Post-Game Talk: 10/5/2022 Pre-season - New York Rangers vs Boston Bruins - 7pm EST - TNT

[AKrangerfan]

Kreider Mika Laf
Bread Chytil Kakko
Blais Trochek Kravstof
Vesey Carpenter? Goodrow or Vesey Goodrow Gauthier Not impressed with Carpenter. Goat will get claimed if sent down.

Alternet: Stack top line with Bread, keep kid line as second line

Worth a try? Second line yesterday did not work. Vesey is not a first line player. Disappointed to see Rydahl sent down but he did not force his way into the line up yesterday.

 

[kovazub94]

Regarding Sammy Blais……

If you are insistent on keeping the kid line together and I can understand why you would want to, Sammy the bull should be on the top line. He’s a skilled player he’s a pain to play against and he’s going to get back in game shape soon enough here. There’s not a better option. The worry for me is his playing style. There’s no way he stays healthy for the majority of this season or any really

Wilson managed to stay healthy and I really see a lot of similarities once you go past the dirty stuff.

Otherwise I completely agree - Blais should be on the first line where he was finding a permanent spot last season leading right into slew-foot (that had nothing to do with his playing style at).

Edit: Didn't see @Fitzy post with the same player reference

 

[TominNC]

Kreider Mika Laf
Bread Chytil Kakko
Blais Trochek Kravstof
Vesey Carpenter? Goodrow or Vesey Goodrow Gauthier Not impressed with Carpenter. Goat will get claimed if sent down.

Alternet: Stack top line with Bread, keep kid line as second line

Worth a try? Second line yesterday did not work. Vesey is not a first line player. Disappointed to see Rydahl sent down but he did not force his way into the line up yesterday.

Apparently not. For some reason, Laf can't/won't/doesn't like to play RW. It gets tried here and there but is quickly dropped. So while it makes sense in a video game world, it seems to be something that is not happening.

 

[duhmetreE]

Apparently not. For some reason, Laf can't/won't/doesn't like to play RW. It gets tried here and there but is quickly dropped. So while it makes sense in a video game world, it seems to be something that is not happening.

I'm pretty sure he was practicing in the offseason from the right side, trying to get used to off-wing scenarios.

 

[SA16]

Apparently not. For some reason, Laf can't/won't/doesn't like to play RW. It gets tried here and there but is quickly dropped. So while it makes sense in a video game world, it seems to be something that is not happening.

You would think a competent coaching staff would be able to teach this.

 

[kovazub94]

The KHL is not comprised of larger ice surfaces for the most part. That said there are other factors that make the caliber of competition easier for some players. KHL is like the speed of the AHL but with less physicality. That means not only Is there more space and time but your teammates are also for the most part not as skilled.

Beyond that, the timing of going back to the KHL last year and the dispute with NYR further cut into VK’s KHL season too. He played less hockey. He had little to no stability or certainty. Mostly his fault.

Now he comes back over early. Tries to get ready here, and they glue him to Panarin who is also really focused on recapturing aspects of his own game and trying to mesh with a new center.

So VK isn’t that comfortable on the ice. He’s lacking in confidence, unsure where to go, unable to read the game the way he normally does, unable to play at the speed he can normally play at. He’s had very little stability in his development path the last 2 years outside of just running back to Traktor and he’s thrust into a top 6 role with one of the most unpredictable players in the world.

I think what is best for him is stability. Simplifying things a bit. Taking some pressure off. He really can’t go back to Russia right now if he ever plans on a future in the NHL. It’s not even about the NYR but the whole league is watching this too.

If they haven’t already, they need to come up with a 1-2 year plan with Vitaly. Give him time to find confidence and rhythm. Keep him in a spot where he can do that without a ton of pressure. Get his development back on track so his skill can come to the surface. 2nd line wing playing with Panarin and Tro or ending his NHL dreams forever is a huge pressure filled extreme. Maybe this is the result of a player having too much say in his development and not letting things progress in a more gradual, organic way, but this continues to be a non traditional and unnecessarily tricky situation.

There needs to be a longer term plan in place at this moment to get his career back on track. Even if it means the Rangers hire a coach just for Vitaly who goes with him to the AHL. He’s too valuable of an asset and likely too important to the lineup this season to not go all in on helping him get comfortable.

Has he gotten in his own way? Yup! Can his development be fixed at this point? Who knows? But I think it’s going to take special attention and as much as that may seem unfair or coddling to us, to his teammates, it may be the best thing for everyone involved. He just needs some serious stability and something to build him back up. He’s so in his own head right now it’s hard to watch. Things just need to get simple and linear and gradual and most importantly stable.

