Speculation: Offseason Thread #16: Kevin Hayes: A True Friend (mod post #547)

[aufheben]

Continue.

Courtesy of BBkers.

PLAYERS UNDER CONTRACT WITH NEW YORK RANGERS ORGANISATION 2016-2017 (45 - 46 depending on if Gropps contract slides)
NEW YORK RANGERS SQUAD(24)
[table="head;width=4200]Nr|Pos |Player| Caphit |Contract Status|Team 2015 |Drafted/Acquired |Age 2016
1| F | Jesper Fast(h) |$950.000 |RFA 2017 |New York Rangers/NHL |R6 #157 NYR (2010) |25
2| D | Dylan McIlrath |$800,000 |RFA 2017 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #10 NYR (2010) |24
3| F | Oscar Lindberg^ |$650,000 |RFA 2017 |New York Rangers/NHL |R2 #57 PHX (2010) - acquired unsigned through trade|25
4| F | Josh Jooris |$600,000 |RFA 2017 |Calgary Flames/NHL |Undrafted - signed w/NYR as UFA |26
5| F | Tanner Glass |$1,450,000 |UFA 2017 |New York Rangers/NHL |R7 #265 Florida Panthers (2003) - signed w/NYR as UFA |32
6| F | Nathan Gerbe |$600,000 |UFA 2017 |Carolina Hurricanes/NHL|Undrafted - signed w/NYR as UFA |26
7| F | J.T. Miller |$2.750.000 |RFA 2018 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #15 NYR (2011) |23
8| F | Kevin Hayes |$2,600,000 |RFA 2018 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #24 Chicago (2010)- signed w/NYR as UFA |24
9| F | Mika Zibanejad |$2,625,000 |RFA 2018 |Ottawa Senators/NHL |R1 #6 Ottawa Senators (2011) - acquired through trade |23
10| D | Brady Skjei (ELC) |$925,000* |RFA 2018 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R1 #28 NYR (2012) |22
11| F | Jimmy Vesey (ELC) |$925,000* |RFA 2018 |Harvard/NCAA |R3 #66 Nashville (2012)- signed w/NYR as UFA |23
12| D | Kevin Kline |$2,900,000 |UFA 2018 |New York Rangers/NHL |R2 #37 Nashville Predators (2003) - acquired through trade|32
13| D | Nick Holden |$1,650,000 |UFA 2018 |Colorado Avalanche/NHL |Undrafted - acquired through trade |29
14| F | Michael Grabner |$1,600,000 |UFA 2018 |New York Islanders/NHL |R1 #14 Vancover Canucks (2006) - signed w/NYR as UFA |29
15| G | Anti Raanta |$1,000,000 |UFA 2018 |New York Rangers/NHL |Undrafted - acquired through trade |27
16| F | Pavel Buchnevich (ELC)|$925,000* |RFA 2019 |St. Petersburg SKA/KHL |R3 #75 NYR (2013) |21
17| F | Rick Nash (NMC) |$7,800,000 |UFA 2019 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #1 overall Columbus Blue Jackets (2002) - acquired through trade|32
18| D | Ryan McDonagh |$4,700,000 |UFA 2019 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #12 Montreal (2007) - acquired unsigned through trade|27
19| F | Mats Zuccarello (NTC) |$4,500,000 |UFA 2019 |New York Rangers/NHL |Undrafted (started w NYR) |29
20| D | Dan Girardi (NMC => NTC)|$5,500,000 |UFA 2020 |New York Rangers/NHL |Undrafted (started w NYR) |32
21| F | Chris Kreider |$4,625,000 |UFA 2020 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #19 NYR (2009) |25
22| G | Henrik Lundqvist (NMC)|$8,500,000 |UFA 2021 |New York Rangers/NHL |R7 #208 NYR (2000) |34
23| F | Derek Stepan (NMC => NTC)|$6,500,000 |UFA 2021 |New York Rangers/NHL |R2 #51 NYR (2008) |26
24| D | Marc Staal (NMC => NTC)|$5,750,000 |UFA 2021 |New York Rangers/NHL |R1 #12 NYR (2005) |29[/table]

TOTALS
SALARY CAP: $73,000,000
CAP PAYROLL: $70,825,000
LTIR: $650,000 (injured players salary - Lindberg - can be deducted once season starts)
CAP SPACE (24-man roster - 14 FWDs, 7 D, 2 G): $2,175,000
^ - injured, operated on in offseason and placed on LTIR until November/December

