Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part LXVIII

[NYSPORTS]

There's no such thing as accelerating youth and having a legit 4th line center is very relevant since teams run a much more balanced lineup these days.
All you have to do is look at the Islanders where their 4th line was a major factor in them advancing to the 2nd round.

The future is not next year so who do you want?

 

[NYR]

The future is not next year so who do you want?

I'm not sure what you're getting out of this.
Just because you have prospects that project to be good players "in the future" doesn't mean sit on your hands and do nothing in order for the team to win now.
This isn't Hartford.
Fill in the roster to NHL standards!!

 

[egelband]

I thought Fontaine had the potential to be a top notch 4th line center in the Dominic Moore mold. I guess he jus never put it all together

Yeah. I think in terms of physical skills there’s not a huge difference. Guys who seem to have it all just can’t put it together. Two guys exactly the same in terms of measurables will play the game so differently and have much different levels of success.
I appreciate this isn’t a “fresh” take, but i think it applies here. Also why scouting is so tough.

 

[NYSPORTS]

I'm not sure what you're getting out of this.
Just because you have prospects that project to be good players "in the future" doesn't mean sit on your hands and do nothing in order for the team to win now.
This isn't Hartford.
Fill in the roster!!

who do you want?

 

[Off Sides]

Transition year.. You mean doing nothing to improve the team?

We gonna continue to wait until we can't afford Zbad's next contract?

I'm not saying we're gonna be contenders but how about we start filling in the pieces to the puzzle already?

Still forever waiting for a 4th line center..

It's not forever, they have like 13M in buyout cap space used, another ~5.5M in Smith and Johnson

They spent ~27M on Panarin, Trouba and Kreider in the past two years.

They just drafted #1 and #2 in the last two drafts

How is that forever or them not doing anything to improve the team?

 

[huerter]

Correct me if I'm forgetting someone but are we the only team in these cap/financially restricting times that attached an asset to get rid of a contract? I'm not saying it was the wrong decision, but good grief.

 

[Vitto79]

Correct me if I'm forgetting someone but are we the only team in these cap/financially restricting times that attached an asset to get rid of a contract? I'm not saying it was the wrong decision, but good grief.

Imagine if Staal at 5.7 was on the cap? Its already tight right now

Who else was dumped is the question ... guys were given away like Stastney, Johnsson but they have value

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Marleau cost a 1st last year...Staal was a similar situation

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I think people need some patience, been saying it forever that we aren't a cup team until Miller, Jones, Lunkvist, Kravtsov, Barron etc are contributing on this roster.

 

[RGY]

I think people need some patience, been saying it forever that we aren't a cup team until Miller, Jones, Lunkvist, Kravtsov, Barron etc are contributing on this roster.

There is patience and then there is progress. We arent waiting for every single prospect to make the jump the NHL. 1-2 from that group breaking on that scene should be enough considering Kakko, Lafreniere, Chytil, Fox, Lindgren, Igor, Lemieux, Howden, Gauthier, are all already here. Some teams dont even have half that to offer to their roster. Thats 8 skaters out of your 18 on game night. You can then look at the mid 20s tier of guys; Trouba, DeAngelo, Buchnevich, and Zibanejad. How much more youth needs to be on the roster before you make your transition to playoff contender? Or ascension to Cup Contender? No I am not with some of the others looking for the big splash. Sure, if the right parameters were in place I would be interested in Monahan or Eichel, but for right now I would like to add a veteran like Haula or Granlund on the cheap. Make the team deeper with more guaranteed experience.

 

[DutchShamrock]

it's a valid criticism considering he doesn't PK, is not a matchup player, and is terrible defensively. I don't wanna say he's redundant but he certainly doesn't add anything we don't already have.

He’s a better version of Strome.*

Is the extra 10-or-so points Monahan will score over Strome really worth DeAngelo?

Like I realize the perfect #2C will probably not be available, but we need a two-way center, not a guy who will provide slightly more offense.

If we are settling for a 2C that doesn't PK or play defense well, why are we dumping the guy making $2m less with confirmed chemistry?

The talking points don't have to be reduced to shiny new toy people vs unsatisfied perfectionists. There's a cap issue for one more season. We will still be looking for a defensively responsible center next season regardless.

Monahan is being shopped for a reason. When the playoffs started, he and Gaudreau withered.

I'm fine with trading Tony, for a solution. The right 2C or a top 4 LD. Those people will shake loose sooner than later. So much praise for Sakic on this board but no willingness to be patient.

 

[Fitzy]

-Raises hand

I’m happy to be patient.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Patience is fine to an extent, I prefer it to doing something rash and stupid...

But the truth of the matter is that this group is going to have to take at least one run while Laf is on his ELC. Whether that means doing major things next off season or the offseason after that, I don't know, but if we're relying on our D prospects to step up and eat those big minutes we'll be wasting a pretty good opportunity here. The only guy I'm comfortable with throwing out there against top competition is Fox. Miller might be that guy, ditto Robertson and/or Schneider, but those guys are going to take time to cook (especially Miller.)

