Proposal: Roster Building Thread Part IV: High Hopes

[NYR]

I vividly remember Nedved. Hell, I vividly remember Messier.

I hear this ****ing crap all the time - this is going to be my seventh season just on HF; how ****ing young do you guys think I am?

I didn't mean that the way it sounded. My apologies

Gun to my head, I'd rather have poor center depth and great defense than good center depth and garbage defense like we've had for the past few years.

What happens when the defence gets exposed more from not having a defensive player like Stepan.
You don't think they're going face a lot more pressure?

 

[mrmovies779]

Why do people want Jagr here?We don't need anymore wingers,we need a top 6 center.

 

[Gardner McKay]

I didn't mean that the way it sounded. My apologies





What happens when the defence gets exposed more from not having a defensive player like Stepan.
You don't think they're going face a lot more pressure?

If our defense gets exposed because we lost one defensive forward, we have some MASSIVE problems.

Losing Stepans defensive play is not the end of the world. We still have plenty of defensively sound wingers to help out.

 

[NYR Viper]

So if Boston trades for Duchene, let's assume they trade Carlo. They are down 2 defensemen from last year with Miller gone as well. Holden for Spooner would make sense. They wouldn't need another center with Bergeron, Kreijci, Duchene, Backes all as possible centers.

That is a deal I'd much prefer to Bozak.

 

[cd211]

It's funny we had Eric christensen as our top 6 once upon a time, and you guys are scared of playing Hayes in a top 6 role.. I think we'll be fine.. I hope andersson makes it and has an impact early on.. if not in intrigued by jt in center if they put him there

 

[Fugazy]

So if Boston trades for Duchene, let's assume they trade Carlo. They are down 2 defensemen from last year with Miller gone as well. Holden for Spooner would make sense. They wouldn't need another center with Bergeron, Kreijci, Duchene, Backes all as possible centers.

That is a deal I'd much prefer to Bozak.

Agreed, especially with the current contract situations.

 

[offdacrossbar]

Why do people want Jagr here?We don't need anymore wingers,we need a top 6 center.

if you assume that 10 gets a shot in the middle in camp and that lias needs to marinate longer in the SEL and neives has no spot with DD here for the 4C, then we do need an established winger and jagr would be a nice add for sure.

cheap production and a reliable 40-45 points.

 

[mrmovies779]

if you assume that 10 gets a shot in the middle in camp and that lias needs to marinate longer in the SEL and neives has no spot with DD here for the 4C, then we do need an established winger and jagr would be a nice add for sure.

cheap production and a reliable 40-45 points.

I would rather develop a younger player then give those minutes to a 44 year old on his last leg.

 

[NYR]

If our defense gets exposed because we lost one defensive forward, we have some MASSIVE problems.

Losing Stepans defensive play is not the end of the world. We still have plenty of defensively sound wingers to help out.

I don't see it as being that easy.

If you assume McD and Shats will be on the ice along with the Zib line, who are Zib's wingers going to be?

Kreider, Buch, Vesey?

They aren't exactly the most defensively responsible players..

 

[offdacrossbar]

I would rather develop a younger player then give those minutes to a 44 year old on his last leg.

sounds good but playing the right side of the 3rd line and adding 40-45 reliable points sounds good too.

what younger player isnt getting a chance if 10 plays the middle and we add jagr ?

pumper ?

buch and vesey will get their minutes they earn.

jagr on a 1 year incentivized deal makes sense.

 

[GAGLine]

If our defense gets exposed because we lost one defensive forward, we have some MASSIVE problems.

Losing Stepans defensive play is not the end of the world. We still have plenty of defensively sound wingers to help out.

Not the end of the world, but he was the player that AV relied on to match up against the other team's top players. Who will be that player for us now? Can Zib handle it?

Defensely, we basically swapped Girardi for Shattenkirk. On the surface, that seems like a huge upgrade, but in terms of keeping the puck out of our net, I'm not so sure. In theory, we will have more O-zone time and therefore need to defend less, but we may also have more defensive breakdowns/odd man rushes against if the dmen aren't disciplined.

Staal at least should see less minutes, and Skjei should get more, but he's only a 2nd year player and may have a sophomore slump. The other guys we brought in (ADA, Pionk, Bear Gloves) may have a ton of talent, but they are all essentially rookies and unknown quantities at this point.

For the first time in his career, Hank is a question mark. He had stretches of dominant play last year and stretches where he struggled. Raanta was able to chip in when Hank was struggling and keep us afloat. This year, we probably don't have that luxury with Pavs behind Hank and little help in Hartford.

We were tied for 18th in 5-on-5 goals against last year. It remains to be seen whether or not this team can improve on that. If we don't, I think we'll be a borderline playoff team.

 

[BBKers]

So if Boston trades for Duchene, let's assume they trade Carlo. They are down 2 defensemen from last year with Miller gone as well. Holden for Spooner would make sense. They wouldn't need another center with Bergeron, Kreijci, Duchene, Backes all as possible centers.

That is a deal I'd much prefer to Bozak.

I concur wholeheartedly
Spooner for Holden
With a cap hit of $2,825,000 we can squeeze him in too without retention

 

[Dr. Ogrodnick]

I don't see it as being that easy.

If you assume McD and Shats will be on the ice along with the Zib line, who are Zib's wingers going to be?

Kreider, Buch, Vesey?

They aren't exactly the most defensively responsible players..

Nash? Zuccarello?

