Speculation: Roster Building Thread : Part XVI (Playoffs or Retool?)

[Shesterkybomb]

I do not follow our AHL team much but just looking at stats I was not blown away. Are there any players there you view as impressive? Seems like our best hopes may be the guys we have in college. Garand does seem to be having a good year though.

The problem is that nobody is developing the way they should, and imo Hartford is where players go to stay the same or regress. The fact this franchise ranks top two every year in value yet can't hire the very best in development staff is truly remarkable in a bad way. I look at guys like Robertson, who had every attribute you'd want in a dman when he came to Hartford, he's gotten worse, Othmann who should be trending in the direction of a top 6 winger but has just kind of existed there. There's an issue there since a long time, Schneider didn't look good there at all and he might still be there if we didn't have injuries that brought him to the nhl where he looked entirely like a different player. You mentioned the college guys, the only reason they look like better prospects is because they haven't hit the wall that is the Rangers Development. Lafreniere was a bonifide star, Kakko should have been a can't miss player for us, neither one has become anything close to what they should be with us, and in any other franchise they'd be top players in the league imo, Lafreniere for sure, but Kakko should have been a top 6 winger for us. The whole process is rotten to the core.

Penguins claim Kolyachonok; Kings’ Englund, Kraken’s Stephens on waivers

Vladislav Kolyachonok recorded five points in 23 games with the Utah Hockey Club this season.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

Andreas Englund News: Lands on waivers | RotoWire

Englund was put on waivers Sunday, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

www.rotowire.com

Please claim Englund, to replace Lindgren

We need someone else to complain about?

 

[jerseyjinx94]

The Rangers need to buy and sell. Drury should be looking for a Granlund/Ceci return with Smith/Lindgren. I know everyone thinks Lindgren sucks but he’s the kind of defenseman teams love to acquire right before a playoff run. Chiarot. The list goes on. At 50% retention on both to a contender. Trade Vesey for a 2026 or 2027 mid round pick (4th or so).

Replace Smith internally. Plenty of options. Berard, Othmann, Sykora.

Look to use some prospect depth on the wing and mid round picks to acquire a D who’s signed beyond this season. If not give Brannstrom or Jones some run. Jones, a guy like Chlemar, a 3rd/2nd from Lindgren smith deal, something like that, for a guy to fill Lindgren’s spot with a decent cap number for next season. Let the chips fall where they may.

Deal with Panarin, Zibanejad, Kreider in offseason. One will probably have to go

 

[Machinehead]

uh Marner, Rantanen, Ehlers, Marchand and Chychrun is “dogshit”?? Do you remember years like 2016 or?

Yes. That class sucks.

Rantanen is going to get $14m to lead a team which he's never done. Has Panarin written all over it. Marner is a documented failure in the playoffs with plenty of evidence. Marchand is 92 years old. Ehlers and Chychrun are guys. None of them play center. I've combed over 2025 free agency as I do every year and I can't find a single piece I'm excited about.

 

[Machinehead]

So who should the Rangers acquire to play with Fox?

Lists of NHL players - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Anybody on these lists who isn't Ryan Lindgren.

 

[HonestGabe]

Yes. That class sucks.

Rantanen is going to get $14m to lead a team which he's never done. Has Panarin written all over it. Marner is a documented failure in the playoffs with plenty of evidence. Marchand is 92 years old. Ehlers and Chychrun are guys. None of them play center. I've combed over 2025 free agency as I do every year and I can't find a single piece I'm excited about.

I like Gavrikov or Chychrun or Provorov to fill a top 4 LHD vacancy if the price is right but that's about it. Maybe there will be some buyout candidates to buy low on this summer but other than that, this UFA class will not solve all of our problems.

Now the 2026 UFA class on the other hand.... let's just say we should keep some cap space open for next summer.

 

[SA16]

I like Gavrikov or Chychrun or Provorov to fill a top 4 LHD vacancy if the price is right but that's about it. Maybe there will be some buyout candidates to buy low on this summer but other than that, this UFA class will not solve all of our problems.

Now the 2026 UFA class on the other hand.... let's just say we should keep some cap space open for next summer.

The price is not going to be right. You're probably talking 7M+ for Gavrikov/Chychrun. Provorov isn't good so whatever he is will be too much.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Yes. That class sucks.

Rantanen is going to get $14m to lead a team which he's never done. Has Panarin written all over it. Marner is a documented failure in the playoffs with plenty of evidence. Marchand is 92 years old. Ehlers and Chychrun are guys. None of them play center. I've combed over 2025 free agency as I do every year and I can't find a single piece I'm excited about.

Should have happened a few years ago but we should be focused on developing the players we have instead of going out looking for older versions of them. The rebuild really didn't take at all really, we're still relying on players from other teams instead of making cheap stars ourselves. Said it when it happened that the rebuild was a waste the day Gorton got canned. Laf, Kakko, Schneider, Robertson, Chytil, should be the basis for a good team, they totally dropped that idea as soon as Drury was hired.

