Confirmed with Link: Brassard re-signed (5 years, $5M per)

[Nyrvana]

Rangers' centers average ice time last year

Stepan: 18:03
Richards: 18:40
Brassard: 15:48

Points:
Stepan: 57
Richards: 51
Brassard: 45

Brassard scored 2C points with 3C minutes. More responsibility for Brassard this year, I expect him to live up to it.

 

[JimmyG89]

AV loves to make his pairings and find the 3rd guy who compliments them. I think Stepan and Kreider should be one, Zuke and Brass and the other allowing Nash, Hagelin and MSL to move around where fit. Have to find that 3rd pairing to keep together. Miller might mesh with someone. Same with Lindberg. This is hypothetical since things can change. Might see Miller and Kreider, Stepan and Nash, Zuke and Brassard. Have to find out while rolling through camp and preseason who slots with who. 3 scoring lines and a checking line.

 

[Nyrvana]

If Brassard is the "#2C" I highly doubt they're slotting Stempniak onto that line. I expect it to be Kreider or Nash in that spot. And yes, I also believe that Stempniak is a more competent player than Pouliot.

One of MZA, Nash, MSL would need to convert to RW.

Kreider - Stepan - MSL
Nash - Brassard - MZA

That's a really nice top 6.

 

[offdacrossbar]

One of MZA, Nash, MSL would need to convert to RW.

Kreider - Stepan - MSL
Nash - Brassard - MZA

That's a really nice top 6.

well on paper maybe. i see one legit finisher there. i see some speed and i see some size.

whos gonna score the goals ?

 

[charliemurphy]

One of MZA, Nash, MSL would need to convert to RW.

Kreider - Stepan - MSL
Nash - Brassard - MZA

That's a really nice top 6.

I've heard some say Miller is best suited on the RW and some say he's best used at C. Anybody with further insight on where Miller would play?
If its the former then I wouldn't mind seeing what a 3rd line of Hagelin-Moore-Miller would be like to see if there's any chemistry between them.

 

[Nyrvana]

well on paper maybe. i see one legit finisher there. i see some speed and i see some size.

whos gonna score the goals ?

Nash - 35
St Louis - 30
Kreider - 25

Stepan - 20
Brassard - 20
MZA - 20

Those are about career averages, with a bump up to Kreider, and a small one to Brassard.

 

[TheTakedown]

Rangers' centers average ice time last year

Stepan: 18:03
Richards: 18:40
Brassard: 15:48

Points:
Stepan: 57
Richards: 51
Brassard: 45

Brassard scored 2C points with 3C minutes. More responsibility for Brassard this year, I expect him to live up to it.

that includes power play time, which SERIOUSLY boosted Richards' totals.

 

[Fletch]

Nash - 35
St Louis - 30
Kreider - 25

Stepan - 20
Brassard - 20
MZA - 20

Those are about career averages, with a bump up to Kreider, and a small one to Brassard.

Those totals are career highs for Kreider, Stepan, Brassard and MZA. It'll be Nash's highest, non-extrapolated total since 2008/2009. MSL's pretty much right there, although his one goal in 19 games as a Ranger obviously needs improving.

 

[Pizza]

Looks like the fans have something to ***** and moan about for the next several months at least.

 

[Trxjw]

well on paper maybe. i see one legit finisher there. i see some speed and i see some size.

whos gonna score the goals ?

If you account for MSL's totals in Tampa, that top-six contains the six leading goal scorers from a team that went to the SCF. I'm not exactly sure where this "finisher" stuff is coming from. Though, I did see you refer to Pouliot as a "finisher" before.. which is.. yeah.

 

[RGY]

$5 million per is bad

 

[aufheben]

Rangers' centers average ice time last year

Stepan: 18:03
Richards: 18:40
Brassard: 15:48

Points:
Stepan: 57
Richards: 51
Brassard: 45

Brassard scored 2C points with 3C minutes. More responsibility for Brassard this year, I expect him to live up to it.

