Post-Game Talk: The Powerbungalow at Boston | 7:30 pm | NBCSN

[Uglybstrd]

My god, did Vesey do anything tonight?

He consumed oxygen….

Seriously; he`s not been any good since the TD or so, like many others.
Pity, since he started the season very nice.

 

[NCRanger]

JHS isn’t going to make it through next year.

I may not.

Been a fan for 40 years.

I was just about done by the end of the Dark Ages. Only thing that brought me back was missing a year and a decent team when it came back. While the Dark Ages teams were awfully built and usually gave up, at least there was a modicum of hope.

This group and what appears to be a worse group next year shows no hope.

That's not a good place to be as a fan. I have a thousand better things to do with my time than watch a big market club filled with plugs get clowned and national pundits celebrate it.

 

[NCRanger]

He consumed oxygen….

Seriously; he`s not been any good since the TD or so, like many others.
Pity, since he started the season very nice.

Jimmy Vesey on a team with talented players would be Jake Guentzel. When Vesey was playing with Krieder and Zib, he looked halfway decent. When he plays on a third line with plugs, he becomes a plug himself.

 

[MyLoveIsBlue]

Another fine example of “rebuild” hockey! Honestly, at this point, this is pathetic. The players on this team consistently find ways to embarrass themselves. For Example:

1. Lias’ entire display for the entire season but especially tonight( at least he was noticeable!)
2. Lemuiex challenging Chara to a fight
3.Hank acting like a petulant child after giving up goals— I love Hank by the way—
4. Several players literally disappearing during this stretch run when they should be giving it their best to make the roster for next year,
5. The organization being so devoid of forward talent that we have Brendan Smith playing consecutive games.
6. The “too many men on the ice” epedemic that occurs nearly every game.

It’s just no where near good enough! Aside from Mika who is and has been tremendous, and occasional bursts of good from Tony and Chytil, and the consistent effort from Strome there is literally nothing on this roster that makes me excited for next year. Maybe some of the guys not yet here will amount to something, but for the most part- I hope garbage pickup day occurs sometime before the start of next year and most of this roster is sent to the dump where they belong.

 

[ThirdEye]

So by your line of thinking, the fan base should be ok with this young group that is supposedly going to be our next in line just rolling over! I can’t read that this season has been frustrating so let’s just give them a pass. I’d agree with you if we had a veteran team who’s been around the block for years but that same mentality does not fly with me when we have a roster filled with players who should be trying to make a name for themselves. These guys should hungry trying to prove their worth— not happily playing poorly this proving their worth in the negative.

This idea that none of these guys are going to be around next year is also insane. While I’d love an entirely new roster save for a few, many of these guys will be battling it out for an NHL roster spot. Simple as that— Vesey, Names, Fast,, Skjei, Smith, fit into a puzzle somewhere and it would be nice if these guys showed something down the stretch( I know Fast is hurt.)

Now to be fair, this team has shown heart all year. I credit Quinn with that. I think what we are all witenessing here( and seems to be creeping into the mindset of a few posters here) is exactly a losing mentality( its been a tough year and losing hurts so it’s ok to just keep losing.) I’m glad the coach seems to be railing against this. It’s unfortunate a lot of the players can’t or won’t live up to his standard!

We have guys playing very well though despite the circumstances... Buch, Strome, Zib, Lemieux, ADA, and Skjei (he's been better in the second half). As for guys like Smith, Names, and/or Vesey - I don't think any of them have been awful, but they are utterly replaceable and so them mailing it in a bit down the stretch doesn't really pique my interest. If they don't want a longterm spot on this team then so be it - we'll can easily find similar players through free agency

Then you have a bunch of barely 20 year olds in Chytil, Andersson and Howden... all of them are rookies and so a healthy tapering of expectations is needed. The fact that they haven't looked completely out of place is all you can really hope for the first season - anything else and you're expecting too much.

Also, this "young group" to be our next in line is not exactly complete... some of our better prospects like Kravstov, Miller, Shesterkin and Lundkvist haven't played a game in the NHL yet.

