Just How Good Are the 2013-14 Rangers?
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Tawnos
A guy with a bass
Patrick Kane is a guy that makes the Hawks' lack of #2 center moot. I think MSL can really drive the play and we actually have #2 centers. Like Zucc is the guy that makes is happen on the 3rd line.
I did. I managed to witness the Rangers significantly outshoot and outplay the Bruins in regulation time. Lundqvist won't sustain a .818 sv% in a playoff series. I saw a Bruins team that got outmatched, but still managed to win due to sloppy breakdowns and poor goaltending.
If we want to incorporate #toughness, the Rangers had one less hit than the Bruins did.
Lundqvist needs to get his head back in the game for that. Also, the last 2 games shouldn't take away a great 20+ games, but the D has looked REALLY shaky the last 2 games. Don't know what's that about.
You're talking about the first period only. Unfortunately the game continued and the rest of the game played out differently.
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The 2nd and 3rd period did not make you think different?
Right. Final score was 6-3 and the Bruins were outmatched. WOW.
Let's use your definition of toughness. Just like there are shots on goal and SHOTs on goal, there are hits and then there are hits that separate a player from the puck.
He may be a bit optimistic and I missed like 10 minutes in the middle of the game but the Rangers out-possessed Boston but Boston converted on the Rangers breakdowns but the Rangers didn't reciprocate, because the goalies were on different stratospheres.
And more often than not, Lundqvist is lights out....
If the team was playing like it was to start the season while they were getting outpossessed, outshot and outscored, then yeah I'd be worried.
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
Well obviously no team is flawless, but some have more and bigger holes than other. Can MSL cover up ours? We'll see. Having Center be your weakest position is...not good.
Anaheim, San Jose, St. Louis, Boston...what are their weaknesses? I know Chicago needs a #2 , but what was their weakness last season? Not having a #2C is much less of an issue than not having a #1C. We're 2 points ahead of the Devils FFS. Idk...I'd love to be proven wrong. May be somewhat of a copout to say "Every team has flaws".
Anaheim, San Jose, St. Louis, Boston...what are their weaknesses? I know Chicago needs a #2 , but what was their weakness last season? Not having a #2C is much less of an issue than not having a #1C. We're 2 points ahead of the Devils FFS. Idk...I'd love to be proven wrong. May be somewhat of a copout to say "Every team has flaws".
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Thirty One
Safe is safe.
- Dec 28, 2003
- 28,981
- 24,357
Tawnos
A guy with a bass
Auf, Just because other teams have positional weaknesses doesn't mean the Rangers are at the same level.
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
That's my point. I don't know, will be interesting to see how everything plays out. Would love to see MSL spread some awesomeness around the lineup.
Beacon
Embrace the tank
- May 28, 2007
- 13,676
- 1,454
We are a legitimate contender
I wanted to post it when we lost so that nobody thinks I am just overreacting to a good game: we are a legitimate contender.
After a terrible start, we have been one of the better teams in the league. Now we've added a star player who significantly improves our offense.
On paper, at least, this team looks very good.
1. Lundqvist is arguably the best goalie in the NHL. Definitely the most consistent and reliable.
2. The LD is great: McD is one of the top D in the league; Staal is a first pair defenseman who is playing on our second pair; Moore is serviceable on the third pair.
3. The RD is good too: G, Stralman and Klein are all above average for a first, second and third pair.
4. Our centers are extremely deep. While nobody is a star #1, three of them are average to above average second line centers. Moore, Boyle or Miller as a #4C is excellent.
5. Our RWs are just tremendous. MSL, Nash and MZA are all competent first liners, and one will be on the third line. Dorsett is a good 4th liner. Alternatively, Carcillo is useful for the role he plays. Fast can play in the NHL if we need skill over toughness for a given matchup.
6. LWs are potentially a weak spot, but given our strengths in every other position, and that LWs are most teams' weak spots, Kreider, Hagelin and Poulin are not bad.
To look at it another way, we will have Poo-Brass-MZA as our third line. They have been great so far, much better than any third line the Rangers had in my lifetime. Even the line of Tikkanen-MacTavish-Noonan on the 1994 Cup winner was significantly worse.
MSL, Nash, Brad, Step, Hags and Kreider are a terrific top-6, definitely capable of winning the Cup.
We have all the necessary ingredients: goaltending, scoring, depth. We aren't particularly tough, but not weak either.
This is our best team since 1994. We can do it. Maybe what looks good on paper won't work on the ice, but there is no reason not to be hopeful right now. This team has phenomenal potential.
I wanted to post it when we lost so that nobody thinks I am just overreacting to a good game: we are a legitimate contender.
After a terrible start, we have been one of the better teams in the league. Now we've added a star player who significantly improves our offense.
On paper, at least, this team looks very good.
