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Confirmed with Link: [NYR/NSH] Michael Del Zotto for Kevin Klein

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I'm a big DZ fan and reading this thread was painful.

"Never heard of him, hate it"
"6/7 D"
"-11, 20 points"
"Journeyman"

Not a 6/7, if you've watched the Preds.
Honestly, judging a trade on +/-? Okay.
20 points? Remember when we were like "Caps fans are idiots, McI is a stay at home, and you're judging him based on point production?!?!"
Journeyman with 5 year deal.

Suddenly everyone is a DZ fan. For a second, I thought it was May of 2012.
He hasn't been a PMD, PP specialist, or an offensive d man with "rare" skill sets.
He's been criminally crapped on for his defense and he's been slowing learning the system this year and starting to be better offensively. That said, it was time to move on. Holding onto him would be the biggest loss at this point unless he turns it around which is easier said then done when he doesn't have the trust of AV, is playing with a offside Moore, and is competing with the likes of dependable defensemen in McD, Stral, Staal, and Girardi. We had to fix that 3rd pairing.

/rant.

Too bad things didn't work out. MDZ is a favourite of mine.
 
One thing I keep reading here is the way Moore will be allowed to play his offensive game.
Maybe I am blind or just looking at the wrong part of the ice in all these Rangers games I devotedly watch, but I have not seen that game from Moore. Maybe it's there under the covers?
 
slipknottin said:
So its more a matter of Klein not being able to handle the minutes?

What if Girardi walks in FA. Or is traded.

Could they not just attempt to roll two lines of

McD + Klein
Staal + Stralman

instead of having one line where both players are getting 25+ minutes?
Click to expand...

My gut feeling about this deal is that Stralman is more likely to walk than Girardi. Klein's deal is likely less than what they have to pay for Stralman, and McIlrath, Allen or a cheap stopgap is less than what MDZ's qualifying offer would have been, while Girardi gets the money that was saved in his new deal. So, essentially it all becomes a wash.

As for the difference between Girardi and Klein, two Ranger coaches have shown enough confidence in Girardi offensively to give him PP. Klein receives no PP time, So, there is another factor in why Klein is not going to "replace" Girardi.
 
kenjets36 said:
DZ isn't bright. He had natural offensive ability when he first came up. Those quickly led to too many turnovers and Torts took thinking out of the game for him. He made him block shots, learn how to position himself in a zone defense. AV took that away and asked for thinking from his players. Outlet passing - make the smart pass, make a creative pass. One on one defense - know your responsibility. Chip when you need to, take the right angles when you're alone. Del Zotto struggled with that. He couldn't handle that. To make matters worse, he had lost the confidence in his offense. Torts took that away from him. Vigneault wasn't impressed with what was left.

He'll be a good pick up for you guys if you guys develop him properly. Torts didn't think his future in the NHL was to be a puck moving defenseman. AV didn't think so either.

Not inconceivable that someone can teach him properly but he's not on the right track. I wouldn't expect him to be a 2nd pair defender, at least right away... and he may never become that at this point.
Click to expand...

Torts turned an abysmal defender into a top 4 pairing dman and he let him rush up the ice all he wanted. I don't get how you can say he ruined his offensive game. Torts even kept him around his rookie season when he was clearly hurting the team. The leash was pretty long for MDZ.
 
I watched Klein and I like him quite a lot.
He is definitely a top 4. Brings toughness and grit, along with great D. Pretty good skater too and he is a RHD, which adds a small premium.


The gravy is Klein will push Stralman down to the 3rd pairing (or he should). The top 4 is definitely better with Klein than with Stralman.
I think this trade signals that Stralman is available. Detroit maybe?
As to the value, we will see how this shakes out but trading a 23 year old PMD for a 29 year old is usually a loser.

So there is a lot of things to like about Klein. And no, he is not better than Girardi.
 
Late to the party but, overall, I like the trade...Sorry if these views have already been expressed..

I LIKE KLEIN..I think he's a solid, tough 2nd pair defensive D-man that hits, blocks shots and kills penalties...and can be tough/fight when needed...and I'm glad the Rangers have him........And, I also think the Rangers UNDER AV (who obviously has issues with DZ) are and will be a better team with KLEIN versus DZ.

BUT

I think the Rangers sold LOW on DZ because of AV's issues with him and how DZ's play slipped/didn't mesh with AV....Pre-AV, DZ was a good young D-man with strong offensive upside and probably will be with the Predators.....likely making DZ the better player in this deal long term

BUT

for the Rangers, AV got a player he likes more and can use with more confidence. A defender that gives the Rangers more balance on the backline. A defender that gives the Rangers a better defense than with DZ under AV and better equipped for the POs.

In addition, Klein can also be seen as a hedge (a poor man's Girardi) in case Girardi is dealt or leaves as a FA, neither of which I want to happen.

And let's not forget that the minute KLEIN steps on the ice for the Rangers he becomes their best fighter and nastiest D-man (doesn't say much for the Rangers)..

Just see his recent fight with ROUSSEL in Dallas ( http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/121700 ) and what he did to BOITANO and The Human Punching Bag a few months ago...( http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/120048)
 
I like Kevin Klein. What I've seen of him he's a good player. With that said I'm not sure that is the best the Rangers could do for DZ but he's a solid d-man and has some toughness. I think I'm going to have to see him on a more regular basis before I judge this as a good deal for us.

