Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXX: MOAR sandpaper, guts & glory?

[duhmetreE]

That is it right there. If just ZBad was to be half the player of last year the record looks very different.

For some context, let's look at on-ice shooting percentages:

Kaapo Kakko - 6.32%
Artemi Panarin - 5.68%
Chris Kreider - 4.88%
Jacob Trouba - 4.55%
Adam Fox - 3.97%
Mika Zibanejad - 3.80%
Alexis Lafreniere - 2.08%

Who is winning with that?

It's a double edged sword. Those percentages are indicative of our system. No, not all of the shots are low%, but it's a staggering high number if I had to guess.

If EVERYONE in the top6 is having an abysmally low shot%, something is wrong.... and it's not the individual. It's not isolated to an individual or two. It's team wide and it's apart of a bigger problem

We're a perimeter team that pads the shots from low% angles. Some of our analytics may look good but it's smoke and mirrors IMO

 

[RangersFan1994]

 

[kovazub94]

We can disagree. That's fine. Is he "afraid" to bench Kreider or is he trying to exhaust his options for getting him back on track before going there? Some players respond well to demotions and benchings and others are better served with a talking to and an opportunity to play through it. Older players tend to get far more leash and often land more towards the latter.

It has been LONG overdue. Compare this to how quickly he’s been able without hesitation to pull the trigger on benching Buchnevich. If it were Buch, he’d be sitting from game 1 and / or would be a multiple game healthy scratch by now. Instead in practice Kreider is again our 1LW. Disgusting at this point and I’m pretty patient when it comes to calling out a particular player.

 

[RickChartraw]

7years/6.5aav for a guy who just disappears - what kind of decision making is this? Are you reading this Davidson!?

 

[DutchShamrock]

It's been the same problem forever. Inconsistent effort. Lack of battle. Poor work ethic. When those aren't issues, the organization has success. When they get comfy and take short cuts, its goes off the rails quick.

The lack of scoring and winning isn't the disease, its the symptom. They don't work hard consistently, therefore the "puck luck" magically disappears. The results go away.

They looked really good against Boston because they rose to the occasion and played their asses off. Yeah, the goals didn't come because they are shooting at a horrendous rate. They tried to coast to a sure win last night and looked terrible.

 

[Leetch3]

So Trouba goes on the LTIR and we get 8 million in cap room now, right?

LTIR lets you spend over the cap but you'd need to be below to take him off IR (or be tampa and wait till the playoffs).

 

[kovazub94]

What I mean is start rotating in younger players over marginal veterans. Not advocating blowing things up, but they should spend the rest of the season getting looks at younger players.

Reunanen should be playing over Smith/Johnson. Hajek should stay in the lineup over Bitteto. Gauthier should stay in the lineup as well.

It should be Kreider, not Lafreniere, on the third line. Wall should be playing more in Hartford.

Agree pretty much with all of these. Reunanen is the only one who hasn’t been playing. Kreider should be scratched and Lafreniere is the likeliest option to be his replacement.

There’s one idea I have been musings is how to get Kakko and Buch to play on the same line. Wondering if Kakko could play LW because we’ve seen that Buchnevich can’t.

Kakko - Zibanejad - Buchnevich

Panarin - Strome - Gauthier (PDG)

Lafreniere - Howden - PDG (Gauthier)

 

[FultonReed]

 

[Fitzy]

They looked really good against Boston because they rose to the occasion and played their asses off. Yeah, the goals didn't come because they are shooting at a horrendous rate. They tried to coast to a sure win last night and looked terrible.

It was baffling. The Rangers noticeably let up on the effort after both tying goals last night.

There is no drive, which makes it even more infuriating when guys like Kreider and Strome openly admit that the effort was poor. Then do something about it, you dolts. You're supposed to be the veteran leaders.

 

[duhmetreE]

We need Alpha-type personalities.

I know people do not like Babcock but he fits that mold. Someone needs to bring order to this team. If it's not going to be the players, it has to be the coach.

 

[duhmetreE]

oh no! his shot accuracy

 

[pld459666]

Wins and losses aside as we all want wins, but sometimes that's not gonna happen and are not in our control

What is in our control is preparation and effort and on too many nights both are lacking significantly.

THATS a problem.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Oh man.

 

[Daves a mess]

4-6 weeks is a broken hand or something like that for trouba. Brutal

Jeff Gorton has Brendan Smith Libor Hajek Ryan Lindgren a kid in KAndre they loved over the summer break and Tarmo for the left side.

they chose to sign Bitetto and Johnson for some reason and decided not to sign one right handed dman knowing all you had was 8 23 and a volatile 77 who clearly was getting close to last straw status. They had dealt away keane and failed to sign lundkvist. So one injury to the right side would be tough to overcome. Two guys out? You’re screwed and here we are.

Smitty can play right side. But yeah. Still screwed. Call me nuts but I think Raddyish can play 3rd pair right side minutes.

 

[GoAwayGiannone]

Oh man. Did anyone see what happened?

It was too far up his ass during that deflection goal.

 

[Fitzy]

Oh but hey- silver lining to the Trouba injury??? K'Andre Miller may get his chance on the power play.

 

[bleedblue94]

Well we are about to see trouba's value. People will wonder why fox's play drops in two weeks after playing 30 mins a night and pking again. Trouba is so underappreciated for the matchup minutes he plays and it's not really a surprise that fox and lindgren were on for the 3rd period goals last night while trouba was out. Maybe the best thing to happen for NYR is to have an outbreak of the mumps and have a couple weeks off at this point...

 

[Fitzy]

Smitty can play right side. But yeah. Still screwed. Call me nuts but I think Raddyish can play 3rd pair right side minutes.

Raddysh isn't any worse than Bitteto so it wouldn't be a downgrade.

 

[duhmetreE]

Oh but hey- silver lining to the Trouba injury??? K'Andre Miller may get his chance on the power play.

Might be giving the coaching staff too much credit though.

 

[NYblades]

It's been one starter injured per game, unreal!

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

In the season prediction thread I said this team would start off slow, and then hit their stride and then be derailed by injuries.

Looks like the injury bug came a lot sooner and their "stride" was getting 8 out of out a possible 12 points Jan/Feb, with only 2 reg wins

 

[Daves a mess]

Bag skate today? Somebody tell me yes. Please.

 

[Raspewtin]

Well we are about to see trouba's value. People will wonder why fox's play drops in two weeks after playing 30 mins a night and pking again. Trouba is so underappreciated for the matchup minutes he plays and it's not really a surprise that fox and lindgren were on for the 3rd period goals last night while trouba was out. Maybe the best thing to happen for NYR is to have an outbreak of the mumps and have a couple weeks off at this point...

fox has gotten more and more difficult minutes than trouba every game

 

[Fitzy]

Might be giving the coaching staff too much credit though.

Normally I'd be critical but the options are Miller or one of Smith, Bitteto, Lindgren, and Hajek, so I think I'm safe

 

[Trxjw]

It has been LONG overdue. Compare this to how quickly he’s been able without hesitation to pull the trigger on benching Buchnevich. If it were Buch, he’d be sitting from game 1 and / or would be a multiple game healthy scratch by now. Instead in practice Kreider is again our 1LW. Disgusting at this point and I’m pretty patient when it comes to calling out a particular player.

Again, it comes down to how the coach perceives different players and how they respond. Quinn was ripped his first year here by letting Pionk work through his mistakes while keeping Tony on a short leash. Both players went on to develop just fine -- at least in terms of talent.

Quinn may feel that Buch responds better to that treatment than Kreider would. Do I think Kreids deserves a benching? Sure, but I trust the coach with the inside information to make the right call.