Speculation: Roster Building thread: Part XIX (Thanks, Sam)

[RangerBoy]

Drury being allowed to hire 3 coaches in 4 years is a sin

Gallant was fired with one or two years remaining on his contract. $3.5M per. It was reported to be a four year contract at the time of the hiring but then LeBrun reported Gallant was under contract through 23-24 after the Rangers fired him. Perhaps the 4th year was an option. Laviolette has one more season remaining on his contract. $4.9M. Gallant didn't get another job to offset the difference in salary.. Laviolette isn't getting another job this cycle. I realize the Garden has a lot of money but doesn't Dolan wonder why I am paying people to sit at home and do I really trust Drury to hire another coach?

Drury will hire another experienced guy because he can't get this one wrong because it's his ass next time. He has already failed with the two experienced coaching hires. Unless the personnel changes, the Rangers could hire the next Al Arbour or the Mike Keenan from 1984-85 and they will still fail. Drury controls the personnel. He has complete control. There is nobody above him.

 

[BobMarleyNYR]

that's because we have a bunch of Beta boys-

that's because we have a bunch of Beta boys

-Every milf ata long island open mic

 

[rangers1314]

Pittsburgh is not getting rid of Sullivan.

Of course they aren’t.

But he might want to move on from them

 

[McRanger92]

Not saying I want Drury kept around but Gorton locked us into the entire core of high priced quitters and drafted everyone we consider a bust. Saying Drury built the team really isn’t true. I think Drury’s issues were that he continued down the exact path Gorton was going. No coach would’ve succeeded with these players, for all 3 they took their foot off the gas in year 2. I’d like to move on because I don’t believe in The Regime anymore but the GM is #3 on the list of culprits behind the players and coach for me.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Not saying I want Drury kept around but Gorton locked us into the entire core of high priced quitters and drafted everyone we consider a bust. Saying Drury built the team really isn’t true. I think Drury’s issues were that he continued down the exact path Gorton was going. No coach would’ve succeeded with these players, for all 3 they took their foot off the gas in year 2. I’d like to move on because I don’t believe in The Regime anymore but the GM is #3 on the list of culprits behind the players and coach for me.

These players busted because they were drafted by the Rangers.

 

[mike14]

Drury being allowed to hire 3 coaches in 4 years is a sin

Separating the issue from Drury, I'm starting to wonder whether having an NHL coaching merry-go-round is really such a big deal.
Most teams basically play one of the same few ways, and we see every season that it doesn't take players long to integrate into new schemes, even in the middle of season, as it will be similar to something they've done before. There's no real innovation coming out of the coaching ranks in terms of systems or player usage.
So other than pick a system, their job is basically just personnel management and fostering a culture that can work together. In that case, just keep cycling through them until you land one that hits with the players, and move on as soon as the message starts getting stale.
Of course you'll be bringing players in and out at the same time, but moving on from a coach is pretty easy, and much easier than turning over a whole roster to suit a guy who you are always going to be pretty sure has a 5ish year shelf life at best.

TL/DR - NHL coaching is a merry-go-round anyway, so just embrace it unless you stumble on something out of the ordinary

 

[bleedblue94]

can someone link where brooksie wrote that kreider was leader of babypuss brigade

You don't need an article to know that. It's been very obvious for quite a few years and came to a head when the trouba stuff first started developing. I get it that Brooks has clout, but I shared this was developing behind the doors and would be coming out, and boy has it started coming out...

 

[bleedblue94]

I’ve been pretty happy with Mika. I can overlook hockey stick genocide and all the black marks he puts on the glass above the goalies head, because he’s getting himself into good spots. He has made himself a factor again.
He got into some awful habits with certain other players who are thrilled by event free shifts.

He needs to go back to the wing. There's a reason he looks better when he plays with Miller and part of it is just being on the wing at his age and lack of meat intake.

 

[Boris Zubov]

You don't need an article to know that. It's been very obvious for quite a few years and came to a head when the trouba stuff first started developing. I get it that Brooks has clout, but I shared this was developing behind the doors and would be coming out, and boy has it started coming out...

