Kitchener Rangers 2018 Offseason Thread

[bobber]

That's an interesting point about DiPietro, in that he's essentially a guaranteed two-year elite player. Normally, if you trade for a guy he's either a step below elite because there's a chance he could stick in the NHL, or you're very likely only getting one year out of him. Dipietro is a gamechanger and the best goalie in the league, and is all but certain to be here two more years, meaning he's at peak value now. I wonder if Windsor is considering a move.

I doubt DiPietro is in this league next season. He is drafted I believe and will be in the same boat as McNiven who has chosen to play at a higher level to further his chances of playing in the NHL.

 

[SYWTom]

I doubt DiPietro is in this league next season. He is drafted I believe and will be in the same boat as McNiven who has chosen to play at a higher level to further his chances of playing in the NHL.

DiPietro cannot play AHL or ECHL next season.
It's NHL or OHL for him next season

 

[Ward Cornell]

Before we make any trades to add a scoring forward (playmaker!) I want to see a marked improvement on the special teams.
Otherwise we're just putting bandaid on major wound.

Fans talk about the Knights but what they did better than anyone else is knowing when to sell....even though they would have a good team that
would advance a round or two with a cpl bounces going their way. Also what they did quite well is analyzing and taking advantage of brain-dead GMs who were desperate to keep their jobs.

 

[bobber]

Any team that acquires a goalie like DiPietro would have to sell the farm and the livestock. I doubt the Rangers are willing to go that route anymore after admitting they were in the entertainment business.

 

[Mach85]

I wasn't necessarily advocating for the Rangers to go after DiPietro, merely musing over whether he'll be moved, as ES's comment triggered the thought. Although I'm sure Windsor would love a bidding war between us and Owen Sound.

 

[Tim Wallach]

I wasn't necessarily advocating for the Rangers to go after DiPietro, merely musing over whether he'll be moved, as ES's comment triggered the thought. Although I'm sure Windsor would love a bidding war between us and Owen Sound.

With what I've seen from ADB, I sure wouldn't sell the farm for DiPietro.

This team has stronger needs.

 

[EvenSteven]

Personally, if it was the right player and if this team was in the right position, I would not be afraid to "sell the farm". I believe DiPietro is the right player. We "sold the farm" in 08 and though Steve Mason got hurt during our playoff run, we did get within one game of the Memorial Cup championship. And it was only two years later we went three rounds deep in the playoffs. So selling the farm that year really didn't hurt the team all that much. Sure we missed the playoffs the following year but that did allow us to draft Ryan Murphy.

Tim, I'm not in a rush to deal for DiPietro right now either. But it's a long time between now and the deadline. A lot can happen. ADB looks pretty good right now (we won a Memorial Cup in '03 with just an ok goaltender) but as everyone has been saying on multiple issues - it's early. To be a true contender, this team needs, IMO, one elite center, one very good forward, a veteran d-man and a solid netminder. Right now we may have that solid netminder in ADB. Wouldn't Saginaw's Middleton look good on the backend? I'm saying bring in two forwards because, since it's early, the jury may be out on Hugg and maybe Liska as 1st line players. We may be better served having those two playing elsewhere in the lineup. Our OA forward provides pretty good defense and even though he is putting up points now, he started out the same the last two years as well but tapered off as the seasons wore on. I wouldn't lose sleep if that position were upgraded to bring in an Addison type OA. An elite center is a given.

As far as any deal for DiPietro goes, if we were to bring him in, it would do a few things. It would free up an OA spot. It could eliminate the need to bring in that Middleton type d-man as we'd have a $$$ guy in net. It would keep him away from the top competitors in our conference. Part of the reason we dealt for Mason was to keep him away from he other top competitors in our conference. It may stem the need to bring in such an elite forward or that Addison type OA.

Of course, the cost would be steep but he'd be back next year. If we weren't a top contender again next year, he could be dealt for a considerable ransom and we wouldn't miss a beat asset wise.

Again, there's a lot of time between now and the deadline. A lot can happen.

 

[Gondrex]

Before we make any trades to add a scoring forward (playmaker!) I want to see a marked improvement on the special teams.
Otherwise we're just putting bandaid on major wound.

Fans talk about the Knights but what they did better than anyone else is knowing when to sell....even though they would have a good team that
would advance a round or two with a cpl bounces going their way. Also what they did quite well is analyzing and taking advantage of brain-dead GMs who were desperate to keep their jobs.

Agree 100%. I hope the "we haven't contended for so long" view doesn't come into play if it becomes quite evident who the true contenders are - perhaps the Soo and OS - while the others are pretenders.
In the recent past there was a season when the Knights had a decent record and were still sellers. I hope the guy at the AGM who asked "why can't we be successful like the Knights" is actually on board with what the Knights management actually does.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[tfantasy]

Damiani and Mereiles look like our best players. Mascherin looks slow out there. He has the talent but he does a lot of coasting. I like the addition of Stanely (met him at city hall on Canada hes huge) And I like what I see from Dumont-Bouchard so far.