1. Lundqvist is arguably the best goalie in the NHL. Definitely the most consistent and reliable.
2. The LD is great: McD is one of the top D in the league; Staal is a first pair defenseman who is playing on our second pair; Moore is serviceable on the third pair.
3. The RD is good too: G, Stralman and Klein are all above average for a first, second and third pair.
4. Our centers are extremely deep. While nobody is a star #1, three of them are average to above average second line centers. Moore, Boyle or Miller as a #4C is excellent.
5. Our RWs are just tremendous. MSL, Nash and MZA are all competent first liners, and one will be on the third line. Dorsett is a good 4th liner. Alternatively, Carcillo is useful for the role he plays. Fast can play in the NHL if we need skill over toughness for a given matchup.
6. LWs are potentially a weak spot, but given our strengths in every other position, and that LWs are most teams' weak spots, Kreider, Hagelin and Poulin are not bad.
To look at it another way, we will have Poo-Brass-MZA as our third line. They have been great so far, much better than any third line the Rangers had in my lifetime. Even the line of Tikkanen-MacTavish-Noonan on the 1994 Cup winner was significantly worse.
MSL, Nash, Brad, Step, Hags and Kreider are a terrific top-6, definitely capable of winning the Cup.
We have all the necessary ingredients: goaltending, scoring, depth. We aren't particularly tough, but not weak either.
This is our best team since 1994. We can do it. Maybe what looks good on paper won't work on the ice, but there is no reason not to be hopeful right now. This team has phenomenal potential.
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
Could you add a poll Beacon?
I've only been a member for a year, but are people always this adamant about being a Cup contender? I don't know, I really like AV, I really like our roster, but I'm just...not seeing it. MSL addressed our need for a true game breaker/finisher. He's awesome; going to be very fun watching him on the daily. Obviously would love to be proven wrong, and I think if Hank get's hot, like real hot, we could go far.
Our combined GF (19TH) and GA (11th) would be average, no? Special teams are both 11th; Good, not anything amazing though. Thing is, if you start removing bad stretches of the season, wouldn't you have to do the same for all the other teams? Stats aren't everything, but if we're looking at the roster on paper, why not the stats on paper as well? Doesn't seem like this team really excels in any area, except puck possession (?) IIRC. The PP looked great for a while, but has been dropping. We're average on Face-offs (17th) as well, which is frankly even worse when you consider that our primary weapons in the dot are 4th liners. 5-on-5 GF/GA we're 16th, so, once again, average. Points %: 15th, again average. We're 3rd in Shots for, but around 27th in shooting %.
I personally thought the '11-12 team was much better than this one. I mean, the season is 3/4 over, and you still don't know what team you're gonna get from them on any given night. Will we get vintage Hank, or Hank who looks drunk? Will the defense be airtight, or will the slot be wide open all night? Will they score 4 goals, or 1? My only concern during '11-12 was whether or not we would win the President's Trophy, lol.
Too many questions marks for me..
- Will Derek Stepan rise to the occasion this Spring, or will he once again be a non-factor?
- Will Rick Nash even show up to play? Will Hank find some consistency by then?
- How will Callahan's departure affect the locker room?
- Is St. Louis good enough to neutralize our flaws?
- Will Brian Boyle continue to be one of the only players to actually step up in the post-season?
- Will our Top-2 centers' lack of face-off ability be an issue?
- Will we even make the playoffs?
These are important questions for me, and the fact that they can't be answered until the playoffs is what inhibits me from calling this team a "Contender".
*Also, please keep the convos civil, lads & lassies; we're all on the same team. Shmashing.
I've only been a member for a year, but are people always this adamant about being a Cup contender? I don't know, I really like AV, I really like our roster, but I'm just...not seeing it. MSL addressed our need for a true game breaker/finisher. He's awesome; going to be very fun watching him on the daily. Obviously would love to be proven wrong, and I think if Hank get's hot, like real hot, we could go far.
Our combined GF (19TH) and GA (11th) would be average, no? Special teams are both 11th; Good, not anything amazing though. Thing is, if you start removing bad stretches of the season, wouldn't you have to do the same for all the other teams? Stats aren't everything, but if we're looking at the roster on paper, why not the stats on paper as well? Doesn't seem like this team really excels in any area, except puck possession (?) IIRC. The PP looked great for a while, but has been dropping. We're average on Face-offs (17th) as well, which is frankly even worse when you consider that our primary weapons in the dot are 4th liners. 5-on-5 GF/GA we're 16th, so, once again, average. Points %: 15th, again average. We're 3rd in Shots for, but around 27th in shooting %.
I personally thought the '11-12 team was much better than this one. I mean, the season is 3/4 over, and you still don't know what team you're gonna get from them on any given night. Will we get vintage Hank, or Hank who looks drunk? Will the defense be airtight, or will the slot be wide open all night? Will they score 4 goals, or 1? My only concern during '11-12 was whether or not we would win the President's Trophy, lol.
