Roster Building Thread - Part XI (Off-season edition)

[GAGLine]

I wasn't saying all of them. I was just showing what AFP projects them to get. I would think 1 of them is reasonable as a RW

We've got to pay Laf, Miller and Shesty next summer. We need to save cap space for that.

One thing we have plenty of in the system in wingers. We shouldn't be committing significant term and cap space to adding a UFA winger. That's the whole point of having a farm system, so we can inject cheap players into the lineup instead of signing expensive free agents.

 

[MrAlmost]

How can you move on from a player like this?
View attachment 879247

Who knew at the time, "Room for Improvement" - "None", was a prediction?

 

[Cmox]

This isn't really a roster thing but more of a training program. I think their off ice training should implement batting practice with their sticks. I don't know if Florida does this but it sure seemed like it. Batting the pucks out of the air to stop clears and score was a huge advantage. The whole Florida team also seemed to be very good at it. It couldn't hurt to be honest.

 

[RangersFan1994]

This isn't really a roster thing but more of a training program. I think their off ice training should implement batting practice with their sticks. I don't know if Florida does this but it sure seemed like it. Batting the pucks out of the air to stop clears and score was a huge advantage. The whole Florida team also seemed to be very good at it. It couldn't hurt to be honest.

Getting tired in the 3rd is a big issue with the Rangers.

 

[Chalfdiggity3]

Getting tired in the 3rd is a big issue with the Rangers.

That’s because when you’re busy defending for long stretches you get exhausted. The defense needs to change. Trouba and lindgren out. Jones as 6th, fox, miller, Schneider, go from there.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Not looking forward to the lack of Media availability for tomorrow’s break-up day.
In the not too distant past MSG had their own nightly sports broadcast and before then they even had a special off-season show.
All to dust.
Hopefully, reporters with twitter accounts will post clips or if we’re lucky the Ranger feed that is run by the NHL will post up content.

 

[RangersFan1994]

That’s because when you’re busy defending for long stretches you get exhausted. The defense needs to change. Trouba and lindgren out. Jones as 6th, fox, miller, Schneider, go from there.

Maybe it’s a system thing.. Giving up 40 shots on a regular basis is an issue. I’d like to see them change the defensive system before they trade a bunch of dman. Trouba has to go. They played better without him in the lineup and it showed. I’d consider dealing Miller only if it brings back someone with the same age that is better defensively that can skate even if he brings less offense. Jones better be on the PP next season.

 

[Savant]

I’m not trying to diminish Matt T and the player that he is, but finding Forsling in the garbage and coaching him up is the biggest reason that Florida is where they are.

I think having a mutant like Barkov was the biggest reason. He’s unplayable.

Usually I don’t watch the cup if Rangers aren’t in it, but I really want to see the Barkov x McDavid matchup

 

[zlev]

I’m not trying to diminish Matt T and the player that he is, but finding Forsling in the garbage and coaching him up is the biggest reason that Florida is where they are.

Montour too

 

[Dfence033]

They used the magic of time travel to convince Treliving that he'd have his eyelids stapled open and tied down to a mural of Seth Jarvis and Evan Rodrigues if they didn't sent him back for free.

I'm pretty sure this exact scenario is what brought about the Geneva Convention.

 

[Synergy27]

Who knew at the time, "Room for Improvement" - "None", was a prediction?

When you see something like that it should be completely obvious that it’s pure propaganda.

Vladimir Putin scouting report: plays shirtless, wears bear skull instead of helmet, elite in every category.

 

[JCProdigy]

All of those teams also found superstars after the first round.

It would be nice.

And if anybody says Igor, I'm coming to your house.

Exactly, you can overcome it by finding top talent elsewhere. Some of that is luck in a way (later Draft picks) some is schrewed GMing, trades and FA signings.

Point being is going a Draft or two without (really) your highest pick not panning out is not going to preclude success.

