Something tells me Gorton would run this franchise differently than Slats if there was no cap either... And in a better way.
With no cap, you’re continuously paying a premium for a teams battered, beaten and abused sloppy seconds. And you’re doing so on the downside of their careers.
Paying more for less. Genius strategy.
Some posters here are just angry that there is a cap and and we can’t retain certain players forever, regardless of the cost or how much we’ll pay them to see their regression over time.
Chris ****ing Kreider just happens to be that magical and irreplaceable unicorn. The same people whining about CK’s fate were practically crying like pansies the day Callahan was traded.
Kreider isn’t a “unicorn.” Every player is expendable. Despite his inconsistencies, he still scored 28 goals last season on a bad team. Which is why, me included, some of us want to see what he does with this roster this season with his $4.6 million cap hit.
I’ve already made this point in multiple threads. If Marc Staal AND Brendan Smith are here on opening night and Kreider isn’t, specifically for cap reasons, and they needed to “dump him” to get under for whatever the return is, it’s dumb. He makes $4.6 million in his final season. If they trade a top-six forward before unloading the dead weight, via buy out or, in Smith’s case, attaching a draft pick/prospect in a trade, they are essentially making this season a much more uphill battle.
They absolutely can make the playoffs as constructed this season. Trading Kreider is way different than trading Hayes/Zucc. Last year’s team was never going anywhere. This year, we are going to get a significant look at just how much further we came along in regard to reaching the Cup goal. If the Rangers don’t take advantage of playing guys like Zibanejad/Kreider with the cap hits they have and trying to take step forwards with the kids on ELCs, they’re going to be the Winnipeg Jets AKA where everything comes together for that one fruitful season, and that’s that. Then... everybody needs to get paid, and when you accumulate so many assets, they all can’t get paid.
At this point, moving Kreider for a 2nd and a prospect or a first doesn’t move the needle for me, at all. It won’t move the needle for the team next season either. Kreider is that rare case where he is way too talented not to see what he can do with a vastly improved roster. BTW, he is absolutely NOT Ryan Callahan. Two entirely different players. People cried about Callahan because he was the “captain” and felt like that was bad juju. There is no guarantee Kreider ages well.... but there is also no guarantee everybody is 100% wrong on that and he remains consistent through his early 30s. Every player is different. If he gets traded and churns out 4/5 straight 60-point seasons while possibly playing for a contender, this forum won’t stop crying about it.
Like everything, it’s a calculated risk. They should retain him until the trade deadline. If they’re in the midst of a postseason return, keep him aboard.
