Speculation: Roster Building Thread - Part XXXII

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

I still think the Rangers window doesn't even open until 2024. Think about it. In two more years:

-Laf and Kakko should be contributors entering their primes (hopefully).
-Players like Chytil and Kravtsov will either come into their own or get re-purposed.
-The defense can round out and establish themselves (so no more revolving door on the 3rd pair of "scrub and kid").
-Two years worth of playoff experience for a group that, right now, has almost NO recent playoff experience.
-A top prospect like Othmann would be breaking in as regular.
-The team could begin to phase out the journeyman bottom sixers (Rooney, Hunt, McKegg, Reaves, maybe Goodrow) with cheaper, more talented home-growns like Cuylle, Berard, and Barron.

And most importantly, since the cap is likely to make a big jump that year, they will have the space to maneuver and add a key piece to fill any holes resulting from kids not developing or something along those lines.

You could literally have something like:

Laf--Zibanejad--Kakko
Panarin--Chytil--Othmann
Kreider--Berard--Kravtsov
Cuylle--Barron--Goodrow

Lindgren--Fox
Miller--Trouba
Lundkvist/Jones/Robertson--Schneider

Shesterkin
veteran backup

Bread and Kreider would still be 32/33 years old. Zib and Trouba would be ~30 years old. Shesterkin would be 28. Everyone else would be 25 or younger. THAT'S the point where the team should be looking to move pieces for a #1 center or whatever other hole they may have. It's just too pre-mature right now. Don't sell. Buy, but within reason. A nice winger or 3c at 2nd round pick compensation. Let the kids experience playoff hockey and take it as far as they can. Let them then use that to improve next season. By the time the cap goes up, our kids will be young vets, our vets should still be very good (Zib's and Panarin's games are likely to age well, and Kreider is a machine), and we should have a new crop of kids pushing to get onto a now established, playoff-tested roster. There is no need to rush the process.

There's a lot of good points in here that I agree with but I think this year should not be overlooked and could potentially lead to a 'surprise' run if we can make a few deft moves. I'm not sure who or what they are but if you can make a few savvy upgrades to this current roster they could legitimately compete this season.

It's the last year you have Fox, Zibanejad, Kakko, Lafreniere, Miller all on very cheap contracts. You're getting a career year out of Kreider, Panarin is in his prime, Igor is vezina caliber, PP and PK are elite, lightning in a bottle element of surprise team having a good season under a new coach. With the cap space and over abundance of assets they have I really think they have to take a legitimate shot this year. OF COURSE, I don't want them to sell the farm and trade the serious high end assets, but you can afford to move a few of that next tier of assets to try and get some upgrades.

I also think the forecasting of windows and stuff can be a little foolhardy. Of course you want to stick to the plan with the ultimate goal of developing the young players into being the core, but there have to be some moves that can be made strictly for this season that do not alter the overall vision and plan. I really think this year could turn into a legitimate shot at contending considering that cap space, overabundance of assets and having such high level players on cheap deals and others performing at elite levels. In this league things can change fast and you don't want to throw away a chance when things are falling your way.

As pro-buyer as I am, I do understand the hesitancy to include Chytil and Lundkvist/Jones in rental deals this year. However, with 5 picks in the first 4 rounds in 2022, the Rangers should be extremely willing to part with any of them to improve this years team. They have no realistic shot of helping the team within the next 3 years at minimum, and weve made at least 8 picks in every year since the letter went out, including 9 first rounders. Trading multiple picks, including the 1st rounder is a luxury we absolutely can afford.

Yep, this I definitely agree with.

I think most here are gun shy because we've suffered through there rebuild and the assets we've accumulated are like our little treasures but the truth is that more of these players aren't ever going to be contributors for the Rangers than those that are going to be, simply a numbers game. We're also all used to "going for it" during the Hank era when we sold off all of our assets every year from an already barren and depleted system - which isn't the case anymore. We have more assets to use in trades than almost every team in the league.

