Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXX: Going 8-0 to close out might not be enough!

[jay from jersey]

Sam Bennett in April
12GP 5goals 16pts.

previous 3 months
34GP 4G 7pts.

not bad for a 4th liner, I wonder what has changed.

really wish we would have closed the deal.

Yes. It’s not like he went for a kings ransom. Many on here wanted him because he is exactly the type of players we need in the bottom 6. Forget the goals and points which is great, but we really need more guys capable of playing the brand of hockey he plays

 

[CLW]

That answer is very telling. Go back a year when the canes kicked our teeth in. Jd and Gorts both said the mandate is to be tougher to play against.

im really pissed we didn’t grab Bennett on the cheap. He flourishing with talent around him and checks off most of the boxes that management wants. Very foolish

Bennett wasn't traded "on the cheap". No doubt the Rangers felt the price was steep (good prospect + 2nd). If the ask was a good prospect, say Jones and a 2nd I see why the Rangers hesitated. Jones, Miller, Lundkvist have potentially a huge upside and it's hard to say at this point exactly what the Rangers have got there. Heineman, to me, projects as Hornqvist 2.0, which is something different entirely. Good solid player but not quite the level of prospect as Jones et al. ADA would have been perfect but he shat the nest.

 

[GAGLine]

Does McDonagh at 50 off have any value or 5 yrs is too many left at 3.5 ish?

I can't imagine that Tampa would trade him and retain 50%. But to answer your question, no, trading for McDonagh wouldn't make sense. He's a top 4 guy. We don't need a top 4 guy, and he would still make too much for too long to play him on the 3rd pair.

The guys we should be looking at are older pending UFAs like Goligoski and Hjalmarsson. Both can play either side. Both are good vets who might be willing to sign for 1 or 2 years. They can play on the 3rd pair, but move up as needed. And best of all, they won't cost any assets to acquire.

 

[brians1128]

I’d be interested in bringing in possibly 2 of Larkin, lindholm, and cirelli. Tampa has cap issues, Calgary needs a shake up, and Detroit’s rebuild is gonna take longer then expected, this adds speed to the team with 2 way ability and I think drastically changes the dynamics of the top 9. Strome and buch should be used in these deals to balance out the money, along with an abundance of d prospects. We can get a look at Barron’s game here. Rooney and Blackwell are still signed signed for next year, They can use the ufa class to fill some voids and built an effective 4th line. There are also a few steady reliable lefty dmen in this ufa class as well. If Gorton has a good offseason here and we start to form an identity here, I really believe this team is gonna take off.

 

[brians1128]

I can't imagine that Tampa would trade him and retain 50%. But to answer your question, no, trading for McDonagh wouldn't make sense. He's a top 4 guy. We don't need a top 4 guy, and he would still make too much for too long to play him on the 3rd pair.

The guys we should be looking at are older pending UFAs like Goligoski and Hjalmarsson. Both can play either side. Both are good vets who might be willing to sign for 1 or 2 years. They can play on the 3rd pair, but move up as needed. And best of all, they won't cost any assets to acquire.

Hjalmarsson - Lundkvist sounds good to me for a third pairing

 

[CLW]

Hjalmarsson - Lundkvist sounds good to me for a third pairing

Hjalmarsson isn't moving. He has an NMC and enjoys life in AZ. They asked him already last season and he said nope (family reasons etc).

 

[TheDirtyH]

I think it boils down to three things:

1) I bring this up every day, I know, but people bring up effort/physicality every day so here we are: this team is SLOW. Like a jar of honey bleeding to death in an igloo. You can't forecheck without speed in 2021. I don't care how tough your lineup is.

2) We don't really employ a system that requires physical play. We're not really interested in rebounds, long periods of cycling, puck support, or clogging up the NZ. We play up and down until something breaks for us, and if it doesn't, dump and change. If opposing coaches -like Barry Trots or anyone a playoff series, for example- simply decides they're not skating up and down the ice with us, we're helpless. It's very similar to AV, but AV's teams actually were fast and got odd-man rushes constantly. @Raspewtin has said it before: we're slow and we play like a fast-break team.

