Mid Season: this team looks promising

[Fanned On It]

we should start a thread about other ridiculous threads:\

Zucc - will he pass through waivers
What's wrong with Hank?
Trade Nash

This should teach us to be patient. New coach, New System, Team seems to have confidence now

The East is wide open why not get in and give it a go?

THIS SHOULD TEACH YOU TO BE PATIENT. THIS SHOULD TEACH YOU TO BE PATIENT. THIS SHOULD TEACH EVERYONE ON HFNYR TO BE MORE PATIENT.

Need me to say it a few more times so that it actually sinks in?

 

[SlingshotVv]

Promising for another 1st/2nd round exit?

One thing I always appreciated about Holland and Lamoreillo, is a faith in anyone having a shot to win once you're in the playoffs. Neither team ever sells if they see any opportunity to get in the door, and their organizations always seem optimistic. The amount of times I read on here that 'ugh, we're going to make the playoffs again, and get a late first round pick' is annoying. As if the point of the NHL is to win the draft. That's the kind of thinking that comes from Long Island or Edmonton, fans that are so hopeless and pathetic, that they don't even remember that teams go for Cups, and not #1 picks. Who's so scary in the East that we're guaranteed an early exit? Boston's a good team, but they're not lights out. So that gives anyone a shot at making the SCF, if they can get in.

Is the West elite? Yep. Can the elite WCF team that makes the SCF wind up with a major injury, a cold goaltender, 21 playoff games played, or any number of other factors that could create enough of a crack for a team from the East to jump out to a lead and maybe steal a Cup? It wouldn't be the strangest thing to ever happen. Organizations with winning mentalities look forward to the opportunity, and so do their fans. I know a lot of people on here have more fun with the idea of roster management than they do watching games, and many get more excited about #1 picks than they do the SCF, but really, lets not make like teams are meant to tank if they don't seem like the clear cut favorite to win the Cup. It's just silly

 

[ltrangerfan]

One thing I always appreciated about Holland and Lamoreillo, is a faith in anyone having a shot to win once you're in the playoffs. Neither team ever sells if they see any opportunity to get in the door, and their organizations always seem optimistic. The amount of times I read on here that 'ugh, we're going to make the playoffs again, and get a late first round pick' is annoying. As if the point of the NHL is to win the draft. That's the kind of thinking that comes from Long Island or Edmonton, fans that are so hopeless and pathetic, that they don't even remember that teams go for Cups, and not #1 picks. Who's so scary in the East that we're guaranteed an early exit? Boston's a good team, but they're not lights out. So that gives anyone a shot at making the SCF, if they can get in.

Is the West elite? Yep. Can the elite WCF team that makes the SCF wind up with a major injury, a cold goaltender, 21 playoff games played, or any number of other factors that could create enough of a crack for a team from the East to jump out to a lead and maybe steal a Cup? It wouldn't be the strangest thing to ever happen. Organizations with winning mentalities look forward to the opportunity, and so do their fans. I know a lot of people on here have more fun with the idea of roster management than they do watching games, and many get more excited about #1 picks than they do the SCF, but really, lets not make like teams are meant to tank if they don't seem like the clear cut favorite to win the Cup. It's just silly

I'm rooting for the Rangers to win the SC. Cinderella stories happen in every sport.

We have seen enough teams who just qualify for the playoffs, get hot, go on a run and go all the way. There is no reason why it can't happen to the Rangers this season.

However, if I'm forced to bet cash to back up my opinion, I would bet for an early round knockout.

 

[Tawnos]

You also thought Hank was a below average goalie like a week and a half ago, so there's that. We were successful playing it, particularly in 2011-2012. The argument isn't Torts style is "better" it's that his style is "better for us" with the roster we have.

That argument wouldn't be correct though. It was correct in 10-11 and 11-12. It wasn't last year and it wouldn't have been this year. But that's what happens when you change the makeup of 5/12 of the forward group in a single offseason, no matter which roles those players happened to play. It was obvious last season that Tortorella needed to tweak what he was asking the players to do to better suit the players he had.

Anyway... this has been a good stretch of hockey for the team. As Sam was saying last night, they've settled into the game they should be playing. A really good example is what is happening with our defenseman. They have the green light to pinch. At the beginning of the season, that meant they were always pinching. Now, they're picking their spots and generally making sure they have support when they do. It was a long and difficult adjustment, but I feel like they've finally made it. The question is, were the Chicago and the two Tampa games flukes? Can they really get the better of the play against teams that are ahead of them in the standings? We've got St Louis, Pittsburgh and Colorado coming up before the break. Those are good measuring stick games.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

we should start a thread about other ridiculous threads:\

Zucc - will he pass through waivers
What's wrong with Hank?
Trade Nash

This should teach us to be patient. New coach, New System, Team seems to have confidence now

The East is wide open why not get in and give it a go?

The first two were silly, but we definitely should still trade Nash if we can. The guy is paid like he's a franchise player and really he's no better than a role player. On the top teams he'd be like the fourth, fifth, or sixth best forward. The guy is about as one dimensional as they come. When he's not scoring goals he's worthless at best. He's usually a net negative when he's not scoring goals. And worst of all he has the heart of a loser.