 

[Bruner4329]

Funnily enough, that was the exact line a bunch of folks had on JT Miller, and now half the boards want to sacrifice multiple high end assets to buy him back. Funny, that. Also, Buchnevich, at the same age, got 15 minutes per game and ample power play time (where he scored 17 of his 43 points). Every time Chytil has gotten similar usage, he produces. Just out of curiosity--you and KB and a few others have been on a seeming crusade to get rid of this kid for a while now. If he IS moved, and is given an actual extended top six opportunity with his new team, and turns into a legit top six player like several of us believe he can, will you eat the crow?
This is ridiculous. Chytil was one of two players who actually looked good in the three game play in (the other being Kakko).

And he had done zippo since then

 

[TheBloodyNine]

My belief is that adding 2 top 6-9 forwards and a defenseman better than Nemeth will get the teams 5v5 play to a place thats closer to league average or better, and when you have Igor that gets you into contention for a Cup. I don't think that unreasonable.

That's the same thinking this team employed when Henrik was in net and we know how that ended.

 

[RGY]

Funnily enough, that was the exact line a bunch of folks had on JT Miller, and now half the boards want to sacrifice multiple high end assets to buy him back. Funny, that. Also, Buchnevich, at the same age, got 15 minutes per game and ample power play time (where he scored 17 of his 43 points). Every time Chytil has gotten similar usage, he produces. Just out of curiosity--you and KB and a few others have been on a seeming crusade to get rid of this kid for a while now. If he IS moved, and is given an actual extended top six opportunity with his new team, and turns into a legit top six player like several of us believe he can, will you eat the crow?

Spare me the “will you eat crow” crap. I could careless if he becomes a Top 6 forward on another team. I have said multiple times Chytil has a shot at being a career 45-55 point player on another team where he is given the top 6 minutes and PP1 time but he will NEVER be someone you win with. He does not have IT. For so many reasons that have been already mentioned. If you want to drool over the 1 goal he scores trying to skate through the entire team every 15 attempts, ignoring the 14 other times he gets hammered and turns the puck over, so be it. Enjoy banana land. Because that’s the land where teams dont win but at least you get to see a highlight reel goal once in awhile.

You also fail to acknowledge that Buchnevich and Miller were more physically engaged players. They were more involved. And they showed progression. Chytil is showing a regression. He is not becoming any more defensively responsible, in fact its seemingly getting worse. He is not getting better at Faceoffs. He is not a good finisher. He does not take the body at all. Like at all. Its just not there. This isn’t some big indictment of him, these are just the facts. Its reality.

You let me know when you want to rejoin reality, coming to grips with the Rangers are not going to hold onto every prospect they draft or only trade for high draft picks. I’ll be here waiting, but don’t worry I won’t make you eat crow.

 

[wafflepadsave]

Just a reminder that Miller has primarily been a left wing with Vancouver

Rangers trying to corner the market of left wingers?

 

[Boris Zubov]

Miller is a PPG guy in Vancouver.

IF the Rangers acquired him, I'd expect those numbers to go down to .65 pts per game since he's not going to see much if any PP1 TOI.

Thats not to say he's not the same player, but without the prime TOI, his numbers will be more pedestrian.

I'm OK with that. Should not have traded him in the first place. It was a stupid decision by JG

I agree with all of this, but why would we trade for him & not use him on PP1? He's 4th in the league in PP points.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

I guess thats the difference between us. I am not convinced Kakko & Lafreniere will ever reach a point where they can carry the offensive load on a Stanley Cup contender. Not saying they wont be solid players, but going deep in the playoffs at a young age can only help. Kreider is a perfect example, he thrived at a young age in multiple playoffs runs and it helped him become the player he is now.

Not saying they have to carry the load, and i think Lafreniere will eventually but they need to be able to provide added scoring behind Kreider, Zib and Panarin because in a playoff series those guys are getting targetted. Right now if a team shuts those players down we're toast. Its why our 5 on 5 is pretty bad, teams are focusing on those guys because there isn't a threat behind them. I also was including our d in all that, our 3rd pair we dont even know who it is really, its likely Nemeth and Schneider but most of our d are young and inexperienced and i dont have a ton of faith in them yet in a 7 game series vs Florida, Tampa, Vegas, Carolina, and even Toronto.

