Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part LIII

[Shesterkybomb]

Virtanen isn't a good player, I'm not sure why people think he is a better option than we have already.

 

[haohmaru]

Virtanen isn't a good player, I'm not sure why people think he is a better option than we have already.

Some people think anybody, no, everybody is better than what we have. All the damned time.

 

[Machinehead]

Virtanen isn't a good player, I'm not sure why people think he is a better option than we have already.

Because Greg McKegg is what we have already.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Because Greg McKegg is what we have already.

Gauthier, Kravtosv or Barron is who Virtanen competes with for ice time on this team. Greg mckegg is gone. Resigning Virtanen is gonna cost us how much? How much would it cost to keep Fast? The numbers are probably similar and we dont have to give up assets to get a better player.

 

[bobbop]

Again... unlimited keyboards...

Virtanen's the name this time.

Flavor of the day.

 

[Machinehead]

Gauthier, Kravtosv or Barron is who Virtanen competes with for ice time on this team. Greg mckegg is gone. Resigning Virtanen is gonna cost us how much? How much would it cost to keep Fast? The numbers are probably similar and we dont have to give up assets to get a better player.

We heard last summer about all the forwards we have. We still ended up with AHL players taking regular shifts.

I'm not hell bent on Virtanen specifically but this "we're set at forward" mentality is just bizarre to me.

 

[Leetch3]

Lias is a throw in for a larger deal

That's where we're at with him. Him playing well in the SHL isn't raising his value all that much

and to me he has more value to us just leaving him be in sweden and hope things improve then to throw him in to a deal where he adds minimal value right now.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Virtanen isn't a good player, I'm not sure why people think he is a better option than we have already.

for real. Virtanen is a nobody. Another 3rd line winger we got plenty of those.

 

[NYRangers16]

Maybe not Virtanen, but our bottom 6 needs work and the prospects we have either haven't made it or aren't ready yet. Hopefully we can develop those types in the future so that we can have them on ELCs but for now I'm not against adding there as long as it doesn't cost us our core.

 

[NYR Viper]

Virtanen had 18g and 18a playing in 69 games this season at age 23 playing approximately 13 minutes a night. At 6'1 and ~220 lbs I wouldn't classify him as just another 3rd line player moving forward. Maybe he does settle into that 15-20g, 15-20a plateau but that is still incredibly valuable if he can provide size, strength and help on the boards moving forward.

At the same age season, Kreider put up 37 points in 66 games.

Also there was a comment a page or two back about the PK. Gauthier was PKing in Charlottle last year I believe. Howden, Chytil, Zibanejad and Strome all PK'd last year. Lemieux also PK's. That's 6 guys, assuming Buch or Kreider or another winger aren't brought in who can also do it. That's enough

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Counterpoint: why wouldn't you be willing to take a chance on a guy like Virtanen, especially if the cost going the other way is a similarly stalled prospect in our system?

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

for real. Virtanen is a nobody. Another 3rd line winger we got plenty of those.

Do we? Especially if Fast leaves? I think the bottom six has been a bit neglected.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

The Rangers are going to bring back largely the same bottom 6 and LD due to cap issues with the results being the same and yet people will still have this reaction

 

[True Blue]

Do we? Especially if Fast leaves? I think the bottom six has been a bit neglected.

Especially one with size who scored nearly 20 goals.

 

[Machinehead]

The Rangers are going to bring back largely the same bottom 6 and LD due to cap issues with the results being the same and yet people will still have this reaction

And it'll be because we don't have enough grit.

 

[Fireonk]

Personally I would much prefer to re-sign Fast than go after Virtanen. Now, if for some reason Fast won't sign, then we absolutely have a hole on the right wing.

Alternatively, could be a cheaper option if we want to move Buchnevich for something specific elsewhere.

 

[bigdog16]

Gauthier, Kravtosv or Barron is who Virtanen competes with for ice time on this team. Greg mckegg is gone. Resigning Virtanen is gonna cost us how much? How much would it cost to keep Fast? The numbers are probably similar and we dont have to give up assets to get a better player.

Jake Virtanan is better than every player you mentioned in your post.

