Prospect Info: Rangers ranked #1 by The Athletic

[aufheben]

The Rangers are in such a unique position because there are guys who don’t “qualify” as prospects, but in many ways they essentially are. Kids who are 19,20,21, even 23 who are aren’t quite established, but aren’t seeing their first taste of NHL talent either. In some cases, these kids are younger than players who do qualify for prospect status who haven’t played their first pro games yet.

So it becomes hard to have conversations about the jigsaw puzzle that is our organizational depth right now, without having a somewhat expanded conversation.

To tell you the truth, it’s really exciting. I haven’t seen anything like this since 1990/1991.

Totally, but why single out Andersson when Chytil and Howden aren't included either, lol.

 

[Edge]

Totally, but why single out Andersson when Chytil and Howden aren't included either, lol.

For better or worse, Andersson occupies a unique niche in the Rangers HF Boards community.

That's probably not going to change any time soon, regardless of how Andersson plays.

 

[Ghost of jas]

While Andersson has had some small issues (probably should have produced better in the AHL) I don't think he's gotten a fair shake in the NHL yet either. It's really really hard to show much playing 4th line minutes with mediocre players which is about all he's gotten at that level.
I've said it before but I think he's got to start being more assertive with the puck and do more than "fight for the puck, try to move it to a teammate, go to the net". That's the simple play but for all the complaints about his skill, he has the hands to "make the first player miss" and a wrist shot that is NHL scorer quality if he can find space to use it. He needs to be doing more than fighting for pucks and fighting for position in front of the net, but that's mostly what I saw him doing so far in the NHL.

But, maybe, in Quinn’s eyes, he hasn’t earned that fair shake. At this moment, Chytil and Howden have earned Quinn’s trust more than Andersson has. These same debates were going on when Callahan, Girardi and Dubinsky made share they got their fair shake while Dawes, Immonen and Sanguinetti never found their way into the lineup on a consistent basis.

Again, so far Andersson is falling behind other competitors. That’s on him. There’s still time, but, the competition is only going to get stronger.

 

[Inferno]

But, maybe, in Quinn’s eyes, he hasn’t earned that fair shake. At this moment, Chytil and Howden have earned Quinn’s trust more than Andersson has. These same debates were going on when Callahan, Girardi and Dubinsky made share they got their fair while Dawes, Immonen and Sanguinetti never found their way into the lineup on a consistent basis.

Again, so far Andersson is falling behind other competitors. That’s on him. There’s still time, but, the competition is only going to get stronger.

This.

 

[offdacrossbar]

either way, he was 7OA in 2017

its 2019-20 now

the pool is deep and getting deeper

2020 draft is strong and were poised to draft another high end forward me thinks.

wont be long before LA is drifting away

its time to either sink or swim swede

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

either way, he was 7OA in 2017

its 2019-20 now

the pool is deep and getting deeper

2020 draft is strong and were poised to draft another high end forward me thinks.

wont be long before LA is drifting away

its time to either sink or swim swede

You’re so dramatic

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

either way, he was 7OA in 2017

its 2019-20 now

the pool is deep and getting deeper

2020 draft is strong and were poised to draft another high end forward me thinks.

wont be long before LA is drifting away

its time to either sink or swim swede

Weird how no one is saying the same about Vilardi, Glass or Tippett. 3 guys who weren't good enough for the NHL either in their first 2 seasons

 

[Machinehead]

Some BRUTAL takes particularly in the second half or so of that list.

 

[offdacrossbar]

Weird how no one is saying the same about Vilardi, Glass or Tippett. 3 guys who weren't good enough for the NHL either in their first 2 seasons

naw, saying they all weren't good enough isn't fair with vilardi. hes plenty good enough, he was their #1 ranked prospect for gods sake. LA never sniffed that here

and maybe im the only one- who knows, but i take all 3 of those guys over LA right now.

vilardi is a stud but he's always dealing with that back thing. hes always hurt

glass and tippett both are excellent prospects with tons of talent.

LA seems rather blah to me so far.

we shall see.....