 

[BBKers]

Pretty hammerefd. Would this lineup make noyse?

Poolboy - Soy - Jackpot Kane
Bread - Ström - chytil
LAF - JT. M or Hertl - K2
Crouse - Rooney - Goodrow
Sheriff, Hunt

Blood - Norris
Pokecheck - Pain
Giordano - clumsy swede/thin Swede/jones/Schneider

Shesty
Koskenkorva

 

[smoneil]

My belief is that adding 2 top 6-9 forwards and a defenseman better than Nemeth will get the teams 5v5 play to a place thats closer to league average or better, and when you have Igor that gets you into contention for a Cup. I don't think that unreasonable.

I guess thats the difference between us. I am not convinced Kakko & Lafreniere will ever reach a point where they can carry the offensive load on a Stanley Cup contender. Not saying they wont be solid players, but going deep in the playoffs at a young age can only help. Kreider is a perfect example, he thrived at a young age in multiple playoffs runs and it helped him become the player he is now.

The issue is that Kreider was the outlier on that roster. Most of the group around him had plenty of post-season experience. He walked into a team that had made the playoffs in 5 of the previous six years. You had a Conn Smythe winner (Richards), a star (Gaborik) and a whole group of established, veteran leaders on the team (Callahan, Dubinsky, Girardi, Boyle, Fedotenko, etc). Kreider at 20 was the youngest player on the roster. There were a couple of guys (Stepan, Del Zotto, and McD) who were 21/22 years old, but most of that roster was made up of guys in their late 20s. None of the kids did better than half a point per game. The load was carried by the vets.

This roster doesn't have enough vets to carry that load further than a round or MAYBE two if they get hot. Strome hasn't played in a real playoff game in six years. It's been 5 years for Zibanejad and Kreider (and Kreider's career postseason numbers aren't great. Just under .5 ppg and a -5). It's been 3 years for Panarin. Three years for Trouba. The only players with recent playoff experience are guys like Goodrow, Nemeth, and Reaves. In terms of having good playoff performances, only Zib and Panarin fit the bill.

The core of this roster is too green to expect them to contribute the way they will need to contribute in order to make real noise in the playoffs. Get them some moderately priced support and--ala the Miracle on Ice team--try and convince them they can run through a brick wall. The further they get, the better, but this year is all about the playoffs as a learning experience. You are just building yourself up for disappointment if you look at it otherwise.

This team is pretty much the exact opposite of the SCF team. That team had all the depth and the battle-tested role players. It was missing a star. Enter Rick Nash, who had no real experience in the playoffs (a four game sweep years earlier and a ghost performance in his first year with the Rangers). He wasn't ready for playoff intensity or the mental aspects of a long run. He got better each year after that, to the point that if the the 2014 team had 2015 or 2016 Nash (his 4th and 5th time in the post-season), I honestly think they beat the Kings pretty easily. Right now, we have the stars that we never had in 2014. But the support and even some of the stars (Shesty, Fox) are playoff newbs. Playoff success is a learned skill that you can only learn by doing.

 

[Boris Zubov]

Pretty hammerefd. Would this lineup make noyse?

Poolboy - Soy - Jackpot Kane
Bread - Ström - chytil
LAF - JT. M or Hertl - K2
Crouse - Rooney - Goodrow
Sheriff, Hunt

Blood - Norris
Pokecheck - Pain
Giordano - clumsy swede/thin Swede/jones/Schneider

Shesty
Koskenkorva

I like it & I want some of what you're drinking!

 

[smoneil]

And he had done zippo since then

No, he put up elite even strength production relative to usage last year, increased his production for three consecutive years, and this is his first real "down" year. And if you look at his shooting percentage this year relative to the rest of his career, then it seems pretty likely that this year is the outlier. When he had an extended stretch with Buch and Kreider, he put up points and looked like he belonged. Same thing late last year when the kid line started getting more minutes down the stretch. Same thing this year the last few games where he's played more minutes with Bread and Strome. The first team that gives him a regular shot with other talented players is going to have a gem in this kid (my opinion). I just hope that it's us and not some other team after we give up on a 22 year old due to half a bad season.

