Roster Building Thread - Part XII

[TominNC]

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.

Which 4-5 teams are contenders if we’re not?

 

[UnSandvich]

Anything can happen but I highly doubt we miss the playoffs this year, or even are a wild card team. The problem is that I see us facing either NJ or Florida in the playoffs, and I really struggle to see us beating either team. With Hamilton back, and Markstrom, Pesce, Dillon added, the Devils are a much better and deeper team on the back end than they were last year. They're not likely to be 5th worst sv% again this season. Florida lost depth, but they also completely manhandled us this year, and have a goalie that's close enough to Igor that the advantage there is mostly negated.

 

[Fitzy]

What are we doing?

We're climbing a 100 story building but we only brought an 80 story ladder.

But now that we're at the peak, instead of immediately starting over again, we're hoping that some unexpected act of god raises us to the level we need to be that wasn't part of the initial plans.

You're talking about a breakout into superstardom for a Miller/Chytil or a huge burst in development from a couple of our closeby forward prospects.

 

[Machinehead]

Which 4-5 teams are contenders if we’re not?

Florida, Edmonton, Colorado, and, Dallas. I can't see us beating any of those teams in a series.

The East is absolute ass which, by default, gets us into "anything can happen" territory, if you believe in that.

The East is literally just Florida and they got worse.

 

[Machinehead]

What are we doing?

We're climbing a 100 story building but we only brought an 80 story ladder.

But now that we're at the peak, instead of immediately starting over again, we're hoping that some unexpected act of god raises us to the level we need to be that wasn't part of the initial plans.

You're talking about a breakout into superstardom for a Miller/Chytil or a huge burst in development from a couple of our closeby forward prospects.

This sums it up very nicely.

It would take something unforeseen, or maybe just matchups. I talk about the list of teams I don't think we could beat, and teams have won championships before by just avoiding everyone they couldn't beat.

Vancouver was very close to beating Edmonton last year and if they go on and beat Dallas, and Boston beats Florida, we're probably the favorite at that point.

But now we're inventing a Vancouver win over Dallas and stretching a Boston vs Florida series that wasn't that close.

It's not likely.

 

[Machinehead]

Anything can happen but I highly doubt we miss the playoffs this year, or even are a wild card team. The problem is that I see us facing either NJ or Florida in the playoffs, and I really struggle to see us beating either team. With Hamilton back, and Markstrom, Pesce, Dillon added, the Devils are a much better and deeper team on the back end than they were last year. They're not likely to be 5th worst sv% again this season. Florida lost depth, but they also completely manhandled us this year, and have a goalie that's close enough to Igor that the advantage there is mostly negated.

I'm not sure what to make of the Devils. They had a pretty terrible record last year and dropped from 2nd in xGF% in 2023 to 11th in 2024.

And even though the 2023 iteration was really good, they lost to broke ass Carolina in the second round (in a series that was nowhere near close BTW) which is kind of hard to do, because Carolina is another unserious team.

But like, on paper, they're probably the roster I take most seriously in the East after Florida.

And keep in mind, when I say that, the East is a low bar.

You guys remember when Chicago and LA won a bunch of Cups and the main boards pretended the West was the NHL and the East was the AHL? The East is way further back from the West as a whole now than they were then. If the Devils don't make that next step, the East has honest to God one good team.

 

[UnSandvich]

I'm not sure what to make of the Devils. They had a pretty terrible record last year and dropped from 2nd in xGF% in 2023 to 11th in 2024.

And even though the 2023 iteration was really good, they lost to broke ass Carolina in the second round (in a series that was nowhere near close BTW) which is kind of hard to do, because Carolina is another unserious team.

But like, on paper, they're probably the roster I take most seriously in the East after Florida.

And keep in mind, when I say that, the East is a low bar.

You guys remember when Chicago and LA won a bunch of Cups and the main boards pretended the West was the NHL and the East was the AHL? The East is way further back from the West as a whole now than they were then. If the Devils don't make that next step, the East has honest to God one good team.

