Speculation: Roster Building Thread : Part XV (Light em up!)

[TGWL]

Rangers have given the organization some hope. Zibanejad isn't being traded right now and if they can find a partner, the trade most likely won't be during this season

 

[bernmeister]

team had one of its best games last night but we still need to go younger if we are to sustain progress going forward

Zib was more animated on offense, mixed bag on defense w isolated good positioning at times but continuing not to body check well
-- still no effen excuse for him checking out when he effen felt like it
deal this prima donna now for spare parts and partial structural cap recovery

 

[haohmaru]

team had one of its best games last night but we still need to go younger if we are to sustain progress going forward

Zib was more animated on offense, mixed bag on defense w isolated good positioning at times but continuing not to body check well
-- still no effen excuse for him checking out when he effen felt like it
deal this prima donna now for spare parts and partial structural cap recovery

You have absolutely no idea what was going on with him "checking out". Perhaps a mental health issue? IDK. This team needs him to be the player that he's been in 2025

That guy is 11th in Rangers team history in scoring for a team that's been around a hundred years.

Does that guy deserve a little consideration for whatever was going on the last 20 games? Probably.

Does he need to be better (like lately)? Absolutely.

As far as "dealing him" - that's really up to him. 100%.

 

[Kocur Dill]

Panarin is the only player that's been right for this team all year. He's not broken down, playing bad, old or any of that. Removing him from the team is like tossing in the towel, and if we thought trading a couple guys who had lost their game was hard on the rest of the team imagine trading Panarin. I don't think there's a plan to tear this to the studs, imo there's a plan to rid themselves of the dead weight on the team and build it back to a contender on the fly kinda like Washington did. Imo we'll make playoffs, and by next season we'll have a different look without Lindgren, Zibanejad and possibly Kreider and Chytil.

I do see that path too.

My take I made a few pages back would be keep Panarin, but, if a foundational prospect was on the table? You gotta pull the trigger on that. Power, MacTavish, Lundell, Byfield, etc...

Those players arent appropriate comp next TDL or even the summer, but this TDL, with 1.5y left and 2 playoff runs? If a team is playoffs or just outside, that level of player might shake loose, and Zibanajad was probably the last time we pulled that off, McDonagh before that.

 

[leetch99]

Second half...27-8 - 6....is it enough ? When do they start spending the cap savings on rentals ? Geesh....Drury has a lot to do . Our D is better....I don't think Kreider coming back will hurt us or the trading of Smith . Trading Lindgren who probably is loved by his buds is also risky . Moving him down to a 6-7 guy likely the best move . Replacing Chytil with a playoff safety net is a big concern . Maybe Frederich could work there ? Anyways....lots of moving likely will be going on in roster composition . Does Othmann come up and hold a spot ?

 

[Fitzy]

Second half...27-8 - 6....is it enough ? When do they start spending the cap savings on rentals ? Geesh....Drury has a lot to do . Our D is better....I don't think Kreider coming back will hurt us or the trading of Smith . Trading Lindberg who probably is loved by his buds is also risky . Moving him down to a 6-7 guy likely the best move . Replacing Chytil with a playoff safety net is a big concern . Maybe Frederich could work there ? Anyways....lots of moving likely will be going on in roster composition . Does Othmann come up and hold a spot ?

A couple of things need to happen to make this a serious hockey team, even if their malaise and quiet-quit is over.

1) A top 4 defenseman to pair with Fox.

2) Someone with offense who can fill in at 3C when Chytil is out and push down Berard to the 4th line.

Ideally Lindgren and Vaak should be healthy scratches, but realistically only one of them will be. Lindgren and Schneider pair terribly but as a third pairing could work. We need a Fox partner badly.

That pushes everyone into a much better spot. When healthy you've got...

Panarin-Tro-Laf
Cuylle-Zib-Smith
Kreider-Chytil-RW/C acquisition
Vesey/Edstrom-Carrick-Berard
Vesey.//Edstrom


D trade-Fox
Miller-Borgen
Lindgren-Schneider
Vaak

Ryan O'Reilly out of Nashville. Alec Martinez out of chicago. ROR would be expensive. Martinez still plays 19 a game at 37.