 

[bl02]

I appreciate the effort Lindgren puts in but it won't be worth it to sign him. Unless he wants to take a 1-2 year deal worth less than what he's making which I doubt.
Trouba is absolutely number 1 and should be number 1 on everyone's list to get rid of.
Just buy him out I don't give a shit. The best Ranger hockey I've seen in a long while was when this bum was out of the lineup.
His IQ is garbage, He can't skate, He can't skate quick enough to make a hit, he completely destroys any chance pp2 has when he's on the ice. Should I go on? The only thing etched in my memory from this playoff run is the disgrace of a play he made on the first goal in game 6.
Buy him out get another d man to replace him for 2 million. Get Jones in there full time. Enough!

 

[Siddi]

The fact Trouba is captain is going to make anything and everything harder with him. It is beyond savage to buyout the team captain. It is a weird look to trade the team captain, let alone trade him and retain money. I know that people will scoff those things off but they are real. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but it is a VERY complicating factor.

Regarding lindgren, I think the comparisons to staal and girardi are unfair. Lindgren does not have offense in his game but he provides more than either of those two guys did, and for a team of vanilla players he stands out as someone with some actual bite and pushback. There is also a consideration to who he plays with. Most say that because he plays with fox it makes him look better, I would also suggest that people consider if how he plays helps make fox better/more comfortable to play the way he wants to. He trusts Lindgren and whenever he has been paired with others he has been noticeably worse. If someone can name a legit upgrade to lindgren that is obtainable I will hear it, but that player was hanafin and he is gone. You don't dump lindgren bc you want to upgrade him without actually having an upgrade. There is room to sign him and less than max term and get good years out of him.

If the Rangers can buy out Hank they can buy out f***ing Trouba.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Florida got so many guys off the scrap heap.

Forsling, Bennett, Verhaege, Montour, even Reinhart to an extent.

The Weegar + Huberdoob trade for Tkachuk took massive balls and savvy, one of the best trades ever and one of the worst for Calgary.

It’s not easy to replicate but Zito is a god tier GM who built this team mostly outside of the draft, even if Barkov is an incredible foundation to start with.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

 

[17futurecap]

Florida got so many guys off the scrap heap.

Forsling, Bennett, Verhaege, Montour, even Reinhart to an extent.

The Weegar + Huberdoob trade for Tkachuk took massive balls and savvy, one of the best trades ever and one of the worst for Calgary.

It’s not easy to replicate but Zito is a god tier GM who built this team mostly outside of the draft, even if Barkov is an incredible foundation to start with.

Yea, but we got Wheeler, Pitlick and Bonino off the scrap heap last summer so who is the real winner?

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

The worst thing Drury can do is run it back .


There needs to be a BIG shakeup.

The leadership group ain’t it.

Kreider and Zibanejad are too soft, and much like Bobby Ryan can’t even spell “intense”.

Trouba isn’t soft but he’s a brainless crap player.

You won’t win with these 3 leading the charge.

 

[irishlaxburger2]

Florida got so many guys off the scrap heap.

Forsling, Bennett, Verhaege, Montour, even Reinhart to an extent.

The Weegar + Huberdoob trade for Tkachuk took massive balls and savvy, one of the best trades ever and one of the worst for Calgary.

It’s not easy to replicate but Zito is a god tier GM who built this team mostly outside of the draft, even if Barkov is an incredible foundation to start with.

Things get exponentially easier when you already have the 1C in place.

It's a lot harder when that's your final piece and you're trying to band-aid around actually addressing it for years.

 

[bobbop]

In the run up to the 2024 playoffs, I said the Rangers overarching issue was the lack of offense. This was manifest in the Rangers poor 5X5 performance leading up to the trade deadline. The playoffs also exposed problems with the defense entering the offensive zone. The Rangers didn’t have enough scoring and this was never more evident than the series against Florida.

OK, so how do we fix these issues?

For starters, the Rangers need to fix Mika Zibanajad. He had 20 points less this season than the prior year. He also has an abaolutely ironclad contract that can’t be traded (full NMC) or bought out (due to bonus structure) He is going to be a Ranger at a minimum for the next few years.

The number one item on the shopping list is a high quality right wing to fill the void on the Mika-CK line and it wouldn’t hurt to add some snarl along the way. Pavel Buchnevich is the prototype and he may be the number one target. Tyler Toffoli and Matt Duchesne could also be possibilities.

