Roster Building thread - Part IX - (2024 edition)

[DialUp]

Boy, this last month ruined some people. Sell, don't buy. Completely unrealistic. I went over this the other day: look at what the Panthers bottom-six has done. Some guys are sitting on 0 goals or 1. Are they not a legit contender? This group has already been to an ECF. They deserve ONE LAST RUN. Riding into the playoffs with Brodzinski as 3C because some of you want to hoard picks that have a 10-20% chance of hitting but then will be crying saying they can't develop anybody is pretty ironic and pretty frieken hilarious. Listen, I agree, no rentals, but for a solid piece beyond this season, it should absolutely be on the table.

Florida's top 6 score goals 5v5 against good teams. That's contender shit right there. Reinhart takes care of the rest on the PP.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

Not looking to pay over- or even market for Tarasenko. But for the likes of Jones a 3rd rounder - he could give options that Wheeler was supposed to provide. The improvement in Panarin-Trocheck due could make him a good 3rd wheel (sorry for the pun) while free up Lafreniere to join Zibanejad.

I'd leave Laf right where he is.

If they brought back Taras by doing the Greig or Pinto deals I've been pushing, the forwards would look like this:
Panarin-Trocheck-Laf
Kreider-Pinto/Greig-Tarasenko
Cuylle-Zibanejad-Kakko
Some combination Vesey-Brodzinski-Wheeler-Pitlick

And if somehow Miller for Chychrun was part of that, the D would shake out as:
Gus-Fox
Chychrun-Schneider
Lindgren-Trouba
...with guys like Scanlin, Robertson, or Mackey as the 7th D until the team can make another move.

Plus the move wouldn't destroy our available cap, especially given the Chytil situation, so the team can improve 3LD and the 7th D, which should be much easier to address than holes in the top 6, 3C, and on the second pair.

 

[RangerBoy]

Boy, this last month ruined some people. Sell, don't buy. Completely unrealistic. I went over this the other day: look at what the Panthers bottom-six has done. Some guys are sitting on 0 goals or 1. Are they not a legit contender? This group has already been to an ECF. They deserve ONE LAST RUN. Riding into the playoffs with Brodzinski as 3C because some of you want to hoard picks that have a 10-20% chance of hitting but then will be crying saying they can't develop anybody is pretty ironic and pretty frieken hilarious. Listen, I agree, no rentals, but for a solid piece beyond this season, it should absolutely be on the table.

One last run? When did the Rangers become the Tampa Bay Lightning? Take that one last run BS somewhere else.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Boy, this last month ruined some people. Sell, don't buy. Completely unrealistic. I went over this the other day: look at what the Panthers bottom-six has done. Some guys are sitting on 0 goals or 1. Are they not a legit contender? This group has already been to an ECF. They deserve ONE LAST RUN. Riding into the playoffs with Brodzinski as 3C because some of you want to hoard picks that have a 10-20% chance of hitting but then will be crying saying they can't develop anybody is pretty ironic and pretty frieken hilarious. Listen, I agree, no rentals, but for a solid piece beyond this season, it should absolutely be on the table.

lets compare Florida's top 6 to the NYR top 6 now.

I don't think Florida has enough to win it as they stand right now either.

There is a big difference between giving up a 1st round pick for a player with term left and giving up a 1st round pick for Bjugstad like you suggested earlier. I think a bunch of people would be okay with the former depending on who it is and what else is going the other way.

 

[RangerBoy]

Does Gorton feel Drury sandbagged him? Arthur Staple wrote there is no love lost between them. They don't have any relationship. It's not expected the Rangers will reach out to the Habs about Monahan.

 

[Fitzy]

Rangers really just need the one piece, the center. I think that becomes 99% of the game plan, maybe a 12th forward as well pushing Pitlick out.

Lindholm is still the potential big fish rental. He changes your lineup substantially. We'd barely need to use the 4th line.

Also- I've said it before and I'll say it again- I think ZIbanejad finishes his contract playing on the right wing. And that actually could end up being the best thing for him and his offense.

 

[Michal]

O'Reilly (4,5 m until 2027) for 1st + 2nd + Sykora + Goodrow + Chytil?

or

Bjugstad + McBain for 2nd + Robertson/Jones + Goodrow + Chytil?

or

Frost for 2nd + Jones?

 

[Mac n Gs]

Does Gorton feel Drury sandbagged him? Arthur Staple wrote there is no love lost between them. They don't have any relationship. It's not expected the Rangers will reach out to the Habs about Monahan.

Gorton can kick rocks. I wanted to support him and like him for his job with Boston, but it kept being the same bullshit over and over again. Wasting spots on absolute garbage NHL players, never building a sustained prospect pipeline, never adapting with how the game developed. Convinced the owner to rebuild and then half-assed it and brought in a bunch of spoiled, bitchmade brats.

I’m not big on Drury either, but I at least respect some of the more recent things he’s done. If he needs to add, find a move similar to what Colorado did adding Lehkonen. Pay the price to add an actual long-term piece to add to this team. It’s not like they’re stocked top-to-bottom with no room to fill holes.

