Speculation: Offseason Thread Part IV - Let's Make A Deal

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I've yet to see MDZ and CK so happy to be doing an interview. Those two guys probably are the happiest about Torts leaving with regards to taking the next step in their careers.

Considering MDZ and Kreider seem like 2 of the mentally weaker players on the team, this makes sense.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

The thing I like about Clifford is that he's versatile. He's like Bickell in the sense that he can play up and down the lineup and still be effective. It's a talent in itself to assume the role as a complimentary forward. It's hard to be the third wheel on a scoring line when you're rarely touching the puck, but I think Clifford is guy who could excel in that role down the line.

Would I give up Lindberg for him? No, but I'd certainly be blowing up Lombardi's phone trying to see if there's a deal to be made.

Agreed, 100%. 22 y/o and a LW. Worst case Prust, best case Clowe/Bickell but before the injuries/big contract.

Would I trade Lindberg, Miller, MDZ? Nah. But I'd certainly inquire, player would be a good fit. Spark + ability to play. Room to grow in the right environment.

 

[Trxjw]

Agreed, 100%. 22 y/o and a LW. Worst case Prust, best case Clowe/Bickell but before the injuries/big contract.

Would I trade Lindberg, Miller, MDZ? Nah. But I'd certainly inquire, player would be a good fit. Spark + ability to play. Room to grow in the right environment.

Yup. If you're not going to draft guys like this, you're going to need to get in on the ground floor of their development with a trade. Otherwise you end up overpaying for them as free agents. Everyone says "Oh, we don't need anymore bottom six players" then when those bottom six players turn into solid complimentary forwards and they ***** and moan about how this team is incapable of adding them.

Even if he stalls out, a 4th line of Clifford/Moore/Dorsett would be a line that's insanely hard to play against and without being a defensive liability.

 

[OverTheCap]

It's put up or shut up time for DZ. If he feels that Torts was holding him back, he has to prove it by putting up points and limiting his mistakes.

The 2008-09 team felt that Renney was limiting their offensive potential and was optimistic to play under Torts - we saw how that turned out, they couldn't handle "safe is death" hockey and Torts ended up adopting a more blue collar, defensive scheme. It's easy for the players to say that they are capable of performing better offensively under a new coach, but they have to back it up on the ice.

 

[Trxjw]

Del Zotto needs to be handed the keys for the PP this year. If Richards isn't in the long term plans, then letting him run it for another season is so incredibly misguided that I can't even wrap my head around it. If not MDZ, then Moore or McDonagh. We can't let our PP QB be a guy who isn't going to remain with the team.

 

[Kris Chreider]

AV better not put Nash at the point, either. He's one of the best down low players league-wide.

I actually think Brassard does a better job at PPQB than Richards. Richards never knows the right time to pass, always shoots when there's no net front presence (which is another big problem).

 

[Punxrocknyc19*]

The thing I like about Clifford is that he's versatile. He's like Bickell in the sense that he can play up and down the lineup and still be effective. It's a talent in itself to assume the role as a complimentary forward. It's hard to be the third wheel on a scoring line when you're rarely touching the puck, but I think Clifford is guy who could excel in that role down the line.

Would I give up Lindberg for him? No, but I'd certainly be blowing up Lombardi's phone trying to see if there's a deal to be made.

id gladly try to deal something useful to the kings for Clifford... i wouldnt deal Lindberg or Fast but i would consider dealing Bourque, or Jean

 

[Boruto]

2013-2014: The Year of Michael Del Zotto

15G/45A or bust.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

id gladly try to deal something useful to the kings for Clifford... i wouldnt deal Lindberg or Fast but i would consider dealing Bourque, or Jean

How exactly are any of those names useful to the Kings?

 

[RangerBoy]

Bit of an elitist attitude here. Expanding hockey everywhere should be the goal. The schedule just starts early, it won't be crammed at all.

Oh boy. The NHL has enough markets. They need to worry about their product. Its their players. They are paying them millions of dollars to play in the NHL. Has the NHL benefitted from their players playing in the Olympics?

 

[Pizza]

id gladly try to deal something useful to the kings for Clifford... i wouldnt deal Lindberg or Fast but i would consider dealing Bourque, or Jean

I am all for acquiring more toughness for the Rangers. But the question I have is why are the Kings ready to let this guy go? Will he be useful to us? Just my gut feeling, but you don't cut a kid like this loose for no reason.

 

[GAGLine]

Has the NHL benefitted from their players playing in the Olympics?

How would you quantify something like that?

The argument can be made that non-NHL fans will watch Olympic hockey, and those fans may then become NHL fans. But I don't know that there's any way you can say for sure that it's a benefit to the NHL.

By the same token, I don't see any reason why it's bad for the NHL either. Current NHL fans aren't going to stop watching the NHL because of the Olympic break or a condensed schedule.

Not letting the players go would create a problem that the NHL doesn't need.

 

[Fitzy]

Oh boy. The NHL has enough markets. They need to worry about their product. Its their players. They are paying them millions of dollars to play in the NHL. Has the NHL benefitted from their players playing in the Olympics?

