Roster Building Thread: Part VII (2023-24)

[Avery16]

JAM started off as an AHL contract so I guess he wasn't good either

Just not good enough for Torts.

 

[Machinehead]

Panwar should be a solid professional hockey player but there's nothing in his resume to indicate it will be at the NHL level.

Marchessault is a huge exception and was overlooked for being 5 foot nothing.

 

[SA16]

The thing with Mackey or Harpur is it's okay not to play them much. Both of those guys when they're in the NHL like Hajek have had periods where they were scratched all the time. They are what they are. They're both also bigger and aren't going to play outside their skill level when they do get in. Easier for Schneider to pair with than Jones or Gustafsson who he's pretty much going to ride shotgun for. Jones is still a refining and developing player. He needs to play if he's ever going to reach his potential. Even at the AHL level his biggest strength his offense could easily reach another level. Signing him towards the end of his college year 20-21 wasn't maybe the smartest move because if we'd waited longer he'd be still waiver eligible. He wasn't as ready as Rangers management thought.

All that said though it's not like Jones has no chance to beat out Gustafsson. That's what training camp is about. It's just that I think the odds are against him kind of like they're against guys like Cuylle, Othmann, Garand right now.

It's even better to not play them at all.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Brooks didn't say much.



Will Jones get a fair shot for the 3rd pair spot? Vince discussed Jones on his podcast last week. He feels Gustafsson is the preferred choice. Wonderful. A 31 year old journeyman defenseman. Vince talked to some league people for his Rangers top 10 prospects list. Other teams do like Jones. Vince said someone told him Jones would be a regular D on 70% of the NHL teams. Drury should have no trouble getting value back for Jones if he is a top 6 D on 21-22 NHL teams.

Imo if Jones has a good showing he'll play, Gustafson isn't signed long term. I mean they pretty much gotta see what Joens is and if Robertson is a better option for this team or not before next year.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Panwar should be a solid professional hockey player but there's nothing in his resume to indicate it will be at the NHL level.

Marchessault is a huge exception and was overlooked for being 5 foot nothing.

I will say this though: Panwar in Hartford will potentially help Othmann's transition, having a familiar face there.

I've seen a bunch of decisions made by Drury that tie into making sure Brennan Othmann isn't facing the same adversity and challenges as Andersson and Kravtsov.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

This right here is another reason why Sather needs to go.

"NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shed some light on it, saying, “Not everyone in the Rangers organization wanted to do Babcock, but I think there were some who wanted to pursue it.” Yet, who were these Babcock enthusiasts? At the time, it seemed like Glen Sather, the former GM, and James Dolan’s advisor, might have been among them."

It's one thing for an owner to not know about the perils of adding Babcock but for a guy who's been around the league all his life in Sather, to not know is mind boggling.

 

[Fitzy]

Imo if Jones has a good showing he'll play, Gustafson isn't signed long term. I mean they pretty much gotta see what Joens is and if Robertson is a better option for this team or not before next year.

We say this every year. But the bar for young players is higher with NHL coaches. Last situation like this we kept Sauer as a 7th flan so we didn’t have to waive him. He had to wait for injuries to get in.

 

[Avery16]

“Not everyone in the Rangers organization wanted to do Babcock, but I think there were some who wanted to pursue it.” Yet, who were these Babcock enthusiasts? At the time, it seemed like Glen Sather, the former GM, and James Dolan’s advisor, might have been among them."

It's one thing for an owner to not know about the perils of adding Babcock but for a guy who's been around the league all his life in Sather, to not know is mind boggling.

This is about the vaguest and most non-committal way to put this. I wonder what info they’re relying on for this ‘conclusion’.

That being said, I’d also like to know if Quenneville was ever discussed.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

We say this every year. But the bar for young players is higher with NHL coaches. Last situation like this we kept Sauer as a 7th flan so we didn’t have to waive him. He had to wait for injuries to get in.

True, but Jones is no longer exempt. He's completed his 3 years since he signed. That will stop him from getting sent down unless it's a conditioning stint.

Robertson is still waiver exempt.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

This is about the vaguest and most non-committal way to put this. I wonder what info they’re relying on for this ‘conclusion’.

That being said, I’d also like to know if Quenneville was ever discussed.

Friedman doesn't pull stuff out of the air, one of the few you can trust to say what he knows, not what is rumored.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

This right here is another reason why Sather needs to go.

"NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shed some light on it, saying, “Not everyone in the Rangers organization wanted to do Babcock, but I think there were some who wanted to pursue it.” Yet, who were these Babcock enthusiasts? At the time, it seemed like Glen Sather, the former GM, and James Dolan’s advisor, might have been among them."

It's one thing for an owner to not know about the perils of adding Babcock but for a guy who's been around the league all his life in Sather, to not know is mind boggling.

Sather's claim to fame is lucking into Wayne Gretzky. If there was ever a personality in the NHL that was carried to where he is now, It's Sather.

 

[IDvsEGO]

This right here is another reason why Sather needs to go.

"NHL insider Elliotte Friedman shed some light on it, saying, “Not everyone in the Rangers organization wanted to do Babcock, but I think there were some who wanted to pursue it.” Yet, who were these Babcock enthusiasts? At the time, it seemed like Glen Sather, the former GM, and James Dolan’s advisor, might have been among them."

It's one thing for an owner to not know about the perils of adding Babcock but for a guy who's been around the league all his life in Sather, to not know is mind boggling.

I mean sather is a moron, wasn’t really news. But for every person who thinks drury is a sather puppet this report should’ve been great news.
Drury was being pushed to either babcock or even worse Quinnville, and yet went with laviolette.
Seems like drury isn’t a puppet and willing to take risks.
Also reading the tweets from his press conference, he definitely said the right things.
Trying out different line combos . Laf to right to start. Playing with d pairings.
Talk about balancing skill and grit.

 

[TGWL]

We say this every year. But the bar for young players is higher with NHL coaches. Last situation like this we kept Sauer as a 7th flan so we didn’t have to waive him. He had to wait for injuries to get in.

Sauer played the first game of the season during 2010-2011. I remember the should we trade him talk or risk losing him for nothing after the meh preseason, but he got in for game 1.

 

[SA16]

Concerning that Laf is “starting” on RW. How about telling him that’s where he’s playing this year? If he practices there for 3 days and plays one poor game are they gonna jerk him around and move him back to the left? Not sure how he’ll ever get comfortable with that side with the knowledge that he might play a new position at a moments notice

 

[eco's bones]

Imo if Jones has a good showing he'll play, Gustafson isn't signed long term. I mean they pretty much gotta see what Joens is and if Robertson is a better option for this team or not before next year.

My guess is the East is going to be an even bigger dogfight than it was last year. A lot of the non-playoff teams from last year particularly in the Atlantic are young, gaining experience and will be knocking on the door. Having made the playoffs the last couple years with one long playoff run the Rangers are not really in a rebuilding/retooling stage any more. Not making the playoffs more than probably would mean we will be looking for another coach and maybe entire coaching staff next summer.....meaning not making the playoffs will be seen as unacceptable result. It's partly why if a kid doesn't beat out the vets in front of him he's not making the team and Laviolette a veteran coach isn't aren't likely going to experiment with a rookie he's not sure about just to see how well he does.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Concerning that Laf is “starting” on RW. How about telling him that’s where he’s playing this year? If he practices there for 3 days and plays one poor game are they gonna jerk him around and move him back to the left? Not sure how he’ll ever get comfortable with that side with the knowledge that he might play a new position at a moments notice

He's said he's going to give him a shot at right, he's going to see what lines work with chemistry.
He's made it clear every spot is going to be earned.
He's not handing laf a spot on the right side in the top 6 just because, and thats the right answer. Give him a legit opportunity. He's said "My eyes/ the staff's eyes are wide open, you earn something we're going to see it"
I have no issues what so ever with that.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I mean sather is a moron, wasn’t really news. But for every person who thinks drury is a sather puppet this report should’ve been great news.
Drury was being pushed to either babcock or even worse Quinnville, and yet went with laviolette.
Seems like drury isn’t a puppet and willing to take risks.
Also reading the tweets from his press conference, he definitely said the right things.
Trying out different line combos . Laf to right to start. Playing with d pairings.
Talk about balancing skill and grit.

I honestly think Drury took the team over fully after this season, Gallant gone, all the old development guys are gone, trainers out, etc etc. This team has taken a 180 after this playoffs.

My guess is the East is going to be an even bigger dogfight than it was last year. A lot of the non-playoff teams from last year particularly in the Atlantic are young, gaining experience and will be knocking on the door. Having made the playoffs the last couple years with one long playoff run the Rangers are not really in a rebuilding/retooling stage any more. Not making the playoffs more than probably would mean we will be looking for another coach and maybe entire coaching staff next summer.....meaning not making the playoffs will be seen as unacceptable result. It's partly why if a kid doesn't beat out the vets in front of him he's not making the team and Laviolette a veteran coach isn't aren't likely going to experiment with a rookie he's not sure about just to see how well he does.

