Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part XXI (Will these playoffs ever F'ing end?)

[Machinehead]

I think we were talking about Matthew Tkachuk and somehow he became Brady (poor guy, lost a lot of his talent there). Matthew Tkachuk is slower than continental drift.

And yeah, while Matthew is one of the elite players in the league, I don't think he's helping that much either. Pasting a violently slow player over this Rangers team without overhauling how they play in general isn't going to help. Same goes for Brady.

The player needs to have transformative speed in and of themselves (not even McDavid or a common response like that, even like a Hintz or a Necas) or we would need to change the whole team to accommodate them (which I also wouldn't be against).

 

[Alluckks]

Here is a better question, for those that don't want Robertson (valid reasons)

Is there a price in which you would take him?

If the Stars lost their mind and they just wanted Schneider + Berard, how about then

 

[Fitzy]

Here is a better question, for those that don't want Robertson (valid reasons)

Is there a price in which you would take him?

If the Stars lost their mind and they just wanted Schneider + Berard, how about then

I want this team to spend less money on skill wingers. So the issue isn't as much cost of acquisition as it is the percent of the cap hit we'd be spending on the position.

My hope is that within 12 months, Kreider and Panarin are gone. Ideally both by trade to maximize the return, though trading Panarin may prove impossible until it's just his early UFA negotiating rights.

Mika also has a NMC and will be nearly impossible to trade, but if he ever agreed to waive, I'd do the same for him. I can justify his continued time here because he can fill in at C for injury so he serves a dual purpose, but the fact that he absolutely has to be on the top PP to be useful sucks.

My preference would be to add a star LD and star center. Star C- Miller-Trocheck becomes a top 3 center trio in the league, whereas right now we are middle of the pack. Adding a top level 1LD allows us to have two solid pairings. Duhmetre suggested something like McDonagh-Fox, Gavrikov-Borgen, Miller-Schneider which would be a top tier D unit. No way we play Miller on the third pairing, but that gives a good perspective on how much better the roster looks when we add two honest to goodness top 4 D to the mix. Tampa Bay's ability to have Hedman or prime McDonagh out there for 48 minutes a game was a big reason for their dynasty.

NYR's young organizational strength is wingers (Perreault, Othmann, Berard, Cuylle, etc) so those guys can grow into their roles on the wing to complement the good centers.

So for Robertson, I'd only really be interested if it meant we had not only committed to moving Kreider, but also had a deal lined up for Panarin or Zib somehow. And given the asset cost, I'd much rather we go all in on a defenseman or pivot.

The dream imaginary NYR lineup is

Lafreniere-Star Center-Perreault
Cuylle-Miller-Zibanejad
Othmann-Trocheck-Berard
Edstrom-Carrick-Rempe
Pars/Brod

Miller/Trade top LD-Fox
Top LD -Borgen
Vaak-Schneider

With Soucy, Panarin, Kreider out and a top center and top LD in. More realistically, since moving Panarin is likely impossible, replace Perreault with Panarin (Flip sides with Laf) and use the unlimited power of your imagination to figure out how we fit a top center and top LD with that cap space and the assets we have. (Which we can't, which is why I'm warming to asking Bread to waive, esp given his shitty conduct and playoff performances)

 

[RangerBoy]

EF said teams are concerned about Kreider's injuries. Up until last season, Kreider hadn't missed many games in the previous 6 seasons. He had the blood clot situation in 2017-18. I remember he suffered a broken foot blocking a shot right before Covid ended the 2019-20 season.

EF said there are not many untouchable players in the NHL.

Kyper thinks Hague could have the same impact as Ekholm in Edmonton.

Kyper thinks the Dallas Stars could be a possibility for Mitch Marner. The same $12M Rantanen got. Dallas would need to move Robertson and Marchment who have a combined salary cap hit of $12.25M. Dallas would also need to get creative filling out their roster. It's very doable. It will be tight next season. However, the cap goes from $95.5M to $104M to $113.5M in the following seasons. Texas has no income taxes and the $12M in Dallas is like $15M everywhere else.

Robertson didn't do much for Dallas until the Edmonton series. He got injured in the last game of the Stars regular season. He missed the entire Colorado series. Robertson came back for the Winnipeg series. He was a ghost until the Oilers series but Dallas was so overmatched against Edmonton. Marchment was terrible for the Stars. He took a dumb penalty in almost every game.

Marner to Dallas would be beneficial to the Rangers. Apparently. LA and maybe Anaheim are interested in Marner. The Stars signing Marner would open the door to Panarin going one of the southern California teams.

Kyper has a trade board. He mentioned Marty Necas might not be happy in Colorado.

