Where do you see this team?

[McRanger92]

So, think of the rangers as a soup. They actually have a lot of the important ingredients. It’s a good soup but it needs something or other. That’s what the trade deadline is for.
Some teams have a poor broth to begin with. They could throw in a lot of cheap nonsense to make it palatable. But that won’t fly. The rangers have a terrific base and the result will be determined by what’s added at the end. And it’s going to be like this for the next five years. I suggest trying to enjoy it.

100% agree with the soup analogy. The Rangers have the core in place, now they need to build around it.

The core needs an additional top 4 D-man and a top 6 forward to compliment it and take the next step. I think KAM/Laf/Kakko/Schneider are untouchable (or close to it), but no one should be shocked if players from the Chytil/Kravtsov/Lundkvist/Jones/Robertson group get moved for more immediate help, even if its not necessarily a rental (Chychrun/Miller). My inclination would be to hold onto Othmann/Barron/Cuylle/Berard types, because I see them stepping into bottom 6 roles vacated by Rooney/Hunt/Reaves/etc. over the next few years and growing into bigger contributors during this window.

 

[duhmetreE]

So, think of the rangers as a soup. They actually have a lot of the important ingredients. It’s a good soup but it needs something or other. That’s what the trade deadline is for.
Some teams have a poor broth to begin with. They could throw in a lot of cheap nonsense to make it palatable. But that won’t fly. The rangers have a terrific base and the result will be determined by what’s added at the end. And it’s going to be like this for the next five years. I suggest trying to enjoy it.

You're right... we have all the high quality ingredients needed. We need a Chef to put it together

You don't blame the ingredients when someone cooks like shit. You also can't make chicken soup out of chicken shit.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Playoffs for sure. Depends on the matchup and if Igor is in net.

Could see them winning a round or two, but could also see them bomb.

Tough to tell, but its too bad they lost Blais - I think he wouldve been a key player for them in the playoffs.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Tampa, Carolina and Florida are not world beaters. Carolina lost to the Devils the other night, Seattle beat Florida tonight (Weegar was brutal can see why the Panthers are in heavily on Chychrun). The Canes and Panthers are suspect at the back.

One game does not make a team, they lost to the devils in one game and Tampa, the back to back champions, lost to Seattle, it happens. Doesnt change who they are. Put either team in a 7 game series with them and it's a squash. Anyone who actually watches Carolina and Florida play knows they are big trouble and Tampa is Tampa, they lost 3 big pieces and easily filled those holes with kids and Perry and havent missed a beat.
Ill ask 2 questions, are we a better team now than we were in the bubble? And 2, is Carolina a better team than they were in the bubble? And id say the answer to 1 is a little bit, and the answer to 2 is definitely and we got our asses handed to us.

 

[mas0764]

How do we drive off talent?

Kravstov ran home because he couldn’t bear to spend a week in Hartford after a completely average training camp like far, far better players have over and over. And he’s not exactly lighting the KHL on fire. Him being a talent in the NHL is very far from proven.

A very minor accommodation could have kept him here. We chose to stand on principle which caused him to bolt. It was the wrong decision on Kravtsov's part, but also on our part (well, on Drury/the team's part).

Everything you said is true but it doesn't mean we shouldn't have handled the situation differently.

Buch is an excellent and talented player no doubt, but if we extend him we guarantee that one of Laf or Kakko will not be a top 6 player TOI wise for years and will have even less chance to get PP time.

It was what we traded Buch for that was the problem.

I get not liking the Buch trade, especially while Blais is out and we’re seeing literally nothing in return yet, but I don’t think this idea that we drive off talent for support players is based in reality.

Blais being out doesn't have much to do with anything. He's at best a middle six grinder who would top out here at about 30 points. He's fine. If he's stapled to the bottom 6 he's a nice piece to have.

But not at the expense of top talent. He's the kind of guy you can buy in free agency, like you can with Barclay Goodrow, and since Blais is in fact a free agent this coming offseason, it's not like we got some long term cheap control of him by trading Buch. Blais is hitting the free agent market this very offseason where we will have to buy him. Yes he's an RFA so we have SOME control, but at the same time we are tight on dollars as well and he's not the kind of guy you want to overpay for.

Anyway, we can squabble about whether "driving off talent," is hyperbole or not but the point is we have made a series of bad personnel decisions, usually in favor of cliches that are pretty much demonstrably false, about grit and attitude and all that, and it needs to end. What we need is a few more skilled players, even if they also have some of that grit and toughness, but they have to have skill ALSO.

We spend the offseason searching for too many players who have the grit but not the skill.

 

[mas0764]

Our top 2 lines played much better when Panarin joined Zibs line. It was night and day for both him and Lafreniere. Every decent shift Lafreniere has had was with Strome, its time to leave him there.

Agreed

 

[mas0764]

“Hey team, you’ve been hovering around top five all season. Here come the playoffs!
We’ve traded your 2C for…well, it doesn’t matter. You won’t know who he is. He’s 20 and has terrific measurables. You’ll meet him in two years or so. Right now he’s taking final exams”.

Professional sports these days. It's not the 80s anymore.

These guys are getting paid millions to be professionals. I think they'll find a way to sleep at night.

It's one thing if you are doing it to save the owner a nickel. I can see them getting resentful about that.

This is to help them win two years from now, at which time the ones whose reactions I actually give a shit about, will still be here.

They are smart. They will get it.

If they don't get it, then I don't want them here anyway.

 

[Inferno]

Same.

It measures luck. Over 100, lucky. Under 100, unlucky.

 

[mas0764]

So, think of the rangers as a soup. They actually have a lot of the important ingredients. It’s a good soup but it needs something or other. That’s what the trade deadline is for.
Some teams have a poor broth to begin with. They could throw in a lot of cheap nonsense to make it palatable. But that won’t fly. The rangers have a terrific base and the result will be determined by what’s added at the end. And it’s going to be like this for the next five years. I suggest trying to enjoy it.

The Rangers need long term core pieces added to their soup. Probably two centers and a young wing (if not Kravtsov).

I'll enjoy the soup when those ingredients are added. Adding at the deadline is just sprinkling in salt.