Too many questions marks for me..
- Will Derek Stepan rise to the occasion this Spring, or will he once again be a non-factor?
- Will Rick Nash even show up to play? Will Hank find some consistency by then?
- How will Callahan's departure affect the locker room?
- Is St. Louis good enough to neutralize our flaws?
- Will Brian Boyle continue to be one of the only players to actually step up in the post-season?
- Will our Top-2 centers' lack of face-off ability be an issue?
- Will we even make the playoffs?
These are important questions for me, and the fact that they can't be answered until the playoffs is what inhibits me from calling this team a "Contender".
*Also, please keep the convos civil, lads & lassies; we're all on the same team. Shmashing.
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Nice post.
Short answer is that I disagree with you.
Long answers is: I agree that we are set in goal. Lundy has been a bit too up and down for my liking this year but he's one of the top goalies in the league and will keep you in the game (if not win it for you) more often then not.
Our D is good (don't like AV's system) but we lack that offensive d-man that worries the opposition. If we had a d-man who was a threat from the point it would help stretch out the defenders and not let them cheat down low onto our fwds.
RW depth is good. MSL and Nash are legit 1st line forwards and MZA is looking like he can be another top 6 fwd, we also have Fast in HFD. It's possibly worth looking at sacrificing some of that depth and trying MSL/Nash on the LW.
LW is horrible. CK has the tools but does he have the talent to put it all together. Highs and lows are to be expected from a young player but more consistency needs to be seen. I can't see Hags ever becoming more than a 3rd liner sadly, there's nothing wrong with that but the hope was there that he'd develop into a top 6 player. Poliout has been better than I though he'd be, but again, 3rd liner at best. So what do we have? 1 inconsistent rookie we can pencil into the top 6 (at the lower end) and two 3rd liners with nothing on any real interest in the pipeline.
C is also pretty bleak. Richards and Stepan are both 2nd line Cs but neither can carry a line and one is gone after this year. Brassard has been better than I expected but like Stepan is too inconsistent to be truly counted, especially when they have to go up against better Cs in the playoffs. Miller provides some nice depth but he needs a lot of polish before he can be realistically counted on for meaningful minutes.
Overall, I see a team with holes and LW and C and a lot of players who have to big of a gap between their best and their worst. On any given day I'd say the roster can compete with any team in the league, but over (multiple) 7 game series they'll get found out
Short answer is that I disagree with you.
Long answers is: I agree that we are set in goal. Lundy has been a bit too up and down for my liking this year but he's one of the top goalies in the league and will keep you in the game (if not win it for you) more often then not.
Our D is good (don't like AV's system) but we lack that offensive d-man that worries the opposition. If we had a d-man who was a threat from the point it would help stretch out the defenders and not let them cheat down low onto our fwds.
RW depth is good. MSL and Nash are legit 1st line forwards and MZA is looking like he can be another top 6 fwd, we also have Fast in HFD. It's possibly worth looking at sacrificing some of that depth and trying MSL/Nash on the LW.
LW is horrible. CK has the tools but does he have the talent to put it all together. Highs and lows are to be expected from a young player but more consistency needs to be seen. I can't see Hags ever becoming more than a 3rd liner sadly, there's nothing wrong with that but the hope was there that he'd develop into a top 6 player. Poliout has been better than I though he'd be, but again, 3rd liner at best. So what do we have? 1 inconsistent rookie we can pencil into the top 6 (at the lower end) and two 3rd liners with nothing on any real interest in the pipeline.
C is also pretty bleak. Richards and Stepan are both 2nd line Cs but neither can carry a line and one is gone after this year. Brassard has been better than I expected but like Stepan is too inconsistent to be truly counted, especially when they have to go up against better Cs in the playoffs. Miller provides some nice depth but he needs a lot of polish before he can be realistically counted on for meaningful minutes.
Overall, I see a team with holes and LW and C and a lot of players who have to big of a gap between their best and their worst. On any given day I'd say the roster can compete with any team in the league, but over (multiple) 7 game series they'll get found out
The Lone Ranger
Registered User
- Dec 10, 2011
- 202
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Compared to the '11-12 squad, Klein and Moore are a definite upgrade over MDZ and Stu Bickel. And of course, MSL isn't likely to do a vanishing act in the playoffs a la Gaborik.
No franchise stud at C. Just gotta hope that MSL's presence rekindles the chemistry that made Richards a PPG player once upon a time.
No franchise stud at C. Just gotta hope that MSL's presence rekindles the chemistry that made Richards a PPG player once upon a time.
Calad
Section 422
I'm not sure if I entirely agree, but I will say its the closest we've been to a legitimate contender in quite a while. Of course the 11-12 team was good but they over-performed big time because of Hank being Hank.
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