Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part LIV

[Raspewtin]

IMO Lemieux is a misunderstood player on HF and could definitely be utilized better on the ice.

For me the facts are the following:

-Lemieux can be very effective in the agitator/instigator role, the first half of the season he goaded a lot of players into penalizing themselves. However, he definitely did it in a way that the refs weren't thrilled about (think him pretending to want to fight Gudbranson against Anaheim and getting only him penalized) and that's probably why the second half he looked kinda impotent. I remember he got hit against Nashville and somehow ended up with a game misconduct.

-Lemieux is not a 4th liner. In terms of skill or ability. I don't think he has good middle 6 upside like has been suggested in the past but he's a 3rd liner. In his current state probably not a great one but he has skills we are not utilizing. If Kakko or Howden were NHL players this year he'd probably have had more points (his most common linemates) and he also spent a bit of time with McKegg and PDG.

-In his short stints there he is a very good penalty killer. He has the instincts and aggressiveness you want out of a PKing forward and I hope they keep trying him there. I can't stress enough that it's way better than the hodge podge of crap we have now.

-Having said this he can be a real moron and his conditioning isn't good. It's why he chases the play a lot. The refs probably got tired of him making them look stupid (as funny as it was) and you could basically assault him at the end of the season and it wouldn't be called. A fresh and focused Lemieux is a good player like we saw against Carolina but I really didn't see him doing that the second half. And that hit on Donskoi was indefensibly stupid.

Lemieux can be really frustrating but I think with some more coaching he can be a pretty effective player that I think I'd rather keep a few more years than try to replace.

 

[EdJovanovski]

I love Lemieux

 

[GAGLine]

I know stealing is bad but I love that Buch gives what he steals to the poor. Life is tough in Sherwood Forest.

But can he speak with an English accent?

 

[RGY]

NHL Rumor Mill – September 10, 2020 | Spectors Hockey

I a am hugeee DeBrusk fan. But I don’t see them moving him yet. I know he had only 2 points in 10 games but almost every night he was their most noticeable player on the ice. He skates well for his size, and plays hard and physical. He was just darting into the dirty areas and banging bodies to retrieve pucks and get the cycle game going. I mean he was really strong on the puck. Exactly what we need, but problem is he is a LWer. Only way he works in is if Kreider slides to RW and we have traded Buchnevich, which to me would be an upgrade in overall team play, but maybe not production as I think Buch is starting to ascend upward here. And well that is why we might be able to deal Buch for something valuable.

But another guy I like a lot is Grzelcyk. Skates well and makes a lot of sound plays with the puck. LD and is 26 years old.

Yes these guys are young but Boston isn’t getting anything for Bergeron or Krejci with their contracts if they want to retool. Pastrnak and Marchand aren’t going anywhere either. Neither is McAvoy.

EDIT: Nordstrom and Kuraly are also 2 UFAs I would take a long look at for 3rd/4th Line depth. Both play strong bottom 6 roles and would be coming from a great organization with quality experience.

 

[usekakkorightquinn]

Rangers have no need to trade for role player types due for significant raises when they have role player type prospects ready to fill roles here.

 

[RGY]

Rangers have no need to trade for role player types due for significant raises when they have role player type prospects ready to fill roles here.

DeBrusk is not a role player.

 

[Lion Hound]

Truth be told, Tom Wilson was never really on my radar.

I was hoping for a solid third liner who chipped in 15 goals and 35 points, annoyed the hell out of the competition, and helped keep opponents off-balance.

If he’s tier below that, that has value as well. Though he needs work to get there, and it would be a little disappointing.

I was listening to the NHL Network on Sirious XM earlier this week. The were talking about Wilson types. They had a quote from Ryan Reaves in there. He said..."I will take care of your Tom Wilson problem in the East". Im not sure what team they were referring to? Wonder if he is on the move next season? One more year at $1,750,000.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

But can he speak with an English accent?

Unlike other Robin Hoods... no

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Unlike other Robin Hoods... no

You mean like Kevin Costner?

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

You mean like Kevin Costner?

Was thinking more like Ethan Hawke

 

[RGY]

I was listening to the NHL Network on Sirious XM earlier this week. The were talking about Wilson types. They had a quote from Ryan Reaves in there. He said..."I will take care of your Tom Wilson problem in the East". Im not sure what team they were referring to? Wonder if he is on the move next season? One more year at $1,750,000.

I am pretty sure he signed an extension recently

 

[GAGLine]

I was listening to the NHL Network on Sirious XM earlier this week. The were talking about Wilson types. They had a quote from Ryan Reaves in there. He said..."I will take care of your Tom Wilson problem in the East". Im not sure what team they were referring to? Wonder if he is on the move next season? One more year at $1,750,000.

