Speculation: Free Agent Frenzy Part V: Gorton is on McLeod Nine.

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Rangers aren't bad enough to get to the high enough draft picks for top-end talent.

Top end talents are available after top 3 picks, you know. Just can't trust NYR mgmt to draft those types of players.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Curious that Andersson, Chytil, Georgiev aren't on your squad.

Hrm. They might be a bottom five group. They might challenge for a playoff spot. It's really dependent on a lot of variables. Is Zibs healthy the entire year? Does Smith figure it out? Does Hayes take another step forward? Do Andersson and Chytil make the squad and make an impact? Does Pionk play like he played in 20+ games last season? Does ADA take a step forward? Does Buch?

Too many variables to guarantee that this team does anything in one direction or another.

Did you read the sentence above it where I said I purposely left them off the squad because I think they'll spend more time in Hartford next season than the NHL?

Yes, I agree that there are a lot of variables overall, but I still see a team with very poor depth and a bad defense. I don't think our top guys have enough firepower to overcompensate for those issues. That poor depth is exactly why I want to make sure we sign Hayes since I believe the Rangers will want to try to integrate Chytil and Lias in waves this season. Having him continue in that matchup role allows either of them to get softer usage while they continue to develop.

 

[Ghost of jas]

Did you read the sentence above it where I said I purposely left them off the squad because I think they'll spend more time in Hartford next season than the NHL?

Yes, I agree that there are a lot of variables overall, but I still see a team with very poor depth and a bad defense. I don't think our top guys have enough firepower to overcompensate for those issues. That poor depth is exactly why I want to make sure we sign Hayes since I believe the Rangers will want to try to integrate Chytil and Lias in waves this season. Having him continue in that matchup role allows either of them to get softer usage while they continue to develop.

This is called a realistic view. I think people continue to overestimate how good this team can be. Yes, Quinn should be an improvement eventually, he’s not going to right things overnight.

 

[NYR Viper]

Do people think this years team is better than last years team? For me it’s a simple no. Look at the teams who were in the playoffs in the East last year. Most got better. Then there is Carolina and Florida who havenoth improves as well. Buffalo should be better. With a healthy Price, Montreal will be better.

I just don’t see a playoff season from this team.

 

[nyr__1994]

Did you read the sentence above it where I said I purposely left them off the squad because I think they'll spend more time in Hartford next season than the NHL?

Yes, I agree that there are a lot of variables overall, but I still see a team with very poor depth and a bad defense. I don't think our top guys have enough firepower to overcompensate for those issues. That poor depth is exactly why I want to make sure we sign Hayes since I believe the Rangers will want to try to integrate Chytil and Lias in waves this season. Having him continue in that matchup role allows either of them to get softer usage while they continue to develop.

I am in agreement and wouldn't be at all surprised if Lias and Chytil spend most of the year in Hartford along with Howden, Hajek and Lindgren. Let them all grow up together and learn how to win together. They may be able to ice a rather competitive team down there. The hope would be they can have a successful season in the AHL in terms of improving their own individual games, and winning some playoff games this year. That would be a successful season.

The bonus would be that they would all be cost controlled for one more season.....

 

[East Coast Bias]

It's so hard to predict this season because of the coaching aspect. I really have no idea what we're gonna get. Especially with a coach new to the league. That's the biggest variable.

 

[Irishguy42]

It's so hard to predict this season because of the coaching aspect. I really have no idea what we're gonna get. Especially with a coach new to the league. That's the biggest variable.

 

[bigdog16]

Top end talents are available after top 3 picks, you know. Just can't trust NYR mgmt to draft those types of players.

Its just as much luck than anyhing else when it comes to drafting

 

[RangerBoy]

A bottom five finish would be an ideal season. The Rangers were the 8th worst team last season and that was with Lundqvist playing every game and so many veteran players. Rick Carpiniello wrote the Rangers are looking to be a competitive team with Lundqvist and the energy of the young players. He didn't say "playoff team". Competitive. Finish 10th or 11th. That nowhere's land. That can only take you so far.

