Roster Building Thread - Part XII

[TGWL]

No. They were one of the last two remaining teams.
There are lots of years where the second best team is out in an earlier round.

This wasn't one of those years. They had a rough start, but since Jan 1st they were a great team.
2nd in powerplay percentage.
2nd in goals scored.
1st in the league in point percentage.

Playoffs
3rd in goals scorer per game
2nd in powerplay %
1st in PK %
1st in shots against (over 10 games played)

You can't point to anybody in the first round and say they were a better team this season.

 

[SA16]

There are some guys who I would be very much okay with getting a PTO or a 1-year min contract as depth that are still out there...

Pacioretty
Cousins
Labanc
Lorentz
Barabanov
Schultz
JVR
Addison



I'd really like for them to find a d-man to sign honestly. I don't mind the top-6 for now, but having Scanlin, Robertson, Harpur, Mackey and Ruwedel as depth doesn't give me the warm the fuzzies. Maybe give a younger guy like Addison a chance

What's the point of signing a defenseman who will never play? I would imagine Addison would prefer to go to a worse team where he could get playing time but considering he can't even make the Sharks his chance of landing an NHL job are extremely low. He's just a bust. If they need a dman at some point they will have to trade for one anyway since none of the UFA are competent. Schultz is adequate but a PP guy who doesn't PK is basically the exact opposite of what they need. Ruhwedel is probably better than any of the available UFA in a 3rd pairing/PK/depth role. Seems like a waste of a contract spot to me to sign any of these guys.

 

[NYR Viper]

What's the point of signing a defenseman who will never play? I would imagine Addison would prefer to go to a worse team where he could get playing time but considering he can't even make the Sharks his chance of landing an NHL job are extremely low. He's just a bust. If they need a dman at some point they will have to trade for one anyway since none of the UFA are competent. Schultz is adequate but a PP guy who doesn't PK is basically the exact opposite of what they need. Ruhwedel is probably better than any of the available UFA in a 3rd pairing/PK/depth role. Seems like a waste of a contract spot to me to sign any of these guys.

If one of the top-6 d-men go down, or even two of them, having someone who can play NHL minutes, even at a 12-15 minute a game level, is valuable

 

[SA16]

If one of the top-6 d-men go down, or even two of them, having someone who can play NHL minutes, even at a 12-15 minute a game level, is valuable

So you trade for someone at that point instead of signing someone you know is bad. Almost all of the FA are PP only guys. There is basically no chance they would ever come into the lineup unless Fox or Jones are out. If it's short term you can just ride it out with the depth you have. None of the guys in the system is going to tank the season in a short-term depth role any worse than the awful group of remaining FA will

 

[Gluten Free Breadman]

To think any team is/would be an easy opponent for the Rangers is dementia-level delusion.

We did sweep the caps this year

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

We did sweep the caps this year

And that wasn't as easy as it seems.

 

[Overcast]

Getting mad at the player about this IMO is just a waste of energy. It's his personal life and he had via his contract this call he could make on a personal life decision----he's not taking anyone's birthday or Christmas away. He's liked and respected by his teammates---he's not a problem in the locker room or outside in his daily life.

To piggyback on this, a lot of comments made on this site about Trouba (or any subpar player) are as if the poster's have legitimate skin in the game/team beyond being a fan. Hockey is supposed to be entertainment; if it's not entertaining you, take a break. It's like people are absolutely terrified of being called a fairweather fan because then the "real fans" won't allow them to celebrate if they didn't watch games #56-60 as if their game-watching habits are being monitored.

I get being invested in the sport, I get wanting to see the Rangers win games and win a Cup. I get that it's fun and interesting to break down the underlying numbers and see what's what around the league. What I don't get is the personal, burning vitriol towards players for exercising contractual rights given to them by the team. Go yell at Drury/Dolan/whoever for giving Trouba the contract to sign.

If anyone's employer sat them down and offered a monstrous contract with a legal clause that offered the same sort of job security as an NTC/NMC, how many people would say to their employer "Oh, no sorry. I couldn't possibly accept that. How can we re-work the contract so your company has more freedom to get rid of me whenever they want"? Not a soul. Blame does not lay on the employee here.

 

[Machinehead]

To piggyback on this, a lot of comments made on this site about Trouba (or any subpar player) are as if the poster's have legitimate skin in the game/team beyond being a fan. Hockey is supposed to be entertainment; if it's not entertaining you, take a break. It's like people are absolutely terrified of being called a fairweather fan because then the "real fans" won't allow them to celebrate if they didn't watch games #56-60 as if their game-watching habits are being monitored.

I get being invested in the sport, I get wanting to see the Rangers win games and win a Cup. I get that it's fun and interesting to break down the underlying numbers and see what's what around the league. What I don't get is the personal, burning vitriol towards players for exercising contractual rights given to them by the team. Go yell at Drury/Dolan/whoever for giving Trouba the contract to sign.