AVERAGE AGE ~ 26.8 years

CONTRACTED BUT ASSIGNED TO AHL/ECHL/ELSEWHERE (21-22 depending on Ryan Gropps status)
[table="head;width=4200]Nr |Pos |Player| Caphit |Contract Status |Team 2015 |Drafted |Age 2016
25|D |Chris Summers |$600.000 |UFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R1 #29 Phoenix Coyotes (2006) |28
26|D |Matt Bodie |$600.000 |UFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |Undrafted (started w NYR) |26
27|D |Tommy Hughes |$600,000 |RFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |Undrafted (started w NYR) |24
28|F |Adam Chapie (ELC) |$800.000* |RFA 2017 |UMass/NCAA |Undrafted (started w NYR) |25
29|D |Troy Donnay (ELC) |$716,667* |RFA 2017 |Greenville Road Warriors/ECHL |Undrafted (started w NYR) |22
30|G |MacKenzie Skapski (ELC)|$661,667* |RFA 2017 |Greenville Road Warriors/ECHL |R6 #170 NYR (2013) |22
31|D |Calle Andersson (ELC) |$661,667* |RFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R4 #119 NYR (2012) |22
32|G |Magnus Hellberg |$625,000 |RFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R2 #38 Nashville (2011) |25
33|F |Marek Hrivik |$600,00 |RFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |Undrafted (started w NYR) |25
34|F |Niklas Jensen |$600,000 |RFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R1 #29 Vancouver (2011) |23
35|D |Adam Clendening |$600.000 |RFA 2017 |Edmonton Oilers/NHL |R2 #36 Chicago Blackhawks (2011) |24
36|D |Michael Paliotta |$600.000 |RFA 2017 |Lake Eerie Monsters/AHL |R3 #61 Chicago Blackhawks (2011) |23
37|F |Chris Brown |$575,000 |RFA 2017 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R2 #36 Arizona (2009) |25
38|F |Adam Tambellini (ELC) |$803.333* |RFA 2018 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R3 #65 NYR (2013) |22
39|F |Cristoval Nieves(ELC) |$755.000* |RFA 2018 |Michigan Wolverines/NCAA |R2 #59 NYR (2012) |22
40|F |Steven Fogarty (ELC) |$750.000* |RFA 2018 |Notre Dame Fighting Irish/NCAA |R3 #72 NYR (2011) |23
41|F |Malte Strömwall (ELC) |$742.500* |RFA 2018 |AIK/Allsvenskan |R7 #7198 Calgary(started w NYR) |23
42|D |John Gilmour(ELC) |$633.333* |RFA 2018 |Providence/NCAA |R2 #59 NYR (2012) |22
43|D |Ryan Graves (ELC) |$633.333* |RFA 2018 |Hartford Wolfpack/AHL |R4 #110 NYR (2013) |21
44|F |Ryan Gropp (ELC-S?)¤ |$839.166* |RFA 2019 |Seattle/WHL |R2 #41 NYR (2015) |20
45|LW |Robin Kovacs (ELC) |$803.333* |RFA 2019 |AIK/Allsvenskan |R3 #62 NYR (2015) |20
46|G |Brandon Halvorsen (ELC)|$803.333* |RFA 2019 |Sault Ste. Marie/OHL |R2 #59 NYR (2014) |20
(47)|D |Sergey Zborovskiy (ELC-S?)¤|$734,166 |RFA 2019 |Regina Pats/WHL |R3 #79 NYR (2015) |19
(45)|LW/D|Ahti Oksanen @ |$??? |AHL deal |Boston University/NCAA |Undrafted |23
(46)|RW |Michael Joly @ |$?? |AHL deal |Cape Breton/QMJHL |Undrafted |21[/table]

* - has additional bonus money in contract
ELC - denotes player on Entry Level Contract
NTC - denotes No Trade Clause in Contract
NMC - denotes No Movement Clause in Contract
¤ - contract can slide if he remains in juniors (Gropp & Zborovskiy)
@ - signed to an AHL deal with Hartford Wolfpack

