Around The NHL Part XXIX

[2020 Cup Champions]

When Shattenkirk was bad, he was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Like, immediate goal against in situations that can't happen bad.

 

[Leonardo87]

When Shattenkirk was bad, he was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Like, immediate goal against in situations that can't happen bad.

I don't think it really matters anymore, since you guys won the cup. I was personally against the buyout, and was a little disappointed he didn't end up in Anaheim, after being offered a two year deal from them. He just couldn't find his game here and was injured a lot with the Rangers, and on top of that, he was also here during the start of a rebuild.

Rangers will have about 13 million of cap hit in buy outs for 2020-21. Which is crazy.

 

[Levitate]

I don't think it really matters anymore, since you guys won the cup. I was personally against the buyout, and was a little disappointed he didn't end up in Anaheim, after being offered a two year deal from them. He just couldn't find his game here and was injured a lot with the Rangers, and on top of that, he was also here during the start of a rebuild.

Rangers will have about 13 million of cap hit in buy outs for 2020-21. Which is crazy.

Rangers screwed up with the Shattenkirk signing. That was the "one last kick at the can" year that they decided to do and Shattenkirk hurt his knee in training camp, tried to play through it, which led to his play deteriorating badly by December. He wasn't really healthy again until the next season and that was when the Rangers went rebuild and he was stuck in an odd situation.

e: basically they shouldn't have re-signed him or tried to extend their window, it was over and it should have been more obvious. But the whole him wanting to be a Ranger was just too tempting

 

[aufheben]

I think the thing with Shattenkirk that makes him easy to dislike, as a general hockey fan, is simply that you can watch him make really bad plays, cost his team big chances against (if not goals; depending on who is back there to bail them out) and then somehow, he gets those shots through traffic and they end up in the back of the net. Having a very talented team up front to provide traffic, collect rebounds, make tips, etc doesn’t hurt. But he somehow ends up on the scoresheet despite not making really jaw dropping feeds, not having a big one timer or awe inspiring shot overall, not creating offense off the rush or having great hands, not being an exceptionally fast or agile skater (not that he’s BAD at those things, he just isn’t a standout)... and yet, there he is, especially in these playoffs, contributing again and again.

So with that said, I think the issue most NYR fans have is that he did it pretty much everywhere he went except here, so everyone feels cheated. Especially because he was a self proclaimed fan and everyone thought playing where he dreamed of playing would somehow elevate him, when in fact (due to injuries or not) they were the most pedestrian games of his career.

He’s a defenseman that the Rangers spent a lot of money on. That’s literally all it takes for our fan base to dislike a player.

 

[Krams]

He’s a defenseman that the Rangers spent a lot of money on. That’s literally all it takes for our fan base to dislike a player.

He also came to camp out of shape his first season and subsequently got injured, and then failed to put up even 30 points the following season. Not a great Ranger. As I've said before, I haven't given him any thought since he was bought out, but it is understandable why some on this board harbor ill will. Especially since he seems to still hold a grudge over the buyout.

 

[aufheben]

As a Tampa fan, I completely agree. He is a great locker room guy. He is well below average defensively. In fact, he got owned many times in the playoffs. And beyond getting embarrassed on one-on-ones, he was repeatedly out of position in the defensive zone and failed to cover his man. But he provided the exact niche our unique roster needed: a third pairing PP specialist who can put pucks on net from the blue line (something Tampa has historically struggled with). A team that signs him next season to play on one of their top pairs will be immensely disappointed.

11 of his 13 points in the playoffs were scored at even strength. I think he was more than a PP specialist. His 5v5 CF% and oiSV% were both top-5 on the Lightning, and he was playing almost 20:00 per game.

He might make one severe blunder in a game but he’ll also make 10 crisp outlet passes too. Tampa used him perfectly and I think that was a really shrewd signing.

 

[aufheben]

He also came to camp out of shape his first season and subsequently got injured, and then failed to put up even 30 points the following season. Not a great Ranger. As I've said before, I haven't given him any thought since he was bought out, but it is understandable why some on this board harbor ill will. Especially since he seems to still hold a grudge over the buyout.

Meh, I knew as soon as we signed him people would inevitably hate him.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Meh, I knew as soon as we signed him people would inevitably hate him.

He earned the hate by being bad

 

[aufheben]

He earned the hate by being bad

I still feel bad and think we kind of f***ed him. Honestly I don’t really think about him either it’s just because people have to keep shitting on the guy I can’t help responding.

 

[Levitate]

He was good for the most part until his injury dragged him down in that first year. Yes he'll make his stupid blunders at times but he still started decently.

 

[Krams]

I still feel bad and think we kind of f***ed him. Honestly I don’t really think about him either it’s just because people have to keep shitting on the guy I can’t help responding.

He f***ed himself and the buyout was the best possible decision given Fox and Trouba. Ain't a country club at MSG anymore.

 

[aufheben]

He f***ed himself and the buyout was the best possible decision given Fox and Trouba. Ain't a country club at MSG anymore.