2 years at 1.75 mil. He hasn't even started that deal yet. It's unlikely that they will trade him.

 

[Lone Ranger]

I want to like Lemieux more than I do; but even after all of these years, I still can't wrap my head around his Dad telling Howard Stern that he defecated into the Stanley Cup

 

[usekakkorightquinn]

DeBrusk is not a role player.

Debrusk is a role player. His passing skills are average at best. He has no ability to make other players on his line better. He has no creativity to his offensive game. Essentially what he is currently is a player who will get you around 20 goals, 20 assists by driving the net, getting some garbage goals with some decent ice time. That's a role player. I would rather bet on a player like Barron or Lias if he is here with his head on straight to put up those numbers and save money for the next 3 years with them. I've watched DeBrusk plenty and not one time did I ever feel he was dangerous in a game. That's a role player. You don't fear them when you play them and you just hope that they can chip in once in a while.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

Rangers have no need to trade for role player types due for significant raises when they have role player type prospects ready to fill roles here.

Who?

 

[cwede]

Who?

Richards, Gettinger, Fogarty (if re-signed), Fontaine(if QO'd/re-signed)
{... Lemieux, Howden...]

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

Richards, Gettinger, Fogarty (if re-signed), Fontaine(if QO'd/re-signed)
{... Lemieux, Howden...]

Other than the last two, none of those guys have demonstrated that they are NHL players. For that matter, a lot on this board don't think Howden is either....

Being able to list names is one thing. Being able to put that name in the lineup is another. Having that name penciled into the line up, having that player play a role, be effective and adding value is much different.

 

[Crease]

Richards, Gettinger, Fogarty (if re-signed), Fontaine (if QO'd/re-signed) ... Lemieux, Howden ...

For comparison, the bottom half of the Rangers lineup in 2014 was:

Zuccarello - Brassard - Pouliot
Moore - Boyle - Dorsett/Miller/Carcillo/Fast

 

[Mikos87]

For comparison, the bottom half of the Rangers lineup in 2014 was:

Zuccarello - Brassard - Pouliot
Moore - Boyle - Dorsett/Miller/Carcillo/Fast

Boyle-Moore-Dorsett/Carcillo was a really good 4th line. That team had depth. I remember saying that it was the deepest team I ever saw with the Rangers that training camp.

 

[Vitto79]

I feel w need to give Lemieux , Howden , Gauthier and Hajek this year to proove themselves ... lets see what they got cause the year after the teams going to have much higher expectations. Contracts off the books

 

[cwede]

For comparison, the bottom half of the Rangers lineup in 2014 was:

Zuccarello - Brassard - Pouliot
Moore - Boyle - Dorsett/Miller/Carcillo/Fast

NYR current Bottom 6 also includes Kakko and Gauth....

your post highlights the difference between Cup contenders and building teams
In a couple seasons, NYR become contenders, add High-end depth which pushed more talent to bottom 6, or bottom depth
Watching the current semis,
you see how Vegas adding Stone, Patches, Stastny,
and Dallas adding Radulov, Pavelski, Perry,
makes entire lineup deeper and spreads the load more throughout the lineup

 

[Edge]

Other than the last two, none of those guys have demonstrated that they are NHL players. For that matter, a lot on this board don't think Howden is either....

Being able to list names is one thing. Being able to put that name in the lineup is another. Having that name penciled into the line up, having that player play a role, be effective and adding value is much different.

I think there’s also a difference between a guy who can “maybe” slide into a fourth line role, and a guy who really owns that role. And even then, it’s harder to have multiple players fall into the maybe category.

My expectations for names like Richards, Fogarty and Gettinger are modest at best.

 

[Savant]

DeBrusk is not a role player.

He is a left wing though. No need for that, especially if they have to give him a raise.

 

[RGY]

He is a left wing though. No need for that, especially if they have to give him a raise.

My consideration was to move Kreider to RW and have DeBrusk play 3rd line LW, making us extremely deep and tougher to play against. But I can also understand the concern for what that raise will look like.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

NYR current Bottom 6 also includes Kakko and Gauth....

They're both in the bottom six if Fast comes back (and even then, I don't think Fast should be in the top 6). At some point, Kakko needs to/will move up.

Gauthier is very much still a question mark. To me, he presents a problem similar to Marcel Hossa: his roster spot might largely depend on the whether he's scoring. Because I'm not sure what else he adds if he's not producing points.