 

[Bruner4329]

Boy, this last month ruined some people. Sell, don't buy. Completely unrealistic. I went over this the other day: look at what the Panthers bottom-six has done. Some guys are sitting on 0 goals or 1. Are they not a legit contender? This group has already been to an ECF. They deserve ONE LAST RUN. Riding into the playoffs with Brodzinski as 3C because some of you want to hoard picks that have a 10-20% chance of hitting but then will be crying saying they can't develop anybody is pretty ironic and pretty frieken hilarious. Listen, I agree, no rentals, but for a solid piece beyond this season, it should absolutely be on the table.

We can talk about picks all we want but I am still waiting for "our youth" to show up. Listen if Laf and Kakko had lived up to anything close to their expectations, the tone of this board would be totally different. I will throw FC into this conversation as well even though he is hurt and will miss the season. We have waited for 6 years now for him to show the consistency needed to be a top line center and it has never materialized. There have been spurts but nothing consistent. The latter part of last season was a perfect example.

I am not for giving away top picks but the way this team has drafted leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[Anthony5967]

Rangers' Top-6

Kreider-Zibanejad-Wheeler
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere

252 points, 104 goals, 148 assists
160 ES points

Panthers' Top-6

Verhaeghe-Bennett-Tkachuk
Rodrigues-Barkov-Reinhart

263 points, 107 goals, 156 assists
171 ES points

Now, I am not a mathematician, but with Blake Wheelin around their top-6, if they had a better option up there like we all hope they will by the deadline, I don't see much of a glaring difference.

 

[McRanger92]

Dowd is the guy at forward but lets not forget that we also need a defenseman. Someone to play with Trouba. They need to deal Miller or move him away from that pair at the least.. I have always liked Jacob Middleton from the Wild. Add more size and has 2 years left like Dowd.

Miller-Fox
Middleton-Trouba
Lindgren-Schneider
Gustafsson.

You can try to move Lindgren for either guy, which is preferable because Gus is good on the bottom pair and PP2. This would be my preference if the dont go for a true top pair guy like Hanifin.

 

[Anthony5967]

Now, let's do the bottom-six:

Rangers' bottom-six

Cuylle-Brodzinski/Bonino-Kakko
Vesey-Goodrow-Pitlick

58 points, 27 goals, 31 assists

Panthers' bottom-six

Luostrainen-Lundell-Cousins
Gadjovich-Stenlund-Lomberg

53 points, 25 goals, 28 assists

Add a damn 3C that can complement the two puck hounds in Cuylle and Kakko and add a RW like Sprong or Zucker and away they go.

 

[GAGLine]

Squeeze everything you can out of this roster and try and win. Prospects, picks, conditional picks who gives a shit. Let Drury go full Darth Sith Smith a la 1994. The future can go kick rocks. Do whatever it takes and if (and probably when) it fails, then rebuild in two seasons. You'll still have Laff and Fox.

You do all that and we'll end up with no cups and no prospects. We've seen that play out many times before.

 

[Michal]

Now, let's do the bottom-six:

Rangers' bottom-six

Cuylle-Brodzinski/Bonino-Kakko
Vesey-Goodrow-Pitlick

58 points, 27 goals, 31 assists

Panthers' bottom-six

Luostrainen-Lundell-Cousins
Gadjovich-Stenlund-Lomberg

53 points, 25 goals, 28 assists

Add a damn 3C that can complement the two puck hounds in Cuylle and Kakko and add a RW like Sprong or Zucker and away they go.

You need to compare goaltending, d-men and team defence overall as well.

 

[NYR Viper]

Kevin Hayes
$3.75m cap hit for this year and 2 more years
6'5
Center with chemistry with Kreider and Vesey already
Good defensive player
Good on faceoffs
LH which actually fits well
21 points in 48 games this year playing ~14:40 per game

When St Louis falls out of the race, and they will, and they start pawning off some of their assets like Buch and Scandella, inquire about Hayes. Is he perfect? No. But he would fit what the team needs NOW and his 2 remaining years @ $3.75m are not a problem for a center/wing who can still put up 40-50 points a year and play good 2-way hockey.


Panarin-Trochek-Lafreniere
Kreider-Hayes-Vesey
Cuylle-Zibanejad-Kakko
______-Goodrow-Pitlick

The team would have ~$800 in savings from Chytil still plus a bit more when they send down Brodzinski so say ~$1.5-1.8m to find a good depth forward.

 

[Anthony5967]

You need to compare goaltending, d-men and team defence overall as well.

Yes, obviously all of this is moot if this is the version of Shesterkin we are getting. Play Quick.

 

[bernmeister]

We can talk about picks all we want but I am still waiting for "our youth" to show up. Listen if Laf and Kakko had lived up to anything close to their expectations, the tone of this board would be totally different. I will throw FC into this conversation as well even though he is hurt and will miss the season. We have waited for 6 years now for him to show the consistency needed to be a top line center and it has never materialized. There have been spurts but nothing consistent. The latter part of last season was a perfect example.

