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

[McRanger92]

Mollie Walker told us Post Sports+ subscribers via text on Tuesday that Chris Drury was expected to address the media "later in the week". I guess that's today.

The annoying thing is that none of the writers are going to ask him any questions the fans care about.

 

[NYR Viper]

Problem is there are 31 teams or at least fan based trying to trade Utah their uncapfriendly player

Yeah but how many are trading them a Ryan Lindgren?

 

[mas0764]

Did Schneider get ol' yeller'd out behind the garden or something?

lol, Schneider, not Skjei.

 

[Mike in Houston]

The annoying thing is that none of the writers are going to ask him any questions the fans care about.

Do they ever though?

 

[mas0764]

Less painting, more training this summer. But you are right. Cleary he doesn't appreciate how he is being trolled publicly, evidenced by him going out of his way to respond to the Chiclets guy. I still would move him if they can but its a significant change.

I really thought he was playing fine until the Florida series where they switch to man on man, that was disastrous. In the Caps and Canes series he wasnt a liability, just the whipping boy. The thing that disappoints me is how parts of the fanbase can't put aside the fact that he's overpaid. For his warts he's the captain and has been a selfless Ranger and great leader his entire time here. Yet we play into it when other fanbases act like he's satan. Idk maybe, Ive gone soft in my old age but with all the shit talk coming the Rangers way recently I feel like the collective should be circling the wagons instead. He's our guy for better or worse, and I saw how ungrateful people were toward great Rangers Girardi and Staal because they had the audacity to accept contracts the Rangers offered them lol.

Long story short, Im not trading him for locker room shakeup reasons, because that's completely unwarranted after the season the team just had. I just know they can't come back with the same D and expect a different result. Something has to give.

He's not just overpaid. He's actively bad.

It's not "pretending he's Satan." He's bad. It's the truth.

His salary just compounds the urgency of getting him out.

 

[LOFIN]

Mollie Walker told us Post Sports+ subscribers via text on Tuesday that Chris Drury was expected to address the media "later in the week". I guess that's today.

 

[McRanger92]

He's not just overpaid. He's actively bad.

It's not "pretending he's Satan." He's bad. It's the truth.

His salary just compounds the urgency of getting him out.

Im aware of your feelings. I dont agree.

 

[Mike in Houston]

Watch it be a conference call.

 

[McRanger92]

Do they ever though?

Literally never

 

[B17 Apricots]

I think the highest priority right now is shedding cap space quickly. There's too many high impact free agents this summer that fit our needs for us to miss out on. Tuba, Goodrow, Lindgren and maybe even Kakko should all be on the block. We're sitting at 11.3 million in cap space this summer. Schneider, Kakko and Lindgren are all RFAs. If you can shed some of the above salary, put yourself closer to 20 million this summer... theres opportunity for some big moves.

Guentzel would be a phenomenal add, I'd be a little worried about term though, turning 30 at the start of the season. Lindholm's in a similar situation.

I guess we'll see if guys like Stammer and Duchene test free agency.

Vegas will not be able to sign both Stephenson and Marchessault, it'll be one or the other... unless both leave. They'd be great adds. Marchessault I like the age he's at because it'll limit his term. Still a very effective player. Stephenson would give us good insurance in case Chytil gets hurt. Plays center and wing.

There's a plethora of talented forwards available that can fit our needs. And I like that many of them are at an age where teams aren't going to give them too much term. Toffoli, Tarasenko, Teräväinen, Duclair, Mantha, Bertuzzi, Barabanov, Sprong.. obviously some better than others, but guys that'll bolster the depth.

I'd quietly add Jakob Vrána to the list as well. The odds are against him, I love a good redemption story. He dealt with the substance abuse thing. Shitty season this year. The guy had tons of skill. No one is lining up to give him a big contract. League minimum, waive to the minors if it doesn't work out... zero risk move. Nikita Gusev is in a similar boat, had some substance abuse issues. Record setting season this year. Free agent this summer. He's another one I'd bring over cheap, no risk.

