Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXXI: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Machinehead]

If you wanna talk about playing a more straight ahead, physical brand of *hockey* them I'm absolutely with you.

As far as the thuggery against the Capitals, I'm pretty satisfied. First of all, the Caps couldn't beat us this year when we were healthy.

Lindgren hit Ovechkin so hard he got handsome for a minute, and then he stood in front of Washington's whole team and laughed at them. When Little Thomas got involved, he wouldn't even look in Lindgren's direction.

Wilson picked on our powerplay unit and then made up an injury so he could hide from the response, which included Buchnevich trying to kill a man. I don't think that went poorly at all.

And the Caps are winning the Cup anytime soon like my cat is winning the Cup anytime soon.

 

[SRHRangers]

Sure, but the same thing may happen with Jones or Lundkvist if/when they are traded because the Rangers just can't keep them all for reasons.

No offense to Jones or Lundkvist, but neither are 6'5" and skates like the wind.

Miller is a physical specimen

 

[DanielBrassard]

Jamie Olesiak checks a lot of boxes for us if we could sign him short and reasonable

He should be a target no question.

 

[CLW]

No offense to Jones or Lundkvist, but neither are 6'5" and skates like the wind.

Miller is a physical specimen

Indeed, he is also prone to gaffes, always has been. Size isn't everything. So as I said, it depends on how you rate these guys and more importantly how the organization and other GMs rate them.

 

[Fitzy]

I see Reunanen and Jones as the trade bait on the left side, not Miller or Robertson.

That changes if Lundkvist is dealt, but I don’t think that Fox Lundkvist and Jones can coexist on a roster.

 

[LokiDog]

I see Reunanen and Jones as the trade bait on the left side, not Miller or Robertson.

That changes if Lundkvist is dealt, but I don’t think that Fox Lundkvist and Jones can coexist on a roster.

My take exactly. Jones may well be very good. I think the team is pretty invested in Lundkvist and Jones will be packaged with some other asset this summer or sometime next year.

 

[Kodiak]

Jamie Olesiak checks a lot of boxes for us if we could sign him short and reasonable

I don’t think he’s going to sign for what we would want him to sign for. He’s 28 and plays top 4 minutes on a decent team. That makes him desirable to contenders and someone is probably going to throw a longer term deal his way.

Usually, if you are a rebuilding team looking to sign a veteran short-term, you’re looking at free agents that are older and less desirable to contending teams.

 

[JohnC]

If you wanna talk about playing a more straight ahead, physical brand of *hockey* them I'm absolutely with you.

As far as the thuggery against the Capitals, I'm pretty satisfied. First of all, the Caps couldn't beat us this year when we were healthy.

Lindgren hit Ovechkin so hard he got handsome for a minute, and then he stood in front of Washington's whole team and laughed at them. When Little Thomas got involved, he wouldn't even look in Lindgren's direction.

Wilson picked on our powerplay unit and then made up an injury so he could hide from the response, which included Buchnevich trying to kill a man. I don't think that went poorly at all.

And the Caps are winning the Cup anytime soon like my cat is winning the Cup anytime soon.

No one seems to remember early on this season when the team was finally playing structured, good defense hockey, but they were just snake bitten and couldn’t score.

Then somewhere along the way they flipped a switch and started playing their shitty, unstructured, fire wagon hockey that got us to where we ended up by the time the season was wrapping up.

 

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

No offense to Jones or Lundkvist, but neither are 6'5" and skates like the wind.

Miller is a physical specimen

Like mcilrath and Jessiman.




I kid, I kid. Sort of. Mostly.

 

[Machinehead]

No one seems to remember early on this season when the team was finally playing structured, good defense hockey, but they were just snake bitten and couldn’t score.

Then somewhere along the way they flipped a switch and started playing their shitty, unstructured, fire wagon hockey that got us to where we ended up by the time the season was wrapping up.

Right and this is why I don't want major upheaval. I just want one good forechecker and a coach.

 

[Fitzy]

There just aren't very many good options in UFA at LD.