Devils were down their 1D almost the entire season, which I think helps explain the big xGF% drop. They're also unlikely to repeat the terrible goaltending of yesteryear, though as Ranger fans we can hope

EDIT: I also think that we're a much better matchup for the Devils than Carolina is, while we matchup a lot better against Carolina and worse against NJ.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Devils were down their 1D almost the entire season, which I think helps explain the big xGF% drop. They're also unlikely to repeat the terrible goaltending of yesteryear, though as Ranger fans we can hope

EDIT: I also think that we're a much better matchup for the Devils than Carolina is, while we matchup a lot better against Carolina and worse against NJ.

Hamilton might be their 1d, but he's not getting younger. I dont know that he's going to give them that big a boost when he comes back. Their D prospects haven't looked great.

 

[Rongomania]

Hamilton might be their 1d, but he's not getting younger. I dont know that he's going to give them that big a boost when he comes back. Their D prospects haven't looked great.

Hamilton has to be a beast and he and Hughes have to stay healthy all year and into the playoffs.

Also, Markstrom is old, not great and definitely on a lesser tier than Bob was this season.

They need more to break right for them than we do to take the next step, that is for sure.

 

[TominNC]

Florida, Edmonton, Colorado, and, Dallas. I can't see us beating any of those teams in a series.

The East is absolute ass which, by default, gets us into "anything can happen" territory, if you believe in that.

The East is literally just Florida and they got worse.

So yes. We have a good chance to return to the ECF. A decent chance to make the SCF. We have Igor, so yes, no reason it can't be an entertaining year.

 

[Barnaby]

Was it in the spirit of contract agreement that let the Rangers get rid of Goodrow as he got waived or was it to circumvent his NTC? It goes both ways



How do you personally even do this Smith and Kakko around?

No it doesn’t. Goodrow could be waived. That’s legitimate since he didn’t have a NMC. If the Rangers told him to accept a trade to say Winnnipeg or he’d ride buses for the rest of his career would’ve been a better example but that didn’t happen.

Trouba presents a list of teams he will or won’t go to. To have your agent go out and float nonsense to essentially block any trade is not the spirit of the agreement.

In that sense, it does go both ways.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I don't think they're good enough to even win two series, but they keep getting matched up with Carolina who also aren't.

One of them has to win.

I mean in reality we'll be adding Chytil, Jones,Smith and possibly Berard and or Othmann. If Chytil stays healthy that's a huge upgrade from last year

 

[Shesterkybomb]

We are contenders, nobody is harder on our team than our fans. I believe that Kakko will be better, Trouba and Lindgren will be better, and God willing Chytil will be a huge player for us as long as he is healthy. No worries about our goaltending at all. 90% of the league would trade rosters with us in a heartbeat

 

[Shesterkybomb]

No it doesn’t. Goodrow could be waived. That’s legitimate since he didn’t have a NMC. If the Rangers told him to accept a trade to say Winnnipeg or he’d ride buses for the rest of his career would’ve been a better example but that didn’t happen.

Trouba presents a list of teams he will or won’t go to. To have your agent go out and float nonsense to essentially block any trade is not the spirit of the agreement.

In that sense, it does go both ways.

I mean when the team gives you a ntc and modifies your contract towards the end of it, you should probably expect to be moved before your contract ends. It sucks for family life but guess what, you work for 15 years and become a millionaire, you can do family stuff when you retire at the age of 35 or 38 or whatever ffs. Guy isn't getting sympathy from me, I work my balls off to make sure I can get my family somewhat comfortable. Trouba plays hockey part of the year, half of it at home and regular working people are supposed to feel bad for him? Not this guy. I can't believe he'd wanna come back after something like this.

 

[Barnaby]

Then it is also in the spirit of the contract for Trouba to not report to the team his traded and bypass his remaining salary. IMO

Agreed, but who wants to bring in an overpaid player who’s going to sulk and possibly not show. You’d have to be crazy to take on that headache. Other teams will remember his WPG history as well.

Oh well, doesn’t matter now. The time has mostly past to use that money. Whatever Drury had in mind is likely no longer an option.

