News Article: 2017 Training Camp & Pre-Season Discussion

[Miamipuck]

I don't think it's a bad thing playing plugs as much as possible during the preseason. I know the vast majority of us here haven't even sniffed pro hockey to know exactly how grueling an 82 game season is. It doesn't matter if you are 21 or 41, it's a tough stretch. There's no reason to overplay anyone right now, I think there's enough playing time to go around.

I think there's a plan in place for the younger guys to get their games in. Bear Gloves for instance, is playing the next 2 games. I am not sure about Day or Zboro, I am not in AV's head.

Anyhow, let the plugs play a little bit. Many of the players playing in these games will be their competition during the season if they're in the AHL.

 

[nyr2k2]

Pretty deep actually

Graves will likely go back IMO, you'll likely have Piedri, Zborovskiy, Day (possible he goes back to juniors), someone like Pionk or DeAngelo, Gilmore...those are just the prospects I remember off the top of my head disregarding any AHL deals they might have

They also have Kampfer down there and possibly Kotyk.

 

[Mugless]

AV said in his presser today that Chytil will center JT and Buch tomorrow night.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I agree that Gilmour is hot garbage, but he was pretty decent this time last year and they probably wanted to see if he had improved at all since his abortion of a '16-'17 campaign. He absolutely should not get a second look though.

Pedrie is new and wasn't awful in 10 games or whatever for Hartford last year. I'm okay with them giving him a game or two to further evaluate where he's at.

I thought Pedrie was the worst player on the team at Traverse City. I think he struggles with defense, skating and also size. Seems like an AHL version of Adam Clendening.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think this is a bit of a case where we as fans premier the unknown a bit more than the known than what is deserved. I definitely don't think it's a given that Pedrie and Gilmour has less potential than Day and Zborovsky. HFD was horrible last season and Gilmour as a PMD was exposed, he is still a smart kid with a lot of hockey in him. Same for Pedrie. Day and Zboro has bodies and can move, but to be honest I think their smarts are lagging a bit behind.

Give kids like Gilmour and Pedrie a little credit, they are very heady players. Likely to not make it? Sure, but that can be said of many players at camp.

Not sure I agree, but to each their own. I think most of these NCAA free agents tend to get overrated.

 

[Edge]

Not sure I agree, but to each their own. I think most of these NCAA free agents tend to get overrated.

I tend to agree.

The last few years there's been an added focus on a lot of these guys, that somehow there are a lot of diamonds that scouts somehow missed before, or a lot of late bloomers.

The reality is that that the vast majority are lucky to develop into upper-tier AHL players, let alone NHLers.

 

[Miamipuck]

I tend to agree.

The last few years there's been an added focus on a lot of these guys, that somehow there are a lot of diamonds that scouts somehow missed before, or a lot of late bloomers.

The reality is that that the vast majority are lucky to develop into upper-tier AHL players, let alone NHLers.

It was out of necessity, it's not like the Rangers had many other choices to get some entry level players/contracts into the organization. They traded away so many high level draft picks. Personally, I am shocked they could have done as well as they have with the salary cap even with the NCAA free agent route. The salary cap really punishes teams that don't develop young talent well.

Edit: A better way of putting that last sentence, teams that don't add in enough good young players. The Rangers despite their lack of picks have somehow managed to get enough young players in the lineup. I don't know who that is a testament to, but it is decent management.

 

[Lion Hound]

What's the scoop with Sean Day? Wonder if he's gonna get a look at a preseason game.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

What's the scoop with Sean Day? Wonder if he's gonna get a look at a preseason game.

Probably not. No scoop on him, we have a lot of defensemen, and he's one of the young defensemen at this training camp, so its a numbers game for a player like him. He wasn't going to make the team this year anyway.

 

[Revel]

What's the scoop with Sean Day? Wonder if he's gonna get a look at a preseason game.