Mika also needs to do some serious soul searching this summer, similar to the summer of Panarin in 2023. He needs to be much better. Anyone can have one bad year. Two years and the alarms really go off.

The next item on the shopping list is a new home for Jacob Trouba. He has run his course in New York and his NTC becomes 15 teams on July 1. Unlike many people on here, I think he has real value around the league. His contract ($8MM cap, $6MM cash) is not untradeable, especially with some retention. One logical place for him to land is Buffalo, a team with cap room, no RHD and looking for veteran leadership. There are others. The downside to trading Trouba is that he is one of the Rangers more physical forces, so this will cause the team to need a physical replacement for the bottom pair.

Next up is a new home for Kaapo Kakko. Hate to be at this point but he desperately needs a change of scenery. Kakko could likely bring back a younger player or draft capital that can be used to fortify other areas. Best for everyone.

It would be great to find a young defenseman with size, snarl and some offensive skill. That’s a big order. Kakko might be part of a deal that addresses that.

Next on my shopping list is some snarl for the bottom half of the roster. I like the younger players in the organization but the Rangers need at least one veteran who can be a role model for the aspirants. Several available players to pick from here.

No interest in retaining Roslovic, Wennberg (unless the price drops dramatically) and Wheeler.

The Rangers are in the somewhat uncomfortable position of having a lot of guys locked in for 2024-25. Drury has a lot of work to do but his biggest challenges may be getting Sherstykin and Lafreniere signed to new contracts. The big changes will be coming in 2025-26 to make room for those and other contracts. This is the real test for Drury. I don’t dislike anything he did this year, but he has to be better.

Will be an interesting summer to say the least.

 

[irishlaxburger2]

I still think you’re all kidding yourselves by trying to find a RW for Mika and Kreider. Neither are play drivers and there’s no winger out there that will get that line’s xGF above 50% late in the playoffs.

The only chance to realistically fix that line is move Mika to RW and find a play driving center, because centers have way more impact on xGF than wingers do.

Or you break up Mika and Kreider entirely.

 

[Atax]

This isnt directed at anyone, but why is it always Mika-Kreider needing a winger? Why do they have to play together? Why cant they be separated? They dont score at 5 v 5, yet we keep trotting them out together.

Is it such an awful idea to do something like
Kreider-Trocheck-Laf
Panarin-Mika-(Thanks Kakko for totally panning out)-??

 

[Machinehead]

I still wouldn't give Igor his next contract.

 

[RangersFan1994]

The worst thing Drury can do is run it back .


There needs to be a BIG shakeup.

The leadership group ain’t it.

Kreider and Zibanejad are too soft, and much like Bobby Ryan can’t even spell “intense”.

Trouba isn’t soft but he’s a brainless crap player.

You won’t win with these 3 leading the charge.

Kreider should stay. He does get involved sometimes. I’d keep him over Mika. Kreider has the better contract and is good in front of the net. Mika is passive and does not give a crap. Trouba has to be bought out or find a sucker to take him. Miller needs to go too. His size and continues to poke check or have the opposition skate around him. Does not use his speed to help defensively. 6’5 feather. I’d trade Miller for a 24 year old with similar size that brings less offense but can skate and defend well, especially in front of Igor. 2 or 3 wacks at Igor should not happen. Let the guys take pokes at Igor. That is telling. The defensive style has to change too. Giving up 40 shots is telling

 

[Machinehead]

Kreider should stay. He does get involved sometimes. I’d keep him over Mika. Kreider has the better contract and is good in front of the net. Mika is passive and does not give a crap. Trouba has to be bought out or find a sucker to take him. Miller needs to go too. His size and continues to poke check or have the opposition skate around him. Does not use his speed to help defensively. 6’5 feather. I’d trade Miller for a 24 year old with similar size that brings less offense but can skate and defend well, especially in front of Igor. 2 or 3 wacks at Igor should not happen. Let the guys take pokes at Igor. That is telling. The defensive style has to change too. Giving up 40 shots is telling

There's like three guys that are Miller's size and can skate and defend.