Have most of our biggest weaknesses of last season been addressed?

[JMan74]

When thinking championship more often than not a team needs to be elite in many key areas but perhaps more importantly, not excessively weak in too many others.

So when I look at last year I saw this as many of the weakers areas that needed to be addressed (feel free to add more to the list!):

1. Face off wins. This one is huge because we were pretty much dominated here. We havent flipped the script and become dominant ourselves in this area but the look of it right now is it is much improved. This is leading to a whole lot more quick attacking pressure on the goalies in the and more sustained PP time in the offensive zone.

2. Being outshot frequently in games. Another big one as this almost happened on a nightly basis. Partly due to the types of players we had (too many love to pass). This year because GG probably further addressed this and its hitting home combined with players playing a more aggressive game again like Panarin this has greatly, greatly flipped. We are almost always outshooting the opponents now.

3. Some young players in key roles developing a bit slowly. I get guys entering the league sometimes take a few years to really come into their own but when you are the top overall or #2 pick in the entire draft you hope to see more flashes sooner. Of course I am referring to Laffy and Kakko. Well in the playoffs you started to see some signs and between those two and Chytil (if he can ever stay healthy!) they are really showing signs of becoming more well rounded players. The scoring is still not quite there where you would want for a top and 2nd overall pick but they don't look out of place on the top two lines either (and you hope for continued growth in that area throughout the year). Bottomline if Kakko and/or Laffy finally develop into a 30+ goal type scorer this year...that could leap us from a good scoring team to an outright dominant one.

4. Defensive lapses leading to high danger chances. I think this is one area where we have not really improved thus far on the short season but I do so us being very aggressive in having the D join the rush which I absolutely love. Shesty can make up for some of this but we still need to be more responsible in our own end.

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[McRanger92]

Still very early but as I said before the season, the only thing stopping this team from winning a championship is health and playoff randomness. They've got all the ingredients.

 

[JMan74]

From a personell standpoint I cant think of one thing we really lack except maybe a better back up goalie. We have toughened up the team, we technically go 3 deep at Center when Chytil is healthy. Panarin is actually shooting this year instead of being maddenly passive (no pun intended). I think really the next biggest thing is to start to see Kakko and/or Laffy blossom into 30 goal scorers.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I think our depth isn't as good as some of those Rangers teams of yesteryear but with Chytil the third line was amazing analytically. I just don't know if they'll score as much as we would hope. But what teams are out there that are stacked in the top 2 lines AND has a great 3rd line? Last year's Avs?

 

[JMan74]

Top end talent is stronger though and I would say with a healthy Chytil are not quite but almost as deep as any of them. This also depends on how much Laffy/Kakko develope this year in the scoring department.

 

[zlev]

am I the only one not worried about Laf and Kakko scoring? they will get their points, but we made the playoffs last year without them really going off (although Laf had 19 even strength goals which was underrated) and we know they can perform in the playoffs. i'm not worried about their point totals at all, they both drive play and are competent top 6 forwards. the less they score the less we have to pay them.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Their biggest improvement is that Panarin actually looks elite this year.

They're shooting more and conceding fewer shots which is also good. With Chytil, they can roll 3 pretty good to very good lines (especially if Kreider also pulls his head out of his ass.)

They still have some clear weaknesses. I don't think they dig well enough (and they will be forced to do this when the chips are down) and they could use another scoring threat. I get that the team is overall snake bit as balls right now, but I don't see those things changing enough even when the tide turns a bit the other way.

When looking at their needs, I would steer clear of Kane as he doesn't help either of those areas. If St Louis really goes in the tank (and its possible, it seemed like their entire roster collectively had career seasons last year), I'd pay out the ass for Ryan O'Reilly even as a rental and flip Fil to the wing. Defense, grind, possession, even face offs - All would improve with him in the fold.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

We are a very good team, but part of the problem is during the run last year we had 4 key players who fit in really well that left.

So while the kids are getting more time/development and that's a worthwhile note to make, I still think Drury needs to make additions (if possible), especially to the bottom 6 and third pairing.

You also lose the kid line completely which was one of the more effective lines last postseason (despite scratching Kakko in the last game, Im still scratching my head).