 

[smoneil]

I think most here are gun shy because we've suffered through there rebuild and the assets we've accumulated are like our little treasures but the truth is that more of these players aren't ever going to be contributors for the Rangers than those that are going to be, simply a numbers game. We're also all used to "going for it" during the Hank era when we sold off all of our assets every year from an already barren and depleted system - which isn't the case anymore. We have more assets to use in trades than almost every team in the league.

I think most folks here agree with this--the disagreement is how to spend that excess currency: all in for the next two playoffs vs. moves with an eye for a window opening in 2024.

 

[smoneil]

Spare me the “will you eat crow” crap. I could careless if he becomes a Top 6 forward on another team. I have said multiple times Chytil has a shot at being a career 45-55 point player on another team where he is given the top 6 minutes and PP1 time but he will NEVER be someone you win with. He does not have IT. For so many reasons that have been already mentioned. If you want to drool over the 1 goal he scores trying to skate through the entire team every 15 attempts, ignoring the 14 other times he gets hammered and turns the puck over, so be it. Enjoy banana land. Because that’s the land where teams dont win but at least you get to see a highlight reel goal once in awhile.

You also fail to acknowledge that Buchnevich and Miller were more physically engaged players. They were more involved. And they showed progression. Chytil is showing a regression. He is not becoming any more defensively responsible, in fact its seemingly getting worse. He is not getting better at Faceoffs. He is not a good finisher. He does not take the body at all. Like at all. Its just not there. This isn’t some big indictment of him, these are just the facts. Its reality.

You let me know when you want to rejoin reality, coming to grips with the Rangers are not going to hold onto every prospect they draft or only trade for high draft picks. I’ll be here waiting, but don’t worry I won’t make you eat crow.

A lot of rage, there, bud. Just trying to figure it out. Even when the team had players I wasn't particularly enthused about (I was very against the Nash trade, for example), I never had this level of hate for them.

Also, Buchnevich, at Chytil's age, was literally benched so that he could build enough muscle to not get wrecked in the NHL. He never started getting physically engaged until the last season or two that we had him (though I did love that cross-checking bastard for it, haha). Chytil has improved in a good number of ways, but improvement happens with experience, and you don't get a ton of that playing 12-13 minutes a night with AHL talent. He--like Laf and Kakko--should have been getting those minutes in Hartford, but the team opted to develop them more slowly at the NHL level.

Miller was brought up slowly. He wasn't a regular until partway through his 21 year old season. Had plenty of minutes in the AHL to work on his game. And when he was Chytil's age...he wasn't even a regular yet--he spent a third of that year in Hartford. The following year, when Miller was 23? He put up the same number of points as Chytil's pace from last year (his 21 year old season). You keep judging a 22 year old being developed one (slower) way against fully-developed comparisons (who never played for the Rangers until they had had that development).

And another word for "eating crow" is "admitting you were wrong." After running a non-stop whine-fest over the player, one post acknowledging that you were off base isn't a lot. I've owned up numerous times when I really double down on an opinion only to end up being wrong (Petr Prucha being the most notable example in my posting history. I was convinced that the coach was his issue. Never picked up on the fact that when the league stopped calling the new rules a couple years after the lockout ended, the space that Prucha needed to be effective went away as well).

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

In 2024 the Rangers core that they have a f*** ton of money locked up in will be two years older and two years potentially worse

Get a few rentals at the deadline, hope Igor gets hot and let the chips fall where they may this year

 

[RGY]

A lot of rage, there, bud. Just trying to figure it out. Even when the team had players I wasn't particularly enthused about (I was very against the Nash trade, for example), I never had this level of hate for them.