I'm skeptical if more responsibility will be a benefit. I love Brass though, so we'll see.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

Rangers' centers average ice time last year

Stepan: 18:03
Richards: 18:40
Brassard: 15:48

Points:
Stepan: 57
Richards: 51
Brassard: 45

Brassard scored 2C points with 3C minutes. More responsibility for Brassard this year, I expect him to live up to it.

Playing against 3rd line competition.

 

[Zuccarello Awesome*]

Rangers don't run a traditional 1,2,3,4.

I mean technically that line was the 3rd line last year, but in reality it was probably our best or 2nd best.

Was MSL a third liner for us last year, because that's what line he was playing on.

Personally, I'd hope to see either Nash or Kreider with Zucc and Brass, but I'm going to assume we'll see Stemps their instead.

Stemps-Miller-Lombardi is not really ideal IMO.

That line isn't even a possibility.

Did you forget Hagelin is on the team?

Let's assume the top-6 will be

Kreider Stepan St. Louis
Nash Brassard Zuccarello

That leaves the third line:

Hagelin Miller Stempniak

Lombardi isn't competing for Stemp's spot. Lombardi will compete for the 3C (with Miller and Lindberg) or the 4th line wing spot (with Mueller and any other camp surprises/standouts).

Now that we have MSL, we have four top-6 wingers (Nash, MSL, Kreider, Zuccarello). There is no longer a desperate need to put Hagelin in the top-6. He is a perfect 3rd line player; arguably one of the best in the league at what he does in the role that's asked of him. Of course he can be bumped up in the lineup as needed, but to start, there's no chance we see the line you posted.

This is your most likely opening night lineup:

Kreider Stepan St. Louis
Nash Brassard Zuccarello
Hagelin Miller Stempniak
Glass Moore Lombardi/Mueller

McDonagh Girardi
Staal Boyle
Moore Klein

Lundqvist
Talbot

 

[Trainmman]

Looks like the fans have something to ***** and moan about for the next several months at least.

Lol, I think the Tanner Glass thread will run with that quote.

 

[Nyrvana]

Playing against 3rd line competition.

I never understand this argument. It assumes that 3rd liners are poor defensively, whereas most also play the PK. Top defenseman play against the top lines. How many teams have 4 shut down defenders? I don't think the level of defense is that much greater on the 2nd line as opposed to the 3rd line.

 

[Fletch]

I never understand this argument. It assumes that 3rd liners are poor defensively, whereas most also play the PK. Top defenseman play against the top lines. How many teams have 4 shut down defenders? I don't think the level of defense is that much greater on the 2nd line as opposed to the 3rd line.

The easiest example is how would a line do against McD/Girardi and Staal/Stralman? Would that same line do better or worse against Klein/Moore? Assume that other teams' equivalent of McD/Girardi and Staal/Stralman went up against Stepan's and Richards' lines. That leaves the equivalent of other teams' Klein/Moore defensive pairing against Brassard. I think it's natural to expect that with the same amount of minutes the production would decrease as the forward line moves up to play against tougher defensemen. It should be a bit of a concern since Brassard is mostly out there to put up points.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

I never understand this argument. It assumes that 3rd liners are poor defensively, whereas most also play the PK. Top defenseman play against the top lines. How many teams have 4 shut down defenders? I don't think the level of defense is that much greater on the 2nd line as opposed to the 3rd line.

Zuke went up against similar competition (marginally tougher competition and marginally tougher zone starts) and put up near 60 points. Brass did well against his competition, but not well enough that i'm confident he'll flourish in 2nd line situations.

 

[Nyrvana]

Those totals are career highs for Kreider, Stepan, Brassard and MZA. It'll be Nash's highest, non-extrapolated total since 2008/2009. MSL's pretty much right there, although his one goal in 19 games as a Ranger obviously needs improving.

It's taking into account player growth.

Kreider had 17 in 66 last year as a 22 y/o.
Stepan had 21 as a 20 y/o and followed that up with 17, 18 in 48, and 17.
Nash scored 33, 32, 30, then 21 in 44 and last year had 26 in 65.
Brassard had 18 last year.
MZA had 19 last year.