 

[TGWL]

Second half...27-8 - 6....is it enough ? When do they start spending the cap savings on rentals ? Geesh....Drury has a lot to do . Our D is better....I don't think Kreider coming back will hurt us or the trading of Smith . Trading Lindberg who probably is loved by his buds is also risky . Moving him down to a 6-7 guy likely the best move . Replacing Chytil with a playoff safety net is a big concern . Maybe Frederich could work there ? Anyways....lots of moving likely will be going on in roster composition . Does Othmann come up and hold a spot ?

Oscar Lindberg?

 

[bernmeister]

You have absolutely no idea what was going on with him "checking out". Perhaps a mental health issue? IDK. This team needs him to be the player that he's been in 2025

That guy is 11th in Rangers team history in scoring for a team that's been around a hundred years.

Does that guy deserve a little consideration for whatever was going on the last 20 games? Probably.

Does he need to be better (like lately)? Absolutely.

As far as "dealing him" - that's really up to him. 100%.

I don't need to know the details of what "checking out" here entails -- in order to be fair to him I only need to know if it is brief/temporary or ongoing.
HE has an OBLIGATION to give 111% at all times, like every other player.
We get that any player may take an isolated game, maybe 2, off.
But anything more than that, and I want them checking out for professional help to minimize the disruption, assuming it is legit to begin with.

What he has done for weeks on end is INEXCUSABLE. And unlike Kreider who still potted some while having back issues = legit on/off reason to be on/off, Zib has no justified basis for going AWOL

Team comes first
WE have the RIGHT to see if we have a taker who wishes to gamble on him going forward
and
yeah, I see the NMC
doesn't give him license to do what he did with impunity putting himself ahead of team/fans
we HAVE THE RIGHT to bench him indefinitely if his play is subpar
which it currently remains defensivey

 

[leetch99]

Oscar Lindberg?

It's Sunday AM and I could not sleep after that win....LOL...We could throw Oscar in I guess !

 

[McRanger92]

A couple of things need to happen to make this a serious hockey team, even if their malaise and quiet-quit is over.

1) A top 4 defenseman to pair with Fox.

2) Someone with offense who can fill in at 3C when Chytil is out and push down Berard to the 4th line.

Ideally Lindgren and Vaak should be healthy scratches, but realistically only one of them will be. Lindgren and Schneider pair terribly but as a third pairing could work. We need a Fox partner badly.

That pushes everyone into a much better spot. When healthy you've got...

Panarin-Tro-Laf
Cuylle-Zib-Smith
Kreider-Chytil-RW/C acquisition
Vesey/Edstrom-Carrick-Berard
Vesey.//Edstrom


D trade-Fox
Miller-Borgen
Lindgren-Schneider
Vaak

Ryan O'Reilly out of Nashville. Alec Martinez out of chicago. ROR would be expensive. Martinez still plays 19 a game at 37.

That's interesting to me as a guy who believes in experience. What's the cost on either guy? Imagine Martinez in a Rangers jersey?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

These wins should be very alarming. This will just make Drury think this team can actually do something so instead of doing what needs to be done (Trading away the core) he will instead trade away picks/prospects at the deadline for garbage.

Team can't score 5v5 and is only winning a few games thanks for goaltending. Nothing has changed.

 

[duhmetreE]

A couple of things need to happen to make this a serious hockey team, even if their malaise and quiet-quit is over.

1) A top 4 defenseman to pair with Fox.

2) Someone with offense who can fill in at 3C when Chytil is out and push down Berard to the 4th line.

Ideally Lindgren and Vaak should be healthy scratches, but realistically only one of them will be. Lindgren and Schneider pair terribly but as a third pairing could work. We need a Fox partner badly.

That pushes everyone into a much better spot. When healthy you've got...

Panarin-Tro-Laf
Cuylle-Zib-Smith
Kreider-Chytil-RW/C acquisition
Vesey/Edstrom-Carrick-Berard
Vesey.//Edstrom


D trade-Fox
Miller-Borgen
Lindgren-Schneider
Vaak

Ryan O'Reilly out of Nashville. Alec Martinez out of chicago. ROR would be expensive. Martinez still plays 19 a game at 37.

For another TDL, Gourde would be a great option.

For LHD, it’s the tricky part. We all know Lindgren needs to be upgraded. I just don’t see Drury doing it unfortunately. Maybe it’s time to move Kreider? I see him coming back and getting stapled back to Zibs and it becoming more of the same.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

It's Sunday AM and I could not sleep after that win....LOL...We could throw Oscar in I guess !