On D, if Tuba's on the move I'd like to target Justin Schultz if he hits FA. I don't mind re-signing Gus at the right price. If Lindgren's gone Skjei wouldn't be a horrible choice depending on the term. I'd really like to target Provorov from Columbus though. Because of LA's retention his 4.725 cap hit comes in real cheap for what he brings

 

[McRanger92]

I think the highest priority right now is shedding cap space quickly. There's too many high impact free agents this summer that fit our needs for us to miss out on. Tuba, Goodrow, Lindgren and maybe even Kakko should all be on the block. We're sitting at 11.3 million in cap space this summer. Schneider, Kakko and Lindgren are all RFAs. If you can shed some of the above salary, put yourself closer to 20 million this summer... theres opportunity for some big moves.

Guentzel would be a phenomenal add, I'd be a little worried about term though, turning 30 at the start of the season.

I guess we'll see if guys like Stammer and Duchene test free agency.

Vegas will not be able to sign both Stephenson and Marchessault, it'll be one or the other... unless both leave. They'd be great adds. Marchessault I like the age he's at because it'll limit his term. Still a very effective player. Stephenson would give us good insurance in case Chytil gets hurt. Plays center and wing.

There's a plethora of talented forwards available that can fit our needs. And I like that many of them are at an age where teams aren't going to give them too much term. Toffoli, Tarasenko, Teräväinen, Duclair, Mantha, Bertuzzi, Barabanov, Sprong.. obviously some better than others, but guys that'll bolster the depth.

I'd quietly add Jakob Vrána to the list as well. The odds are against him, I love a good redemption story. He dealt with the substance abuse thing. Shitty season this year. The guy had tons of skill. No one is lining up to give him a big contract. League minimum, waive to the minors if it doesn't work out... zero risk move. Nikita Gusev is in a similar boat, had some substance abuse issues. Record setting season this year. Free agent this summer. He's another one I'd bring over cheap, no risk.

On D, if Tuba's on the move I'd like to target Justin Schultz if he hits FA. I don't mind re-signing Gus at the right price. If Lindgren's gone Skjei wouldn't be a horrible choice depending on the term. I'd really like to target Provorov from Columbus though. Because of LA's retention his 4.725 cap hit comes in real cheap for what he brings

I think the Rangers are going to be all in on Stamkos if the Lightning decide to move on. 1 or 2(or 3) year deal to play RW through the end of Panarin's deal. Leader, Cup winner, plays a straight line game. I know everyone will say he's a powerplay guy but he's be our 4th best player in terms of 5v5 shots/60 at ES (Behind Bread, Kreider and Laf). And it's only money. I think Tampa traded for McDonagh knowing they are going to have a leadership void to fill.

Panarin-Mika-Laf
Kreider-Trocheck-Stammertime

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I think the Rangers are going to be all in on Stamkos if the Lightning decide to move on. 1 or 2(or 3) year deal to play RW through the end of Panarin's deal. Leader, Cup winner, plays a straight line game. I know everyone will say he's a powerplay guy but he's be our 4th best player in terms of 5v5 shots/60 at ES (Behind Bread, Kreider and Laf). And it's only money.

He needs PP1 time and they won't switch up anything if the same guys are back. Plus it seems like hes going to return to TB. They'll probably do some pretty dumb stuff to clear space if needed so I'd look to take advantage there rather than signing Stamkos. Hes also played exclusively LW IIRC and we don't really have a ton of room there.

The shot rates are great but thats what he's doing catching passes from Kucherov. Presumably you'd be throwing him on his strong side (so no 1t option) and he'd be catching passes from... Zibanejad and Kreider - It wouldn't work.

Good player, bad fit.

