Derek Stepan

[Ola]

The Rangers have played 4 games. 4. Four.

I disagree.

 

[Thirty One]

I hope he has a terrible regular season and a great playoffs so Sather can really give it to him in RFA negotiations.

60% joking.

 

[Fitzy]

This isn't unusual, the team plays poorly and individuals pick who they think deserves blame and start threads.

Lost in this is that the team, the entire gosh darn team has played like complete bunk. They have lost their identity from last season.

Now, whether that can be regained by the team, as a unit, is much more important than whether or not one player is a little over their heads. For what it is worth, there are about 25 NHL teams who would love to have Stepan as their second line center right now.

 

[Ola]

I am disappointed with him as much as his 4 games.

It seems very obvious that Stepan has not had the best "summer", and it should have been the complete opposite. This should have been the year we contended as a team. This should have been the year he broke out as a good top 2 line center.

Nobody who saw him struggle in Finland or have seen him these first 4 games can get the impression that he put in the effort required by him. He did what everyone else did I would guess -- but you don't become better than others if you don't work HARDER then them. As much as them isn't enough.

Jeff Halpern was Derek Stepan once. If Stepan don't take another big step, he will become Jeff Halpern. Definitely. Stepan is a very capable offensive hockey player. But not enough talent to on that alone be a good 2nd line center in this league.

 

[Thirty One]

This should have been the year we contended as a team. This should have been the year he broke out as a good top 2 line center.

Has it already been decided that these things won't happen?

 

[Dangleberry]

/end thread

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

/end thread

Those 4 youtube clips really showed me.

 

[Jauffre]

Stepan YT vids

So what? I can show you 4 YouTube clips of EC too, even nicer goals.

 

[Dangleberry]

So what? I can show you 4 YouTube clips of EC too, even nicer goals.

Cool story brah.

 

[Fitzy]

I'll give you something that isn't a youtube video, not that it is worth the time.

Find the last time that a NYR center, in his rookie and sophomore years, put up 45+ points each year.

Its not a trick question. I'll gladly wait on the answer. The closest you'll find in recent history is one Mike York, who absolutely bombed his second season.

Stepan actually increased his point total by six despite the addition of Brad Richards. Part of that was pp TOI increase. But believe me, this team has much bigger and more pressing issues. Please don't try to oversimplify the problem.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

I'll give you something that isn't a youtube video, not that it is worth the time.

Find the last time that a NYR center, in his rookie and sophomore years, put up 45+ points each year.

Its not a trick question. I'll gladly wait on the answer. The closest you'll find in recent history is one Mike York, who absolutely bombed his second season.

Stepan actually increased his point total by six despite the addition of Brad Richards. Part of that was pp TOI increase. But believe me, this team has much bigger and more pressing issues. Please don't try to oversimplify the problem.

What does the history of ****** Rangers drafts have to do with Stepan?

 

[Fitzy]

What does the history of ****** Rangers drafts have to do with Stepan?

All, all I ever see here is an endless stream of entitled complaints. What it has to do with Stepan, is that he is the single best center iceman we have drafted and produced since Savard. But, when times get tough in the NYR organization, fans turn to try to attack individual players including Stepan, simply because they themselves just can't handle the fact that for the first week of the season, the team didn't play as well as they expected.

People need to learn to follow a team. There doesn't need to be a scapegoat. You don't need to scream at a guy you don't like, or ask for the coach to be fired. The fact that we have threads going at half of this team's roster right now is comical bordering on embarrassing.

 

[zelrio*]

/end thread

I personally feel it's been all downhill since his first-game hat-trick.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

All, all I ever see here is an endless stream of entitled complaints. What it has to do with Stepan, is that he is the single best center iceman we have drafted and produced since Savard. But, when times get tough in the NYR organization, fans turn to try to attack individual players including Stepan, simply because they themselves just can't handle the fact that for the first week of the season, the team didn't play as well as they expected.

People need to learn to follow a team. There doesn't need to be a scapegoat. You don't need to scream at a guy you don't like, or ask for the coach to be fired. The fact that we have threads going at half of this team's roster right now is comical bordering on embarrassing.

GOAT post.



You can bet this board will be much emptier when the team actually starts winning and certain people disappear conveniently.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

All, all I ever see here is an endless stream of entitled complaints. What it has to do with Stepan, is that he is the single best center iceman we have drafted and produced since Savard. But, when times get tough in the NYR organization, fans turn to try to attack individual players including Stepan, simply because they themselves just can't handle the fact that for the first week of the season, the team didn't play as well as they expected.

People need to learn to follow a team. There doesn't need to be a scapegoat. You don't need to scream at a guy you don't like, or ask for the coach to be fired. The fact that we have threads going at half of this team's roster right now is comical bordering on embarrassing.

Again the fact he's the best center we've drafted in a long time is a testament to how ****** the team has scouted guys. Yeah it's a joke there's threads on half the team here, some deserving, others not so much. Pp issues continue to plague the team, is it coaching or is it the players? I don't wanna get off topic here but there certainly are many issues with this team.

 

[haveandare]

All, all I ever see here is an endless stream of entitled complaints. What it has to do with Stepan, is that he is the single best center iceman we have drafted and produced since Savard. But, when times get tough in the NYR organization, fans turn to try to attack individual players including Stepan, simply because they themselves just can't handle the fact that for the first week of the season, the team didn't play as well as they expected.

