Roster Building thread - Part IX - (2024 edition)

[Savant]

There isnt enough cap room or enough maneuverability with contracts to fix the issues with the Rangers. They are in a holding pattern until that happens and clearly the roster isn’t that good so it is what it is.

I mean yes and no. You are going to have to move some of the non-obvious players in the core though

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

If I’m Drury, I’m not spending assets for this team this year. Not unless they turn it around and string together some wins and soon. We aren’t one or two pieces away here.

He has too, whether he wants to or not

Clock is ticking with Dolan

 

[Daves a mess]

Whispers of Corey Perry going to the Oil

 

[SA16]

A GM in contention will always trade assets for players to help now because if he doesn't and the team tanks he is at risk of getting fired.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Perry was a no brainer. Team needs a boost in the worst way and Perry is someone with an edge to his game. I hope Drury was at least in on him.

He was

 

[AirGut]

He was

I hate this cruel cruel world...

 

[DanielBrassard]

He has too, whether he wants to or not

Clock is ticking with Dolan

Plus this might be the last, best shot this group of players has so might as well. As sad as that is.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I hate this cruel cruel world...

Hate away but its not really that big of a deal.

No one can complain that there wasn't an attempt to bring him in. There was, he chose to go elsewhere.

 

[Machinehead]

Hate away but its not really that big of a deal.

No one can complain that there wasn't an attempt to bring him in. There was, he chose to go elsewhere.

Yeah, they kicked the tires, and he ultimately decided to go to a team that might actually be a contender. This is why don't suck.

He would have been a solid add but we have so much bigger fish to fry than adding solid 4th liners.

 

[Anthony5967]

I don't think people realize what the absence of Chytil and Kakko has done to this team, I really don't. You go from a play-driving C with speed, physicality, and shot to Nick Bonino or Jonny Brodzinski and it's a massive fall of a cliff dropoff. Same with losing Kakko and having to play more Wheeler or AHL journeymen. It's a major reason why they have struggled. Igor has been atrocious, call it for what it is. I don't want to hear about the defense because at the beginning of the year Quick was still outplaying Igor, but the team was intact and playing really well. The star goalie has done nothing to help this team this year. It's amazing they're still in first, so save me the this team isn't a piece or two away bs. Florida a piece or two away last year? Look at what they did and what they are now. Look at their bottom six.
Cousins two goals in 37 games.
Lomberg two goals in 45 games.
Lorentz one goal in 27 games.
Gadjovich no goals in 17 games.
Lockwood no goals in 23 games.

You know why they are winning games? They have the stars with bite and grit and the goalie is playing well this year. Ours isn't, and combine that with the absences of Chytil and Kakko, the entire team is out of whack right now and running through their worst stretch of hockey in years. Hell, the PP is even going through a shooting slump. They're like 2nd in XGF output in PP since the Hawks game, and they're 23rd in actual output. Everything has just gone to hell at once.

 

[Machinehead]

I don't think people realize what the absence of Chytil and Kakko has done to this team, I really don't. You go from a play-driving C with speed, physicality, and shot to Nick Bonino or Jonny Brodzinski and it's a massive fall of a cliff dropoff. Same with losing Kakko and having to play more Wheeler or AHL journeymen. It's a major reason why they have struggled. Igor has been atrocious, call it for what it is. I don't want to hear about the defense because at the beginning of the year Quick was still outplaying Igor, but the team was intact and playing really well. The star goalie has done nothing to help this team this year. It's amazing they're still in first, so save me the this team isn't a piece or two away bs. Florida a piece or two away last year? Look at what they did and what they are now. Look at their bottom six.
Cousins two goals in 37 games.
Lomberg two goals in 45 games.
Lorentz one goal in 27 games.
Gadjovich no goals in 17 games.
Lockwood no goals in 23 games.

You know why they are winning games? They have the stars with bite and grit and the goalie is playing well this year. Ours isn't, and combine that with the absences of Chytil and Kakko, the entire team is out of whack right now and running through their worst stretch of hockey in years. Hell, the PP is even going through a shooting slump. They're like 2nd in XGF output in PP since the Hawks game, and they're 23rd in actual output. Everything has just gone to hell at once.

The thing is, powerplays just do that no reason. And then they don't. It's a streaky part of the game.

That's why people want to be better at even strength.

Over the last recent stretch here, we haven't been terrible at even strength and probably have a few more wins if Igor isn't an ass, but we also haven't been particularly good. We have bad games, and break even games. We rarely carry play.

At the end of the day, we're probably a middle-10 team and that's a first round exit.

 

[Anthony5967]

The thing is, powerplays just do that no reason. And then they don't. It's a streaky part of the game.