 

[Ghost of jas]

either way, he was 7OA in 2017

its 2019-20 now

the pool is deep and getting deeper

2020 draft is strong and were poised to draft another high end forward me thinks.

wont be long before LA is drifting away

its time to either sink or swim swede

This is a little over the top, but, your sentiment is what I have been saying. I think Andersson is definitely an NHL-caliber player. But, the competition within the organization is very strong and right now, he’s behind both Chytil and Howden. Yes, Chytil could end up on the wing, but, you’re right about the 2020 draft. Andersson needs to make a statement. Three to four years ago, and Andersson isn’t facing the competition that he currently is. Again, this goes for many prospects in the organization. DeAngelo is not doing himself any favors sitting out, especially if Fox comes in strong and someone like Keane impresses enough that management realizes there’s enough depth to make a move. Plus, you have Lundkvist excelling right now.

One of the hidden aspects of this rebuild is the overwhelming depth Gorton and company have accumulated. Not only does it provide for a multitude of assets to make trades, it also fosters competition. Look at LD. The Devils were able to fuel many Cup runs in the 90’s because of the depth they had in the organization on D. Souray and Mitchell were among the assets that allowed them to add a piece like Mogilny.

People can be dismissive of the criticism of Andersson and cry be ‘patient ‘. But, Gorton has created a situation where players are going to have to prove and in a very immediate and assertive manner that they are going to be here going forward. Andersson has not done that yet to the degree that either Howden or Chytil have so far. And both Barron and Henriksson are starting to make their footsteps behind him louder.

 

[offdacrossbar]

This is a little over the top, but, your sentiment is what I have been saying. I think Andersson is definitely an NHL-caliber player. But, the competition within the organization is very strong and right now, he’s behind both Chytil and Howden. Yes, Chytil could end up on the wing, but, you’re right about the 2020 draft. Andersson needs to make a statement. Three to four years ago, and Andersson isn’t facing the competition that he currently is. Again, this goes for many prospects in the organization. DeAngelo is not doing himself any favors sitting out, especially if Fox comes in strong and someone like Keane impresses enough that management realizes there’s enough depth to make a move. Plus, you have Lundkvist excelling right now.

One of the hidden aspects of this rebuild is the overwhelming depth Gorton and company have accumulated. Not only does it provide for a multitude of assets to make trades, it also fosters competition. Look at LD. The Devils were able to fuel many Cup runs in the 90’s because of the depth they had in the organization on D. Souray and Mitchell were among the assets that allowed them to add a piece like Mogilny.

People can be dismissive of the criticism of Andersson and cry be ‘patient ‘. But, Gorton has created a situation where players are going to have to prove and in a very immediate and assertive manner that they are going to be here going forward. Andersson has not done that yet to the degree that either Howden or Chytil have so far. And both Barron and Henriksson are starting to make their footsteps behind him louder.

the benefit to drafting high and often is you restock the talent pool. quickly.

when there are more fish in the pool and less food, the weak ones die, the strong survive. competition separates naturally.

the more talent we add, the harder it will be for LA to get the minutes everyone believes he needs to show hes a top 6 forward. he may not even be a top 9 guy here in a few years. the talent will see to that.

im not saying hes not NHL calibre. not at all. I'm not sure what he is based upon his body of work so far.

time will tell.

 

[nyr2k2]

This is a little over the top, but, your sentiment is what I have been saying. I think Andersson is definitely an NHL-caliber player. But, the competition within the organization is very strong and right now, he’s behind both Chytil and Howden. Yes, Chytil could end up on the wing, but, you’re right about the 2020 draft. Andersson needs to make a statement. Three to four years ago, and Andersson isn’t facing the competition that he currently is. Again, this goes for many prospects in the organization. DeAngelo is not doing himself any favors sitting out, especially if Fox comes in strong and someone like Keane impresses enough that management realizes there’s enough depth to make a move. Plus, you have Lundkvist excelling right now.

One of the hidden aspects of this rebuild is the overwhelming depth Gorton and company have accumulated. Not only does it provide for a multitude of assets to make trades, it also fosters competition. Look at LD. The Devils were able to fuel many Cup runs in the 90’s because of the depth they had in the organization on D. Souray and Mitchell were among the assets that allowed them to add a piece like Mogilny.