 

[Vitto79]

The first two were silly, but we definitely should still trade Nash if we can. The guy is paid like he's a franchise player and really he's no better than a role player. On the top teams he'd be like the fourth, fifth, or sixth best forward. The guy is about as one dimensional as they come. When he's not scoring goals he's worthless at best. He's usually a net negative when he's not scoring goals. And worst of all he has the heart of a loser.

yea he's on team Canada cause the hockey world agrees with you.

Nash has been showing emotion as of late and is scoring as expected. I guess people forget about the concussion he had. It just took him a while to get back to normal

 

[Kel Varnsen]

yea he's on team Canada cause the hockey world agrees with you.

Nash has been showing emotion as of late and is scoring as expected. I guess people forget about the concussion he had. It just took him a while to get back to normal

Like 99.99% of the hockey media think it's a joke that he's on team Canada this year over some of the guys left off, particularly MSL.

And again, I'm not saying his cold streak is who he really is. I'm taking the full picture here. On most good teams he'd be the fourth, fifth, or sixth best forward and he's paid like he's a Hart contender every year. That's a bad way to structure a team. Especially when the guy is a one dimensional player, who only scores goals. When it's going right he scores and does nothing else. When it's going wrong he doesn't score and does nothing else. And the guy is a loser. 2 goals in 16 playoff games. And looked like a ***** doing it.

 

[Vitto79]

Like 99.99% of the hockey media think it's a joke that he's on team Canada this year over some of the guys left off, particularly MSL.

And again, I'm not saying his cold streak is who he really is. I'm taking the full picture here. On most good teams he'd be the fourth, fifth, or sixth best forward and he's paid like he's a Hart contender every year. That's a bad way to structure a team. Especially when the guy is a one dimensional player, who only scores goals. When it's going right he scores and does nothing else. When it's going wrong he doesn't score and does nothing else. And the guy is a loser. 2 goals in 16 playoff games. And looked like a ***** doing it.

for fun name teams where he is the 4th best F. Lets say he should not have made team Canada that would mean 14 F are better than him. Would you not agree he should still be on the short list of replacements say 6? With that how in the world are there teams that have 3 or more better Forwards.

He's also not a ne dimensional player he is just fine on D. He even kills penalties at times

 

[Blueshirt Special]

The best thing I can say about this team's chances for championship is that at least we don't have to play The Miami Heat in the finals if we get there.

onward

 

[Kel Varnsen]

for fun name teams where he is the 4th best F. Lets say he should not have made team Canada that would mean 14 F are better than him. Would you not agree he should still be on the short list of replacements say 6? With that how in the world are there teams that have 3 or more better Forwards.

He's also not a ne dimensional player he is just fine on D. He even kills penalties at times

Alright, I actually already did this to figure out what numbers to say. I give you a few of the most obvious/least controversial ones. I'll even give Nash the benefit of the doubt with some that pushed me into saying he'd be the sixth best forward on the team.

Blackhawks: Towes, Kane, Sharp, Hossa
Canucks: Sedin, Sedin, Kesler
Red Wings: Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Alfredsson
Sharks: Thornton, Marleau, Couture, Pavelski
Penguins: Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Kunitz

When you look around the league, I think it's pretty clear that Nash isn't a franchise player. He'd be the best forward on very few teams.

 

[Ail]

Alright, I actually already did this to figure out what numbers to say. I give you a few of the most obvious/least controversial ones. I'll even give Nash the benefit of the doubt with some that pushed me into saying he'd be the sixth best forward on the team.

Blackhawks: Towes, Kane, Sharp, Hossa
Canucks: Sedin, Sedin, Kesler
Red Wings: Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Alfredsson
Sharks: Thornton, Marleau, Couture, Pavelski
Penguins: Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Kunitz

When you look around the league, I think it's pretty clear that Nash isn't a franchise player. He'd be the best forward on very few teams.

You didn't give him the benefit of the doubt even a little.

He's at the least comparable to Hossa.

He's better than Kesler.

He's better than Alfredsson who is pretty far removed from his prime.

He's better than Pavelski, and on par with Couture. Arguably better.

lol Kunitz, hahahahaha, pls

Edit: Not to mention these are all different types of players. Hardly easy to compare and say X > Y.

 

[StepansLabyrinth]

Nash's cap hit won't seem so high when the cap goes up. He's absolutely a first line forward.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Even though that was just one game, which is never enough to prove any sort of trend, we shouldn't have even won that game. That game was when Crawford was just back from injury and it showed. Softies galore let us win that game.

And softies galore was the reason we lost a few games. Crawford had a mediocre game but he kept his team in the 3rd when the Rangers dominated play. Lundqvist gave up a softy in his own right. Crawford is not a world beater in net, him giving up softies is not necessarily indicative of injury. That's something that's plagued the Hawks this year. It's funny you hate AV so much that you won't give the Rangers credit at all for a very solid game against the defending champs where they were pretty much even in play.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

You also thought Hank was a below average goalie like a week and a half ago, so there's that. We were successful playing it, particularly in 2011-2012. The argument isn't Torts style is "better" it's that his style is "better for us" with the roster we have.