Also, Buchnevich, at Chytil's age, was literally benched so that he could build enough muscle to not get wrecked in the NHL. He never started getting physically engaged until the last season or two that we had him (though I did love that cross-checking bastard for it, haha). Chytil has improved in a good number of ways, but improvement happens with experience, and you don't get a ton of that playing 12-13 minutes a night with AHL talent. He--like Laf and Kakko--should have been getting those minutes in Hartford, but the team opted to develop them more slowly at the NHL level. And another word for "eating crow" is "admitting you were wrong." After running a non-stop whine-fest over the player, one post acknowledging that you were off base isn't a lot. I've owned up numerous times when I really double down on an opinion only to end up being wrong (Petr Prucha being the most notable example in my posting history. I was convinced that the coach was his issue. Never picked up on the fact that when the league stopped calling the new rules a couple years after the lockout ended, the space that Prucha needed to be effective went away as well).

There is literally no use in discussing anything further when you take someone disagreeing with you as “a lot of rage”. Nah man, there wasn’t one bit of rage in there. I guess putting the word “never” in all caps signifies rage? That’s all it takes these days for someone to misinterpret something?

Chytil sucks. I am not the only one who sees it. I am not an “outlier”. Its not a small group that has come to this conclusion. And that group is growing. Its gona be ok when they trade him, I promise you. The organization won’t be doomed, I promise you. But I will enjoy your meltdown when he is finally dealt.

 

[McRanger92]

That's the same thinking this team employed when Henrik was in net and we know how that ended.

Thats not good comparison imo. Hank's teams were hamstrung by not having elite talent to carry them in the playoffs. Fox/Panarin/Mika right now are all better than any of their counterparts in that era.

 

[smoneil]

There is literally no use in discussing anything further when you take someone disagreeing with you as “a lot of rage”. Nah man, there wasn’t one bit of rage in there. I guess putting the word “never” in all caps signifies rage? That’s all it takes these days for someone to misinterpret something?

Chytil sucks. I am not the only one who sees it. I am not an “outlier”. Its not a small group that has come to this conclusion. And that group is growing. Its gona be ok when they trade him, I promise you. The organization won’t be doomed, I promise you. But I will enjoy your meltdown when he is finally dealt.

Rage at the player, not rage at me. You literally post the same shit in every GDT--I've even seen you rant in GDT's where Chytil wasn't playing. And it's always stuff that can't be quantified, like accusations against his IQ or, my personal favorite, that he doesn't have "IT." For the team's sake, I hope you're wrong, as we need centers and Chytil is the only one in the entire system with a real shot at a top 6 role. I just can't quite figure out why it seems like you would prefer that he fail to justify your clear hate for the kid.

Also, the fact that several people have also given up on a young player being developed slowly isn't exactly an accomplishment. There's a reason that the saying is "you can't re-build in NY." Fans here are impatient, and real re-building requires patience.

If they do move him, I assure you I will be fine. They moved my favorite player at the time (Dubinsky) for a player I was 110% against acquiring, and I not only survived but still found a way to root for Nash to do well.

 

[McRanger92]

The issue is that Kreider was the outlier on that roster. Most of the group around him had plenty of post-season experience. He walked into a team that had made the playoffs in 5 of the previous six years. You had a Conn Smythe winner (Richards), a star (Gaborik) and a whole group of established, veteran leaders on the team (Callahan, Dubinsky, Girardi, Boyle, Fedotenko, etc). Kreider at 20 was the youngest player on the roster. There were a couple of guys (Stepan, Del Zotto, and McD) who were 21/22 years old, but most of that roster was made up of guys in their late 20s. None of the kids did better than half a point per game. The load was carried by the vets.

This roster doesn't have enough vets to carry that load further than a round or MAYBE two if they get hot. Strome hasn't played in a real playoff game in six years. It's been 5 years for Zibanejad and Kreider (and Kreider's career postseason numbers aren't great. Just under .5 ppg and a -5). It's been 3 years for Panarin. Three years for Trouba. The only players with recent playoff experience are guys like Goodrow, Nemeth, and Reaves. In terms of having good playoff performances, only Zib and Panarin fit the bill.

The core of this roster is too green to expect them to contribute the way they will need to contribute in order to make real noise in the playoffs. Get them some moderately priced support and--ala the Miracle on Ice team--try and convince them they can run through a brick wall. The further they get, the better, but this year is all about the playoffs as a learning experience. You are just building yourself up for disappointment if you look at it otherwise.

