

 

[Drewbackatu*]

I'm worried about Kreider. So another camp/coach & the over hyped prospect who stayed in school an extra yr still can't make a team of 3rd & 4th liners, including 2 top 6 guys injured.

Guess we can't make Torts a scapegoat this time for Kreider not being able to make this all-star roster of 3rd and 4th line players!

 

[smoneil]

why does everyone or most want boyle out of town..its been 3yrs now.. guy plays great hockey.. he's not here to score ****en goals.. he plays a physical game, stands up for teammates, wins faceoffs, pks, surprises us with a goal here and there.. and most of all provides good depth.. plays wing and center..

get all over richards not boyle..

He also regularly brings his game up a couple of notches for the postseason. Those kinds of players are invaluable.

 

[Drewbackatu*]

He also regularly brings his game up a couple of notches for the postseason. Those kinds of players are invaluable.

Got nothing against Boyle but he is what he is. The 20 goal season a few years ago was an exception.

 

[Drewbackatu*]

Nash and Callahan will be our leading scorers. Nash over 30, Callahan between 25-30. Stepan will get over 20. Hagelin will be good for at least a pro-rated 20+. Brassard, Zuccarello, Pouliot will be good for 15-20 each.

Brad Richards is an x-factor. Probably 15-20 also. They aren't going to overwhelm anyone with offense, but they'll probably be a 10-15 ranked offense again.

Nash(30+), Cally(25+),Stepan(20+), even Richards(20 or so), Hags(15), Brassard(15+) ok, but Zucc and Pouliot(15+) I wouldn't bet my life on.

 

[Drewbackatu*]

Agreed, and combined with our awesome blueline and Lundqvist, it's why I think this is a very good hockey team. Not elite, but very good and on the verge.

But if our awesome blue line is going to be joining the rush more often, than Hank's GAA will suffer.

 

[Raspewtin]

But if our awesome blue line is going to be joining the rush more often, than Hank's GAA will suffer.

if it works, with more goals and ultimately more games won, does it truly matter though?