Can you be more specific? Has he been a negative influence in the room for years or just this season?

 

[bleedblue94]

Can you be more specific? Has he been a negative influence in the room for years or just this season?

You question cannot be answered in a yes or no. Leadership takes different forms at different times based on what is happening. Sometimes you need someone to stabilize the group and sometimes the group need to be jarred. Trouba did a lot of what kreider didnt. They played different roles but what has happened and how it happened really shows just how important trouba was to the room. Once he was gone it pushed some people into roles they didn't want, and I don't mean on the ice. For teams like this and in a location like NYC with all its distractions and challenges you need people to fill roles on a team and keep the group cohesive. Trouba leaving created a vacuum whether people want to acknowledge it or not, and that vacuum actually started before the season started when the trade during the summer got shot down. Brooks is right about how that whole situation disrupted things in a bad way bc suddenly the guy that was holding things together was left knowing he was unwanted by management and was only still in NYC bc his agent was smart enough to work the system, so now is a time for the second tier of leaders to step up and take ownership but low and behold what happens? Everything unravels, the orgs 1oa pick reverts to a complete slug, Trocheck eventually steps up to fill a leadership void bc the muffins wearing letters wouldn't/couldn't do it, and the org trades for someone that is a good player but can also fill a part of what they lost in the room when they dealt trouba. So with all of this it is not fair to say kreider has been a negative influence in the room through his career. He is a room guy and has protected the players in the room, this year it turned into a battle between management and the players where management knew it was time for change and the players didn't want it bc they had made deep runs 2 out of 3 years and felt they were owed the respect to make another run. Is someone a negative influence for back their teammates? I guess it depends on if you think the players were right or management was right. Regardless, he had to know that if management decided and acted on rolling the roster over he was going to be one of the people going based on his age, contract, and many other factors. He loves it here, he has deep friendships here, he is now at a point that he is relevant to NYR history in several record lists, (did he think he could hold on and his number retired? Did he think he has had so many deep playoff runs he should have a cup in NYC and he doesn't want to leave until he gets one or retires?) and I still don't believe he wants to leave but he knows what's coming bc he saw it happen to Trouba. So how does that all impact his actions and how does his actions impact his teammates? The reality is that it's time for a change and it was time last summer. They wanted another kick at the can and it blew up in their face and no one really knew how to handle it in the room and for years the room in nyr has been left to the players. Trouba was the rudder. When trouba was ripped out there were a bench of hollow jerseys with letters sewn on the upper left chest that don't fill that kind of void

 

[Boris Zubov]

You question cannot be answered in a yes or no. Leadership takes different forms at different times based on what is happening. Sometimes you need someone to stabilize the group and sometimes the group need to be jarred. Trouba did a lot of what kreider didnt. They played different roles but what has happened and how it happened really shows just how important trouba was to the room. Once he was gone it pushed some people into roles they didn't want, and I don't mean on the ice. For teams like this and in a location like NYC with all its distractions and challenges you need people to fill roles on a team and keep the group cohesive. Trouba leaving created a vacuum whether people want to acknowledge it or not, and that vacuum actually started before the season started when the trade during the summer got shot down. Brooks is right about how that whole situation disrupted things in a bad way bc suddenly the guy that was holding things together was left knowing he was unwanted by management and was only still in NYC bc his agent was smart enough to work the system, so now is a time for the second tier of leaders to step up and take ownership but low and behold what happens? Everything unravels, the orgs 1oa pick reverts to a complete slug, Trocheck eventually steps up to fill a leadership void bc the muffins wearing letters wouldn't/couldn't do it, and the org trades for someone that is a good player but can also fill a part of what they lost in the room when they dealt trouba. So with all of this it is not fair to say kreider has been a negative influence in the room through his career. He is a room guy and has protected the players in the room, this year it turned into a battle between management and the players where management knew it was time for change and the players didn't want it bc they had made deep runs 2 out of 3 years and felt they were owed the respect to make another run. Is someone a negative influence for back their teammates? I guess it depends on if you think the players were right or management was right. Regardless, he had to know that if management decided and acted on rolling the roster over he was going to be one of the people going based on his age, contract, and many other factors. He loves it here, he has deep friendships here, he is now at a point that he is relevant to NYR history in several record lists, (did he think he could hold on and his number retired? Did he think he has had so many deep playoff runs he should have a cup in NYC and he doesn't want to leave until he gets one or retires?) and I still don't believe he wants to leave but he knows what's coming bc he saw it happen to Trouba. So how does that all impact his actions and how does his actions impact his teammates? The reality is that it's time for a change and it was time last summer. They wanted another kick at the can and it blew up in their face and no one really knew how to handle it in the room and for years the room in nyr has been left to the players. Trouba was the rudder. When trouba was ripped out there were a bench of hollow jerseys with letters sewn on the upper left chest that don't fill that kind of void

