GDT: Game # 51 Rangers vs Islanders - 7pm EST - MSG

[LokiDog]

McDavid
Crosby
Malkin
Mackinnon
Point
Kopitar
Backstrom
Barkov
Eichel
Bergeron
Couturier
ROR
Tavares
Matthews
Pettersson

That's 15 right there that Zibanejad doesn't even have a case against. 16 if you count Draisaitl who is a part-time center. Then there are a few more that could be debated.

We've convinced ourselves he's a franchise center because that's what we want. He's still in the lower end of 1C's which is what he always was. And games like these make me think a play-driving center is what's missing. Not necessarily a franchise center because that's hard to find, but a matchup center who carries play at even strength. All of our centers are bad at doing the things centers do. That's not entirely on Zibanejad but we might need his cap space to add that player.

I agree with you on 90% of posts, but factoring age and defensive play, he’s definitely ahead of Malkin, with production and two way combined he’s about on a par with ROR and Couturier. Pettersson isn’t that proven that I unilaterally take him above Mika, though age is certainly on his side. Eichel is more of a game breaker but has no two way game. Tavares achieved a lot and is still productive but isn’t as all around good as Mika, especially now. Kopitar and Backstrom have age against them. Bergeron ditto, yet he’s still super productive. I don’t think it’s that cut and dry, frustrAting as he can be.

 

[2014nyr]

I’ll take “Where’s our coaching?” for $500

this is much more roster construct than coaching, you could arguably call for some personnel tweaks, but some differences can't be coached around.

take tampa 2 years back - presidents trophy, electric offense, dominant regular season. can't even put up a fight against the 8 seed. is that an indication cooper can't coach or manage personnel?
one year later they add some size/ sandpaper to balance out the roster and breeze to a cup...did cooper figure out how to coach or was he aided by a roster that was more balanced?

our situation is much more like the former, albeit a far more youthful and inexperienced version. in our case, mgmt is certainly aware of certain elements we're short on, but this deadline was not the time to address. and for this game in particular, a team already light in the loafers as it is in the physicality / experience dept is missing its biggest, strongest fwd and most physical dman - both of whom are leaders and far more experienced than the rest of the roster. in troubas case that replacement is a kid who was playing ncaa hockey a month ago. the only thing i wish quinn played differently was going gauthier over pdg- he's a bit riskier w/ penalties / defensive play but he's also got kreider like size/speed/physicality, some offensive pop, and would prob have a bit more fire to prove a point. but at the end of the day hard to act like thats a consequential call.

i will say i'm disappointed about the kreider news. i've been a proponent for a bit of repurposing him in a 3rd/4th line role and letting him play a straight line simple, physical forechecking game. he was making an impact, him chytil kakko i thought were a huge difference for us going into this one, along with lafs play on the top line really balancing/complimenting them well. the real disaster right now is the strome line. i've said it before but they are an abomination in tight games. but the problem isn't where everyone looks - blackwell...he's nothing special, but swapping him for kravtsov fixes nothing because they still wouldn't touch the puck. the problem is strome...he's horrific in his own end. never supports the d, so they never have a clean breakout...just a sling up the boards to a forward standing still on the boards. with a d in their face and back pressure. he cannot play this style, and he kills panarin ...he's a non factor in these games because strome is so poor at doing what a center needs to do in them. at this point i'd go so far as to say brett freaking howden would be an upgrade for him there. at least you'd get puck support coming up ice. as i type strome also single handedly murdered a pp...he's the weakest link in these games and it ain't close.

 

[will1066]

when a team tunes out the coach you don’t replace the entire team.....

What @Edge responded with is mine too. The vets here want to east-west, high-low with lots of switches. It's based on deception to create man advantages, but it's a clean brand of hockey. There's no direct drives, getting noses dirty in front of the goal mouth.

 

[AB13]

Not even worth responding to.

You just massively underrate Zibanejad and overvalue strong defensive centers

 

[TheDirtyH]

I hope management is thinking about these vets Quinn rides into the ground and sics on the weakest teams in the league.

Panarin is frankly above reproach.

Zibanejad, Strome? You really want to shake the lineup up for a spark? Where's Chytil 1C!?!!?

 

[Edge]

Joe hit the nail on the head. Too much stick checking and no taking the body.

I hope Gorton realizes that he still has a team that will yield the exact same results if they made the playoffs as the team that got ousted with ease in last year’s bubble.

I don’t think it’s a secret, so much as a question of whether there was a way to remedy the issue this season without over-paying.

identifying flaws isn’t the tough part. Fixing them is.

 

[duhmetreE]

David Quinn yelling? or pleading?

 

[MetalJaws]

Panarin line has been non existent 5v5 for how long?

6 games. Only PP points and Blackwell had been brutal on every shift. This experiment has been painful and is so overdone.

