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Speculation: 2014 - 2015 New York Rangers :: Roster building / proposal thread Part II

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silverfish said:
Where does Stepmniak fit here?

Kreider - Stepan - Nash
Hagelin - _____ - MSL
Miller - Brassard - Zuccarello

Doesn't add up
Click to expand...

Stemp would go on the 4th line with glass and one of Lombardi or moore.

Miller takes the open winger slot...

I'd like that lineup provided Lombardi or Lindberg can center that 3rd line...
 
CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
2014-15
FORWARDS
Chris Kreider ($2.475m) / Derek Stepan ($3.075m) / Rick Nash ($7.800m)
Lee Stempniak ($0.900m) / Derick Brassard ($4.750m) / Mats Zuccarello ($3.500m)
Carl Hagelin ($2.250m) / J.T. Miller ($0.894m) / Martin St. Louis ($5.625m)
Matthew Lombardi ($0.800m) / Dominic Moore ($1.500m) / Jesper Fast ($0.805m)
Oscar Lindberg ($0.675m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Dan Girardi ($5.500m) / Ryan McDonagh ($4.700m)
Dan Boyle ($4.500m) / Marc Staal ($3.975m)
John Moore ($1.000m) / Kevin Klein ($2.900m)
Matt Hunwick ($0.600m) /
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($8.500m)
Cameron Talbot ($0.563m)
BUYOUTS
Wade Redden ($0.000m)
Brad Richards ($0.000m)
BURIED
Tanner Glass ($0.525m)
BONUS OVERAGE
$0
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $67,811,667; BONUSES: $530,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $1,188,333
 
I will say one aspect that gets overlooked when discussing if a player is a "1C or 2C" is that if you have the 30th and 60th scoring Cs in the league...yea you have a 1C and a 2C but you have the (hypothetical) worst 1-2 punch in the league.

Brassard is fine for what he is, a decent scoring C who is ideally a depth player and not a feature player on a serious contender. Unless your line 2 wings are Sharp and Hossa. Then Brass is a 2C on a contender.
 
It's another good attempt to balance the lines that I've seen here.

The big questions will be

1. How Miller/Lindberg do to replace Brad Richards.
2. If having MSL for a full season helps significantly
3. If having Boyle helps offensively, or hurts defensively.
 
AHB said:
Are we all assuming that Stempniak will switch wings? I'm under the assumption that Nash will likely do so and Stemps will be on that 3rd line.
Click to expand...

He plays both sides, so it really depends on how the top-six shakes out. MSL and Zuccarello are both RW's. Nash, allegedly, plays both wings but we haven't really seen much of him there as a Ranger.

If they decide they want to keep the lines the same as last year since they had success, the only logical spot for Stempniak is the LW with Brassard and Zuccarello. If someone can beat him out and push him to the 4th line, then it just makes our 4th line much better.

This lineup seems a little too unbalanced, even for the Rangers. It's small and fast, but sorely lacking in size and grit. I think we might see a move come out of left field before the season starts.
 
Trxjw said:
This lineup seems a little too unbalanced, even for the Rangers. It's small and fast, but sorely lacking in size and grit. I think we might see a move come out of left field before the season starts.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Even after arbitration, Sather won't be done.

Think he looks for a 2/3C with size. Or a 2/3LW with size.
 
HatTrick Swayze said:
I will say one aspect that gets overlooked when discussing if a player is a "1C or 2C" is that if you have the 30th and 60th scoring Cs in the league...yea you have a 1C and a 2C but you have the (hypothetical) worst 1-2 punch in the league.

Brassard is fine for what he is, a decent scoring C who is ideally a depth player and not a feature player on a serious contender. Unless your line 2 wings are Sharp and Hossa. Then Brass is a 2C on a contender.
Click to expand...

the counter to that is that over the last 4 seasons Brassard has never been lower than 54th in scoring amongst all centers.

His placement over the last 4 years

2013-14 - 48th
2012-13 - 37th
2011-12 - 54th
2010-11 - 41st

I think that Brassard doesn't get the credit he deserves. The numbers are clearly in his favor as establishing himself as a middle of the pack 2nd line center.
 
