Larry Brooks: Sather must decide: Is dealing Girardi best for Rangers?

[haveandare]

Brown won a Cup. That's how you measure success in this league, not by winning ****ing playoff rounds or blocked shots. He's redundant because of the blue collar BS he brings to the table. We need more skill in the lineup.

Brown's team won a cup. Brown had a great run that post season, no question, but individuals don't win cups, and if they did, Quick won that hands down by putting up a historically incredible performance.

Also, who are these blue collar wingers that NYR has so many of? Kreider is kinda both skilled and blue collar, MZA is very skilled, Hags I guess is a blue collar kinda player but he doesn't hit much, Pouliot won't be around in the future, and is a skill player I guess, Nash is a skill player...

NYR need skill on the blue line if anything. Take out Cally and add another skill forward and where are the forwards who hit and are hard to play against? That actually play more than fourth line minutes? Kreider. End of list.

Teams need a little of everything. Don't confuse having trouble scoring with having too many blue collar forwards. This team had that problem 3 years ago, they don't have it today.

 

[Thirty One]

Brown won a Cup. That's how you measure success in this league, not by winning ****ing playoff rounds or blocked shots. He's redundant because of the blue collar BS he brings to the table. We need more skill in the lineup.

Is that why Sather brought in Carcillo?

 

[eco's bones]

Most of the teams sign their players to long term contracts out of entry level. Those players are off the market for a while. The Hawks will have the space to re-sign Kane and Toews to $12M per. Those guys are up in a year or two. There will be many overpaid players this summer and every summer.

That's all true but what seems to be happening now is Henrik's finally getting his game together and Nash is starting to score goals. Rangers pwp meanwhile is a lot more effective than it has been the past few years. After 47 games these lines seem to have come together--the different forwards all mixing well together.

Nash (11) Stepan (7) Kreider (12) = 30 goals. Kreider's size and speed helping Nash get his game back.
Richards (11) Callahan (8) Hagelin (11) = 30 goals
Brassard (8) Zuccarello (11) Pouliot (8) = 27 goals
with a 4th line of
Boyle (3) D. Moore (3) Dorsett (3) Carcillo (1) = 10 goals.

A lot of this offense is recent. Pwp is clicking around Zuccarello (4-11-15) Brassard (5-9-14) Richards who is often out entire pwp's (2-9-11) McDonagh (1-7-8). Those 4 are the main guys all the time now with one of Pouliot (5-1-6), Kreider (5-5-10) or Callahan (4-3-7) playing musical chairs as guys going to the net. I find it interesting that Nash (3-2-5) does not seem to be getting all that much pwp time.

Basically there are signs that the team is getting better and better which IMO will come down to not moving either Callahan or Girardi unless the Rangers can get very serviceable players for this year's stretch run back. That doesn't seem likely.

 

[RangerBoy]

Nix (Geneva, NY)

Any news on a Callahan extension? The Rangers would be crazy to move the heart and soul of their team. He doesn't seem to be a guy to follow money, so I'm sure they could agree on a good deal since he enjoys being in New York. It's close to Rochester, and it's not Buffalo.

Katie Strang (2:33 PM)

Nope. There have been some discussions, but they have been very off and on with long periods in between without much communication. Think the Rangers are going to have to make some tough internal decisions soon about the direction and future of the team. Callahan deserves a raise and he'll get it somewhere, but the Rangers may have concerns about his long-term durability

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/49822

Very soon. Olympic break is 3 weeks away from this Saturday. 20 day break for the Rangers. Six days later is the trade deadline.

 

[RangerBoy]

The Olympic break deadline is Friday Feb. 7. There are 10 games on the 8th. The Rangers done on the 7th.

In some ways, there are two trade deadlines this season.

There's the real trade deadline, March 5 at 3 p.m. ET, but there's also the pre-trade deadline on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. ET. That's when a trade freeze goes into effect for the Olympic break and doesn't thaw until 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 23.

That leaves 10 days after the Olympics for teams to get their shopping done. The question is whether some clubs are going to want to make their move before Sochi instead.

That's just what Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford did in 2005-06, acquiring veteran center Doug Weight before the Torino Olympics break in order to beat out the other teams lining up to bid on the prized rental player after the Games. Weight was a solid addition to a team that would end up winning the Stanley Cup.