There are so many dreadful teams in the East. Ottawa. The Avs have their 1st. Disaster. Montreal. That's with a healthy Price. He can only do so much. Buffalo. They could be better with a full season of Mittelstadt and now Dahlin. Detroit might be better than last season. You can pick the 4 potential playoff teams from the Atlantic right now. Tampa. Boston. Toronto. Florida. The other division teams stink. Tampa,Boston and Toronto will rack up on the points. The latter was almost a wildcard last season. The Metropolitan. Washington and Pittsburgh take two of the 3 playoff spots. Columbus has their contract issues. New Jersey. Flyers. All five of those teams made the playoffs last season. Carolina will be better if they get any goaltending. The Islanders are a mess. They were right next to the Rangers last season. All of the Central teams are good. Chicago finished a point or two better than the Rangers last season. Crawford didn't play after Christmas. The Hawks should be better with a healthy Crawford. Arizona. They have to be better. If Raanta can stay healthy, they will be better. Vancouver will be bad again. The teams in the West are good. There is always a surprise team. New Jersey and Colorado last season. Both of them received MVP performances from their best players.

The Rangers have a first time NHL head coach. Quinn was an assistant coach with the Avs. Greg Brown has no pro coaching experience. Ruff is supposed to be on the staff. He has experience. The Rangers have so many holes in the line-up waiting for young players to step into. I count 9 NHL forwards on the roster. Zibanejad. Kreider. Zuccarello. Namestnikov. Buchnevich. Fast. Hayes. Vesey. Spooner. Beleskey can easily end up in the AHL. He will count $875K against the cap. McLeod could be 13th forward. If they trade one of those 9 forwards(Hayes/Spooner)without bringing another forward back in the trade,one more spot for a young guy. Even on D. Skjei,Shattenkirk and Staal. No guarantee Smith will be on the D. One of the young guys can beat him out. The contract is the only reason why Staal is even on the team. 3 more years and he needs to be protected in the next expansion draft too. Pfft. The latter 3 are signed for three more seasons. Pionk should be pencilled into the line-up. The rest of the spots are open. Even Pionk needs to perform. Claesson can make $700K playing in the AHL too.

It should be a long year with many players suiting up for the Rangers. That's a good thing. The young guys in the organization develop and some gain NHL experience. Sell off at the trade deadline. A top pick next June. It's a beautiful thing.

 

[Edge]

Did you read the sentence above it where I said I purposely left them off the squad because I think they'll spend more time in Hartford next season than the NHL?

Yes, I agree that there are a lot of variables overall, but I still see a team with very poor depth and a bad defense. I don't think our top guys have enough firepower to overcompensate for those issues. That poor depth is exactly why I want to make sure we sign Hayes since I believe the Rangers will want to try to integrate Chytil and Lias in waves this season. Having him continue in that matchup role allows either of them to get softer usage while they continue to develop.

If the kids are ready, they're ready. But like you, I also have a feeling that we could very well see the majority of the kids perceived as being part of the future core start the season in Hartford and be promoted in waves.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

If the kids are ready, they're ready. But like you, I also have a feeling that we could very well see the majority of the kids perceived as being part of the future core start the season in Hartford and be promoted in waves.

Been saying this since the draft. If they are ready and win s spot on the NHL roster they should play. If they find themselves on the 4th line they should be in the AHL.

These young players are the future core of the team. Coming up together will help them solidify that. Even with all the young players Hartford should be competitive.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

The next draft is center heavy up top. It would really help push our rebuild along to get one of them.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

The next draft is center heavy up top. It would really help push our rebuild along to get one of them.

"But we need elite defensemen" comments incoming.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

"But we need elite defensemen" comments incoming.

I mean, I’ll take one of those too!

 

[Ghost of jas]

I believe that Andersson is more likely to stick the full season with the Rangers than Chytil.

 

[Mac n Gs]

If the kids are ready, they're ready. But like you, I also have a feeling that we could very well see the majority of the kids perceived as being part of the future core start the season in Hartford and be promoted in waves.

Yup, this is pretty much how I’m viewing it going into the season. If they earn the spots out of camp, fantastic. Otherwise, let them grow up together in Hartford and promote them if it’s warranted.

The rest is on Gorton to make sure they’ll be promoted into an environment that will give them an opportunity to succeed. I actually like the potential for Hartford to be a good team this season, and I’m interested to see what McCambridge will do differently. He got canned in Manitoba before he really got to coach some of the Jets best prospects, but he did a solid job bringing along guys like Morrissey, Petan, and Armia. Pascal Vincent got lucky enough to get the wave of Roslovic, Connor, Appleton, and Niku.

