2020 Draft & Undrafted Free Agent Thread: Part IV

[Matt Rentfree]

What are people’s feelings on the mid round picks we may select in this deep class. We have had good success picking in the mid rounds. I know we don’t have our second rounder but have 2 thirds and the rest of our picks. Anybody have any idea who are possibilities?

Central Scouting has Tristen Robins at 86 among NA skaters. If he's available in the 3rd, the Rangers should jump all over him.

 

[bobbop]

Dahlin is a franchise player. Gonna be a perennial Norris candidate. He's better than Matthews who is basically Stamkos 2.0

Svechnikov was a better option than Dahlin. @Steve Kournianos had it right

 

[bobbop]

The Rangers really regret extending Kreider right about now.

Rangers need Cs badly. I really hope we can get help in that area this draft somehow.

No they don’t. Team leader

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Svechnikov was a better option than Dahlin. @Steve Kournianos had it right

I think it’s far too early to say that. One is on a cup contending team with a great coach and tons of talent. The other is in the Sabres

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Svechnikov was a better option than Dahlin. @Steve Kournianos had it right

I think Dahlin will be the better player long term but I did/do appluade Steve for taking that stance

He caught a lot of shit for saying Svechinikov was probably going to make an impact sooner than Dahlin, and he was dead on

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

No they don’t. Team leader

Really showed it last week

 

[bobbop]

Third round possibility...Joel Blomqvist

 

[MysticLeviathan]

Why are they regretting resigning Kreider? I can actually guarantee that they are not.

What they needed was high end talent. What they needed was a franchise cornerstone. They have two of the latter and certainly have former. Now they need to surround the talent with depth and fix the left side of the defense.

They’re paying Kreider $6.5mm to be a 3rd liner. We could’ve used the cap space and assets out of a trade.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

Besides Foudy, who are some of the fastest skaters that will be available in Round 3 and beyond? We could use a prospect like we had in Hagelin.

 

[Edge]

Third round possibility...Joel Blomqvist

I think if you're going to take a goalie, the third round is the place to start doing it. And Blomqvist would be a personal favorite of mine.

 

[Fitzy]

They’re paying Kreider $6.5mm to be a 3rd liner. We could’ve used the cap space and assets out of a trade.

While I agree, Kreider is never going to get 3rd line-esque minutes unless he regresses. He'll still be on the powerplay full time, and will likely get important shifts on the right wing when the team is looking for a goal.

If Panarin continues to play 20 minutes a game, and Kreider+Lafreniere average 17 each, the loser is Brendan Lemieux. Set to go from 12 minutes a game to like 6.

It's a similar situation to what we have at right defense for left wing. Might as well make the best of it.

 

[mas0764]

Without trading up, I think the choice of C's will likely be some combination of Brisson, Bourque, Khusnutdinov, Foerster, and Perreault. I'm not in love with any of them really.

Khusnutdinov is most intriguing, but my preference is moving up to try to get Lundell if he slides.

 

[mas0764]

What number do people think Lafreniere will wear here?
Who do people think we take with our later pick, assuming we don't move it?

I think he wore 12 for Canada.

 

[mas0764]

This meme needs to die.

Center depth is a nice to have, not a requirement.

I think it's more than "nice." Who is the last Cup winner without a pretty great one? Even if they had better wingers (Washington, for example) they all still had clear cut #1 centers.

 

[mas0764]

They’re paying Kreider $6.5mm to be a 3rd liner. We could’ve used the cap space and assets out of a trade.

Yeah that deal is more palatable if it's 4 years maybe.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I think it's more than "nice." Who is the last Cup winner without a pretty great one? Even if they had better wingers (Washington, for example) they all still had clear cut #1 centers.

We have one of those.

We don't need 2 or 3. Chicago has won with basically Toews and nothing behind him. Kane plays the role of a play making center for the other line, he just does it from the wing.

We have Panarin and Lafreniere.

Would you consider St Louis' center depth great? Most people would have argued that they didn't have a true 1C before the playoffs started.

 

[Thirty One]

I wonder if Dallas' pick will be behind Carolina's. By all means it probably should be. That would push the pick from 20-24 to 19-23.

 

[True Blue]

They’re paying Kreider $6.5mm to be a 3rd liner. We could’ve used the cap space and assets out of a trade.

When exactly is Kreider going to be a third liner?

 

[mas0764]

When exactly is Kreider going to be a third liner?