The only players who had more goals than him on the Rangers last year were Zib, Panarin, and Kreider.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I don't know that Virtanen will be more expensive than Fast. I do know that they can likely get him at a shorter term though (AV is about to get Fletcher to go STUPID to land Fast, watch.)

Fast is what he is at this point which is a really good support player. Virtanen's strengths are different, but they also come with pretty significant upside.

If an out of shape Virtanen is nearly a 40 point player with the likes of Adam Gaudette and Antoine Roussel, what is he with better players+a more serious approach to the game? Perhaps the latter never comes to be, but trades have been instrumental in changing a players perspective more times than I can count. We're reaping the benefits from one of these instances with Zibanejad.

He would be a massive upgrade on most of the guys who played in our bottom six last year, unless you really enjoyed watching the likes of McKegg, Haley, PDG, 4th line because we don't want to hurt Staal's feelings Smith, etc.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Personally I would much prefer to re-sign Fast than go after Virtanen. Now, if for some reason Fast won't sign, then we absolutely have a hole on the right wing.

Alternatively, could be a cheaper option if we want to move Buchnevich for something specific elsewhere.

so you rather have an injury prone Fast? because he is broken down lately and won't get better with age. awful decision in my opinion. should have been dealt at the deadline.

 

[Fitzy]

Do we? Especially if Fast leaves? I think the bottom six has been a bit neglected.

I agree, although if Lafreniere and Chytil develop quickly pretty soon Kreider and Strome are gonna be third line players. That's some mad depth. Get to that quality and you pretty much only have to play the 4th line 5-7 minutes a game.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Jake Virtanan is better than every player you mentioned in your post.

The only players who had more goals than him on the Rangers last year were Zib, Panarin, and Kreider.

I think some players numbers were inflated a bit in Vancouver last season. Virtanen, Pearson, Gaudette. I wouldn't expect the same numbers if he came here and played in our bottom 6.

 

[Fireonk]

so you rather have an injury prone Fast? because he is broken down lately and won't get better with age. awful decision in my opinion. should have been dealt at the deadline.

Yes, as long as he signs a reasonable contract. We need some veteran, defensively responsible depth more than any extra scoring punch that Virtanen would provide. In my opinion he's the perfect 3rd line winger.

Now if he is looking for 4+ million a year and a contract longer than 3-4 years, yeah I am walking.

 

[Off Sides]

Not so sure the Rangers need to be adding in another RFA with arbitration rights. Unless someone retires, gets bought out or a cap hit reduction trade is made they look to be short on cap space to even squeeze the RFAs they have in.

 

[n8]

Barron could replace Fast.

Kreider-Zibs-Buch
Panarin-Strome-Kakko
Lafreniere-Chytil-Gauthier
Barron-Howden-Lemiuex

Or if Fast takes a fat hometown discount, we end up with something like this.

Kreider-Zibs-Buch
Panarin-Strome-Kakko
Lafreniere-Chytil-Fast
Lemiuex-Howden-Gauthier

Regardless of which combination of these lineups we end up with. You have to ask who are we replacing and how is their replacement an improvement?
I'm not sure who Virtanen is supposed to replace. I guess you could put him with Chytl and Lafs if Fast doesn't resign. That way you don't force Barron into the lineup but what if he's ready? then what? Do we dress Barron and Lemiuex 41 games a piece? That's hardly good for either's development. So I guess you could get Jake but is that making us a better team? How are will replacing Fast's PK time? I think that is an overlooked hole that Fast's departure will create. That's really why I see Barron as a replacement there.

 

[LiveLongandProspal]

I'm starting to think that Chytil should be a winger instead of a center

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I wouldn't expect wholesale changes this offseason (these 5-6 trade scenarios are fun, not realistic though), but anyone who thinks they're rolling out essentially the same lineup is out to lunch. The Front office straight up said that this team is too easy to play against. That isn't going to be solved with in house options.

I'd expect one pretty significant move in addition to Lafreniere along with a few smaller ones. The RFA's will all be back, Hank won't be and hopefully Staal is at most a spare part.

They won't solve all their problems over the next few months, but they'll attempt to solve some of them.

I think some players numbers were inflated a bit in Vancouver last season. Virtanen, Pearson, Gaudette. I wouldn't expect the same numbers if he came here and played in our bottom 6.

Based off of what?

He's steadily improved his production every year.