This post pretty much sums up why Kreider isn't the captain & how fragile this bunch really is.

With all that said, I'm still glad Tuba is gone. Leadership only goes so far when you're a giant net negative on the ice. Plus the shit he pulled to block the trades over the summer made him extremely unlikable.

 

[pld459666]

Alain Venauglt didnt last the night when he got fired

With Lavy??

 

[McRanger92]

You question cannot be answered in a yes or no. Leadership takes different forms at different times based on what is happening. Sometimes you need someone to stabilize the group and sometimes the group need to be jarred. Trouba did a lot of what kreider didnt. They played different roles but what has happened and how it happened really shows just how important trouba was to the room. Once he was gone it pushed some people into roles they didn't want, and I don't mean on the ice. For teams like this and in a location like NYC with all its distractions and challenges you need people to fill roles on a team and keep the group cohesive. Trouba leaving created a vacuum whether people want to acknowledge it or not, and that vacuum actually started before the season started when the trade during the summer got shot down. Brooks is right about how that whole situation disrupted things in a bad way bc suddenly the guy that was holding things together was left knowing he was unwanted by management and was only still in NYC bc his agent was smart enough to work the system, so now is a time for the second tier of leaders to step up and take ownership but low and behold what happens? Everything unravels, the orgs 1oa pick reverts to a complete slug, Trocheck eventually steps up to fill a leadership void bc the muffins wearing letters wouldn't/couldn't do it, and the org trades for someone that is a good player but can also fill a part of what they lost in the room when they dealt trouba. So with all of this it is not fair to say kreider has been a negative influence in the room through his career. He is a room guy and has protected the players in the room, this year it turned into a battle between management and the players where management knew it was time for change and the players didn't want it bc they had made deep runs 2 out of 3 years and felt they were owed the respect to make another run. Is someone a negative influence for back their teammates? I guess it depends on if you think the players were right or management was right. Regardless, he had to know that if management decided and acted on rolling the roster over he was going to be one of the people going based on his age, contract, and many other factors. He loves it here, he has deep friendships here, he is now at a point that he is relevant to NYR history in several record lists, (did he think he could hold on and his number retired? Did he think he has had so many deep playoff runs he should have a cup in NYC and he doesn't want to leave until he gets one or retires?) and I still don't believe he wants to leave but he knows what's coming bc he saw it happen to Trouba. So how does that all impact his actions and how does his actions impact his teammates? The reality is that it's time for a change and it was time last summer. They wanted another kick at the can and it blew up in their face and no one really knew how to handle it in the room and for years the room in nyr has been left to the players. Trouba was the rudder. When trouba was ripped out there were a bench of hollow jerseys with letters sewn on the upper left chest that don't fill that kind of void

The leadership has been weak with this team since the Henrik, Staal, Fast, Zucc and McD group were purged. As soon as the last of them were shipped off after the covid bubble playoffs, the locker room was in turmoil almost instantly. Kreider and Mika went from being younger faces in the crowd to being shoved into leadership roles they clearly didnt want. Trouba and Panarin were forced into wearing letters because of their contracts. I know at this point we've memory holed the Tony D incidents, the Buch/Igor late night car accident that injured them both, the lack of a response to the Wilson/Panarin thing and the open defiance of the coaches on more than one occasion, but those were enormous red flags.