"I think teams would like to do what we did with Weight. He was the No. 1 targeted guy that year, and we jumped in early," Rutherford told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "But with teams being so tight under the cap this year, it's probably going to make it more difficult. Because the players those teams want to pick up this year, they're going to need the other team to eat up a bit of cap space to fit them in.

"If they can do it, most teams would like to [make their move before the Olympic break]."

The tough part in adding a player before the break is that a team is carrying his salary and cap hit while he's not playing for two weeks. The flip side is that a team is not scrambling in those final 10 days after the Olympics to make sure it gets the player it wants.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/28775/olympic-break-creates-two-trade-deadlines

The NHL was set to resume on Wednesday Feb.26 but Carolina is playing Buffalo on the 25th because their game was postponed last week. Snow storm in Buffalo. The deadline is Wednesday March 5.

 

[pld459666]

Everyone knows that this is Slats MO, he will pay other teams players but never his own. We will let Cally and G walk and then give Drury II 9m.

If Cally was a UFA of another team, we would be all over him...

which would be the same mistake as re-signing him to a deal that he will never live up to.

players like callahan do not become LESS brittle as the years go by. The slight frame and the style he plays becomes more of a factor as the years progress and the miles add up.

Signing a UFA like this from another team would be a blunder.

Callahan is a 3rd line - 2nd line tweener that has no justification for being paid 5+ million.

I don't care how many pucks he lays down in front of.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

Callahan is a bonafide second liner who plays a complete game.

Resigning him gives us ridiculous RW depth if Zuke keeps his game up. Bring up JT Miller and let him center the third line and that's a wonderful "third line."

Girardi is going to demand more and is not as good a player.

 

[NYR Viper]

Serious question:

Why can't the Rangers do what the Sharks did last year? Move out a couple of pieces and bring in a couple of pieces who they want to re-sign and they feel will re-sign for a good contract?

Move Callahan, Girardi, Boyle, etc.

Try and find some undervalued guys out there who you may want to add to this team moving forward and who may not cost a lot. Try to acquire a couple of higher end prospects who are close to the NHL and are behind good NHL depth. Clendening? Etem? Players like that.

 

[GAGLine]

That's what I said in the trade thread. There's no reason we can't be both buyers and sellers.

 

[Jackson Ranger]

The Olympic break deadline is Friday Feb. 7. There are 10 games on the 8th. The Rangers done on the 7th.



http://proxy.espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/28775/olympic-break-creates-two-trade-deadlines

The NHL was set to resume on Wednesday Feb.26 but Carolina is playing Buffalo on the 25th because their game was postponed last week. Snow storm in Buffalo. The deadline is Wednesday March 5.

Another reason to make a trade before the Olympic deadline is to get the player (especially if he is not in the Olympics) acclimated to his new team and environment.

 

[E-Train]

Serious question:

Why can't the Rangers do what the Sharks did last year? Move out a couple of pieces and bring in a couple of pieces who they want to re-sign and they feel will re-sign for a good contract?

Move Callahan, Girardi, Boyle, etc.

Try and find some undervalued guys out there who you may want to add to this team moving forward and who may not cost a lot. Try to acquire a couple of higher end prospects who are close to the NHL and are behind good NHL depth. Clendening? Etem? Players like that.

Because Slats can't be bothered to put in the work that Doug Wilson and his staff do to accomplish what you are asking.

 

[Cake or Death]

All indications are that Girardi's corner is seeking a lot and that Girardi's camp and the NYR have spoken and are not close at all. Brooks is a moron at times, but he has excellent sources. More so, when you have Friedman on record about teams showing interest on Girardi, there is something there.

Elliotte Friedman: The Rangers also have a big decision to make on Dan Girardi. Multiple sources believe Anaheim is interested and he'd be a very nice fit there. Same with Boston, now that Dennis Seidenberg is out.

Larry Brooks: The Bruins, Kings, Ducks and Sharks are all teams that may have interest in Girardi.

Ottawa Sun: The Rangers have shopped Dan Girardi a bit because Glen Sather is concerned that he won't be able to re-sign Girardi before he becomes a UFA on July 1.