I think anyone who followed him in the O last season and payed attention during Traverse knows that Day is not ready. He has a nice wrister that he's not shy about using and is an effortless skater that can take it end to end... but that's where things currently end. He has some glaring weaknesses that prevent him from being considered for the big club this year. Notably, he doesn't think the game at a high level...and is often caught puck watching (rather than challenging). In other words, he tends to give the opponent too much room in his own zone. I think he needs another year in the O to work on his D-zone game. That will go a long way. Regarding his thinking/vision...don't know how much can be done about that...but I'd like to see him capable of more than just skating with the puck and throwing long wristers on net.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I thought Pedrie was the worst player on the team at Traverse City. I think he struggles with defense, skating and also size. Seems like an AHL version of Adam Clendening.

I thought Adam Clendening was an AHL version of Adam Clendening.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I thought Adam Clendening was an AHL version of Adam Clendening.

Clendening is a 7D or 8D, so I think he's an NHL player, just not a very good one. Pedrie I think is an AHL Clendening, a 7D or 8D in the AHL. Probably too good for the ECHL, but not a lineup player in the AHL this season.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I think anyone who followed him in the O last season and payed attention during Traverse knows that Day is not ready. He has a nice wrister that he's not shy about using and is an effortless skater that can take it end to end... but that's where things currently end. He has some glaring weaknesses that prevent him from being considered for the big club this year. Notably, he doesn't think the game at a high level...and is often caught puck watching (rather than challenging). In other words, he tends to give the opponent too much room in his own zone. I think he needs another year in the O to work on his D-zone game. That will go a long way. Regarding his thinking/vision...don't know how much can be done about that...but I'd like to see him capable of more than just skating with the puck and throwing long wristers on net.

I've seen enough people reference Day's shot as being 'good' in some way that I accept I'm most likely wrong, but in viewing his OHL highlights and his TCT games, I was never once struck with the impression that his shot is anything but below average.

 

[Revel]

I've seen enough people reference Day's shot as being 'good' in some way that I accept I'm most likely wrong, but in viewing his OHL highlights and his TCT games, I was never once struck with the impression that his shot is anything but below average.

I hear what you're saying, HD. I think his wrister may look deceptively soft to viewers because he often lets it go from just inside the blue line. It's not going to have the same velocity as a slapper (which people are accustomed to from that distance). But he puts enough behind it and there is no wind up...so goalies are often surprised by it.

He probably wouldn't have the same success with it at the NHL level, though ... I'll give you that.

 

[Idlerlee]

AV said in his presser today that Chytil will center JT and Buch tomorrow night.

Chytil centers the player that is supposed to be molded back into a C in one of the few pre-season games that player has to acclimate back into the role before the season begins?

Kid is going to make the team if he has a good game again.

What would be the point of not playing JT on C if he's not seriously being considered for the spot?

 

[Ola]

Chytil centers the player that is supposed to be molded back into a C in one of the few pre-season games that player has to acclimate back into the role before the season begins?

Kid is going to make the team if he has a good game again.

What would be the point of not playing JT on C if he's not seriously being considered for the spot?

Yeah, albeit I don't think it hinge on this game. But are they considering it? Sure. Talent has no age!

 

[Edge]

It was out of necessity, it's not like the Rangers had many other choices to get some entry level players/contracts into the organization. They traded away so many high level draft picks. Personally, I am shocked they could have done as well as they have with the salary cap even with the NCAA free agent route. The salary cap really punishes teams that don't develop young talent well.

Edit: A better way of putting that last sentence, teams that don't add in enough good young players. The Rangers despite their lack of picks have somehow managed to get enough young players in the lineup. I don't know who that is a testament to, but it is decent management.

Interestingly enough, I don't think it's just here. It's picked up steam around the league, which is somewhat amusing to me.

In many ways, college free agent season has replaced the old supplemental draft, only with a higher level of attention to the process. You see a bunch of names thrown around, many of them marginal NHL talents, for the hope that you land a big prize like a borderline second line/pairing player. It's not that those "prize" players don't have value, it's just getting to the point where it's rivaling or in some cases exceeding the overhype that we already see for the regular draft.