People need to learn to follow a team. There doesn't need to be a scapegoat. You don't need to scream at a guy you don't like, or ask for the coach to be fired. The fact that we have threads going at half of this team's roster right now is comical bordering on embarrassing.

Well said. I'm finding myself leaving the board more and more disappointed recently and this explains a lot of the reason why better than I could have explained it myself. Thank you.

Stepan has made some boneheaded mistakes so far, as have many other players. He's also putting up points, which others aren't, and he, like most of the players that are struggling on this team right now, has a long history of high quality play and is not about to just fall off a cliff all of a sudden.

 

[Colby]

Jeff Halpern was Derek Stepan once. If Stepan don't take another big step, he will become Jeff Halpern. Definitely. Stepan is a very capable offensive hockey player. But not enough talent to on that alone be a good 2nd line center in this league.

Derek Stepan is 22. When Jeff Halpern was 22 he was still playing in college. Halpern's career high is 46 points as a 27 year old in 03/04. Stepan had 45 points as a 20 year old rookie in 10/11.

I agree that Stepan has not been at his best (over a 4 game sample), but I don't see the comparison to Halpern.

 

[Drewbackatu*]

He isn't small, he is 6'0 and he isn't soft.

He was the #2 center last year on the #1 team in the East. That puts a rather large hole in your logic. He is also above average defensively and a good PKer. I know, not important when it comes to evaluating a player.

Are we talking about the same player who disappeared in the playoffs last year and is basically a non factor when the going gets tough? You cannot survive in the NHL on hockey IQ alone, not when there are so many holes in your game. He is a lousy skater, easy as pie to knock off the puck and he is one of the worst faceoff centers in the league!
I deal with reality, not a fantasy world!

 

[Inferno]

Hagelin Richards Gaborik
Kreider Stepan Nash

would like to see it tried for 1 period without any line changes.

 

[Zil]

Hagelin Richards Gaborik
Kreider Stepan Nash

would like to see it tried for 1 period without any line changes.

I know we used that first line last year, but it strikes me as a little small. I'd like to see something like this:

Nash-Richards-Callahan
Kreider-Stepan-Gaborik

I have no clue what to do about a third line. Boyle looks terrible. I know Arnott can't skate anymore, but I'd really consider him.

 

[Unpredictable1]

All, all I ever see here is an endless stream of entitled complaints. What it has to do with Stepan, is that he is the single best center iceman we have drafted and produced since Savard. But, when times get tough in the NYR organization, fans turn to try to attack individual players including Stepan, simply because they themselves just can't handle the fact that for the first week of the season, the team didn't play as well as they expected.

People need to learn to follow a team. There doesn't need to be a scapegoat. You don't need to scream at a guy you don't like, or ask for the coach to be fired. The fact that we have threads going at half of this team's roster right now is comical bordering on embarrassing.

I totally agree. I think it's Chimp that doesn't come on here anymore and I'm kind of the same way. I've taken a step back because I find this section of the board so eager to poke holes in someone's game it's ridiculous. There's always the scapegoat crew but it's down right Pejorative Slured here now this season.

I have a couple of guys I'm not impressed with so far but they're not part of our original core and I hope they turn it around. But like everyone else it's early in the season for them so I'll sit aside for a bit. These threads on here are getting out of hand.

 

[Thunderhead]

Send him to Columbus and get Duby back. Can't skate, can't shoot, can't hit. He only makes a good pass, once in a blue moon.

 

[Ola]

Derek Stepan is 22. When Jeff Halpern was 22 he was still playing in college. Halpern's career high is 46 points as a 27 year old in 03/04. Stepan had 45 points as a 20 year old rookie in 10/11.

I agree that Stepan has not been at his best (over a 4 game sample), but I don't see the comparison to Halpern.

The comparison is that Stepan now is as good as Halpern was in his prime.

Stepan has not improved at all it seems from last season, and offensively not much from his rookie season (defense, FO etc has of course improved). If he doesn't improve, he will in other words never become better than Halpern was in his prime.

If we signed a 30 y/o UFA and got an exact copy of what we get from Stepan now, or last season, everyone would be up in arms. Stepan isn't 30 y/o, two season he was a 20 y/o and we all loved him, not because of his play really, but because of his potential. One season ago Stepan was 21 y/o, and we all loved him not because of his play but because of his potential. Then he bombed in the PO's when we really needed him, and there might have occured a little crack in the armor. Then this season, after a off-season of 10 month's, he is still the same, maybe a little stronger and smarter defensively but worse shape physically.

My point is just that Stepan gotta keep improving.

 

[Ola]

Has it already been decided that these things won't happen?

Nah, maybe not.

But the area you hope that Stepan would be able to improve greatly are his skating, speed, stamina, balance and so forth.

I'll give you something that isn't a youtube video, not that it is worth the time.

Find the last time that a NYR center, in his rookie and sophomore years, put up 45+ points each year.

Its not a trick question. I'll gladly wait on the answer. The closest you'll find in recent history is one Mike York, who absolutely bombed his second season.

Stepan actually increased his point total by six despite the addition of Brad Richards. Part of that was pp TOI increase. But believe me, this team has much bigger and more pressing issues. Please don't try to oversimplify the problem.

I definitely don't think we have opened 1-3 because of Stepan or that he in the regular season is a big problem for us. To be fair, there were alot of talk about Stepan during and after the PO's. We are now 4 games into the season, after a long off-season.

 

[Jabroni]

Send him to Columbus and get Duby back. Can't skate, can't shoot, can't hit. He only makes a good pass, once in a blue moon.

That would be a downgrade IMO.