A little off topic, but I thought that Diracollo had a good game last night, and has been settling in nicely in the last couple of weeks. Coaches have been playing him over Campbell and (apparently) Savard. Probably because he brings a little different feel to the 3rd pair than the other two. He could be a good fit on the second pair as early as next season, when/if Ando is traded.
Kitchener Rangers 2023-24 Season Thread (Part 4)
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EvenSteven
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Have to admit, I’m raising an eyebrow on Savard being a healthy scratch.
Ward Cornell
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Could be something as simple as the flu or cold.
Having said that...nothing wrong with Dirrocola play at all. He's settled in quite nicely.
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sbpointer
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The way that last blow landed he was lucky McCue wasn't the one to injure him again in March.
I get it but probably wasn't the best idea to start back and Jussi didn't seem overly excited about it in his postgame interview either.
He hasn't done anything in Kitchener to be an obvious choice over the 6 that dressed last night...
But I agree if he's healthy that is a bold statement
bobber
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I like Dirricola's game. He does play on the physical side. Uses his size in scrums and along the boards.
EvenSteven
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The Martin fight made no sense to me. I like a good scrap, but for a reason. A guy coming back from a serious injury has no business putting himself in harm’s way.
When a three year vet who was one of our deadline acquisitions is a healthy scratch in favour of three rookies, it certainly is a statement.
bobber
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I don't think Martin was any worse for wear after the fight. Never had a scratch on him in the interview. I just don't understand why he fought and took himself out of the game for a whole period after missing most of the season. Seemed kind of a silly statement to make on Martin's part. Rather see him score a goal. Not known to be any sort of fighter really. I guess for an old codger like me it's hard to understand the way these kids think. Savard seems like an average defenseman in the OHL. He was told he was brought in to defend his end of the ice. Once in a while you see him in deep but they all do that on occasion.
rangersblues
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I think the reason for Martin's fight was pretty clear. He wanted to show the Rangers made the right decision keeping him over Schmidt by immediately showcasing his physical game.
bobber
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I guess when you play the Knights the most penalized team in the league you can find a reason to fight.
Coaches Coroner
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Beggars can't be choosers. When you've demanded more physical stuff all season and talked about how soft the team is all season, it seems a little silly to criticize it with semantics. It was a bad fight but the willingness to do so, despite having been injured for a while, isn't bad imo.
Now, please, healthy scratch Sale on Sunday! That would be a statement.
bobber
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Martin wants to show the team he is willing to fight that's great. Pick a reason or appropriate time. If he would have gone off injured fans on here would have screamed bloody murder. Teams don't always have to have a Bolton sitting on the bench to play physical. We have a different philosophies on the teams we like to see iced. I think any team wanting to go further in the play offs has to have a physical edge to their game. I could be wrong and usually am. Just my opinion. The Knights , Soo , Sudbury and the Storm as an example play this way. Rangers are more successful when they play physical as you have seen in the Sting and Knights games but may not admit. Apparently you disagree with me on most occasions but hey that's your opinion.
Coaches Coroner
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I wasn't aware I "disagree with you on most occasions" lol. I guess you're keeping score better than I.
We disagree that Martin's choice is egregious enough to warrant multiple posts of criticism. Just my opinion.
All the Answers
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Ando has the opportunity to lead the league in PIM and +/-. Has this been done before in league history? If so, by whom and when?
Krangers08
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What I’d do for a time machine to get this team to get Beck and Vilmanis instead of Sale. Had Beck on a silver platter.
I think the way Sale is playing he should sit.
Right now I'm not really liking the trade with Barrie.
I don’t think anyone is happy with that trade with how they’re playing. 8 draft picks for a 3rd pairing D and 3rd line forward at best is a bad deal in hindsight. Hard to predict Sale’s effort at the time though, he was good at the WJC and that’s where they would’ve scouted him.
Can’t speak for others, but the physical play I feel is lacking is playing the body more, especially in our own end, and playing with an edge in the o zone to win puck battles and get to the middle of the ice for better chances. A fight might ensue because of the physical play, but Martin McCue had nothing to do with that.
Coaches Coroner
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None of that changes my mind about it being silly that the main discussion after an important win (against everyone's real favourite team no less
) is people being mad that Martin chose to fight how he did. Just my opinion, no one has to like or adopt it.
Coaches Coroner
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I think the thing that gets me about it is that MM seems to have a tendency to try and pile on skill types at the deadline, instead of specifically addressing our weaknesses. I don't think the deals he makes are bad in a vacuum or value wise, but we never seem to come out of a trade deadline with players that add the type of game we are lacking or fit in well and improve existing lines.
rangersblues
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I honestly can't think of a worse trade value wise as things presently sit. Something definitely needs to be done to light a fire under Sale. Word before the NHL draft was he was a underachiever. And he's done nothing but prove that in his time in the OHL.
All the Answers
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Going through OHL stats back to 98 no one has been close to achieving this. Brian McGrattan did however finish 2nd in PIM and 2nd WORST in +/-
K2
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Unlikely, though honourable mention before +/- stats to Mike Moher who contributed to our 1982 Memorial Cup season while accumulating 384 PIM during the season and 120 PIM in the playoffs (1114 in 3 season career) ... possibly all records?. We also had Adam Keefe, who accumulated 975 career PIM (5 seasons), and was a key contributor to our 2003 Memorial Cup season but was certainly only ever lacklustre for +/- stats.
Coaches Coroner
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Sale can bounce back in his 19 year old season and get back what was paid (unless he's such a disaster that in his draft+2 year he's already a complete bust). Like I said, in a vacuum I think it's a fine gamble; in a competitive season where you have obvious, known holes/weaknesses and you do this instead of addressing any of those shortcomings, it's bad.
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