OT: Jeff Gorton Performance + Team Direction

[E-Train]

Gorton did what he had to do and I expect more of the same heading to this years deadline. McD and Nash deals were very good. Getting Joey Keane with the Nick Holden pick could be a sneaky home run.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

I can imagine the meltdown on this board if Gorton re-signs Zucc

Because they shouldnt

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

If you want to criticize him, the Smith and Shattenkirk signings look fairly bad

 

[Edge]

He ranks 5th among Tampa's D in shot differential. His partner is 6th.

He ranks 4th in expected goals differential.

He's 1st in even strength plus/minus by leaps and bounds.

Sounds to me like a player who's getting outplayed and remembered for being on the ice when his team scores.

I thought he's played well lately, but I thought his start was fairly unimpressive and uneven.

Is it him turning the corner, or is a good stretch? Don't know yet.

 

[Nopuckluck]

If you want to criticize him, the Smith and Shattenkirk signings look fairly bad

Tough crowd

Shattenkirk fell into his lap and for what he brings (hasn’t done it for us yet) the signing was good

Smith I’ll agree doesn’t look like a good move but overall he’s had a hell of a year as a GM

 

[ElLeetch]

Seriously GMJG is crushing it.

Pionk
ADA
Lias
Chytiljuice
Kravtsov
Miller
Lundqvist
Rykov
Lindgren
Hajek
Howden
Plus whatever the hell he does this year at the draft/mid season, etc.

This next wave is going to be a helluva team to watch. A couple of these guys already contributing, you’ve just got to be happy about the future already, and so much is uncertain even heading into next season. Kind of awesome.

Its a *great* pool, but we need a rock-star lock to top it. We need an elite player to lead the group. we need our Matthews/McDavid/Barzal

 

[Nopuckluck]

Its a *great* pool, but we need a rock-star lock to top it. We need an elite player to lead the group. we need our Matthews/McDavid/Barzal

So let’s stop f***ing around and get a top 3
Pick this year. What’s with all the winning

 

[Machinehead]

So if we're praising Gorton, are we admitting that Zibanejad was a good acquisition here?

 

[Miamipuck]

So if we're praising Gorton, are we admitting that Zibanejad was a good acquisition here?

Yeah but that was Sather.

 

[Mac n Gs]

So if we're praising Gorton, are we admitting that Zibanejad was a good acquisition here?

You hated it at first

(I know it’s because of the attachment to Brass)

 

[Machinehead]

You hated it at first

(I know it’s because of the attachment to Brass)

Mika also took a step forward that I wasn't expecting.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I just hope Mika doesn't get sidetracked with a bad injury this year and puts up 70 points.

 

[Good Intentions]

If you want to criticize him, the Smith and Shattenkirk signings look fairly bad

Trading away two (high) 2nd round picks for Brendan Smith was an enormous blunder. The contract makes it a darker black eye.

 

[Rempe73]

I think one of the things to keep in mind with some of the trades is the longer-term aspects of contracts.

So it’s not exclusively about where McD is this season, but where he might be two years from now, or three.

Obviously he still has value now, or else we wouldn’t have received some great prospects for him.

You mean, for instance, if Tampa Bay decided to hypothetically begin a rebuild, and traded McDonagh, what value would they get for him?

 

[Rempe73]

His trades are generally good. I'm warming up on the Tampa one. McDonagh hasn't been anything special this year. Albeit, calling him a 2nd pair guy is extremely disingenuous.

I still think his drafting is hit or miss and he's had a bigger influence on our drafting for a longer time than most will admit. He has to prove that he's capable of drafting an elite player.

I somewhat disagree. Gorton has a very good track record of drafting dating back to his years in Boston. I think he did a very good job this past draft, for the most part.

K’Andre and, to a lesser extent, Kravtsov have elite potential, although it’s unlikley that 1 (let alone both) will reach that potential. But overall, the high-risk, high-reward picks he made are looking solid so far (Chytil, Kravtsov, K’Andre). The only other pick besides the Lindbom pick that I have a big problem with is the Andersson pick. You don’t use a 7th overall pick for a guy like that, but I can at least see the logic behind it, unlike the Lindbom pick, which will continue to give me nightmares.

But with Andersson, maybe drafting him allowed Gorton to get his “safe” pick out of the way and shoot for the moon with his other 1st rounders. Others say Andersson is a really good pick, but I don’t know about that. There’s also the argument that even though Gorton has to agree to make the pick, Gordie Clark is the one that ultimately decides who gets drafted.

The other argument is that drafting is 99% luck, and that finding an elite player outside the top 5-10 is 99.999% luck.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I somewhat disagree. Gorton has a very good track record of drafting dating back to his years in Boston. I think he did a very good job this past draft, for the most part.

