Brooks pens a masterpiece

[MrAlmost]

I remember being told when I was younger that when the games are most important, there are parallel lines that run from the faceoff dots in your end to the faceoff dots in the oppositions end and then a "V" that goes from the dots to the goal posts in each end. This was where I was told all important hockey games are played, and if you ever found yourself outside of it, you better get the f*** back in it as soon as possible. It doesn't look like anyone told that to this team.

 

[Unpredictable1]

Lots of great takes in here and I truly mean that. I said this in regards to yesterday's game and it still is ringing in my head - Pittsburgh has arguably the best collection of finesse players in Crosby, Malkin, Guentzel and Letang and what do they do? Get pucks to the net the moment a seam is there, along with bodies to the goal mouth. It's simple hockey. Overpassing and globetrotter hockey does not win you playoff games. We will look off and pass off opportunities to "try and catch them" but all it does is let Pittsburgh setup the house to protect Domingue.

I'm incredibly disappointed in our leadership group, way too many passengers seemingly looking for another one of the A's to do something. I'd rather Gallant start the kid line next game and distribute them top line minutes. It may cost us the game but send a god damn message. I'd handle the loss easier.

 

[GENESISPuck94]

Lindgren has been ridden raw by posters here this season because we love whipping boys but he is clearly massively important not only to Fox but to the entire locker room. Closest thing to a real leader we have.

Lindgren (although not as good IMO) is the new Dan Girardi. He's one of our best players, the things he does gets overlooked because he's not fancy. He gets blamed for everything. And when he's not in the lineup something is completely off and no one can figure it out.

The team is missing Lindgren for sure. But that's only one problem in a room full of problems.

 

[mas0764]

Two things.

1) This team is not a Cup contender as currently constructed. Both the fan base and the front office have to stop fooling themselves. If absolutely nothing else, the defensive core is just not ready yet as half of it is still in the AHL.

2) Everyone needs to take a real hard look at the over-23 year olds on this roster and decide which of them can be moved, and then act on it, because running this back and trying again next year and trying to talk yourself into another deadline where you pay exorbitant prices to rent to fix your very real problems is a terrible idea. We have way too much money tied up in non-performers and it's hurting our ability to ice a real contender in the future.

I've said it again and again, Kreider is not your alpha lead dog when you are playing against elite teams. Too many people bought into the narrative that just because he's been here a long time, he's some unmovable, un-demotable saint who should be captain. No the f*** he shouldn't. He's a career underperformer who until age 30 had never broken 30 goals before despite having the talent to be a year-in, year-out 70 point player. Plagued with inconsistencies. And I know everyone loved his 50 goal outburst this season but it's an outlier. It's not who he is. We are now seeing the inconsistency again.

Mika sadly has way too many down periods as well. He's either on fire and scoring 2 points per game or he's nothing. And if he's not on fire for your playoffs then he's useless. Unfortunately we are now in a box where he is our #1 center for forever and we can't get out of that, so we have to fix the roster in other ways.

Something has to give. You are going to need to find value in a trade and unless Kakko or Lafreniere are bringing back MacKinnon (they aren't) then you are going to have to explore winning a trade of a vet for an up and coming forward. They are going to have to seek out the Zibanejad deal again or they are going to be in trouble moving forward, they are going to be locked into a core of 30 year olds who can't win (Kreider, Zibanejad, Panarin) but a core of 22 year olds who have no center.

Too many people on here are too attached to the veterans. I remember the push back I used to get when I suggested moving Tony f'n DeAngelo after his 53 point season in 2019-2020. I said, you can probably get a young prospect center for this 24 year old who is coming off a 15 goal, 38 assist shortened campaign. NO NO NO some posters said, who do we have who can replace his output? I said Adam Fox. No! They said. Adam Fox isn't proven. The very next year Fox wins the Norris.

Time to look ahead and stop looking in the past. We are now at the very same juncture with Trouba. I'm not suggesting Trouba is going to get himself booted off the team for fighting and being a jerk but the scenario is the same - stop burying our heads in the sand saying Trouba is irreplaceable because Schneider isn't proven. Schneider is coming for Trouba's role fast, just like Fox was coming for DeAngelo's role. We need to be PROACTIVE with moving some of these vets for value before they have none.

I'm not saying Trouba has to be the one to go. But we need to probably make a hard decision about one of the higher paid players to give us some flexibility to go get another difference making impact young forward/center. And I don't see how Panarin or Zibanejad are getting moved. That leaves Trouba and Kreider.