Trouba was not a good player but he was an alpha in the room because he was the only guy who struck any fear into the opposition physically. He still never did enough in that regard. The Rangers lost the mental battle against Washington and the rest of the league when Trouba didnt challenge Wilson on opening day in 2021. It showed they were all talk. They tried to become a "turn the other cheek" team that beat you on the PP. But thats not how you win in this league anymore. There was never a hunger among this core to play a physical+skill+forecheck game that the Florida teams, Colorado and Vegas have really mastered. And its unfortunately rubbed off on Laf, Fox, K'Andre, Kakko to various degrees. And its why when they lost Trouba's influence, the house of cards collapsed. Its also a tough pill to swallow but the off the ice/business side of MSG has given a lot of these guys an inflated opinion of themselves for a group who has never really won anything.

Maybe a full rebuild is necessary but if they are able to move the bigger contract guys like Kreider, Mika, Panarin, etc. the roster becomes one of the youngest in the league. I just dont know what needs to happen for the Rangers to give their younger players real roles. Its probably going to take a coach who is willing to live with growing pains. We havent really had that since Tortorella shockingly. He gave a lot of young guys chances to succeed while he was here. I dont really want him back because the time has passed, but where is the next one? Im certainly open to some of these AHL guys who have been named because that seems like its been a successful recipe around the league. As much as we hate Dolan, the Knicks have shown its possible to change the perception quickly, but Drury cant sit on his hands and twiddle his thumbs like he has far too often in the top chair.

 

[UnparalledPark]

You question cannot be answered in a yes or no. Leadership takes different forms at different times based on what is happening. Sometimes you need someone to stabilize the group and sometimes the group need to be jarred. Trouba did a lot of what kreider didnt. They played different roles but what has happened and how it happened really shows just how important trouba was to the room. Once he was gone it pushed some people into roles they didn't want, and I don't mean on the ice. For teams like this and in a location like NYC with all its distractions and challenges you need people to fill roles on a team and keep the group cohesive. Trouba leaving created a vacuum whether people want to acknowledge it or not, and that vacuum actually started before the season started when the trade during the summer got shot down. Brooks is right about how that whole situation disrupted things in a bad way bc suddenly the guy that was holding things together was left knowing he was unwanted by management and was only still in NYC bc his agent was smart enough to work the system, so now is a time for the second tier of leaders to step up and take ownership but low and behold what happens? Everything unravels, the orgs 1oa pick reverts to a complete slug, Trocheck eventually steps up to fill a leadership void bc the muffins wearing letters wouldn't/couldn't do it, and the org trades for someone that is a good player but can also fill a part of what they lost in the room when they dealt trouba. So with all of this it is not fair to say kreider has been a negative influence in the room through his career. He is a room guy and has protected the players in the room, this year it turned into a battle between management and the players where management knew it was time for change and the players didn't want it bc they had made deep runs 2 out of 3 years and felt they were owed the respect to make another run. Is someone a negative influence for back their teammates? I guess it depends on if you think the players were right or management was right. Regardless, he had to know that if management decided and acted on rolling the roster over he was going to be one of the people going based on his age, contract, and many other factors. He loves it here, he has deep friendships here, he is now at a point that he is relevant to NYR history in several record lists, (did he think he could hold on and his number retired? Did he think he has had so many deep playoff runs he should have a cup in NYC and he doesn't want to leave until he gets one or retires?) and I still don't believe he wants to leave but he knows what's coming bc he saw it happen to Trouba. So how does that all impact his actions and how does his actions impact his teammates? The reality is that it's time for a change and it was time last summer. They wanted another kick at the can and it blew up in their face and no one really knew how to handle it in the room and for years the room in nyr has been left to the players. Trouba was the rudder. When trouba was ripped out there were a bench of hollow jerseys with letters sewn on the upper left chest that don't fill that kind of void

To make matters worse, IMO Goodrow was the true leader here, but I imagine management wanted the more important guy in Trouba to wear the C, and to Trouba’s credit, he wanted the C. That’s a lot of leadership leaving the house all at once.

