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

[EdJovanovski]

This is exactly why Zegras is absolutely not an option.

Zegras does have that type of personality. Nobody is advocating for a team full of Zegras’s we do need the grit too. but if I were GM the 3 realistic players I’d be looking to add would be

Brady Tkachuk, Zegras, Provorov

 

[duhmetreE]

Mika, want to go anywhere else?

Mika: nah I’m good.

End of Mika going somewhere else discussion. Again, he recently signed to be in NY for a long time and negotiated a NMC. It’s unlikely he wants to be somewhere else.

that's fine.... then he needs to be relegated to the bottom6 and taking off PP1.

it is what it is. He currently is not looking like a NHL player. Coaching staff is handicapping the team

 

[Harbour Dog]

I'm just glad that we've finally started showing real interest in shaking up this core. Ideally Mika's contract would be moveable, and it would be his name, along with Trouba and Lindgren, at the forefront. But whatever; passivity out, gumption in, without sacrificing too much skill.

More Kakkos, Cuylles, and Smiths to fill out the top9, and some non-blackholes on D to facilitate Panarin's line having the puck in the o-zone as much as possible. Getting Chytil back would be a giant shot in the arm too.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Zegras does have that type of personality. Nobody is advocating for a team full of Zegras’s we do need the grit too. but if I were GM the 3 realistic players I’d be looking to add would be

Brady Tkachuk, Zegras, Provorov

Three guys to stay away from at all
Costs.


(Brady would be good but he isn’t being moved unless he asks for it.)

F Zegras and Provorov though.

 

[NYR Viper]

I like Pinto as an idea

I also like the idea of Mavrik Bourque from Dallas as a piece back for Kreider

 

[duhmetreE]

Kreider for Mateychuk
Kreider for Buium
Kreider for Dickinson
Kreider for Molendyk

 

[Bacon Artemi Bravo]

Zegras does have that type of personality. Nobody is advocating for a team full of Zegras’s we do need the grit too. but if I were GM the 3 realistic players I’d be looking to add would be

Brady Tkachuk, Zegras, Provorov

I think Zegras would be a great piece added to a team with an existing, strong culture and leadership group. He'd be coming into a situation that I think he'd be bound to fail.

 

[CaptTennille]

I am of the mind that our “system” or lack thereof is the biggest issue plaguing this team. (Not to say there aren’t personnel issues as well)

I don’t care how talented you are, an NHL team has to be in constant motion AT ALL TIMES in 2024.

Good coaches make their forwards available to relieve pressure on defensive retrievals and breakouts.

Good coaches don’t let their players constantly collect pucks off the wall with their backs turned to forecheck pressure.

Good coaches bench the third forward who always gets caught too low in the attacking zone and is unavailable to provide neutral zone pressure when the other team counterattacks after a high and wide shot that spits out the other side of the ice.

I could go on and on, but the amount of planted legs on this team is mind boggling.

Every single player, TO A MAN, who is having success this year keeps their legs churning (Cuylle,Chytil,Kakko,Jones,Berard) and everyone else is late to assignments and pucks because they are coasting or trying to react instead of trusting their structure (which may or may not actually exist).

The most frustrating thing is you know that a majority of the players in this team (minus Trouba and Lindgren) would look great on a team that is well structured and could minimize the warts in their game.

 

[LOFIN]

I think Zegras would be a great piece added to a team with an existing, strong culture and leadership group. He'd be coming into a situation that I think he'd be bound to fail.

You can see exactly what is happening in Anaheim where Zegras is supposed to be a leading player

 

[duhmetreE]

I think Zegras would be a great piece added to a team with an existing, strong culture and leadership group. He'd be coming into a situation that I think he'd be bound to fail.

I'd swap Mika for Zegras if Mika would waive for SoCal

let him relax with beach life and no cares of producing

 

[Bacon Artemi Bravo]

I'd swap Mika for Zegras if Mika would waive for SoCal

let him relax with beach life and no cares of producing

That move I would highly consider. I think that swapping an older player who is playing like he couldnt give a shit what happens for another struggler, but much younger player with high potential would be a great 1 for 1 move for the Rangers.

I was more referencing the type of move many expect to happen in a zegras trade - which involves multiple young rangers players instead of a vet 1 for 1.

 

[TominNC]

You're oversimplifying it, attributing all of their success to those moves. Do you honestly believe that if we traded any 3 of our current defensemen for those 3, we'd be legit cup contenders? We had Mikkola on this team, and we still fell short to Tampa. We have more issues than just the defensemen.


You could be right, but there's definitely something off with Mika that started last year and has only gotten worse. Maybe at this point, he would welcome a change of scenery. If we trade away his BFF, he might be even more inclined to move on.