That's why people want to be better at even strength.

Over the last recent stretch here, we haven't been terrible at even strength and probably have a few more wins if Igor isn't an ass, but we also haven't been particularly good. We have bad games, and break even games. We rarely carry play.

At the end of the day, we're probably a middle-10 team and that's a first round exit.

This team needs a C on that third line that is capable before judgments start being made about how good they are. If many of you were told at the end of September that this team would be without Chytil after game 10 and Kakko for 20 games or whatever and that Igor would be rocking a goals against of nearly 3 and a sv% around .900, you all would've said this team is in the basement...

They're 1st in the Metro. They need Chytil back and the slump to break and to start getting above average goaltending from the guy that is going to command $9M+ a year after next year.

 

[Machinehead]

This team needs a C on that third line that is capable before judgments start being made about how good they are. If many of you were told at the end of September that this team would be without Chytil after game 10 and Kakko for 20 games or whatever and that Igor would be rocking a goals against of nearly 3 and a sv% around .900, you all would've said this team is in the basement...

They're 1st in the Metro. They need Chytil back and the slump to break and to start getting above average goaltending from the guy that is going to command $9M+ a year after next year.

Even if Chytil is healthy this is probably a top 10-12 team. That's what they were last year when Chytil was healthy.

By my math, that's a first round exit.

They're a decent team that's going to win some games that's not a real contender. I don't think it's a hot take at this point.

That somewhat lucky run in 2022 raised the expectations way too much, and unfortunately, seemingly made the team think that some of the pieces they have are better than they are.

 

[Fitzy]

The best team in the NHL didn't win the cup last year. The like 11th-12th best team did by beating like the 17th best team.

Playoffs are an absolute crapshoot

 

[Machinehead]

The best team in the NHL didn't win the cup last year. The like 11th-12th best team did by beating like the 17th best team.

Playoffs are an absolute crapshoot

By wins and losses, yes. You know what I think about that.

If you look at the underlying numbers, they were both top 10 teams and Flordia has been a top 5 team for like four years now.

People will laugh but I had Florida knocking out Boston when nobody else did. There's a lot of merit to it.

 

[DanielBrassard]

Even if Chytil is healthy this is probably a top 10-12 team. That's what they were last year when Chytil was healthy.

By my math, that's a first round exit.

They're a decent team that's going to win some games that's not a real contender. I don't think it's a hot take at this point.

That somewhat lucky run in 2022 raised the expectations way too much, and unfortunately, seemingly made the team think that some of the pieces they have are better than they are.

Yeah this is true. I know both of us have been saying it but this roster is not as good as they are perceived. You have one elite play making LW, and elite RD and that’s about it as far as high end talent. Guys like Kreider, Trocheck and Gustafsson who are very good supporting players and Vesey who is a great 4th line forward. it’s not that impressive of a roster. Laf and Kakko are nice pieces but not much more than that and Chytil can’t stay on the ice.

 

[DialUp]

The best team in the NHL didn't win the cup last year. The like 11th-12th best team did by beating like the 17th best team.

Playoffs are an absolute crapshoot

The Rangers players are not good enough to win in the playoffs this year, even in a crapshoot. The way they are playing now is their actual "peak"; MAYBE Igor can be better. The difference between earlier in the year and now is that other teams are playing to better. Rangers have no adjusted its just not working anymore.

Teams like Vancouver always had the players, but they were under performing in years past. The Rangers are NOT under performing. This is the team's skill level and they will regress to their 10~15 overall standing by the end of the year WC1 or WC2, 1st round wrecking.
The hope in the playoffs is that the other team somehow all gets long covid. Will be rooting and tooting for it though!

We got 3 more years of this middling play, then a reset era where it will get even worse for a few years, then the bounce back year we get in, rinse, repeat, etc.

 

[McRanger92]

We’re a top 5 team with Chytil healthy and elite Igor. Anything else is revisionist.

However, with this version of Igor, even with Chytil back (which will be a huge boost 5v5) we’re definitely closer to 10-12 range league-wide. Still a playoff team but nothing special.

 

[DanielBrassard]

just out of curiosity I went on evolving-hockey and took a look at the #1 centers or who is close enough as not every team has a legitimate #1, for each team and looked at their cf/60 and xG/60 at 5v5 over the past 3 years. I know this is rudimentary and is missing context but just for the sake of argument here is where Zibanejad lies:

out of 90 total seasons including this year Zibanejad’s 3 years are:

70th, 80th, and 83rd in cf/60
63rd, 72nd, and 85th in xGF/60
58th, 63rd, and 65th in GF/60 if you want pure goal results.

obviously this doesn’t take into account the team around him but seeing as he’s the top line center he’s going to be on the ice with the best players on the team generally so I don’t think that has much of an impact as you might think.

make of this what you will.