If anyone's employer sat them down and offered a monstrous contract with a legal clause that offered the same sort of job security as an NTC/NMC, how many people would say to their employer "Oh, no sorry. I couldn't possibly accept that. How can we re-work the contract so your company has more freedom to get rid of me whenever they want"? Not a soul. Blame does not lay on the employee here.

The personal vitriol towards players is always way over the top on here, and I say that as somebody who has a pretty negative perspective of the team on the ice.

 

[IDvsEGO]

The personal vitriol towards players is always way over the top on here, and I say that as somebody who has a pretty negative perspective of the team on the ice.

That’s hilarious from your Kakko posts.

 

[NYR Viper]

So you trade for someone at that point instead of signing someone you know is bad. Almost all of the FA are PP only guys. There is basically no chance they would ever come into the lineup unless Fox or Jones are out. If it's short term you can just ride it out with the depth you have. None of the guys in the system is going to tank the season in a short-term depth role any worse than the awful group of remaining FA will

I'd argue that should a defensive d-man, like Trouba, Lindgren or Schneider go down, replacing their minutes with the current depth would be possible but if Jones or Fox go down, there really isn't another d-man capable of running a PP.

 

[Machinehead]

That’s hilarious from your Kakko posts.

What have I ever said about Kakko off the ice?

 

[SA16]

I'd argue that should a defensive d-man, like Trouba, Lindgren or Schneider go down, replacing their minutes with the current depth would be possible but if Jones or Fox go down, there really isn't another d-man capable of running a PP.

It almost surely would be Miller or Trouba ahead in line of any of the fringe NHL players available even if they were in the organization.

 

[IDvsEGO]

What have I ever said about Kakko off the ice?

Fair. The disparagement is entirely on ice.

 

[Machinehead]

Fair. The disparagement is entirely on ice.

Matter of fact, he's a very nice kid. I've watched the team exit on 8th avenue after home games a number of times and he's by far the guy most willing to stop and sign stuff. I hate him on the ice, but I wouldn't sit here and shit on his hobbies or his wife's career. That's none of my business.

I want him to succeed. I'm very unconfident that he's going to but I'll be happy if he does.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Matter of fact, he's a very nice kid. I've watched the team exit on 8th avenue after home games a number of times and he's by far the guy most willing to stop and sign stuff. I hate him on the ice, but I wouldn't sit here and shit on his hobbies or his wife's career. That's none of my business.

I want him to succeed. I'm very unconfident that he's going to but I'll be happy if he does.

Appreciate that take. Some people can’t separate the two things.

 

[Overcast]

The personal vitriol towards players is always way over the top on here, and I say that as somebody who has a pretty negative perspective of the team on the ice.

Most posters, myself very much included, are guilty of being over the top at one point or another when it comes to this team and I'm certainly not expecting every post to be roses and rainbows when the team is able to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. When something seems so blatantly obvious to us, it can feel frustrating when nothing gets done by the people who have actual influence to alleviate whatever it is. But when 9 out of 10 posts shift from "This guy sucks as a player and can be detrimental to team success" to "This scumbag is aligned with a dark underworld cabal trying to actively and knowingly destroy the Rangers organization"..I have to tap out. Joking or not, it's tiresome for everyone to echo the same lines about Mika's diet or Kakko being a "beta." A bland off-season doesn't help conjure up fresh conversation either so I get why it's a fixation when it was the biggest storyline for the team this summer. Only about a month until we have things to really complain about again.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

We did sweep the caps this year

Barely

 

[TominNC]

If the team is winning I can't deal with the constant negativity. Good of them to throw in the occasional loss so the naysayers can vent. It's entertainment. 82 games is a lot over the winter. If they're top of the league, I'm entertained.

 

[Machinehead]

If the team is winning I can't deal with the constant negativity. Good of them to throw in the occasional loss so the naysayers can vent. It's entertainment. 82 games is a lot over the winter. If they're top of the league, I'm entertained.

I wouldn't say it's a matter of not being entertained. I was mostly entertained in 2023-24.

I just don't think the team is that serious in regard to being a Stanley Cup contender. People take that a huge slight, but honestly, there's only 4 or 5 teams I could see winning it. We're not, in my opinion, in that tier.

And then, you have to get into the conversation (at some point) -and I think it legit rears its head if they don't win it this year- about "what are we doing if we're not actually good enough?" Especially with Igor's extension coming up. I have no interest in that extension if we're not a serious Cup threat.

 

[RangersFan1994]

There are some guys who I would be very much okay with getting a PTO or a 1-year min contract as depth that are still out there...