You "add" Blais - who may or may not be left standing come the postseason, but if his offense comes around and he stays healthy, he could be a wildcard for this team going in

Strome to Trocheck - Upgrade

Copp to Kakko - looking like a Wash
Vatrano to Lafreniere - looking like a Wash

Rooney to Carpenter - Wash

Braun to Jones/Hajek - Downgrade
Motte to Vesey - Downgrade

There is no doubt that overall experience and depth factor isnt as strong as the last run, but what we have seen are some encouraging signs that make up for it.

5 on 5 play has been better - I attribute this to Kakko and Lafreniere moving up and not forcing the Goodrows, Hunts and Blais to the top of the lineup like we saw for a majority of the season last year

Shots on goal have increased dramatically - I dont know if they have made a concerted effort in this regard but I like it

Face off wins - A very big improvement. However as much as we all whine about this (myself being one of the biggest) its been proven that it doesnt correlate directly to wins. I do think it helps with shots and possession and the overall prowess of a team.

Areas to focus on:

PK will need to improve - Trocheck, Kakko, Vesey, Carpenter are all learning the system so we should see an improvement as the season progresses.

Team Defense - This is the most important thing. You have a vezina winning goaltender who stops everything he sees. So let him see it and cut down on the odd man rushes. A lot of it will be reinforcing the third pairing (I think we will see two veteran D men brought in, one for the third pairing and one for insurance).

But maybe just as important are the forwards and players like Panarin who have shown they are ok with altering their games a bit to get wins. Bringing in a Lehtonen or Motte type guy to bolster the bottom 6/PK will be a big add if they can get the right guy.

Notice how Kravstov isnt mentioned

 

[JMan74]

am I the only one not worried about the Laf and Kakko scoring? they will get their points, but we made the playoffs last year without them really going off (although Laf had 19 even strength goals which was underrated) and we know they can perform in the playoffs. i'm not worried about their point totals at all, they both drive play and are competent top 6 forwards. the less they score the less we have to pay them.

From that standpoint I think you are certainly correct. This team has enough talent and scoring to likely still be a cup contender without them necessarily quite becoming the scorers their draft status suggest them to be. However it would only bolster our chances at the Cup if one or both did.

Their biggest improvement is that Panarin actually looks elite this year.

They're shooting more and conceding fewer shots which is also good. With Chytil, they can roll 3 pretty good to very good lines (especially if Kreider also pulls his head out of his ass.)

They still have some clear weaknesses. I don't think they dig well enough (and they will be forced to do this when the chips are down) and they could use another scoring threat. I get that the team is overall snake bit as balls right now, but I don't see those things changing enough even when the tide turns a bit the other way.

When looking at their needs, I would steer clear of Kane as he doesn't help either of those areas. If St Louis really goes in the tank (and its possible, it seemed like their entire roster collectively had career seasons last year), I'd pay out the ass for Ryan O'Reilly even as a rental and flip Fil to the wing. Defense, grind, possession, even face offs - All would improve with him in the fold.

Some great thoughts here Uni. You dont think Kane helps as a scoring threat though?

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

From that standpoint I think you are certainly correct. This team has enough talent and scoring to likely still be a cup contender without them necessarily quite becoming the scorers their draft status suggest them to be. However it would only bolster our chances at the Cup if one or both did.


Some great thoughts here Uni. You dont think Kane helps as a scoring threat though?

No because he blows 5v5 and our PP is already good so he isn't needed there.

 

[irishlaxburger2]

Defense, to me, is still something that needs sure'ing up. Our third pair leaves a bit to be desired, as does our depth in general.

Big picture, just because we've fixed old needs doesn't mean new problems haven't popped up. Most notably we can't find the net now. That's a new problem.

 

[will1066]

Smart-ass response from me is that we still have 7/8ths of the season to address weaknesses.

Right now, our penalty killing is inferior, while we may have improved in other areas like faceoffs, shot differential, and expected goals for.

Also important to note, our top 6 veterans collectively can be filed in the weakness category last playoffs. More is needed from them in the playoffs this year.

 

[zlev]

We are a very good team, but part of the problem is during the run last year we had 4 key players who fit in really well that left.

