Confirmed with Link: Brendan Lemieux Traded to LA for a 4th

[tomobson]

Our fourth line has cost us games recently. I wanted to like BL but he doesn't do hockey good enough and Quinn likes to roll that fourth line way too much so they need a better player in that spot.

 

[mike14]

Miller wouldn’t hurt a fly lol
Lindgren is an awful fighter. I love the edge he plays with but he gets beat up every time. He’s also only 6’ & 191lbs
Trouba is strong but he plays without a pulse the majority of the time, a lot like Kreider in that regard

That's all true enough, but how often does Lemieux look like he'd hurt a fly while the puck is actually in play?
The after the whistle stuff can be entertaining from time to time, and might throw a team or two off their game for a bit, but I'd argue Lindgren and Trouba ( and hopefully Miller as he grows into his bidy) do more to wear a team down than Lemieux does, even if they suck at fighting (the least important skill in the modern game)

 

[Tob]

I don't know what Rob Blake is planning hockey wise in LA but it sure feels like he's collected 2 out of the 7 pieces of Rangers Rejects he needs to sacrifice in order to summon Dark Hugh Jessiman with all stats reversed and maxed out at 256.

 

[Raspewtin]

now get rid of Howden while you’re at it

 

[Machinehead]

Deterring players targeting your stars, morale & swagger boost, fans love it

Couple of problems with that.

One, winning fights still hurts. Like I don't know if you guys know that but yeah, still hurts. The fact that I can hit back harder does not increase my desire to get punched in the face.

And two, the NHL has rules and you absolutely do not have to fight anyone. Most of the guys being assholes will just say no like Wilson does most of the time, and being a great fighter is the best way to be told no.

As far as swagger and pumping up the fans, being good at hockey accomplishes that more efficiently.

 

[I Eat Crow]

now get rid of Howden while you’re at it

I can f*** with that.

Boneheaded play today aside, Rooney is the 4th line center and has earned it. Bargain bin shop in the summer for another player like Rooney and I really like the look of the team, TBH.

 

[egelband]

Miller wouldn’t hurt a fly lol
Lindgren is an awful fighter. I love the edge he plays with but he gets beat up every time. He’s also only 6’ & 191lbs
Trouba is strong but he plays without a pulse the majority of the time, a lot like Kreider in that regard

I mean, those guys don’t need protectors. You don’t think guys are going to try to intimidate Miller or Lindgren, right?

Again, I really liked Lemieux in this lineup for his aggressiveness and keeping opponents on the back foot, so to speak. But I’m not worried about most of the other guys getting bullied without Lemieux around.

 

[mike14]

Deterring players targeting your stars, morale & swagger boost, fans love it

There's still a lot I don't understand about hockey, but does a guy like Wilson, while strapping on gear before the game really think to himself, "damn, the Rangers have Lemieux who might be on the ice for 6-8 mins, I'd better keep my elbows down."?

 

[Daves a mess]

Ross Johnston was waiver and cleared, maybe the Rangers can trade that new 4th for him?

Again Disclaimer: I am not lamenting the loss of Lemieux, more so the Rangers odds of addressing the lack of toughness issue without screwing it up, I find questionable.

Rangers won't help the Isles with cap clearing i assume. Yeah, I like gritty players and was hoping Brendan stuck. I do think this team is and has been too soft.

I'm losing sleep over neither.

 

[rangers1314]

My idea of “being hard to play against” means actually having talent all though your line up, not having rock heads who get into 15 second fights once every 2 weeks getting 8 minutes on your 4th line

 

[nyr2k2]

A soft team gets even softer.

So much for those "let's become a tougher team to play against" principles

Lemieux didn't make us tough to play against.

 

[Cmox]

I mean wut????

I always liked him unlike his father

One of the most hateable players. I dont know if you remember this ? but there was a huge line brawl between the rangers and devils in a playoff game ( elimination if I recall correctly) and the back cover of the Post the next morning was Graves punching Claude in the stomach and Lemieux’s face of anguish was forever imprinted in my young head.

 

[nyr2k2]

Deterring players targeting your stars, morale & swagger boost, fans love it

Deterrence doesn't exist in the modern NHL.

 

[Machinehead]

Again, if you're talking about a guy that's tough in a meaningful way; hits hard, responds, high effort, I'm all over that. (Terrible fighter Ryan Lindgren)

If you're telling me the guy is otherwise useless but he'll go "4-0" in his 4 fights, hard pass.

 

[will1066]

A soft team gets even softer.

So much for those "let's become a tougher team to play against" principles

I don't disagree but we can count on our two collective hands the number of games where he had real, material impact

 

[dshea19]

I thought BL started the season really well with strong skating and energy. He has fallen off and normalized at meh.

 

[Kravtsov420]

It’s quite possible Howden was offered around and got no bites.

Howden doesn’t need bites to be sent to the abyss

 

[I Eat Crow]

Guys, you're all missing a huge point.

Those of you worried about deterrence are forgetting one big thing. We have American Buch.

 

[eco's bones]

The return kind of sucks and I think the Rangers could use a little more belligerence and moving Lemieux takes away from that.

All that said as a 4th liner it’s best if you can find ways of making yourself more useful and penalty killing is one way of doing that.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Deterrence doesn't exist in the modern NHL.

If guys can fly in as the third man in and wail on a dude without punition like I've seen, I have to agree with this.

 

[egelband]

A soft team gets even softer.

So much for those "let's become a tougher team to play against" principles

I think part of it is the toughness you’re mentioning. Sure. But I think what the FO is more concerned about is guys gliding and getting easily defended. Not fighting through checks all the time. Lazy stick checking instead of skating through opponents. Lemieux isn’t the problem with this team, for sure. But he’s not really the solution either. It’s more the “fight” than the fighting. Always has been. I’d say.

 

[Daves a mess]

Something else has to be coming. And soon.
I'll bet you 10 Brett Howdens on that.

 

[Machinehead]

Guys, you're all missing a huge point.

Those of you worried about deterrence are forgetting one big thing. We have American Buch.

In all seriousness, Buchnevich is a good example of meaningful snarl attracted to a good player. Works really hard. He's the only guy off the top of my head that I remember ever actually doing anything to Marchand.

Him and Lindgren. Eight more of them please.

 

[NYR]

Lemieux didn't make us tough to play against.

I'm not necessarily a fan but he answered the bell when he needed too.
Who does that now?
JG putting all his cards on Smith?
Who can't even handle an NHL shift on his best day?

 

[ecemleafs]

Don't care that he's gone. He never developed any offensive ability. His go to offensive move was to trap the puck against the boards and he was a worse stickhandler than me.