This team desperately needs a left handed Kevin Klein type contract in a trade.

We've got an extra expansion draft defenseman protection slot. Let's make a trade for a solid veteran LD on a reasonable contract that one of these teams with a lot of veteran blueliners would have to expose. There have got to be a number of viable options there.

 

[RangersFan1994]

I see Reunanen and Jones as the trade bait on the left side, not Miller or Robertson.

That changes if Lundkvist is dealt, but I don’t think that Fox Lundkvist and Jones can coexist on a roster.

Jones has looked better than Miller as of late. personally I’d deal Miller and take my chances, . He still has more trade value. Lundkvist will replace Miller.

 

[Fitzy]

Jones has looked better than Miller as of late. personally I’d deal Miller and take my chances, . He still has more trade value. Lundkvist will replace Miller.

Jones hasn’t been given the minutes and matchups that Miller has been of late.

Miller has been used as a second pairing guy all season and a first pairing guy since Lindgren was injured

 

[jay from jersey]

He’s done nothing yet. Prospects are projections. We have no idea if he’ll make it. Hoping for the best. Gorton left us with a great prospect pool. Not all will make it. If we are looking to turn the corner as Dolan has directed some of our posters, then I look to on ice performance. Everything else is wishful thinking.

Neither is lundkvist, Schneider, Jones etc until they play. Ultimately we’re going to be stuck in a situation of having too many bodies for these spots. Maybe you can park 2 guys in Hartford for a half year to a year max. But they are all around the same age range and all close to being nhl ready. Some are going to be used in deals whether we like it or not.
TBH I’m rooting for a guy like skinner to make it. He has a shot to be an excellent 3rd pair D. He’s the long shot. Robertson, Miller, Schneider, Jones and Lundkvist are going to be for sure nhl D. They are all better players then Hajek already. How good they become is the question. They are past the stage of if they make it.

 

[Savant]

Like mcilrath and Jessiman.




I kid, I kid. Sort of. Mostly.

Jessiman was an unmitigated disaster and never should have been picked.

McIlrath there was hope for but you knew it wasn’t going to work out when his knee exploded during his first training camp.

McIlrath is also kind of a cautionary tale about overdrafting toughness

 

[JohnC]

Right and this is why I don't want major upheaval. I just want one good forechecker and a coach.

Facts. We KNOW they can play a game that goes toe to toe with the best teams in the division. They just need a coach and a bit more personnel that will have them executing it consistently.

They barely made any changes to the roster over the course of this season, yet the first half compared to the second half felt like watching two completely different teams.

 

[Ola]

This sounds eerily similar to the thought process that lead to McIlrath

I probably have my own take on that. We had very little puck moving ability and top talent when McIlrath was here. He came in and actually played perfectly OK next to Yandle. Everyone — really — was like great, McI has arrived. Then Klein and Boyle returned and he never saw the ice again, when he did he had been sitting for a couple of months literarily. The last thing he needed was to “not” play.

Under different circumstances, I think McI could have been fine. Obviously his play has taken a toll on him and he hasn’t been able to keep pushing to get where you must be. He got a different role being a goon in the AHL fairly fast, must add more muscle and what not, to play in the NHL he should have aimed at the opposite. So be it.

MY POINT IS JUST, the right guy at the right place can make a heck of a difference. Sean Avery in NY was a perfect example. If he goes to like Calgary instead that had what he brought and maybe was looking for something else, he is maybe a fringe player most of his career and never get the impact he had for us.

I can guarantee that if anyone comes here and just is OK, but raises hell and can take on the tougher customers around us — everyone would love him for just that. Vancouver is a place for dreamers, it doesn’t matter if it’s Zach Kassian, they have already cashed in on him being Cam Neely II when the pick was made and everything else is a disappointment after that. Other times it works in the other direction, and players can really take the faith given to them and fly with it. Näslund is a perfect example. Same with Virtanenen. If you are a hot head that buy the hype — it’s tough to get back.