 

[Edge]

I think anyone who followed him in the O last season and payed attention during Traverse knows that Day is not ready. He has a nice wrister that he's not shy about using and is an effortless skater that can take it end to end... but that's where things currently end. He has some glaring weaknesses that prevent him from being considered for the big club this year. Notably, he doesn't think the game at a high level...and is often caught puck watching (rather than challenging). In other words, he tends to give the opponent too much room in his own zone. I think he needs another year in the O to work on his D-zone game. That will go a long way. Regarding his thinking/vision...don't know how much can be done about that...but I'd like to see him capable of more than just skating with the puck and throwing long wristers on net.

Day made some good strides last season, but man does he still have a lot to work on. Frankly, I'm not sure his "understanding" of game flow will ever quite progress high enough to put him into more of a core role at the NHL level, but we'll see.

Sometimes I think people had such lowered expectations for Day, that any progress was going to be magnified and that it was assumed he had magically put the pieces together and was now a top prospect again. That's an unfair expectation for the kid.

I'd say that if Day keeps taking moderate steps forward, like he did last season, he could be an NHL defenseman with time. But that time is not now and patience is going to be vital to the process.

 

[nyr2k2]

I thought Pedrie was the worst player on the team at Traverse City. I think he struggles with defense, skating and also size. Seems like an AHL version of Adam Clendening.

There were a lot of guys that performed poorly at TCT, so I struggle to pick out one that was the worst. Pedrie certainly wasn't good. However, I've made my thoughts on player evaluation from TCT pretty clear, so I'm not putting a ton of stock into it. I think he showed better at the end of last year in Hartford than he did at TCT, so I still have some hope.

Again, though, I think they just want to evaluate and see what they have. Guys like Zborovskiy and Day that were sent down, I think the team has a better grip on where they're at based on them being in the system for a longer period. Obviously there was scouting done on Pedrie, but the team probably still wanted to see some more of him.

Crawley is one who I would have liked to see get a look. Unless he's been bad in camp or they just made up their minds going in that he wasn't in the plans at all this year, I feel like he should have seen some time.

 

[nyr2k2]

Day made some good strides last season, but man does he still have a lot to work on. Frankly, I'm not sure his "understanding" of game flow will ever quite progress high enough to put him into more of a core role at the NHL level, but we'll see.

Sometimes I think people had such lowered expectations for Day, that any progress was going to be magnified and that it was assumed he had magically put the pieces together and was now a top prospect again. That's an unfair expectation for the kid.

I'd say that if Day keeps taking moderate steps forward, like he did last season, he could be an NHL defenseman with time. But that time is not now and patience is going to be vital to the process.

I think he'll have an NHL career for sure, even if it's as a journeyman. His ability to skate, shoot and move the puck up ice is valuable. Right now the rest of his game needs a lot of work and that's what will ultimately determine if he's a regular. Those first three attributes I mentioned though are in demand at the moment, and as long as it stays that way I see him clinging onto rosters as a depth guy even if his development from here out is minimal.

 

[Irishguy42]

Leedahl, Day, amd Zborovskiy cut to Wolf Pack

 

[Irishguy42]

 

[Levitate]

Leedahl, Day, amd Zborovskiy cut to Wolf Pack

Not particularly surprising

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Not surprising, but I would've liked to see real prospects like Day and Zborovskiy get a chance over AHL fodder like Gilmour and Pedrie. I understand the reasoning, they are older, maybe have a little more experience at a high level, maybe the team hasn't had as much time to evaluate them, but I think you pretty much know that they are AHL fodder, at best.

 

[Levitate]

Not surprising, but I would've liked to see real prospects like Day and Zborovskiy get a chance over AHL fodder like Gilmour and Pedrie. I understand the reasoning, they are older, maybe have a little more experience at a high level, maybe the team hasn't had as much time to evaluate them, but I think you pretty much know that they are AHL fodder, at best.

I would say they're being evaluated as potential callups as well as their status in the organization. Rangers can clearly see Day and Zborovskiy aren't ready. They want to see if Gilmore has improved enough to be a call up option or if he's someone they need to move on from this season.

Pedrie is a new comer and probably closer to NHL ready (if he ever will be) than Day or Zborovskiy so they want to get a better reading on him.