Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part XIV (To trade or not to trade is the question)

[Leonardo87]

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

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[McRanger92]

I will continue to think Pinto to the the Rangers every time Ottawa comes up as a trade partner. Folks here told me last year Ottawa wants him long term, but I doubt he wants them considering the bridge contract and the persisting rumors that Brady T is growing impatient.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Lindgren to Ottawa plz.

 

[Ruggs225]

They have. And it’s entirely possible, but usually it’s on losing teams.
And when a player waives the nmc they usually only give a single team, so it makes it even more complicated

Well we are quickly becoming a losing team. So theres that, players are supposedly moserable, so that helps too.

But yes, finding a team that
a) would take him
B) he would accept a trade too

Will be extremely difficult. But that is why Drury is being paid big bucks to make the hard decisions and find the possibilities

 

[Brutananadilewski]

Last season, long stretches without the Rangers playing made me a bit stir-crazy.

Now?

I thank God on bended knee I don't have to suffer!

 

[Leonardo87]

Sorry was late. Got back from the Ducks game totally bombed, which was just another disappointing night of hockey for me, oh and may want to hold off on those Zegras proposals since he was injured last night.

 

[Profet]

Anything happen?

These long breaks suck.

 

[will1066]

Sorry was late. Got back from the Ducks game totally bombed, which was just another disappointing night of hockey for me, oh and may want to hold off on those Zegras proposals since he was injured last night.

 

[ThePeoplesPeople]

Whole lotta nothing in that Friedman clip. Tells me nothing is close and won’t be for a while

I think we may be closer to something than you might expect. Or maybe not. But we'll see if anything happens today!

I'm just as antsy as everyone

 

[Ruggs225]

I also think this next 4 game stretch could define the season. All 4 are winnable games against teams below us.

We go 4-0 and drury doesnt do anything at all

We go 2-2 or 3-1 and its status quo with feelers out there but more of a lets see where this team goes.

We go under 2-2 and we might start seeing some dismantling.

 

[leetch99]

LOL....could we even get a club like Ducks to accept Mika for a broken down forward ? Heck...I would run it by them at least and hope Mika waives.....we can chip in and buy him a funky wet suit and a board .....we might even consider getting him rigged up for para sailing .

 

[McRanger92]

I also think this next 4 game stretch could define the season. All 4 are winnable games against teams below us.

We go 4-0 and drury doesnt do anything at all

We go 2-2 or 3-1 and its status quo with feelers out there but more of a lets see where this team goes.

We go under 2-2 and we might start seeing some dismantling.

I think the process matters more than the W/L record. If they win 3 or 4 but the goalies stand on their heads and they continue to play the low intensity 5v5 game, not much should change in Drury's mindset. Considering the timing of the call-out, I dont think they care what the record says.

 

[will1066]

I also think this next 4 game stretch could define the season. All 4 are winnable games against teams below us.

We go 4-0 and drury doesnt do anything at all

We go 2-2 or 3-1 and its status quo with feelers out there but more of a lets see where this team goes.

We go under 2-2 and we might start seeing some dismantling.

My sources are telling me that Trocheck and Laf are both still chasing Lindgren on the streets of the city, laughing, after that close-call puck ricochet.

 

[Ruggs225]

I think the process matters more than the W/L record. If they win 3 or 4 but the goalies stand on their heads and they continue to play the low intensity 5v5 game, not much should change in Drury's mindset. Considering the timing of the call-out, I dont think they care what the record says.

True, but it also would lessen the urgency and but Drury time to make a good decision if they went 3-1 or 4-0.

Any worse than that and the urgency becomes more.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

I go back and forth.

I agree that Drury hasn't really shown anything. At the same time, Gorton's tenure was soul-crushing and I'm not sure if anybody could have made anything good out of it.

Gorton started a rebuild and then did a 180 a year in and tied up a bunch of money. He basically told his replacement "hey, you have to compete wth what's on the team, because I left you with a bunch of big stupid contracts and terrible draft picks."

Drury did extend Zibanejad, but as much as I think that's a bad idea, there's not a GM in the league that wasn't doing that in the same situation. He was the de facto 1C and the previous GM already decided the rebuild was over.

Gorton's track record with Montreal (still trading vets for picks, not wading too deep into FA) as well as the way his departure from NY went down (if you believe Larry quoted below) lead me to believe that the "acceleration of the rebuild" was heavily influenced if not demanded by Dolan.

This wasn’t as much about past performance as future intentions. This wasn’t at all about missing the playoffs this year but rather the possibility of missing them again next year and maybe the year after that while following a long and winding rebuild road.

Information is at a premium when it concerns the thought process of Garden and Rangers CEO Jim Dolan, who until this moment had resisted anything like this intervention on the hockey side of the business.

In that sense, this is shocking.

But sources indicate that Dolan’s vision of the future, and more specifically the immediate future, clashed with the blueprint embraced by now-former team president John Davidson and now-former general manager Jeff Gorton, both dismissed Wednesday. Three years after The Letter and only two years after luring Davidson from Columbus to oversee the program, philosophies diverged.

But either way, I hear you that Drury was dealt many immovable objects.

That said, even acknowledging the hand he was dealt, Drury has done little to truly inspire confidence.