This team is pretty much the exact opposite of the SCF team. That team had all the depth and the battle-tested role players. It was missing a star. Enter Rick Nash, who had no real experience in the playoffs (a four game sweep years earlier and a ghost performance in his first year with the Rangers). He wasn't ready for playoff intensity or the mental aspects of a long run. He got better each year after that, to the point that if the the 2014 team had 2015 or 2016 Nash (his 4th and 5th time in the post-season), I honestly think they beat the Kings pretty easily. Right now, we have the stars that we never had in 2014. But the support and even some of the stars (Shesty, Fox) are playoff newbs. Playoff success is a learned skill that you can only learn by doing.

How do you get that experience? Being there. Add some depth and plan on making a deep run. It will only benefit the team long term for them to win a few rounds or god willing get to the final. Comparing this team to Hanks teams is apples to oranges, completely different makeup.

This Ranger team sitting on 8 million in cap space while in first place in the Metro in mid-January is indefensible. I want to see their possession numbers when they arent intentionally playing with a handicap compared to their peers. I think we lose sight of that sometimes.

 

[smoneil]

How do you get that experience? Being there. Add some depth and plan on making a deep run. It will only benefit the team long term for them to win a few rounds or god willing get to the final. Comparing this team to Hanks teams is apples to oranges, completely different makeup.

This Ranger team sitting on 8 million in cap space while in first place in the Metro in mid-January is indefensible. I want to see their possession numbers when they arent intentionally playing with a handicap compared to their peers. I think we lose sight of that sometimes.

Oh, I definitely agree. I'm not on board with folks who want to sell or not buy at all. I just want to temper the buying based on the likelihood that the first playoff experience isn't likely to be phenomenal for a lot of guys. Remember Henrik's first post-season? NJ rocked him. 13GA in 3 games, .835 save percentage. And that was with a top-heavy lineup filled with plucky youngsters without much postseason experience. I think the quality of said "plucky youngsters" is better with the current group, but we have A level assets (1st rounder, Nils/Jones/Krav) and B level assets (2nd rounders, Hajek, Gaut). I want to buy smart with the B level assets and buy long term with the A level.

 

[Boris Zubov]

How do you get that experience? Being there. Add some depth and plan on making a deep run. It will only benefit the team long term for them to win a few rounds or god willing get to the final. Comparing this team to Hanks teams is apples to oranges, completely different makeup.

This Ranger team sitting on 8 million in cap space while in first place in the Metro in mid-January is indefensible. I want to see their possession numbers when they arent intentionally playing with a handicap compared to their peers. I think we lose sight of that sometimes.

I think another thing being overlooked when posters talk about trading for futures in the midst of a season like this is how you explain that to the veterans in the locker room who are trying to win now. There's zero excuse for leaving basically unlimited cap space at the deadline when you have an overabundance of prospects who many most likely will never contribute here on the NHL level.

At some point, maybe not during this season & hopefully not for pure rentals, one or more of Jones/Nils//Robertson/Lindgren is going to get moved out in a deal. It's a simple numbers game, there's just not enough spots for all these kids. Additionally, if we have to sacrifice a 1st rounder this year, so be it. The kid picked in the draft realistically won't be ready to contribute in 4-5 years as a late first rounder. Plus we've shown just how easy it is to obtain first round picks if we need to move a vet out in 2-3 years.

 

[McRanger92]

Oh, I definitely agree. I'm not on board with folks who want to sell or not buy at all. I just want to temper the buying based on the likelihood that the first playoff experience isn't likely to be phenomenal for a lot of guys. Remember Henrik's first post-season? NJ rocked him. 13GA in 3 games, .835 save percentage. And that was with a top-heavy lineup filled with plucky youngsters without much postseason experience. I think the quality of said "plucky youngsters" is better with the current group, but we have A level assets (1st rounder, Nils/Jones/Krav) and B level assets (2nd rounders, Hajek, Gaut). I want to buy smart with the B level assets and buy long term with the A level.