Rude to be honest

 

[noncents]

yeah i could see a 1st for gourde and othmann for a big depth D.

if y'all think we aren't running Lindgren-Fox til the season ends, you're not paying attention. He will continue to be a Ranger and he will continue to be deployed with Fox

 

[Shesterkybomb]

These wins should be very alarming. This will just make Drury think this team can actually do something so instead of doing what needs to be done (Trading away the core) he will instead trade away picks/prospects at the deadline for garbage.

Team can't score 5v5 and is only winning a few games thanks for goaltending. Nothing has changed.

I don't think they were ever fully tearing it down, and i don't think a Zibanejad deal will happen in season because he has a nmc and imo will want to finish the season and if indeed he does move it will be in the summer. I think the plan was to take the "dead weight" off this core and add to laf, Miller, Schneider, Trochek, Shesterkin, Panarin, Fox, Cuylle, Berard, Othmann, Emery, Perrault etc. My belief is that getting the d fixed up, they seem to be on their way with that, then finding a center or two and filling in with young players is the play. If you move Kreider, Lindgren, Zibanejad,Smith, Vesey and get a lhd and a center then you can fill in with Othmann, Groulx, Berard etc.

 

[Fitzy]

yeah i could see a 1st for gourde and othmann for a big depth D.

if y'all think we aren't running Lindgren-Fox til the season ends, you're not paying attention. He will continue to be a Ranger and he will continue to be deployed with Fox

If we view this as inevitable, then the other avenue is to get a defenseman for the left good enough to give us balance even if they don't play with Fox. Someone good enough that you have them, or Fox, on the ice for 48/60 minutes of the game.

Josi would never be dealt, but that kind of marquee defensive piece.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I’m comparing them in the sense that 5-7 years of development was spent on them, they were mismanaged, play the same position, and were sold for below their value, and will likely get more chances and excel elsewhere. We’ve already seen it with PB

Kakko hasn't shown a damn thing that makes him more than a good third liner. The reaction to the trade is so inconsistent with who we actually traded.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I do see that path too.

My take I made a few pages back would be keep Panarin, but, if a foundational prospect was on the table? You gotta pull the trigger on that. Power, MacTavish, Lundell, Byfield, etc...

Those players arent appropriate comp next TDL or even the summer, but this TDL, with 1.5y left and 2 playoff runs? If a team is playoffs or just outside, that level of player might shake loose, and Zibanajad was probably the last time we pulled that off, McDonagh before that.

Brassard and Gomez were nowhere near the player that Panarin is.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

I don't think they were ever fully tearing it down, and i don't think a Zibanejad deal will happen in season because he has a nmc and imo will want to finish the season and if indeed he does move it will be in the summer. I think the plan was to take the "dead weight" off this core and add to laf, Miller, Schneider, Trochek, Shesterkin, Panarin, Fox, Cuylle, Berard, Othmann, Emery, Perrault etc. My belief is that getting the d fixed up, they seem to be on their way with that, then finding a center or two and filling in with young players is the play. If you move Kreider, Lindgren, Zibanejad,Smith, Vesey and get a lhd and a center then you can fill in with Othmann, Groulx, Berard etc.

I wouldn't expect a full tear down at the deadline, but to get the wheels moving in that direction? Absolutely. (Lindgren? Kreider? Smith?). Instead we will sacrifice the future on a goal that we know it close to impossible from achieving this season.

As it is we traded Kakko and soon Jones. Young players with potential. The writing is on the wall what Drury is doing, esp if we string a few wins together.

Insane you have posters here even saying we should trade our 1st and Othmann for a few more band-aids.

 

[B17 Apricots]

This board is always so reactionary. We just won 4 games in the last 6. That's also 4 wins in the last 10 games, that doesn't sound as nice. Thats after being the worst team in the league for how long of a stretch was it? We're not just going to forget about that because we won a few games, right? We may not have hit the last spot, but for however long that stretch was we had the worst record. I'm going to have to see a lot more than a few games before I start making any sort of declarations about the team or individual players.

Lucky for us, or unlucky depending on your outlook, is that the East kinda blows right now so it's wide open. The 2nd to worst team in the Conference could technically win 3 games and be in a playoff spot. That's how close it is. We're 4 points out, 4th to last in the conference. But the question coming into the season was is this core group good enough to beat the top dogs. Do people actually feel confident about that now? 4 wins after a disastrous showing for months on end suddenly changes that opinion? Now we're talking about keeping guys and trading chips away for deadline acquisitions... for this group... really? This group that threw the towel in, had their little meltdown and now half way through the season they decide to show up... nah, I'm not adding at the deadline for these guys.