I think if he struggles he will be in and out of the lineup, they could go with 7 d though thats not ideal. Imo they will give him every opportunity to succeed and it will be up to him to take the spot. If he can't hold that spot by Christmas it might be time up for him and they'll move on to Robertson.

 

[Synergy27]

How long is it going to take for this batch of rookies to look better than Laf and will a large group of posters here still insist on blaming COVID?

 

[kovazub94]

The thing with Mackey or Harpur is it's okay not to play them much. Both of those guys when they're in the NHL like Hajek have had periods where they were scratched all the time. They are what they are. They're both also bigger and aren't going to play outside their skill level when they do get in. Easier for Schneider to pair with than Jones or Gustafsson who he's pretty much going to ride shotgun for. Jones is still a refining and developing player. He needs to play if he's ever going to reach his potential. Even at the AHL level his biggest strength his offense could easily reach another level. Signing him towards the end of his college year 20-21 wasn't maybe the smartest move because if we'd waited longer he'd be still waiver eligible. He wasn't as ready as Rangers management thought.

All that said though it's not like Jones has no chance to beat out Gustafsson. That's what training camp is about. It's just that I think the odds are against him kind of like they're against guys like Cuylle, Othmann, Garand right now.

With respect to Schneider I don't know if it's that clear cut that it's easier for him to play with Harpur or Mackey. Yeah, they're staying within their "safer" comfort zone but it means that more types of on-ice responsibilities fall on Schneider, specifically those dealing with handling puck and moving forward. These are not Schneider's strengths so they would fall to Jones or Gustafsson if they were to be his partners. And going into his third pro year IMO Schneider should be ready to be this baby-sitter to more offensively skilled partners to make that pair better as a whole vs. when he's with Harpur.

 

[eco's bones]

With respect to Schneider I don't know if it's that clear cut that it's easier for him to play with Harpur or Mackey. Yeah, they're staying within their "safer" comfort zone but it means that more types of on-ice responsibilities fall on Schneider, specifically those dealing with handling puck and moving forward. These are not Schneider's strengths so they would fall to Jones or Gustafsson if they were to be his partners. And going into his third pro year IMO Schneider should be ready to be this baby-sitter to more offensively skilled partners to make that pair better as a whole vs. when he's with Harpur.

I think it frees Braden to move up the ice more though.....instead of being the guy covering all the time for his partner.

 

[Smash]

I’m just talking about Rupp. Ok, he’s an athlete. But he was not a good hockey player. Certainly not a coach. I would not put a lot of stock on what lines he’d roll.

I’m hoping you meant in relation to other NHL players.. And even then he had a long career, which is in part to him understanding the game and how to fill a role that provides value enough to keep getting contracts.

I’d say his opinion is worth something.

 

[RangerBoy]

I get that some fans, and maybe even sometimes reporters (although it's their job to get this stuff right) make mistakes like this. It's an unconventional name for English speakers anyway.

But your own social media team? JFC...
View attachment 744325

The Rangers have a job opportunity. Digital media person. They have all of these requirements. How about hiring someone who knows the players on the team?

 

[mrhockey193195]

Sather's claim to fame is lucking into Wayne Gretzky. If there was ever a personality in the NHL that was carried to where he is now, It's Sather.

Let's give Glen a bit more credit than that, his middling track record in NY aside.

One thing has always been true about Glen, for better or (in my opinion, more often) for worse - he loves giving "second chances". MacTavish, Tibbetts, Avery, etc. No surprise he wanted Babcock, and thank god it didn't happen.

 

[Avery16]

I’m hoping you meant in relation to other NHL players.. And even then he had a long career, which is in part to him understanding the game and how to fill a role that provides value enough to keep getting contracts.

I’d say his opinion is worth something.

I had no idea Rupp has so many admirers here. I had to double-check this wasn’t a Devils thread.

Why did we ever let him go??

 

[IDvsEGO]

I had no idea Rupp has so many admirers here. I had to double-check this wasn’t a Devils thread.

Why did we ever let him go??

I think you can appreciate a guy who’s managed to stick around the nhl for so many years might have some solid game knowledge , regardless of his historical team affiliations.