It doesn't help Brassard that he is below average defensively, generally poor on faceoffs, and doesn't kill penalties. So while his offense may be near the middle of the pack for 2nd line centers, that is, in fact, the strongest area of his game.
 
Trxjw said:
He plays both sides, so it really depends on how the top-six shakes out. MSL and Zuccarello are both RW's. Nash, allegedly, plays both wings but we haven't really seen much of him there as a Ranger.

If they decide they want to keep the lines the same as last year since they had success, the only logical spot for Stempniak is the LW with Brassard and Zuccarello. If someone can beat him out and push him to the 4th line, then it just makes our 4th line much better.

This lineup seems a little too unbalanced, even for the Rangers. It's small and fast, but sorely lacking in size and grit. I think we might see a move come out of left field before the season starts.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize he played both sides, that clears things up.

We've seen Nash move around quite a bit, at least in my opinion, while a Ranger. But I think you're right that the balancing is weird and we will have to make due with our 3 best players being on the RW. That can give us 3 basically, scoring lines. Move Stempniak to the LW and you have 2 3rd line LW's (Hags & Stemps) and a 2nd line LW that is hopefully developing into a legit top liner (Kreider).

I'm just glad the Ranger did address their depth somewhat with the Lombardi/Stempniak signings and didn't let the losses of Poo and Boyle go unnoticed.

WE really will need a kid to step up this year and become NHL caliber, whether that's Miller, Lindberg, Fast, Bourque or another wild card remains to be seen.
 
silverfish said:
Where does Stepmniak fit here?

Kreider - Stepan - Nash
Hagelin - _____ - MSL
Miller - Brassard - Zuccarello

Doesn't add up
Click to expand...

It doesn't add up because your lines are simply...wrong.

With our wing depth now, Hagelin is absolutely not a top-6 forward. He can slot up on occasion, especially to use his speed to jumpstart a struggling line / player. His versatility / ability to slot anywhere in the lineup and be effective playing his game is an extremely valuable asset.

Along with that, Brassard is not our 3rd line center, Zuccarello won't be on the third line either, J.T. Miller is not a winger and has no reason to be with the vacant 3C spot glaring.

Here are the most plausible lines:

Kreider Stepan St. Louis
Nash Brassard Zuccarello
Hagelin [3C] Stempniak
Glass Moore Lombardi

[3C] = competition in training camp between Miller, Lindberg, and Lombardi (who can play on the 4th line if he doesn't win the 3C spot)

Explanation:


Kreider Stepan St. Louis

Kreider and Stepan have chemistry together. Stepan knows how to lead Kreider into an area with his passes so he can use his incredible speed to skate into it and create scoring chances out of nothing. St. Louis also found some chemistry with Stepan at times and has had great success playing with right-handed centers in recent history (granted: Stepan is not Stamkos).

Nash Brassard Zuccarello

Brassard and Zuccarello should remain together unless it's absolutely necessary to split them up. Their chemistry was our best tandem/duo throughout the season; they read each other well and are both great distributors of the puck. Their LW last season was Pouliot. Rick Nash is a slightly bigger, much better player. He's better at every aspect of hockey while having a similar body-type and skating stride. A rejuvenated Nash should fit in quite nicely with two guys who create offense as consistently as Brassard and Zuccarello. Conversely, Brass and Zucc should also see a jump in production based on a) increased ice-time now that Richards is gone and Brassard is forced into the 2C role out of necessity. Brassard will see significantly more minutes this season, and having Nash (who he very briefly played with in Columbus) on his wing, along with the familiar Zuccarello should help him continue to improve: He's still young enough to continue to develop and bloom into an even better player now that he seems to have found a comfortable home in NY and a solidified role / niche on AV's Rangers.