 

[B17 Apricots]

I think the Rangers are going to be all in on Stamkos if the Lightning decide to move on. 1 or 2(or 3) year deal to play RW through the end of Panarin's deal. Leader, Cup winner, plays a straight line game. I know everyone will say he's a powerplay guy but he's be our 4th best player in terms of 5v5 shots/60 at ES (Behind Bread, Kreider and Laf). And it's only money. I think Tampa traded for McDonagh knowing they are going to have a leadership void to fill.

Panarin-Mika-Laf
Kreider-Trocheck-Stammertime

Stammer makes a ton of sense if he's leaves Tampa. They'll have to unload some money if they intend to keep him. They're sitting at 5 million in cap space

 

[haohmaru]

These guys are human. Trouba had a rough year. Lots of talking head chatter about him being dirty (he is, which is ok and encouraged in my book) after some unfortunate incidents with Frederic and Dorofeyev. Broken ankle. Had a child mid-season(my sister in law just had her first and its no joke lol despite how it get's handwaved by the tough guys on the board). I think if they can add a true #1 on left defense who can play all situations, it will take a lot of pressure off the rest of the D. Fox playing too much, Lindgren and Trouba laying above their station. Miller in his own head. They need another dude. I'd really be after Chychrun. He's young and skilled and if they get him to NYC after being in Arizona and Ottawa i think his upside is sky high. They can deal Trouba more easily next summer with 1 year left to give them space to extend Chychrun (and Laf).

Mika had a kid too, right? And Wennberg? These guys need to get TV’s in their bedrooms.

 

[McRanger92]

He needs PP1 time and they won't switch up anything if the same guys are back. Plus it seems like hes going to return to TB. They'll probably do some pretty dumb stuff to clear space if needed so I'd look to take advantage there rather than signing Stamkos. Hes also played exclusively LW IIRC and we don't really have a ton of room there.

The shot rates are great but thats what he's doing catching passes from Kucherov. Presumably you'd be throwing him on his strong side (so no 1t option) and he'd be catching passes from... Zibanejad and Kreider - It wouldn't work.

Good player, bad fit.

Id play him with Kreider and Trocheck. And im not overly concerned with the PP aspect because he can put the puck in the net in any situation. We dont have enough goal scorers. Im not really looking for 50 regular season goals, because we dont really need that. Im looking for 8-10 in a Stanley Cup run, and no available player on the market can do that better than Stammer, except maybe Marchessault who i think is a lock to go back to Vegas.

 

[DanielBrassard]

I honestly don’t know where the rangers go from here. They need a #1 right wing, and a #1 left defenseman, but even then how do you create the cap space and acquire the assets to fill both of those holes with the right personnel. But even if you do that, the biggest problem is the core group. They don’t have it.

 

[NYR Viper]

So I had some time this morning so I tried to do a comprehensive comparison of some of the defensemen that are UFA as compared to Lindgren over the last 2 years

There are a couple of directions to go for the Rangers. If their plan is to play Miller and Fox together, then they really need a middle-pairing, bigger bodied d-man who can slot in on that 2nd pairing. I'd probably lean towards Dillon, although you could easily sell me on Demelo as he plays both RD and LD. Quietly a pretty physical player in his own right.

If Trouba is on the move the question becomes, do they want to see Schneider play more, and if yes, then a veteran, short-term deal on the right side would be a good move IMO. I like Schultz honestly just due to term. Now, if they feel Schneider needs a bit more time before being thrust in to top-4 duty then Roy or Demelo are the guys for me. Both are quietly physical and don't take a lot of penalties.

 

[Raspewtin]

I honestly don’t know where the rangers go from here. They need a #1 right wing, and a #1 left defenseman, but even then how do you create the cap space and acquire the assets to fill both of those holes with the right personnel. But even if you do that, the biggest problem is the core group. They don’t have it.

you basically need to make a supporting cast so good that Mika and Panarin's houdini acts in the playoffs can be mitigated. it's going to be a real challenge and I doubt the Rangers will recognize it.