 

[bl02]

Marleau cost a 1st last year...Staal was a similar situation

It cost them Seth "freakin" Jarvis. Damn Hurricanes.

 

[aufheben]

Patience is fine to an extent, I prefer it to doing something rash and stupid...

But the truth of the matter is that this group is going to have to take at least one run while Laf is on his ELC. Whether that means doing major things next off season or the offseason after that, I don't know, but if we're relying on our D prospects to step up and eat those big minutes we'll be wasting a pretty good opportunity here. The only guy I'm comfortable with throwing out there against top competition is Fox. Miller might be that guy, ditto Robertson and/or Schneider, but those guys are going to take time to cook (especially Miller.)

You need good players on ELCs. They don’t have to be your best players.

Stamkos, Ovechkin, Pietrangelo...dudes didn’t win a Cup until they were in their 30s. Lafreniere can’t even drink yet.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

You need good players on ELCs. They don’t have to be your best players.

No they don't, but we need those guys AND players capable of playing in those "higher" spots.

It doesn't have to happen now, but there seems to be a growing sentiment here that we're going to be able to fill in all of these spots internally. I'd love it if that were to happen, but it just isn't realistic.

I'm not worried about the forward group at all. It's a wee bit homogenous for my tastes right now, but they'll take care of that in time.

 

[HFsNumber1Heel]

People need to put things in perspective. This team is going to be younger than any time in Rangers history. Even in the late 70s/early 80s Ooh La La Sasson core they had vets, and the rookies in the late 80s/early 90s were all a little older and a lot spent 3-4 years in NCAA programs or Europe.

Have patience and let the kids grow.

 

[aufheben]

No they don't, but we need those guys AND players capable of playing in those "higher" spots.

It doesn't have to happen now, but there seems to be a growing sentiment here that we're going to be able to fill in all of these spots internally. I'd love it if that were to happen, but it just isn't realistic.

I'm not worried about the forward group at all. It's a wee bit homogenous for my tastes right now, but they'll take care of that in time.

Why isn’t it realistic? You don’t have to fill literally the entire lineup from within. Plus, star players elevate others around them. Pittsburgh did it, Tampa did it, St. Louis did it.

If anything, what’s unrealistic is winning a Cup with your core players on ELCs.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

2021-2022 needs to be the 1st "run" season. Make it through this season with the dead cap, then use assets next season to make the trades to make the run real.

 

[Vitto79]

Monahan is basically Ryan Strome, coming at the expense of Buchnevich or DeAngelo? Which would leave our RW depth as Kakko-Kravtsov-Gauthier. Not good.

I really don’t think Monahan is Strome . I mean the guys a lot better come on now. If you don’t want to trade assets for him and live w Strome as a stop gap fine but Monahan is the better player

 

[aufheben]

I really don’t think Monahan is Strome . I mean the guys a lot better come on now. If you don’t want to trade assets for him and live w Strome as a stop gap fine but Monahan is the better player

It’s not really that he’s better it’s that he doesn’t exactly provide what we need. But for all I know he could be the perfect fit, so, we’ll see...

 

[effen]

If Laf is staying LW I don't see our lines being Panarin-Strome-Kakko & KZB
That would place Laf on the 3rd line and he'd be playing with babies. I assume he's going to be playing with Mika.

Panarin - Strome - Kakko
Lafreniere - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Kreider - Chytil - Kravtsov
Lemieux - Howden - Gauthier

that top line is gonna spend entire games in their own zone. Strome is bad and Kakko was arguably the worst defensive forward itl last year.

Kravtsov probably isn't ready and is unlikely to play over Gauthier in any event.

Laf should be stapled to Chytil because Chytil has shown very little playmaking ability while that's probably Laf's most advanced skill at this stage of his career.

 

[NYRangers16]

no one is saying they don’t want 3 good lines. That isn’t the issue but you don’t need to rush Lafreniere onto the top line. He will be on the top line soon enough, but if he needs a minute to adjust to the nhl that’s ok too...

Good chance he will be on the top line before the year is over.

Think the point was missed. I’m saying - we don’t have a “top” line.

 

[NYRangers16]

Are you saying that you can’t have three good lines unless Lafreniere is with Zibanejad?

In effect, at least initially, yes. Because then you’d have Laf with Kakko or with Chytil. Neither is ideal imo. Let all 3 (Laf/KK/Chytil) play with vets for cover. That way they won’t have to carry the line.

 

[egelband]

In effect, at least initially, yes. Because then you’d have Laf with Kakko or with Chytil. Neither is ideal imo. Let all 3 (Laf/KK/Chytil) play with vets for cover. That way they won’t have to carry the line.

I think I agree in principle but at this point isn’t Chytil - if not a veteran - at least not a total neophyte.