PLAYERS STILL UNSIGNED BUT WITH RIGHTS RETAINED BY NYR (11)
[table="head;width=3800]Nr|Position |Player| Team| Height |Weight| Nationality |Shoots|DOB|Drafted
1|G |Igor Shesterkin |St. Petersburg SKA (KHL) |6' 1"| 187 | Russia |L|December 30, 1995 |R4 #118 NYR (2014)
2|D |Tyler Nanne ¤ |Ohio State/NCAA (did not play) |5' 10"|175 | USA |R|March 17, 1996 |R5 #142 NYR (2014)
3|C |Brad Morrison |Prince George/WHL |6' 0"| 160 | Canada |L|January 4, 1997 |R4 #113 NYR (2015)
4|RW |Daniel Bernhardt |London Knights/OHL |6' 3"| 191 | Sweden |L|April 11, 1996 |R4 #119 NYR (2015)
5|G |Adam Huska |Green Bay Gamblers/USHL |6' 3" |191 | Slovakia |L|May 12, 1997 |R7 #184 NYR (2015)
6|D |Sean Day |Mississauga Steelheads/OHL |6' 2" |229 | Belgium/Canada|L|January 9, 1998 |R3 #81 NYR (2016)
7|D |Tarmo Reunanen |TPS U20 (Finland) |6' 0" |180 | Finland |L|March 1, 1998 |R4 #98 NYR (2016)
8|LW/RW |Timothy Gettinger |Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds/OHL|6' 5" |201 | USA |R|April 14, 1998 |R5 #141 NYR (2016)
9|c |Gabriel Fontaine |Rouyn-Noranda Huskies/QMJHL |6' 1" |187 | Canada |L|April 30, 1997 |R6 #171 NYR (2016)
10|G |Tyler Wall |Leamington Flyers/GOJHL |6' 2" |190 | Canada |R|January 14, 1998 |R6 #174 NYR (2016)
11|C |Ty Ronning |Vancouver Giants/WHL |5' 9" |165 | Canada |R|October 20, 1997 |R7 #201 NYR (2016)
(12)|F |Klingberg, Carl |Free agent - rights retained |6' 3" |205 | Sweden |R|January 28, 1991 |R2 #34 Atlanta (2009)[/table]

¤ - injured

2017 DRAFT PICKS (5)

• 1st round NYR
• 3rd round NYR
• 4th round Florida
• 5th round NYR
• 6th round VAN

• We lost our 2nd round pick to Carolina in the trade for Eric Staal
• We lost our 4th round pick to Colorado in the trade for Nick Holden
• We lost our 6th round pick to Nashville in the trade for Magnus Hellberg
• We lost our 7th round pick to Ottawa in the trade for Mika Zibanejad
• We gained a 4th round pick from Arizona for Keith Yandle - condition was met when he signed a 7 year deal there
• We gained a 6th round pick from Vancouver when we traded Emerson Etem

2018 DRAFT PICKS (8)

• 1st round NYR
• 2nd round Ottawa
• 2nd round NYR
• 3rd round NYR
• 4th round NYR
• 5th round NYR
• 6th round NYR
• 7th round NYR

• We gained a 2nd round pick from Ottawa when we traded Derrick Brassard

Click to read more...

 

[Irishguy42]

No fancy title? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeak.

 

[kovazub94]

My early rankings for the East:

1. Washington
2. Pittsburgh
3. Florida
4. Tampa Bay
5. Islanders
6. Rangers
7. Philly
8. Devils
9. Montreal
10. Boston
11. Buffalo
12. Detroit
13. Toronto
14. Carolina
15. Ottawa
16. Columbus

Rangers are the first wildcard. Washington, Pittsburgh, Islanders, Philly make the playoffs again out of the East. Devils just miss. Tampa, Florida, and Montreal make it out of the Atlantic. Buffalo and Boston just miss.

Washington over Philly once again
Pittsburgh over Islanders
Florida over Rangers
Tampa over Montreal

Washington over Pittsburgh
Florida over Tampa

Washington over Florida

Washington finally gets their Cup, beating Dallas in the Finals.

You're giving absolutely no benefit to Rangers depth, better seasons from last year's strugglers and a slew of youngster with a high upside potential. IMHO, the Rangers will at least compete for the 2nd place in the division but I will not be surprised if it's for the 1st in the East under the right circumstances.

 

[aufheben]

No fancy title? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeak.

Are you implying that "Vesey difficult" can be topped, or even equaled?

 

[FLYLine27*]

Sunshine..walking... = me

Almost the perfect offseason...if he can dish off Nash for a good young dman...i will kiss his boots.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Are you implying that "Vesey difficult" can be topped, or even equaled?

