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Speculation: Eklund: Rangers Coach "Quietly" Pushing for a Big Trade to Change Culture?

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eco's bones said:
The problem with this argument for me is that when we drafted Dubinsky he was a 5'10 165 lb. version of Darcy Tucker (Dubi was voted the most hated player in the WHL if I remember correctly)--which is fine but over the next three years he turned into a 6'2 210 lb. player. He had a major growth spurt. That along with JJ mentoring him once he hit the NHL for good. He went from the pesky agitator kind of style more to a power forward style once the Rangers put him on Jagr's line. You could see him mimicking Jagr's style which worked really well with Jagr on his line and not as well when Jagr left. But the growth spurt and the realization that he was bigger and stronger player is why Dubinsky's style changed and to a degree I think he was relearning how to play the game--which wasn't completely successful.

I've never really seen him as a selfish type and he would wade into battles for other teammates even though he's not a particularly good fighter--except when he's fighting Mike Richards. He doesn't strike me as all that mature--somewhat a follower more than a leader like Callahan, Staal or Girardi though he usually played his best in the playoffs.
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Dubi is one Ranger from our young core I would really like back. Pyatt straight up!

He definitely hit a phase where it was like he didn't know how he should play.

But I'd take him back in a heartbeat.

My lord I can't wait for the season to start.
 
16 To Stanley said:
Dubinsky was overrated here. He's a fine role player, but he's not worth top 6 money, which is what he is getting....well maybe not now on the open market, but still.

Also, if you were fine with his "increase" in production, then you had much lower expectations for him than i ever did. He topped out as a good third liner when i certainly expected him at worst to be a good second liner.
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Dubi wasn't overrated here. He was held to unreasonable expectations. He played like a solid 2nd liner every single season save one. What he never recovered from was his holdout. From the moment that happened, these boards turned on him, and it was clear he would always be crapped on here (even after leading the team in scoring).

Yes, I was happy with his increase in production. He consistently had a higher production rate (4 of the last 6 seasons, including the one that just ended) than another player still on the roster who people claimed "made the jump" to the next level.

Last summer, I said that the Nash trade would set us back. I said the Nash trade would improve Columbus to or close to the level of a playoff team. I said that Dubi would bounce back and put up a better production rate than the captain (as he has for most of their careers). You all said I was nuts. You were wrong. The fact that you guys were wrong on every single thing last year and STILL repeat the same, tired crap is just pitiful. Admit it. I admit when I'm totally wrong (I was convinced that Prucha's fall was on Renney, and now I realize that Prucha's success was based solely on the more open game out of the lockout). Give it a try. it's good for the soul.

Just to add something on topic--

Looking at pieces that might be considered a big move, does anyone else think he could be thinking of moving Girardi? He and Callahan are the two guys that immediately come to mind when I think of the Torts culture, and I can't see anyone wanting to move Cally.
 
Girardi is a great top 4 option and a big minute eater. If he's traded I know I'll be annoyed with the return. It would be a change for the sake of making a change.
 
I Eat Crow said:
Girardi is a great top 4 option and a big minute eater. If he's traded I know I'll be annoyed with the return. It would be a change for the sake of making a change.
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I agree, but I could see an incoming coach talking himself into it. We would still have 3 clear top 4 guys (Staal, McD and MDZ) to go along with a couple of guys who have shown they can at least do spot duty in the top 4 (in Moore and Stralman) with a couple of high end prospects on the way (McIlrath sooner, Skjei later). I could see AV talking himself into believing that Girardi would be a good piece to move to get a good piece back. I just can't see any way he could do the same with other "big" players (Nash, Richards, Cally, Stepan, etc).
 
smoneil said:
I agree, but I could see an incoming coach talking himself into it. We would still have 3 clear top 4 guys (Staal, McD and MDZ) to go along with a couple of guys who have shown they can at least do spot duty in the top 4 (in Moore and Stralman) with a couple of high end prospects on the way (McIlrath sooner, Skjei later). I could see AV talking himself into believing that Girardi would be a good piece to move to get a good piece back. I just can't see any way he could do the same with other "big" players (Nash, Richards, Cally, Stepan, etc).
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I agree in the sense that the emergence of McIlrath, for example, as an every day player may render Girardi expendable. However, this team is gearing up to contend again this season. They're more likely to do so with Girardi than without him and whichever assortment of picks and prospects the Rangers got in return.
 
smoneil said:
You are entitled to your own opinion, but not to your own facts. Dubinsky's production rate went up consistently every season but two (his second full season, where they moved him away from Jagr, and his last season here, where he clearly just had a down year).

