With how stacked next year's draft is...do we tank for one more year or try to make the playoffs?

[Good Intentions]

I'm hoping they fail for one more season. Fail to make the playoffs and succeed in stinking it up so bad that they are in the bottom 3 with the best lottery odds for 2020. Was really hoping that Zucc would head back to Dallas and Dallas misses the playoffs giving the club 2 picks in top 15.

What i think is a little different. I don't think Zucc returns to Dallas. I do think the Rangers will add another 1st rounder in a deadline deal for Kreider. Also could see the landing a 2nd or a 3rd rounder for Vesey at the deadline, or at some point during the season.

Also thinking the club will finish in the 10-15 range and miss the playoffs by a few W's.


Best case scenario...Win the lotto again! LaFreniere, Raymond, Byfield....WINNING!!!

Edmonton and Pittsburgh have been beneficiaries in defying the ping-pong bliss. Why not us in 2020?

With that said, there isn’t an ounce of me that will root for L’s to stack (until February that is).

First things first, Zucc needs to remain in Texas - and we need our prospects to have a healthy 19-20. Health is everything.

 

[Synergy27]

I think we are gonna swing between the 12th pick and a wildcard

Which as I’ve been harping on, is probably the second worst possible outcome, the worst being they trade prospects/picks at the deadline and then get bounced in round 1.

The goal here is to field a team capable of truly contending for the Cup for multiple seasons in a row. They are very close to having the horses capable of doing that in just a couple of years. They are not in that position yet this year, so the focus should be on development and hopefully ending up in a position where yet another elite talent can be added to the roster.

And this Edmonton/Phoenix/etc. argument needs to die in a fire. Management team differences aside, those teams suck because they can’t augment their elite youth with quality FAs. Using them as a basis of comparison to the Rangers is just useless on many levels.

I’d prefer to compare the Rangers current approach to the one that they’ve applied for basically my entire lifetime which led to one SC in 75+ years. Stay. The. Course.

 

[ecemleafs]

And as to the rest of the defense?

I do not understand what you are doing. Are you simply looking to see if a rookie had a hot streak from February on and that your idea of being already a star? Is Barkov star? Chances are just as good of that as your rosy view. How about Tyler Sequin or Vinny Lecavalier or Henkrik Sedin? What if his first season was like Mar Messier's?

I didnt include that as a hot streak for any players. Those stats were from Feb first to the end of the season. An arbitrary date when you can see a high end rookie adjust to the nhl and produce. Seguin and svechnokov got 3rd or 4th line minutes as rookies. If kakko is getting 3rd or 4th line minutes then the discussion is pointless anyways. Lecavalier was a rookie over 20 years ago so I dont really see the comparison. Mark messier was not nearly the caliber prospect as kakko so I dont see why ur going there. Barkov is a star, again I'm not seeing your point.

I really dont see how u and others dont expect the defense to be much improved by essentially swapping an overused terrible nhler in pionk for a legit 20-25 minute very good defenseman in the prime of his career.

 

[chosen]

Yeah those Crosby and Malkin guys sure busted hard after being one of the worst teams in the league their rookie seasons. Certainly not franchise players.

Busted as didn't make it? Can't be that.

Busted as didn't try?

Can't be that.

So, I,m not sure what you mean.

 

[chosen]

He said they aren't going to be a ****show. Just as it wasn't really a ****show last season.

But if you are expecting this team to be a 'legit playoff contender,' then you are probably setting relatively unrealistic expectations for our rookies. Fox, Kravtsov, even Kaako are unlikely to come in and set the world on fire.

Joe Thornton had 7 points in his first NHL season. In his second he had 41. People need to stop thinking these kids are just going to waltz in and put up 20 goals and 40-50 points.

You also have to take into account that we subtracted Hayes and Zucc and are replacing them with rookies. We very well still may subtract Kreider or another more veteran player like Vesey or Names. Expecting rookies to replace the production of quality, NHL forwards is not practical.

The Rangers are probably going to suck next year. And as long as they play exactly the way they did this year, I'm completely fine with it. If they exceed expectations and somehow fight to be a bubble team, good for them. But I'm hardly expecting it and firmly believe anyone that is, is going to be frustrated and letdown.

Kakko is most often compared to Fors erg. If he is that, combined with adding two top 4 D, and if Chyti and Kravtsov are what is expected, I definitely think they can contend for a playoff spot. Maybe I will be wrong, but it would mean that everyone here has been overeating these assets.