Really not that far off, imo. Granted some of them will get injured, but I think those are reasonable goal expectations.

 

[Fletch]

I never understand this argument. It assumes that 3rd liners are poor defensively, whereas most also play the PK. Top defenseman play against the top lines. How many teams have 4 shut down defenders? I don't think the level of defense is that much greater on the 2nd line as opposed to the 3rd line.

on another note, I would not necessarily call a forward good defensively because he plays the PK. Offensive players have also played the PK. It's different than at even strength. There isn't any back-checking. It's sometimes about being fast and being able to handle the puck as well as get in passing and shooting lanes.

 

[Fletch]

It's taking into account player growth.

Kreider had 17 in 66 last year as a 22 y/o.
Stepan had 21 as a 20 y/o and followed that up with 17, 18 in 48, and 17.
Nash scored 33, 32, 30, then 21 in 44 and last year had 26 in 65.
Brassard had 18 last year.
MZA had 19 last year.


Really not that far off, imo. Granted some of them will get injured, but I think those are reasonable goal expectations.

I've posted similar numbers, however, I do note that those numbers really are if many things go right. That is my biggest problem with next season. A lot needs to go right to match last season's team. Again, it's not that any one number is unreasonable; if you're putting numbers on a paper, I think those are numbers that are good numbers and in a couple cases I think you can even go higher, it's just that when you look at the top six on this team, the Rangers need all those number to break even from last season and it's career highs, or numbers not seen in a while, so a lot has to go right.

 

[offdacrossbar]

If you account for MSL's totals in Tampa, that top-six contains the six leading goal scorers from a team that went to the SCF. I'm not exactly sure where this "finisher" stuff is coming from. Though, I did see you refer to Pouliot as a "finisher" before.. which is.. yeah.

poo had perhaps one of the 2 or 3 best shots on the team last year in terms of efficiency.

same for the playoffs. he was top 5 there as well.

his shooting % was top 5

tied for team lead in ppg @ 7

and all this while lagging 2 mins toi

ck 17 g 15:44 atoi 6 ppg 12.5 %
hags 17 g 15:32 0 ppg 11.8 %
brass 18 g 15:48 7 ppg 11.3 %
zuke 19 g 17:08 4 ppg 11.2 %
poo 15 g 13:26 7 ppg 10.6 %

i would say he will be missed and yes, i would say he was a pretty decent finisher.

 

[pld459666]

well on paper maybe. i see one legit finisher there. i see some speed and i see some size.

whos gonna score the goals ?

St. Louis has never been strictly a pass first kind of player.

MSL has averaged 27 goals a year over the last 6 seasons and that includes 17 goals in 48 games.

Nash is a finisher, MSL is a hybrid that can finish, and Krieder is going to be a finisher this season.

 

[chosen]

poo had perhaps one of the 2 or 3 best shots on the team last year in terms of efficiency.

same for the playoffs. he was top 5 there as well.

his shooting % was top 5

tied for team lead in ppg @ 7

and all this while lagging 2 mins toi

ck 17 g 15:44 atoi 6 ppg 12.5 %
hags 17 g 15:32 0 ppg 11.8 %
brass 18 g 15:48 7 ppg 11.3 %
zuke 19 g 17:08 4 ppg 11.2 %
poo 15 g 13:26 7 ppg 10.6 %

i would say he will be missed and yes, i would say he was a pretty decent finisher.

Poo was also an idiot who took horrible penalties.

 

[THE BIG WHISTLE]

I never understand this argument. It assumes that 3rd liners are poor defensively, whereas most also play the PK. Top defenseman play against the top lines. How many teams have 4 shut down defenders? I don't think the level of defense is that much greater on the 2nd line as opposed to the 3rd line.

Plus it also says there is no coach on the other bench. Numerous times in a game match ups change due to who is bringing it that game and who is not. This 3rd line competition crap is just an excuse for somebody to make up invalid reasons why it can't work. If this was the case, Brass and Zucc would not have put up points in the playoffs where the hotter players are matchup better