Roster Building Thread VI (2022-23): Offseason edition

[EdJovanovski]

Jason Robertson is not a very good skater. His skating ability hasn’t prevented him from becoming one of the best young players in the NHL.

And basically every other best young player in the NHL is an excellent skater, Robertson is the exception to the rule. This is like someone saying yea most attractive women actually prefer fat guys because some fat billionaire has a model for a wife lol.

 

[IDvsEGO]

And basically every other best young player in the NHL is an excellent skater, Robertson is the exception to the rule. This is like someone saying yea most attractive women actually prefer fat guys because some fat billionaire has a model for a wife lol.

Robertson is a poor skater, plenty of stars in the NHL are average to above average. You just need your other abilities to overcome that.
Theres also a laundry list of excellent skaters who can't even make the AHL.

 

[jerseyjinx94]

Speed is a physical tool like any other in hockey. If you lack speed then you need to have other tools to make up for it, like size, vision, awareness, deking, shooting bc, etc. Laf’s tools are his playmaking abilities, which are completely neutered playing a dump and chase style and with no PP. He’s not going to turn into a Jack hughes skater with hard work. He needs to be given the freedom to use his tools to excel.

There’s also different kinds of speed. There’s a good first step, straight line speed, puck retrieval, etc. While Laf lacks breakaway speed a la Hughes, he has pretty good speed in the zone on the cycle and from the blue line in.

 

[Synergy27]

People have very short memories. He's been their top scorer in each of his 4 years here and a Hart trophy finalist a few years ago. He hasn't been good in the last 2 playoffs especially the series against the Devils but that doesn't mitigate that he has been a scoring machine and one of their most dynamic players. He also would have signed with the Piles if he didn't sign with us and probably would have helped them win a cup in one of those covid years. Yuck.

People don’t have short memories. They just disagree with you about the “doesn’t mitigate” part of your argument.

 

[Synergy27]

First overall selections at the Wing position since 2000: Nash, Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Kane, Hall, Lafreniere.

You really need to be a special player to be taken first overall as a winger. What is wrong with this team?

 

[bernmeister]

I'd be happy if Laf just became a consistent 30 goal, 55 point player. That wouldn't be what we hoped for with a 1st overall but I think that is well within reach.

Kakko could end up following the Buchnevich development path.

steve vickers territory

 

[bhamill]

I don't think anyone else had someone other than Lafreniere as the top pick either, but Stutzle was an intriguing prospect to me (not that I'm any NHL Draft prospect expert! LOL) If the Rangers had developed Lafreniere properly, and Lafreniere took some initiative in his own development, this wouldn't be an issue.

If Jeff Gorton had traded down in the Laf draft, we here on this board, maybe myself included, would've screamed blue murder, but, maybe in retrospect, it might have been the right decision.

I know hindsight is 20/20 and the answer to the above scenario will never be known. Odds are the NYR will try to trade to Stutzle in about 5-10 years when he gets sick of losing in Ottawa.

You wouldn’t be the only scout to think that in hindsight.
I think it’s impossible to judge who will be the better finished product until they are close to finished products. But Tim is certainly currently in the lead.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

I don't think anyone else had someone other than Lafreniere as the top pick either, but Stutzle was an intriguing prospect to me (not that I'm any NHL Draft prospect expert! LOL) If the Rangers had developed Lafreniere properly, and Lafreniere took some initiative in his own development, this wouldn't be an issue.

If Jeff Gorton had traded down in the Laf draft, we here on this board, maybe myself included, would've screamed blue murder, but, maybe in retrospect, it might have been the right decision.

I know hindsight is 20/20 and the answer to the above scenario will never be known. Odds are the NYR will try to trade to Stutzle in about 5-10 years when he gets sick of losing in Ottawa.

We should have traded down to #2 or #3 because we did not need a LW. drafting a LW when we had 2 top LW locked up for many years made little sense to me.

 

[egelband]

Jason Robertson is not a very good skater. His skating ability hasn’t prevented him from becoming one of the best young players in the NHL.

Yeah. The number one skill is hockey. Sadly, it’s impossible to quantify. But really, success comes down to, “how good can you hockey?”
There’s not one metric Gretzky or Crosby dominates, except ‘hockey’.

 

[RangerBoy]

In this recent draft, Scott Wheeler ranked the top 10 best skaters

Best skaters​

1. Oliver Moore
2. Tom Willander
3. Adam Fantilli
4. Tanner Molendyk
5. Nick Lardis
6. Connor Bedard
7. Gavin Brindley
8. Carey Terrance
9. Bradly Nadeau
10. Jonathan Castagna

2023 NHL Draft class superlatives: Best skaters, shooters, passers and more

You've read about the top prospects for the 2023 NHL Draft class. But what about the best prospects at specific things?

theathletic.com

Moore's best attribute is his skating ability but he doesn't always know what to do when he gets there.

 

[RangerBoy]

Robertson is a poor skater, plenty of stars in the NHL are average to above average. You just need your other abilities to overcome that.
Theres also a laundry list of excellent skaters who can't even make the AHL.

Tkachuk. Draisaitl. Those players aren’t great skaters. Average skaters. They were two of the best players in the playoffs. Leon scored 13 goals in 12 games in the playoffs.