 

[NYR Viper]

The price is not going to be right. You're probably talking 7M+ for Gavrikov/Chychrun. Provorov isn't good so whatever he is will be too much.

I'd sign Gavrikov for a number close to $7m. Maybe not $7m, but $6.5m? $6.75m? Yeah I'm in for that.

 

[Machinehead]

Should have happened a few years ago but we should be focused on developing the players we have instead of going out looking for older versions of them. The rebuild really didn't take at all really, we're still relying on players from other teams instead of making cheap stars ourselves. Said it when it happened that the rebuild was a waste the day Gorton got canned. Laf, Kakko, Schneider, Robertson, Chytil, should be the basis for a good team, they totally dropped that idea as soon as Drury was hired.

They dropped it before that. It wasn't Drury who started buying less than two years after the letter.

 

[surlysailor]

Yes. That class sucks.

Rantanen is going to get $14m to lead a team which he's never done. Has Panarin written all over it. Marner is a documented failure in the playoffs with plenty of evidence. Marchand is 92 years old. Ehlers and Chychrun are guys. None of them play center. I've combed over 2025 free agency as I do every year and I can't find a single piece I'm excited about.

100% agreed, some good players but def not people to pay ufa prices for. This is also why Drury should still sell because too many teams are still in the hunt, a lot of the ufa trade targets have been moved so some team might get desperate to add what Drury should have available.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Yes. That class sucks.

Rantanen is going to get $14m to lead a team which he's never done. Has Panarin written all over it. Marner is a documented failure in the playoffs with plenty of evidence. Marchand is 92 years old. Ehlers and Chychrun are guys. None of them play center. I've combed over 2025 free agency as I do every year and I can't find a single piece I'm excited about.

it’s better than any class in years by far. find me any in the last 10 years that had more quality players available. Marner is gonna hit 100 points again, who’s the last player who hit 100 points to even make it to free agency?

i don’t think we should sign these guys (outside of Chychrun) but it’s still the best class in a long time

if we’re going with “they’re UFAs so they’re gonna get overpaid no matter what” then you might as well just say that every single UFA class sucks

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Please work on something during the break

 

[bernmeister]

I'd sign Gavrikov for a number close to $7m. Maybe not $7m, but $6.5m? $6.75m? Yeah I'm in for that.

agree gav is worth considering
whether or not we go a tad over is not as critical as term and, most importantly, per bern NO MORE FUGGIN NMCs GOING FORWARD [extensive ntcs where applicable are sufficient]

No on Chych or Prov

 

[Machinehead]

it’s better than any class in years by far. find me any in the last 10 years that had more quality players available. Marner is gonna hit 100 points again, who’s the last player who hit 100 points to even make it to free agency?

i don’t think we should sign these guys (outside of Chychrun) but it’s still the best class in a long time

if we’re going with “they’re UFAs so they’re gonna get overpaid no matter what” then you might as well just say that every single UFA class sucks

Yeah, UFA is always a risk to an extent, but you can't say that the level of impending buyer's remorse that's about to happen this summer happens in every single UFA class.

It's the "not a real star but I'm going to be paid like one" class.

2026 has some legit players in it. It's deeper, has more talent, and will have a bigger salary cap.

 

[NYR Viper]

You could convince me that a signing of a couple of mid-tier LD's would actually be the more prudent approach to the off-season over signing Gavrikov. Orlov. Dumoulin. Grzelcyk (I'm never spelling that name correctly). Maata. Kovacevic.

Maata-Fox
Miller-Borgen
Orlov-Schneider
Vaak

Or

Schneider-Fox
Miller-Borgen
Orlov-Kovacevic
Vaak

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Yeah, UFA is always a risk to an extent, but you can't say that the level of impending buyer's remorse that's about to happen this summer happens in every single UFA class.

It's the "not a real star but I'm going to be paid like one" class.

2026 has some legit players in it. It's deeper, has more talent, and will have a bigger salary cap.

2026, as it stands currently, is probably the best UFA class in the NHL since the salary cap was implemented. Is this why people keep acting like 2025 is bad?

If Kaprizov and McDavid re-sign it becomes mediocre in a flash

 

[Machinehead]

2026, as it stands currently, is probably the best UFA class in the NHL since the salary cap was implemented. Is this why people keep acting like 2025 is bad?

People keep acting like 2025 is bad because it's bad. It has a lot of flash and very little substance.

Absolutely not one living person is excited to give Mitch Marner $94.5m over seven years.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

They dropped it before that. It wasn't Drury who started buying less than two years after the letter.

