Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXXIV: 2021: “The Fun has begun” or “Over & done”?

[DutchShamrock]

We have young players, and if you choose to use it, time. We have another high draft pick coming. There is no reason to jump in on Eichel before we get more information. Calgary will be gutting their core. Nashville too. Bettman just confirmed the strangle hold on the cap. Someone will have to part with quality to get breathing room. For once, please Gorton, use the cap space as an asset.

If things break right, we draft a top 6 center. Zibanejad regains form this season. It becomes a buyer's market this summer and we upgrade Strome with a two way center.

Kakko and Lafreniere take another step. Kratsov, Barron, Pajuneimi, Cuylle on the radar. Lundkvist joins the varsity. Jones, Robertson, Schneider, Reunanen knocking on the door.

Use the rest of the year to assess the coaching. Clear change on defense between Ruff and Martin. Offense is still a product of Panarin and Zibanejad for the most part. Is the general lack of effectiveness an experience thing? A grit thing they tried to address last draft? A leadership void? Is it Quinn? Not a rhetorical question.

 

[Off Sides]

For sure, I would like any of those other guys thought I think only Glass, Krebs or Newhook would be available...

And by available, I mean available for Zibanejad.

My basis is the Rangers made the Trade for #7 pick and also drafted Chytil

Announced a rebuild, ballsy

Okay, they trade for Howden, Hajek soon after

They drafted #1, 2, 9, 19, 22, 28, and a bunch others past 1st round, and much of that is looking good or at least seems to be progressing even if slowly.

They also traded for Fox, Lindgren, etc

Pretty good, not all home runs, yet I firmly believe that will be their foundation over the next 5-10 years, and maybe longer if they keep to that tract.

Will that be good enough? I really don't know, yet I am pretty sure what they currently have as vets is not going to cut it.

So yeah if it takes Zbad being traded to have the return be added to that, clause and all, or any other vet, clause, contract and all, then yeah I'd be for it.

 

[QJL]

I don’t think we see the big center acquisition until one of these 4 things happens.

Eichel demands out after his NTC kicks in giving him slight leverage to go where he wants. (hoping us)

Florida doesn’t keep it together and Barkov decides to test UFA to pursue a Cup. NYR inquires about a trade at the deadline or signs him UFA.

We don’t find our footing this season and Beniers becomes a real possibility.

We stay the path and eventually move up to draft one of the long list of potential #1 2022 centers.

 

[jay from jersey]

Miller is still as likely yo turn into Del Zotto as he is to turn into a franchise-defenseman for this team. It's early. And I am not worried. Let's hope he takes that next step the way Fox did.

Being with a veteran like trouba certainly helped his game. When Jake went down with his finger, Miller had to pick up the slack for the entire pair. He made rookie mistakes. That’s why you need a good mix of vets with these young guys too. Confidence is key

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Gauthier is the far more valuable player overall, role or not on this team. He is the more talented player and he has absolutely been way more effective than Lemieux/Howden/PDG.

Sure, over the last few games but where does he fit when Kravtsov and Barron come up? Answer....he doesn't. Lemieux can still have a role. Its kinda what I've said about Gauthier all year, he does a lot of things ok but he doesn't excel at anything and if he wants to play in the nhl he has to create a niche for himself. Everyome hates on Howden but he's worked on becoming a penalty killer and created a spot for himself. Gauthier, PDG, Rooney, their all place holders, and ill guarantee Lemieux is in against the bruins because they need his physical play.