Excepting those two, his production has steadily gone up (including last year, where he put up the highest production rate of his career).

People here didn't like him because he held out and because they expected him to be a goalscorer (which he never was). The team traded him because Columbus demanded him and they wanted Nash. That's all there is to it.
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The Rangers had to send money back to Columbus in the trade. The Rangers couldn't absorb $7.8M without shedding a significant salary in the deal. Sather made that point on the day of the trade. The money in the trade was matched up including Anisimov and Erixon. Now Dubinsky and Anisimov have a combined cap hit of $7,483,333 with Anisimov signing a new contract.
 
smoneil said:
Dubi wasn't overrated here. He was held to unreasonable expectations. He played like a solid 2nd liner every single season save one. What he never recovered from was his holdout. From the moment that happened, these boards turned on him, and it was clear he would always be crapped on here (even after leading the team in scoring).

Yes, I was happy with his increase in production. He consistently had a higher production rate (4 of the last 6 seasons, including the one that just ended) than another player still on the roster who people claimed "made the jump" to the next level.

Last summer, I said that the Nash trade would set us back. I said the Nash trade would improve Columbus to or close to the level of a playoff team. I said that Dubi would bounce back and put up a better production rate than the captain (as he has for most of their careers). You all said I was nuts. You were wrong. The fact that you guys were wrong on every single thing last year and STILL repeat the same, tired crap is just pitiful. Admit it. I admit when I'm totally wrong (I was convinced that Prucha's fall was on Renney, and now I realize that Prucha's success was based solely on the more open game out of the lockout). Give it a try. it's good for the soul.

Just to add something on topic--

Looking at pieces that might be considered a big move, does anyone else think he could be thinking of moving Girardi? He and Callahan are the two guys that immediately come to mind when I think of the Torts culture, and I can't see anyone wanting to move Cally.
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slow down Nostradomus. Where to start with all that is wrong with this post?

First of all to state as if it's a fact that the Nash trade "set us back" is folly. That is absolutely a matter of opinion. did we make the 3rd round two years ago and the 2nd round last year? Yes. did a lot of other things change aside from acquiring Rick Nash? Hell yeah. I believe that acquiring Nash made us better and not holding on to Prust and the other grinders is what set us back. Notice how I say "I believe".

Secondly, your Dubi analysis as it relates to Cally is hilarious. I guess you're saying that because Dubi produced .6945 per game and Cally produced at .6885 per game that Dubi had a better "production rate". Let's ignore the facts of last season.

Dubi played only 29 games. He had 2 friggin' goals (following his stellar 10 goal performance the year before) and 18 assists.

Cally played 45 games. he had 16 goals (following his 29 goals season of the year before) and 15 assists.

So, you're trying to tell us that we would have been better off keeping Dubi and dealing Cally? If not, what is the point? We dealt a guy who last year couldn't stay healthy and produced 2 goals!! Not to mention all the smart things Cally does during the course of a game that Dubi does stupidly.

finally, you predicted Dubi would "bounce back". And now after he scored 2 goals in a shortened NHL season you are claiming victory. Nothing is more tired than a self serving diatribe like yours that is completely off base. Sorry dude, but you should be embarrassed by that post.
 
Vigneault doesn't know many of the players. He has coached in the west with Vancouver and Manitoba for the last 8-9 years. The last Rangers game against VAN was October 2011. Arniel knows the Columbus guys so he can lean on Arniel regarding those guys. Mike Keenan came into the Rangers situation looking to move some players out. Keenan had coached the Flyers so he knew some of the players pretty well. Keenan knew James Patrick and Mike Gartner from coaching against them. Those two players were moved.
 
Any discussion stemming from an Eklund article should never exceed a few posts, imo. Hockey starved puck heads.
 
There's no doubt that Dubinsky would be a big asset to this team. Even without his offensive production, or lack thereof, we really missed his attitude on the ice last year. We have no one who can play quality minutes and is willing to get in the face of Crosby or, even though this specific player doesn't matter anymore, someone like Mike Richards.

Last season was a strange one for him, but the imbalance between his goals and assists is definitely what statistics people would call unsustainable. I think it's probably more valuable to say that he was producing the way he should, and things would even out in the end. In the Jackets game I watched that he played, he certainly looked more like his old self than he did in 11-12. Weird year. Injuries get magnified because of the shortened season. Let's see what happens this year.
 
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