Hockey fans benefit from it. Most of us think the NHL is in pretty good shape as a business, and like to see Olympic hockey. We're not NHL shareholders.

 

[iamitter]

Oh boy. The NHL has enough markets. They need to worry about their product. Its their players. They are paying them millions of dollars to play in the NHL. Has the NHL benefitted from their players playing in the Olympics?

It has benefited because the players actually want to play there. You want your product to be surly and angry because they can't showcase their talent on an international level? The only issue here is starting the year a bit early. You can never attract too much talent to play the sport - hockey is very limited as it is in terms of who can play and who can't. Free publicity for hockey is good for it long term. It's why all these outdoor games will attract tons of money and attention and possibly attract players who may not have played it otherwise.

 

[RangerBoy]

Bettman had concerns about Sochi. He made these comments in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics.

“It costs us money; it disrupts our season,†Bettman said about the N.H.L. shutting down for two weeks every four years to take part in the Winter Games. “The value of the contracts of our players who are here: $2.1 billion. To be at these Olympics we must basically hand over control of our most important asset, our players.â€

Bettman also cited the lack of access to live coverage of games for N.H.L. platforms like nhl.com and the NHL Network; the need to pack the regular-season schedule to accommodate a two-week break; and the tight travel arrangements necessary to quickly get the league’s players to and from the Games — a difficult task for Vancouver, but one that would probably prove far more difficult for Sochi.

“It’s a balancing act,†Bettman said. “It’s absolutely possible that there are lots of things we can do together. But we’ve got to look at the impact of shutting down from a business, momentum and impact standpoint. We have a multibillion-dollar business that we’re responsible for.â€

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/sports/olympics/19hockey.html?_r=0

Its July 18 and the NHL still hasn't officially agreed to participating in Sochi. The games begin in less than 7 months.

The 2018 Winter Olympics are in Pyeongchang,South Korea. Is the NHL going to South Korea? The 1988 summer Olympics in Seoul,South Korea were one of the worst Olympics ever. 13 hour time change. That will grow the game of hockey.

 

[Player big P]

I think the NHL SHOULD be in the Olympics, but I think that the reasoning behind it shouldn't be that "Well if we don't let them go they'll be grouchy." If you make your living playing for an organization that says no, you can't do that, then you suck it up and act like a man getting paid millions to play a game, not a petulant child.

 

[Fitzy]

That Bettman would have the gall to complain about scheduling after a 48 game cramped disaster we had last year that was 50% his fault is amazing. You want to talk about growing the game of hockey,lockouts hurt much more than 3 weeks for the Olympics.

 

[GAGLine]

I think the NHL SHOULD be in the Olympics, but I think that the reasoning behind it shouldn't be that "Well if we don't let them go they'll be grouchy." If you make your living playing for an organization that says no, you can't do that, then you suck it up and act like a man getting paid millions to play a game, not a petulant child.

That's a nice sentiment, but we all know that reality doesn't work that way. Lundqvist hasn't re-signed yet. You want to be the one to tell him he can't play in the Olympics?

 

[RangerBoy]

That Bettman would have the gall to complain about scheduling after a 48 game cramped disaster we had last year that was 50% his fault is amazing. You want to talk about growing the game of hockey,lockouts hurt much more than 3 weeks for the Olympics.

Bettman is the commissioner of the NHL. That's NHL business. The Olympics are not NHL business.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Oh boy. The NHL has enough markets. They need to worry about their product. Its their players. They are paying them millions of dollars to play in the NHL. Has the NHL benefitted from their players playing in the Olympics?

I wouldnt be surprised if the Kovalchuk saga plays a roll. Ovechkin made it known that he'd be very upset if he couldnt play in the Olympics. Does the NHL really want to alienate their Russian players by preventing them from playing in the games in their home country? They might have a lot more "retirements" on their hands.

 

[pld459666]

The players are playing.

Get over it.

 

[Championship*]

Count me in as someone who doesn't want NHLers in the Olympics. I root for the jersey in the Olympics, doesn't really matter to me who is wearing it. Gaborik got ****ed up there, Henrik didn't play great afterwards and we missed the playoffs.

NHL Hockey > Olympic hockey. All day every day.

 

[Championship*]

Dustin brown 8 years 5.75 - theres your Callahan comparable

 

[Bardof425*]

The guy is 22 (a mere 10 months older than Lindberg) and power forward types don't really start hitting their stride until 24-25 to begin with. Sometimes later.

That being said, in Clifford's case specifically, I don't see him being any more than a 2nd-3rd physical tweener. We could use one of those. So could every team.

That's what JT Miller is and Andrew Yogan may become. Lindberg has some skills (FOs for one) that we need in our system. I would hold onto Oscar.

 

[DutchShamrock]

We are emersed in hockey here. We don't notice the difference in exposure as much, but Ryan Miller was all over the main stream media after the last Olympics. If hockey picks up casual fans and increased interest from TV networks, the hurdles every four years are worth it.

"Putting up" with a Russian or Korean Olympiad is an investment. The difference in technology between Seoul or even Nagano is night and day. We can't even guess what will be available in 8 years that will make time differences irrelevant for viewing.