 

[KingWantsCup]

We often see NHL teams who play more than the sum of their parts with lesser rosters than this squad. Look at the 2010-11 Rangers. That team was carried by a really good second line, an HOF goalie, and two D pairs on which the second paid had one who was playing his first NHL season and the other only called up in January.

It depends on the moves they make come the next few weeks, will Strome be last year's version, and what happens with the D.

Lundqvist is not in his prime but he’s certainly dragged much sorrier teams to the playoffs. With Panarin, I think this team will realistically end up in the 10-15 range.

 

[chosen]

All of Trouba, Fox, Karvtsov, and Kakko could have very good years and this team could still be bad. Look at their center depth.

You're right that it might not work out next year, but I am betting the other way.. They have added 3 top players and if Chytil jumps up, that's 4.That pushes some other players down the depth charts. The overall lineup should have less holes next season.

 

[True Blue]

I didnt include that as a hot streak for any players. Those stats were from Feb first to the end of the season. An arbitrary date when you can see a high end rookie adjust to the nhl and produce. Seguin and svechnokov got 3rd or 4th line minutes as rookies. If kakko is getting 3rd or 4th line minutes then the discussion is pointless anyways. Lecavalier was a rookie over 20 years ago so I dont really see the comparison. Mark messier was not nearly the caliber prospect as kakko so I dont see why ur going there. Barkov is a star, again I'm not seeing your point.

The point is that those players did not have such stats as the ones you cherry picked to make your "star" comparison. During the end of his rookie year, from 2/1 through the end of the year, Barkov was not a star player. You said that you expect Kakko to be a star player towards the end of his rookie year. I am rebutting your statement by showing you plenty of star players who did not have such great endings to their rookie years. It is far more likely than not, that Kakko is not a star player towards the end of hte year.

I really dont see how u and others dont expect the defense to be much improved by essentially swapping an overused terrible nhler in pionk for a legit 20-25 minute very good defenseman in the prime of his career.

Because we are saying that keeping everything else static, Trouba by himself will not be able to make the defense dramatically better.

 

[Greg02]

Trouba makes a big difference in terms of running something that actually resembles an NHL defense. The end result is going to be up to the kids, but I think the Rangers are going to try to have enough of a support structure that they'll have a chance to be around the bubble and feel like they're playing meaningful games. Maybe I'm overestimating things, but I'll be surprised if we have a very high pick without the lottery balls going our way again.

 

[ecemleafs]

The point is that those players did not have such stats as the ones you cherry picked to make your "star" comparison. During the end of his rookie year, from 2/1 through the end of the year, Barkov was not a star player. You said that you expect Kakko to be a star player towards the end of his rookie year. I am rebutting your statement by showing you plenty of star players who did not have such great endings to their rookie years. It is far more likely than not, that Kakko is not a star player towards the end of hte year.

Because we are saying that keeping everything else static, Trouba by himself will not be able to make the defense dramatically better.

Barkov didnt play the final 2 months of his rookie year. He also played on a horrific team and he focused on a defensive role when he broke into the league. I didnt cherry pick players. I chose similar forwards to kakko in the past 10 years (ie first overall caliber forwards). That caliber player is expected to produce in the nhl immediately and by the end of the year be producing at or around a ppg pace. I didn't include McDavid or eichel because I rated them higher as 18 year old players than kakko. Seguin and svechnikov didnt produce big numbers because they got 3rd and 4th line minutes on teams that either reach the cup final or conf final.

As for trouba not making the defense dramatically better, what do you consider dramatic? I expect significant improvement defensively next season because I believe having a 1st pair dman playing 1st pair minutes instead of a truly terrible defenseman playing top 4 minutes makes u a significantly better defensive team when the rest of the d corpse is constant.

 

[Gardner McKay]

I don't think we do anything. It is a show me year for a few of our prospects and first crack at NHL hockey for others. I think we evaluate as the season progresses but at no point do we firesale any more important roster pieces if we are tanking sans maybe Kreider nor do we make any big adds if we are in the playoff hunt.

 

[broadwayblue]

Don't know that we will be a playoff team next season, but I can say with certainty we will not be tanking.

 

[Fansince1992]

Does anyone know the definition of "tanking?"

 

[Tawnos]

Does anyone know the definition of "tanking?"

 

[Fansince1992]

CLASSIC!

 

[The Crypto Guy]

We dont need to purposely tank. We have so many young kids coming in that we are going to have lots of growing pains with them. One more bottom 10 season and then watch out.

