Speculation: Roster Building Thread II (2022-23): The Puck is Prepared to be Mounted

[Lindberg Cheese]

Only one man in the world who can fix this mess, that’s right Jim Dolan.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Im jumping into the hindsight machine, would we have been better off signing Copp instead of Trochek? Copp's style is lacking in the top 6.

 

[bleedblue94]

There have been lots of good powerplays over the years where you know exactly what's coming and you just can't stop it. I don't think they're far off from being elite again.

A legitimate bumper would help. Trocheck has good powerplay numbers in his career but he put them up playing the Kreider role on his previous teams. He feels a little miscast here. They don't have an actual shooting target other than Zibanejad.

On the Caps PP, you know it's going to Ovechkin, but Semin and then Oshie did just enough to keep you from shadowing Ovechkin. I don't think anybody's PK cares about Trocheck in the slot.

His career average coming into this year was less than 16pp points per 82 games. It's very average. I just always felt he was miscast for the role on pp1 and I really don't understand the adversion to moving panarin to the bumper.

People were hell bent on a rt shot in the bumper in camp, this would give panarin some more options where he directs the puck, it would allow a lefty on the right halfwall finally which could be a shooting threat either with the puck or taking a one timer on a pass from panarin in the bumper, fox on the point or zib slap pass.

Most importantly it would change the scheme on what has become an exceptional predictable PowerPlay. If connor mcdavid can thrive in the bumper of a pp unit then panarin can as well. Also it should not be lost on anyone that moving panarin to the bumper would FORCE him to get his body back into the slot area and hopefully rediscover a comfort in that area of the ice, something that has been an issue for almost 2 years now.

 

[bleedblue94]

Im jumping into the hindsight machine, would we have been better off signing Copp instead of Trochek? Copp's style is lacking in the top 6.

Ahh more people are starting to come around on this after watching him more.

As I said this summer, he is a great 3c but if he is your 2c then you are lacking the depth of a true cup contender. He does a lot of good things but he is not a 2c. Much the same way Bobby holik was a terrific 2c but when elevated to a 1c position it was too much for him.

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

I was fine with them getting a guy to replace Strome, Trocheck hasn't really done anything wrong, but I think hindsight will be looking at the "none of the above" option. They are locking themselves into this group.

 

[NYR Viper]

Im jumping into the hindsight machine, would we have been better off signing Copp instead of Trochek? Copp's style is lacking in the top 6.

No. Copp is another passenger. Trochek adds things this team needs more of. He’s a very good transporter of the puck, an excellent skater, physical and a good 2-way center. That’s not to say Copp is a bad player but given and either/or scenario it’s Trochek for me

 

[hockeyplayer999]

I said it before the season started and I will say it again. We are not making the playoffs. I was bashed saying it was only preseason. Shesterkin has been terrible. No backup to win us the games like Georgiev did. I know he had to go just saying. We are not particularly good at anything This team is a slow team. Not a physical team. Can’t play defense and can’t score. Not sure what kind of team this is. Devils are fast. Islanders are tough. Just what are the rangers.

 

[bl02]

No. Copp is another passenger. Trochek adds things this team needs more of. He’s a very good transporter of the puck, an excellent skater, physical and a good 2-way center. That’s not to say Copp is a bad player but given and either/or scenario it’s Trochek for me

The guys that hurt losing were Vatrano (actually a guy that can score in top 6 role) and Motte who is a puck hound and makes a 4th line and pk a pain to play against. Both actually brought speed and quickness and were tough on the puck

 

[LaffyTaffy13]

Domi doesn't have anywhere close to that kind of value.

Hes better than copp tbh

 

[xsniper11x]

It’s time for competing PPs w/ Fox out for the full 2 mins. No more of this one group gets 10 mins of time from others hard work drawing penalties. It’s one thing if it’s truly elite, but it’s not even in the top half of the league this year, so it’s just going to breed entitlement and resentment.

Two forward group of 4 out there w/ Fox. You don’t score in that first min, you get off. Start to let others build some confidence and be rewarded w/ PP time for their hard work.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Ahh more people are starting to come around on this after watching him more.

As I said this summer, he is a great 3c but if he is your 2c then you are lacking the depth of a true cup contender. He does a lot of good things but he is not a 2c. Much the same way Bobby holik was a terrific 2c but when elevated to a 1c position it was too much for him.

A guy on pace for 30 goals that takes the toughest defensive assignments is not a 3rd liner.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

Only one man in the world who can fix this mess, that’s right Jim Dolan.

