So your paragraph in which you mention the shortcomings of other rebuilding organizations where you list issues with their rebuild I find comical. Not because you don’t make valid points( you do) but because I read that and I say,
Poor ownership= Check!
Dolan is one of the worst owners in sports. He owns two teams and both are terrible. He cares way more about the building( which the renovation is amazing in all fairness to him.) at this point.
Lack of funds- ok Rangers have unlimited funds.
No direction- You argue the Rangers have a clear direction- “just be bad”. My argument is the direction should always be let’s be good. Seems like a no direction situation to me!
Bad development system- Check times 100! Hartford is a disaster and the Rangers are rushing players into the NHL!! I watched Lias’ interview during last nights game. He looked completely dejected! Like destroyed mentally!! That’s HORRIBLE for a players development! Sounds like a poor development system to me!
No continuity- Check again! The Rangers have about 5 guys from when they made a cup run in 2014 still on the roster. The shuttle between Hartford and the NHL has never been more active. They’ve skated over 30 players on the NHL roster this year, about the same last year and seem to have a very small core in place. They’ve gone through 2 coaches, 4 assistants 2 GM’s and that’s only what I know of!
A history of getting destroyed in trades- TBD. The McD trade when he became a Ranger for Scott Gomez several years ago was tremendous for the Rangers and Gordon has made some nice ones so far. The latest McD trade where they sent him away may be a fleecing but again not a difinitive check.
Completely whiffing on top 3 picks- TBD but the track record is leaning towards another check for the Rangers! Lias looks terrible and he was a top 10 pick! I’d also argue that teams like Edmonton and Buffalo have not totally whiffed and Ottawa has drafted pretty well!
Little to no free agent attraction- once again Check for the Rangers! No one will want to come to this dumpster fire right now. Plus the free agents the Rangers have actively pursued and signed, Kevin Shatenkirk namely, have been terrible signings. The lure of New York seems to be a thing of the past and may work against the Rangers. The team will have to overpay to get talent and that will be even worse!
So for all those distinctions you think set the Rangers apart I’d argue are not actually aspects that set them apart at all!
Yikes.....I just completely disagree with almost everything here. But I'll point out two points where you're beyond just incorrect.
Dolan may be a shitty person, but he is a good owner when it comes to the Rangers. He is hands off and lets the team spend to the cap every year, while not caring if we buyout salaries whenever necessary. He is a horrid owner when it comes to the Knicks. But don't confuse the two since his relationship with each respective org is essentially night and day. If we get an owner that ends up being hands on, you'll see the huge downside to that.
Second, the Rangers are not an attractive FA destination? Is this a serious statement? To start, bad FA signings does not = unattractive market, so that point is just straight moot. What I find interesting is you really want to sign FA's, yet you're upset about FA's the Rangers have signed in the past. You would think someone who thinks they've been idiots (which I completely agree with), would want them to show some restraint.
In addition, the Rangers are almost unanimously agreed upon to be the most attractive team for FA's in the USA. Maybe Montreal and Toronto have allure for players from Canada, so I wouldn't say the whole NHL, but for USA teams, undoubtedly. I mean, one needs to look no further than the past several decades when nearly every major FA the Rangers wanted signed here. Add in recent freebies like Hayes, Vesey and to a lesser extent Gilroy and many of the young guys who make it to FA and that basically everyone in the league wants end up as Rangers. I don't mean to sound harsh here, but it's pretty delusional to think the Rangers aren't an attractive market for players. I mean...from all reports, Panarin will be here if we give him the money he wants and we absolutely blow right now.
Also, a bit of a side note, but I wish you would chill with the exclamation points. It makes it seem like you're screaming at me or just straight up enraged. I know it's the tendency these days and as a millennial I too overuse them, but not in the context you do. It's actually hard to read because it's basically like I'm being yelled at.