What you wrote fully applied last year. Unfortunately, Kravtsov f***ed this up and not only stalled his development but also removed options that had been available in the past.

He's nervous of losing his spot? What else the Rangers / Gallant could've done - he's already stated that he wants to keep the Kids line together as his priority #1. That leaves Kravtsov competing with Blais and Vesey for two top-6 RW spots. That's as little pressure situation as possible unless you're advocating for putting him on a 4th line for some time and just leave him there (even sit out at later stages of the games situationally)

 

[NoQuitInNewMexico]

Krav was bad on the second line, good on the fourth line when he first came over, maybe the pattern will hold and he’ll be a monster on that fifth line

 

[kovazub94]

I’d honestly roll

Panarin Mika Kreider
KidLine
Goodrow Trocheck Blais (true checking line)
Vesey Carpenter Hunt/Reaves

I think I’d trade kravtsov for anything

Drury wants more than "anything" for Kravtsov so they'd try to do anything to sell the Russian high

 

[68Forever]

The boys will be fine when things actually matter.

 

[kovazub94]

Kravtsov needs some time in an nhl rink to adjust, all the things people are bringing up are all the same silly stuff said about Buchnevich that was corrected with some time in the Nhl and physical training. Man, i realize people are butt hurt he left but the overreactions to a couple preseason games are pretty funny.

Unlike Kravtsov, Buchnevich kept his mouth shut and rose in the face of adversity each and every time. His background is also completely different - think russian slums kid vs prep school kid - which might have something to do with a difference in the reaction.

 

[will1066]

Kreider Mika Laf
Bread Chytil Kakko
Blais Trochek Kravstof
Vesey Carpenter? Goodrow or Vesey Goodrow Gauthier Not impressed with Carpenter. Goat will get claimed if sent down.

Alternet: Stack top line with Bread, keep kid line as second line

Worth a try? Second line yesterday did not work. Vesey is not a first line player. Disappointed to see Rydahl sent down but he did not force his way into the line up yesterday.

I hope they try the VPL line of Vesey-Panarin-Laf.

 

[kovazub94]

There's a nonzero chance that either Robertson or Emberson may actually the best defenseman not in the top 6 for the Rangers. They may even today be better than older options in Hajek, Bartkowski, Tinordi, and Welinski.

I'm waiting for Drury to pick up someone of the waivers. The current > 6 option are cringie.

 

[will1066]

Kakko

Kravtsov

 

[Kravtsov420]

Gallant about to put the lines in a blender like hes making a smoothie

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

He looked scared to me. I think that’s where all the issues stem from.

Very similar to Kakko and Laf in the past. He was avoiding getting the puck in open ice. Was intentionally taking himself out of position. When he did get the puck he was forcing passes.

He was terrible, but I don’t think it was conditioning or rink size.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Kravtsov cant go to the AHL. He has to go through waivers. Should have been traded with Lundkvist

 

[Fitzy]

Kravtsov cant go to the AHL. He has to go through waivers. Should have been traded with Lundkvist

I think despite his terrible preseason performances they should at least try to force it the first third of the season and trade if it isn't working- because losing him for nothing would be annoying.

 

[Unpredictable1]

Ticked off....I could not find the game in my Bell Express Vu guide and I have Center Ice . I don't have the HD side hooked up.....not sure it was even available in Canada.

I was able to catch it on turd service SN Now - TNT was hosting which made a terrible experience even worse.

It was awesome how they had the camera fixated on Jed Ortmeyer and proceeded to talk about "and there's Chris Drury, general manager of the New York Rangers" or something to that effect. They got Slats right though lol

 

[TominNC]

I'm pretty sure he was practicing in the offseason from the right side, trying to get used to off-wing scenarios.

And he's practised before and always goes back to the left. Not every wing plays both sides

You would think a competent coaching staff would be able to teach this.

Not every player does everything. You'd think someone would be able to teach Panarin to play defense. Or Kravtsov to play tougher, or Gauthier to score. It's not a video game.

 

[will1066]

I was able to catch it on turd service SN Now - TNT was hosting which made a terrible experience even worse.

It was awesome how they had the camera fixated on Jed Ortmeyer and proceeded to talk about "and there's Chris Drury, general manager of the New York Rangers" or something to that effect. They got Slats right though lol

When he was misidentified, my reaction was, "what the hell happened to Drury's face?!"

 

[Machinehead]

Gallant about to put the lines in a blender like hes making a smoothie

I wish he would, maybe he would break up a certain combo that hasn't been good at even strength since like 2018.