It was one fluky season. What about last year? That team wasn't much better than this team has been. You have more than 4 years of a sample size with Torts, and half a season with AV, yet you think you know that AV's style is not suited for this team. How many years of playing Torts' system did it take for the Rangers to have 1 season like they did in 11-12. You can't even give AV a full season before putting judgment about his style? That's ridiculous.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

It was one fluky season. What about last year? That team wasn't much better than this team has been. You have more than 4 years of a sample size with Torts, and half a season with AV, yet you think you know that AV's style is not suited for this team. How many years of playing Torts' system did it take for the Rangers to have 1 season like they did in 11-12. You can't even give AV a full season before putting judgment about his style? That's ridiculous.

And yet 8 games into this season was enough for you to say Hank is a below average goalie? Hypocrisy thy name is Snowblind. I guess the name is fitting, the blind part. Blind to the hypocrisy.

 

[TheDirtyH]

Alright, I actually already did this to figure out what numbers to say. I give you a few of the most obvious/least controversial ones. I'll even give Nash the benefit of the doubt with some that pushed me into saying he'd be the sixth best forward on the team.

Blackhawks: Towes, Kane, Sharp, Hossa
Canucks: Sedin, Sedin, Kesler
Red Wings: Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Alfredsson
Sharks: Thornton, Marleau, Couture, Pavelski
Penguins: Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Kunitz

When you look around the league, I think it's pretty clear that Nash isn't a franchise player. He'd be the best forward on very few teams.

You would take Alfredsson over Nash? You might be able to argue some of the others though I think Nash is better than most of the forwards you listed, but Alfredsson, seriously?

 

[Kel Varnsen]

You didn't give him the benefit of the doubt even a little.

He's at the least comparable to Hossa.

He's better than Kesler.

He's better than Alfredsson who is pretty far removed from his prime.

He's better than Pavelski, and on par with Couture. Arguably better.

lol Kunitz, hahahahaha, pls

Edit: Not to mention these are all different types of players. Hardly easy to compare and say X > Y.

Needless to say, I disagree. But even if we are to go with what you think, you do agree he's a role player. You're just saying he's a slightly better one. Instead of the fourth or fifth best forward on a good team, you're saying he's the third or fourth. Problem is we're paying him and asking him to be THE best.

 

[TheDirtyH]

Needless to say, I disagree. But even if we are to go with what you think, you do agree he's a role player. You're just saying he's a slightly better one. Instead of the fourth or fifth best forward on a good team, you're saying he's the third or fourth. Problem is we're paying him and asking him to be THE best.

THose aren't just any teams you listed. Is Malkin any less of a franchise forward because he's the second best forward on his team? What about Zetterberg? Nash last year was absolutely our best player. He's having a rough season, had a concussion, he's rounding back into form. He hasn't been casting a spell over the general hockey community for the past decade.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

And yet 8 games into this season was enough for you to say Hank is a below average goalie? Hypocrisy thy name is Snowblind. I guess the name is fitting, the blind part. Blind to the hypocrisy.

8 games into the season he WAS a below average goalie. Although I was too quick to start a "he's not an elite goalie" anymore thread on the main boards. However that was a knee jerk reaction due to frustration after a bad loss. So I didn't do it on a cool head. You're making proclamations about the system in general not as a knee jerk reaction after a frustrating loss, but legitimately. That's the difference.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

8 games into the season he WAS a below average goalie. Although I was too quick to start a "he's not an elite goalie" anymore thread on the main boards. However that was a knee jerk reaction due to frustration after a bad loss. So I didn't do it on a cool head. You're making proclamations about the system in general not as a knee jerk reaction after a frustrating loss, but legitimately. That's the difference.

Knee-jerk reactions=good. Cool-headed, well reasoned opinions=bad. HF logic.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Knee-jerk reactions=good. Cool-headed, well reasoned opinions=bad. HF logic.

No. Stupid knee jerk opinions are understandable, stupid cool-headed opinions show you have an agenda.

 

[Blueshirt Special]

What thread am I in?

 

[SnowblindNYR]

BTW, you haven't disproven what I said. You just used an Ad Hominem argument of "you did the same thing".

 

[n8]

hard imagining Sather buying out Richards at this point.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

No. Stupid knee jerk opinions are understandable, stupid cool-headed opinions show you have an agenda.

I've maintained the same general thesis about this season since the off-season moves were made, through the pre-season, through the early season troubles, and through today's hot streak. And so far it's looking golden. We'll be a team that generally can beat up on bad teams, will struggle with good teams, will sneak into the playoffs and get bounced in the first round.

Sorry I'm not a maniac who will go from calling us a lotto team after a loss to a cup team after a win. I'm very familiar with the roster and the coaching as well as what the rest of the league looks like. And all this together gives me faith in my prediction through the cold streaks and the hot streaks.

Maybe someday you'll get there yourself. Until then, never bet against Hank at the very least.