"That was Vesey"

 

[Irishguy42]

"That was Vesey"

I cannot wait for #ThatWasVesey to be a thing this season and all the dank "Vesey Button" memes that will follow.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

The Rangers need to manage the defense at this point. Theres some real pie in the sky stuff on this board about really upgrading the D. I dont see it, for 2 reasons really:

1. The NMCs with Staal and Girardi are real obstacles
2. Virtually every team in the league is looking to upgrade at right D. There simply isn't a lot of quality players in that position, even less so that are available.

Ulf is gone. Thats a good first step. I'd imagine that will lead to exploring a total revamping of the defensive system. At this point, the best we can hope for is no sacred cows. Whoever plays the best plays. That might also help gently usher Staal and Girardi out the door, eventually.

 

[Filip Chytil]

My biggest thing regarding the Yandle deal was that we already had Girardi and Staal under their new, awful contracts at the time of that deal.

So shouldn't it have been predictable that it would have been kind of difficult to keep Yandle long term at the time of the Yandle trade?

Hindsight is 20/20, so maybe I'm just benefiting from seeing it now rather than at the time the FO made that deal.

 

[aufheben]

I cannot wait for #ThatWasVesey to be a thing this season and all the dank "Vesey Button" memes that will follow.

I don't get the Vesey Button.

I am voting 4/5; Vesey happy with the moves.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

My biggest thing regarding the Yandle deal was that we already had Girardi and Staal under their new, awful contracts at the time of that deal.

So shouldn't it have been predictable that it would have been kind of difficult to keep Yandle long term at the time of the Yandle trade?

Hindsight is 20/20, so maybe I'm just benefiting from seeing it now rather than at the time the FO made that deal.

I really dont think Sather cared. One last shot at glory was the only goal at the time.

Its just so refreshing to have a pragmatic guy at the helm now. I also firmly believe the E. Staal deal was made with the aforementioned mindset in play. Unfortunately the team took a pretty steep dive from the time the Yandle trade was made.

 

[I Eat Crow]

You're giving absolutely no benefit to Rangers depth, better seasons from last year's strugglers and a slew of youngster with a high upside potential. IMHO, the Rangers will at least compete for the 2nd place in the division but I will not be surprised if it's for the 1st in the East under the right circumstances.

Thanks for bumping my post to this thread, saved me a copy and paste.

To address a couple of posts from the previous thread, my guesses are only based on what I see on paper, not factoring in injuries or team dynamics.

I think that the Islanders will stay just about where they were last season despite losing Okposo, Nielsen, and Martin. Their young guys like Strome, Lee, and Nelson are all still there. Ho-Sang, Barzal, and Beaulivier are on the way. I don't see them losing very much, if anything as far as talent goes up front. They also got Ladd who is still an impactful player, though he won't be for the duration of his contract. Their defense will also be better. Halak as always is the question mark in net.

As far as the Rangers go, their depth up front is tremendous with Vesey signing and Buchnevich coming over. That being said...

I don't see Buchnevich as a top 9 contributor right away. His talent is undeniable. It's going to take him a while to adjust to the speed of the NHL. In the KHL there is more open ice and more time to make decisions. He will start in the NHL, but we're going to see growing pains in October and November. Once his mind catches up to his abilities, he will be a good player, but we're going to need to be patient with him.

The defense is worse than it was last year. Boyle retiring is addition by subtraction, but Yandle is a huge loss, though I never endorsed giving him the contract that Florida gave him. The main problems with this team are still unsolved. Staal and Girardi are still on the team and will likely still have significant roles. With losing Yandle, there is no power play QB or bonafide puck mover in the back end besides McDonagh. Dylan McIlrath is the 2nd most proficient puck mover in our current defensive corps, but for whatever reason will most likely still be the 7th defenseman on opening night.

Holden and Klein are average to below average puck movers despite having some offensive touch to their game. Skjei is an average puck mover but seems to be afraid to shoot at times. Staal and Girardi we have been over ad nauseum.

Lundqvist put up a Vezina caliber season despite the numbers. The amount of high danger chances he stopped in relation to the ones he faced was simply incredible. He's going to be 35. How much longer can he keep it up?

There is also no guarantee that Zibanejad takes the next step. No guarantees that Miller's season wasn't an aberration. No guarantees that Hayes and Kreider improve upon their disappointing seasons. No guarantee that Nash returns to 30 goal form.

