Rumor: Ilya Kovalchuk will be signing a 2-3 year deal with NYR

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

So basically what I'm hearing is that there can be no downside to this deal because the Rangers are gonna suck for the next 2-3 years anyway and when they're good again it'll be over...

I honestly think if they spent some of that cash on a dman or two we could be a playoff team next year.

Like who?

Would you rather give John Carlson a 7 year deal at 7.5-8M per?

 

[haveandare]

You can't pay the players that have actually produced for this team better than anyone since 94 (WHILE STILL IN THEIR 20's) but you're going to pay for over aged UFA replacements?
Makes no sense to me..

A. None of those guys were going to sign two year deals
B. Moving those guys gave us a ton of assets - signing someone new costs no assets. The name of the game while rebuilding is getting a ton of futures.

 

[Tawnos]

So basically what I'm hearing is that there can be no downside to this deal because the Rangers are gonna suck for the next 2-3 years anyway and when they're good again it'll be over...

I honestly think if they spent some of that cash on a dman or two we could be a playoff team next year.

This D isn't going to be fixed by throwing money at it.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Honest question..Who do you think management's answer is to things?

I'd be willing to bet JG has no clue himself as to where this is going yet..

Throwing kids who aren’t ready into the NHL is exactly what not to do, it’s what the Islanders, Sabres, and Oilers have all done. Signing Kovalchuk doesn’t mean they think they’re going to win a cup while he’s here.

The direction is to not build a loser mentality around the NHL team while he’s building the next core of young players

 

[UnSandvich]

A. None of those guys were going to sign two year deals
B. Moving those guys gave us a ton of assets - signing someone new costs no assets. The name of the game while rebuilding is getting a ton of futures.

Not to mention we have the option of trading Kovalchuk for more futures later on too.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

This D isn't going to be fixed by throwing money at it.

Yeah, I think some people look at this as a “fixing” move, whereas it’s more a stopgap than anything.

I doubt Kovalchuk is in the LONG term plans of the club.

 

[bl02]

So basically what I'm hearing is that there can be no downside to this deal because the Rangers are gonna suck for the next 2-3 years anyway and when they're good again it'll be over...

I honestly think if they spent some of that cash on a dman or two we could be a playoff team next year.

Totally see what you're saying but we did that last offseason (20/20 is definitely hindsight) and it didn't work out to well.
Not sure who is out there in terms of dmen but usually those guys want 5 year deals (like an alzner). I would rather draft 2 with our first round picks. Hopefully in 2-3 years or so we have a very solid mobile defense ranging ages 20-25.

 

[bl02]

I think a long term deal for Tavares is a disaster waiting to happen.

Put me on the list as well. He's gonna want 7,8,9 year deal. Please No.

 

[Ghost of jas]

This D isn't going to be fixed by throwing money at it.

Nor is the depth going to be improved in that manner. This is a process. People are really overlooking how bad this team really was this year. Gorton even said that they realized that Henke covered up a lot of the bad. He said they weren’t a good team. A couple of big signings are not going to make this a good team.

 

[NYR]

A. None of those guys were going to sign two year deals
B. Moving those guys gave us a ton of assets - signing someone new costs no assets. The name of the game while rebuilding is getting a ton of futures.

A: How do you know?
B: Hardly and all unknown..

Hope you don't gamble much..

 

[stan the caddy]

Like who?

Would you rather give John Carlson a 7 year deal at 7.5-8M per?

Maybe but I wouldn't want that either. I'm talking like a 3 or 4 million dollar player that can play minutes that way we don't have so many ahl players in the starting lineup. Defense is definitely the team's weakness.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Maybe but I wouldn't want that either. I'm talking like a 3 or 4 million dollar player that can play minutes that way we don't have so many ahl players in the starting lineup. Defense is definitely the team's weakness.

I mean, adding a guy like de Haan, for example, would be nice, but here’s the thing - we’d still have to cap space to do that even if the rumored contract is true.

We built a lot of space for this offseason, and could stand to gain more pending trades - we should have plenty of flexibility headed into free agency.