Katie Strang: A few days ago @RealKyper reported Girardi and NYR aren't close on a new contract & G is headed towards free agency.

Nick Kypreos: Whatever talks they have had have not gone particularly well. The feeling out there right now is that Girardi will go the distance here unless something changes.

 

[Kokoschka]

What should happen: Sather realizes that this team isn't winning the cup and that he won't be able to re-sign Girardi. Therefore, he trades him at the deadline. We're getting back a player, who can help us a year from now, a first round-pick and a conditional mid-rounder or two, in case Girardi re-signs with his new team.

What will happen: The NYR continue their good play, are on playoff-course by the Olympic break. Sather says "anything can happen in the playoffs", keeps Girardi. The NYR lose out to PIT in the 2nd round, never really having a chance to win this matchup. Sather trades Girardi's rights at the draft for a 6th.

Not that I think we should let Girardi walk or try to trade him at any price. It will be awfully hard to replace him. But as numerous posters have pointed out, if you're not willing to re-sign him at the price he asks for, there is zero reason to keep him. Make one last push. Let him know that this is your final offer. If he takes it, good. If he doesn't, trade him.

 

[The Gloaming]

Who do you guys think has more value in a trade?

The more I think about it, the more I'd rather trade Callahan than Girardi.

 

[Thirty One]

Who do you guys think has more value in a trade?

I would think it's easily Girardi

 

[Vitto79]

I would think it's easily Girardi

just because there are not many good Righty shooting RD. At the same time that means it would be tough for NYR to replace him

Callahan is the perfect teammate. he does everything well. with that said Honestly I would hate losing Cally more than losing Girardi

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

just because there are not many good Righty shooting RD. At the same time that means it would be tough for NYR to replace him

Callahan is the perfect teammate. he does everything well. with that said Honestly I would hate losing Cally more than losing Girardi

Describe "perfect teammate"

Nash probably thinks hes the kid in class that tries too hard

 

[RangerBoy]

Brooks wrote a column today on Sather doing nothing. He doesn't have much to trade. Brooks believes Sather will stand pat. Kicking the can down the road. No reason to make any decisions.

But 15 of the 16 teams in the East are either in a playoff spot or within eight points of a berth, with only the Sabres dead and buried. Even with four teams in the West at least 10 points out of a spot pending Tuesday’s results, the logjam has produced a cap-squeezed market with few obvious sellers and many potential buyers.

Which means the cost will be high on the relatively few difference-makers who might be available, and will be very high in terms of the future for the Blueshirts, who have essentially nothing of excess to deal off the roster and have limited expendable resources through the system.

The Rangers do need to bulk up, and if there’s a swap to be made for Michael Del Zotto — mentally deficient on the Tampa Bay winner Tuesday night — that would yield a defenseman capable of playing 16 minutes and moving into the top four if injury were to strike, they would undoubtedly do so.

But they surely are not deep enough throughout the organization in order to justify dealing, say J.T. Miller, highly regarded Russian junior winger Pavel Buchnevich or a future No. 1 draft pick — after sacrificing last year’s in the Rick Nash trade — for short-term gain.

Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan are the Rangers’ chips as rental properties, but there isn’t a scintilla of available evidence — not even from Anthony Bosch or through purloined material — Sather has made either available … or that he is planning to go in that direction.

http://nypost.com/2014/01/14/in-big-picture-deals-may-not-help-rangers/

 

[RangerBoy]

Brooks brought up the playoffs. The Rangers have to make the playoffs before you talk about the team in the playoffs. Look at their schedule in March. 4 games in western Canada. Seven players in the Olympics. In 2006,the Rangers weren't a very good team but they had a great first half. The sum of the parts were better than the parts. Lundqvist struggled down the stretch. Sweden won gold that year. In 2010,the Rangers missed the playoffs. Olympic years. They have their opportunity at home this month. Lost in the shootout to Columbus. Lost to TB last night. It was Tampa's 3rd game in 4 nights. Back to back road games. Those are 3 big points. The Rangers have played much better and they barely in a playoff spot having played more games than the other teams. Combine those 3 points with the points lost in December at home.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?season=20132014&type=WC#&navid=nav-stn-conf