 

[Machinehead]

I was able to catch it on turd service SN Now - TNT was hosting which made a terrible experience even worse.

It was awesome how they had the camera fixated on Jed Ortmeyer and proceeded to talk about "and there's Chris Drury, general manager of the New York Rangers" or something to that effect. They got Slats right though lol

You can't get Slats wrong, he's older than most trees.

 

[will1066]

You can't get Slats wrong, he's older than most trees.

And he's easy to identify because not everyone has a cigar in their mouth all day long, and while in bed, or when brushing their teeth, or when they're having Vezina-like stomach issues.

 

[ohbaby]

Less than a week away from opening day and I have my reservations. On the whole, it doesn't seem like they improved any from last year. On a positive note, Zibad and Kreids look phenomenal. I see them both having another great year. The Kids also look good. Another year of growth and playoff experience under their belt, seemed to do them a world of good. Miller looks like he is taking another giant step forward in his progression to be a top D-man. And Fox looks like the magic man once again. So with those two heading up our blueline, our D-corps looks strong once again. Shesty in net, looks to build off his Venezia trophy season.

Most of my reservations begin and end with Panarin. He doesn't look like the world class star when he first arrived. For two years you could count on one hand the number of mistakes he made during a game. Sometimes he would go completely mistake free which is unheard of in this fast-paced game. Anytime he had the puck, he would do the right thing. Either get it deep, successfully pass it off to a teammate, or score. Never would he throw an errant pass or turn it over. That is no longer the case. He is no longer superhuman. This began to show last season, even though he set a career record in points. And it was terribly visible during the 2nd half of the playoffs. He was a shell of himself. And this preseason, I see no flashes of brilliance, that he used to dole out multiple times during a game. No threading of passes on the tape, no shaking and baking of defenders, no intercepting passes or stealing of pucks. He is another year older and just might be past his prime. I just hope his drop off isn't reminiscent of his play in the post-season last year. He was awful vs Tampa. -4 vs them and -2 vs the Canes.

It might not matter who lines up with him this year, if his decline in play continues. I highly doubt Vinny Trocheck is the answer. I hope I'm wrong about Panarin, but I see the writing on the wall.

A lot is being made of Vitali. This is small potatoes. If he plays well enough great. If not we have Hunt, Gauthier, Vesey to fill the gap. We don't lose much if that happens. But if Panarin is not what he used to be, that could be huge.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Unlike Kravtsov, Buchnevich kept his mouth shut and rose in the face of adversity each and every time. His background is also completely different - think russian slums kid vs prep school kid - which might have something to do with a difference in the reaction.

Non of that has anything to do with the here and now and overreacting to a couple preseason games where most of the players outside of the kid line has been pedestrian. If people arent willing to give him atleast a month of nhl hockey to see what he is then i guess you've made up your mind about him before he plays one regular season game this year.

Less than a week away from opening day and I have my reservations. On the whole, it doesn't seem like they improved any from last year. On a positive note, Zibad and Kreids look phenomenal. I see them both having another great year. The Kids also look good. Another year of growth and playoff experience under their belt, seemed to do them a world of good. Miller looks like he is taking another giant step forward in his progression to be a top D-man. And Fox looks like the magic man once again. So with those two heading up our blueline, our D-corps looks strong once again. Shesty in net, looks to build off his Venezia trophy season.

Most of my reservations begin and end with Panarin. He doesn't look like the world class star when he first arrived. For two years you could count on one hand the number of mistakes he made during a game. Sometimes he would go completely mistake free which is unheard of in this fast-paced game. Anytime he had the puck, he would do the right thing. Either get it deep, successfully pass it off to a teammate, or score. Never would he throw an errant pass or turn it over. That is no longer the case. He is no longer superhuman. This began to show last season, even though he set a career record in points. And it was terribly visible during the 2nd half of the playoffs. He was a shell of himself. And this preseason, I see no flashes of brilliance, that he used to dole out multiple times during a game. No threading of passes on the tape, no shaking and baking of defenders, no intercepting passes or stealing of pucks. He is another year older and might be past his prime. I just hope his drop off isn't reminiscent of his play in the post-season last year. He was awful vs Tampa. -4 vs them and -2 vs the Canes.

It might not matter who lines up with him this year, if his decline in play continues. I highly doubt Vinny Trocheck is the answer.

I hope I'm wrong about Panarin, but I see the writing on the wall.

Fyi....Panarin is a lock to make the team, he's not killing himself in preseason