 

[JHS]

We have guys playing very well though despite the circumstances... Buch, Strome, Zib, Lemieux, ADA, and Skjei (he's been better in the second half). As for guys like Smith, Names, and/or Vesey - I don't think any of them have been awful, but they are utterly replaceable and so them mailing it in a bit down the stretch doesn't really pique my interest. If they don't want a longterm spot on this team then so be it - we'll can easily find similar players through free agency

Then you have a bunch of barely 20 year olds in Chytil, Andersson and Howden... all of them are rookies and so a healthy tapering of expectations is needed. The fact that they haven't looked completely out of place is all you can really hope for the first season - anything else and you're expecting too much.

Also, this "young group" to be our next in line is not exactly complete... some of our better prospects like Kravstov, Miller, Shesterkin and Lundkvist haven't played a game in the NHL yet.

Totally fair- I’m in agreement but by Vesey, Names, Fast, Smith etc essentially showing not much, they are putting the Rangers in a tough spot. Imagine if these guys showed something( again Fast being hurt stinks) they might actually be marketable assets to some team. Right now, they just seem totally lost and adding nothing.

Not sure I totally agree with the young guys not looking out of place. Except for Chytil( who looks very much like an NHL player) Howden and Lias have pretty much taken this year as a “hey look at me I’m and NHL player” without really solidifying themselves long term. Maybe they have grown from this year( I hope so!) and will come back better suited for the NHL next year—I think Howden looks more NHL ready than Lias because of skill set.

 

[Raspewtin]

taking my fiance to her first Rangers game Friday and really hoping it's not a repeat of this..

 

[LieutenantLackluster]

Powerstudioapartment

Rents due. Evicted.

 

[DutchNYR]

taking my fiance to her first Rangers game Friday and really hoping it's not a repeat of this..

Expect it to be worse. The Blues actually still have something to play for.

 

[True Blue]

2. Lemuiex challenging Chara to a fight

Going to ignore most of the points, as I think they are ridiculous, save for the too many men on the ice part. That is all on Quinn.

Will just focus on the above point. What was wrong with what Lemieux did? He was standing up for a teammate. Chara came over and essentially threatened ZBad. Lemiuex's reaction is what one would hope from a teammate.

 

[Blue Blooded]

taking my fiance to her first Rangers game Friday and really hoping it's not a repeat of this..

Now that's a name i haven't heard in a long time. Congratulations on the engagement!

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Fast gets a pass as he was hurt most of the year but can anyone tell me what Vesey adds to this team right now? Not good on pp, not good on pk, not using his size, not scoring, not shutting down teams? I mean the guy has to grab a role and attach himself to it. This offseason should be a huge one for him, he needs to bring something next fall.

 

[JHS]

Going to ignore most of the points, as I think they are ridiculous, save for the too many men on the ice part. That is all on Quinn.

Will just focus on the above point. What was wrong with what Lemieux did? He was standing up for a teammate. Chara came over and essentially threatened ZBad. Lemiuex's reaction is what one would hope from a teammate.

My issue is hockey culture shows that Lemieux is actually acting a fool in this situation as Chara is never actually going to fight him and if he did fight him Lemieux would have lasted less than 10 seconds. It’s a fake challenge and people who’ve played the game or been involved in the game at any higher level know that if you “fake challenge” someone it’s looked at as a rather soft move.

I love Lemieux standing up for teammates- I could not agree more that that aspect of his game is great- but please, going after the biggest player in the league and yelling at him from the bench after you’ve skated off is about as cowardice a move as possible. The Bruins handled the situation with Lias the way upstanding NHL teams/players do. They took care of it on the ice- not yelling and making fake challenges from the bench. Even the guys on the broadcast made a joke of Lemieux’s actions( granted I don’t like Milbury at all but he atleast gets hockey culture.

 

[ThirdEye]

Not sure I totally agree with the young guys not looking out of place. Except for Chytil( who looks very much like an NHL player) Howden and Lias have pretty much taken this year as a “hey look at me I’m and NHL player” without really solidifying themselves long term. Maybe they have grown from this year( I hope so!) and will come back better suited for the NHL next year—I think Howden looks more NHL ready than Lias because of skill set.

