Speculation: Roster Building Thread - Part XIII (Nanaki edition)

[Machinehead]

The team is hilariously soft dude. They dont finish checks, they dont block shots, they dont get pucks deep. Afraid to give and take hits. Shy away from after the whistle stuff. Dont back up their teammates. The list goes on.

Did you hear the crowd last night? Not a peep. And its not because of corporate suits. Last night was Garden of Dreams night and the crowd wasnt given a single reason to stand and cheer. Say what you want about Rempe, and im not saying he should be in the lineup, but the crowd is engaged and the team is engaged when he is in the lineup. The same logic can be applied to the Trouba hits and fights that get the team going. You can't explain the emotional component away on a chart.

I'm not even arguing against any of that. I just don't want to hear it from Larry. He's been saying that on loop since Homo Erectus scored a goal on Fred Flinstone.

I'm not going to give the broken clock credit for showing the right time.

 

[zlev]

The team is hilariously soft dude. They dont finish checks, they dont block shots, they dont get pucks deep. Afraid to give and take hits. Shy away from after the whistle stuff. Dont back up their teammates. The list goes on.

they out-hit Philly like 45-0 in the game on Friday, how'd that work out?

You can't explain the emotional component away on a chart.

also this is hilarious. their charts aren't any good either! and the team sucks out loud. funny how THAT works.

 

[Machinehead]

they out-hit Philly like 45-0 in the game on Friday, how'd that work out?

There's people that think the team is too soft because they want to see them cycle, skate through contact, play down low, and go to the middle.

Larry thinks the team is too soft because nobody threw a spear at Jack Hughes and then used his pelt to build shelter.

It's not the same thing.

 

[RagFinMet]

Kakko trade rumors are ridiculous
We are struggling defensively so let's trade one of the few forwards that plays great defense...
He's also scoring more and also showing he can play C when needed which is HUGE when our Cs are Zib(sux) and Chytil(concussion proned)
We need more players like KK and Cuylle
Not less

 

[Bacon Artemi Bravo]

From a team culture prospective, trading kakko does absolutely nothing.

From an asset value perspective, trading kakko can only result in a downgrade.

The only way it makes sense is if he's packaged with a problem child like Trouba in a deal. I'd hate that but at least it would shake the team up.

 

[NYR Viper]

Nashville is the team to watch. They’re 2nd to last in the West and they spent BIG money this offseason. Something isn’t right there. That’s a team who will likely look for a shakeup sooner rather than later. They likely have a window of 2-3 years where they are going to compete while they continue to draft and develop their young kids and their leads are in their prime, or close to it. Stamkos, ROR, Forsberg, Josi, Skjei, Marchessault, Rinne, Schenn.

They made, at least to me, good re-signings of Carrier and Novak as well, both guys are struggling along with the newly signed vets.

I truly think that they’re a team who would value what Trouba could bring for a couple of seasons. He’s friends with Skjei. Trotz knows him from being in the division. They lost McDonagh when he requested a trade back to TB later in the offseason. They have players who could come back to offset salaries and get a fresh start in NY. Novak, Carrier, Lauzon.

Reilly Smith played with Marchessault in Vegas. Would Nashville take a chance on bringing in his former linemate to create some chemistry on that line? I’d consider it if I was Trotz. Minimal commitment as he’s on his last year and assuming it works, he’s not someone who would break the bank to re-sign to provide secondary scoring.

I’m going to keep banging this drum…

Trouba + Smith for Novak + Carrier + Lauzon

Insert pieces or retention as needed. That’s the framework and it works.

The Rangers get a 27 year old 3C signed for a few more years, a 28 year old middle pairing RD and a bottom-pairing physical LD. Bridge the gap to the next wave of young players.

 

[DanielBrassard]

If the Rangers make another trade for a RW to play next to Kreider and Zibanejad, How many would that have been in the Drury era? Atleast 4.

 

[Synergy27]

Yeah, but Larry said the same thing about those teams.

Larry is in a cult. The team won't be tough enough until they're literally armed with assault rifles.

Even if the team is too soft now, Larry saying it is broken clock.

I think you might have an outdated, or just different, definition of “soft” than many people here.

For me, soft vs. tough is a mental thing, not a physical thing. Yes, it will ultimately manifest itself physically, but a soft player is one that shrinks from the challenge when the going gets tough instead of pushing through and finding another level.

Mika is the epitome of soft. Softness is in his DNA. I don’t know the guy but from what I can tell he’s a quiet, reserved, good natured person. He’s ok with letting the world happen to him. He’s probably a delight to be around, but he’s not the kind of person you expect to lead you through the gauntlet.