 

[eco's bones]

Markstrom is 34. Arguably his best two seasons were 2019-20 and 2021-22. He has had stretches where he's been top notch but he's also had an inconsistent career and team's he's been on don't usually make the playoffs---though sometimes I think it was more the team's than him personally. Saying that though he's not a guy that's ever really shown he can carry a team on his back. When his team's have made the playoffs in the past it's because they were pretty good.

A major issue with the Devils last year was moving on from Severson and Graves and then getting hit with the Hamilton injury. It pushed pretty much a first year player in Luke Hughes into being their No. 1 D and for a guy going into his first full pro year that was too much of an ask. Hamilton being back should help them a lot---the addition of Pesce even more. To me Dillon is a good player and will add a physical component. Not convinced he'll be as big an addition as some think and he's 33 and been around. A lot of their bottom 6 will be 30+ players. MacDermid is one of the best fighters in the league but overall it's not a really physical team.

Jack Hughes is an elite offensive player---easily one of the most skilled forwards in the game. His overall game isn't great or hasn't been yet and he can be injury prone. His career arc so far kind of reminds me of Pat Lafontaine or Paul Kariya. Mad skills but not really long careers.

But anyway back to Markstrom. He's capable of having a monster year. OTOH he's never put two big years together and at 34 it's not likely he's going to do it successive years in New Jersey. Before his contract is up I think that's going to be an issue keeping them from going all that far.

 

[Barnaby]

Yes, it's better. Because the point is Boyle didn't grow into his frame to figure it out at the NHL level.

Yea, that’s quite the leap. Since he received coaching, he didn’t grow into his body and get more comfortable? That couldn’t have been a significant part of it? How many NHL players do you see drastically improve their skating at the NHL level? I haven’t seen many take the leap Boyle did. That doesn’t mean Rempe will ever do the same, but there are similarities that seem To open up the possibility.

They are essentially running it back with Smith instead of Roslovic and Jones instead of Gustafsson. I thought we agreed this core wasn’t good enough to win more than two series.

I wouldn’t say they are among the 3-4 top contenders, but they are safely in the top of that 2nd tier. I wouldn’t bet money on it, but they aren’t going into the season like the Flyers either.

 

[Vitto79]

accept growing pains
let kid play real mins HERE

Ok so would you rather see Othmaan or Rempe?
Who has more upside ?

Edstrom , Berard even
If Rempe can contribute more than just a fight and hit ok but he’s still young and could use more AHL time

 

[IDvsEGO]

Ok so would you rather see Othmaan or Rempe?
Who has more upside ?

Edstrom , Berard even
If Rempe can contribute more than just a fight and hit ok but he’s still young and could use more AHL time

I’m sorry, but that question is offensive.

Othmann is a first round pick. Rempe wouldn’t have been drafted had he been 6’3…

Let’s not compare a guy fighting for a 4th line only role in the nhl for a guy who needs middle 6 ice time to grow. Those are very different things. Othmann is likely an nhl middle 6 at worst.

 

[eco's bones]

It's as simple as Rempe brings more as a 4th liner than Othmann does or at least if you want a 4th line that can provide energy and a physical/intimidation component. The likelihood that you're going to get a lot of goals or a net goal advantage giving Othmann 4th line minutes with guys like Vesey and Carrick are not really great. What you're more likely to get is Julien Gauthier all over again or a guy who's spot in the lineup is out of sync with his skillset. Othmann's in is to beat out somebody in the top 9.....probably Berard's also. Rempe is tailor made for a 4th line. Also he's 22 and if his skating has improved over the summer and it's been improving from year to year he should be a better player this year. When opposing fanbases have such hate for your 4th liner it's kind of a sign that he's effective.

 

[80shockeywasbuns]

It's as simple as Rempe brings more as a 4th liner than Othmann does or at least if you want a 4th line that can provide energy and a physical/intimidation component. The likelihood that you're going to get a lot of goals or a net goal advantage giving Othmann 4th line minutes with guys like Vesey and Carrick are not really great. What you're more likely to get is Julien Gauthier all over again or a guy who's spot in the lineup is out of sync with his skillset. Othmann's in is to beat out somebody in the top 9.....probably Berard's also. Rempe is tailor made for a 4th line. Also he's 22 and if his skating has improved over the summer and it's been improving from year to year he should be a better player this year. When opposing fanbases have such hate for your 4th liner it's kind of a sign that he's effective.