3) This team does legitimately have concentrations of players -most of our veterans and all of our centers- in the same areas who are interested in making plays first and foremost. There's nothing wrong with that. You suck and you're boring without east-west players. The big bad Islanders have a f***ing bunch of guys who dangle and pass the whole game. But they also have Nelson, Pageau, and Cizikas down the middle. We don't have any centers who, traditionally, are good at being centers. Chytil could be but needs to work on faceoffs. Barron, I think, certainly will be. Zibanejad and Strome being the two who play the most by far is probably overkill and makes us a lot less versatile.

I don't think we're slow, but we're not a team with particularly fast skaters, especially from a standstill. It would be good to add that element, and as you say and as @Ola has said a ton, at center it's a real weakness. I'm not sure though that the whole personelle needs to change, or whether it's possible to rearrange the lineup in a way that helps mitigate that weakness. If you had Zibanejad, Panarin, and Strome all on separate lines, then you can attach wingers (and center) with the requisite wheels to their lines.

Lafreniere-Zibanejad
Panarin-Chytil
Kreider-Strome

Those are all pairings that could be, at worst, the basis of a good second line. Then you have your RWs: Kakko, Buchnevich, Kravtsov that can mix and match into it.

Personally, I'd love to see this:

Panarin-Chytil-Buvchnevich

Our three best even strength scorers all stacked together. Chytil has a lot in his game that's reminiscent of PLD who meshed so well with Panarin in Columbus. Between he and Buchnevich there is plenty of speed and strength to play low in the defensive zone, transport Panarin passes through the neutral zone, and to retreive pucks and create a lot of space and havok in the O-zone that Panarin would be able to exploit. Three players who can all pass and shoot, but especially for Panarin, two players who can put a lot of pressure on opposing teams, finish plays, and let him do his thing all over the ice.

Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Kakko

We need Zibanejad to play like a center again. He has it in him to commit to puck battles, cover for his wingers, and to win territory all over the ice. Playing him with the two youngest Rangers, who are themselves jam-packed with talent and creativity, might put that kind of onus on Zibanejad again. Between Lafreniere's dual threat as a playmaker and shooter, Kakko's boardwork and ability to move the puck to the most dangerous player (the player coming up the ice with the most speed, or who's opened up in the offensive zone), and a Zibanejad like the one in 2018-19 who is committed to making the right decision in every small play rather than flying the zone every chance he has, I think you could have the makings of a fantastic line.

Kreider-Strome-Kravtsov

Strome—by most any metric (and especially the eyes)—is not a traditional center for a shut-down line, but out of he, Zibanejad, and Chytil, I think he's the most promising pick for that kind of role. And to be clear, this isn't a traditional shut-down line. In some ways, I'd think of it as a decoy in that respect. What it really could be is a line that can get us out of our zone in a hurry. Strome has the vision, and as a RH shot, he can find and send Kreider easily on the left wing. Kravstov we've seen is a player who's harnessed the will to commit to details, but is capable of covering a ton of ice, not just N-S but E-W. It's a line with a lot of speed to burn and a center who can activate that speed.


You can have a team, for example like the 2016 Sharks, that aren't filled with fast skaters, but who control the pace of the game and always keep themselves a step ahead of the opposition because of the depth of talent, the creativity and intelligence, and the right compositions of particular skills meshed together. A team like that can always be on the attack because the attack comes in waves and doesn't stop. Hockey in 2021 might be a game defined by speed more than in the past, but it will always be a game defined by momentum. Speed matters less than whether you play on your toes or on your heels. And a roster like ours—filled with literal children and veterans who love to play pond hockey—isn't going to just fit together and gel that way from the get-go, but if given time and mixed together in the right combinations, I think they are plenty capable of becoming a force. Players can learn and realize that you don't need to score a goal to win a shift, you don't need to make a crazy play to turn the tide of a game in your favor: what you need is to support one another, pull in the same direction, and impose yourselves as a group onto the game.