 

[bernmeister]

He nailed it, though I'm not sure why he excused Kreider..... this what I posted in another thread:

"At the end of the day the guys that should be taking all the blame are the Vets who have done nothing. You would expect the 9 guys or so who are playing their first playoff series to maybe be a bit overwhelmed/inexperienced/unprepared, whatever word you want to use, but why is it that the guys with all the experience are the guys not stepping up???

KRIEDER? ZIBANEJAD ? STROME? PANARIN? TROUBA? I'm looking directly at those five who wear letters on their jerseys. These guys are suppose to show the younger player how to play and battle in the playoffs and it's the younger guys who are the ones who look like they give a shit.

Those 5 guys needs to have their own private sit down with each other and wake the f*** up and do something. They are embarrassing this team right now."

People get on me for not being afraid to voice my convictions, which I take pains to try and demonstrate merit, so they may be considered qualified.

I've been saying NO NO NO to this stupid win now [at all costs overreach] policy. No with ruining long term window by gambling short term, usually requiring heavy overpayment in one form or another.

Part of this is my insistence we develop best of our youth into a core, and once that is figured out, try to play regular lines and D pairings w/minimum change, thus creating familiarity = consistency -> improved comfort/reaction/performance which allows for hope of, dare I say it in some cases, synergy.

The elevation of youth means saying buh bye to certain vets. This is indisputable logic. Likewise unarguable is cap reality; typically youth helps w/cap, vets worsen cap picture.

Reliance by coaches on vets has led to foul up we now see. Drury DOES deserve MUCH credit for certain things right, BUT WHERE HE HAS BEEN WRONG IT HAS BEEN LETHAL.

So as and for general picture, everybody, say it all together, bern was/is right, his critics were/are wrong.

Now in the specific here and now, here is an assessment.

Shesty got overworked w/triple OT on top of full game. He got drained and it showed effective game 3 and this got compounded playing on the road. Needed to give 1 game break w/Geo, but what's done is done. Rest of squad see Shest is human, not superman, and lose confidence.

Shesty back at the garden games 5 and hopefully 7, Geo game 6.

Lines:
Goodrow was acquired in part to cover breadman, unfort. due to injury not happening.

We need Vatrano on the kid line w/Chytil + Kakko. Next season, can experiment w/Gauthier and deploying KK on another line.

Strome sucks, insert Kravtsov IMMEDIATELY. Should have experimented w/him at pivot early on.

Vatrano - Chytil - Kakko
LaF - Copp - Panarin
Kreider - Zib - Kravtsov
Reaves - Rooney - Gauthier (for checking) or Brodzinski (for scoring)

Ds
cap reality is coming, we reluctantly need to move on from Lindy since, given we committed to Zib + Fox $$ we can't afford him, and since RL is on IL, start now:
workaround for playoffs, not going in the future
Fox - Schneider
KAM- Trouba
Jones - Nils L

we eventually deal Jones for a high pick, as well as Lindy, Roll w/Fox-Schneid-Nils once Trouba can be moved, a max of 2 seasons hence.

Othmann looks real deal, thankfully, but that is not excuse to jettison Krav esp for cheap.

Again, I am not impervious to mistakes, but here as is the rule, not the exception, I AM CORRECT, Drury/conventional wisdom/b critics ARE WRONG.

 

[ponzu4u]

Not that the contract isn't an overpayment, but there's no way Trouba isn't playing hurt.

 

[cheech70]

Tampa`s top players got a lot of hate after the sweep from Columbus, people said that they were not made for playoffs. Their management did not overreact, brought in grit players and the team has won two cups. It sucks all rangers important grit players are injured before or during this playoff. This 4th line is useless both offensively and defensively. Third game has been won by pinguins` bottom lines. It would be nice to get more offense from our kid`s line. But it is what it is. Our top six has to do ALL work by themselves. And opposition has to contain Panarin, Mika and Fox only, without them other players from our top six become useless.

Brian Freaking Boyle is sniping shots and grooving passes at us for 4 games now!!! Ridiculous

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

The funny thing is, that if Gallant had been here for more than 1 season this is the type of playoff performance that gets coaches fired. It won't happen because he's only been here one year but it absolutely is.

