For some reason I can see Lafreniere wearing the 27 that Panarin did not choose when he signed here.
I’d buy everything
For some reason I can see Lafreniere wearing the 27 that Panarin did not choose when he signed here.
. Agreed. Especially on the PP. he doesn’t shoot and he seems to fumble the puck a lot. Obviously playing with Panarin will inflate your stats which is what has happened. The second Panarin is off his line or if Panarin is having a rare off night Strome doesn’t do anythingMy issue with Strome is that he is not multi dimensional enough to keep around any longer.
He's not a good defensive player, hes not a good PK'er, he takes bad penalties on the regular. Hes a pretty good player on the PP where hes the 5th most important guy on a 5 man unit and his outlier season (this year) was driven by a hart trophy like run by his line mate.
With out Panarin, he has been a 35 point player. If he were an ace PK'er or had some other value beyond that I could see the case for keeping him but he is not that.
If we really want to make a leap next year, upgrading his spot is necessary. If you're okay with a wait and see approach, thats fine, but all of these things will still be true 6-12-18 months from now.
No having Kreider on our third line means it’s one of the best in the league.7 million dollar 3rd liner? Are we going to regret that Kreider contract?
The same argument re Trouba/ADA/Fox. This is misidentifying the problem. Of course it’s not a problem to have a talented positional logjam. The problem is managing a competitive, well-rounded roster under a salary cap.Kreider being pushed down the depth chart by an elite ELC is a great “problem” to have. Same with Buchnevich and Fast on the other side, as Kakko continues to grow.
I'm not sure what you're getting at although you make good points about the cap.My only concern is that we are turning into a “in theory” team. Like a fantasy team, where we just get as many good, skill players as possible and figure it out later. Does that work? Look at Tampa and look at Toronto. Zero cups. Not a ton of playoff success, especially Toronto. What also needs to be taken into account is that we are in a hard cap league, and we’re gonna have to deal with this problem sooner than later.
My only concern is that we are turning into a “in theory” team. Like a fantasy team, where we just get as many good, skill players as possible and figure it out later. Does that work? Look at Tampa and look at Toronto. Zero cups. Not a ton of playoff success, especially Toronto. What also needs to be taken into account is that we are in a hard cap league, and we’re gonna have to deal with this problem sooner than later.
Transitioning one of the Rangers 3 goalies to center is not going to fix the problem.Man , ONE of these guys has to be able to make the transition to Center. I mean come on!
The same argument re Trouba/ADA/Fox. This is misidentifying the problem. Of course it’s not a problem to have a talented positional logjam. The problem is managing a competitive, well-rounded roster under a salary cap.
Transitioning one of the Rangers 3 goalies to center is not going to fix the problem.
Man , ONE of these guys has to be able to make the transition to Center. I mean come on!
We did get a #1 defenseman and an AGM out of that thoughSometimes you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Last time we did that we replaced Nylander and Cullen with Drury and Gomez for twice the cap hit, and it didn't go as planned.
...or now, when ADA is due one and we're pinching pennies.Thanks. I should have added it’s not a problem until Kakko and Lafreniere are due substantial raises. The key really is to not give out no-movement and no-trade clauses if you can avoid it.
Sometimes you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
Last time we did that we replaced Nylander and Cullen with Drury and Gomez for twice the cap hit, and it didn't go as planned.
Kreider being pushed down the depth chart by an elite ELC is a great “problem” to have. Same with Buchnevich and Fast on the other side, as Kakko continues to grow.