The key piece in the first Mikko Rantanen trade this season, Martin Necas largely delivered on what was promised — he was just shy of being a point-per-game player in the regular season and found a home on Colorado’s top line. But before that trade, Necas only signed a short-term deal with Carolina when the two sides couldn’t agree on his long-term value, meaning he has one season left making $6.5 million against the cap, after which he could test the waters as a UFA.

After the Avalanche moved Rantanen because of how difficult they perceived contract extension talks to be going, how much patience will they have with Necas — not a homegrown player or superstar talent — if negotiations on an extension start slowly this July? There was a sense Necas wasn’t overly thrilled with his experience in Colorado and that he wants to explore other options.

Real Kyper's Off-Season Trade Board 1.0: Players to watch this summer

While the Stanley Cup Final begins this week, the off-season has begun for 30 teams across the NHL. With the draft combine going on in Buffalo this week and the draft to follow later in the month, Nick Kypreos introduces his first trade board of the off-season.

www.sportsnet.ca

If Necas doesn't make to re-sign in Colorado, Necas would make sense for the Rangers. Trocheck and Necas played so many minutes on the same line in Carolina. They had good numbers. Necas is a righty shooting forward. Those players are hard to find. Reunite Trocheck and Necas.

The Avs had interest in Panarin in 2019. Necas had a poor playoff for Colorado as did many of the Avs players. I read the Avs are still trying to sign Brock Nelson.

The Rangers really need to move on from Panarin. Some of these Rangers fans are so deluded. If the Rangers move Panarin, the Rangers Cup window is closed. Reality check. The Rangers window is already closed. Perhaps they were in a coma for the 82 game season when the Rangers missed the playoffs in a very mediocre conference.

 

[egelband]

I think it doesn’t really matter at which position or positions the team has skill players. As long as there’s a critical mass of skill. So at least one playmaker is available for each of the top three lines.

 

[eco's bones]

Necas is another guy who is kind of soft and whose numbers drop in the post season. He's got something like 35 points in 66 playoff games. A lot of people bitch about how Panarin drops off but that's even worse.

I think the Rangers need more top 6 North South drive the net kind of guys. They're hard to find. The difference in Florida between Huberdeau and Tkachuk is pretty f***ing telling. Still committing long term to guys who are only great in the regular season is part of our problem. Yeah we need guys who get us into the playoffs but the playoffs have been another story.

 

[Siddi]

Baseball needs less games. What the actual f***.

 

[GAGLine]

Necas is another guy who is kind of soft and whose numbers drop in the post season. He's got something like 35 points in 66 playoff games. A lot of people bitch about how Panarin drops off but that's even worse.

I think the Rangers need more top 6 North South drive the net kind of guys. They're hard to find. The difference in Florida between Huberdeau and Tkachuk is pretty f***ing telling. Still committing long term to guys who are only great in the regular season is part of our problem. Yeah we need guys who get us into the playoffs but the playoffs have been another story.

To be fair, half of Necas' playoff games came before he broke out. He had 14 points in 33 playoff games between 2019-20 and 2021-22.

He broke out in 2022-23 with 71 points in 82 games, then only had 7 points in 15 playoff games, but in the last 2 years, he has 14 points in 18 playoff games. 12 of those points were at even strength.

Over the last 3 playoffs, Panarin has 33 points in 43 games. Only 17 of those points came at even strength.

When you add in the difference in cap hit between them, Necas is easily the better value. It remains to be seen what he will get on his next contract, though.

I'm not saying we should trade for Necas, necessarily. It would depend on the cost. But I'd take him over Panarin based on age, cost and production.

 

[Miz]

Baseball needs less games. What the actual f***.

Its also hard to have a losing record in the NHL. I think only 9-10 teams have them this year.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

What is Necas projected to make in his next contract? I know he has this season left at $6.5M then is a UFA.

A Necas + something for Panarin could make sense if both teams think they can re-sign the player they are acquiring.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Necas couldn't break a ppg playing with one of the best playoff performers of all time just a month ago (who himself had a very productive series.) I think he's the right kind of player but not the right player as some guys just don't have it. He and Panarin are cut from the same deck.

 

[LokiDog]

Robertson has two point per game+ seasons in his career thus far, he scored 79 points in 74 games in 2021-22 and 109 points in 82 games in 2022-23.

His other 3 seasons are each very close to a point per game, he had back to back 80 points in 82 games in each of 2024-24 and 2024-25. 45 points in 51 games as a rookie in 2020-21. He's over a ppg in his career 394 points in 374 games. His career averages out to 86 points per 82 games.