The narrative I'm sure with the mainstream hockey media is going to be of an inexperienced team but that would be misssing the point. The younger inexperienced players are the bright spots. The veterans are the ones who are shitting the bed, most of whom have plenty of playoff experience and all of whom have played big important games in their lives. Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Copp, Strome, Rooney, Trouba, Nemeth, Braun, Vatrano. These players have all had multiple series worth of playoff experience in the NHL. Not one of them has lived up to expectations. Not a single one.

 

[cheech70]

Fox is hardly a veteran and has no playoff experience..

Norris Trophy says otherwise...u get voted best in the world ur accountable everyday after that...I love Foxy he must be hurt...

 

[LokiDog]

The funny thing is, that if Gallant had been here for more than 1 season this is the type of playoff performance that gets coaches fired. It won't happen because he's only been here one year but it absolutely is.

The narrative I'm sure with the mainstream hockey media is going to be of an inexperienced team but that would be misssing the point. The younger inexperienced players are the bright spots. The veterans are the ones who are shitting the bed, most of whom have plenty of playoff experience and all of whom have played big important games in their lives. Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider, Copp, Strome, Rooney, Trouba, Nemeth, Braun, Vatrano. These players have all had multiple series worth of playoff experience in the NHL. Not one of them has lived up to expectations. Not a single one.

Copp is clearly playing injured and was okay earlier in the series and I think Vatrano has been relatively good compared to everyone else but I agree with your overall point entirely. Moreover, this series (which would get a tenured coach fired) is essentially the way that it is for the same reasons people perceived Quinn was fired. The Rangers compete level and willingness to play the game the hard way is almost zero and guys like Zib and Panarin either aren’t told, or don’t listen, and continue to play patty cake over passing pretty perimeter hockey. Is it the coach? Or is that the DNA of the players?

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

It's no coincidence that nearly every guy who is willing to do the dirty work (Goodrow, Motte, Copp, Lindgren, Blais, etc) is injured while the perimeter players have been healthy all season.

It's also a joke that Panarin and Strome have convinced two coaches in a row that they need a grinder to do the hard work for their line so they can focus on cross ice seam passes and score power play goals. Those guys have never bought into the system and got away with it because Panarin's game is perfect for regular season and power play points. Turns out that approach is absolutely useless in the playoffs, who would've thought

 

[Filip Chytil]

Same nucleus that got blown out in the bubble two years ago is getting blown out again this year. The bubble was written off as some kind of fluke that didn't really mean anything, but it did. This nucleus isn't going to win in the playoffs.

Something is clearly rotten with this nucleus

 

[nyr2k2]

Yeah, the disappointment in all this isn't that we're going to lose, but it's in the way we're going to lose.

After the first three games, you could say, "Well with some good luck we could be up 3-0, or at least 2-1. It would be fortunate, but it's not unrealistic!" But then after last night, it's like...nah, we were actually lucky to go 3 OTs and lucky to come back from 4-1 down. The guys don't have it this year, for whatever reason.

I'm not sure I buy the narrative that this core isn't ever going to win playoff games, but with efforts like last night it does make me question it.

 

[I Eat Crow]

I'm asking Kreider and Zibanejad for no trade lists. Can the Rangers deal Zibanejad before his new contract kicks in July 1st? That would be a first. I'm ok with trading him for 70 cents on the dollar.

Kreider's value will never be higher and his style of play should age well, but despite the stats, he's looking very ordinary and going through the motions out there. Unacceptable for a 6'3" 225 player in the playoffs.

Copp, Panarin and Fox get passes from me as I believe they're playing through significant injuries.

I qualify Blais and do everything I can to bring Motte back. These guys were acquired for this time of year and they're missing through injury. Same with Goodrow. Unfortunate. But you need to have that "next man up" mentality and the onus needs to be on the veterans of the team to step up and get the job done. Pittsburgh's veterans are getting the job done. Ours aren't.

 

[Raspewtin]

I'm asking Kreider and Zibanejad for no trade lists. Can the Rangers deal Zibanejad before his new contract kicks in July 1st? That would be a first. I'm ok with trading him for 70 cents on the dollar.

Kreider's value will never be higher and his style of play should age well, but despite the stats, he's looking very ordinary and going through the motions out there. Unacceptable for a 6'3" 225 player in the playoffs.

Copp, Panarin and Fox get passes from me as I believe they're playing through significant injuries.

I qualify Blais and do everything I can to bring Motte back. These guys were acquired for this time of year and they're missing through injury. Same with Goodrow. Unfortunate. But you need to have that "next man up" mentality and the onus needs to be on the veterans of the team to step up and get the job done. Pittsburgh's veterans are getting the job done. Ours aren't.

