Rangers Are Statistically a "Bad" Team

[YesCubed]

We're pretty much the only team in the division without our own top 5, let alone top 10 pick on the roster.

This is what you get when you actually try to be competitive every year.

they have the 5th highest amount of stanley cup final wins in the division since the 05 lockout (after the pens, flyers, canes, and devils)

congrats?

 

[aufheben]

they have the 5th highest amount of stanley cup final wins in the division since the 05 lockout (after the pens, flyers, canes, and devils)

congrats?

That's a weird "stat".

Meanwhile, 47 shots against in Pittsburgh.

 

[Carlzner]

Last year, yes. The Caps were extremely strong last year and they destroyed the Penguins, who got away with one of the luckiest series wins ever.

 

[Machinehead]

Looks like my dad

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Lundqvist our only elite player, the coach has a terrible defensive strategy. Give up 40+ shots a night.

 

[rent free]

If rhey can outscore issues they'll be fine. #carlyleleafs

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

The Flyers have tried to be competitive every year. Last year they were slotted to pick 13th and got lucky. Hockey gods rewarded them for getting screwed in 07.

I agree with your take though. Except the part where you suggested the Flyers have tanked like all the other teams. Was never the case.

well hopefully when we miss the playoffs this season we get a little bit of that luck. But yes, the Flyers never tanked. Neither did the Devils, really they just sucked for 5 years.

 

[zeke]

tbh i've always felt that your coach has got the most possible from his roster over his tenure there. i haven't been a fan of the rangers roster for a while now.

 

[John Matthews]

Why do people always compare us to the Habs?

Gomez for McDonagh

 

[SlapshotTheMovie]

The team would greatly improve if AV was relieved of his duties. They won't win the cup or anything and constantly being in the playoffs has killed the prospect pool so a retool is definitely needed. However if AV is shown the door they could easily make the play offs this year. As it is that is a coin toss.

 

[John Matthews]

Last year, yes. The Caps were extremely strong last year and they destroyed the Penguins, who got away with one of the luckiest series wins ever.

But by and large, it's been a weakness. The 2015 series was all Holtby and Lundqvist. Those teams were trading 35 shots every night.

Not really sure what you mean by destroyed... The pens outscored the Caps, lost a game in OT and both teams one game where they burnt the other team by more than 5 goals. But the Caps were the only team to get shut out. Good series to watch, but the assessment of the Caps destroying the Pens is just a farce.
Last year the Blackhawks were destroyed by the Predators, that was destructive.
The year prior the Penguins destroyed the Caps.

 

[JT Kreider]

The prospect pool could instantly be restocked from the returns we would get from McDonagh and Zuccarello traded. To go along with Lias, Chytil, Skjei, Buchnevich, Shestyerkin and a potential lottery pick is a damn good start for a quick retool.

They should be moved ASAP. Locking them up long term would be a mistake, but they would be excellent adds for a team like the Leafs with a window before the Matthews extension.

We could even retain on them. McDonagh at $2.3 million has insane value for the next season and a half.

Dragging this out to the 2019 TDL where they'd only be pure rentals and their value would be massively decreased would be the worst possible thing.

 

[DearDiary]

Everything in this thread tells me that the Rangers need Hagelin

 

[Machinehead]

Everything in this thread tells me that the Rangers need Hagelin

Another player who can't play defense at even strength?

Nah, we got 23 of those.

 

[Off Sides]

McD, Shattenkirk, Skjei, Staal, Holden, Smith, Kampher is a group of D where only one player does not need to be sheltered in some capacity.

 

[bambamcam4ever]

That's ridiculous. The summer we traded for Nash we were coming a season where we finished 1st in the East, had more ROW than the Presidents Trophy winners and made it to the ECF. The year we traded two 1sts we went to the finals. We won the Presidents Trophy the year we traded our last 1st for Yandle and were one win away from going back to the finals.

How isn't that a contending team?????

Don't forget during this time we are in the prime of the best player in franchise history. You sure **** are not going to waste it.

The Rangers have had a GD of over +40 once in the past decade. That isn't the sign of a yearly contender. And the 2012 team wasn't that good , which is why I was never worried about them getting Nash, who is a bum anyway. They were try-hards under Torts, which is why they had so many wins in the RS but didn't have the top end talent to really be a contender.

 

[grifters]

this rangers roster is average at best, arguably worst in the metro, the only reasons they still in the playoff race are hank and av, rangers fan blaming coach just laughable, you should blame you incompetent gm

 

[aufheben]

this rangers roster is average at best, arguably worst in the metro, the only reasons they still in the playoff race are hank and av, rangers fan blaming coach just laughable, you should blame you incompetent gm

Replace AV wit Benoit Allaire.