Only one man in the world can fix Igor's mess: Patrick Roy

 

[McRanger92]

Laf-Mika-Kakko
Panarin-Chytil-Kravtsov
Kreider-Trocheck-Gauthier
Vesey-Rydahl-Goodrow

Hopefully Gallant’s replacement can figure it out

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

Laf-Mika-Kakko
Panarin-Chytil-Kravtsov
Kreider-Trocheck-Gauthier
Vesey-Rydahl-Goodrow

Hopefully Gallant’s replacement can figure it out

What about Sammy "PP2" Blais? Maybe Drury can try to trade him and a second-rounder for a PPG player...

 

[McRanger92]

What about Sammy "PP2" Blais? Maybe Drury can try to trade him and a second-rounder for a PPG player...

Cut your losses. He can’t skate hit or agitate. Collecting a paycheck being Lafreniere’s buddy

 

[LORDE]

Starting to get real...

Something needs to change in this Org and I don't know how high up it needs to go but it's probably ALL the way up

 

[bleedblue94]

A guy on pace for 30 goals that takes the toughest defensive assignments is not a 3rd liner.

Take the pp stats away and reevaluate.

7 even strength points in 23 games is less than 25 5v5 point pace over 82 games. That's 3rd line production...

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

There are times when the fans really do know better than the GM. Dylan McIlrath being picked at 10th overall was panned throughout the board. We knew he wasn't worthy of it and there were much better players on the board. Well, we were proven right. Same thing with Kravtsov (Dobson, Wahlstrom). Sorry, EdJo.

And the same thing applies to the Buchnevich trade. It wasn't that he was traded. I get that you wanted to make top-6 minutes for Kakko and Laf. That's fair. The issue was that in Drury's first major trade, he got robbed on the highway. A second and a shitty bottom-six player for a PPG player.

That's just malpractice and incompetence. And lest we forget Nemeth, where Drury had to cover up his mistake by giving away draft capital. But let's not forget signing a bottom-six player to a SEVEN-YEAR f***ING DEAL.

And the four players Drury traded for at the Deadline? Gone. All gone. So are the picks he traded. Adios.

He did well acquiring Vatrano (even though we let him walk). That’s true. He did well acquiring anything for Brett Howden. The Lundkvist trade…jury’s out. Othmann may be a legit player. Other than that, what has he done right?

 

[DaBadGuy7]

Starting to get real...

Something needs to change in this Org and I don't know how high up it needs to go but it's probably ALL the way up

Not going happen as long as Dolan is the owner, that’s the real big issue. He has no clue on how to build a smart and well-run organization for the Rangers and Knicks

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

Not going happen as long as Dolan is the owner, that’s the real big issue. He has no clue on how to build a smart and well-run organization for the Rangers and Knicks

Because he hires the wrong executives. He hires the wrong people in charge. For the Rangers, he let Sather remain for far too long. For the Knicks, he goes through execs like tissue paper…and they all suck.

 

[Kravtsov420]

Speed, no more country club ( trade one of the veterans, don’t care who at this point), a proper X’s and O’s Coach

That’s a start

 

[huerter]

There are times when the fans really do know better than the GM. Dylan McIlrath being picked at 10th overall was panned throughout the board. We knew he wasn't worthy of it and there were much better players on the board. Well, we were proven right. Same thing with Kravtsov (Dobson, Wahlstrom). Sorry, EdJo.

And the same thing applies to the Buchnevich trade. It wasn't that he was traded. I get that you wanted to make top-6 minutes for Kakko and Laf. That's fair. The issue was that in Drury's first major trade, he got robbed on the highway. A second and a shitty bottom-six player for a PPG player.

That's just malpractice and incompetence. And lest we forget Nemeth, where Drury had to cover up his mistake by giving away draft capital. But let's not forget signing a bottom-six player to a SEVEN-YEAR f***ING DEAL.

And the four players Drury traded for at the Deadline? Gone. All gone. So are the picks he traded. Adios.

He did well acquiring Vatrano (even though we let him walk). That’s true. He did well acquiring anything for Brett Howden. The Lundkvist trade…jury’s out. Othman may be a legit player. Other than that, what has done right?

Can we do the consensus fan moves now?

 

[Guyute]

There have been lots of good powerplays over the years where you know exactly what's coming and you just can't stop it. I don't think they're far off from being elite again.

A legitimate bumper would help. Trocheck has good powerplay numbers in his career but he put them up playing the Kreider role on his previous teams. He feels a little miscast here. They don't have an actual shooting target other than Zibanejad.

On the Caps PP, you know it's going to Ovechkin, but Semin and then Oshie did just enough to keep you from shadowing Ovechkin. I don't think anybody's PK cares about Trocheck in the slot.