I might have forgotten a couple players but the general point stands.

 

[Tob]

just out of curiosity I went on evolving-hockey and took a look at the #1 centers or who is close enough as not every team has a legitimate #1, for each team and looked at their cf/60 and xG/60 at 5v5 over the past 3 years. I know this is rudimentary and is missing context but just for the sake of argument here is where Zibanejad lies:

out of 90 total seasons including this year Zibanejad’s 3 years are:

70th, 80th, and 83rd in cf/60
63rd, 72nd, and 85th in xGF/60
58th, 63rd, and 65th in GF/60 if you want pure goal results.

obviously this doesn’t take into account the team around him but seeing as he’s the top line center he’s going to be on the ice with the best players on the team generally so I don’t think that has much of an impact as you might think.

make of this what you will.

I might have forgotten a couple players but the general point stands.

this guy stinks!

 

[GENESISPuck94]

No one likes Reaves, Deangelo and people barely tolerate lemieux.
Smith was maligned on the board for years and we cheered when his contract was up.

I thought it was a mistake to get rid of DeAngelo and Lemieux. I loved Reaves but he was declining and time was up. Smith should have stuck around and Skjei.

The team is lead by the most dry and unconfrontational players in the league.

Every time the Rangers were good they had pains in the ass on their team.

Tikkanen, Avery, Dubinsky, Carcillo, Reaves

They need guys like that. That can actually play hockey and drive the other team insane.

 

[Slaydagnar]

I don't disagree with much of this, but

1) I would sit Bonino for Reaves, at least some of the time.
2) Reaves' hits still change games
3) If we have the physicality, we aren't showing it when it matters.

Stop with Reaves he is done

This isn’t about bringing in tough guys

It’s an ethos from scouting and management to only draft and procure youth that has finesse/skillz and character ie physicality/edge it’s not one or the other .. sure you have a few pure skill guys but nothing like this mix we have now.

Cuylie and Othman are a great start
Rest of the lineup is aging. The time for a new re-build is now. We are just too soft boys

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

By wins and losses, yes. You know what I think about that.

If you look at the underlying numbers, they were both top 10 teams and Flordia has been a top 5 team for like four years now.

People will laugh but I had Florida knocking out Boston when nobody else did. There's a lot of merit to it.

Vegas was outside of the top 10. IIRC they were 12th.

Now they weren't really healthy all year (at least not as healthy as they were in the spring) so that certainly played into it but they weren't a top 10 team based off of what they did in the RS.

I remember many people were calling on Florida to beat Boston (bunch of the analytics community and I think Jack Han did as well which led to a ton of back lash for him and he took the most classy victory lap ever by educating the haters instead of just dunking on them.)

They got their asses f***ing handed to them in the next 3 rounds though and only won the first 2 of those because their goalie was awesome. Carolina is Carolina and they compile numbers on everyone but Toronto shat on them and those teams were basically within an earshot of one another analytically (and they play in the same division, so their level of competition would have been pretty equal.)

 

[Machinehead]

Vegas was outside of the top 10. IIRC they were 12th.

Now they weren't really healthy all year (at least not as healthy as they were in the spring) so that certainly played into it but they weren't a top 10 team based off of what they did in the RS.

I remember many people were calling on Florida to beat Boston (bunch of the analytics community and I think Jack Han did as well which led to a ton of back lash for him and he took the most classy victory lap ever by educating the haters instead of just dunking on them.)

They got their asses f***ing handed to them in the next 3 rounds though and only won the first 2 of those because their goalie was awesome. Carolina is Carolina and they compile numbers on everyone but Toronto shat on them and those teams were basically within an earshot of one another analytically (and they play in the same division, so their level of competition would have been pretty equal.)

Vegas were 10th in xGF%. They suck at corsi but they're a "keep it to the outside" team that's actually good at that.

Nobody is saying Florida had it easy but the teams that gave them a hard time were also good.

 

[IDvsEGO]

I thought it was a mistake to get rid of DeAngelo and Lemieux. I loved Reaves but he was declining and time was up. Smith should have stuck around and Skjei.

The team is lead by the most dry and unconfrontational players in the league.

Every time the Rangers were good they had pains in the ass on their team.

Tikkanen, Avery, Dubinsky, Carcillo, Reaves

They need guys like that. That can actually play hockey and drive the other team insane.

none of the guys you’re calling for are better than anyone we have in our top 3 lines.
If you’d like to be actually worse, then sure. We can win lots of fights, but lose by 6-7 goals. I guess you’re hoping for a rule change that winning a fight is worth 2-3 goals.