Some Saturday morning hangover thoughts for you

 

[Leetch3]

Hjalmarsson isn't moving. He has an NMC and enjoys life in AZ. They asked him already last season and he said nope (family reasons etc).

he might stay in AZ for the reasons you mentioned, but he is a UFA this offseason so the NMC won't be a factor.

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

Hjalmarsson isn't moving. He has an NMC and enjoys life in AZ. They asked him already last season and he said nope (family reasons etc).

Hjalmarsoon is a UFA so he goes where there is interest. AZ isn't giving him that kind of contract again.

If he likes that house so much, sublet it and move back there post career.

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

I’d be interested in bringing in possibly 2 of Larkin, lindholm, and cirelli. Tampa has cap issues, Calgary needs a shake up, and Detroit’s rebuild is gonna take longer then expected, this adds speed to the team with 2 way ability and I think drastically changes the dynamics of the top 9. Strome and buch should be used in these deals to balance out the money, along with an abundance of d prospects. We can get a look at Barron’s game here. Rooney and Blackwell are still signed signed for next year, They can use the ufa class to fill some voids and built an effective 4th line. There are also a few steady reliable lefty dmen in this ufa class as well. If Gorton has a good offseason here and we start to form an identity here, I really believe this team is gonna take off.

Tampa's cap issues are essentially an 80s action movie trope at this point. They always figure it out.

Somewhere between this board's "Yeah man, Hartford is going to be so good this year with so many prospects" and "Tampa is in serious cap trouble" lies the meaning of life.

Palat is the odd man out. Just watch.

 

[bobbop]

Hjalmarsson isn't moving. He has an NMC and enjoys life in AZ. They asked him already last season and he said nope (family reasons etc).

Hjalmarsson is cooked.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Lol Chytil being “untouchable” too funny.

Well he should be for Eichel.

 

[Fitzy]

I think the ideal third pairing partner for Lundkvist next season is a veteran with one year remaining on their contract. Possibly one that we can get an asset for taking on from a cap strapped team like the Marc Staal trade.

Hartford will be fun to watch if all of Jones, Robertson, Schneider, Reaunanen, and Skinner are playing down there.

 

[NYR Viper]

I’m expecting guys like Hajek and Howden to traded this offseason and I’m expecting the returns to be veteran guys who know their role and who the team can use for 2-3 years. Probably depth guys like 3rd pairing and 4th line guys but useful for what the team needs

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

So why is Eichel worth it? His stats really are on par with Ziba. He's injury prone. Comes from a bad program.

The Rangers need to stop getting guys from orgs with losing cultures; Nash, Yandle, Trouba. None of those guys won the Cup or are clutch.

Yes Winnipeg has been regular season competitive but other than 2018 they've done nothing in the post season.

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

Thank God we didn’t take a flyer on Virtanen

 

[Fitzy]

Thank God we didn’t take a flyer on Virtanen

So he sucks at life and hockey

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

Hjalmarsson is cooked.

His stats aren't terrible.

Is he a defensive liability? Can't skate?

Basically is a cooked Hjalmarsson in fall 2021 better than a Brendan Smith these last few weeks or Jack Johnson this season for 1/5 the price?

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

His stats aren't terrible.

Is he a defensive liability? Can't skate?

Basically is a cooked Hjalmarsson in fall 2021 better than a Brendan Smith these last few weeks or Jack Johnson this season for 1/5 the price?

I haven't seen him play this year, but his defensive metrics still grade out as pretty good.

He's a massive negative offensively. Can't speak to how well he moves but just from what I remember from last year he was looking pretty burnt.

The idea is the right one, though the player probably isn't.

 

[Ola]

I’d look no further than what Tampa did at the trade deadline last year as a blueprint for the Rangers. And not coincidentally, I’d also be looking at a few of those players who are going UFA at the end of this season as possible additions.