Hagelin [3C] Stempniak

Both Hagelin and Stempniak have proved that they are capable of playing solid two-way hockey. They don't give up much defensively and both can contribute secondary / depth scoring, as well as be moved around the lineup as needed (due to injuries, slumps, penalties, etc). Whoever their center is will be asked to play the same smart two-way hockey and contribute offensively while not being a liability in their own zone and in the neutral zone. Most fans seem to have J.T. Miller penciled in to this spot, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion just yet. While Miller has the skill and physical maturity to be a mainstay at the NHL level, it remains to be seen if he's developed the mental toughness and consistency to succeed in such an important role. Oscar Lindberg and Matthew Lombardi have just as good of a chance to earn the 3C spot as well. Lindberg is still very young and has a very well-rounded game. He's comfortable in his own zone, never panics, and makes smart plays with and without the puck. The challenge will be to see if his offensive game can blossom at the NHL level. Lombardi will have similar challenges as he didn't play in the NHL last season, but did, however, put up very good numbers in the Swiss league. We know the injury history. He'll look to put that behind him and use his speed and offensive ability to challenge for a roster spot, whether it's the third line center or a 4th line wing / alternate center.

Glass Moore Lombardi

AV likes Glass. I'll leave it at that since I don't know much about the guy. Dominic Moore was stellar and at times, down-right clutch for NYR last season. I'm confident he'll have a similar year. He's become a leader on the PK (along with Hagelin), and is the epitome of reliable. His maximum effort every shift rubs off on his teammates; especially the younger players. Assuming one of Miller/Lindberg wins the 3C spot, this fourth line wing spot should be Lombardi's to lose. He doesn't have the toughest competition as Chris Mueller has a combined 46 career NHL games over parts of four seasons. He did, however, put up nearly a point-per-game for the Dallas Stars' AHL affiliate last season.
 
FWIW I think Dom Moore will be 3C caliber this year. He hadn't played in a year when last season started and really picked his game up down the stretch/in the playoffs.
 
AHB said:
FWIW I think Dom Moore will be 3C caliber this year. He hadn't played in a year when last season started and really picked his game up down the stretch/in the playoffs.
Click to expand...

I never thought Moore was 3C caliber. Like the kid a lot. Love him in the role he is in. Never seemed to do well when asked to do more.
 
Dom can play 3C in a pinch (see game 1 of the ECF) but he's best suited for the fourth line.
 
Similar to Boyle, Moore is capable of playing on the 3rd line but ideally he should be on the 4th line.
 
Dactyl said:
People seriously undervalue Brass. He's a lot more important to this team than people give him credit for.
Click to expand...

Often people rate the money involved different too.

We should sign a player unless we cantn spend the money better elsewhere. 4.8m isn't getting us a lot going forward.
 
Ola said:
Often people rate the money involved different too.

We should sign a player unless we cantn spend the money better elsewhere. 4.8m isn't getting us a lot going forward.
Click to expand...

Brassard is a capable 2C. We can't afford to lose him and have the plan be to hope JTM or Lindberg turn into a top 6 center.
 
Why are some people convinced Miller will play LW? It seems like that 3C spot is his for the taking. IIRC, C is his best position while LW is his worst.
 
Nash - Stepan - MSL
Kreider - Brassard - Zucc
Hagelin - Hayes/Miller - Stempniak
Lombardi - Moore - Glass
Mueller

I'd like to see Fast on the 4th line and Glass in Hartford but that won't happen until after the first couple of months.

Or if they sign Hayes, Glass becomes the spare forward. Top six remains same as above and bottom six looks like:

Hagelin - Miller - Hayes
Lombardi - Moore - Stempniak.

Or could do something like :

Kreider - Stepan - Nash
Hayes - Brassard - Zucc
Hagelin - Miller - MSL
Lombardi - Moore - Stempniak
Glass or Mueller

Lots of options.
 
Brassard is important for THIS season.. so the best play here is to take him to arbitration. for many reasons, and award him the 1 year deal.
 
Lundsanity30 said:
cross that bridge when we get there...?

overpaying a guy just because he's the best option (at the time) isn't really a smart way to do business.
Click to expand...

No bad idea. If Brass leaves we're stuck with

Stepan
Moore
Miller
Lindberg

Down the middle. That's atrocious
 
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