 

[noncents]

Kakko hasn't shown a damn thing that makes him more than a good third liner. The reaction to the trade is so inconsistent with who we actually traded.

keep repeating it, i think you almost believe it!

I wouldn't expect a full tear down at the deadline, but to get the wheels moving in that direction? Absolutely. (Lindgren? Kreider? Smith?). Instead we will sacrifice the future on a goal that we know it close to impossible from achieving this season.

As it is we traded Kakko and soon Jones. Young players with potential. The writing is on the wall what Drury is doing, esp if we string a few wins together.

Insane you have posters here even saying we should trade our 1st and Othmann for a few more band-aids.

i have never once suggested that we *should* trade our 1st and othmann for rental band-aids. i think it's an awful idea.

I'm just 100% sure that we *will* do it.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

keep repeating it, i think you almost believe it!


i have never once suggested that we *should* trade our 1st and othmann for rental band-aids. i think it's an awful idea.

I'm just 100% sure that we *will* do it.

Dude he has 7 points in 10 games, and people are acting like he is at a 2 PPG. f*** off with your condescention.

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

I don't need to know the details of what "checking out" here entails -- in order to be fair to him I only need to know if it is brief/temporary or ongoing.
HE has an OBLIGATION to give 111% at all times, like every other player.
We get that any player may take an isolated game, maybe 2, off.
But anything more than that, and I want them checking out for professional help to minimize the disruption, assuming it is legit to begin with.

What he has done for weeks on end is INEXCUSABLE. And unlike Kreider who still potted some while having back issues = legit on/off reason to be on/off, Zib has no justified basis for going AWOL

Team comes first
WE have the RIGHT to see if we have a taker who wishes to gamble on him going forward
and
yeah, I see the NMC
doesn't give him license to do what he did with impunity putting himself ahead of team/fans
we HAVE THE RIGHT to bench him indefinitely if his play is subpar
which it currently remains defensivey

Its so funny that you hold Zib's feet to the fire for not giving 100% but your boy Kreider is a ghost out there at even strength 9 of every 10 games.

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

Not trading Bread because I like it when my team scores goals. Plus he's got more in the tank then the average player because he played in a less physical league until he was 26.

 

[noncents]

This board is always so reactionary. We just won 4 games in the last 6. That's also 4 wins in the last 10 games, that doesn't sound as nice. Thats after being the worst team in the league for how long of a stretch was it? We're not just going to forget about that because we won a few games, right? We may not have hit the last spot, but for however long that stretch was we had the worst record. I'm going to have to see a lot more than a few games before I start making any sort of declarations about the team or individual players.

Lucky for us, or unlucky depending on your outlook, is that the East kinda blows right now so it's wide open. The 2nd to worst team in the Conference could technically win 3 games and be in a playoff spot. That's how close it is. We're 4 points out, 4th to last in the conference. But the question coming into the season was is this core group good enough to beat the top dogs. Do people actually feel confident about that now? 4 wins after a disastrous showing for months on end suddenly changes that opinion? Now we're talking about keeping guys and trading chips away for deadline acquisitions... for this group... really? This group that threw the towel in, had their little meltdown and now half way through the season they decide to show up... nah, I'm not adding at the deadline for these guys.

i'm not sure there are more than 1 or 2 posters on this board who are actually advocating for being sellers at the deadline. Most of us acknowledge this teams core is not capable of winning a Cup, so the right move is to, at the very least, trade some core pieces and retool. which pieces should stay, which should move, and who the targets should be to fill those holes, remains the bulk of the discussion.


But i have been extremely, brutally outspoken the week, since the caps game, that I thought this teams management was going to make the decision to maintain a Win Now Approach.

I saw a change in this teams intensity and mentality, a shift away from the Brokenness we've become accustomed to seeing from them, and with intuition and logic I interpreted the portents. I've written it out like 10 times.

Dolan calls the shots.
Dolan thinks this team is actually good because of their results the past 3 years.
Dolan tells Drury do what you have to do to fix it.
Drury trades Trouba and Kakko.
Drury signs Igor long term.
Kreider finally goes on IR.
Igor gets healthy.
Team starts playing well and winning games. (YOU ARE HERE)

If you assume the Win Now mandate from Dolan is correct, the logical progression here is using our cap space and young assets to replace Chytil/Kreider with proven veterans up front and depth/size on D.