 

[bleedblue94]

To make matters worse, IMO Goodrow was the true leader here, but I imagine management wanted the more important guy in Trouba to wear the C, and to Trouba’s credit, he wanted the C. That’s a lot of leadership leaving the house all at once.

There is space to believe that Goodrow happened the way it did in retaliation to trouba's agent managing the non trade situation and the push from the core to run it back again. No one knows what was in drury's head but trouba didn't stay this summer bc he asked nicely, his agent outmaneuvered the situation to keep trouba and as a result the core together. So if you're a narcissist like drury and you just got shutdown by the people beneath you (the players) it's reasonable to believe you'll want to show people you are still in control. Enter Goodrow and waivers as a big middle finger to the core. Then fast forward a few months and the team tanks on lavy and everyone is wondering if Drury will can lavy and I'm telling you all no way bc even if it makes sense to fire him before Christmas it was never happening bc there was a war between the core and Drury as to who was in control and if Drury was in control or in this new age of players dictating more things in/around organizations did the nyr players have more control? Drury slams another middle finger to them by keeping lavy around in spite of the players. Like I said at Thanksgiving, a war was coming and it did come. Meanwhile I was all the yips on here giving me crap that I'm full of shit and yet it all came out and is coming out. I wasn't posting for attention, I was sharing stuff with a passionate group of fans.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

It’s no wonder that Dolan likes Drury so much, they’re both ego maniacs and narcissists who duck accountability at any chance

 

[bleedblue94]

It’s no wonder that Dolan likes Drury so much, they’re both ego maniacs and narcissists who duck accountability at any chance

There will be a crash and burn between them eventually and when it happens it could be very very entertaining ha

 

[Boris Zubov]

There is space to believe that Goodrow happened the way it did in retaliation to trouba's agent managing the non trade situation and the push from the core to run it back again. No one knows what was in drury's head but trouba didn't stay this summer bc he asked nicely, his agent outmaneuvered the situation to keep trouba and as a result the core together. So if you're a narcissist like drury and you just got shutdown it's reasonable to believe you'll want to show people you are still in control. Enter Goodrow and waivers as a big middle finger to the core. Then fast forward a few months and the team tanks on lavy and everyone is wondering if Drury will can lavy and I'm telling you all no way bc even if it makes sense to fire him before Christmas it was never happening bc there was a war between the core and Drury as to who was in control and if Drury was in control or in this new age of players dictating more things in/around organizations did the nyr players have more control? Drury slams another middle finger to them by keeping lavy around in spite of the players. Like I said at Thanksgiving, a war was coming and it did come.

The war did come, but there's still no end in sight, nor any indication wtf the end game is. Like really, where the hell does this team go from here? A new coach doesn't really solve anything because the core has shown time & again they simply tune the HC out & keep playing the same way regardless of the opponent or the game situation.

The bigger problem is the complete lack of top end skill on this roster. As much as I'm over watching Panarin give the puck away 20 times a game, he's literally the only legit high end talent on the roster. I like JTM as a 2C, but he's not a legit 1C, regardless of what the GM thinks. Fox is a solid 1D, but can he take over a game anymore? Did he ever? Then there's the goalie situation which is just a shitshow unto itself. An overpaid primadonna who rarely steals wins since his Vezina season, yet he's overpaid by about $3M. LOL.

All of this is such a clusterf***. It's so hard to keep rooting for this shitbag organization.

