Post-Game Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers |Game 4| 5/7/2014

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Bernmeister for GM - '14-15

Well, at least we could never say we aren't being entertained.

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

I am going to watch game 5 the same way I watched it last year against the Bruins... expect nothing and laugh at every mistake

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Can't clean house when you have a goalie making 8 ******million cap hit

Funny.

The expensive goalie and maybe 4-5 players are the only ones I'd want to keep in the entire organization.

 

[Zil]

For the record, I was behind all three of those moves at the time they went down, so I'm no Nostradamus...but, at this point, the organization really needs to focus on building the team from within, like they did around ~08/09ish. They've gotten away from that ever since finishing in 1st.

I don't care what name becomes available. Unless it's in a swap for another big name (cough Nash cough), we need to STEER CLEAR (read: Eric Staal, Jason Spezza).

Yeah, the cupboard is bare and the roster has hit its ceiling. Nash and St. Louis should be flipped for picks and prospects if possible. Richards should be amnestied. Sign Zucc and Staal longterm and work from there.

 

[aufheben]

That 1st period of Game 2, they had this series on a silver platter and just...just forking blew it.

 

[17futurecap]

At this point, I think this organization needs to clean house completely. I think AV has done a good job, and that the lack of success is far from his, or any other recent coaches' faults, but I'd rather rid the team of Slats' finger prints.

Then again, I'd rather have a select few HFers running the team than what we have right now...

Time for bed for me soon, and we will have all summer to discuss, but I honestly don't know where to start with the roster outside of buying out Richards.

Our center depth is terrible, hopefully they just qualify Brassard, I don't see why you give a guy like him a long term contract. I would be happy to have the Pou/Brass/Zucc line back next year, but I would only give more then two years on Zucc out of the three guys.

They have to ask Staal what his plans are this summer. Does he want to be here long term? If not, you trade him this summer right? I prefer Stralman over Klein, but I have a feeling Klein will be the one staying because he has the long term contract already signed. Just so little offense from the D.

Can any of Miller, Lindberg, Fast or Kristo help next season?

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Can't clean house when you have a goalie making 8 ******million cap hit

Yes, you can. This team isn't built too well right now, but I don't think they're far off from legitimately competing. They have some very nice pieces in place. Stepan is an ideal 2C, Kreider has loads of potential, Zuccarello is going to make an excellent complimentary forward, Girardi is locked up long term, as is Hank, and McD is a legitimate franchise D who will only get better (provided the injury doesn't affect him past this year). I'll throw Staal in there as well, he's earned it, just wary of the one year left on his deal.

Blowing up the front office doesn't mean the team can't or won't compete for a playoff spot.

 

[OverTheCap]

Playing a lot of ****** teams that let this limited Ranger team waltz down the middle of the ice helped.

Yup. After the Olympic break, the Rangers played only 10 games against playoff-bound teams. They went 4-4-2 in those games, which isn't so far off from the Rangers current record in the playoffs.

 

[nevesis]

Can't clean house when you have a goalie making 8 ******million cap hit

Pure ignorance.

08-09: $6.875m of a $56.7m cap = 12.1% of team cap
14-15: $8.5m of a $68m cap = 12.5% of team cap

Its basically the same deal that he had before.

I will also add, if the projected cap for 2014-15 is $71m, his percentage of team cap will be LOWER than what his LAST contract was.

That plus a Brad Richards buyout…

Yet Lundqvist's contract is handcuffing the team?

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

Yes, you can. This team isn't built too well right now, but I don't think they're far off from legitimately competing. They have some very nice pieces in place. Stepan is an ideal 2C, Kreider has loads of potential, Zuccarello is going to make an excellent complimentary forward, Girardi is locked up long term, as is Hank, and McD is a legitimate franchise D who will only get better (provided the injury doesn't affect him past this year).

Blowing up the front office doesn't mean the team can't or won't compete for a playoff spot.

If every winger was a kreider and zucc we'd win the cup... to bad we can't have that... we need mentally tough players..guys who never quit. Like every player in Boston

 

[Hunter Gathers]

They battled harder than this team.

That was the worst post-lockout playoff gave I've ever seen the Rangers play, no question about it.

It's funny. I said the exact same thing two games ago. Man alive has this series been depressing.

 

[trilobyte]

A couple of weeks before the playoffs started I stated that for a team to make it far in the playoffs, several intangibles need to come together at the right time.

One of those intangibles was to catch a hot streak. In a hot streak, a team is unusually uncanny at finding open men, making the right plays, being opportunistic, capitalizing, etc.
..........

I recall the Blackhawks going through a stretch of what I considered un-Blackhawkish hockey. It would be difficult to state with any truth that they entered the playoffs on a hot streak.
Indeed, many were expecting them to lose their first round against the Blues when they dropped the first two.

