Confirmed with Link: Rangers sign UDFA Justin Richards
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eco's bones
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The Rangers only need to hit on one of these three to make it worthwhile and it's not the same as signing a 20 year old who has been playing against 17 year olds. I think there's something intriguing about all three of these guys and in Richards case we have almost a Dom Moore vibe. A defensive minded center face-off guy with some offensive potential. Minnesota-Duluth is one of the best teams in college hockey and Scott Sandelin is arguably the best coach in college hockey. Richards comes from a great program.
Larrybiv
We're CLEAN, we PROMISE!
A forward that is expertise at winning FO's? Am I missing something here? I know LW's and RW's are considered "forwards", but a center is usually regarded as the FO guy.
If this immediate team has ONE major flaw.......its the lack of skill on winning draws. I'd bet anything Quinn has "plays" set up on the premise that we will LOSE the FO. Seems we have a better chance at retrieving a lost draw (anticipation) then actually winning it outright.
Larrybiv
We're CLEAN, we PROMISE!
Not firing. Not a huge fan of Trouba, but then again I have never considered him a true 1 or 2D. Hell, imho he is at best a 3D, but then again he does play TONS of minutes, and we really dont have any other horses like that. Kind of makes you imagine if we still had McD. What would that be like?
He could and should have a better 2nd season, now settled in, not Brady to lessen his focus, just needs a nice steady partner.
But, that might have to wait.
Player big P
no more striptease no more flashes
Irishguy42
Mr. Preachy
Amazing Kreiderman
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Betting on the outlier in the hopes that player becomes more than anyone expects isn't really a great way to build a team. The Rangers have tons of pieces on the board to play their game of chess, though.
Khodorenko had a lot of hype surrounding him in the years leading up to his draft. Him going undrafted was a huge surprise. At the time, I was still working shifts. This is before I moved to Vienna. I was really into following college hockey and the US NTDP. At the time, ESPN was still available in the Netherlands and it was amazing. Khodorenko signing with the Rangers is a nice little nugget in an otherwise frustrating and disappointing spring so far sports-wise due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Richards being the safer pick makes sense but I feel part of that is him growing up in a hockey family. His dad played in the AHL and IHL for years and is the asst. coach in Tampa. The Rangers apparently value that a lot. Look at who they drafted/signed in recent years. They all have ties to the NHL.
Namestnikov (dad), Andersson (dad), Virta (dad), Lettieri (cousin), Hayes (cousin), Vesey (dad), Ronning (dad), Ragnarsson (dad), Kjellberg (dad), Lundkvist (uncle) and I am probably missing a few. Time will tell how Richards does, but Khodorenko is a wild card. Who knows what happens with him. He could be another Lettieri, or he could put it all together and shine.
Khodorenko had offers from all but 2 teams, if I remember correctly.
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Amazing Kreiderman
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Amazing Kreiderman
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Tawnos
A guy with a bass
To be clear, I don't think Richards is the safer bet. I think they're an even bet to become NHLers, but that Khodorenko has the higher upside of the two. In other words, under a scenario where they both become NHLers, it's most likely they're both bottom-6ers, with a small possibility that Khodorenko is a middle-6er. Granted, this is from nothing but reading about these guys.
Julien Gauthier also has bloodlines in the NHL remember Denis Gauthier former Flame Flyers King, that is his uncle
Amazing Kreiderman
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Yeah, and the more obvious one, Lemieux. I am sure there are more but it's already a long list
I'd like to see a breakdown like that for other teams. Not to say the Rangers don't emphasize "bloodlines" to some degree, but I feel like soooo many players and prospects have familial relations. The hockey community is pretty insular.
Amazing Kreiderman
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Not gonna lie only have seen a handful of his games but I like what I saw especially against good teams.
He seems to do the little things at both ends of the ice. He just turned 22 so I can see him being effective in Hartford and who knows maybe a strong 3rd/4th line center at the NHL level.
Amazing Kreiderman
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UDFAs are always long shots. So it's okay to lower expectations. But after talking to the kid, I have a good vibe. He may not be a world beater, but the things he said are definitely the things you want to hear. He has traveled all over the world because of his dad's career. Met Thornton, D. Boyle, Parise, Pavelski, Crosby, Stamkos, Kucherov and many other players over the years. He certainly fits the Rangers mold of a bloodlines target
Crease
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Sounds like he could be a mix of Justin Williams and Brad Richards.
Amazing Kreiderman
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Most accurate analysis so far
I'll share another quote, of the interview that will be released in the next few hours. Because I like you guys on HFNYR so much
eco's bones
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Richards freshman season at UMD--they won the NCAA championship. His sophomore year UMD won the NCAA championship again in a game they dominated from the drop of the puck to the final whistle against Cale Makar and UMass Amherst. Richards junior year--the NCAA cancelled before their playoffs began. So Richards is really 2 for 2. He was a top forward for his team in his sophomore and junior years and twice won best defensive forward for his conference. You don't see big numbers usually from UMD players as far as scoring stats but UMD rolls 4 lines all the time and they are well coached. They smothered UMassAmherst--they were all over them all game long with a heavy duty and relentless forecheck. They are arguably the best coached program in college hockey and Richards was one of their best players. If he works out he'll probably not be a top 6 forward but a really solid bottom 6 guy.
I believe I brought up Scott Sandelin as a potential coach for the Rangers back before they settled on David Quinn. I like Quinn but Sandelin has got the goods I think to be a fine NHL coach one day.
I believe I brought up Scott Sandelin as a potential coach for the Rangers back before they settled on David Quinn. I like Quinn but Sandelin has got the goods I think to be a fine NHL coach one day.
egelband
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Father is Todd Richards. Interesting. The Rangers definitely value bloodline.
Amazing Kreiderman
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HFsNumber1Heel
FKA Roo Returns...Still A Contrarian Apparently
Only one game but he was very visible in a positive manner.
Great wheels and motor. If hes as good defensively as he's billed he should replace Howden.
Great wheels and motor. If hes as good defensively as he's billed he should replace Howden.