Amen, no doubt.

Look, you can either (a) try to find an elite player who is tough and gritty or (b) you can find a few midgets with elite skill and a couple of behemoths to complement that skill.

What is easier from a roster building POV? What is easier to fit in under the cap?

From my POV, you should always build a team with a plan to be able to carry 2-3 gritty tough wingers with size, even if they aren’t that good players.

And to be able to do that, it’s an absolute necessity to have a lot of speed and quickness at center ice. It’s what Detroit always have done. It’s what Tampa have done.

There is definitely a big disconnect in the hockey world between what actually works and what is stated to work in the POs. There is so much talk about that you need size at center ice. Looking at the teams that actually wins, you could argue that it’s the opposite basically. And teams that has the best combo of size and skill at center ice (like Winnipeg and Nashville) haven’t done that well.

The difference between the NHL and Moneyball in baseball isn’t that there arent issues in hockey, I am sure they are just as compareable to what we saw in Baseball, it’s just that they can’t be exposed with stats in the same way.

 

[Ola]

Eh, Jenner is exactly the kind of grit this team hurts themselves with which I would like to avoid.

He runs around bouncing off stuff because he can't actually keep up.

Over the last 3 years, Columbus has 47% of the shots and 46% of the goals when he's on the ice.

I get what you mean, but this is exactly what I mean when I point at that you must have a team that can carry size, that is the key, not the size itself.

Pat Maroon can certainly be a negative factor in a ton of environments, but in a few in can be effective.

If you want to copy what Tampa did, you can’t go out and just get Maroon and Goodrow. It’s Point, Gourde, Johnson and co that enables these guys. The Ds that can move the puck.

 

[jay from jersey]

Bennett wasn't traded "on the cheap". No doubt the Rangers felt the price was steep (good prospect + 2nd). If the ask was a good prospect, say Jones and a 2nd I see why the Rangers hesitated. Jones, Miller, Lundkvist have potentially a huge upside and it's hard to say at this point exactly what the Rangers have got there. Heineman, to me, projects as Hornqvist 2.0, which is something different entirely. Good solid player but not quite the level of prospect as Jones et al. ADA would have been perfect but he shat the nest.

Your way higher on Heineman then I am. Nothing special there as far as I’m concerned. As far as the 2nd, many will say that’s a high price to pay for a 3rd or 4th liner, and it is. However, Bennett has name recognition from his high draft status. He’s only 24 with room to improve, kinda Like that strome Guy. Hes got a great playoff record, does all the intangible/ physical stuff you want in the bottom 6.
The ranger 2nd would def have been higher. IMO
Hajek+ 2nd or Gauthier + 2nd would have got it done. Both of those guys may not have spots here come next year. For a Physical Bottom 6 center it’s fair. they surely wanted to ship him East in case he progresses like he’s doing now. Gorts asleep at the wheel as far as I’m concerned

 

[bobbop]

His stats aren't terrible.

Is he a defensive liability? Can't skate?

Basically is a cooked Hjalmarsson in fall 2021 better than a Brendan Smith these last few weeks or Jack Johnson this season for 1/5 the price?

He’s failed my eye test and he no longer is getting the tough matchups. I wish I had better news. Loved Nick in his prime.

 

[2014nyr]

I don't think we're slow, but we're not a team with particularly fast skaters, especially from a standstill. It would be good to add that element, and as you say and as @Ola has said a ton, at center it's a real weakness. I'm not sure though that the whole personelle needs to change, or whether it's possible to rearrange the lineup in a way that helps mitigate that weakness. If you had Zibanejad, Panarin, and Strome all on separate lines, then you can attach wingers (and center) with the requisite wheels to their lines.

Lafreniere-Zibanejad
Panarin-Chytil
Kreider-Strome

Those are all pairings that could be, at worst, the basis of a good second line. Then you have your RWs: Kakko, Buchnevich, Kravtsov that can mix and match into it.