One thing I will say--last night against the Islanders neither Moore or DZ got a lot of ice time. I had the impression that AV did not want those two on the ice at all when Tavares was on the ice.
 
Klein is a 3/4 in an average team and a 4/5 on a really good team. That's exactly what will be asked of him here. NHL regular for 6+ years. What's not to like about that?

Loved MDZ but he desperately needed a change of scenery. Just too inconsisitent from year to year.

Hell, day to day.
 
jas said:
Trxjw, what people are saying is that Klein a) is better skater than Girardi, (which he is), and b) Klein plays a game similar to Girardi. Just because Klein is a better skater, and plays a similar game to Girardi, it is not a case of a + b = c, (c being Klein is as good as Girardi). From what it sounds like, Girardi actually has more offensive capability than Klein, (since he apparently can handle the puck better), and Girardi can consistently play 25+ minutes a night, which is why, just because Klein is a better skater than Girardi, (as is the rest of the current Ranger D), and plays in a similar defensive manner, a + b does not equal c.
Click to expand...

Yes. It's amazing this needed an explicit explanation.
 
There is a lot of non sense and revisionist history about DZ on this thread.

Few quotes from Torts about DZ last season
Tortorella on how Del Zotto has helped Rangers defense stay strong despite absence of Marc Staal, and how he challenges Del Zotto to stay at that level: “I think it’s a huge step for Michael – stay there now. This is where he’s fluctuated before, but now he’s gone through a bit of a process. He’s been more mature. I’m hoping he can handle that mentally, that ‘You know what? I’ve been there, I’ve been playing well, now I need to stay there.’ And he may even get better when you have an injury like we have with Marc.’
Click to expand...

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/ra...ralman-michael-del-zotto-chris-kreider-as-ny-

Since Marc Staal was injured on 3/5, Michael Del Zotto has not played fewer than 20 minutes and 51 seconds in a game.

Last night against Philly, Del Zotto played nearly 27 minutes and had two assists.

After the Rangers win last night, John Tortorella said on MSG that Del Zotto played “very well.â€

Tortorella said earlier in the week that Del Zotto is putting himself into the position of leading the Rangers defense, “why can’t it be him to lead the way? He is not a young kid anymore, he has played quite a bit in the league. He is improving defensively and has made some really good plays to spring people.â€

At Monday’s practice, John Tortorella said that Del Zotto was “terrific†against the Capitals and assuming and thriving in a much larger role without Marc Staal in the lineup.

The key, Tortorella says, is getting Del Zotto to play at a high level consistently.
Click to expand...

http://snyrangersblog.com/2013-14/2...read-why-cant-michael-del-zotto-lead-the-way/

John Tortorella reunited Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi on his top defensive pair Wednesday night, and the move served to stabilize the Rangers’ play in their own zone in a 3-2 shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Garden.

“The last two games we haven’t defended the way we needed to,†Tortorella said Wednesday afternoon before the game. “Certainly around our net, in Carolina, that’s where it is. Our ‘D’ have moved away from our net when they don’t have to. So we need to straighten that out.â€

Michael Del Zotto had played the previous six games alongside Girardi as Tortorella sought to balance his defensive pairs with Marc Staal out and Del Zotto playing at a high level. But Del Zotto was caught out of position several times in Monday’s 4-3 loss in Toronto, leading to the switch back Wednesday night to last year’s dynamic pair of McDonagh and Girardi.
Click to expand...

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/ra...eunite-on-top-defensive-pairing-ny-rangers-to

So whoever is saying that DZ regressed last season are just clueless.
 
jas said:
It's bad asset management only in the aspect that the Rangers allowed Del Zotto's value to diminish. However, Klein gives the Rangers something they lack on the backend and that's a physical element.

BTW, unless I'm mistaken, Klein's one goal this year came against the Rangers at MSG.
Click to expand...

Everyone's ONLY game came against the NYR.
 
jas said:
There's the first problem. Klein is not the type of player who is going to show up in the stat sheet. The Rangers essentially got a poor man's Girardi.
Click to expand...

Disagree. Klein is as solid defensively but is tougher in the corners and in front of the net. He will be a fan favorite at MSG in no time. Very good trade for the Rangers.
 
ill sum this trade up like this.

del zotto was looked at around the league, irregardless of the homers on this site, as a palyer who is damaged and flawed and needed a bigtime change of scenery. value low.

this is as much about player control and cap hit as anything. in this cap world, affordable players who can play reliably are pure money. good player. good contract. end of story.

nashville has other rh dmen and kk wasnt in their top 4. sather made a good deal with a team who was dealing. kk can play top 4 minutes on many teams in this league, including ours.

as much as we all want to believe "potential" has value. it really doesnt when its michael del zotto.

say what you want about slats, but he can make trades. this one works for both teams and thats usually a good trade.
 
The +s out weigh the -s here, unless MDZ fully develops his potential, which is possible.

At the same time, we couldn't keep him here, so the only ? was did we get enough for his potential.

Totality of circumstances probably yes.

One very important consideration:
If memory serves, I believe it is Ecco's Bones who has reminded that in this CBA, unlike prior, there is legal option to sign + trade,

Girardi worth a lot more with some kind of extension.
Maybe we can line up something now.

The big deal though, is we are even less reliant on having to get an RD coming back.
We have Klein, Stralman, Allen and McIlrath, assuming no flopping J. Moore.
So what does that do for getting a better return on Girardi, thanks to Klein?
 
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