 

[RangersFan1994]

 

[Shesterkybomb]

It is hard to believe the best hockey coach outside the NHL won't go pro . Gardiner MacDougall the coach of Moncton Wildcats will probably lead them to a Memorial Cup this year . He has dominated everywhere he has coached . He took over the coaching role of a defeated host team of the Memorial Cup tournament a couple of years back and after only a few practices they won it all !!! His UNB hockey clubs just WON WON WON .All his pedigree shows is WINNING . He will likely win the Memorial Cup again this season....they have 11 losses this season . Just read up on him . The Rangers should be al over this fellow....throw the money at him to be an AHL coasch at the very least.....Check him out RB . I wonder as well if he is only coaching Junior because his son is the GM of his current club ? He is definitely a different breed of person but he coaches winners .

He'd be a wonderful add, he has a crazy win loss record. Watched his teams a lot and they are always impressive.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

To make matters worse, IMO Goodrow was the true leader here, but I imagine management wanted the more important guy in Trouba to wear the C, and to Trouba’s credit, he wanted the C. That’s a lot of leadership leaving the house all at once.

Yeah too bad he was a horrible player

 

[eco's bones]

You question cannot be answered in a yes or no. Leadership takes different forms at different times based on what is happening. Sometimes you need someone to stabilize the group and sometimes the group need to be jarred. Trouba did a lot of what kreider didnt. They played different roles but what has happened and how it happened really shows just how important trouba was to the room. Once he was gone it pushed some people into roles they didn't want, and I don't mean on the ice. For teams like this and in a location like NYC with all its distractions and challenges you need people to fill roles on a team and keep the group cohesive. Trouba leaving created a vacuum whether people want to acknowledge it or not, and that vacuum actually started before the season started when the trade during the summer got shot down. Brooks is right about how that whole situation disrupted things in a bad way bc suddenly the guy that was holding things together was left knowing he was unwanted by management and was only still in NYC bc his agent was smart enough to work the system, so now is a time for the second tier of leaders to step up and take ownership but low and behold what happens? Everything unravels, the orgs 1oa pick reverts to a complete slug, Trocheck eventually steps up to fill a leadership void bc the muffins wearing letters wouldn't/couldn't do it, and the org trades for someone that is a good player but can also fill a part of what they lost in the room when they dealt trouba. So with all of this it is not fair to say kreider has been a negative influence in the room through his career. He is a room guy and has protected the players in the room, this year it turned into a battle between management and the players where management knew it was time for change and the players didn't want it bc they had made deep runs 2 out of 3 years and felt they were owed the respect to make another run. Is someone a negative influence for back their teammates? I guess it depends on if you think the players were right or management was right. Regardless, he had to know that if management decided and acted on rolling the roster over he was going to be one of the people going based on his age, contract, and many other factors. He loves it here, he has deep friendships here, he is now at a point that he is relevant to NYR history in several record lists, (did he think he could hold on and his number retired? Did he think he has had so many deep playoff runs he should have a cup in NYC and he doesn't want to leave until he gets one or retires?) and I still don't believe he wants to leave but he knows what's coming bc he saw it happen to Trouba. So how does that all impact his actions and how does his actions impact his teammates? The reality is that it's time for a change and it was time last summer. They wanted another kick at the can and it blew up in their face and no one really knew how to handle it in the room and for years the room in nyr has been left to the players. Trouba was the rudder. When trouba was ripped out there were a bench of hollow jerseys with letters sewn on the upper left chest that don't fill that kind of void

My read is quite a lot like this. When Goodrow went and Drury tried to move Trouba it created a mini-revolt. Trouba hung on for a while but he knew his days were numbered and he wasn't playing all out and I've had the same sense with Kreider all year long. He sees the writing on the wall to his Rangers days and he's not putting out his best effort. Mika seemed torn between loyalty to his friends and loyalty to the team and K'Andre's been pissed he lost his partner. Trouba and Goodrow were the real alpha personalities in that locker room the last few years. Trocheck does everything--gets the most minutes of the forwards---great on face-offs and penalty kill. His production went down (along with pretty much everyone else) but I don't have a problem with him and I think he helped get JT here who has shown a real Alpha personality in the past. I don't have a problem with Panarin apart from his term is running out and a decision is going to have to be made with him. I think if Kreider and Mika hadn't been so shit on the power play Panarin's probably around 100 points again. 62 even strength points---no one's even close to that. Mika's putting up points now when it's all over---two weeks ago when the games weren't meaningless he went missing again. I think he's soft and putting up lots of points now doesn't mean shit. Just padding the stats.