Personally, I'd love to see this:

Panarin-Chytil-Buvchnevich

Our three best even strength scorers all stacked together. Chytil has a lot in his game that's reminiscent of PLD who meshed so well with Panarin in Columbus. Between he and Buchnevich there is plenty of speed and strength to play low in the defensive zone, transport Panarin passes through the neutral zone, and to retreive pucks and create a lot of space and havok in the O-zone that Panarin would be able to exploit. Three players who can all pass and shoot, but especially for Panarin, two players who can put a lot of pressure on opposing teams, finish plays, and let him do his thing all over the ice.

Lafreniere-Zibanejad-Kakko

We need Zibanejad to play like a center again. He has it in him to commit to puck battles, cover for his wingers, and to win territory all over the ice. Playing him with the two youngest Rangers, who are themselves jam-packed with talent and creativity, might put that kind of onus on Zibanejad again. Between Lafreniere's dual threat as a playmaker and shooter, Kakko's boardwork and ability to move the puck to the most dangerous player (the player coming up the ice with the most speed, or who's opened up in the offensive zone), and a Zibanejad like the one in 2018-19 who is committed to making the right decision in every small play rather than flying the zone every chance he has, I think you could have the makings of a fantastic line.

Kreider-Strome-Kravtsov

Strome—by most any metric (and especially the eyes)—is not a traditional center for a shut-down line, but out of he, Zibanejad, and Chytil, I think he's the most promising pick for that kind of role. And to be clear, this isn't a traditional shut-down line. In some ways, I'd think of it as a decoy in that respect. What it really could be is a line that can get us out of our zone in a hurry. Strome has the vision, and as a RH shot, he can find and send Kreider easily on the left wing. Kravstov we've seen is a player who's harnessed the will to commit to details, but is capable of covering a ton of ice, not just N-S but E-W. It's a line with a lot of speed to burn and a center who can activate that speed.


You can have a team, for example like the 2016 Sharks, that aren't filled with fast skaters, but who control the pace of the game and always keep themselves a step ahead of the opposition because of the depth of talent, the creativity and intelligence, and the right compositions of particular skills meshed together. A team like that can always be on the attack because the attack comes in waves and doesn't stop. Hockey in 2021 might be a game defined by speed more than in the past, but it will always be a game defined by momentum. Speed matters less than whether you play on your toes or on your heels. And a roster like ours—filled with literal children and veterans who love to play pond hockey—isn't going to just fit together and gel that way from the get-go, but if given time and mixed together in the right combinations, I think they are plenty capable of becoming a force. Players can learn and realize that you don't need to score a goal to win a shift, you don't need to make a crazy play to turn the tide of a game in your favor: what you need is to support one another, pull in the same direction, and impose yourselves as a group onto the game.

Some Saturday morning hangover thoughts for you

this is great. the general sentiment especially in looking to create lines that can sustain more of a drive and pace that creates an attack in waves. right now the strome line especially is a disaster in physical, tight games because they play so slow together - and to me that issue is particularly with strome who is useless in in-zone support and being able to create controlled breakouts - that line is consistently hemmed in until one of the wings can get a ring up the boards forced out of the zone. the mika line has been better with laf because he's ready for that role and kreider was an awful fit, but buch has fallen off lately. anyways, i would be fine if this was what we went into next season with. i think its a good balance of what we have and the groups compliment each other pretty well. that said, interested to hear your thoughts on lines with the same ideas in mind but a little different assembly:

keep laf/mika/buch togeether. i think this works, and i think laf takes a massive year 1 to year 2 leap, which changes some dynamics here - he's going to get a lot faster and i imagine begins to impose himself physically as he always has, especially when he's felt its needed. that will add a lot to their consistency. offensively by next year he will be borderline elite if not there. the only change i consider is putting kravtsov on the right.