Once he's behind Panarin and Lafreniere?

 

[True Blue]

Once he's behind Panarin and Lafreniere?

Which is when?

 

[MysticLeviathan]

When exactly is Kreider going to be a third liner?

Likely after this coming season. This is assuming Laf's growth goes as planned. Panarin is your 1LW. Kreider is normally your 2LW, but you'd expect Laf to supplant him. So then what? Kreider also plays LW. So either Kreider drops down to the 3rd line or someone is going to have to learn another position. And that's where the problems lie.

 

[mas0764]

We have one of those.

We don't need 2 or 3. Chicago has won with basically Toews and nothing behind him. Kane plays the role of a play making center for the other line, he just does it from the wing.

We have Panarin and Lafreniere.

Would you consider St Louis' center depth great? Most people would have argued that they didn't have a true 1C before the playoffs started.

Zibanejad scares me with his injury history and yes, his age. I want a ten year competing team, and I'm not counting on Panarin to be here in ten years either, so I'm thrilled we have elite 19 year old wings to come up behind him and eventually supplant him.

I want at least one center that I can point to and say, "There's our #1 if and when something happens to Zibanejad."

I like Chytil but I'm not sold on him yet. He might be a #2 even when Zibanejad is someday gone.

I want a swing at a guy like Lundell to at least be a tandem of good center depth with Chytil for when that day comes. A Zibanejad-Panarin core now that eventually yields to Kakko-Lafreniere-stud center with a second line of Chytil-Kravtsov sounds amazing and insulated from decay.

 

[Thirty One]

Which is when?

Hopefully next year.

I think there's a good chance Kreider or Lafreniere moves to RW. Little concern about it. Even if not, $6.5 million for 3rd line at even-strength/1st unit PP is ok, given the Rangers seem to value his presence beyond his production. I'm concerned about the length of his contract, but next year's number doesn't bother me.

 

[True Blue]

Likely after this coming season.

Is that right? Based on what?

This is assuming Laf's growth goes as planned. Panarin is your 1LW. Kreider is normally your 2LW, but you'd expect Laf to supplant him. So then what? Kreider also plays LW. So either Kreider drops down to the 3rd line or someone is going to have to learn another position. And that's where the problems lie.

You know fully well what happens when we assume. Until he actually supplants him, I am not in a rush to hand the spot to him. And when it does occur, Kreider will then slide to a third line role. But until he actually is supplanted by someone who is putting up legitimate top line numbers, I am not sure of where the panic is.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Zibanejad scares me with his injury history and yes, his age. I want a ten year competing team, and I'm not counting on Panarin to be here in ten years either, so I'm thrilled we have elite 19 year old wings to come up behind him and eventually supplant him.

I want at least one center that I can point to and say, "There's our #1 if and when something happens to Zibanejad."

I like Chytil but I'm not sold on him yet. He might be a #2 even when Zibanejad is someday gone.

I want a swing at a guy like Lundell to at least be a tandem of good center depth with Chytil for when that day comes.

I mean in that case, no we don't have that guy, but who does really?

I'm not saying that they should neglect the center position. I would do a dime in prison and murder an entire village of Devils fans (okay, village is overstating it, smattering is probably more accurate) if it meant being able to get a Ryan O'Reilly type on this team. I wouldn't force the issue there though, I want good players regardless of position and I'll take a great winger over a mediocre center any day.

Also, a bunch of teams would be completely f***ed if their top center were to go down. This isn't exclusive to the Rangers.

All this convo does is annoy me that Lias completely f***ed off. He would have been perfect for this team.

 

[MysticLeviathan]

Is that right? Based on what?

You know fully well what happens when we assume. Until he actually supplants him, I am not in a rush to hand the spot to him. And when it does occur, Kreider will then slide to a third line role. But until he actually is supplanted by someone who is putting up legitimate top line numbers, I am not sure of where the panic is.

The issue is we still have cap issues and unless things go horribly wrong with Laf is going to be better than Kreider.

Laf is a playmaker, if he can transition into a C, that would be great, but that's not something we should be asking of him and not something we should be expecting of him. After Mika, who is our C? Strome isn't going to be cheap. So where do we go from there? Trading Kreider meant not only getting $6.5mm in cap space for the next 7 years, but also whatever assets from the trade. I understand 100% why they made the trade when they did, but if they knew they were getting Laf there's 0 chance they would've made the trade.