Zib has about as untradable a contract as one can have.

Kreider's season was a mirage. Actually one of his worst seasons at ES in his career. Not that it's a big black mark or anything but this idea that he "figured it out" is laughable. No one should be surprised when he scores 26 next year (which is fine).

 

[bl02]

I'm asking Kreider and Zibanejad for no trade lists. Can the Rangers deal Zibanejad before his new contract kicks in July 1st? That would be a first. I'm ok with trading him for 70 cents on the dollar.

Kreider's value will never be higher and his style of play should age well, but despite the stats, he's looking very ordinary and going through the motions out there. Unacceptable for a 6'3" 225 player in the playoffs.

Copp, Panarin and Fox get passes from me as I believe they're playing through significant injuries.

I qualify Blais and do everything I can to bring Motte back. These guys were acquired for this time of year and they're missing through injury. Same with Goodrow. Unfortunate. But you need to have that "next man up" mentality and the onus needs to be on the veterans of the team to step up and get the job done. Pittsburgh's veterans are getting the job done. Ours aren't.

It is a kick in the balls that probably the most effective players at this time of the year are all injured (motte, Blais, Goodrow).

 

[RangersFan]

They traded the wrong guy from the 1st line. Buch plays with grit and anger when he gets going. Kreider and Mika so disappointing.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

on the money

 

[haveandare]

Not hard to crap on the team after that game. Article hits some key points, especially Igor not helping but also being completely hung out to dry, but I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece by any stretch.

Been the issue for this team for a bit now that we have too many “Aw shucks, we’ll get ‘em next time” types. It’s good to have level heads in the room for sure but you need some key guys who absolutely cannot stand to lose and I don’t know how much of that we have. We need at least one guy like that added to the top 6. Panarin can be like that at times but he can also be too loose when the rest of the guys are the same. Hate to say it but I’d probabaly move Mika for a better personality if possible. He’s good and will thrive somewhere that already has those types but imo Panarin is too valuable to move and can provide cap relief by making a good second line with cheap players around him, leaving Mika the best option.

 

[bl02]

Right on the money with this article. Spot on

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

Not hard to crap on the team after that game. Article hits some key points, especially Igor not helping but also being completely hung out to dry, but I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece by any stretch.

Been the issue for this team for a bit now that we have too many “Aw shucks, we’ll get ‘em next time” types. It’s good to have level heads in the room for sure but you need some key guys who absolutely cannot stand to lose and I don’t know how much of that we have. We need at least one guy like that added to the top 6. Panarin can be like that at times but he can also be too loose when the rest of the guys are the same. Hate to say it but I’d probabaly move Mika for a better personality if possible. He’s good and will thrive somewhere that already has those types but imo Panarin is too valuable to move and can provide cap relief by making a good second line with cheap players around him, leaving Mika the best option.

Mika has full NMC. He's not going anywhere.

 

[FOD]

They traded the wrong guy from the 1st line. Buch plays with grit and anger when he gets going. Kreider and Mika so disappointing.

Buchnevich has 0 goals and 3 assists in 12 playoff games in his career. 0 goals 2 assists and -3 in 4 games this year. Buch is not the answer.

 

[bl02]

Buchnevich has 0 goals and 3 assists in 12 playoff games in his career. 0 goals 2 assists and -3 in 4 games this year. Buch is not the answer.

Absolutely nothing would be different with Buch on this playoff roster right now vs say Vatrano. what happened last night still would have happened.

 

[Crease]

Yeah, the disappointment in all this isn't that we're going to lose, but it's in the way we're going to lose.

After the first three games, you could say, "Well with some good luck we could be up 3-0, or at least 2-1. It would be fortunate, but it's not unrealistic!" But then after last night, it's like...nah, we were actually lucky to go 3 OTs and lucky to come back from 4-1 down. The guys don't have it this year, for whatever reason.

I'm not sure I buy the narrative that this core isn't ever going to win playoff games, but with efforts like last night it does make me question it.

Very few playoff series since 2006 left me with a bad taste. This one will. Like you said, not because they lost, but how they lost.

 

[zlev]

this team is in the same position as the 2010-11 team was, albeit with a lot more offensive talent. that year they also got beat by an experienced team in the first round. they then had 3 trips to at least the conference finals in the following 4 seasons. the organization now has about 3x the amount of prospects in the pipeline as they did back then. there is no reason to panic.