People can be dismissive of the criticism of Andersson and cry be ‘patient ‘. But, Gorton has created a situation where players are going to have to prove and in a very immediate and assertive manner that they are going to be here going forward. Andersson has not done that yet to the degree that either Howden or Chytil have so far. And both Barron and Henriksson are starting to make their footsteps behind him louder.

I don't understand Howden. After his good start, he was pretty terrible for a majority of the season. And I say this as someone who talked him up after we acquired him. I'm not saying he sucks or anything, I'm just curious what specifically they saw in Howden that they didn't see in Andersson.

 

[Ghost of jas]

I don't understand Howden. After his good start, he was pretty terrible for a majority of the season. And I say this as someone who talked him up after we acquired him. I'm not saying he sucks or anything, I'm just curious what specifically they saw in Howden that they didn't see in Andersson.

The one important factor that everyone leaves out that the coach’s don’t is trust. From the beginning of the year, it was apparent that Howden had earned Quinn’s trust. I go back to when Renney was the coach and Callahan got ice time and Dawes didn’t. It was always about trust.

 

[True Blue]

This is a little over the top, but, your sentiment is what I have been saying. I think Andersson is definitely an NHL-caliber player. But, the competition within the organization is very strong and right now, he’s behind both Chytil and Howden. Yes, Chytil could end up on the wing, but, you’re right about the 2020 draft. Andersson needs to make a statement. Three to four years ago, and Andersson isn’t facing the competition that he currently is. Again, this goes for many prospects in the organization. DeAngelo is not doing himself any favors sitting out, especially if Fox comes in strong and someone like Keane impresses enough that management realizes there’s enough depth to make a move. Plus, you have Lundkvist excelling right now.

One of the hidden aspects of this rebuild is the overwhelming depth Gorton and company have accumulated. Not only does it provide for a multitude of assets to make trades, it also fosters competition. Look at LD. The Devils were able to fuel many Cup runs in the 90’s because of the depth they had in the organization on D. Souray and Mitchell were among the assets that allowed them to add a piece like Mogilny.

People can be dismissive of the criticism of Andersson and cry be ‘patient ‘. But, Gorton has created a situation where players are going to have to prove and in a very immediate and assertive manner that they are going to be here going forward. Andersson has not done that yet to the degree that either Howden or Chytil have so far. And both Barron and Henriksson are starting to make their footsteps behind him louder.

I think that you are hitting the proverbial nail on the head here. I like Andersson, but for one reason or another, Quinn "seems" to have moved both Howden and Chytil ahead of him. And that is whether or not the latter is a wing or not. You know full well who the top line center is. Entering camp there are three centers for two spots on the middle two lines. IMO, Andersson has to outperform Howden by a decent margin if he wants to be one of those two centers. Again, that is even presuming that Chytil goes to wing.

Henriksson is still a bit away but you are right. Barron has been climbing the charts. I have been on the :Andersson needs time" side, but the fact is that Gorton has created an environment that seems to be an "up or out" one. Lias needs to come into camp, take the ball and then spring with it. Not run, sprint.

Am not comparing this teams to the Devils team of the 90s, but yes, there does seem to be competition for every spot. Up or out.

Regarding DeAngelo, yeah, it certainly feels like the kid is digging himself into a hole. He was poised to be a major player on the second unit. But if he holds out and let's say that Fox has a strong camp, that may well suddenly push him down a notch. Gorton definitely wanted the kid, Quinn invested time him, but the can well come a point of no return. Not there yet, and there is plenty of time. But DeAngelo needs to come in and also outperform.

 

[True Blue]

I'm not saying he sucks or anything, I'm just curious what specifically they saw in Howden that they didn't see in Andersson.

We know that there are things that Quinn branded as non-negotiable. Whatever they may be, it appears that Howden has earned his trust on these. Andersson has not. Not as egregious as whatever it was that DeAngelo was doing, but certainly enough to be pushed down the ladder.

For such young kids, this could be a very, very important camp for those two.

 

[nyr2k2]

The one important factor that everyone leaves out that the coach’s don’t is trust. From the beginning of the year, it was apparent that Howden had earned Quinn’s trust. I go back to when Renney was the coach and Callahan got ice time and Dawes didn’t. It was always about trust.