K’Andre and, to a lesser extent, Kravtsov have elite potential, although it’s unlikley that 1 (let alone both) will reach that potential. But overall, the high-risk, high-reward picks he made are looking solid so far (Chytil, Kravtsov, K’Andre). The only other pick that I have a big problem with is the Andersson pick. You don’t use a 7th overall pick for a guy like that, but I can at least see the logic behind it, unlike the Lindbom pick, which will continue to give me nightmares.

But with Andersson, maybe drafting him allowed Gorton to get his “safe” pick out of the way and shoot for the moon with his other 1st rounders. Others say Andersson is a really good pick, but I don’t know about that. There’s also the argument that even though Gorton has to agree to make the pick, Gordie Clark is the one that ultimately decides who gets drafted.

The other argument is that drafting is 99% luck, and that finding an elite player outside the top 5-10 is 99.999% luck.

You think K'Andre has a higher upside than Kravtsov?

 

[Rempe73]

You think K'Andre has a higher upside than Kravtsov?

Yes 100% in my opinion. I think Kravtsov’s ceiling is a top line winger who can score 65-70 points in his prime. On the cusp of being an elite player, but not quite there.

K’Andre’s ceiling is an all-around #1 defenseman who can produce 50+ points and play very good defense. However, it is fairly unlikely he becomes that.

When all is said and done, Kravtsov is more likely to become a better player than K’Andre, but K’Andre has a better chance of becoming elite.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Yes 100% in my opinion. I think Kravtsov’s ceiling is a top line winger who can score 65-70 points in his prime. On the cusp of being an elite player, but not quite there.

K’Andre’s ceiling is an all-around #1 defenseman who can produce 50+ points and play very good defense. However, it is fairly unlikely he becomes that.

When all is said and done, Kravtsov is more likely to become a better player than K’Andre, but K’Andre has a better chance of becoming elite.

Any particular reason you see that as Kravtsov's ceiling? Not that it's a bad one.

 

[bl02]

Gorton did what he had to do and I expect more of the same heading to this years deadline. McD and Nash deals were very good. Getting Joey Keane with the Nick Holden pick could be a sneaky home run.

We potentially got our future top 4 pairing in Keane/Miller from the Boston trades of Nash/Holden. Not even mentioning Lindgren who still has a shot at becoming an NHL'er

 

[offdacrossbar]

ok, ive changed my mind. I've decided.

as long as we have henrik in net, and as long as he's able to play at this level, we will not tank. won't happen.

we will be good enough to beat teams and good enough to finish just out of a playoff spot. as we decide to sell off players, we will drop some but again, with hank, there can be no tank.

forget the fact that i honestly believe the players and the coaches have zero interest in tanking. they all want to win. with this team and hank in net, there won't be any tank.

now what ?

 

[eco's bones]

Now what?

We patiently see how the season goes. IMO Georgiev is a very good goalie too. If Henrik were to get hurt the Rangers would still try to win games. It's in the DNA of Hayes, Kreider, Zuccarello, Fast, Staal--all the vets who have been here a while. Why do you think RB wants to get rid of them all?

 

[True Blue]

The thing to keep in mind with Gorton's moves, or at least most of them, was that they seem to be done with an eye on the future. Which is why the Smith trade, and subsequent resigning and the Shattenkirk signing are a little head scratching. The Lindboom pick I cannot stand. But for all that and all that, the Rangers seem to have management in place that clearly has a plan and is executing it step by step. And that is something that has always been missing from the franchise. The only things that I recall that management would clearly do is be in an all in mentality for the now. I think, think mind you, that Gorton will go for it when he feels the time is right, but keep to his plan for the future. No matter how much some of the fan base may howl.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Do we need a separate thread for this?

 

[True Blue]

I think that Gorton will execute his plan no matter what. Which means trading Zuccarello no matter what. Probably/Possibly trading Hayes (unless he views him as now being a legit #2 center) no matter what.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Tanking for an 18.5% chance at Hughes was always a pipe dream.

I said before the season that there was no way this was a bottom-5 team with Hank in net. Check my post history. It's all there.

Gorton should be taking the same exact path as last season, and continue to sell off expiring (or soon to be) assets like Hayes, Zucc, Namestnikov, Spooner, and McQuaid. He should also look into moving some LDs like Staal and Smith with retention.

3 or 4 of those kinds of moves alone would likely put us solidly out of playoff contention. But, we're never going to be bottom-5. Quinn has this team playing hard, and we've been in almost every game we've played. That's the kind of environment we want our kids growing up in. I'll take that every day of the week over coming in 3 or 4 spots higher in the draft order.

Only the most pathetic teams intentionally tank, and they're rarely successful long-term.