If you are a hockey player without some snarl, you better be way, way, way more skilled than everyone else if you want to win.

 

[Brutananadilewski]

I'm not even arguing against any of that. I just don't want to hear it from Larry. He's been saying that on loop since Homo Erectus scored a goal on Fred Flinstone.

I'm not going to give the broken clock credit for showing the right time.

The one who mentioned Larry was you.

You don't go from President's Trophy winner to complete nosedive unless there are serious injuries, injuries this team doesn't have.

They stopped being PP merchants, both Quick and Igor have been pedestrian: everything is falling off.

Again, previous teams lacked talent, but this?!

 

[DanielBrassard]

It’s getting to the point where the Rangers continuing to lose might be the only solution to saving themselves.

 

[zlev]

There's people that think the team is too soft because they want to see them cycle, skate through contact, play down low, and go to the middle.

Larry thinks the team is too soft because nobody threw a spear at Jack Hughes and then used his pelt to build shelter.

It's not the same thing.

i just dont think it's rocket science. hitting and blocking shots and doing cheap shots after the whistle isn't the answer. this team has won games by playing like shit at 5v5 and getting bailed out by their goalie and power play for 3 seasons. now that key members of the team have regressed (some predictably, others not), they aren't even good enough to win like that anymore.

 

[mike14]

It’s because for a lot of people this isn’t about the season being over, it’s potentially about this window being over.

If this is how this group responds to adversity, it’s just the latest in a list of growing evidence that we have a core built of players who are better suited to be earning their dollars on bottom third league teams like Ryan Strome is, not the kind of guys who bring a dynasty to a franchise like Toews is.

I just haven’t seen enough consistent leadership and performance from our top players.

And it's sad that this window does appear closed without ever getting it done, but the wailing and gnashing of teeth just seems lightly over the top. It's not like this group has been contenders for a decade. And it's not like the team wouldn't be left with some very good pieces after it's taken apart.
Everything just feels a bit 'performative', like there aren't really any big sports stories any more so one has to manufactured

 

[DanielBrassard]

The one who mentioned Larry was you.

You don't go from President's Trophy winner to complete nosedive unless there are serious injuries, injuries this team doesn't have.

They stopped being PP merchants, both Quick and Igor have been pedestrian: everything is falling off.

Again, previous teams lacked talent, but this?!

Is it really a nosedive? Here are the Rangers rankings in Cf% and expected goals % over the last 3 seasons

18th in CF%
23rd in xGF%

In 2024-25 alone:

22nd in CF%
20th in xGF%

This is barebones analysis but the point is, this team is not drastically different from the team they have been in this era of Ranger hockey. The only difference is they aren’t finding ways to squeak out wins through special teams and goaltending anymore. This team is not good enough and if Drury thinks that trading for a top-6 forward is going to change anything he’s f***ing dumb. Unless that players name is McDavid or Mackinnon or Eichel.

 

[Ruggs225]

The only saving grace might be we avoid a disastrous shesterkin contract

 

[Machinehead]

I think you might have an outdated, or just different, definition of “soft” than many people here.

For me, soft vs. tough is a mental thing, not a physical thing. Yes, it will ultimately manifest itself physically, but a soft player is one that shrinks from the challenge when the going gets tough instead of pushing through and finding another level.

Mika is the epitome of soft. Softness is in his DNA. I don’t know the guy but from what I can tell he’s a quiet, reserved, good natured person. He’s ok with letting the world happen to him. He’s probably a delight to be around, but he’s not the kind of person you expect to lead you through the gauntlet.

If you are a hockey player without some snarl, you better be way, way, way more skilled than everyone else if you want to win.

I think Larry is the one with an outdated definition of soft.

Make no mistake about it, he and many of his lemmings just want face-punching. They don't care that the team is losing, they want physical demonstrations that the team is angry about it.

If they cared about losing, they wouldn't continually suggest replacing problems like Mika with bad, sometimes even worse, players.

 

[mike14]

If the Rangers make another trade for a RW to play next to Kreider and Zibanejad, How many would that have been in the Drury era? Atleast 4.

Vatrano, Tarasenk or Kane, Roslovic, Smith, plus we've tried KK and I think Vesey there...

 

[RangersFan1994]

 

[zlev]

i will say though, this is just f***ing sad. i've been depressed all day. we're watching this team wither away and die. i quite liked this group of players, i even collected their hockey cards. i really thought this group could win the Stanley Cup one of these years. but they blew it this past offseason, they failed to identify the reasons they came up short last year and had a chance to revamp the defense and didn't do it. that might've given this group another couple years with a chance to win the Cup. but now it's over.

