Pre-Game Talk: RagCar

Anton Babchuk

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The Rask hysteria (capped by calls for a Buyout) is just silly. He's had a terrible start to the season. He has looked totally toothless in all 3 zones. So has Faulk to a large extent. So has Lindholm just about every season of his career.

The Canes are like $500k above the Cap Floor. They don't need to buyout a 24 year old making $4 million. smh.
Slavin and Pesce's extensions kick in next season, while Hanifin and Lindholm also need new contracts. The only significant salaries they have coming off the books are Ward/Stempniak. They won't be having trouble hitting the cap floor next season.

And again the reason I suggested a buyout this season is because he jumps from a 1/3rd salary buyout this offseason season to 2/3rds buyout next offseason season. It's a big risk to wait and hope he bounces back. It's why the Sabres bought out Cody Hodgson after one bad year at the same age as Rask is now...they couldn't afford to hope he bounced back and deal with a buyout twice as costly if he didn't. They turned out to be right about that decision.

It's more than a terrible start to this season. He's been terrible since November of last year. His skating seems to be getting even worse, which is the same thing that happened with Hodgson. The game keeps getting faster and I don't know if Rask can keep up. If he had some actual tangible skill maybe he could be useful but he's just brutal with the puck. His main offensive asset is his shot and he rarely gets in position to use it effectively, which again goes back to his skating.
 
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Anton Babchuk

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I prefer the "Eastern Promises" look of Viggo Mortgenson.

But seriously, do we not think that Rask can get his game back? Remember when we gave up on Jokinen? How well did that work out for a 7th round pick?
Remember when we gave up on Ruutu and then he had 14 total points for the Devils over two seasons with them paying him almost four million a year? That worked out well. I think Rask is a lot closer to Ruutu than Jokinen.

I don't know....I've been watch Rask very closely for the past year or so and he's been atrocious basically all of the time. His skating is horrendous, he can't make the simplest of plays and there's no willingness to engage physically at all. Jokinen was soft as hell as well but he was at least an average skater and very good with the puck even during his slumps. Not to mention that his slump was largely Muller-induced due to Muller's insistence on playing him at center when he was much better as a winger to go with poor linemates (LaRose, Bowman, Ponikarovsky, etc). Jokinen's production took a big hit basically as soon as Muller took over because he didn't know to use him. Rask has been playing his natural position with at least adequate linemates the vast majority of the time. He just drags down whatever line he's on.

Ruutu was the opposite of soft but he got unbelievably slow and never had the best hands, with his main offensive asset being his shot. His declining production/play was because he just couldn't keep up anymore and had nothing to do with coaching/usage. Rask may actually be even slower than Ruutu was after his decline. Rask is basically the worst of Jokinen/Ruutu combined - soft, slow, and bad hands. All he has is a shot and every shot he takes is from long distance and has next to no chance at going in.

I don't know how so many people aren't seeing this. He's absolutely garbage literally every game. The only positive you can say about him is that he's solid defensively. That's it.
 
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Negan4Coach

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Remember when we gave up on Ruutu and then he had 14 total points for the Devils over two seasons with them paying him almost four million a year? That worked out well. I think Rask is a lot closer to Ruutu than Jokinen.

I don't know....I've been watch Rask very closely for the past year or so and he's been atrocious basically all of the time. His skating is horrendous, he can't make the simplest of plays and there's no willingness to engage physically at all. Jokinen was soft as hell as well but he was at least an average skater and very good with the puck even during his slumps. Not to mention than his slump was largely Muller-induced due to Muller's insistence on playing him at center when he was much better as a winger to go with poor linemates (LaRose, Bowman, Ponikarovsky, etc). Jokinen's production took a big hit basically as soon as Muller took over because he didn't know to use him. Rask has been playing his natural position with at least adequate linemates the vast majority of the time. He just drags down whatever line he's on.

Ruutu was the opposite of soft but he got unbelievably slow and never had the best hands, with his main offensive asset being his shot. His declining production/play was because he just couldn't keep anymore and had nothing to do with coaching/usage. Rask may actually be even slower than Ruutu was after his decline.

I don't know how so many people aren't seeing this. He's absolutely garbage literally every game.


I do agree Rask looks like garbage and it is alarming, especially since he just got a fat contract.