Buying was fine, giving up draft picks for runs at cups we had no business trying to compete for is an issue. Drury and Dolan never had to stomach to wait for players to develop, Drurys idea of development was "here's the nhl, now go be good" and if you weren't they'd just go get another player to fill your spot. I knew we were in trouble when Gallant said something to the effect that it wasn't his job to develop players. That's a massive red flag, if you have young players on your roster it's absolutely the teams job to develop them. You'd have to agree that at this point in his career it's ridiculous that especially given the season Lafreniere had 5 on 5 last year that he's still not a staple on the pp this many years in. It's like shooting yourself in the foot. The excuse that there's better players on it doesn't fly, Zibanejad has been a disaster on the pp, Kreider and Trochek not much better. Sure they give Laf the odd game here and there on pp1, but he's never given enough time to form any chemistry with them.

 

[Machinehead]

Buying was fine, giving up draft picks for runs at cups we had no business trying to compete for is an issue. Drury and Dolan never had to stomach to wait for players to develop, Drurys idea of development was "here's the nhl, now go be good" and if you weren't they'd just go get another player to fill your spot. I knew we were in trouble when Gallant said something to the effect that it wasn't his job to develop players. That's a massive red flag, if you have young players on your roster it's absolutely the teams job to develop them. You'd have to agree that at this point in his career it's ridiculous that especially given the season Lafreniere had 5 on 5 last year that he's still not a staple on the pp this many years in. It's like shooting yourself in the foot. The excuse that there's better players on it doesn't fly, Zibanejad has been a disaster on the pp, Kreider and Trochek not much better.

All of this started under Gorton. He didn't have a plan to develop a young core. His plan was sign Panarin and keep Panarin happy by giving him his own personal line. Drury was still in Hartford when we started benching Kakko because Panarin wanted to play with Colin Blackwell.

Gorton didn't get fired because Dolan wanted to abort his rebuild. Gorton got fired because he aborted his own rebuild. He spent more money on UFA's than anybody that summer and the team missed the playoffs. He lit the owner's money on fire, what did you think was gonna happen to him?

 

[HonestGabe]

All of this started under Gorton. He didn't have a plan to develop a young core. His plan was sign Panarin and keep Panarin happy by giving him his own personal line. Drury was still in Hartford when we started benching Kakko because Panarin wanted to play with Colin Blackwell.

Gorton didn't get fired because Dolan wanted to abort his rebuild. Gorton got fired because he aborted his own rebuild. He spent more money on UFA's than anybody that summer and the team missed the playoffs. He lit the owner's money on fire, what did you think was gonna happen to him?

People also forget about some very public dysfunction on that team, with Tony D, Georgiev etc. He signed Tony to a ~$10m contract that he played like 6 games of and then a very public leak that we were down the road on a deal for Sam Bennett for Tony that we didn't make happen. Then Dolan has to watch Bennett go to Florida and break out as a 2C down the stretch. Couple that with missing on multiple top 10 picks, Kakko and Laf coming in and not producing right away and it becomes super obvious that his firing wasn't about trying to win now, it was that the rebuild was actively failing on display for all to see. The GM wasn't inspiring confidence that anything would change anytime soon.

 

[TGWL]

Please work on something during the break

I would bank that they're not allowed to have a formal practice with the coaching staff. (Unless you meant behind the scenes, like trades and roster management)

 

[mas0764]

All of this started under Gorton. He didn't have a plan to develop a young core. His plan was sign Panarin and keep Panarin happy by giving him his own personal line. Drury was still in Hartford when we started benching Kakko because Panarin wanted to play with Colin Blackwell.

Gorton didn't get fired because Dolan wanted to abort his rebuild. Gorton got fired because he aborted his own rebuild. He spent more money on UFA's than anybody that summer and the team missed the playoffs. He lit the owner's money on fire, what did you think was gonna happen to him?

Gotta start over at this point.

I would hate to trade Fox but who else would be untouchable?

And definitely anyone over 30 should be gone. Mika, Kreider, Panarin, Smith. Lindgren too.

 

[Machinehead]

Gotta start over at this point.

I would hate to trade Fox but who else would be untouchable?

And definitely anyone over 30 should be gone. Mika, Kreider, Panarin, Smith. Lindgren too.

Lafreniere before he loses all his value like Kakko did?

 

[Boris Zubov]

Lafreniere before he loses all his value like Kakko did?

He should definitely be in play if the right trade materializes. I'm not sure what that deal looks like, but we'd be crazy not to listen to offers.

 

[SA16]

I'd sign Gavrikov for a number close to $7m. Maybe not $7m, but $6.5m? $6.75m? Yeah I'm in for that.

I'm not. He's a good player but not someone I want to spend that much money on and lock up that much cap space long term. I don't think you're getting him for 6.5M. He's making 5.9M now and the cap is expected to go way up and he's coming off two very strong years. Orlov signed 2-15.5 two years ago at just 1.5 years older with a lower cap. They're similar players.