Here is his track record...feel free to add / correct if I am forgetting things

The bad:
1. 2021 Offseason - Goodrow, Nemeth, hiring Gallant, trading assets for Reaves, and of course the Buchnevich trade.
2. Kane fiasco - the cap accrual nonsense disruption to fit a big name PP specialist in is laughable in hindsight
3. Nemeth fiasco - deserves another mention...not only the signing but trading two 2nds to shed the deal ONE YEAR later
4. Mika contract - yes most NHL GMs would have signed it, but the signs were there. Mika's 5v5 metrics compared to other Cs were already slipping on a percentile ranking basis. More AAV for less trade protection likely smarter in hindsight.
5. Revolving RW trades - Dealing 1st/2nd (Tarasenko or Kane), 2nd, 4th for the "magic bullet" RW for 93-20 instead of realizing that the problem wasn't the RW...
6. Failure to remake the defense - Has been a glaring issue his entire tenure and there is little evidence Drury even sees it as an issue
7. Has a reputation for being "tight lipped" yet has had numerous public sideshows during his tenure...makes me wonder if he is as smart as he thinks he is

The good:
1. Trocheck and Fox contracts - additionally decision to pivot from Copp to Trocheck was great scouting and execution
2. Getting value for Lundkvist
3. Drafting generally looks good, though a bit too early to truly evaluate...if Othmann gives the franchise nothing, that hurts the track record
4. Identifying short term team needs - deadline trades and cheap vet signings generally good fits for short term needs
5. Being ruthless on Goodrow

I don't know how you can look at the two lists and conclude Drury deserves a shot to rebuild this team. The easiest "glass onion" explanation when you peel back the layers is that he is at best a replacement level GM, and possibly a terrible one. His contract work and scouting (professional and amateur) look ok. His short term planning looks ok. His non short term planning looks highly questionable, and his trading looks abhorrent.

 

[effen]

Everyone: Laf has dogged it since getting paid what the f***.

Also everyone: Dylan Cozens has sucked since getting pai- OOH SHINY

 

[will1066]

I think the process matters more than the W/L record. If they win 3 or 4 but the goalies stand on their heads and they continue to play the low intensity 5v5 game, not much should change in Drury's mindset. Considering the timing of the call-out, I dont think they care what the record says.

It does matter. They still hold a WC spot. It would be different if they were already at the bottom of the division. Not making the playoffs results in huge loss of revenue for Garden brass.

 

[effen]

The Kane trade alone tells me Dolan has more input than everyone assumes because it was so stupid.

I said before, the areas that Dolan can't realistically influence (amateur scouting, Hartford) are generally the direction everyone wants and a lot less floaty than the main roster.

 

[Leonardo87]

The Kane trade alone tells me Dolan has more input than everyone assumes because it was so stupid.

The day Dolan sells this team will be a good day.

 

[I Eat Crow]

I will continue to think Pinto to the the Rangers every time Ottawa comes up as a trade partner. Folks here told me last year Ottawa wants him long term, but I doubt he wants them considering the bridge contract and the persisting rumors that Brady T is growing impatient.

I think so too. Only problem is that I think it would take Miller or Kreider to make the trade happen. I would say that Ottawa would be on Kreider's no trade list.

Which leaves Miller. Miller doesn't male sense for Ottawa as they have Chabot and Sanderson in top 4 roles on the left side already.

I'm not entertaining trading Kakko, but it would be fair value 1 for 1.

 

[McRanger92]

It does matter. They still hold a WC spot. It would be different if they were already at the bottom of the division. Not making the playoffs results in huge loss of revenue for Garden brass.

I get the sense Drury is much more motivated to make a move than just taking it day by day. He got blocked on July 1st, but were 2 months into the season and hes already looking to make moves again. We (coaches, GM, fans, players) know that this team has an ECF ceiling. Something has to give regardless of what their record says.

I think so too. Only problem is that I think it would take Miller or Kreider to make the trade happen. I would say that Ottawa would be on Kreider's no trade list.

Which leaves Miller. Miller doesn't male sense for Ottawa as they have Chabot and Sanderson in top 4 roles on the left side already.

I'm not entertaining trading Kakko, but it would be fair value 1 for 1.

Id trade Miller or Kakko straight up for Pinto, but both of those moves arent that exciting in terms of improving the roster. If you can deal Lindgren+ for him, thats the way the Rangers win that trade,

 

[I Eat Crow]

I get the sense Drury is much more motivated to make a move than just taking it day by day. He got blocked on July 1st, but were 2 months into the season and hes already looking to make moves again. We (coaches, GM, fans, players) know that this team has an ECF ceiling. Something has to give regardless of what their record says.



Id trade Miller or Kakko straight up for Pinto, but both of those moves arent that exciting in terms of improving the roster. If you can deal Lindgren+ for him, thats the way the Rangers win that trade,

Lindgren and a small add for Pinto would be a heist. The add to make the deal happen realistically would be an Othmann, Berard, or Edstrom level wing prospect.

 

[leetch99]

Who hired Peca ? Who hired Housley ? Was it Lavi getting his own assistants or the team/Drury bringing them in ...it looks like Drury .

 

[mandiblesofdoom]

Last season, long stretches without the Rangers playing made me a bit stir-crazy.

Now?

I thank God on bended knee I don't have to suffer!

It's getting so it's more fun to talk about roster building than to watch the roster they built

 

[I Eat Crow]

Who hired Peca ? Who hired Housley ? Was it Lavi getting his own assistants or the team/Drury bringing them in ...it looks like Drury .

Definitely Drury. Laviolette would have brought in his own guys if he had any input. Zero doubt in my mind these were handpicked by Drury.

Buffalo connection with Peca and Housley.

Muse should be the next head coach of this team after the heavy furniture is moved and Laviolette gets canned. He'll be poached within two years if the Rangers don't hold onto him. I largely credit him with Lafreniere breaking out and Kakko, Cuylle, Chytil (when healthy), and Schneider playing well.