Post-Game Talk: New York Rangers at Edmonton Oilers 3/30/14

[RangerBoy]

The Rangers could get a king's ransom offering Staal/Girardi to the oilers. They'll probably be the first team to call Stralman on July 1st. The blueline is a travesty, and the team plays like it's a prep school squad. No one wants to be bothered playing defense, especially on the power play.

It's not a new thing, either. This is the team that gave regular minutes to Jason Strudwick and Corey Potter.

Girardi has a no move clause. I don't think Edmonton,Alberta is at the top of his list. Staal would never sign in Edmonton. There is no reason to sign there. Schultz made the mistake of signing there. He looks lost like the rest of the Oiler players. Schultz should have stayed in Anaheim.

 

[Thirty One]

Girardi has a no move clause. I don't think Edmonton,Alberta is at the top of his list. Staal would never sign in Edmonton. There is no reason to sign there. Schultz made the mistake of signing there. He looks lost like the rest of the Oiler players. Schultz should have stayed in Anaheim.

Or maybe Schultz is just a bad defenseman?

 

[SnowblindNYR]

The Oilers are so bad that our PGT turned into a "why are the Oilers so bad" thread. haha

 

[aufheben]

No more Winnie in the poll, losing streak pending.

 

[Chimpradamus]

So, what you are saying is that over 20 games, the Rangers have played perfect defense in front of Cam, but when Hank is in net, they fall apart? Doesn't that sound a bit far fetched?

I hope that nobody is insinuating that Cam is on Hank's level, but you have to admit that when called upon, the kid is doing a spectacular job. His positioning is great and his rebound control, most of the time, is flawless. When you do these things, you don't have to be spectacular.

I see Cam as a bright uncertainty. He has looked very solid, but yes, the sample size is not nearly big enough.

And yes, I think the Rangers have played more disciplined hockey in front of Cam, a part from very few of those 20 games. Some nights, Hank has been completely alone on the ice for periods, that has never happened for Cam. He has indeed been solid, but I don't know if it's his positioning making tough saves look so easy, or if it's because he has never had to make that many highlight reel saves.

 

[Tawnos]

Chicago and Pitt had some idea on how to actually build a roster. They drafted and traded for other players. Chicago was putrid in 2006 and 2007 but they had Keith and Seabrook on the team. Traded for Sharp. Traded Ruutu for Ladd. The 2010 Hawks team was loaded. Buff was a late round pick. Pitt was bad for a while and they selected in the top 3 4 straight years. Fluery. Malkin. Crosby. Staal. Letang was a great pick. They had other picks like Whitney and Goligoski who turned into Kunitz and Neal. Orpik. Scuderi. Edmonton hasn't made the playoffs since 2006. They looked putrid last night. That team isn't close to competing for a playoff spot. Forget about making the playoffs. Competing for a spot. Edmonton hasn't done a good job surrounding Hall,Eberle and RNH with enough players. Lowe has no clue. MacTavish has no clue. They need to bring Sather back.

A lot of luck there. I don't know that Hall/RNH is as good as Crosby/Malkin or Toews/Kane. The Pens and Hawks happened to be bad in years where those players were at the top. The Oilers, not as much. Yeah, Shero/Tallon/Bowman have made some very, very shrewd moves to put their teams over the top. There is no denying that. But still, what the Oilers have to build around isn't as good. Personally, I think drafting Yakupov was a big mistake and it has nothing to do with the problems he's had this year. They should have taken Murray or traded down and taken one of the next 7 D taken in that draft.

They definitely could stand a FO shift, but there's a fair amount of luck involved in the comparison you were making.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

I missed the first 2 periods. Caught the 3rd, where we were seemingly on the powerplay the entire time.

Noticed Diaz with Staal on a shift or two, wasn't really looking at pairings in general, but that stuck out to me.

If Moore is healthy/ready... who goes?

The TOI chart on snyrangersblog shows that 4 rangers defensemen played over 20 min - Girardi, McD, Staa, Stralman.

Diaz played around 15 and Klein around 12/12:30.

Is Klein **** out of luck here too, now? He seemed to have stabilized Moore when he was healthy. But with the emergence of Diaz... I wonder if Klein will be removed in favor of Moore.

Again, if Diaz continues to play like this, I don't see how he's not the guy paired with Staal next year. He entirely fits the bill of AV's game plan. We need more points from the blue line and he can provide them.

As for the bottom pair defense next year... I think that we don't retain Stralsy. And I think that Klein is retained until someone like McIlrath or Allen pushes him out, at which point he'll be traded for a 2nd or 3rd... or whatever he can get.

We seem to have some defensive depth that will last us a while. McD and G signed long term. Staal likely signed long term this summer. Diaz resigned. Moore and Klein for the bottom pairing to start next year. Allen, McIlrath, and Skjei all ready to come up in the next few years. By all accounts, Skjei is turning into a player that can fill in the same mold as McD, and that's really ****ing exciting.

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

Klein will not be pushed out over Moore... stralman better step his game up tho...he's got competition

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

He came within 15 seconds of shutting out the Hawks didn't he?

Sure he has faced some weaker opponents as all backups do, but he has become a valuable second fiddle to Hank.

Provided he stays, do you guys see him starting more often next year?

How many more could he start? Him starting 20-23 games is perfect because it brings Hank in right around 60 starts. That's how many Hank needs, at the very least.

What do you want, them to split starts? Don't get me wrong Talbot has been very valuable but some people really let their expectations run wild. He's played well but he's been sheltered and the defense has been outstanding every game he's played. He's been very solid IN HIS ROLE. He is hanks backup. We just signed Hank to a 7 year mega deal. Talbot won't and shouldn't get more than 25 starts MAX. If anything his start numbers this year may he inflated because he got some extras due to hanks struggles.

 

[Megustaelhockey]

Hey, guys. The Pre-Game Talk thread for Tuesday night's game in Vancouver is up. Please continue there!

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1636401