Im not going to put a lot of stock into last night's game. I missed the first two period and from what I have read, it seems like rangers started losing their legs. Ironically, we actually beat them in the underlying stats last night. Twice in a row we got goalie'd hard while playing pretty good 5v5.
The 3rd line is our main issue because we got reaves rooney goodrow and thats a good 4th line. Essentially, same as most season, we have 2 4th lines. If we are going to upgrade, make it a top 6 player to play on the 3rd and drive that line. Whoever we get, i hope they are good at 5v5. At this point, if he's cheap, i think you buy low on kessel and hope he thrives here. He's playing top six mins in az on an abysmal team, so us slotting him onto the 3rd should keep him fresh.
I rarely see barron out there but when I do, his defense is good, but the offense isnt there. Maybe paired with a play driver would do wonders. Mckegg is an ahl player imo. Yea he can pk, but we have plenty of those type of players. Rooney and hunt can take up his time.
I think, either this season or the next, we have to start signing these former star players who are old to cheap deals. The experience alone is worth it because at the age of 34/35, they've been around the block and want to teach the youngins. Look at spezza on the leafs. Look at joe for the puddy cats. Perry for the stars, habs, and now the lightning. They might not be gamebreakers anymore but with limited minutes, they produce (save for joe, mans is too old, and honestly same for chara). Look at corey perry, who went to a ton of scf and had a cup win in '06 (correct me on the date if im wrong). I dont care when, but them making 1 million is better than mckegg making a million.
The thing the rangers have to do is prove they can compete. To do this, they have to win a round in the playoffs and show the league we are for real. That attracts the former stars. At this point, they just want a cup. Look at reaves and the change he has had on the locker room. Sure, he's super slow but goddammit can he make some nice plays and every game, he just runs people down and in a clean manner. Im talking about him just beating up hughes the whole night yesterday. Mans is like 3rd in the league in hits, is a big brother to baby rangers, and is cheap. We need more of that, just someone who actually had more than 20 points in a season lol.
If you want player development, play your kids with players who became something. Mckegg will teach you to stay in the lineup, but can he impart any scoring knowledge? Can he come up with an offensive scheme? No.
Our youth reflects our feelings that this team got ripe earlier than expected and thats not bad. We have more assets than most teams in playoff positions. We have more cap space than the whole ec playoff teams combined. Make it work. Dont pay through the ass, but dont sit with your chips when your team is feeling good about themselves.