 

[Medway Bear]

Its early in the season. Last season the team started well and faded. I want to see more from this team before I would consider selling the farm to get better or to get draft picks. This weekend's road trip will be a good test, The Soo who are expected to be strong, Saginaw who historically the Rangers seemed to have difficulty with on the road and Flint who beat them at the start of the season.

 

[Gondrex]

Interesting read. Josh Brown's OHL 21

Apparently Riley Damiani is the player other teams want as part of the return of any trade. That is one player I would not want to lose. He's a future captain IMO.

When I read this it reminds me of how frustrated I was in how the Rangers drafted this past year - i.e. Picks #1 and #2. Management has made some good deals recently, make no mistake, but to me they lacked foresight here....and now it appears the only young talent teams are interested in is Damiani.

Maybe Ladd lives up to their expectations.
Maybe the 2nd rounder reports.
Maybe Petizian is Damiani II.

I just hate the thought of losing Damiani.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Damiani isn't going anywhere. That's a step backwards. If and when it's time for the Rangers to add, it needs to be done without throwing away your future. Look where that got us today! And MM doesn't believe in the "sell the farm" concept. He's as much said so.

ADB and the current D are looking good. Let's see how they handle this weekend's jaunt. And contrary to the Mascherin comment, he was actually hitting out there and contributing in his own zone more that I've ever seen him. He needs to shoot more and as has been said, needs the right players to be more effective. Currently, the lines are shuffling at a furious rate. Hopefully, something will settle in so players have a chan. As for the PP.....it had better come together and soon.

It will be interesting to see who MM brings in as Barnaby's replacement. That's as important as the quest for an elite forward or two.....which I'm sure MM is already on top of.

 

[bobber]

Two players that could be on the bubble are Yantsis and Peyton. Yantsis has been scratched I believe the last couple of games. I thought I saw a spark there last season but the way players are developed here he could be in jeopardy. Peyton has size and seems to get under the skin of opposing players at times but needs to show more on the score sheet IMO. Not the fastest guy out there. Just an observation from the cheap seats

 

[EvenSteven]

It's possible that Barnaby's permanent replacement is either currently employed elsewhere (hiring the best people possible is tough mid season) or right behind our bench right now. I wouldn't be surprised if Merli is given the role permanently after a period of time as the interim guy. This team touts itself as one that relishes hiring / promoting from within. And he has been around the team for a few years now.

 

[EvenSteven]

I admit I have not seen enough of Peyton yet to make a decision on him but as far as Yantsis goes, I have. To me, he just can't keep up at this level. With a guy that has the size that he has, but without the speed found in the rest of the lineup, and you're not putting points on the board, and you are not using your size in a physical fashion, then to me you are going to have trouble getting in the lineup. At this point, who do you take out of the lineup to put him in? Henderson is not the fastest guy in the world, but at the moment he is putting up some points and is way above average on the PK. Yantsis will likely have to wait until we have an injury to get into the lineup on a regular basis to show that he can be a useful player at this level. Otherwise, we may see him go all the way Seitz went.

 

[RWML67]

I am curious, what would Rangers fans think selling the farm entails? What pieces/players do you think it would take?

Acquiring DiPietro this season would be worth IMO. Some of your top youngsters are a few years out it seems

 

[Ward Cornell]

I am curious, what would Rangers fans think selling the farm entails? What pieces/players do you think it would take?

Acquiring DiPietro this season would be worth IMO. Some of your top youngsters are a few years out it seems

Even though DiPietro would be an improvement, ADB has been stellar so far and the costs to acquire DiPietro would be 1 step forward and 3 steps back.
McKenzie would be wiser to trade to improve weaknesses instead of a strength.

 

[OhSheila]

Completely agree Ward

 

[SYWTom]

What's everyone's bid for Vilardi?
What about Raddysh?

What are we actually willing to trade?

Vilardi for Damiani+3rd and 2 conditional 2nds if he returns next season
We really greased the wheels for Windsor last year, I gotta think they could work something out. We can't pay a full price for him, but if we space it out?

Raddysh for Ladd, 2 2nds
That's the price IMO. Damiani for 1 year kills it for me.

Probably get flamed for this, but yeah, we should buy this year. IMO it's our best chance in the next 3 years.

 

[bobber]

What's everyone's bid for Vilardi?
What about Raddysh?

What are we actually willing to trade?

Vilardi for Damiani+3rd and 2 conditional 2nds if he returns next season
We really greased the wheels for Windsor last year, I gotta think they could work something out. We can't pay a full price for him, but if we space it out?

Raddysh for Ladd, 2 2nds
That's the price IMO. Damiani for 1 year kills it for me.