 

[JimmyG89]

If we trade Vesey and Kreider (very likely), we're going to sign a non-Panarin winger for the middle-6. Cannot stress how much they cannot go into the season expecting Kakko and Kravtsov to be in the middle of their lineup, let alone the top of it.

Yes, they are talented, but we need a player or possibly two to make sure they are insulated in the lineup. Would like to see a veteran center than can also play wing if need be. Strome fits that well. Namestnikov should be on the 3rd or 4th line, but we could use another C that we could say has the ability to play a more skilled game and on the 2nd line.

Either way, with all these things, unless we see the significant changes on the defense we need, which is moving in that direction, this team will suffer. We need Staal sitting out or playing significantly less. Smith needs to go. Shattenkirk in a reduced role or traded after free agency begins. Our defense becomes pretty green, but it becomes more mobile and able to move pucks. They should probably split Trouba and Skjei, unless they believe in DeAngelo enough. Skjei-Trouba, Hajek/Rykov-DeAngelo, Staal-Fox. I see Quinn rolling this for a bunch of games.

We will still need a natural type progression from all our year 2 guys (Chytil, Andersson, Howden, Lemieux, DeAngelo) and we'll need our rookies to be NHL players, some better than that.

Believe me, I'm all on the hype train and cannot wait to see every single one of these guys on the ice, but the odds this team is a bottom 7 team is substantially higher than the team being on the bubble.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Chicago won the lottery and Montreal drafted the best scorer in the draft at 15.

No tank. Compete.

If it’s a super deep draft you’ll get a hell of player after 16

 

[NYR Viper]

Gorton just needs to accumulate more picks for the next draft as soon as possible. Let the chips fall where they may. That Dallas 1st would be quite the additional piece if they can figure out a way to sign Zuccarello.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Zucc signs with Dallas, all of our young players blossom, we make the playoffs, the Stars have a terrible collapse, we use their first to draft Lafreniere or Raymond.

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

Hate the idea of Tanking. Hate it.

Ice a competitive team and let the chips fall where they may. Dont throw these kids to the wolves screwing with their development for something that is not a given with the lottery system

None of this has ever happened.

It's as if Ranger fans are true rebuild virgins...oh wait we are...

 

[LeetchisGod]

Zucc signs with Dallas, all of our young players blossom, we make the playoffs, the Stars have a terrible collapse, we use their first to draft Lafreniere or Raymond.

I don't think that Dallas is willing to risk that happening.

 

[chosen]

If we trade Vesey and Kreider (very likely), we're going to sign a non-Panarin winger for the middle-6. Cannot stress how much they cannot go into the season expecting Kakko and Kravtsov to be in the middle of their lineup, let alone the top of it.

Yes, they are talented, but we need a player or possibly two to make sure they are insulated in the lineup. Would like to see a veteran center than can also play wing if need be. Strome fits that well. Namestnikov should be on the 3rd or 4th line, but we could use another C that we could say has the ability to play a more skilled game and on the 2nd line.

Either way, with all these things, unless we see the significant changes on the defense we need, which is moving in that direction, this team will suffer. We need Staal sitting out or playing significantly less. Smith needs to go. Shattenkirk in a reduced role or traded after free agency begins. Our defense becomes pretty green, but it becomes more mobile and able to move pucks. They should probably split Trouba and Skjei, unless they believe in DeAngelo enough. Skjei-Trouba, Hajek/Rykov-DeAngelo, Staal-Fox. I see Quinn rolling this for a bunch of games.

We will still need a natural type progression from all our year 2 guys (Chytil, Andersson, Howden, Lemieux, DeAngelo) and we'll need our rookies to be NHL players, some better than that.

Believe me, I'm all on the hype train and cannot wait to see every single one of these guys on the ice, but the odds this team is a bottom 7 team is substantially higher than the team being on the bubble.

If Kakko is not a top-line player out of the gate we have all been sold a phony bill of goods.

Some believed him to be taken over Hughes and if you believe he isn't 1st-line caliber immediately, I don't know what to tell you.

Kakko was very competitive at the highest level just a few weeks ago, but now he's not top 6 ready on a non-playoff team.

It feels like some here after squealing with delight at Kakko coming are now wondering if he's a 3rd liner. He won't be better than Howden was last season?

 

[NYSPORTS]

Still have aging Lundqvist, Staal, Shatty and Smith so losing shouldn’t be an issue.

Still have to clean up a veteran mess IMO

 

[RGY]

None of this has ever happened.

It's as if Ranger fans are true rebuild virgins...oh wait we are...

The title of thread literally talks about tanking.

But I should expect nothing less from you.

Waste of time