It was, but I still feel bad. Imagine growing up as a child dreaming about playing for your favorite hockey team, then one day the opportunity actually arises. You leave like serious $ on the table to make it work, then are bought-out embarrassingly early into the contract. I don’t know about you guys, but that would definitely leave a mark on me.

 

[Barnaby]

I still feel bad and think we kind of f***ed him. Honestly I don’t really think about him either it’s just because people have to keep shitting on the guy I can’t help responding.

I haven’t really given Shattenkirk much thought since he left. I’m pretty indifferent to him. He was a lousy Ranger but I won’t hold ill will. Did he come to camp out of shape? Reports say yes. He then suffered an injury which may or may not have been related to that. I don’t feel bad for a guy collecting many millions of salary for 1.5 mediocre (to be kind) seasons. He tore a meniscus which many of us will do in our lives. I will put some blame on the organization for throwing good money after bad. They were already locked into some bad contracts so the figured they’d take another kick or two at the can which was a mistake. They just extended their recovery time.

 

[Krams]

It was, but I still feel bad. Imagine growing up as a child dreaming about playing for your favorite hockey team, then one day the opportunity actually arises. You leave like serious $ on the table to make it work, then are bought-out embarrassingly early into the contract. I don’t know about you guys, but that would definitely leave a mark on me.

Yeah I'm sure it stung, but it's a business. You can't be a professional athlete and show up fat, get injured, underperform and then hold a grudge because it didn't work out. Rangers literally just bought out the face of the franchise and a guy who will get his number retired in the near future. Gorts/JD are all business, they want to dominate the league and have no room for sentimentality.

 

[Barnaby]

It was, but I still feel bad. Imagine growing up as a child dreaming about playing for your favorite hockey team, then one day the opportunity actually arises. You leave like serious $ on the table to make it work, then are bought-out embarrassingly early into the contract. I don’t know about you guys, but that would definitely leave a mark on me.

No one forced him to take less money. He entered into a contract with the Rangers. They agreed to pay him millions to play hockey. With that, comes certain expectations and risks. He did not perform up to his standard and was bought out as per league/union rules. Honestly, I felt a lot worse for a guy like Girardi who worked his but off and took a beating on a nightly basis trying to win. Even still - that’s how it works. The player could have easily taken a shorter term deal if he wanted too.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Where tf are all the trades at? This is boring

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

He earned the hate by being bad

A lot of people hated him before he even got here

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Where tf are all the trades at? This is boring

I bet the flat cap is a big problem

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I bet the flat cap is a big problem

Eh, it may be.

But by the same token, in years past, we've generally seen deals before the TDL, draft, and FA all generally only start to happen 48-72 hours before the event.

 

[bl02]

I bet the flat cap is a big problem

And cash issues for some teams

 

[NYR]

11 of his 13 points in the playoffs were scored at even strength. I think he was more than a PP specialist. His 5v5 CF% and oiSV% were both top-5 on the Lightning, and he was playing almost 20:00 per game.

He might make one severe blunder in a game but he’ll also make 10 crisp outlet passes too. Tampa used him perfectly and I think that was a really shrewd signing.

Aufheben
I understand you like your advanced stats and offensive players which is fine but why can't you ever be a little more open minded when it comes to the defensive side of the game?

There's 2 sides to the ice..

 

[aufheben]

Aufheben
I understand you like your advanced stats and offensive players which is fine but why can't you ever be a little more open minded when it comes to the defensive side of the game?

There's 2 sides to the ice..

Please, my favorite player was Stralman when he was here, and Fox now. Shit I was even like Freddy Claesson’s #1 fan and he literally focused ONLY on defense. I like defensive-defensemen a lot, it’s not my fault we rarely have any.

Like it or not, moving the puck is an integral part of being a defenseman in 2020.

 

[Hockey4Life91]

11 of his 13 points in the playoffs were scored at even strength. I think he was more than a PP specialist. His 5v5 CF% and oiSV% were both top-5 on the Lightning, and he was playing almost 20:00 per game.

He might make one severe blunder in a game but he’ll also make 10 crisp outlet passes too. Tampa used him perfectly and I think that was a really shrewd signing.

I agree that he is more than a PP specialist. I used the term a little charitably for simplicity. And I agreed that he was a great signing for Tampa given the low risk and fit he provided - no dispute there. The bottom line, though, is that he is a fairly big liability defensively. Indeed, he moves the puck well and has good instincts as it concerns putting the puck on net. But he needs a perfect situation in which to thrive. If he is forced to be a top option, he will be in over his head.

 

[Irishguy42]

Please, my favorite player was Stralman when he was here, and Fox now. Shit I was even like Freddy Claesson’s #1 fan and he literally focused ONLY on defense. I like defensive-defensemen a lot, it’s not my fault we rarely have any.

Like it or not, moving the puck is an integral part of being a defenseman in 2020.

You sure it isn't blocking the puck a lot and looking like a "gritty" player?

 

[aufheben]

You sure it isn't blocking the puck a lot and looking like a "gritty" player?

Saw a tweet yesterday: “blocking shots is like killing rats. You might have to do it once in a while but if you’re finding rats all the time, you have a bigger problem.”