 

[McRanger92]

Stammer makes a ton of sense if he's leaves Tampa. They'll have to unload some money if they intend to keep him. They're sitting at 5 million in cap space

The Lightning are in a tough spot because obviously Stammer is the best player in franchise history, but moving out Cirelli or all their depth pieces to sign him to a retirement contract, doesnt seem like a smart move. They kinda correctly identified their problem is on defense with the McDonagh trade. 34 is not ancient for Stamkos and I understand his PP role will be different, but he can take a step back into a depth role with the Rangers and i think that's mutually beneficial to us and him.

This is also a just me thing probably but Stamkos plays with grit and toes the line. He's been involved in fights in both ECFs he played in against the Rangers lol. He is a playoff guy.

 

[EdJovanovski]

I don't buy the Igor demanding 12M thing unless the cap goes way up, I think Igor cares about winning more than probably anyone on our team, he has that Hank/Sid/etc mentality and I think he deeply loves being a Ranger. I have a hard time believing he won't retire a Ranger.

 

[Graves97]

I think Lindgren and Jones would be the ideal scenario if they can move Trouba out……
Play whoever is more comfortable on RD.

Yes, Trouba is captain. Rangers have never been shy about trading their Captains before. He’s also older and more expensive.

People talk about team chemistry like it’s not a thing. They just say, these guys are Pros, play for $$$….
Yes that’s absolutely part of it, but Lindgren also came up with Fox and that 2nd corp emerging from the rebuild/retool to make the team competitive again… up until last season, he was absolutely not a defensive liability.
Yes he gets banged up, yes he probably won’t put up a lot of points, but he plays a hard game, is mobile, solid on PK, and well like by team and org.
Signing him to a 3-4 year deal with no clauses and decreasing his usage to 2nd/3rd pair is not repeating staal/Girardi 30 year old contract extensions.

They are also not sending out the entire teams leadership in 1 offseason or half the D corps that got the to the ECF…
Keeping him as a parter/mentor for jones to get thru his first year hurdles is fine.
He also knows the team and system and can cover for an injury/play up in the line up if need be.
It just makes sense not to deal him unless you get exactly what you want in return for a trade….
You’re not going to find a replacement at his age,$$, etc all of the above.

I think miller would only be available if they want to trade for a Brady Tkachuk type guy.

Otherwise, I expect he’s here for the long haul.
It’s pretty clear that they absolutely see/want a top 4 of Fox/Miller/Schneider/and TBD as a long term top 4….
Imo best we can hope for at start of camp is

??-Fox
Miller-Schneider
Jones/Lindgren or Lindgren/Jones

UFA vet from bargain bin and Scanlin as extras/call ups

We are way better served trying to figure out the best possible choice for the ?? Instead of trying to trade/replace 50% of the D corps.

My biggest issue with Lindgren is you are essentially paying him a premium because he has this perceived compatibility to play with Fox when in reality Fox can make almost any defensive partner look good. Lindgren has zero offensive ability and although he plays a reasonable defensive game and isn't scared of mixing it up, he isn't physically built (6'0 190lbs) to make you believe he'll hold up as he enters his late 20s/early 30s.

As injuries continue to rack up for him over the next 2-3 years, I dont see to many teams willing to trade anything of value for a 3rd pair oft-injured D making $4-5m/year.

 

[mas0764]

Im aware of your feelings. I dont agree.

That's fine but it's not backed up by any data, so it would be nice if you stop implying that people just don't like Trouba because he's overpaid.

People don't like him because he sucks.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

stamkos as the top line RW would be pretty sweet but some other team will prob overpay him to be their 1C

 

[mas0764]

I honestly don’t know where the rangers go from here. They need a #1 right wing, and a #1 left defenseman, but even then how do you create the cap space and acquire the assets to fill both of those holes with the right personnel. But even if you do that, the biggest problem is the core group. They don’t have it.

Trouba out gets you a good deal of cap space.

 

[McRanger92]

stamkos as the top line RW would be pretty sweet but some other team will prob overpay him to be their 1C

Not a team that has Cup aspirations