 

[stan the caddy]

This D isn't going to be fixed by throwing money at it.

The D is lby a mile the easiest thing to improve because they literally started ahl players for a good chunk of the season. You don't exactly need to sign an all star to a lengthy deal to make it better.

 

[NYR]

Throwing kids who aren’t ready into the NHL is exactly what not to do, it’s what the Islanders, Sabres, and Oilers have all done. Signing Kovalchuk doesn’t mean they think they’re going to win a cup while he’s here.

The direction is to not build a loser mentality around the NHL team while he’s building the next core of young players

JG created exactly that by trading away the entire roster, a loser mentality..
Do you see these pre/post game player interviews?
They're all a bunch of sad sacks.
The life has been sucked right out of the locker room.
It's horrible..

 

[Synergy27]

Good move if it happens. The team was never going to intentionally throw away years for draft picks. They’ll continue to ship out expiring contracts and guys they don’t want to re-sign while adding pieces at the same time.

And they'll continue to make us all think about whether 1994 will really last a lifetime.

Unless of course they win the lottery this year. Which they are going to.

 

[CasusBelli]

If anything, I’m nervous about his coming will result in a “Russian clique”, with all our Russian prospects following him. We don’t want a divided locker room.

 

[CasusBelli]

JG created exactly that by trading away the entire roster, a loser mentality..
Do you see these pre/post game player interviews?
They're all a bunch of sad sacks.
The life has been sucked right out of the locker room.
It's horrible..

Remember how lively Zuke and Kreider used to be?

 

[haveandare]

A: How do you know?
B: Hardly and all unknown..

Hope you don't gamble much..

A: How do you know McDonagh isn't going to come here in Free Agency and re-sign for league minimum as part of Gorton's masterplan? That's the same I know they weren't going to re-sign for 2 years.
B: TB 1st 2018, TB 1st or second 2019, Hajek, Howden, Namestnikov, Devils 2nd 2018, Rykov, Boston 1st 2018, Spooner, Lindgren is "hardly" a ton of assets? And it's unknown that having a ton of future assets is important in a rebuild?

 

[Thirty One]

Do you know what would be a good way to acquire an affordable defenseman? Trading an expendable forward. Do you know what would help make some forwards expendable? Signing good UFA forwards.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

If anything, I’m nervous about his coming will result in a “Russian clique”, with all our Russian prospects following him. We don’t want a divided locker room.

Is it a problem in Tampa?

 

[CasusBelli]

Is it a problem in Tampa?

The only Russian Lightning players of whom Im aware are V, Kucherov and Sergachev. I was thinking of the 2008-09 Capitals, with OV, Semin, Kozlov and Federov. I don’t know if Varlamov was part of the group.

 

[NYR]

Remember how lively Zuke and Kreider used to be?

I sure do.
All these kids literally grew up together and then they kept adding younger guys you the group.
You know how many years it's going to take in order to reestablish that kind of comraderie and chemistry?
But let's just bring in some fat cats who are on their retirement contacts.
That's the way to build a team lol.

I can't take all this nonsense.

I'm going to watch slapshot..Gnite lol

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

The only Russian Lightning players of whom Im aware are V, Kucherov and Sergachev. I was thinking of the 2008-09 Capitals, with OV, Semin, Kozlov and Federov. I don’t know if Varlamov was part of the group.

They also had Namestnikov until the trade deadline.

Two of their best prospects are Russian, they also drafted Gusev, and also recently traded his rights to LV.

 

[Thirty One]

I can't take all this nonsense.

I'm going to watch slapshot..Gnite lol

Just so everyone is aware, when NYR says he's done posting, he normally accelerates his posting, so you get no reprieve.

 

[stan the caddy]

Do you know what would be a good way to acquire an affordable defenseman? Trading an expendable forward. Do you know what would help make some forwards expendable? Signing good UFA forwards.

Again, Kovalchuk might not be good. He might downright stink for us. That's why my first post in this thread was about people forgetting how old he is and that he hasn't played at this level in forever. People are already penciling him as a good top six forward.