I can definitely see the Rangers struggle to get into the playoffs if even a couple of those players fail to improve. Lundqvist will drag them in kicking and screaming, but how close will they cut it?

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

I don't get the Vesey Button.

I am voting 4/5; Vesey happy with the moves.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Thanks for bumping my post to this thread, saved me a copy and paste.

To address a couple of posts from the previous thread, my guesses are only based on what I see on paper, not factoring in injuries or team dynamics.

I think that the Islanders will stay just about where they were last season despite losing Okposo, Nielsen, and Martin. Their young guys like Strome, Lee, and Nelson are all still there. Ho-Sang, Barzal, and Beaulivier are on the way. I don't see them losing very much, if anything as far as talent goes up front. They also got Ladd who is still an impactful player, though he won't be for the duration of his contract. Their defense will also be better. Halak as always is the question mark in net.

As far as the Rangers go, their depth up front is tremendous with Vesey signing and Buchnevich coming over. That being said...

I don't see Buchnevich as a top 9 contributor right away. His talent is undeniable. It's going to take him a while to adjust to the speed of the NHL. In the KHL there is more open ice and more time to make decisions. He will start in the NHL, but we're going to see growing pains in October and November. Once his mind catches up to his abilities, he will be a good player, but we're going to need to be patient with him.

The defense is worse than it was last year. Boyle retiring is addition by subtraction, but Yandle is a huge loss, though I never endorsed giving him the contract that Florida gave him. The main problems with this team are still unsolved. Staal and Girardi are still on the team and will likely still have significant roles. With losing Yandle, there is no power play QB or bonafide puck mover in the back end besides McDonagh. Dylan McIlrath is the 2nd most proficient puck mover in our current defensive corps, but for whatever reason will most likely still be the 7th defenseman on opening night.

Holden and Klein are average to below average puck movers despite having some offensive touch to their game. Skjei is an average puck mover but seems to be afraid to shoot at times. Staal and Girardi we have been over ad nauseum.

Lundqvist put up a Vezina caliber season despite the numbers. The amount of high danger chances he stopped in relation to the ones he faced was simply incredible. He's going to be 35. How much longer can he keep it up?

There is also no guarantee that Zibanejad takes the next step. No guarantees that Miller's season wasn't an aberration. No guarantees that Hayes and Kreider improve upon their disappointing seasons. No guarantee that Nash returns to 30 goal form.

I can definitely see the Rangers struggle to get into the playoffs if even a couple of those players fail to improve. Lundqvist will drag them in kicking and screaming, but how close will they cut it?

Theres no guarantees of anything, but I think the chances of this forward group succeeding is pretty strong.

And I think retooling the defensive scheme will go a long way. Yes, the team is missing a huge offensive element from the backend that Yandle brought, but if the philosophy coming into camp is to severely limit those high danger chances against, we shouldn't forget the contributions from Yandle in that area. He was the epitome of a high risk/reward player.

 

[I Eat Crow]

Theres no guarantees of anything, but I think the chances of this forward group succeeding is pretty strong.

And I think retooling the defensive scheme will go a long way. Yes, the team is missing a huge offensive element from the backend that Yandle brought, but if the philosophy coming into camp is to severely limit those high danger chances against, we shouldn't forget the contributions from Yandle in that area. He was the epitome of a high risk/reward player.

That is very dependent upon AV being smart enough to mitigate the shortcomings of his defensive corps. Is he smart enough to throw out the man to man scheme of the past three seasons and employ a zone scheme that is much more of a fit for our defensemen such as Staal, Girardi, Holden, and McIlrath? I would hope he does, his job depends on it.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

That is very dependent upon AV being smart enough to mitigate the shortcomings of his defensive corps. Is he smart enough to throw out the man to man scheme of the past three seasons and employ a zone scheme that is much more of a fit for our defensemen such as Staal, Girardi, Holden, and McIlrath? I would hope he does, his job depends on it.

I think he is, despite the cartoonish narrative that hes the dumbest coach of all time.

 

[eco's bones]

The Rangers need to manage the defense at this point. Theres some real pie in the sky stuff on this board about really upgrading the D. I dont see it, for 2 reasons really:

1. The NMCs with Staal and Girardi are real obstacles
2. Virtually every team in the league is looking to upgrade at right D. There simply isn't a lot of quality players in that position, even less so that are available.