 

[Machinehead]

Is it really a nosedive? Here are the Rangers rankings in Cf% and expected goals % over the last 3 seasons

18th in CF%
23rd in xGF%

In 2024-25 alone:

22nd in CF%
20th in xGF%

This is barebones analysis but the point is, this team is not drastically different from the team they have been in this era of Ranger hockey. The only difference is they aren’t finding ways to squeak out wins through special teams and goaltending anymore. This team is not good enough and if Drury thinks that trading for a top-6 forward is going to change anything he’s f***ing dumb. Unless that players name is McDavid or Mackinnon or Eichel.

It's really not helping all of the narratives that last year was such a weird year.

Because now people are on this whole thing about "yeah, sure, goaltending, but our goaltending wasn't even that good last year!" Which is, mostly correct. It was firmly "good" but not near the top of the league.

So now the logic dictates that they must have done something last year that they aren't doing this year.

However,

1) We heard the same complaints last year about style of play, so it's revisionist to turn around and say this year is different.

2) Probably f***ing not, honestly. Hockey is dumb. It doesn't require an explanation. Every single-game result is spinning a variance wheel, and 82 games just isn't the sample people think it is. Winning 55 games last year was an accident. Again, it doesn't need a grand explanation and I'm tired of pretending it does. This is who they are.

 

[turcotte8]

Vatrano, Tarasenk or Kane, Roslovic, Smith, plus we've tried KK and I think Vesey there...

wasn't Blais there at point too?

 

[DanielBrassard]

It's really not helping all of the narratives that last year was such a weird year.

Because now people are on this whole thing about "yeah, sure, goaltending, but our goaltending wasn't even that good last year!" Which is, mostly correct. It was firmly "good" but not near the top of the league.

So now the logic dictates that they must have done something last year that they aren't doing this year.

However,

1) We heard the same complaints last year about style of play, so it's revisionist to turn around and say this year is different.

2) Probably f***ing not, honestly. Hockey is dumb. It doesn't require an explanation. Every single-game result is spinning a variance wheel, and 82 games just isn't the sample people think it is. Winning 55 games last year was an accident. Again, it doesn't need a grand explanation and I'm tired of pretending it does. This is who they are.

To your second point, weren’t the Rangers 8-1 in OT or something crazy like that? Plus they were ridiculously good in 1 goal games overall. So much of sports is, just as you said, down to timing and variance. That team last season was probably better than this one if you factor in a healthy Chytil and Gustafsson on the roster as well as Panarin and Trocheck playing their best hockey ever. But now that Panarin isn’t at an MVP level, Trocheck is returning to what he was before last season, we see what their true talent level is.

 

[McRanger92]

My harsh criticisms of the team shouldn’t disguise from the fact that if the Rangers replaced Trouba/Lindgren with Mancini and a “Niko Mikkola” type defenseman, and played the young core in the top 6 and pp, we could salvage this season.

It’s December 3rd and we’re still in a playoff spot.

 

[Brutananadilewski]

Is it really a nosedive? Here are the Rangers rankings in Cf% and expected goals % over the last 3 seasons

18th in CF%
23rd in xGF%

In 2024-25 alone:

22nd in CF%
20th in xGF%

This is barebones analysis but the point is, this team is not drastically different from the team they have been in this era of Ranger hockey. The only difference is they aren’t finding ways to squeak out wins through special teams and goaltending anymore. This team is not good enough and if Drury thinks that trading for a top-6 forward is going to change anything he’s f***ing dumb. Unless that players name is McDavid or Mackinnon or Eichel.

It seems closer because we started the season with shellacking the opposition, having Shesty and Quick play lights out, and we didn't play braindead hockey.

The second Lindgren came back into the line-up and we saw a snowball effect with our level of play throughout.

At least when we were getting our dicks kicked in by the Blackhawks a few seasons ago, say what you want, Trouba at least did something and his post-game interview definitely was nothing more than suppressing rage.

Now, how many more "upsides" and "positives" does this team need before realizing they're collectively blowing?

 

[Paulie Walnutz]

My NYR retool

 

[effen]

There's people that think the team is too soft because they want to see them cycle, skate through contact, play down low, and go to the middle.

Larry thinks the team is too soft because nobody threw a spear at Jack Hughes and then used his pelt to build shelter.

It's not the same thing.

I want them to take and own space, particularly the hard areas of the ice. I don't care if they accomplish that via hitting, stickwork, body odor, or voodoo.

I would also like to impale Jack Hughes with a spear, why are you acting like those are mutually exclusive