I'm just pointing that situation out as an example of the quality of the team, and their ability to rise to the occasion as being much more important than any regular season streak of success.
This argument I make supports my observation and opinion of the New York Rangers. They finished the season on an upswing. Let's stretch this in our imagination and pretend that the Rangers won their last 5 games in convincing fashion.
They still would have run into a tighter checking style of playoff hockey. They still would have shown a perplexing uneven style once they got pressured by the style of hockey played. The Flyers were inferior, and the Rangers squeaked that one out.
The Penguins are a different team with much better forward talent. People like to crap on Fleury, as I have done in the past, but if he is not stressed he does not panic. Objective achieved for the Penguins.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Agreed. It's disheartening.

Yet we're about to have the same exact post season result as last year.

4-3 win in round 1. 4-1 loss in round 2.

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

Pure ignorance.

08-09: $6.875m of a $56.7m cap = 12.1% of team cap
14-15: $8.5m of a $68m cap = 12.5% of team cap

Its basically the same deal that he had before.

I will also add, if the projected cap for 2014-15 is $71m, his percentage of team cap will be LOWER than what his LAST contract was.

That plus a Brad Richards buyout…

Yet Lundqvist's contract is handcuffing the team?

Except in his new contract hank can only go down in his play..so yes his new contract is going to suck

 

[*Bob Richards*]

Yet we're about to have the same exact post season result as last year.

4-3 win in round 1. 4-1 loss in round 2.

Which sucks because I was a lot more positive going into the playoffs with this team than I was with last years.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

A couple of weeks before the playoffs started I stated that for a team to make it far in the playoffs, several intangibles need to come together at the right time.

One of those intangibles was to catch a hot streak. In a hot streak, a team is unusually uncanny at finding open men, making the right plays, being opportunistic, capitalizing, etc.
..........

I recall the Blackhawks going through a stretch of what I considered un-Blackhawkish hockey. It would be difficult to state with any truth that they entered the playoffs on a hot streak.
Indeed, many were expecting them to lose their first round against the Blues when they dropped the first two.

I'm just pointing that situation out as an example of the quality of the team, and their ability to rise to the occasion as being much more important than any regular season streak of success.
This argument I make supports my observation and opinion of the New York Rangers. They finished the season on an upswing. Let's stretch this in our imagination and pretend that the Rangers won their last 5 games in convincing fashion.
They still would have run into a tighter checking style of playoff hockey. They still would have shown a perplexing uneven style once they got pressured by the style of hockey played. The Flyers were inferior, and the Rangers squeaked that one out.
The Penguins are a different team with much better forward talent. People like to crap on Fleury, as I have done in the past, but if he is not stressed he does not panic. Objective achieved for the Penguins.

I made the mistake of thinking that this would be a very open hockey series. The Pens struggle from more physical teams that muck up a game. The BJ's crashed the net and unnerved the Pens physically.

As you said, there has been little to stress Fleury with.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

Our best defenseman tonight was Kevin Klein. Let that sink in.

And I have to admit, St. Louis and Nash deserved their boos.

 

[bl02]

Yet we're about to have the same exact post season result as last year.

4-3 win in round 1. 4-1 loss in round 2.

Against much weaker opponents than last years opponents in my opinion so if we go out with our tail between our legs Friday eve this year was even more disappointing. Not to mention trading for another super aging player in which we forfeited even more future youth

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

Which sucks because I was a lot more positive going into the playoffs with this team than I was with last years.

As did I. As I'm sure BRB can attest to, I was incredibly optimistic heading into this post season.

 

[MetalGodAOD*]

Well people say we need this to win or that to win blah blah blah... Staal is a power forward #1 center.. we need him

Eric Staal is hated by Canes fans because he mails it in every other game. He is by far the worst play the Rangers could make.

 

[aufheben]

Last year I said I'd give Nash another playoff run before passing judgement; Rick Nash, you are a...ugh, you are literally Bottom: turned into a ****ing donkey by the mischievous Puck.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Eric Staal is hated by Canes fans because he mails it in every other game. He is by far the worst play the Rangers could make.

NY will motivate him!!!!

 

[nevesis]

Except in his new contract hank can only go down in his play..so yes his new contract is going to suck

Nice prediction.

Can you present an alternative to what the Rangers should have done?

Perhaps they should have let Lundqvist walk away right?

 

[trilobyte]

I made the mistake of thinking that this would be a very open hockey series. The Pens struggle from more physical teams that muck up a game. The BJ's crashed the net and unnerved the Pens physically.

As you said, there has been little to stress Fleury with.

Don't get me wrong. I had hopes too for the Rangers, and I actually did believe they could take the Penguins.
I learn as I go. It really did become apparent to me in this series against a team that I do not think will even sniff the Stanley Cup, that the Rangers are just so out-classed.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

Not to , but could you imagine how much better our PP would look if we drafted Cam Fowler or Vladimir Tarasenko instead of McIlrath? Ugh.