Pacioretty
Cousins
Labanc
Lorentz
Barabanov
Schultz
JVR
Addison



I'd really like for them to find a d-man to sign honestly. I don't mind the top-6 for now, but having Scanlin, Robertson, Harpur, Mackey and Ruwedel as depth doesn't give me the warm the fuzzies. Maybe give a younger guy like Addison a chance

Addison is another small dman. Rangers need to get some dman with some size. Nick Cicek only 24 and a physical dman.

Nick Cicek | 2yrs x 835K (UFA)

Nick Cicek signed a 2 year, $1,670,000 contract with the San Jose Sharks on Apr. 11, 2022. The contract has a cap hit of $835,000.

capwages.com

Will Zmolek another young dman 25 years old

Will Zmolek | 1yrs x 920K (UFA)

Will Zmolek signed a 1 year, $950,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Mar. 7, 2023. The contract has a cap hit of $920,000.

capwages.com

Cal Foote

Cal Foote | 1yrs x 800K (UFA)

Cal Foote signed a 1 year, $800,000 contract with the New Jersey Devils on Aug. 9, 2023. The contract has a cap hit of $800,000.

capwages.com

I would not mind Cousins.


Knowing the Rangers, they’ll give Bortuzzo a PTO

 

[Machinehead]

f***ing Bortuzzo lol

That does sound like the Rangers!

 

[RangersFan1994]

f***ing Bortuzzo lol

That does sound like the Rangers!

I can see it happening knowing Drury

I can see them giving JVR a PTO. He was a Rangers fan growing up lol

 

[Fitzy]

The qualification for a defenseman PTO has to be that there needs to be at least a 5% chance that they're presently better than Ruhwedel.

Maybe we can blame expansion for this but I don't see too many names that qualify.

 

[bernmeister]

Addison is another small dman. Rangers need to get some dman with some size. Nick Cicek only 24 and a physical dman.

Nick Cicek | 2yrs x 835K (UFA)

Nick Cicek signed a 2 year, $1,670,000 contract with the San Jose Sharks on Apr. 11, 2022. The contract has a cap hit of $835,000.

capwages.com

Will Zmolek another young dman 25 years old

Will Zmolek | 1yrs x 920K (UFA)

Will Zmolek signed a 1 year, $950,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on Mar. 7, 2023. The contract has a cap hit of $920,000.

capwages.com

Cal Foote

Cal Foote | 1yrs x 800K (UFA)

Cal Foote signed a 1 year, $800,000 contract with the New Jersey Devils on Aug. 9, 2023. The contract has a cap hit of $800,000.

capwages.com

I would not mind Cousins.


Knowing the Rangers, they’ll give Bortuzzo a PTO

The guy we should be targeting -- have been sayin for 2 yrs now -- is Helleson, a big, natural righty RD that Ana has [last time I looked] and he is in their picture, but on the periphery [like Barron in MON, who is our other target].
Won't be cheap or expensive, which is fine.

 

[eco's bones]

To piggyback on this, a lot of comments made on this site about Trouba (or any subpar player) are as if the poster's have legitimate skin in the game/team beyond being a fan. Hockey is supposed to be entertainment; if it's not entertaining you, take a break. It's like people are absolutely terrified of being called a fairweather fan because then the "real fans" won't allow them to celebrate if they didn't watch games #56-60 as if their game-watching habits are being monitored.

I get being invested in the sport, I get wanting to see the Rangers win games and win a Cup. I get that it's fun and interesting to break down the underlying numbers and see what's what around the league. What I don't get is the personal, burning vitriol towards players for exercising contractual rights given to them by the team. Go yell at Drury/Dolan/whoever for giving Trouba the contract to sign.

If anyone's employer sat them down and offered a monstrous contract with a legal clause that offered the same sort of job security as an NTC/NMC, how many people would say to their employer "Oh, no sorry. I couldn't possibly accept that. How can we re-work the contract so your company has more freedom to get rid of me whenever they want"? Not a soul. Blame does not lay on the employee here.

Speaking to that if the Rangers are underperforming and playing like shit I usually just turn the TV off and find something else to do. Maybe check back later.....see if things have changed for the better and if not that's it for the night. Last thing I need is to be angry continually over hockey games. There's enough other stuff to be angry about and FWIW I don't really want to be angry at anything or anyone. It just doesn't do anything for me.

There's a bit of difference with quality of teams. When we were retooling and we were watching more kids and it was kind of a known that we weren't making the playoffs I could stick around just watching the younger guys making progress then.

Even the best teams have bad nights......not just us. Even teams from other fanbases have guys they hate on their team. Ekblad is not very popular in Florida---lots of vitriol there. Bobrovsky wasn't really either until the 2023 playoffs. Every team also has players underperforming their contracts and sometimes it's because with age and/or injury their play regresses even if their pay remains the same.