Ulf is gone. Thats a good first step. I'd imagine that will lead to exploring a total revamping of the defensive system. At this point, the best we can hope for is no sacred cows. Whoever plays the best plays. That might also help gently usher Staal and Girardi out the door, eventually.

I think there's a chance that both Staal and Girardi rebound this year. Two main reasons for Girardi--1. the longer summer helps him really recover from his injuries. 2. the Rangers depth at forward and the signing of a number of speedy back checking wingers will take more of the burden off the man on man kind of defense system the Rangers play and that Girardi struggles with. That should help Staal and McIlrath as well.

The major issue as far as our defensemen though is we really need another guy who can bring offense. I really like what Gorton has done this summer. He's gone younger and faster and improved the depth not just on the Rangers but throughout the organization. It's been very good work IMO. But an offensive catalyst from the blueline is a real need. This year's team though should be able to roll 4 lines and players should fit better from top to bottom into roles.

 

[eco's bones]

The Rangers as currently constructed can easily carry a 23 man roster this year and have about $3 mil in cap space.

I put together a lineup of Zuccarello, Stepan, Nash, Zibanejad, Kreider, Miller, Hayes, Buchnevich, Vesey, Fast, Jooris, Grabner Lindberg and Glass------McDonagh, Klein, Girardi, Staal, Skjei, Holden and McIlrath----Lundqvist and Raanta and it comes to $70.1.

The Rangers have space to call up or replace or to make a deal.

 

[offdacrossbar]

last seasons team defense was lacking. top to bottom from the forwards to the d. bad.

looks like the message was read loud and clear by the brass too. they seem to have addressed it.

improve the overall team speed and the on ice decision making and get better at getting back and helping out. added were forwards whos cup of tea seems to be just that including mika who is smart, big and fast and defensively responsible.

also, and a big part of the former, improve the pk. speed, awareness and intelligence will make this team tougher to score on man down.

lastly, reduce those high risk chances from in front that hank saw consistently last year. bring some net presence in the form of defensively responsible players like brady skjei, the now healthy twins staal and girardi- both pretty much void of any offense, so what else would they be focusing on, and the newly signed and dependable minutes eater josh holden and everyones man crush for no reason, dylan mcilrath. play a team scheme based on zonal coverage and positioning rather than running around and chasing.

team speed
team defense inc the forwards
team intelligence
better pk
better dzone defense with less running around and leaving the front of the net.

do that stuff, and this team can more than compete for now.

 

[Infinitum Vitae*]

I don't get the Vesey Button.

I am voting 4/5; Vesey happy with the moves.

You do know its pronounced vee-c right?

 

[Irishguy42]

You do know its pronounced vee-c right?

It's Vee-zee. That's what's in the highlight reels, and more importantly, on the NCAA pronunciation guides.

 

[FLYLine27*]

It's Vee-zee. That's what's in the highlight reels, and more importantly, on the NCAA pronunciation guides.

Vee-zee / Vee-C

Basically same thing.

 

[Stugots]

I'm between "meh" and "pretty pretttttty good." I think our off-season was decent, but I still have this uneasiness going into the season... but I guess that's par for the course when you're a NYR fan.

 

[Irishguy42]

Vee-zee / Vee-C

Basically same thing.

Tomato/To-mah-to

 

[emodwarf]

I think he is, despite the cartoonish narrative that hes the dumbest coach of all time.

To me, it's not that AV is dumb. He's just stubborn and blind to the point of it being detrimental. Similar to how Torts is very set in his own ways (caveman hockey, star players blocking slapshots, etc.), AV is inflexible in his devotion to man on man defense. Doesn't matter if the actual personnel can pull that off, that's what he wants. Staal can still be a top 4 dman, it's just that this defensive scheme maximizes his weaknesses and doesn't make the most of his strengths. Girardi at this point doesn't have many strengths, but he sure isn't built for man on man d or a fast-paced offense system based on dmen jumpstarting the play.

And for AV's blind spots, well, his love affair for veterans and certain players he loves doesn't help either. Especially if this team's goal is to get younger and develop players coming into their own.

Overall, I just don't think AV is the right coach for this team anymore. He lacks the agility and mindset for both what this team has currently and what they're trying trying to do in the near term. On the other end of the spectrum are coaches like TB's Cooper. Even if he has a punchable face too, Cooper has shown a marked ability to adapt to the situation (like changing tactics against the Kings during the Cup finals). Meanwhile, AV doubles down on what doesn't work because his way must be right and it just needs even more of it to succeed.