the panarin line is where i think the org needs to really put a priority on improving dramatically. i'm not exactly sure what it looks like, but it will be different, and to be better it has to be - i'm open to ideas here. i think strome is gone this summer. he just is not good enough. he cannot play at the fast and physical pace the best teams play at and it removes panarin from the game completely. strome just kills us in these isles and bruins games. he and panarin are good together in wide open games because he has time and space to move with the puck and he's skilled at doing that, and smart enough to play with panarin then. every single "big" game we've played with them...0 offense, liability defensively. panarins gift is not being a guy who's on the puck all game, hes not a dynamic attacker or one on one player...his gift is his hockey sense for reading and feeling the play and getting into the right places to get the puck to shoot or create from. thats why he and kane were so electric, why he and atkinson and pld were good. kane is one of the best of all time at carrying the puck and attacking with pace and panarin could play off of that. atkinson was another dynamo pace wise who backed teams off, and then pld was very differrent, but had the same effect in controlling the puck, driving play, and creating space to jump into. he's an assassin. strome cannot do that at an elite level, he plays pond hockey, but he's not fast enough to drive play against good defensive teams and back them off, nor strong enough to play through contact. which is why i'm good with your idea of pairing him with chytil, who will drive play with speed, back teams off, hound pucks etc...thats what he needs. but ideally this is where we use some trade chips to find someone - doesn't need to be elite, just a play driver who has some skill. like i think we could take tyler johnson off tampas hands for cheap, maybe a cam atkinson in columbus if they're looking to make changes, who knows if florida is open to moving bennett with barkovs contract approaching...i'm not set on any one player here, but its a critical element of what we can be next year. and maybe barron is a guy, his game might look comparable to a pdl - if he can get near that level or show the potential maybe you start there and make a move if he can't cut it. whatever we do, we need to prioritize this. you're paying panarin 11mm a year, he's proven he can produce in the playoffs, you need to get him someone who allows him to do what he does best when it matters most. to do that you need someone whos going to lug the mail up ice, can use either speed or strength to do that and back teams off and create space for him to exploit. kakko on the other side is good with me, i'd be ok with kravtsov or buch too.

the 3rd line, while i mentioned i was ok with trying chytil/panarin, i'm inclined to use him as the 3rd line guy. i really like the kreider/chytil/kakko line. kreider looked better than he has in a long time here because they just played straight line hockey up ice, and went to work with size and strength down low. having two guys with the speed kreider / chytil have is a problem, and kakko is already as good as almost anyone on the wall which will only get better. and as a shutdown line chytils combo of size and skating will make him a matchup nightmare for anyone - and he's much more willing to get involved physically and covers way more ice than a strome / much stronger in general. this is the kinda line that can make top lines nights miserable because they can feel everywhere and they'll spend a lot of time making them defend in hard areas.

at the end of the day i think the biggest thing though is what you hit on which is putting together a team that has a lot more push to its attack. we just don't make teams defend nearly enough right now. and when we do theres never any purpose to the way we attack when we get possession - just move it around outside until we put a put a puck in someones feet with a guy on their back or my personal favorite - the rocket pass through the slot to either no one or a cutting dman with 2 sticks on him that gives a free odd man rush. if we don't get rush chances and are forced to play smallball we're impotent, esp at the top of the lineup. beyond any amalgamation of the pieces in trying to find the right balance, the mindset of how we go about creating offense needs to change.

 

[jay from jersey]

this is great. the general sentiment especially in looking to create lines that can sustain more of a drive and pace that creates an attack in waves. right now the strome line especially is a disaster in physical, tight games because they play so slow together - and to me that issue is particularly with strome who is useless in in-zone support and being able to create controlled breakouts - that line is consistently hemmed in until one of the wings can get a ring up the boards forced out of the zone. the mika line has been better with laf because he's ready for that role and kreider was an awful fit, but buch has fallen off lately. anyways, i would be fine if this was what we went into next season with. i think its a good balance of what we have and the groups compliment each other pretty well. that said, interested to hear your thoughts on lines with the same ideas in mind but a little different assembly:

keep laf/mika/buch togeether. i think this works, and i think laf takes a massive year 1 to year 2 leap, which changes some dynamics here - he's going to get a lot faster and i imagine begins to impose himself physically as he always has, especially when he's felt its needed. that will add a lot to their consistency. offensively by next year he will be borderline elite if not there. the only change i consider is putting kravtsov on the right.