 

[Clown Fiesta]

Good faith question to you, who do you think they are better than if we have the Metro/Atlantic next year? And yes I am asking that knowing full well shit happens, people get hurt, players have down years etc. But in your opinion if you had to bet?

Who is on the roster? Who is their coach? What changes did other teams make?

I’m not Nostradamus. I think the Rangers continue to improve next year. By how much depends on the answers to my previous questions.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

McDavid
Crosby
Malkin
Mackinnon
Point
Kopitar
Backstrom
Barkov
Eichel
Bergeron
Couturier
ROR
Tavares
Matthews
Pettersson

That's 15 right there that Zibanejad doesn't even have a case against. 16 if you count Draisaitl who is a part-time center. Then there are a few more that could be debated.

We've convinced ourselves he's a franchise center because that's what we want. He's still in the lower end of 1C's which is what he always was. And games like these make me think a play-driving center is what's missing. Not necessarily a franchise center because that's hard to find, but a matchup center who carries play at even strength. All of our centers are bad at doing the things centers do. That's not entirely on Zibanejad but we might need his cap space to add that player.

I’ll take Zbad over Malkin, Backstrom, Bergeron, Couts, Tavares and Point now and In the future.

 

[Raspewtin]

nice play by the chytil line

 

[Tob]

"Can someone please tell me where the leprechaun hid me lucky charms?"

 

[Guyute]

Zibanejad is better than Coutorier, ROR, Tavares and Kopitar for sure. Probably better than Bergeron and Point as well, and on his day better than Barkov and Bäckström.

I disagree vehemently with this post. Zibanajed is no way better than Bergeron. Seriously?

 

[Killem Dafoe]

If Krav would have scored there I would have been happy

 

[dangsLITE]

have to get one this period

 

[Harbour Dog]

KCK are fun to watch!

 

[Graves97]

I’m not really sure what identity we’d have with a different coach either. We have skill players who struggle against top teams, young kids, and a handful of AAAA players we are counting on to continuously overachieve.

So if DQ can’t help our skill players play better against good teams, make sure the kids are at least in the right place both offensively and defensively, and get out AAAA players to play hard (something he has actually gotten them to do). Why is he here?

Telling Panarin, Fox, and Zibanejad to go out there and do some hockey doesn’t work against well structured teams. Happened against Carolina last year and has happened repeatedly this year against the same teams. At some point he has to make adjustments.
If he doesn’t know how then he shouldn’t be a behind the bench as a HC

 

[DanielBrassard]

The Rangers are never going to win a damn thing playing so f***ing passively. They don't pressure the opposing team at the blue line, they avoid physicality like the plague, they don't cycle the puck down low enough. Maybe some of that is because of their youth but it's also seems to be part of how they want to play

 

[Edge]

This team is what happens when you just acquire talent without regard for fit or style. Sometimes the cake ends up not quite as appetizing as you thought before you put it in the oven.

Which is also indicative of a team in transition.

A big reason why it’s important for fans not to fall in love with these guys and prospects too much yet.

 

[Raspewtin]

"that hit barzal in the face"

dope lol

 

[Killem Dafoe]

we got f***in Covidjad tonight

 

[Doctyl]

Zibanejad is better than Coutorier, ROR, Tavares and Kopitar for sure. Probably better than Bergeron and Point as well, and on his day better than Barkov and Bäckström.

stuff like this is why we get made fun of on the main boards

 

[TheDirtyH]

I’ll take Zbad over Malkin, Backstrom, Bergeron, Couts, Tavares and Point now and In the future.

what does the future have to do with a ranking of right now? Couldn't a young center conceivably be better than Zibanejad in the future?

 

[Machinehead]

I agree with you on 90% of posts, but factoring age and defensive play, he’s definitely ahead of Malkin, with production and two way combined he’s about on a par with ROR and Couturier. Pettersson isn’t that proven that I unilaterally take him above Mika, though age is certainly on his side. Eichel is more of a game breaker but has no two way game. Tavares achieved a lot and is still productive but isn’t as all around good as Mika, especially now. Kopitar and Backstrom have age against them. Bergeron ditto, yet he’s still super productive. I don’t think it’s that cut and dry, frustrAting as he can be.

You're overrating his defense or perhaps underrating the others. Couturier and Bergeron are generational defensively. Bergeron should be on his 10th Selke and Couturier should have finished second for all of them. The only reason anybody else wins them is because the NHL awards have this turn-taking thing.

ROR and Kopitar have actually won Selkes FWIW.


They produce just as much if not more, so logic would dictate...

 

[will1066]

Right, the coach certainly can take some blame. But, this perticular game is not a good example.

How is a young puck possesing transitional team going to fair against an experienced defensive team?

Well, you get this.

Was Quinn all of a sudden going to turn them into a hard nosed forechecking team in two days?

Have they ever displayed any of that this season outside of maybe Kakko or Kratsov(who are still developing kids)?

Valid points. The hope is the development of these kids to have a harder style so that there's different elements to the offense.