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

[RangerBoy]

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.

Are the Bruins or Flyers or Hawks hiring Laviolette? The Capitals missed the playoffs in 2023 and Laviolette was fired. Carbery took them to the playoffs one year later. The Rangers flamed out this season.

 

[UnparalledPark]

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.

Your last paragraph pretty much sums it up for me. I do think there is even less chance that K. Miller is here next year than even Kreider. Money is going to be at a premium next year, and you just can’t spend 5.5 to 6 million on a guy like Miller who can’t seem to get it together.

 

[noncents]

Your last paragraph pretty much sums it up for me. I do think there is even less chance that K. Miller is here next year than even Kreider. Money is going to be at a premium next year, and you just can’t spend 5.5 to 6 million on a guy like Miller who can’t seem to get it together.

how can we talk about laviolette and housley being all time suck squad and then judge a young player for not having played his best under that staff?

If you put kandre in a position to succeed he will be an asset. he's the only f***ing defenseman they have who can skate the puck up the ice.

 

[UnparalledPark]

how can we talk about laviolette and housley being all time suck squad and then judge a young player for not having played his best under that staff?

If you put kandre in a position to succeed he will be an asset. he's the only f***ing defenseman they have who can skate the puck up the ice.

You are correct in that the “system” employed by our current coaching staff seems to make all of our Dmen look bad; however he also continues to make a lot of mental mistakes that IMO are not directly related to coaching. I believe that Drury or whomever is in charge, will determine that he cannot spend 6 mil a year on a guy like him, and that there will be some teams that will be willing to trade a young 3C or another top 4 LD who may have less upside, but who is more fundamentally sound.

 

[nsvoyageurs]

Of course they aren’t.

But he might want to move on from them

Do not want Sullivan. We'd be screaming the same thing about him as we have Gallant/Laviolette; not playing the younger players.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Kreider having a better chance of being here than Miller is lol.

Kreider has a 0% chance of being here next year.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Kreider is 1000% gone.

 

[NYR Viper]

Drury has shown a pretty unique willingness to make big changes. Not many GM’s would have waived Goodrow or pretty much forced Trouba out. Those moves were 100% needed. He traded Lindgren which was a good move and likely unpopular in the locker room. He has veteran players on the block. I think this offseason was always going to be a crossroads but this year having the wheels fall off like they have was not planned.

I’d be willing to give Drury another year if I could better understand his long term vision. I like the idea that he is bringing back a hard nosed, higher energy playing style and the young players he’s promoted bring that. Trochek was that type of signing. Miller brings that. The issue is the leftovers

 

[Mike in Houston]

Kreider is 1000% gone.

Probably so.

If only all of our first round picks could be here for 13 years and have the career he's had in NY.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Probably so.

If only all of our first round picks could be here for 13 years and have the career he's had in NY.

I agree.

Just hope they play with a little more heart, consistency, and dont turn into a prima donna during the last part of their career.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Probably so.

If only all of our first round picks could be here for 13 years and have the career he's had in NY.

I don’t think the convo or criticism (mostly, there have been some people who have practically rooted against him since day one who are now pulling the told you so card, f*** those people) is about his entire tenure here. I’m sure that one day what ever hurt feeling exist will be smoothed over and he’ll get his own night at the Garden.

It’s all about how he’s handled this year and it’s been a really tough watch because of how most of the previous 12 seasons went.

The relationship isn’t going to be mended right now. It would probably be time to move on even if there were no hurt feelings tbh.

 

[Mike in Houston]

I agree.

Just hope they play with a little more heart, consistency, and dont turn into a prima donna during the last part of their career.

Prima Donna. Lol. All speculation.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Prima Donna. Lol. All speculation.

In your head maybe.

 

[JohnC]

I’m wondering if Kreider’s had a down year because he’s upset his girlfriend bought him a knockoff Ryan Callahan jersey

 

[Mike in Houston]

In your head maybe.

What? You've talked to him? You're around him everyday? By definition of prima donna has Chris Kreider ever demanded special treatment? Is he temperamental, demanding, self-centered?

Or is that only in YOUR head?

 

[Captain Monglobster]

I might give a shit next year if both wonder twins are gone along with the bad miller. Those moves let you turn the page fully.

 

[Boris Zubov]

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.

I don't want to give off the wrong idea. I was & still am in favor of acquiring JTM, especially for the price we paid. His production has been spectacular since he joined the Canucks & he's massively underpaid. His agent did a horrendous job when he signed his current deal.

He doesn't seem like a prototypical 1C since he's returned to the NYR, or maybe it's the way shithead Lavi has deployed him. His TOI has been way down & he's sharing the dot with Mika when he's clearly superior on face-offs. Maybe I'll feel differently when this coaching staff is gone & the new coaches make it clear he's the guy.

 

[McRanger92]

I might give a shit next year if both wonder twins are gone along with the bad miller. Those moves let you turn the page fully.