 

[Pez68]

The Habs are an elite possession team that can't finish for ****.

The Rangers are a garbage possession team that shoots 10% every year.

The two teams are polar opposites.

Montreal is an elite possession team? lol......

 

[Samuel Culper III]

After watching the Rangers face the Islanders are the Garden, once again coming out flat, and giving up routine Grade A chances, I wanted to do a little more digging into how poor this team is.

46.46 CF% (30th in NHL)
46.92 FF% (28th in NHL)
47.25 SF% (29th in NHL)
422 High Danger Chances Allowed (4th in NHL)

It's clear that the team struggled in October, December and now January. They're currently in a wild card spot mostly because of the efforts of Lundqvist/Pavelec. Pavelec, to his credit, has also played outstanding games only to lose (the one where he stopped 44 of 45 immediately comes to mind).

Every Ranger fan will tell you that it is a problem with the coach. And I agree. His line choices aren't the best. In regards to his defensive core, however, I don't know what fans expect him to do. Kampfer, Staal, Holden and Shattenkirk are all awful defensively. Skjei isn't very good either. Therefore, it really does not matter who they are playing McDonagh with.

Did Gorton, in a way, handcuff his line choices? Is the roster actually that bad?

The team has no elite talent in their forward core. For example, the Rangers best forward would be Zuccarello who would be the Islanders 4th or 5th best forward. He is a complimentary piece, he can't be "the guy."

Can a roster with Hayes, Zuccarello, Zibenejad, Kreider, Miller, etc, effectively compete?

Also, what specifically are the Rangers doing wrong? Washington Capitals have a solid playoff position and have similar statistics to the Rangers in analytics. Holtby has done well, but statistically not as well as Lundqvist. Yet, their record is much better.

The Rangers were viewed as a "deep" team, but does being "deep" not matter in today's NHL if you do not have elite talent? When you remove the similar analytics from the picture, remove the fact they both have elite goaltenders, both have weak defensive cores, etc, the main difference I see is the high end elite talent the Capitals have (Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backstrom) that the Rangers simply can't match. Would the Rangers be one elite center / winger away from being up there with the Capitals?

The questions that you asked were rhetorical. You already know the answers.

““Did Gorton, in a way, handcuff his line choices? Is the roster actually that bad?””

Yes. The defensive core is that poorly constructed. As you hit on, AV has been terrible in his line choices for forwards and D and employs a system that doesn’t work but there aren’t a lot of ways to make good combinations out of the defensive personnel available.

““Can a roster with Hayes, Zuccarello, Zibenejad, Kreider, Miller, etc, effectively compete?””

Nope. As you hit on very accurately there simply isn’t any top end talent. The Rangers have about 9 players filling roles that, realistically, at most a team can carry 7 of. You need at least two highly skilled players who can make dangerous rushes, back defenders up, change the pace, etc. without that it just becomes wave after wave of vanilla “depth”. That’s what the Rangers have.

““Also, what specifically are the Rangers doing wrong?””

As mentioned, employing a system that absolutely does not work for the personnel that are on the roster. Additionally, I think it’s fairly clear that, outside of Lundqvist, they lack a strong vocal leader and they have tuned the coach out completely.

““The Rangers were viewed as a "deep" team, but does being "deep" not matter in today's NHL if you do not have elite talent?””

Already hit on it, but again, you’re spot on. Even a team like Boston has Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak. Might not be considered Crosby, Malkin, Kessel but they’re pretty damn elite. I don’t know that the Rangers are one elite piece away but it would certainly make a ginormous difference. It obviously depends on what your definition of elite is as well. I’m not saying they need two Malkins, but a truly elite player and another high end, high skill guy are absolutely needed on this roster. As well as a new coach and Holden/Kampfer/Staal to be replaced with one competent second pairing player.

 

[Machinehead]

Montreal is an elite possession team? lol......

Lol what?

They are. Have been for years.

They're bad a lot of other things, granted.

 

[deakka]

Another player who can't play defense at even strength?

Nah, we got 23 of those.

Not to derail the thread. But play good defense is about the ONLY thing he does good

 

[Machinehead]

Not to derail the thread. But play good defense is about the ONLY thing he does good

He's a good penalty killer, and maybe he's changed, but his even strength defense on the Rangers was an abortion.

 

[Saitama]

The Rangers will still make the playoffs but will probably go about 1-4 in the first round. Which will take them out of contention for a lottery pick as usual. I always say that the Rangers are going to make the playoffs every year when the doubters come out and I'm still saying it this year, but this is probably the first year I'd prefer that they didn't.

 

[Nickmo82]

this rangers roster is average at best, arguably worst in the metro, the only reasons they still in the playoff race are hank and av, rangers fan blaming coach just laughable, you should blame you incompetent gm