Player Discussion: Ryan McDonagh

[Bolt 45]

That hit he threw on Hall last night was a thing of absolute beauty. He looked like he was shot out of a cannon. He anticipated that pass to perfection and Hall's damn lucky he saw it early. So glad McD plays for us now.

 

[Werewolf]

McD is solid. Very good to excellent at everything. Big addition ... wish he was a righty shot.

 

[Master P]

McD is solid. Very good to excellent at everything. Big addition ... wish he was a righty shot.

Agreed, you can just tell how calm and composed he is. I think he's going to pay dividends the further we get in the playoffs.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

McD is solid. Very good to excellent at everything. Big addition ... wish he was a righty shot.

Nah, moving forward Sergachev will probably play the right side in the top 4 with Hedman and McD on the left. (Stralman and eventually Foote the other righty)

 

[Flat Ronnie]

All you have to do is look at that scratch list and see what a monumental upgrade he is.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

All you have to do is look at that scratch list and see what a monumental upgrade he is.

I mean yeah, going from Sustr to McDonagh is mega profit

 

[HoseEmDown]

I mean yeah, going from Sustr to McDonagh is mega profit

Short term we profit but long term we lose big time. We will be forced to ice Stamkos in our top 6 going forward since we traded Howden. No team will win the cup with Steven friggin Stamkos as a top 6 center in the playoffs.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Short term we profit but long term we lose big time. We will be forced to ice Stamkos in our top 6 going forward since we traded Howden. No team will win the cup with Steven friggin Stamkos as a top 6 center in the playoffs.

... Was Sustr the backup top 6 center?

 

[HoseEmDown]

... Was Sustr the backup top 6 center?

He should be the 1C, we need that size and with crazy Boyle running around we need someone to match his height to softness ratio.

 

[Bolt 45]

He should be the 1C, we need that size and with crazy Boyle running around we need someone to match his height to softness ratio.

Plus, with his reach he can usually win faceoffs even if he loses the draw.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Never change, Hose <3

 

[More 2004]

He should be the 1C, we need that size and with crazy Boyle running around we need someone to match his height to softness ratio.

The intangibles like height to softness ratio can't be over looked.

 

[Hockey4Life91]

I will be the first to admit that McDonagh’s play was extremely underwhelming the first few games when he was adjusting to new teammates and an unfamiliar place. But I want to give credit, where it is due, that he has vastly exceeded my expectations in the playoffs. We are getting prime McDonagh right now. The hit on Lovejoy was a thing of beauty. He is constantly stepping up in the neutral zone and on the blue line with great effectiveness. And he is playing monster PK minutes. Couple this together with how well Miller fits on the first line, and this trade was another fleecing by SY. The fact that we have prime Hedman and McDonagh on the same roster is surreal, indeed video game-esque.

Additionally, when you factor in that we are getting 2015 Coburn and a matured Sergachev, it is almost comical to think about Suster and Carle on our blueline during the 2015 run.

I have closely watched every single TBL season. And SY has constructed an absolute beauty of a roster this year (kudos to Al Murray, too, whose fingerprints on this roster are beyond contention). In addition to the above, Point’s continued growth, and the emergence of Yanni and Cirelli this season (ahead of projections) truly has changed the complexion of our potency. The roster’s secondary scoring, its speed and ability to play dump and chase is much better than we ever expected. The first goal yesterday was a prime example of the type of playoff hockey that we want to play. And that was our THIRD line bringing the speed, rabid forecheck and chaos, mixed in with some skill. It is exactly the sort of hockey that you envision in your dreams as a GM. Plus compare 2017-2018 versus 2014-2015 fourth lines: Cally-Paq-Kunitz vs. Morrow (still laughing about how worthless he was)-Paq-Brown-Boyle. The former is significantly better.

Indeed, SY surely is beaming inside with the quality of this roster and the pipeline we have in place.

This is the best roster we’ve ever had in every single objective category. Now we just need a little bit of luck, which is always required to reach the promised land.

 

[EmptyNetAssassin]

McD really stepped up is game in the playoffs and is fitting in nicely. Miller is also turning into a monster. I really like him over Namestnikov.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Best D-man for us in the series. He was outstanding.

Coburn did look like a different player too, a much improved player.

 

[LightningStrikes]

 

[iamitter]

So glad McDonagh is working out for y'all. He's an absolute monster when he's on and is still reliably damn good when he's not.

Two of my favorite qualities of his:
Watch for some sneaky goals/assists from him creeping near the net. He's got an absolutely uncanny knack for acting as a 4th forward in the offensive zone when the time is right.
His excellent transition game. You're going to be spending a lot less time defending when he's on the ice.

 

[Stammertime91]

That last shift by him was like "nope, nope, nope I got it get out of my way" yesterday

 

[Sky04]

"Hey guys, I don't think McDonagh is worth it - we should really go for Mike Green so we can keep our prospects who won't help us win this year if ever"

 

[The Gongshow]

McDonagh has played great this round, he clicks well with Stralman

 

[The Macho King]

"Hey guys, I don't think McDonagh is worth it - we should really go for Mike Green so we can keep our prospects who won't help us win this year if ever"

TBF - I don't really recall many people making that argument.

 

[Stammertime91]

"Hey guys, I don't think McDonagh is worth it - we should really go for Mike Green so we can keep our prospects who won't help us win this year if ever"

I probably alluded to this at one point but be honest, who thought we would have gotten him and Miller for what we gave up? Obvious no brainer at that cost.

 

[Bolt 45]

TBF - I don't really recall many people making that argument.

I was definitely in that general camp, but I think most of us anticipated either Sergachev or some bigger names in the prospect pool getting traded. Which is silly in hindsight, because our GM's pretty clearly a Jedi. And a wizard. A Jedi Wizard.

 

[Rschmitz]

I wonder what kind of money he is going to want next contract

 

[TeslaCoilFan]

I was a bit iffy on him to begin with as he wasn't that great to start. But I knew he was coming off of a hand injury and it does take time to get in sync with new teammates and new system so I kept hoping.

He and Girardi were just okay together (with us, lol) but I kept thinking that G and he were slipping into bad Rangers defense habits. He did some nice offense, but his defense seemed...erratic, especially around our net. Now I think that pairing was probably more to give McD a chance to get acclimated by having a partner he knew than long term plans.

After Coop put him and Strålman together, things started to click defensively. A little rough to begin with as they got used to each other, but they've started building up a nice chemistry. They did an excellent job shutting down Hall. I think Mack isn't used to being able to trust his partner as much as he can Stråls.

Funny, but the McDonagh/Strålman pairing was one that many Rangers fans always wanted to see more of for the possibilities. Guess they get to see now.