I really don't want to pull the plug on K'Andre but before giving him a new deal they better talk to him and see where his head is at. He's a better player than what he's been giving us. He's a young guy too. Either he's going to be all in or you get rid of him. Lafreniere needs to start taking more responsibility for himself too.

Generally the bottom 6 types were not a problem. Most of these guys found a way to contribute. It's the top tier players that f***ed the season up and Phil Housley's asinine man on man defensive system clearly shit the bed.

 

[Draft Guru]

Gallant was fired with one or two years remaining on his contract. $3.5M per. It was reported to be a four year contract at the time of the hiring but then LeBrun reported Gallant was under contract through 23-24 after the Rangers fired him. Perhaps the 4th year was an option. Laviolette has one more season remaining on his contract. $4.9M. Gallant didn't get another job to offset the difference in salary.. Laviolette isn't getting another job this cycle. I realize the Garden has a lot of money but doesn't Dolan wonder why I am paying people to sit at home and do I really trust Drury to hire another coach?

Drury will hire another experienced guy because he can't get this one wrong because it's his ass next time. He has already failed with the two experienced coaching hires. Unless the personnel changes, the Rangers could hire the next Al Arbour or the Mike Keenan from 1984-85 and they will still fail. Drury controls the personnel. He has complete control. There is nobody above him.

Are we really sure he won't get a job this year? GMs love their experienced retread hires. He has a Cup, he's taken 3 separate teams to the finals and was 2 wins away from making it 4 separate teams. Other GMs could look at this year as an aberration. Drury meddling too much with the locker room and the chemistry, etc. The PP going from 3rd in the league to what, 27th? Bad luck, variance, whatever you wanna call it. GMs will see the overall track record and I really doubt they'll hold this season against Lavi too much. If anything wouldn't you say his "stock" is higher after this stint with us than the one he came off with Washington? He very may well not get a job this cycle, but that could very well be up to him also. He may take his $5M and enjoy a year off. Who knows. I just don't think it's a certainty he won't get a job. You know how NHL GMs work. It's still an old boys club and Lavi has a lot of friends around the league.

It's Drury's ass on the line no matter who he hires. The experienced guys have failed twice. Why not go for an up and coming coach, try and find the next Spencer Carberry? He has nothing to lose. I'd like to see Manny Malhotra get a shot. 900+ NHL games. 7 years as an assistant with Vancouver and Toronto (worked there alongside Carberry). Has done very well this year as the head coach for the Canucks' AHL squad.

 

[Draft Guru]

I like JTM as a 2C, but he's not a legit 1C, regardless of what the GM thinks.

Would love to know your definition of a legit 1C.

Miller has 30 points in 29 games since coming here. 65 points in 69 games on the year, .942 points per game, good for 42nd in the league overall after a tumultuous season that included a leave of absence and a trade.

His stats would be even better if our power play didn't go completely ice cold with 3 goals in our last 300+ attempts (or whatever it is, point stands lol)

103, 82, 99 points the three years prior.

1 of 9 players to have 100 points+ last season. 5th most points by any Center (behind MacKinnon, McDavid, Draisaitl, Matthews). 100 hits more than anyone else that had 100+ points.

Calling him a 2C is just crazy talk.

 

[bhamill]

Agree. He does not appear to possess the level off on ice or off ice dedication needed to be an impact player. Lazy Laf is -17 with 16 goals in 78 games and paid 7.4 mil. Brodzinski makes $ 787,500 is a +7 and has 11 goals in 47 games. This will end badly for the Rangers.

He makes 7.4 million starting NEXT year.
Last season everyone told me Laf must have dedicated himself over the summer of ‘24… at least once the season started and he looked much improved, after proclaiming during training camp that he did nothing to improve over the summer…
We have no clue why Lafreniere is so inconsistent.
Hahaha.