Yep, Robo can produce, but he never really drives play. He’s got very good hands, finds loose pucks and gets them to the net. The problem is he really need other players to establish possession, and usually get the puck to the net, or at least center of the ice first, and he capitalized on tons of second chance offense, broken plays or off the cycle where others have done much of the work.

He doesn’t create a lot of his own space or offense. If we were a swarming team like Carolina or Florida he would probably fit very well.

I could see Carolina and Dallas actually dancing again here after the Rantanen deal and Dallas even getting Stankoven back. Carolina needs more offense now, while their core is competitive, Dallas needs cap space, especially if they want to make some changes.

The problem with Robertson is he plays more like (a better) prime Jeff Skinner than the guys like Tkachuk that he’s being compared to. Despite good size, he’s a very finesse player and he’s a lot easier to shutdown in playoff type situations when he has less time and space. That 2/5 second difference in pace in the playoffs on every loose puck really neutralizes his style of play as he isn’t quick enough to get separated from pressuring D. I don’t hate Robertson but I watch enough of the Stars to feel comfortable when I predict he would be a disaster here that we would all regret. The fit on this roster is just really poor.

 

[LokiDog]

Here is a better question, for those that don't want Robertson (valid reasons)

Is there a price in which you would take him?

If the Stars lost their mind and they just wanted Schneider + Berard, how about then

I wouldn’t want to pay him 10x8 after trading for him, which is what would happen, since he needs an extension. Read my post just above this one for why. It’s not Robertson being bad, it’s just fit and roster construction.

 

[Machinehead]

I only mentioned Necas as an example of speed. I'm not particularly moved my him.

 

[McRanger92]

Jason Robertson is shiny new toy syndrome personified. More of the same of what we have. A slow, soft, PP dependent winger. Yipee. Dallas is an old team and there are rumors they want to move a young "stud" like him. telling.

I like Hague from Vegas, have for awhile. Would be about cost for me. Not very fast but he has a lot of the other attributes that the Rangers lack on D that seem to play in the postseason. Might be better off keeping Soucy around because I wouldnt really want both on the roster. I wouldve liked to see more of the physical element from Soucy but do think he'll look better under Sullivan's system.

Still would rather have Rossi than Necas, unless Necas is going to play C. Young offensive C is what we need. Necas is faster but Rossi is more willing to play in the dirty areas.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Robertson has two point per game+ seasons in his career thus far, he scored 79 points in 74 games in 2021-22 and 109 points in 82 games in 2022-23.

His other 3 seasons are each very close to a point per game, he had back to back 80 points in 82 games in each of 2024-24 and 2024-25. 45 points in 51 games as a rookie in 2020-21. He's over a ppg in his career 394 points in 374 games. His career averages out to 86 points per 82 games.

My post was meant to be just a bit sarcastic about his playoffs performances because I could already see the narratives forming around Jason Robertson with how this year went for him after missing the 4 Nations cut and dealing with the late-season injury. The bottom line is that he's an elite, goal-scoring winger and has had some of the best on-ice impacts among forwards over the last 4 years. Yes, he's a slow skater, but his pace of play and work rate are always high; coupled with his high-end hockey IQ, it's not surprising why he's always been so successful. Having one of the best shots in the league helps too.

He's only in trade discussions right now because it's a simple numbers game in Dallas. They're completely cap-strapped, he has one year left before getting another huge deal, and they have most of their depth on the wings. DeBoer and Galiardi recently made comments that they were worried that the identity of the Stars was shifting too much away from being a heavy, physical team. If they were to move a piece to help backfill their depth and add more talent to a rapidly depleted pool, Robertson is the easiest piece to move when you already have Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston signed for the next 5+ years at large cap hits.

The only issue for the Rangers is that they also have a bunch of depth on the wings and are stuck in the same exact boat of trying to offload their veteran guys to reshape their roster. While I'm sure there will be some degree of remodeling the roster to fit Sullivan's system, I don't think that would preclude someone like Robertson from not fitting in because of his overall skating speed. Hockey IQ and work rate are also critical for this style to work.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Jason Robertson is shiny new toy syndrome personified. More of the same of what we have. A slow, soft, PP dependent winger. Yipee. Dallas is an old team and there are rumors they want to move a young "stud" like him. telling.

I like Hague from Vegas, have for awhile. Would be about cost for me. Not very fast but he has a lot of the other attributes that the Rangers lack on D that seem to play in the postseason. Might be better off keeping Soucy around because I wouldnt really want both on the roster. I wouldve liked to see more of the physical element from Soucy but do think he'll look better under Sullivan's system.

Still would rather have Rossi than Necas, unless Necas is going to play C. Young offensive C is what we need. Necas is faster but Rossi is more willing to play in the dirty areas.