 

[theFiGS]

I think girardi gets traded for a young D prospect and a 1st from either Detroit Anaheim . Callahan gets resigned

 

[eco's bones]

Brooks brought up the playoffs. The Rangers have to make the playoffs before you talk about the team in the playoffs. Look at their schedule in March. 4 games in western Canada. Seven players in the Olympics. In 2006,the Rangers weren't a very good team but they had a great first half. The sum of the parts were better than the parts. Lundqvist struggled down the stretch. Sweden won gold that year. In 2010,the Rangers missed the playoffs. Olympic years. They have their opportunity at home this month. Lost in the shootout to Columbus. Lost to TB last night. It was Tampa's 3rd game in 4 nights. Back to back road games. Those are 3 big points. The Rangers have played much better and they barely in a playoff spot having played more games than the other teams. Combine those 3 points with the points lost in December at home.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?season=20132014&type=WC#&navid=nav-stn-conf

Personally if it were up to me college and Jr. kids would be playing in the Olympics--not NHL'ers. Considering that they've picked numerous Rangers underachievers this year--Nash, Stepan, the injured Callahan, Lundqvist whatever. There's a very good chance this team won't make the playoffs. A number of players though have been playing better recently. If that continues to the Olympic break and the the Rangers are positioned for the playoffs Sather will be less than likely to move key pieces and he certainly wouldn't have more than the grudging support (if that) of his coaching staff were he to do so. Pulling the plug on a would be 7th-8th seed might be the smart thing to do but shows a lack of faith not only in your players but in your coaching staff. That's why it's very unlikely. Sather's other option is to try to sign these guys but there's a point where that isn't feasible with either or. Just reading between the lines right now it seems that Girardi's going to be the harder sell than Callahan. Wish it were the other way around. This will be Girardi's and Cally's biggest chance to make a big score on the free agent market. You can't blame them though but how many millions of $'s does anyone really need? I recognize though that that is a minority opinion. For most people it's pile it on.

In the variable scenarios of holding on to the players however that works out--1. make the playoffs--2. go nowhere in the playoffs--3. make a run in the playoffs--4. don't make the playoffs and then lose the players for nothing after July 1. I expect again the Rangers to find ways to spend to the cap ceiling. Richards should be bought out anyway but his chances of staying increase IMO if Callahan and Girardi depart. One way or the other then the Rangers are going to use most of the excess $'s saved from Callahan, Girardi--and Richards or not on their own spending spree on the free agent market. More of the same old same old.

 

[Leonardo87]

I think girardi gets traded for a young D prospect and a 1st from either Detroit Anaheim . Callahan gets resigned

Callahan is well respected by the organization. He has been hot since coming back from his last injury, this team knows what he can do. He is also playing well in AV's system creating more scoring chances and setting up more plays than I have ever seen him do. Callahan is going to score around 50 points in a season even if he does miss some games.

I liked what Brooks said about how if Cally does part ways and ends up on say Pittsburgh he could send the Rangers packing. Cally's hard work ethics combined with some high elite talent is a cup waiting to happen, which is why Rangers need to land a top center or Left Winger to play with Cally. He is still in his prime, has had 3 consistant scoring seasons, and this season he is certainly turning it around.

 

[darko]

Callahan is a bonafide second liner who plays a complete game.

Resigning him gives us ridiculous RW depth if Zuke keeps his game up. Bring up JT Miller and let him center the third line and that's a wonderful "third line."

Girardi is going to demand more and is not as good a player.

It'd take 6 or a 7 year deal to sign Callahan. Do you want a guy making upwards of 5 mill per year playing on a 3rd line? I don't.

 

[OverTheCap]

****ing Sather, how many players are we going to end up losing for nothing on July 1? He should at least perform some due diligence and make these players available to see what their value is in a trade.

Leaving all these important decisions until the season is over is a monumental mistake. Not many teams have a scenario in which 13 players on their roster are set to be a UFA or RFA at year's end. Poor planning once again.

 

[NYR Viper]

This may be the first time where I may get legitimately angry at Sather for not doing the right thing for the long-term health of the organization. Neither player should get 7 years from the Rangers. They will both easily get 7 years on the open market.