Probably get flamed for this, but yeah, we should buy this year. IMO it's our best chance in the next 3 years.

If a team like the Attack buy this season and they will for sure the Rangers would need more than Vilardi compete. I doubt you will see the Rangers get too crazy. Vilardi will cost more than one player plus picks. Same with Raddysh. I think its far too early for the team to consider any big moves because no one really knows what we have here yet. Now where is my torch!

 

[EvenSteven]

SYWTom, based on past prices for elite players, especially for elite players who have another season left after this season, I agree with bobber that you would have to pay more for Vilardi and Raddysh. Vilardi may not cost as much as Konecny did (insane cost), but it will be closer to that deal than the deal you proposed. Especially if other teams get in on the bidding.
You'd probably have to add at least two 2nds to your Vilardi deal (after the Stanley deal, Windsor owes us nothing IMO).

Erie paid a boatload for Cirelli and Raddysh is at least a comparable player if not way better. No way does Ladd come close to comparing to McShane. Ladd has a hard time getting onto our lineup right now. I know it's early but looking at things today, we don't have a McShane in our lineup to send Erie to complete any deal for Raddysh. If I'm Erie, after what I gave up last year to bring in a stud player, I want comparable value for the stud player I will be trading away at this trade deadline.

 

[Mach85]

SYWTom, based on past prices for elite players, especially for elite players who have another season left after this season, I agree with bobber that you would have to pay more for Vilardi and Raddysh. Vilardi may not cost as much as Konecny did (insane cost), but it will be closer to that deal than the deal you proposed. Especially if other teams get in on the bidding.
You'd probably have to add at least two 2nds to your Vilardi deal (after the Stanley deal, Windsor owes us nothing IMO).

Erie paid a boatload for Cirelli and Raddysh is at least a comparable player if not way better. No way does Ladd come close to comparing to McShane. Ladd has a hard time getting onto our lineup right now. I know it's early but looking at things today, we don't have a McShane in our lineup to send Erie to complete any deal for Raddysh. If I'm Erie, after what I gave up last year to bring in a stud player, I want comparable value for the stud player I will be trading away at this trade deadline.

Yup. If we deal for a stud player, it's going to hurt. That's junior hockey for you though.

 

[OhSheila]

Great discussion on trades here. I think we're all in agreement that we have a good team, but not a great team. We'll need some impact player additions that upgrade our skill and playmaking level to do that. We have a good supply of draft picks and they will be a big part of any deal. We'll also have to give up some players too. Just wondering as we play GM who we'd have on our willing to trade list. You have to give up quality to get quality. Here are my picks and it's tough to do. It's not that I want to see these guys go.

1998s - Kyle Gentles, Cole Carter, Chris McGonigle.
1999s - Greg Meireles, Nick McHugh, Jonathon Yantsis, Alex Peterson, Joseph Gareffa.
2000s - Liam Peyton, Eric Guest, Jack York
2001s - Mike Petezian, Matt Gordon, Carter Treesor.

Tough to see any of these guys go, but will be necessary to get us to elite level.

 

[bobber]

Great discussion on trades here. I think we're all in agreement that we have a good team, but not a great team. We'll need some impact player additions that upgrade our skill and playmaking level to do that. We have a good supply of draft picks and they will be a big part of any deal. We'll also have to give up some players too. Just wondering as we play GM who we'd have on our willing to trade list. You have to give up quality to get quality. Here are my picks and it's tough to do. It's not that I want to see these guys go.

1998s - Kyle Gentles, Cole Carter, Chris McGonigle.
1999s - Greg Meireles, Nick McHugh, Jonathon Yantsis, Alex Peterson, Joseph Gareffa.
2000s - Liam Peyton, Eric Guest, Jack York
2001s - Mike Petezian, Matt Gordon, Carter Treesor.

Tough to see any of these guys go, but will be necessary to get us to elite level.

Sheila of the players you mentioned only two really have positive trade value at the moment. Garreffa can make an impact because he does put up points. Gentles is a decent defenseman although lacks size. The others are either inexperienced rookies or players that are on the bubble or need a change of scenery because they haven't shown anything here. Unless another GM sees value in the rookies he would really have to get a ton of picks to give up one of the leagues top players whoever that would be.

 

[BogeyJ]

Sheila of the players you mentioned only two really have positive trade value at the moment. Garreffa can make an impact because he does put up points. Gentles is a decent defenseman although lacks size. The others are either inexperienced rookies or players that are on the bubble or need a change of scenery because they haven't shown anything here. Unless another GM sees value in the rookies he would really have to get a ton of picks to give up one of the leagues top players whoever that would be.

Imo picks go a very long way. Deals have and will continue to be struck around a boat load of picks, and also in addition to JoeyG I think Meireles an McHugh would be very attractive. Especially Meireles