Did they though? Copp was awesome until he got hurt, then that whole line went to shit in the playoffs. Vatrano had a nice shot but that line is much better with Kakko on it. Motte and Braun were solid but both are 1000% replaceable. All that I think we need is one winger to play with Chytil on the 3rd line or someone like Kravtsov to really step up.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Just need a better coach and baby you’ve got a stew going

No because he blows 5v5 and our PP is already good so he isn't needed there.

Our PP is mid this year. I think they should take Panarin off the right and put him on the left like they did a couple years ago. No more Mika one timer but still think it would make our PP more dynamic and less predictable

 

[huerter]

Copp is like the worst faceoff guy in the league this year if anyone cares.

 

[SA16]

No because he blows 5v5 and our PP is already good so he isn't needed there.

By that you mean, he is a bad possession player and bad by xG models. Which is not the same thing as actually being bad.

 

[JMan74]

HockeybasedNYC...Some tremendous quality stuff in here. Really well thought out thanks for sharing.

Dont know if when you add up all your positives and negatives altogether it makes you believe we are a legit championship contender but it certainly does for me.

The two biggest x factors maybe being injury (as always) and the level of growth that we see come out of the the key youngsters.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Copp is like the worst faceoff guy in the league this year if anyone cares.

And he only has 3 measly assists and 0 goals through 9 games.

 

[pld459666]

Very early, but 7th in the league today at 53.9 in the dots IS flipping the script.

 

[Fitzy]

We still need depth to give us the best shot possible.

Even a couple Braun/Motte type additions at the deadline would go a long way to shoring up our existing weaknesses. We don’t need Pat Kane, we need a couple role players.

 

[JMan74]

No because he blows 5v5 and our PP is already good so he isn't needed there.

Really...he that bad 5v5?

 

[TheDirtyH]

We still have an issue with depth. Our 5-8 defense and our forwards 10-14 are pretty mediocre to bad compared to some other contenders. Even our backup goaltending looks like an early question mark, though I think Halak hasn't been bad mostly and I do think he'll get better with Allaire.

Much of our weaknesses last year stemmed from our top players not carrying their load at even strength, to go with even worse depth overall. That looks to have been mitigated mainly by the emergence (and by that I mean the consistent playing time for) the kids. Two notable bounce backs have helped too—Panarin, as @Uninstaaled mentioned, and Lindgren too has been much better than he was last season.

If I have one gripe with this team, it's that I feel overall they are sometimes to smart for their own good. It's a very cerebral group. Most of our best players greatest assets are their hockey sense and problem solving. The flip side of that is that the team goes through long stretches of puck watching. When I was growing up, my father always told me that in hockey, when your team has the puck all five guys are on offense, and when your team doesn't, everybody's on defense. With respect to that, I feel this team struggles staying engaged away from the play. Players who aren't in a battle for the puck or who aren't 'in the play' aren't taking initiative to make something happen. It's not always the case, but it's what I see when we're not rolling. Lots of waiting around, lots of not knowing what to do next, which to me isn't a lack of engagement but a lack of initiative.

 

[Savant]

They are going to need to repeat what they did at the deadline last year and get some guys for the bottom six and probably another dman. Besides that there is definitely improvement

 

[nyr2k2]

Need three players--another middle six guy who can play tough, a bottom six guy who can be better than Carpenter (maybe Rydahl is that guy), and a veteran defenseman to take some games on the bottom pair. I'd be good with that.

 

[leetch99]

We still need depth to give us the best shot possible.

Even a couple Braun/Motte type additions at the deadline would go a long way to shoring up our existing weaknesses. We don’t need Pat Kane, we need a couple role players.

Let Blais regain his form and stick Gauthier in Reaves spot and promote Rydahl .....that is 3 solid upgrades by season end . Plus Vesey will be steady and ready for the playoffs . I think that will hold us over for one more year until Othmann and Cuylee are ready and Kravs is heavier . Use a pick possibly to upgrade the D where help is needed . Trocheck will be a tremendous asset for us in the playoffs as will Laff and KK who each got some valuable minutes last season . I think we will be OK.....maybe a bit iffy on Halak??????? I will give him more time ...