 

[Good Intentions]

I can’t get past how much I can’t stand 13. In all my years, I’ve never seen a more illegitimate goofy jackass in a lead role. 1 ov, man did he have everyone fooled. If you think he’s going to grow into anything of value, you’re going to be massively disappointed. It goes without saying that I would include him in any Nylander deal. More realistically, I envision an October stat line of zeros that could fuel an accelerated exit.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

My personal theory is that Lafreniere thought he was just going to waltz into the league and tear it up and he’s become complacent

It’s not the end of the world but I think he’s been give a bit of a reality check this off-season and i’m hoping it motivates him

 

[turcotte8]

Yeah. The number one skill is hockey. Sadly, it’s impossible to quantify. But really, success comes down to, “how good can you hockey?”
There’s not one metric Gretzky or Crosby dominates, except ‘hockey’.

Crosby dominates "whiny bitch"

 

[jerseyjinx94]

All this talk about the player taking initiative to get better. Do you guys honestly think Laf isn’t working on getting better in the off-season? Do you really think that? You think this kid just believes he’s entitled to more ice time and doesn’t care about winning or being successful? He’s just sitting around, eating Cheetos, demanding a first line W slot. Where do you get this stuff?

 

[McRanger92]

I can’t get past how much I can’t stand 13. In all my years, I’ve never seen a more illegitimate goofy jackass in a lead role. 1 ov, man did he have everyone fooled. If you think he’s going to grow into anything of value, you’re going to be massively disappointed. It goes without saying that I would include him in any Nylander deal. More realistically, I envision an October stat line of zeros that could fuel an accelerated exit.

Since when is Lafreniere in a lead role? I swear people would rather hate the kid and be right than root for him or even evaluate him fairly and be wrong.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

All this talk about the player taking initiative to get better. Do you guys honestly think Laf isn’t working on getting better in the off-season? Do you really think that? You think this kid just believes he’s entitled to more ice time and doesn’t care about winning or being successful? He’s just sitting around, eating Cheetos, demanding a first line W slot. Where do you get this stuff?

Shhhhh they're too busy tearing him down to think about such logical things

Mark Stone is the worst skater in hockey

 

[NickyFotiu]

We should have traded down to #2 or #3 because we did not need a LW. drafting a LW when we had 2 top LW locked up for many years made little sense to me.

They weren't going to trade their first ever #1 pick.

All this talk about the player taking initiative to get better. Do you guys honestly think Laf isn’t working on getting better in the off-season? Do you really think that? You think this kid just believes he’s entitled to more ice time and doesn’t care about winning or being successful? He’s just sitting around, eating Cheetos, demanding a first line W slot. Where do you get this stuff?

No idea what he is doing. If he is skating 4 hours a day he will be putting in the effort to get better. That is all I can ask for as a fan.

 

[bernmeister]

My personal theory is that Lafreniere thought he was just going to waltz into the league and tear it up and he’s become complacent

It’s not the end of the world but I think he’s been give a bit of a reality check this off-season and i’m hoping it motivates him

I tend to give benefit of doubt barring something obvious and uncontroverted. That said, when he first got here he may have thought that on day 1, day 2.
Not any more.
His eyes surely have been opened.

All this talk about the player taking initiative to get better. Do you guys honestly think Laf isn’t working on getting better in the off-season? Do you really think that? You think this kid just believes he’s entitled to more ice time and doesn’t care about winning or being successful? He’s just sitting around, eating Cheetos, demanding a first line W slot. Where do you get this stuff?

I think any focus on more mins is not nec anything that is a character flaw, but a function of what applies to all players: incentive; mo mins = mo points = mo $$, and possibly mo success w/better team results, which has indirect worth.

But whatev, clearly now he has learned he may have otherwise had some superior skills, but had to develop his skating.
It is now, imo, nothing to yet brag about, but it is fully par, w/room for improvement.

must ltb, play kid line 1st line
let him get comfy w/chemistry fit before we start playing elsewhere in the lineup

 

[Fitzy]

My personal theory is that Lafreniere thought he was just going to waltz into the league and tear it up and he’s become complacent

It’s not the end of the world but I think he’s been give a bit of a reality check this off-season and i’m hoping it motivates him

If the difference between 2 million a year and 8 million a year isn’t enough to motivate him, I don’t know what is.

The irony is that if Laf had put up 80 points the last two seasons we would probably have to trade him.

 

[NYR Viper]

If the difference between 2 million a year and 8 million a year isn’t enough to motivate him, I don’t know what is.

The irony is that if Laf had put up 80 points the last two seasons we would probably have to trade him.

Or find a way to dump someone else that would be painful. This is true.

 

[Leonardo87]

I'll take higher IQ over skating any day. Will be in the league a very long time. Yeah sure you have to skate well, but an average skater can get by if they have other things going for them. Some players are very good skaters but may lack other elements of the game.

 

[bubba5]

We might be the slowest team in the NHL right now. Other than krieder and zibby we have no one. I bet we are selling off parts by Presidents’ Day.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

"SPEED IS THE NEW NHL"

Looks at winners and conference finalists since 2018... Only 2 "speed/rush" teams have made the CF (WCF last year) and only 1 has won the whole thing.

Some of you guys really love breathing life into narratives that aren't true.

 

[NYR Viper]

I'll say that I wsa hoping the Rangers could address some speed this off-season as it was clearly something they lacked in terms of their puck retrievals but it's not ALWAYS about speed. If we look back to the LA Kings team that beat the Rangers in the Cup Final, that team was NOT fast. They moved the puck efficiently away from their net, dumped pucks to good areas of the ice, won board battles and created chances that way.

A smart game-plan and dump in doesn't need a Carl Hagelin out there to succeed. The players just need to be a cohesive unit.