Yeah Kreider has to go for locker room reasons. I think Mika could have a bounce back playing wing but if you can move him don’t hesitate. Kandre is a guy who has value for a young C, and I just don’t want to pay him or rely on him for big minutes anymore. We need a steady top 4 LD, not one so prone to nuclear meltdowns. He really hasn’t improved much over the last 3 years. Was a complete non factor in last years playoffs too.

 

[Fitzy]

Chytil had his next big concussion, and Miller is worth substantially more in a trade today than we paid for him 2 months ago.

But the clock is ticking. Unless we have reason to think that he will age super well, he has 2-3 more seasons max at the top of his game.

Said it a million times at this point, but Drury has SO much work to do to make this a good team the next 2-3 seasons, and going in with Soucy-Fox, Miller-Borgen, Vaak-Schneider is the number one major issue. You need K'Andre to find his game again AND get another bona fide top 4 to even make this a league average blue line.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Prima Donna. Lol. All speculation.

Your Kreider worship been teetering on Siddi-eqsue levels for the past few months.

 

[Mike in Houston]

Your Kreider worship been teetering on Siddi-eqsue levels for the past few months.

So? He's my favorite player.

But that said, if he is really what a lot of youse say he is then why is he still here? Certainly the team, the coaches, and the front office must see it too if people on a message board see it. Why not bench him like Tony DeAngelo? Waive him. Tempers flare and punches are thrown vs. being a season long cancer. What's worse? You have to think of the team and not the individual and get that element out of the room.

If it comes out that all of youse were right, I will have no problems telling you that you were and that I was wrong. Until that day comes we're going to be at an impasse.

 

[Boris Zubov]

So? He's my favorite player.

But that said, if he is really what a lot of youse say he is then why is he still here? Certainly the team, the coaches, and the front office must see it too if people on a message board see it. Why not bench him like Tony DeAngelo? Waive him. Tempers flare and punches are thrown vs. being a season long cancer. What's worse? You have to think of the team and not the individual and get that element out of the room.

If it comes out that all of youse were right, I will have no problems telling you that you were and that I was wrong. Until that day comes we're going to be at an impasse.

I've never had a bad word to say about the guy before this season, and I've been defending him most of this season under the impression he was hurt. I still think his back is f***ed, but if that was the case he had NO business playing in the 4 Nations. That was an extremely selfish move with really bad optics. Since then he's shown glimpses of trying harder & skating faster in spurts, which is maddening & makes one question the validity of his injury claims.

Besides his back, I'm not sure what's up with the guy, but it's clearly affecting him personally & it's seeped into his attitude & effort on the ice. It's one thing to call him your favorite player & that's totally your prerogative, but when it affects your ability to see things clearly or post objectively, you should expect to get called out for it & the pushback you're encountering.

 

[bhamill]

For president/GM, I would think Dolan would want someone who he's familiar with and who worked for/played with the Rangers. We don't much have a track record to work off of, but Sather was obviously his consigliere and now it's Dreary. I don't think we'll try to bring back JD, but that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. He should've never been let go in the first place, but that little backstabbing weasel Drury had other plans.

So IDK who Dolan would go with or who Dolan would even trust. Maybe Adam Graves? Messier? Sean Avery!? Yeah, IDK. The only two guys available for president that I can think of who meet the standards I mentioned and are available (i.e. no Kelly McCrimmon) AND have experience are Don Maloney, Kevin Lowe, and Craig MacTavish.

I don’t necessarily agree with ALL of your points, but “Dreary” cracks me the f*** up. I’m not a big sarcastic nickname guy, but that one is A++++ work. Hahahahahaha.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Chytil had his next big concussion, and Miller is worth substantially more in a trade today than we paid for him 2 months ago.

But the clock is ticking. Unless we have reason to think that he will age super well, he has 2-3 more seasons max at the top of his game.

Said it a million times at this point, but Drury has SO much work to do to make this a good team the next 2-3 seasons, and going in with Soucy-Fox, Miller-Borgen, Vaak-Schneider is the number one major issue. You need K'Andre to find his game again AND get another bona fide top 4 to even make this a league average blue line.

Soucy Fox is actually performing well. Unlike Lindgren, Soucy isn't dragging Fox down.
Small sample size sure, but they're performing like a true top pair.

xgf of 65% in 135 minutes.

 

[Mike in Houston]

I've never had a bad word to say about the guy before this season, and I've been defending him most of this season, under the impression he was hurt. I still think his back is f***ed, but if that was the case he had NO business playing in the 4 Nations. That was an extremely selfish move & showed really bad optics. Since then he's shown spurts of trying harder & skating faster in spurts, which is maddening & makes one question the validity of his injury claims.

Besides his back, I'm not sure what's up with the guy, but it's clearly affecting him personally & it's seeped into his attitude & effort on the ice. It's one thing to call him you're favorite player & that's totally your prerogative, but when it affects your ability to see things or post objectively, you should expect to get called out for it & the pushback you're encountering.

I've said on numerous occasions that he has had a poor season. And that he's probably not going to be here next year.

What I've pushed back on is what I think is speculation of many on this board for the reasons why, when there has never been a track record of any of the things he's being accused of.

If all those things come out to be true, I'll gladly say I was wrong.