I agree that Lias and Howden would probably have been better served in the AHL for the entirety of the season, but it's not up to them where they play. Is it really their fault that management decided that they should be playing in the NHL when really they shouldn't be? I think you're also underestimating how tough the first season or two in the NHL season is for prospects... there's a reason that 14 of the picks outside the top 5 in 2017 still haven't even had a cup of coffee at the NHL level. And of the 10 that have that aren't on our team, they've put up 101 points in 320 NHL games which translates to about a 28 point season. Going back to 2016 - the picks outside the top 5 that have played in an NHL game have averaged around .45 points per game or ~37 points over an 82 games season. If you take that into account guys like Chytil and Howden are coming along just fine. Andersson has been a mystery, but at the same time he's been bounced around a lot and hasn't been given consistent playing time. I understand the worry with him but I think it's too early to make any kind of final judgement

 

[ThirdEye]

edit: Whoops, double post

 

[Svenhart2008]

My issue is hockey culture shows that Lemieux is actually acting a fool in this situation as Chara is never actually going to fight him and if he did fight him Lemieux would have lasted less than 10 seconds. It’s a fake challenge and people who’ve played the game or been involved in the game at any higher level know that if you “fake challenge” someone it’s looked at as a rather soft move.

I love Lemieux standing up for teammates- I could not agree more that that aspect of his game is great- but please, going after the biggest player in the league and yelling at him from the bench after you’ve skated off is about as cowardice a move as possible. The Bruins handled the situation with Lias the way upstanding NHL teams/players do. They took care of it on the ice- not yelling and making fake challenges from the bench. Even the guys on the broadcast made a joke of Lemieux’s actions( granted I don’t like Milbury at all but he atleast gets hockey culture.

What "situation"? The one involving a nothing hit? Bruins got their panties in a bunch and wanted to play macho tough guys against a team of kids. Mission accomplished i guess. I'm sure they smacked each other in the shower afterwards.

 

[True Blue]

I love Lemieux standing up for teammates- I could not agree more that that aspect of his game is great- but please, going after the biggest player in the league and yelling at him from the bench after you’ve skated off is about as cowardice a move as possible. The Bruins handled the situation with Lias the way upstanding NHL teams/players do. They took care of it on the ice- not yelling and making fake challenges from the bench. Even the guys on the broadcast made a joke of Lemieux’s actions( granted I don’t like Milbury at all but he atleast gets hockey culture.

It's not like he he skated off for no reason. It happened that Chara skated over when he was on the bench. Calling it a fake challenge is disingenuous.

 

[aufheben]

Since when do the Bruins handle things in an “upstanding way”?

 

[JHS]

I agree that Lias and Howden would probably have been better served in the AHL for the entirety of the season, but it's not up to them where they play. Is it really their fault that management decided that they should be playing in the NHL when really they shouldn't be? I think you're also underestimating how tough the first season or two in the NHL season is for prospects... there's a reason that 14 of the picks outside the top 5 in 2017 still haven't even had a cup of coffee at the NHL level. And of the 10 that have that aren't on our team, they've put up 101 points in 320 NHL games which translates to about a 28 point season. Going back to 2016 - the picks outside the top 5 that have played in an NHL game have averaged around .45 points per game or ~37 points over an 82 games season. If you take that into account guys like Chytil and Howden are coming along just fine. Andersson has been a mystery, but at the same time he's been bounced around a lot and hasn't been given consistent playing time. I understand the worry with him but I think it's too early to make any kind of final judgement

I totally agree- I’ve been outspoken about keeping these guys in the minors and calling them up only when they are ready this entire season. I got into it with several people over the idea that the NHL is not the place to truely develop talent and was laughed at and told I knew nothing about the way players develop.

I really don’t have an issue with Howden or Chytil at all. Lias I’m worried about because he looks like he should have been picked in the third round.