I don't know what's in his head, but if we automatically assume he will veto any trade, then we might as well not even discuss it.

Which is my point. All the discussion of it is pointless because it becomes this endless run of fantasy trades that are highly unlikely. Better to discuss moves that can be made

 

[duhmetreE]

Igor for Behrens and Gulyayev

 

[duhmetreE]

That move I would highly consider. I think that swapping an older player who is playing like he couldnt give a shit what happens for another struggler, but much younger player with high potential would be a great 1 for 1 move for the Rangers.

I was more referencing the type of move many expect to happen in a zegras trade - which involves multiple young rangers players instead of a vet 1 for 1.

Yeah I’m not giving up young talent for zegras.

 

[GAGLine]

Which is my point. All the discussion of it is pointless because it becomes this endless run of fantasy trades that are highly unlikely. Better to discuss moves that can be made

Most of the moves that "can be made" are just as much fantasy. If management is serious about fixing this team, then they have to find a way to remedy the Mika situation, and thus it is worth discussing.

If you disagree with that, that's fine. You can choose to ignore those discussions.

 

[Dijock94]

At this point I’m comfortable with a reset for this team. We are not hard enough to play against for a deep playoff run. We have a good core of young players and we should build around that.

Trade away

Kreider
Zibanejad
Panarin
Smith

Lindgren
Trouba

Core you build around and add to:

Lafreniere
Chytil
Cuylle
Kakko
Berard
Edstrom
Perreault
Othmann
Trocheck
Rempe

Miller
Fox
Jones
Schneider
Mancini

Goalies:

Trade Igor to boost the reset. No goalie should command that much salary. It will kill building out a complete lineup with great depth.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Most of the moves that "can be made" are just as much fantasy. If management is serious about fixing this team, then they have to find a way to remedy the Mika situation, and thus it is worth discussing.

If you disagree with that, that's fine. You can choose to ignore those discussions.

I don’t disagree that Mika is a problem not a solution.

Doing anything about him, requires his agreement.
The fantasy is forcing him to do anything.

So we can discuss it till the cows come home.
That’s what this board is for. But let’s have some realism.

 

[Alluckks]

If the vet implosion like this leads them to ultimately deal Igor at the deadline for a haul rather than pay him 12 mil per year then that feels like a long term win for the franchise.

 

[TGWL]

At this point I’m comfortable with a reset for this team. We are not hard enough to play against for a deep playoff run. We have a good core of young players and we should build around that.

Trade away

Kreider
Zibanejad
Panarin
Smith

Lindgren
Trouba

Core you build around and add to:

Lafreniere
Chytil
Cuylle
Kakko
Berard
Edstrom
Perreault
Othmann
Trocheck
Rempe

Miller
Fox
Jones
Schneider
Mancini

Goalies:

Trade Igor to boost the reset. No goalie should command that much salary. It will kill building out a complete lineup with great depth.

You don't have 10 forwards called the core to build around. We need to be a little more realistic here. If those 10 are penciled in to build around, we're lacking a lot of star power.

 

[TominNC]

I don’t disagree that Mika is a problem not a solution.

Doing anything about him, requires his agreement.
The fantasy is forcing him to do anything.

So we can discuss it till the cows come home.
That’s what this board is for. But let’s have some realism.

Impossible. The video game fantasy deals will continue.

 

[GAGLine]

That’s what this board is for. But let’s have some realism.

Realism is acknowledging that none of us know what Mika is thinking or what he would or wouldn't agree to. The purpose of an NMC is to give the player complete control of where they go. It doesn't mean the player won't ever want to leave.

 

[zlev]

i still say you have to try revamping the defense and see if it helps the forwards before completely rebuilding. i think even Mika could still be good if he wasn't playing his whole shift in the D zone.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Kreider for Mateychuk
Kreider for Buium
Kreider for Dickinson
Kreider for Molendyk

none are realistic.. you wouldnt even get one of those guys for Panarin.

Teams don't trade bluechip prospects anymore

 

[duhmetreE]

Moving Kreider may be the necessary precursor to moving Zibs

 

[DanielBrassard]

Both Eichel and McDavid are UFAs in the summer of 26. Coincidentally, Panarin is a UFA the same year, and with the cap rising significantly over the next 2 years, we will have plenty of money.

Signing one of them would help significantly. The problem will be Mika. We'll have to get creative to move him.

I think this is the best course of action, of course it necessitates both of those guys getting to UFA but the Rangers don’t have many choices lol. Also Kaprizov might be a UFA too, could be a huge offseason.