Trocheck is fine in the bumper spot. The problem is that someone is covering him the entire PP. They get away with it because Panarin is righty on the right side so the one-timer isn’t an option. That gives the PP some time to adjust if Panarin elects to shoot or pressure the feed into the slot to Trocheck if he’s passing.

 

[I Eat Crow]

This coming offseason and the next are the most important that this organization will have in at least the last 25 years. It's a real inflection point on how the next 10 to 15 years are going to go after this one.

The more things change the more they stay the same. The country club Rangers are running the asylum. They're about to get their 3rd coach in the last 5 years fired. At what point do the players look in the mirror and ask themselves if they're part of the problem?

They have a month to turn this year around. If they're out of a playoff spot come New Year's, shut it down the rest of the year. Get Igor a sports psychiatrist and some sleep. The guy looks exhausted and he's putting all of the blame on his shoulders even if he shoulders only part of it. Stop playing Fox 30 minutes a game. He's going to wear down and be a shell of himself by the time he's 30 if you keep running him out there half the game.

This core is rotten. Get them out of here. This team is stuck with Kreider and Trouba until the NMC's turn into limited NTC's. Maybe Panarin asks out once he gets his head out of his ass and realizes what a clown car show he got himself into. Maybe Anaheim wins the Bedard sweepstakes and tries to retool quickly and contend. They'll need defense. Enter Trouba. His wife can find a nice hospital in the hills to practice medicine in.

Panarin at 25% retained and Trouba with the same amount of retention for Trevor Zegras in the summer of 2024. Zegras signs a 1 year deal after this year as he knows the Rangers will need until at least 2024 to clear the cap space for him.

Ask Kreider if he'll waive this summer. He'll still have value a year removed from scoring 52 and likely 30+ this year. Boston looks like they're going to go all in this year and next. The natural fit is Kreider for DeBrusk and a 2024 1st.

Deal Lafreniere to Montreal for their 2023 unprotected 1st ASAP. Just cut the losses on him and get something of value back right now. It's for another lottery ticket but this is the year to have lots of tickets. Keep the 2023 1st rounders and draft your next core of young talent with a new amateur scouting staff this summer and next with two 1st's. The Rangers could very well have two top 10 picks if the wheels really fall off the next few weeks and they acquire Montreal's pick.

Kravtsov is gone for a reclamation project and maybe a 3rd rounder.

This is a significant retool, but it's very desperately needed. This is your core for your next window of contention if this can be pulled off is below:

Adam Fox
Trevor Zegras
Mika Zibanejad
Kappo Kakko
Filip Chytil
Brennan Othmann
K'Andre Miller
Ryan Lindgren (I'd just keep signing him to 2 or 3 year deals until the tape and crazy glue stops working and he literally falls apart)
Braden Schneider
Vince Trochek (I guess)
2023 1st
2023 1st
2023 1st
2024 1st
2024 1st
God forbid some mid round picks hit and be valuable contributors


You still have lots of star power in Zib, Zegras, Fox, and hopefully one the 2023 1sts is a player you can nuture as a top 6 forward out of the gate and one of Othmann or Chytil turns into one too. Tough sledding ahead this year and next, but this core can be very much in it and contending again in three or so years.

Notice how I don't have Shesterkin in here? More ammo to make a run at a shrewd youngish UFA (Aho, Matthews?!?!) to put that core over the top.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

There are times when the fans really do know better than the GM. Dylan McIlrath being picked at 10th overall was panned throughout the board. We knew he wasn't worthy of it and there were much better players on the board. Well, we were proven right. Same thing with Kravtsov (Dobson, Wahlstrom). Sorry, EdJo.

And the same thing applies to the Buchnevich trade. It wasn't that he was traded. I get that you wanted to make top-6 minutes for Kakko and Laf. That's fair. The issue was that in Drury's first major trade, he got robbed on the highway. A second and a shitty bottom-six player for a PPG player.

That's just malpractice and incompetence. And lest we forget Nemeth, where Drury had to cover up his mistake by giving away draft capital. But let's not forget signing a bottom-six player to a SEVEN-YEAR f***ING DEAL.

And the four players Drury traded for at the Deadline? Gone. All gone. So are the picks he traded. Adios.

He did well acquiring Vatrano (even though we let him walk). That’s true. He did well acquiring anything for Brett Howden. The Lundkvist trade…jury’s out. Othman may be a legit player. Other than that, what has done right?

The thing that bothers me about Buchnevich more so than what he actually got, it shows you what Drury values in a player. Tough gritty North American, f*** skill.