I think they'll almost certainly trade their 1st this year if it can get them an impact top 6 forward, especially if they can keep the 2 2nds. Kravtsov I think is a sunk cost. His value isnt going to go up if we wait until the offseason. If you can get a roster player who isn't a rental I think its worth it to do so, Lehkonen comes to mind.

They shouldnt have an issue getting a solid rental bottom pair defenseman with their B level assets.

 

[smoneil]

I think another thing being overlooked when posters talk about trading for futures in the midst of a season like this is how you explain that to the veterans in the locker room who are trying to win now. There's zero excuse for leaving basically unlimited cap space at the deadline when you have an overabundance of prospects who many most likely will never contribute here on the NHL level.

At some point, maybe not during this season & hopefully not for pure rentals, one or more of Jones/Nils//Robertson/Lindgren is going to get moved out in a deal. It's a simple numbers game, there's just not enough spots for all these kids. Additionally, if we have to sacrifice a 1st rounder this year, so be it. The kid picked in the draft realistically won't be ready to contribute in 4-5 years as a late first rounder. Plus we've shown just how easy it is to obtain first round picks if we need to move a vet out in 2-3 years.

I get the logic and it's a good point, but I'm less concerned about that with this group. Most of the vets on this roster are here for the long haul (all of them signed for 4+ years after this one). The only exception is Strome. And as I said in another post, I'd rather hold on to the first rounder to use it as part of a draft-day trade. If we can move up far enough, that player would be ready to contribute far earlier than 4-5 years (also, who even knows with these kids anymore. Who would have thought that Schneider would have been playing with the team this soon. Cuylle could have played in Hartford, too, had the rules permitted it. They seem to be advancing more quickly than they did 5 or 10 years ago).

 

[McRanger92]

I think another thing being overlooked when posters talk about trading for futures in the midst of a season like this is how you explain that to the veterans in the locker room who are trying to win now. There's zero excuse for leaving basically unlimited cap space at the deadline when you have an overabundance of prospects who many most likely will never contribute here on the NHL level.

At some point, maybe not during this season & hopefully not for pure rentals, one or more of Jones/Nils//Robertson/Lindgren is going to get moved out in a deal. It's a simple numbers game, there's just not enough spots for all these kids. Additionally, if we have to sacrifice a 1st rounder this year, so be it. The kid picked in the draft realistically won't be ready to contribute in 4-5 years as a late first rounder. Plus we've shown just how easy it is to obtain first round picks if we need to move a vet out in 2-3 years.

100% agree. Kreider/Mika/Fox all took less relative to their market value to stay here. Panarin & Trouba committed to this team when they were at their lowest point. Time to show some good faith and help reinforce a team that isnt perfect right now, but can be a force to be reckoned with, with a few smart adds. No one should be crying over a 1st round pick in the 20s getting moved.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

Thats not good comparison imo. Hank's teams were hamstrung by not having elite talent to carry them in the playoffs. Fox/Panarin/Mika right now are all better than any of their counterparts in that era.

Right now that elite talent is not making up for the rest of the roster, nor are they making up for how this team strategizes and is deployed, which is why the team has to constantly rely on Igor and the Power Play to steal games. So it's really not that different.

 

[smoneil]

I think they'll almost certainly trade their 1st this year if it can get them an impact top 6 forward, especially if they can keep the 2 2nds. Kravtsov I think is a sunk cost. His value isnt going to go up if we wait until the offseason. If you can get a roster player who isn't a rental I think its worth it to do so, Lehkonen comes to mind.

They shouldnt have an issue getting a solid rental bottom pair defenseman with their B level assets.

I don't want to hoard those pieces--I just want to use them to address a long term issue (high end center prospect, high end RW prospect). Even if the 1st is late, there's something about including a 1st rounder in the package that "two second rounders" doesn't accomplish. Teams just want to be seen picking someone on day one, I guess, haha. We have enough high end pieces that I honestly think the team could trade into the top 10 (top 5 if the right trade partner ends up there). We have a lot of NHL ready pieces that could make for a very attractive offer. Alternatively, we could target other team's prospect pools, but the draft pick option is more likely IMO (all teams fall in love with their prospects once made).