 

[BobMarleyNYR]

It's funny we had Eric christensen as our top 6 once upon a time, and you guys are scared of playing Hayes in a top 6 role.. I think we'll be fine.. I hope andersson makes it and has an impact early on.. if not in intrigued by jt in center if they put him there

He was actually our 1C... so I agree with you. And we had 102 good playoff runs with him there. Of course, those were teams were excellent at defending. We're a different team now, but I still thin Hayes can put up 50+ with the right wingers. Not that Miller isn't, but maybe a sniper as well.

 

[TheTakedown]

I think it's a little of both. I think our offense will be MUCH better and there will be fewer "wtf was the d-man thinking on that play" moments. At the same time, I think we will see a dip in possession and an uptick in odd man rushes. We brought in a d-man not known for his shut-down skill and gave up a center who took a lot of defensive pressure off the rest of the lineup.

This season is literally ALL going to come down to how Zib, Hayes and Miller play. They not only need to progress, but they need to progress a LOT, because their minutes are going to be tougher than they have been thus far without Stepan here.

This team is also one injured C away from being screwed. They literally only have three proven NHL centers on the roster right now (Zib, Hayes, DD). And nobody in Hartford is really knocking down the door.

You realize that Shattenkirk is a VERY good shot suppressor, right?

 

[mas0764]

Massively understating how much of an impact having Shattenkirk over Girardi will have on the team. That minimizes the loss of Stepan.

The acquisitions of Shattenkirk and ADA, and the development of Skjei, are going to very much improve the offensive production.

Losing Stepan hurts, but we didn't lose Crosby or McDavid. We lost a guy that most people were already saying was a second or third line center who just happened to be playing on our first line.

I never agreed... I thought Stepan probably was one of the best 30 centers in the league.... though probably on the low end of the 30. But I do think the leaps required for Zib and Hayes to make up the lost offensive production from Stepan is not insurmountable.

I definitely would feel better if we could bring in Bozak and sign Jagr. I feel like our forward depth, which was very strong last year with guys like Pirri on the bench, has grown a little weak this year after losing Stepan, Lindberg, AND Pirri.

 

[kovazub94]

You realize that Shattenkirk is a VERY good shot suppressor, right?

Reading HF it seems that there's still many posters adhering to a notion that G was a good shot suppressor and that he is a better shot suppressor than Shattenkirk.

 

[Inferno]

losing derek stepan hurts.

losing oscar lindberg hurts.

losing both in 1 offseason REALLY hurts.

I love what our D looks like..but man...the center depth is really scary bad...if even 1 of those guys gets hurt...YIKES.

 

[Fugazy]

losing derek stepan hurts.

losing oscar lindberg hurts.

losing both in 1 offseason REALLY hurts.

I love what our D looks like..but man...the center depth is really scary bad...if even 1 of those guys gets hurt...YIKES.

I'm doubtful any more moves are happening. If something does happen, it will likely be out of nowhere.

 

[Gardner McKay]

I don't see it as being that easy.

If you assume McD and Shats will be on the ice along with the Zib line, who are Zib's wingers going to be?

Kreider, Buch, Vesey?

They aren't exactly the most defensively responsible players..

It really is that easy. Whether its McD and Shatty or Skjei and Smith, they will be fine.

You know as well as I do that Vesey and Buch are not starting on the first line. It will likely be Kreider and Nash (who is outstanding defensively).

losing derek stepan hurts.

losing oscar lindberg hurts.

losing both in 1 offseason REALLY hurts.

I love what our D looks like..but man...the center depth is really scary bad...if even 1 of those guys gets hurt...YIKES.

I am more concerned about losing Lindbergs defensive play than I am Stepans. Losing Lindberg hurt.

 

[NYR]

It really is that easy. Whether its McD and Shatty or Skjei and Smith, they will be fine.

You know as well as I do that Vesey and Buch are not starting on the first line. It will likely be Kreider and Nash (who is outstanding defensively).



I am more concerned about losing Lindbergs defensive play than I am Stepans. Losing Lindberg hurt.

While they may not be starting on the first line, one injury could make that an instant reality.

 

[TheTakedown]

Reading HF it seems that there's still many posters adhering to a notion that G was a good shot suppressor and that he is a better shot suppressor than Shattenkirk.

because what are stats, amiright?

 

[RangerBoy]

Not the end of the world, but he was the player that AV relied on to match up against the other team's top players. Who will be that player for us now? Can Zib handle it?

Defensely, we basically swapped Girardi for Shattenkirk. On the surface, that seems like a huge upgrade, but in terms of keeping the puck out of our net, I'm not so sure. In theory, we will have more O-zone time and therefore need to defend less, but we may also have more defensive breakdowns/odd man rushes against if the dmen aren't disciplined.

Staal at least should see less minutes, and Skjei should get more, but he's only a 2nd year player and may have a sophomore slump. The other guys we brought in (ADA, Pionk, Bear Gloves) may have a ton of talent, but they are all essentially rookies and unknown quantities at this point.

For the first time in his career, Hank is a question mark. He had stretches of dominant play last year and stretches where he struggled. Raanta was able to chip in when Hank was struggling and keep us afloat. This year, we probably don't have that luxury with Pavs behind Hank and little help in Hartford.

We were tied for 18th in 5-on-5 goals against last year. It remains to be seen whether or not this team can improve on that. If we don't, I think we'll be a borderline playoff team.

Maybe the Rangers win the draft lottery and all of their needs on D are solved with Rasmus Dahlin.

 

[Hire Sather]

Maybe the Rangers win the draft lottery and all of their needs on D are solved with Rasmus Dahlin.

Sadly some people will root for that

 

[RGY]

Kreider-Zib-Buch
Zucc-Hayes-Nash
Vesey-Miller-Jagr
Peumpel-DD/Lias-Grabner
Fast (IR)