 

[MrPodz]

I find it funny that we are discussing all of these things re eichel, larkin, barkov etc. But we still dont have a vet lol for the bottom 6. I dont mean a glass, i mean a former star who won it all or came close: corey perry, jason spezza,hell even ovi if he becomes available though we probably dont have room on the lw. We need someone to teach the kids bc if theyre learning from ahlers(the great black well), thats what theyre gonna take from him. Id rather we add a vet player as well as a star center. Fpr all our problems, center is oir biggesy issue just because we dont have players that can finish at that position. And look I think strome is a great one way player with some surprisingly good pk skills, but still. You needa upgrade. Id flip strome and add whatever for eichel. If you dont youre nuts. They also are not getting kakko, laf, fox, and most likely chytil. Sad as it is, kravstov and lundkvist are one of the pieces needed. Personally, i feel the trade price will underwhelm, same as when we traded for trouba(pionk(pp specialist) and a first rounder). So, for our return- given their poor d-core-> nyr trade 1st round 2022(though prefer it to be 2021 bc of stacked 2022 draft), nils (holds higher value), strome (salary dump), and a 2nd round pick. An a prospect, 1st round pick(though if top ten, switch nils for a lesser piece i.e jones or reunanen and salary to help out.

 

[apoptygma]

Would be fun if NYR with their 1. round pick in 2022 select Jack Hughes to be their future top-6 centre.
Jack Hughes at eliteprospects.com

 

[mas0764]

Bettman.

The players are going to owe the owners a lot of money. It will take years to pay it back and 'even-out' the 50/50 revenue split. Cap will be at or around 81M for the foreseeable future. Even if Revenue gets back to normal, Escrow will still be a fat chunk of players salary.

I think revenue is going to exceed “back to normal” though.

 

[mas0764]

If you think he's Duchene... sure.

I think he can be Brayden Point. IMO Style and skill brings him closer to Point

Larkin is already 24 though.

 

[pld459666]

Larkin is already 24 though.

25 tomorrow

 

[haohmaru]

Only the Rangers could find themselves in a situation where they have the 4th highest scoring defenseman in the league being worth less than a cheeseburger on the dollar menu at McD's. Can't make it up.

 

[RGY]

Sure, over the last few games but where does he fit when Kravtsov and Barron come up? Answer....he doesn't. Lemieux can still have a role. Its kinda what I've said about Gauthier all year, he does a lot of things ok but he doesn't excel at anything and if he wants to play in the nhl he has to create a niche for himself. Everyome hates on Howden but he's worked on becoming a penalty killer and created a spot for himself. Gauthier, PDG, Rooney, their all place holders, and ill guarantee Lemieux is in against the bruins because they need his physical play.

So were just penciling in Barron and Kravtsov over Gauthier now?

Gauthier doesn’t excel at anything? He uses his size and speed to push defenders back, creates zone time by barreling around defenders to get in deep, drives the net, plays with some physicality, and has an above average shot. Those attributes are much harder to come by than Penalty Killers such as Brett Howden or even agitators such as Lemieux.

Brett Howden really doesn’t do anything well other than somehow gaining the love of the head coach. He would be getting scratched on pretty much every other team in this league outside of maybe Ottawa and Detroit. He stinks. Lemieux, while he is an NHL player, is not someone you absolutely need to protect...he is replaceable.

The bottom line is its asset management. You dont go an expose Gauthier with his potential so that you can protect Brett f***ing Howden and Brendan Lemieux. Nope sorry.

 

[Vitto79]

Trade deadline a month away ?
Not much to offer really unless they sell high on a Strome , Buch or move out Lemieux

 

[Vitto79]

So were just penciling in Barron and Kravtsov over Gauthier now?

Gauthier doesn’t excel at anything? He uses his size and speed to push defenders back, creates zone time but barreling around defenders to get in deep, drives the net, plays with some physicality, and has an above average shot. Those attributes are much harder to come by than Penalty Killers such as Brett Howden or even agitators such as Lemieux.

Brett Howden really doesn’t do anything well other than somehow gaining the love of the head coach. He would be getting scratched on pretty much every other team in this league outside of maybe Ottawa and Detroit. He stinks. Lemieux, while he is an NHL player, is not someone you absolutely need to protect...he is replaceable.

The bottom line is its asset management. You dont go an expose Gauthier with his potential so that you can protect Brett f***ing Howden and Brendan Lemieux. Nope sorry.

its a long season but right now Gauthier seems to have that 3 RW spot and protection in expansion

when Kravtsov comes over though it’s interesting unless someone gets traded to open spots up

 

[TheBPA]

If you think he's Duchene... sure.