Rossi over Necas. Necas is overrated in my opinion. Always leaves you wanting more. Rangers need more tenacious and hard nosed players, that thrive when the game gets physical. Necas soft and does not produce in the playoffs.

 

[NYRnine94]

Find a way to add Rossi and get a solid LD and i don't care what else we do this offseason. I don't want any more wingers. We all know they are taking one more "kick at the can" for better or worse so f*** it, get what you need and let's go. Nothing we can do about it. If we fail, at least we can move Panarin at the trade deadline.

 

[TGWL]

The Rangers should trade for Jason Robertson

I know he's only turning 26, but he looks like a much older player on the ice with the way he moves around. I'm not sure I would want to trade the assets it takes, then sign him for that monster 7/8 year contract.

With Dallas supposedly making Robertson available would a deal around Panarin for Robertson work? Maybe they prefer playoff performer Chris kreider but nyr would def have to add, but the 1 mil addition is prob a no go for nyr

No, Dallas wouldn't make that trade 1-1 for either. It makes 0 sense for them to do that. You're not really getting more from Kreider in the playoffs anyway.

 

[McRanger92]

Find a way to add Rossi and get a solid LD and i don't care what else we do this offseason. I don't want any more wingers. We all know they are taking one more "kick at the can" for better or worse so f*** it, get what you need and let's go. Nothing we can do about it. If we fail, at least we can move Panarin at the trade deadline.

If they can find a way to add Rossi and Hague and move out Kreider and Soucy's money, Id feel pretty good about the team going into next year under some new direction. The sweeping changes will come when panarin's money is off the books next year.

 

[TGWL]

Rossi over Necas. Necas is overrated in my opinion. Always leaves you wanting more. Rangers need more tenacious and hard nosed players, that thrive when the game gets physical. Necas soft and does not produce in the playoffs.

One is just a center, so that makes sense if you want the center. I don't think 5'9 Rossi is much of an opposite of what you're describing. He put on like 15-20 pounds after his first season and looked like he was more engaged in the corners but then that disappeared. Necas is more of an elite skater who will probably get pucks on net a lot more, but he's a winger and his next contract scares me.

Marner would be a good addition if the team changed, but with the same team, that's just more of the same from previous years.

 

[Fitzy]

I've hear Rossi described as the fourth Strome brother, and I've heard him described as the next Brassard in waiting.

I demand to know which it is before I even entertain the idea of him being the third center for us.

 

[McRanger92]

I've hear Rossi described as the fourth Strome brother, and I've heard him described as the next Brassard in waiting.

I demand to know which it is before I even entertain the idea of him being the third center for us.

The 4th strome brother hasnt scored 100 points over the last 2 seasons playing a backseat role. All the tape Ive seen of him scoring his goals has been between the circles.

 

[Guyute]

I've hear Rossi described as the fourth Strome brother, and I've heard him described as the next Brassard in waiting.

I demand to know which it is before I even entertain the idea of him being the third center for us.

I'm a little concerned about Rossi's scoring efficiency. Although his defensive play seems to be decent, Rossi only scores 1.7 PTS/60 at 5v5. As a comparison, Zegras has never scored below 1.9 PTS/60 in his career. Zegras scored at 2.0 or better PTS/60 from ages 19-21 years old.

I don't watch many Wild games, so I'm not sure what to think. Maybe his scoring at 5v5 is low because the Wild never play him with Kaprizov?

I do know Rossi missed his own sister's wedding to train, which is the type of commitment I like to see in a young player that will be making lots of money and living in Manhattan.

 

[Filip Chytil]

League executives told Postmedia the Senators have been scouring the market for scoring help after the club averaged 2.67 goals per game last season and finished ranked No. 18 in scoring in 82 games.

The talk in league circles is that the Senators would like to acquire a proven top-six forward who can score either through a trade or on the unrestricted free agent market.

We’re also told the club is looking for a right-shot defenceman because veteran Nick Jensen is believed to have had hip surgery last month, which will require a lengthy recovery. There is no timeline for his return but, by all accounts, he won’t be ready to start the regular season.

Three league executives say a name to keep an eye on with the National Hockey League draft set for June 28-29 is winger Drake Batherson. There was talk at the trade deadline in March that the Senators were listening on Batherson and his name has surfaced on the market again.

Execs also saying Marner may get 14M per yr and Ehlers around 9.5M. Sounds like CHI, Vegas, Utah, and CAR will be in on Marner. Probably others too. Ottawa likely not if the price is that high. Marek and Pagnotta were saying the other day that Anaheim will step up and take a swing at Marner. Marek: "I don't know that Marner wants to go anywhere other than a team that right away is going to be competing for the Stanley Cup, but I would have to think that Anaheim is going to step up and take a major swing here."