 

[JHS]

It's not like he he skated off for no reason. It happened that Chara skated over when he was on the bench. Calling it a fake challenge is disingenuous.

All I know is, Lemieux was at the bench screaming at Chara. That’s really not the way to handle it. Honestly, it’s not even a big deal because at least he stood up for something. I was only explaining why I thought he embarrassed himself. If he wanted to do it the “right” way, he would have squared up against Chara and dropped the gloves but rightfully so, he chose to act tough but not actually be tough( I say rightfully so because no one should ever fight Chara if that person is not over 6 feet 5 inches tall— We’ve all watched the outcome of fights with smaller guys taking on a Chara- it’s not pretty.

 

[Mac n Gs]

I may not.

Been a fan for 40 years.

I was just about done by the end of the Dark Ages. Only thing that brought me back was missing a year and a decent team when it came back. While the Dark Ages teams were awfully built and usually gave up, at least there was a modicum of hope.

This group and what appears to be a worse group next year shows no hope.

That's not a good place to be as a fan. I have a thousand better things to do with my time than watch a big market club filled with plugs get clowned and national pundits celebrate it.

I’m confused. How was there a modicum of hope on a team with aging vets with bloated contracts and a poor prospect pool. Unless I’m mistaken and you’re referring to the post-2004 lockout teams when they started building something carried on the back of Jagr being superhuman.

I obviously can’t attest to this, but wouldn’t this group be closer to the late 60s leading into the early 70s Rangers?

 

[Ori]

Once he does, just needs to buy offense and toughness and maybe we'll compete.

It is too early to compete for playoffs positions unless we hit in 2019 draft. But the defense need consideration for sure and we can`t rebuild it that quick in the draft.

 

[Kovalev27]

you can't bring back Vesey or namestnikov especially. haven't heard his name in two months easily. Fast should come back for his final year then that's it. Strome is better in every way. you know kravtsov and buchnevich will be here. I rather have Fast than lettieri that's what it comes down too but both shouldn't be long for this org.

Vesey just I don't know what he is. he's not good enough to be a top 6 player consistently. he falls apart in a bottom 6 role. we have cheaper better options there in lias and lemiuex for the third line left wing spot imo.

 

[Levitate]

you can't bring back Vesey or namestnikov especially. haven't heard his name in two months easily. Fast should come back for his final year then that's it. Strome is better in every way. you know kravtsov and buchnevich will be here. I rather have Fast than lettieri that's what it comes down too but both shouldn't be long for this org.

Vesey just I don't know what he is. he's not good enough to be a top 6 player consistently. he falls apart in a bottom 6 role. we have cheaper better options there in lias and lemiuex for the third line left wing spot imo.

Thing is basically that the Rangers have too many guys like Vesey, Namestnikov, Strome, Fast, etc right now. Decent bottom six players who tend to run hot and cold which is basically just what bottom six players do. Sometimes they look great, and then sometimes they just disappear. It happens even on good teams. But the Rangers are playing these bottom six guys in the top six because they lack talent. On top of that, the guys that we hope will bring legit top six talent just aren't there yet (Chytil, Andersson, maybe Howden).

So really...I wouldn't mind if any of those guys are brought back but it's more important IMO that they be brought back in a capacity that is suited to their talents, not to be relied upon to be a major scoring threat in the lineup.

The Rangers desperately need Chytil and Andersson and Howden to take legitimate steps forward next year or they're going to be a very tough team to watch.

 

[True Blue]

All I know is, Lemieux was at the bench screaming at Chara. That’s really not the way to handle it.

Char comes to your bench and threatens your top player, and you are supposed to sit demurely with your eyes down? THAT is not the way to handle it.

If he wanted to do it the “right” way, he would have squared up against Chara and dropped the gloves but rightfully so, he chose to act tough but not actually be tough( I say rightfully so because no one should ever fight Chara if that person is not over 6 feet 5 inches tall— We’ve all watched the outcome of fights with smaller guys taking on a Chara- it’s not pretty.

He was on the bench as his shift was over? Was he supposed to jump off and challenge Chara then?