I think he can be Brayden Point. IMO Style and skill brings him closer to Point

Sorry but there’s no way he’s at Point’s level. He’s been in the league 6 years and has played 20 minutes a night for the last 3. There’s no “next level” that he’s reaching. He is what he is at this point. Which is a good enough player but he’s not a cornerstone.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

So were just penciling in Barron and Kravtsov over Gauthier now?

Gauthier doesn’t excel at anything? He uses his size and speed to push defenders back, creates zone time by barreling around defenders to get in deep, drives the net, plays with some physicality, and has an above average shot. Those attributes are much harder to come by than Penalty Killers such as Brett Howden or even agitators such as Lemieux.

Brett Howden really doesn’t do anything well other than somehow gaining the love of the head coach. He would be getting scratched on pretty much every other team in this league outside of maybe Ottawa and Detroit. He stinks. Lemieux, while he is an NHL player, is not someone you absolutely need to protect...he is replaceable.

The bottom line is its asset management. You dont go an expose Gauthier with his potential so that you can protect Brett f***ing Howden and Brendan Lemieux. Nope sorry.

Gauthier isn't special, say it with me. He's Benoit Pouliot without bite.

 

[Anthony5967]

Praying Traktor is eliminated so we can get Kravtsov here ASAP and watch Quinn go 12 round with him next, sitting him for guys like Howden and others. Or just playing him the regular 8 minutes.

 

[RGY]

Gauthier isn't special, say it with me. He's Benoit Pouliot without bite.

Nah I am good thanks. That is your opinion, which is a wrong one because Pouliot did not have the same speed, shot, or ability to just drive hard around defenders as Gauthier has over and over again. You can try and pass your feelings off of Gauthier being a nothing player as truths, but thats really just your opinion.


At the end of the day, I am banking my money with Gauthier’s potential/ceiling when determining who to protect in expansion. Forget roles. Roles are so much less prevalent in today’s hockey. You need scoring on all 3 lines, with the 4th being an energy line that has even has some talent on it from your young kids playing on ELCs. All the sudden Buch was a PKer this year. You can find other players to PK and replace Howden tomorrow.

 

[jay from jersey]

Gauthier isn't special, say it with me. He's Benoit Pouliot without bite.

I don’t know. To me, he’s getting better with every game. Looks like he’s gaining confidence with the puck. I wish he was more physical and would throw his body around more because he’s so damn big. He’s definitely a guy who plays better with better players. He still looks like he’s gonna get benched by Quinn for the slightest infraction so he is timid when it comes to taking chances. He’s not Teflon like howden . I hope he gets some more ice time. He’s proved everything there is to prove in the A. I would keep him at 3rd RW and feed him some more minutes. We traded Keane for him, so I don’t want to just throw him away in expansion for nothing

 

[NYR Viper]

Gauthier isn't special, say it with me. He's Benoit Pouliot without bite.

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you here...

 

[jay from jersey]

Trade deadline a month away ?
Not much to offer really unless they sell high on a Strome , Buch or move out Lemieux

The problem is, if they trade Lemieux we have absolutely no one else who does what he does. He hits, will fight, agitates, will pop in a goal here and there. He’s a good 4th LW. When he gets moved up in the line up and asked to do more is when he gets in trouble. He should be on a 4th line that uses the boards and cycles the puck. I would love to see the rangers either acquire via trade or sign an experienced 4th line guy this offseason. Preferably one that is good on face offs. Maybe even Bennett. I think a line of Lemieux -Bennett- Barron would be very good. They need to maximize these guys abilities and put them in a position to succeed, not make them play in spots were they are overmatched.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Nah I am good thanks. That is your opinion, which is a wrong one because Pouliot did not have the same speed, shot, or ability to just drive hard around defenders as Gauthier has over and over again. You can try and pass your feelings off of Gauthier being a nothing player as truths, but thats really just your opinion.