We know that there are things that Quinn branded as non-negotiable. Whatever they may be, it appears that Howden has earned his trust on these. Andersson has not. Not as egregious as whatever it was that DeAngelo was doing, but certainly enough to be pushed down the ladder.

For such young kids, this could be a very, very important camp for those two.

I'm not leaving out trust or any of the other intangible things that Quinn looks for. I acknowledge they exist and I'm good with that. I'm just curious as to what Andersson lacks, that Howden has, and why. If it is just "trust", then why? I probably won't ever know, but I'd really like to, because Howden was a train wreck for a long time.

 

[TheDirtyH]

People can be dismissive of the criticism of Andersson and cry be ‘patient ‘. But, Gorton has created a situation where players are going to have to prove and in a very immediate and assertive manner that they are going to be here going forward. Andersson has not done that yet to the degree that either Howden or Chytil have so far. And both Barron and Henriksson are starting to make their footsteps behind him louder.

Agreed with the general point, but on the other hand, I think a good amount of the "crying 'be patient'" crowd would question how stiff the competition really is and has been. Of course you're right that Chytil and Howden have passed Andersson on the depth chart, but has Howden, particularly, shown better? I've gone at length on that so I won't again. And in the other direction, Barron doesn't play even center consistently in the NCAA and Henriksson is a 18y/o third-round pick. There are other young center prospects in the org., sure, but what are they doing that suggests they have/will overtake(n) Andersson?

Andersson, to many of us, hasn't played well enough to prove anything, but at the same time, his losing ground seems asymmetrical to the performances and depth at the position otherwise. It's a moot point because it really comes down to Quinn. Personally, I don't understand why you struggle to find ice time for a 7th OA pick when your second powerplay unit is abysmal all season and he never sees a second in its rotation. Just what kind of player do the Ranger's think they have in Andersson? Does it align with what they thought they were picking when they did? For me, the call to be patient has more to do with what kinds of opportunities and roles Andersson might be exposed than even how well he performs in them. Because if the Rangers actually see Andersson as another Jesper Fast, it's not really critical that he ever out-perform that exact comparison.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I'm not leaving out trust or any of the other intangible things that Quinn looks for. I acknowledge they exist and I'm good with that. I'm just curious as to what Andersson lacks, that Howden has, and why. If it is just "trust", then why? I probably won't ever know, but I'd really like to, because Howden was a train wreck for a long time.

Howden has a Canadian passport

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

The one important factor that everyone leaves out that the coach’s don’t is trust. From the beginning of the year, it was apparent that Howden had earned Quinn’s trust. I go back to when Renney was the coach and Callahan got ice time and Dawes didn’t. It was always about trust.

Andersson looked better than Howden for like the last 2 months of the season, it really made no sense to why Quinn didn't start using Lias more than Howden at that point.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Howden has a Canadian passport

Yeah, I think you may be a *wee* bit sensitive on this subject, AK.

His other obvious competitor, Chytil, doesn't have a Canadian passport – nor does the #1 center, nor does the new big UFA signing, nor does the #2OA pick. (Nor does super-coach's-pet Fast.)

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Yeah, I think you may be a *wee* bit sensitive on this subject, AK.

His other obvious competitor, Chytil, doesn't have a Canadian passport – nor does the #1 center, nor does the new big UFA signing, nor does the #2OA pick. (Nor does super-coach's-pet Fast.)

I wasn't serious there haha. It's a fact that Howden has a longer leash than others. The reason behind it, we will never know. Same with Vesey under AV

 

[True Blue]

Howden has a Canadian passport

Face it, AK. If he was a soft Euro, you would be all over him.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Face it, AK. If he was a soft Euro, you would be all over him.

By that logic, I'd be a huge fan of Lundqvist, Zibanejad and Chytil

 

[True Blue]

By that logic, I'd be a huge fan of Lundqvist, Zibanejad and Chytil

I have no evidence that you secretly are not.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I have no evidence that you secretly are not.

I was also a huge fan of Kreider, Brassard and Stepan. But we digress.

I think I am not alone when saying Howden had a longer leash than others and it was painfully obvious he was punching well above his weight early on.