the panarin line is where i think the org needs to really put a priority on improving dramatically. i'm not exactly sure what it looks like, but it will be different, and to be better it has to be - i'm open to ideas here. i think strome is gone this summer. he just is not good enough. he cannot play at the fast and physical pace the best teams play at and it removes panarin from the game completely. strome just kills us in these isles and bruins games. he and panarin are good together in wide open games because he has time and space to move with the puck and he's skilled at doing that, and smart enough to play with panarin then. every single "big" game we've played with them...0 offense, liability defensively. panarins gift is not being a guy who's on the puck all game, hes not a dynamic attacker or one on one player...his gift is his hockey sense for reading and feeling the play and getting into the right places to get the puck to shoot or create from. thats why he and kane were so electric, why he and atkinson and pld were good. kane is one of the best of all time at carrying the puck and attacking with pace and panarin could play off of that. atkinson was another dynamo pace wise who backed teams off, and then pld was very differrent, but had the same effect in controlling the puck, driving play, and creating space to jump into. he's an assassin. strome cannot do that at an elite level, he plays pond hockey, but he's not fast enough to drive play against good defensive teams and back them off, nor strong enough to play through contact. which is why i'm good with your idea of pairing him with chytil, who will drive play with speed, back teams off, hound pucks etc...thats what he needs. but ideally this is where we use some trade chips to find someone - doesn't need to be elite, just a play driver who has some skill. like i think we could take tyler johnson off tampas hands for cheap, maybe a cam atkinson in columbus if they're looking to make changes, who knows if florida is open to moving bennett with barkovs contract approaching...i'm not set on any one player here, but its a critical element of what we can be next year. and maybe barron is a guy, his game might look comparable to a pdl - if he can get near that level or show the potential maybe you start there and make a move if he can't cut it. whatever we do, we need to prioritize this. you're paying panarin 11mm a year, he's proven he can produce in the playoffs, you need to get him someone who allows him to do what he does best when it matters most. to do that you need someone whos going to lug the mail up ice, can use either speed or strength to do that and back teams off and create space for him to exploit. kakko on the other side is good with me, i'd be ok with kravtsov or buch too.

the 3rd line, while i mentioned i was ok with trying chytil/panarin, i'm inclined to use him as the 3rd line guy. i really like the kreider/chytil/kakko line. kreider looked better than he has in a long time here because they just played straight line hockey up ice, and went to work with size and strength down low. having two guys with the speed kreider / chytil have is a problem, and kakko is already as good as almost anyone on the wall which will only get better. and as a shutdown line chytils combo of size and skating will make him a matchup nightmare for anyone - and he's much more willing to get involved physically and covers way more ice than a strome / much stronger in general. this is the kinda line that can make top lines nights miserable because they can feel everywhere and they'll spend a lot of time making them defend in hard areas.

at the end of the day i think the biggest thing though is what you hit on which is putting together a team that has a lot more push to its attack. we just don't make teams defend nearly enough right now. and when we do theres never any purpose to the way we attack when we get possession - just move it around outside until we put a put a puck in someones feet with a guy on their back or my personal favorite - the rocket pass through the slot to either no one or a cutting dman with 2 sticks on him that gives a free odd man rush. if we don't get rush chances and are forced to play smallball we're impotent, esp at the top of the lineup. beyond any amalgamation of the pieces in trying to find the right balance, the mindset of how we go about creating offense needs to change.

Right on the money with a lot of points here. Strome/panarin line for sure gets abused in tight physical games. That’s definitely a big problem that has to be remedied going forward