Speculation: The Off-Season Thread Part VI - Are we there yet? (Grabovski to Caps, 1 yr)

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

He might not fit the Rangers needs by the time he realistically becomes available. I certainly hope that ends up being the case, because that means one of our own players has stepped up and lived up to their potential.

This is very true, and hopefully Kreider is performing to his potential. The Rangers most glaring need is LW.

Again, I wouldn't throw a blank check at Vanek but if we keep our core and can make it work? absolutely. It doesn't HAVE to be him though, just someone who is performing better than Kreider and Hagelin are at the moment.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

You guys are playing fantasy league hockey again. Has that stuff ever worked for the Rangers or the Flyers or the other teams which are the big money teams? No. Its a new guy today and it will be a new guy tomorrow. Scout and draft the players. Give them time to develop. The Rangers need to stop trading top picks. They got nothing from the recent draft. Free agency is fools gold. It seems like the right move at the time and then you regret it for much longer.

Agree 100%.

The same complaints about a coach's system are levied year after year when maybe, just maybe, one of the large issues is a revolving cast of characters being inserted into important spots in the lineup year after year.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

That doesnt mean u just stop signing players. You build a core, which we have done and then bring in someone to try to put you over the top, Vanek is an outstanding player and fits the Rangers need to a T. If he becomes available and we can make it work.

Funny, because most successful teams have a core that brings them over the top and imports players to supplement that. The Rangers do it backwards, especially at forward.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

This is very true, and hopefully Kreider is performing to his potential. The Rangers most glaring need is LW.

Again, I wouldn't throw a blank check at Vanek but if we keep our core and can make it work? absolutely. It doesn't HAVE to be him though, just someone who is performing better than Kreider and Hagelin are at the moment.

How do we even know Kreider's potential yet? Im just hoping, for starters, he consistently shows he belongs in the NHL this season.

 

[RangerBoy]

I still don't believe the Hank, Callahan and Girardi will get a significant increase, I dont think Lundqvist gets 9M. Is he the best goalie? sure.. Is he better than Rask by almost 2M?????... I can see Callahan and Girardi getting about 1-1.5M more than they are making now.. This is also not counting the cap going up, or potential players like Miller, Kristo, Lindberg, Mcilrath making an impact, or Kreider actually performing. Things would have to happen, which is why I said if we can keep our core together and "make it work"

Having a top heavy roster is why the Rangers traded Gaborik. Even if the cap jumps to $70M for 14-15,the increases to the Rangers 3 group IIIs will take up most of the $6M increase.

 

[RangerBoy]

From: @LavoieRenaud
Sent: Aug 22, 2013 11:23a

Douglas Murray signed a one year contract with the Canadiens. Another D for Habs.

sent via Twitter for BlackBerry
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/LavoieRenaud/status/370566954027073536

 

[RangerBoy]

Murray wasn't very good for Pittsburgh. Vancouver had expressed interest in him. Tortorella likes mobile defensemen. Murray has the mobility of a traffic cone.

 

[RangerBoy]

Tortorella spoke to a Vancouver writer. He realizes that team has issues. They need youth. If you look at their prospects,they're very young. He mentioned some of the Rangers young players but those guys didn't join the Rangers until his 2nd or 3rd full season. http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=8818161

 

[gravy121]

Tortorella spoke to a Vancouver writer. He realizes that team has issues. They need youth. If you look at their prospects,they're very young. He mentioned some of the Rangers young players but those guys didn't join the Rangers until his 2nd or 3rd full season. http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/story.html?id=8818161

For myself, found it interesting to compare Torts discussing "the six, seven, eight games that I watched" of Vancouver; to Ulfie commenting that he watched all the games to prepare and get a grasp for the NYR D.

 

[Thirty One]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/h...hford+Tortorella+open+book/8817976/story.html

It’s a criticism that boiled over this off-season when it was suggested some players in New York turned on him, complaining to management about the way they were treated.

It’s a scenario Tortorella all but conceded. He also said it hurt him, mostly because he felt those players should have confronted him.

“What bothered me the most is I thought I was pretty close to the guys, and in exit interviews they come by my desk too, and no one said anything to me,†Tortorella said.

“I wish they would have said something to me. Glen (Sather) probably still would have fired me, but you hope you develop people to be men, and I thought we were there. I guess it went through a third party instead of face-to-face. I know it happens in the game, I don’t agree with it.

What I'm most confused about is the picture, however.

Do you think he's saying, "Oh please, you silly goose" or he's anticipating a high-five from some one walking behind him?

 

[Thirty One]

For myself, found it interesting to compare Torts discussing "the six, seven, eight games that I watched" of Vancouver; to Ulfie commenting that he watched all the games to prepare and get a grasp for the NYR D.

What I gathered most from that is that Ulf is a liar.

 

[Fitzy]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/h...hford+Tortorella+open+book/8817976/story.html



What I'm most confused about is the picture, however.

Do you think he's saying, "Oh please, you silly goose" or he's anticipating a high-five from some one walking behind him?

