Best Case Scenario 2013-14 Season

[Raspewtin]

To get to the best case scenario, AV needs to know what he is getting and from who every single night. Torts was fired on the basis of style of play, and AV was hired based on that, so I don't blame him for making his changes. But a big problem that he has now is that guys don't show up every game, and it spreads through the team. That is what needs to be curtailed so AV doesn't have to motivate his guys before every game.

This means that there needs to be an infusion of players that bring a consistent performance to their respective roles.

AV needs to line up the sticks with his high percentage players during their shifts so they don't have to play the puck with their backs turned. This will make a slow team a wee bit faster.

Here is how I map out the forward lines into roles.

Puck Possession Primary Scoring Unit
Puck Possession Secondary Scoring Unit + Top Checking Line
High Percentage Secondary Checking Line with Size
High Percentage Energy Unit with Size and Toughness

Richards-Brassard-Nash
Hagelin-Stepan (FO) -Callahan
LH Size Speed- Two Way Center (FO/PK) - RH Utility player
LH Tough guy w. Size Speed - Responsible 4th Line Center (FO/PK) - RH Tough Guy

Bottom Six Injury Replacement
Top Six Injury Replacement

I would not try and acquire top six threat as the cost would be very high, and risky for a what if run at this stage. First thing I would do is off load the beta males on the team. AV has been icing too many guys who play a deflated game for too many minutes, and you see the results and the battle level not being there. Those guys = Gone.

Pouliot + Bourque for Mathias + Contract. Give Florida a French Canadian skill forward for Hubeardeau and someone he can learn from. FLA gets out under Mathias' contract for next year, plus another one while getting a role player prospect.

D. Powe for draft pick. Powe is what he is, and it doesn't look like he has the puck skills for AV's system, but he's a solid pro and fills a role that another team can appreciate while giving the Rangers an asset to use or move.

Pyatt- I know AV loves the guy, but a team playing that heavy brand of hockey out west can sure use a guy like him. Maybe the Rangers get a guy that can become a Nolan or King type that a tough team out west doesn't feel is ready for prime time. A prospect like Lane McDermott, or a Matt Fraser that can play bottom line and bring some energy.

Zucc- Ideal 13th Forward, locker room presence.

Dorsett for Thorburn. No this is not a down grade. Thorburn can't play the puck like Dorsett, but Thorburn can PK, is bigger, respected around by his peers, and is probably the closest thing to a Clowe/Prust type. Trading Dorsett saves against the cap, and wakes up the CLB boys from their comfort zone. You're paid to play a role, and if you don't step up and do it, well then you're out of here.


D. Moore- Nice guy, and good role player, but he hasn't been effective. Not winning draws, not learning fast enough even though he's a Harvard guy, and losing physical battles against bigger players is why I move him. Plus he isn't the energy bug he was back in 06, where that kid was all heart and all out every shift, so as much as I may like him, he isn't effective enough in his role.

So bottom six:

Kreider/Miller - Lindberg/Miller/Mathias/Boyle - Fast/Kristo/RH Shot 2nd PP or PK Unit
Haley/Mashinter/Mathias - Boyle/ Mathias - Thorburn

The bolded is just wrong. Chris Thorburn is a good fighter and can PK, but is a HORRIBLE possession player, and has no ability to score consistently at all. Dorsett literally does everything better, including PK, except he's no 6' 3".

Darroll Powe was waived. Nobody will take him in a trade if he made it all the way down the waiver wire.

Florida would NEVER do that trade....though I'd love Matthias.

Pyatt could be traded to a Western Team but I think it's clear by now it's not going to happen, considering he's still on the team.

Give Moore 10 more games, if he still is ineffective, he's gone.

There's no silver bullet to this bottom 6.

 

[dccuse]

Short of it: ECF loss to the Penguins

Long of it:

Rangers find out that Conor Allen can be a long-term, solid defensive d-man allowing them to trade girardi before the deadline while his value is still high, without taking too big of a hit in d-corps quality.

Girardi nets us a solid 1st rounder (so we have 2)

A team sees Boyle as a 4th line fit and del zotto as a PMD answer and perhaps a nearly ready prospect with some upside adds up to a offense-first, young forward. (Will the Sabres move Grigorenko? Capitals give up on Kuznetzov? Lightning move connolly for depth? Ottawa zibanejad? etc...)

Mcilrath comes up and play bottom pairing with Allen, around deadline time.

Lindberg can take on 4th line duties, defensive zone draws, some PK'ing, etc.

Pouliot and Pyatt are traded for draft picks (3rd-5th rounders)

With hagelin nash and callahan healthy, plus our new top 6 young winger, we have a solid top 9 (almost unheard of here)

Then, with new blood, more balanced scoring, health, speed (back) a few rookies on audition, the team shows more energy, possibly overachieving allowing us to get to the 2nd/3rd round

Hagelin Stepan Nash
Richards Brassard Callahan
Kreider Miller (new top 6'er in a 3rd line role)
Moore Lindberg Dorsett

Staal Mcdonagh
Stralman Allen
Moore Mcilrath

We have 2 first rounders and then a few more multiple pick rounds later on that we can somehow package and move up to draft a home run offense type guy in the top ten.

We show signs of changing rather than coming in next year wondering which pouliots were going to sign.

Im happy and the team is exciting.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Best case scenario?

Lundqvist gets his head out of his ass worrying about his next contract and starts playing at a level he usually plays at.

Hagelin comes back next week and plays as if he didn't miss a step.

Nash comes back in a couple weeks.

Callahan comes back when he's ready and doesn't rush himself back.

AV realizes man coverage in the defensive zone doesn't work with our defense and goes back to zone. This would benefit Staal and Girardi the most.

Some of the kids play like they belong here and get top 9 minutes.

Stepan wakes up and takes another step towards becoming the Selke caliber two way center he's capable of being.

Most importantly, this team starts playing as a unit that believes in themselves. Once the effort is taken up a notch, the wins will start coming.

 

[Hi ImHFNYR]

Best case scenario is we click and win the cup. The other best scenario is we lose 50 more games, attendance plummets so bad that ticket prices are slashed, life returns to the garden, Sather is fired and we get the 1st overall pick.

 

[Ail]

Best case scenario is we click and win the cup. The other best scenario is we lose 50 more games, attendance plummets so bad that ticket prices are slashed, life returns to the garden, Sather is fired and we get the 1st overall pick.

A real knee-slapper right there.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

People are writing off this season too early. Sure, the talent is marginal at this point, but the Rangers at 2-5 are from from cooked.

Trades have always been an elixir for Sather. The 2009 trades for Antropov and Morris helped them make the playoffs. The Jokinen/Prust trade almost helped them into the playoffs. The Brassard and Clowe trades last season.

Theyre bandaids, but it's still way to early to determine the season a failure. Lots can happen.

 

[DudMan28]

Best case scenario: We get to play a home game; we win previously mentioned home game; life returns to normal around HF.

 

[Tackaberry]

Just get Nash healthy and playing again.

 

[Ilovemymum]

That Talbot emerges as a Vezina canditate and we free up a hell of a lot of cap.