At the end of the day, I am banking my money with Gauthier’s potential/ceiling when determining who to protect in expansion. Forget roles. Roles are so much less prevalent in today’s hockey. You need scoring on all 3 lines, with the 4th being an energy line that has even has some talent on it from your young kids playing on ELCs. All the sudden Buch was a PKer this year. You can find other players to PK and replace Howden tomorrow.

And thats your opinion, which is wrong. I wasnt suggesting they keep howden over him, im pointing out that Gauthier has to define a role to stay here because its musical chairs and the music is about to stop when Kravtsov and Barron arrive. Gauthier does little with his speed or size, he had a couple decent games the last while but he's been pretty vanilla since he got here, he's the easiest player to replace outside of PDG since he has no role here. Saying he backs teams off with his speed is a severe reach, you think teams are worried about playing against him? Not at all, he's in the same grouping as PDG, Rooney, Howden or Lemieux. He is fighting for a roster spot most weeks. The only difference in those guys is that Howden and Lemieux have a role on the team that separates them. Gauthier's are a dime a dozen until they carve a role out and he should have done that long before now. I think we have room to protect him anyway but I wouldn't go out and buy a jersey.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you here...

Where does he play when Kravtsov and Barron inevitability arrive?

 

[Synergy27]

So were just penciling in Barron and Kravtsov over Gauthier now?

Gauthier doesn’t excel at anything? He uses his size and speed to push defenders back, creates zone time by barreling around defenders to get in deep, drives the net, plays with some physicality, and has an above average shot. Those attributes are much harder to come by than Penalty Killers such as Brett Howden or even agitators such as Lemieux.

Brett Howden really doesn’t do anything well other than somehow gaining the love of the head coach. He would be getting scratched on pretty much every other team in this league outside of maybe Ottawa and Detroit. He stinks. Lemieux, while he is an NHL player, is not someone you absolutely need to protect...he is replaceable.

The bottom line is its asset management. You dont go an expose Gauthier with his potential so that you can protect Brett f***ing Howden and Brendan Lemieux. Nope sorry.

Gauthier also diversifies the forward group a bit. We don’t know what kind of player Kravtsov will be in the NHL, but he sure seems like the skilled, not very physical type. We can’t have 6 guys like that on the wings in the top 9.

 

[RGY]

And thats your opinion, which is wrong. I wasnt suggesting they keep howden over him, im pointing out that Gauthier has to define a role to stay here because its musical chairs and the music is about to stop when Kravtsov and Barron arrive. Gauthier does little with his speed or size, he had a couple decent games the last while but he's been pretty vanilla since he got here, he's the easiest player to replace outside of PDG since he has no role here. Saying he backs teams off with his speed is a severe reach, you think teams are worried about playing against him? Not at all, he's in the same grouping as PDG, Rooney, Howden or Lemieux. He is fighting for a roster spot most weeks. The only difference in those guys is that Howden and Lemieux have a role on the team that separates them. Gauthier's are a dime a dozen until they carve a role out and he should have done that long before now. I think we have room to protect him anyway but I wouldn't go out and buy a jersey.

Well you have 4 other people already in disagreement with you.

Its kinda hard to really show something when you are typically only getting 7 minutes of ice time and when there were injuries getting no PP2 time but yet Howden and Lemieux were? Yet in that limited time he was making things happen in the offensive zone.

Kinda funny you call him vanilla when its PDG, Blackwell, Rooney who are all pretty vanilla players. There is absolutely no severe reach here that he backs defenders up and has them getting crossed up by misjudging his size and speed, with them then chasing him trying to prevent him from cutting around the edge and hard towards the net. And if thats not available then he heads behind the net to keep possession. I dont see the other group of players you mentioned doing any of that.

Lol at fighting for a roster spot... yeah thats because the Coach is an airhead who refuses to play him but so happily play others that do nothing but chase the puck around the ice, can barely handle it when they have it, or make/receive a clean pass.

Others are already challenging you on this take so I will leave it at that.