I agree that Muller is to blame for Joikinen. It drives me wild that Muller was ever coach of this team. I swear the guy looked like he got baked every time he did an interview.

I don't agree that this situation is similar to Ruutu. Ruutu was 30 when he hit the wall, and the guy was a complete wrecking ball on the ice unlike Rask, which no doubt contributed to his rapid decline. Do you remember when he broke his shoulder being slammed to the ice after having to fight the guy he previously annihilated in Colorado? Do you remember when he checked a guy through the glass (only time a Hurricane has done this?)

Rask is 24- he's definitely in a slump. Why do you not think he can pull out of it? Aho couldn't hit the broadside of a barn for a month , but everybody knew he'd get switched on at some point. Faulk is in the same boat.

Its just something the team needs to work through. Peters needs to either get him a sports psychologist or bag skate him until he vomits. Or perhaps both.
 
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Boom Boom Apathy

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Sep 6, 2006
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Rask is 24- he's definitely in a slump. Why do you not think he can pull out of it? Aho couldn't hit the broadside of a barn for a month , but everybody knew he'd get switched on at some point. Faulk is in the same boat.

Its just something the team needs to work through. Peters needs to either get him a sports psychologist or bag skate him until he vomits. Or perhaps both.

Some big differences between Rask and the players you list. Aho was playing well overall, getting scoring chances, taking lots of shots, hitting posts, and putting points (assists) on the board, he just wasn't scoring goals. There was reason to believe that eventually the goals would come because his overall game was strong. That's not the case with Rask. He's not playing well overall, he's not getting scoring chances, he's not getting shots on goal, etc... It's not like Aho where Aho's game was solid, just the goals weren't there.

Faulk has a bit bigger body of work to say that this is more of an anomaly (in terms of scoring). He's also getting a bunch of shots on goal, just his SH% is very low, way below his career average and frankly, I'd say unsustainably low. Again, not the case with Rask. His SH% is right in line with his career average and his play has been terrible.

I'm not saying he won't turn it around, but the underlying play hasn't been there like it was/is with Aho and Faulk.
 

Joe McGrath

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Did Rask have shoulder surgery this offseason or last? I can’t remember. Those sometimes take forever to get over completely. See: Luck, Andrew.

Or Ruutuu who was never the same after his surgery. I want to say Cullen and Stillman both had down years after shoulder surgeries as well.
 

Stickpucker

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So when the Capitals finally decide to blow it up this trade deadline/offseason: Who's down for a Victor Rask, Jake Bean, 1st and a small plus (think a conditional 2nd or prospect like Foegele) for Backstrom? Yes, Rask sucks and is playing like an AHLer but let's ignore that and pump his tires like only a Leaf or Habs fan could do.

Ah, who am I kidding, they're still going to make the playoffs and not advance past the 2nd round, and Backstrom and Ovechkin will retire as Caps in 10ish years as having played the most amount of playoff games without ever reaching the conference finals.

And maybe we'll have had made the playoffs once or twice by then.

If the Caps wanted to tank the best way is to give your best old players to a division rival. Backstrom has 3 maybe 5 more good years. During that time he helps division rival stomp the caps getting them higher picks during the rebuild then when he falls off the division rival is stuck with an anchor of a contract.

Backstrom is Swedish and would love playing with our large collection of Scandinavian brethren.
 

MinJaBen

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Why do you not think he can pull out of it?

I can't speak for everyone, but I don't think he is going to pull out of it because he is too slow. His speed, or lack of it, is a problem in the NHL in general, but it is more pronounced on our team which is built to play fast. It is very hard to make a play when you get there after the play is over. If we can find a taker, I'd trade him at the first opportunity. If that doesn't happen and his play stays at the same level for the remainder of the year, I'd strongly consider Haley's idea of a buyout at year's end for the cap reasons she mentioned. We have guys waiting in Charlotte for a chance at the 3C position. We don't need a slow $4M 3C. Not with our owner and our attendance.
 

bleedgreen

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Hasn’t Lindholm not played much center because he doesn’t thrive at all in that situation?
I was saying in my imaginary world that Rask figures it out, that Lindy would thrive and Ryan would be the utility guy. Not saying it had already happened. My bad for being unclear.
 
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