 

[Off Sides]

I tend to agree that the Rangers roster is not very good, but there are a decent amount of teams who also have a bunch of roster issues. Ottawa, Detroit, Montreal, do not look good.

Then there is a group of question mark teams that who knows if they fixed whatever, or can withstand whatever Vancouver, Buffalo, Edmonton, Arizona, Carolina, Islanders, Calgary, Florida, Colorado, NJ, mostly all the teams everyone always expects to be better than they are or were better last year than most expected.

Even the teams who should be better, does Philly have goalie issues again, Does Torts lose his grip, Does Chicago regain their game, some important Wild and Ducks players are at that age where decline can come into play.

I think the Rangers current roster fits in somewhere in that 2nd grouping, likely near the tail end of it but I think it's possible they end up in the middle of that grouping in the standings.

I would rather see them get higher pick odds, but it's not so much a team has to be all that good to end up higher in the standings than they should, there are just a bunch of teams who try to be good who are not.

 

[LORDE]

@RangerBoy touched on this, but honestly this team is nothing but question marks ATM:

- Quinn as an NHL Coach... new system, how long until the team grasps it and play it well?
- Hank can carry a team by himself at his age?
- Zbad... can he stay healthy? If healthy can he be more consistent?
- Kreider... same questions?
- Hayes... if on the team a legit #2?
- Staal an NHL D man after all of these miles and injuries?
- Smith in the NHL or Connecticut busses?
- ADA / Pionk - skilled yes, anything more than bottom pairs?
- Buch ready to take next step? Getting bigger/stronger?
- Kirk... #1 dman? middle pair? Healthy? Leader?
- Skjei... sophomore slump? Consistency? New system (maybe easier)... how will he react to it?
- Zucc/Spooner still a NYR?
- Nams worth anywhere near that contract without Stamkos and Kutcherov because we don't have anyone like them on this team?

I left the kids off (and Gorton/Clark drafting) but they're obviously a huge question mark.

Point being that if 25% of these answers are "NO" you have a bottom feeder and I'll wager that you have more of a 50/50 shot at these than just 25%

We'll be a lottery team in all probability... hopefully we get lucky and go top-2

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I believe that Andersson is more likely to stick the full season with the Rangers than Chytil.

Just curious, why do you think that?

 

[Mikos87]

If the kids are ready, they're ready. But like you, I also have a feeling that we could very well see the majority of the kids perceived as being part of the future core start the season in Hartford and be promoted in waves.

There are 4 guys that I think will make a push in Sept, Lias, Chytil, Hajek & Lindgren. Good news is that the Rangers have slots where they can play should they make an overwhelming case, but if not, then those are mid-season call-ups.

What this team needs is a John Mitchell from 2012. A career minor pro that carved out a very solid, earnest 4th line career. That's a positional player that insulates any kid they bring up front into a top 9 role.

Hajek & Lindgren need minutes and I hope they eat 22-24 a night in Hartford in the right roles. Hajek, moreso than Lindgren will be ready imo. Both have NHL bodies and skating abilities. The Rangers don't need them to play right away.

You have other kids or prospects that can fill in minutes. I think those guys end up getting some time while the younger kids cook. The Letteris and Nieves' of the world. Even though I don't think Boo and Vinny can fill a winning role long term, and I like Vinny a lot.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Just curious, why do you think that?

Because he is more NHL-ready. He's better defensively, stronger and with his vision and style he fits better in the NHL at the moment than Chytil. Having said that, I still think both will be in the AHL for the majority of the season. I really do not see either make the team straight out of camp, unless it's to get a few games in to start the season.

Just for reference: In the last 25 years, the Rangers have had 4 players who played 80 games, a full season, at age 20 (Lias will be 20 at the end of the 2019-20 season). It just isn't that common and to expect Chytil and Lias to just play with the Rangers all season is going to set people up for disappointment. The NHL isn't a league where teenagers play a significant role unless they are elite talents (McDavid, Crosby, Ekblad, Laine, Matthews, Eichel).

 

[Edge]

There are 4 guys that I think will make a push in Sept, Lias, Chytil, Hajek & Lindgren. Good news is that the Rangers have slots where they can play should they make an overwhelming case, but if not, then those are mid-season call-ups.

What this team needs is a John Mitchell from 2012. A career minor pro that carved out a very solid, earnest 4th line career. That's a positional player that insulates any kid they bring up front into a top 9 role.