Ultimately, he could be someone we should have zero interest in. I have no clue, don’t know him. But just because he isn’t a model citizen, I wouldn’t write him off.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Nils is likely to be traded IMO.

felt that way before the last 2 weeks, only further cemented after everything that has transpired.

 

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

Jessiman was an unmitigated disaster and never should have been picked.

McIlrath there was hope for but you knew it wasn’t going to work out when his knee exploded during his first training camp.

McIlrath is also kind of a cautionary tale about overdrafting toughness

I know. My point is that physical speciman isn't the end all be all. But I am hopeful that Miller learns how to use his physicality.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Jones hasn’t been given the minutes and matchups that Miller has been of late.

Miller has been used as a second pairing guy all season and a first pairing guy since Lindgren was injured

I know. Personally in Jones I see Krug, he has mad some plays both sides of the puck., in Miller i see Marc Staal. I thought Miller would be more physical that can skate not open ice like Trouba but winning board battles and not playing soft, so he is like Staal but the bad version..

 

[jay from jersey]

Jessiman was an unmitigated disaster and never should have been picked.

McIlrath there was hope for but you knew it wasn’t going to work out when his knee exploded during his first training camp.

McIlrath is also kind of a cautionary tale about overdrafting toughness

Wasn’t just toughness, he had that in spades but he was incredibly Raw and big. The knee injury killed his mobility and he never developed the other skills that made scouts like him in the first place. Taking him over Tarashenko was as bad as it gets on the draft floor.
Guys like Berard and Vietminh are chippy players with attitude which is good. But they are lacking in size. Rangers used to draft guys like Dubinsky and Callahan with their mid rounders but they went for skill on a home run pick cause we literally lacked it for so many years

 

[Igor Shestyorkin]

No offense to Jones or Lundkvist, but neither are 6'5" and skates like the wind.

Miller is a physical specimen

Physical specimen doesn't always make the best hockey player. Skating like the wind doesn't always mean a ton if you don't maximize that ability(as of now, Miller doesn't). I like him a lot but honestly I would put a lot of chips in the bag on Lundkvist becoming better, personally. I'm also very high on him so I could be biased.

Jones I like but also see as more of like a middle pairing PMD type who won't ever be spectacular but certainly is pretty good and has a role, is more of a 2nd-3rd pair guy and 2nd PP guy.

Certainly would probably deal Jones if I had to.

Feel like trading Lundkvist would be a big mistake for NYR.

 

[Ola]

Nils is likely to be traded IMO.

felt that way before the last 2 weeks, only further cemented after everything that has transpired.

Though we really need his puck moving ability no matter what.

I am not so sure that he goes, but you could be right. I just think if that move is done, we probably underestimate the importance that ability would be for us. We just don’t have the super quick centers other teams have around us. The only way to bridge for that is to have Ds that really can move the puck. It’s night and day when Fox is on for us, and his 22 minutes aren’t enough. Not to mention what will happen when he gets hurt.

I love Jones, maybe he is an alternative to Nils, with Schneider at RD. Could work. But I do think Nils really could grow learning from Fox.

Tough one!

 

[I Eat Crow]

Nils is likely to be traded IMO.

felt that way before the last 2 weeks, only further cemented after everything that has transpired.

Then the only acceptable return is for a player like Eichel or a young, comparable center like Zegras. Lundkvist is a special talent, and I have this gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach that the Rangers will rue the day they traded him. Please send him West if he absolutely must be dealt.

 

[Fitzy]

I know. Personally in Jones I see Krug, he has mad some plays both sides of the puck., in Miller i see Marc Staal. I thought Miller would be more physical that can skate not open ice like Trouba but winning board battles and not playing soft, so he is like Staal but the bad version..

Krug is a great optimistic comparable for Jones. I see a lot of Brady Skjei in K'Andre, both in a good and a bad way. The guy in this organization who reminds me of a potential next Marc Staal is Robertson, for sure.

I'm not advocating to trade any blueliner over another, though I don't see a path to the NHL in this organization for either Reunanen or Skinner right now. But I doubt management is going to be as cautious this offseason about moving out pieces as I would be.