Rempe makes Gauthier look like prime Iginla

 

[bernmeister]

Ok so would you rather see Othmaan or Rempe?
Who has more upside ?

Edstrom , Berard even
If Rempe can contribute more than just a fight and hit ok but he’s still young and could use more AHL time

I repudiate your obv anti-Rempe bias and point out how stupid your ? is.
Rempe is a righty shot 4th line RW who can also pivot = C.
Does he have upside to go beyond 4th line? Probably if 3rd line, possibly higher over time if top 6.
Do we experiment and just for f's sake, try him at 1RW w/Kreider + transplanted Tro b'c wonder twins are not always 'wonderful' together? Yes, sure. This is the Boo Nieves rule. While there has to be some basis in reality to go there, you can try things just to see if there is chemistry, b'c chemistry is so important, but can not be manufactured, only prompted at best. You try things, and give it a fair and even shot, best chance to succeed. Then if it doesn't work, ok, you purchased that knowledge and you move on.

There is ZERO reason to think a hard working, physically gifted Rempe will not succeed if, as appears, he only needs work on technique.
Does that mean in addition to other contributions he is going to go beyond his skill set and turn into a contender for the scoring title? No. But Kreider had to learn no matter how hard you shoot, you can't shoot through people. One thing at a time, first things first.

Your bias is sickening. The record shows 20+ something wins when he is in the lineup vs a handful of losses when he is in.
Stop w/your fuggin bias.
He needs to work here, and not just in practice.
Game situations, for which there is no substitute.
If you want to ease him in, you play him max mins situationally vs weaker teams.

But you effin play him. Here. Now.
Sending him down does nothing except help you not to have to see you are wrong.

And Oth is different, slated for a dif role. You ask if he should be playing over others top 6 or maybe 3rd line.
Disingenuous on yr part.

Consider yourself berned.
I am busy, don't make me repeat myself.

I’m sorry, but that question is offensive.

Othmann is a first round pick. Rempe wouldn’t have been drafted had he been 6’3…

Let’s not compare a guy fighting for a 4th line only role in the nhl for a guy who needs middle 6 ice time to grow. Those are very different things. Othmann is likely an nhl middle 6 at worst.

Generally, some of this ^, yes.
Concur broadly to extent not in conflict w/what I said above.

 

[Barnaby]

Ok so would you rather see Othmaan or Rempe?
Who has more upside ?

Edstrom , Berard even
If Rempe can contribute more than just a fight and hit ok but he’s still young and could use more AHL time

On a 4th line Rempe. In a top 9 role Othmann. For obvious reasons. Maybe a playoff exception, but Othmann shouldn’t be here unless he’s getting a real opportunity.

Berard / Edstrom can take what they earn.

 

[McRanger92]

We are a clear contender in every facet, our problem is that our highest paid skaters arent our best players in the playoffs. 1 goal in the ECF for Panarin (final minute of game 6 no less), 0 goals for Zibanejad. Kreider a non-factor as well. Fox was hurt/exposed because the rest of the defense is inept or gutless. We get swept by Florida without Igor, Trocheck & Lafreniere's contributions.

We're as good as anyone if our core guys would play to their abilities against a contender that isnt Carolina. The supporting cast will only be younger and better this season. A meaningful addition on defense is necessary. The NMC boys arent beating the allegations.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Was it in the spirit of contract agreement that let the Rangers get rid of Goodrow as he got waived or was it to circumvent his NTC? It goes both ways

Totally different scenarios. If it's true that Trouba's agent was floating that he wouldn't report, I'd move to terminate the deal if there was solid evidence. I doubt Drury wants to turn the situation into a complete shitshow though.

There's nothing in Goodrow's deal stating he can't be waived or demoted. He had a 15-team NTC, not a NMC, which would have prevented this from happening. Maybe if he took a lesser cap hit, he could have gotten that NMC in there, too. But he didn't, so he doesn't get those protections.