I am in general agreement with this, though while I agree Miller will benefit with more experience --- he's trying to do too much --- he obviously has the ability to play and contribute meaningfully even at this early juncture.
A few points:
My detractors, please kindly bend, buckle and break to the fact that while I have made mistakes, I have been correct about a lot of things, and until those things get addressed by Rangers for real, they will continue to suffer, not in abstract, but for real, and we with them.
1. OVERRIDING.
Torts must go. NOW.
Torts was supposedly "safe is death" back in year 1. But instead of being the best of the old Canadiens, the Yankees of the NHL, where there was a fluid, moving, pressing offense with decent checking and skilled shooters, we now have the morass there is. We have a world class G. By all means don't leave him hanging out to dry with stupid or excessive risks, but do take prudent risks. Instead of maximizing our D, we ask Girardi to eat pucks, and when he is injured, we are surprised. And the constant shot blocking leads to killing offense, injuries, exhaustion, defense actually falling out of place on follow throughs to given plays.
Yes, I want someone who will get them in top shape and play hard, but no I don't want another Keenan where the talent is ridden to hard for too long.
2 OVERRIDING.
NO SACRED COWS --- Part 1, add talent
Yes we are good, we are very good, and we are entitled to enjoy that fact, but it also OVERRIDING reality we need to get better. We do that by making moves NOT by standing pat. THAT does NOT mean we make a trade for sake of a trade. But it DOES mean we understand and acknowledge the priority of adding net talent over other concerns.
Yes, balance is nice, and even important, but adding talent IS CRITICAL.
Accordingly, when we have a chance to move Boyle for Dylan Olsen + a generous 4th, we don't say to Chicago, no, it'd be a no brainer if he were righty, you admit Olsen, a later first ready to play D now, is important for us as a McIlrath lite to add grit now on the bottom pair, and we move MDZ to 2nd pair to make that happen.
3 OVERRIDING.
NO SACRED COWS --- Part 2, flexibility for the big picture
This is a process. It is not an isolated photograph snapshot. It is a moving picture of multiple snapshots run quickly one after the other. Therefore, using the above scenario as an example, we do NOT say, we don't add Olsen cause we already have Staal, McD, MDZ, we say we add Olsen, and we have not only injury insurance, but planning flexibility to move Staal, if we eventually have to, for a good deal.
4. Stop with idiocy of "win now" Try to win every year.
We need to constantly add, even we are at the top. Look at Chicago, add, develop, add. Have an off year at G, make the best of it. Now they have abundance of riches.
No reason we can't do that. Develop every year.
Getting one special piece to put us over the top has to be a unique situation, not a regular policy.
CONSIDER BEYOND OBVIOUS POSSIBILITIES not overriding, but requires an open mind
Kreider can/should be here, simultaneously crapping the place but also making great plays. He has the skill to be truly great --- I wouldn't say elite yet, but certainly star echelon. I likewise called Miller, who is also crapping all over while playing his heart out productively.
These are special players. I had the insight to see these guys could be available sooner than later, and 90+% of you said, no, couldn't happen, etc. You said that just because it was written in stone as conventional wisdom that it should take more time, it was impossible for Miller particularly to be here this year.
You suffer from your own lack of vision and creativity, it shows, and you reap what you sow.
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The great majority of most of you have a polite difference of opinion with me, and I respectfully ask you all to help me come up with improved visions and better strategies for our beloved Rangers in an ongoing honest discussion. Obviously the current state of this team, being a disaster, is painful.
WE DO THAT BY HONESTLY HAVING AN OPEN COMPETITION OF IDEAS.
A handful of you are arrogant, you know who you are. Your guttersniping is tiring, and ultimately shows little.
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And now for something almost completely different.
Simply because I have not gone for enough into the powderkeg with a lit match by means of the above, let me add one new thought.
Kreider has not had enough time to be fully ready, this I agree.
However, if we eliminate the immediate issue of Torts all over his ass constantly, and get him back to playing without overly thinking about it, I see CK up here now.
Don't worry about saving this season, we have an up climb vs, at minimum, the Pens and the Black Hawks, whatever happens will happen.
CK should be up here, getting special tutelage, and working extra shifts.
But I think we should also give him a chance at C
This is not necessarily a permanent move. My understanding is his early history was more C than W. Granted, this is a huge leap to a pro game. But he may be more comfortable with it.
I would ultimately like to play Kreider wherever out best interests are served.
But given we are thin at C, including w/issues about Richards, having a 1 or 2 year experiment with a kid who is just 20ish will not kill him. It may broaden his perspectives,
And this need not be a 100% dedicated shifting of position.
Just give him enough extra shifts between Hagelin and Nash to see if that ignites anything, and relieves the other lines of minutes it has to fill.
I'm back to the real world.
Sorry to unintentionally
but I am disgusted, and the truth must be told.