Hajek & Lindgren need minutes and I hope they eat 22-24 a night in Hartford in the right roles. Hajek, moreso than Lindgren will be ready imo. Both have NHL bodies and skating abilities. The Rangers don't need them to play right away.

You have other kids or prospects that can fill in minutes. I think those guys end up getting some time while the younger kids cook. The Letteris and Nieves' of the world. Even though I don't think Boo and Vinny can fill a winning role long term, and I like Vinny a lot.

I have a feeling Howden is also going to impress a lot of people in September. Maybe not quite enough to make the team, but I think he'll push.

 

[darko]

Top end talents are available after top 3 picks, you know. Just can't trust NYR mgmt to draft those types of players.

They drafted one few weeks ago and half of the people on here lost their minds.

 

[Mikos87]

@RangerBoy touched on this, but honestly this team is nothing but question marks ATM:

- Quinn as an NHL Coach... new system, how long until the team grasps it and play it well?
- Hank can carry a team by himself at his age?
- Zbad... can he stay healthy? If healthy can he be more consistent?
- Kreider... same questions?
- Hayes... if on the team a legit #2?
- Staal an NHL D man after all of these miles and injuries?
- Smith in the NHL or Connecticut busses?
- ADA / Pionk - skilled yes, anything more than bottom pairs?
- Buch ready to take next step? Getting bigger/stronger?
- Kirk... #1 dman? middle pair? Healthy? Leader?
- Skjei... sophomore slump? Consistency? New system (maybe easier)... how will he react to it?
- Zucc/Spooner still a NYR?
- Nams worth anywhere near that contract without Stamkos and Kutcherov because we don't have anyone like them on this team?

I left the kids off (and Gorton/Clark drafting) but they're obviously a huge question mark.

Point being that if 25% of these answers are "NO" you have a bottom feeder and I'll wager that you have more of a 50/50 shot at these than just 25%

We'll be a lottery team in all probability... hopefully we get lucky and go top-2

Great points, but you have a goalie that can steal games for weeks at a time, that will keep you out of the bottom two. Some responses below:

- Hank can carry a team by himself at his age?
Yes. Not for months at a time like the good old days, but weeks, yes.

- Zbad... can he stay healthy?
If healthy can he be more consistent? Health aside, the latter... you know I was really impressed with the showing at WCH... he looked like a real deal no 1 center. I think he needs a RH winger that stays around the net and can cycle, whose a smarter thinker that do the same thing over and over again type of player that Kreider has been the last several years. Also think some leadership around him can hold him accountable. All the tools are there.

- Hayes... if on the team a legit #2?
I don't think so, he's a good player, one that you will really get a lot out of in the right matchup, but defensive stalwart & no 2 center are a square peg round hole type of situation for him that AV put him in due to a lack of depth. Not worth $5M+ but at a $4.35M deal... he's more than palatable.

- ADA / Pionk - skilled yes, anything more than bottom pairs?
I'm going to leave ADA outside looking in, since as far back as Dec 16 my thoughts were that NYC would be a good final kick at the can for a guy with decision making challenges and a middle of the road offensive game. His junior game does not translate to the pros for two reasons... 1- Not an elite skater to play that way and recover 2- Makes a lot of binary choices instead of having a bunch of options to run... can't QB. Onto Pionk- I think there is something there that is going to make him into a long term fixture... can he defend well enough to be top 4... yes imo... but not against size and speed. But Pionk is going to put up points and move the puck.... the skating... you know if he had that extra 1.5 steps... he would be a star in the making. Maybe Prentice and a skating coach are working their magic this summer.

- Kirk... #1 dman? middle pair? Healthy? Leader?
No. But MSG can brand him like one for the optics. '

- Nams worth anywhere near that contract without Stamkos and Kutcherov because we don't have anyone like them on this team?
Biggest wildcard on the roster imo... has a lot of utility, but I'm most interested in seeing how he's deployed. Names is a guy that... if he plays the middle... and if one of the kids makes a solid debut in the middle, and another on the wing... then you have a team that has 4 lines that are deep and hard to match-up against.

But to your points. Lots of Ifs.

 

[Off Sides]

The optics of a Rangers rebuilding without having any of their top prospects make the team will provide some interesting takes.

Not that I disagree with it, I actually think it's more likely than not they start in the AHL.