I am not for giving away top picks but the way this team has drafted leaves a lot to be desired.

Agreed a lot to be desired, but THINK this thru
---
Are you saying you want to accept ongoing consequences of not developing youth?
You will just bend over and take repeated devaluations of assets b'c we buy on seller's terms?
You will accept more of the same reliance on vets causing never ending cap issues?

Is that what you REALLY want?
Listen to bern

 

[doomscroll]

We can talk about picks all we want but I am still waiting for "our youth" to show up. Listen if Laf and Kakko had lived up to anything close to their expectations, the tone of this board would be totally different. I will throw FC into this conversation as well even though he is hurt and will miss the season. We have waited for 6 years now for him to show the consistency needed to be a top line center and it has never materialized. There have been spurts but nothing consistent. The latter part of last season was a perfect example.

I am not for giving away top picks but the way this team has drafted leaves a lot to be desired.

Lmao yeah right, the current tone of the board is as it is with the team in first place in the metro.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Panthers are gonna want a win-now piece.

Trouba for Lundell.

I know, I know, cap doesn't work.

I’d take that and run but Rangers dont have NHL depth on defense

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

You do all that and we'll end up with no cups and no prospects. We've seen that play out many times before.

Our 1 and 2 OA picks are looking like complimentary top 6 players at best, they both have time to improve and I don't think they're finished products but ride the guys you're paying the big bucks to now. They have no trades and aren't getting any younger. I'm not saying throw first round picks around like dollar bills at a strip club but if Drury can improve the team by acquiring impact players with some term, who can help the team win now, I'm not letting a guy like Brett Berard get in the way. And if the right deal comes around and you need to inlcude a Kakko or Miller, do it.

 

[kovazub94]

…There is a big difference between giving up a 1st round pick for a player with term left and giving up a 1st round pick for Bjugstad like you suggested earlier. I think a bunch of people would be okay with the former depending on who it is and what else is going the other way.

I’m in that group too. Absolutely no to giving away 1st for a “big time” UFA name. Not the way Shesterkin season’s going.
However, if it’s for 24-27 LD or C that can be resigned long-term and move some of the current pieces in the offseason to recoup and / or further augment this roster then why not. The Rangers will have some room with a couple of forwards in Hartford likely making the team’s depth in the next few years.

Separately, got to keep in mind that while Miller is having a down year after next year the organization will be again facing a contract negotiations. Signing him long-term (especially if his performance -likely- turns around) will require a aav number that with the rising cap will be starting not less than $7. Probably even more. Just saying that he might not be a sacred cow by himself or relative to other Ds.

 

[kovazub94]

Kevin Hayes
$3.75m cap hit for this year and 2 more years
6'5
Center with chemistry with Kreider and Vesey already
Good defensive player
Good on faceoffs
LH which actually fits well
21 points in 48 games this year playing ~14:40 per game

When St Louis falls out of the race, and they will, and they start pawning off some of their assets like Buch and Scandella, inquire about Hayes. Is he perfect? No. But he would fit what the team needs NOW and his 2 remaining years @ $3.75m are not a problem for a center/wing who can still put up 40-50 points a year and play good 2-way hockey.


Panarin-Trochek-Lafreniere
Kreider-Hayes-Vesey
Cuylle-Zibanejad-Kakko
______-Goodrow-Pitlick

The team would have ~$800 in savings from Chytil still plus a bit more when they send down Brodzinski so say ~$1.5-1.8m to find a good depth forward.

How much are you willing to pay for 3!!! seasons of close to $4m annual cap space? The rangers got a 1st and NHL ready B prospect for him as a rental.

 

[DelZottoHitTheNetJK]

Why would LA sell though? They will look for a goalie and/or change the coach. But they are not selling.

Because they're currently imploding and Doughty publicly called out the locker room.

Do you see them really beating Edmonton, Vancouver or Vegas? If the answer is no which it should be then they should be selling. Doughty and Kopitar don't have enough good years left for them to contend with the current group they have. Trading Danault wouldn't even kill their ability to snag a wild card spot and they could still recoup some picks and maybe another roster need. They're already strong down the middle, they can easily afford to lose Danault

How much are you willing to pay for 3!!! seasons of close to $4m annual cap space? The rangers got a 1st and NHL ready B prospect for him as a rental.

Another intriguing name. Hayes at that number and Danault should be top of the priority list if they become available.

 

[kovazub94]

Another intriguing name. Hayes at that number and Danault should be top of the priority list if they become available.

This is absolutely not the point of my post. Blues are not tanking. If anything maybe they’re doing a soft retool on the fly. There’s virtually zero chance they’re eating this much cap space and losing Hayes on discount.

 

[n8]

How much are you willing to pay for 3!!! seasons of close to $4m annual cap space? The rangers got a 1st and NHL ready B prospect for him as a rental.

I picture Hayes as a cap space the Blues would love to get rid of so the cost would not be nearly that high.