Looks more like an "Oh, come off it!"

He has a big job in Vancouver. That's a hungry fanbase that was starting to feel like they were never going to win the cup under Luongo and AV. Now their future star goalie is gone for a middle 1st and they have Torts.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/h...hford+Tortorella+open+book/8817976/story.html



What I'm most confused about is the picture, however.

Do you think he's saying, "Oh please, you silly goose" or he's anticipating a high-five from some one walking behind him?

Gutless on the players' behalf if you ask me.

 

[haveandare]

Gutless on the players' behalf if you ask me.

Agreed. The guy gave the team an identity and that's the thanks he got?

 

[Thirty One]

Regardless of their goalie and coach, the Canucks peak-level competitiveness is a couple years removed.

 

[Tawnos]

I've known people like Tortorella in real life. You know what a common theme is? Every time it comes up how hard they are on people, they say "no one ever told me" or "I'm shocked!" And you know what? Every time, someone had told them or warned them. I don't believe him. At all.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I've known people like Tortorella in real life. You know what a common theme is? Every time it comes up how hard they are on people, they say "no one ever told me" or "I'm shocked!" And you know what? Every time, someone had told them or warned them. I don't believe him. At all.

Im sure there were instances during the season where players spoke up.

But to keep your mouth shut in the exit interview with Tortorella and then whine to Sather about it is a gutless move any way you slice it. Its something a weasel would do.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Gutless on the players' behalf if you ask me.

If true I 100% agree. But this could also easily be Torts trying to cover his tracks (I was stabbed in the back) and trying to send a message to his new squad about accountability and what he expects.

We will never know. Neither scenario would surprise me. It is likely a little of both.

 

[Thirty One]

Gutless on the players' behalf if you ask me.

It's a meh for me.

It's easy to be honest with people who are understanding and compassionate. Torts didn't create an environment where honesty flows.

I also find it hard to hear him reprimanding people for not acting like adults.

 

[Championship*]

Tort's is the ULTIMATE contrarian. I take everything he says with a grain of salt.

 

[pld459666]

I've known people like Tortorella in real life. You know what a common theme is? Every time it comes up how hard they are on people, they say "no one ever told me" or "I'm shocked!" And you know what? Every time, someone had told them or warned them. I don't believe him. At all.

This.

a 1000 times this.

Keenan was an absolute ******* to the guys in his charge the year he led the Rangers to the Cup. It took a guy with stature of Mark Messier to go into Iron Mike's office and put the smack down on his candyass.

The Rangers have no one of that stature on the team today.

Richards aint gonna do it. He's a Torts guy.

Callahan I don't believe has the balls to do it, not to mention the lack of a successful background supporting him.

Had any player gone to Tortorella one on one to voice this major issue, I'd bet that Torts would have had that player shipped out.

Guys like Tortorella do not change who they are in this regards until they are fired because of it. Some of them take more than one firing to actually get it through their thick skulls.

Yes Torts helped the Rangers find a definable personality as a team, but just like Torts, that persona was VERY flawed.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

It is still my personal opinion that when you have an issue with someone in the workplace, one that could reflect seriously on their career prospects, you go to their face. Period. If that doesn't work you go above. But the passive aggression and backstabbing that goes around is a sad way to handle things.

Again, we will likely never know th full story here so who cares? No point in picking sides. But that's my personal opinion...

 

[Player big P]

Players were playing scared of him. It showed. They were also under the impression that he would still be their coach next year. Complaining about him to his face would just be painting a target on your own back. Torts isn't the kind of guy who would listen to people complain about him and react with "You're right, I'll change from now on."

 

[haveandare]

I guess I didn't realize how many people on the board know Torts personally.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

This.

a 1000 times this.

Keenan was an absolute ******* to the guys in his charge the year he led the Rangers to the Cup. It took a guy with stature of Mark Messier to go into Iron Mike's office and put the smack down on his candyass.

The Rangers have no one of that stature on the team today.

Richards aint gonna do it. He's a Torts guy.

Callahan I don't believe has the balls to do it, not to mention the lack of a successful background supporting him.

Had any player gone to Tortorella one on one to voice this major issue, I'd bet that Torts would have had that player shipped out.

Guys like Tortorella do not change who they are in this regards until they are fired because of it. Some of them take more than one firing to actually get it through their thick skulls.

Yes Torts helped the Rangers find a definable personality as a team, but just like Torts, that persona was VERY flawed.

That persona was rooted in toughness, at least in '11-12. I enjoyed that thoroughly. Now we've got a team that includes players whose argument seems to be that Tortorella was "too hard" on them. And, instead of confronting that head on after the season, they snake their way to the GM. This situation is a microcosm of how the team played most of last season - without any balls.

And no, Im not defending Tortorella here. If I was Sather, I probably would've fired him anyway. Thats a toxic atmosphere that he helped perpetuate. But I'd also do what I could to jettison the players that felt a coward's way out was the best way to express the issue. I wouldnt want players capable of that sort of thing on my team