@Raspewtin Not sure how to multiquote. So I will try to respond.
Kakko playing 3 good games against Carolina doesnt mean he is going to have a good season next season, even though I agree and believe he will. If Chytil was the answer at 2nd line center, I dont think just about everyone on earth would be saying that the Rangers need to address it. But I feel more confident than others. Laf is still a rookie. And by all measures, a VERY successful season would be 60 points. And since he will likely be on the 3rd line, that should be difficult to do.
I don't disagree that we need to see more from Kakko but if Kakko was an NHL level replacement player last year we probably make the playoffs comfortably. His conditioning (probably from playing 420 games in one year) being NHL level will go a
long way for him even if he doesn't have an explosive offensive year.
This is JMO but I think people are more concerned about replacing Strome as a C than Chytil. Chytil has obvious two way potential that Strome does not and is already a solid middle 6 player and he just turned 21. Even if Chytil never takes a step forward he's still a good 3C with potential on the PK and with better linemates
Like I said, I don't think Laf is a high impact player immediately but I think we still need to put him in the best possible situation to do so.
Huh? How did we address several issues this offseason? We have question marks all over our entire roster.
Staal being removed immediately upgrades the team as we're not paying $5.7 mill for one of the worst regular defenders in the NHL
Skjei trade broke up one of the worst pairings in the league
Lafreniere is an obvious roster upgrade
Martin is a proven winning and effective defensive coach
there will likely be a goalie moved at some point which will address the 3 goalie problem
Assuming Fast goes, we have at least 11 NHL players not considering any prospects that may knock on the door in Kreider, Zib, Buch, Laf, Strome, Kakko, Panarin, Lemieux, Gauthier, Howden, Chytil. The fact that we can't ice more than 1 of McKegg, Nieves, Fogarty, PdG, Haley, or Smith at forward alone is a
monumental upgrade.
Maybe saying "we addressed several issues" isn't entirely accurate but we are going full speed ahead in the right direction and we still have plenty of time and assets to do more.
You also didnt respond to my biggest issue to push for a more competitive roster today. We have 20m tied up into Hank, Smith, and buy outs. How many teams in the NHL today are capable of competing with a 60m cap? Because unless something changes, that is exactly what we are operating with.
I don't know what that has to do with the roster we have right now. Half of the team are on ELCs and we only have one potentially problematic re-sign this offseason. I'm not advocating for acquiring a super expensive star player.
This team is 2-3 years from being competitive.
That would be a horrible outlook considering after that 2-3 years Fox, Kakko, Laf, Shesterkin, and
Zibanejad would all need new deals. Like it or not, when we signed Panarin we went on the clock. We have no player that is a prayer of replacing Zibanejad right now.
I'm sorry if I sounded like I meant something else but I don't think we should be a cup favorite this year or anything. I think we should be a playoff team, or extremely close to one, however.
I think making any moves to be better next season that doesnt CLEARLY help our team in 2-3 years makes absolutely no sense.
Yeah, I agree with this.
We just are not in the position to take advantage of ELCs and compete for a cup. Our window is sadly going to open when Kakko, Fox, Shesty, and Laf will be coming off those contracts, or with 1 year remaining. And with top draft picks going from ELCs to 9-10m contracts, its REALLY risky to be spending right now because the 4 of them could be up for massive raises.
Again I don't disagree but to basically stand pat for the next two years is not smart or saving money, it's just a missed opportunity imo.