Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part LVI

[Levitate]

100 percent agree.

Kakko is in the "could" category, albeit a high probability could.

Lafreniere is in the "should" category. If he doesn't quite hit that level, it would be considered a disappointment.

I've compared Lafreniere/Kakko to MacKinnon and Barkov from an offensive production standpoint.

MacKinnon has hit that roughly 40-43 goal, 100-110 point level, whereas Barkov is maybe just a notch below that in 35 goal, 90-95 point range.

If Lafreniere and Kakko hit on their full potential, or damn close, that's more or less the difference I can see existing there.

random but how do you see Byfield compared to Lafreniere? If he was the guy we knew th a rangers would pick (say if Laf didn’t exist) would you still be as hyped?

 

[Edge]

random but how do you see Byfield compared to Lafreniere? If he was the guy we knew th a rangers would pick (say if Laf didn’t exist) would you still be as hyped?

I would be hyping the upside, more than the finished product right now.

Byfield is a very good prospect right now. But he also falls into the category of someone who you look and say, "I want to see where the pieces are in 2-3 years."

I think he's a guy who, if those pieces come together, could really close the gap with someone like Lafreniere. Maybe not from a straight offensive production standpoint, but maybe close that gap from an impact perspective.

He's almost a full a year younger than both Lafreniere , and that difference does count for something.

In a world where Lafreniere doesn't exist, or is some random mid-round prospect, Byfield to me is legit first line center prospect who could be a franchise player, but isn't really a sure-thing either.

In that scenario, if the battle for top spot was Byfield-Stutzle, I would compare it more closely to the Hughes-Kakko debate last year.

 

[Cag29]

I like where you're going with this!

Kreider and Strome were middle of the road. Panarin was bleh and Zib and Buch were towards the bottom. That makes sense. I thought the big guys looked slow. I give them a Mulligan in this strange time but we need them to come out swinging next time.

Plus we got the first pick

 

[Leetch3]

100 percent agree.

Kakko is in the "could" category, albeit a high probability could.

Lafreniere is in the "should" category. If he doesn't quite hit that level, it would be considered a disappointment.

I've compared Lafreniere/Kakko to MacKinnon and Barkov from an offensive production standpoint.

MacKinnon has hit that roughly 40-43 goal, 100-110 point level, whereas Barkov is maybe just a notch below that in 35 goal, 90-95 point range.

If Lafreniere and Kakko hit on their full potential, or damn close, that's more or less the difference I can see existing there.

but the thing that we need to keep in mind when looking at those examples if that those 2 weren't stars from day 1...both guys are currently on the 2 best contracts in the league because they were considered disappointments early on during their ELCs

MacKinnon scored 63 as a rookie which was good enough to win the calder but then scored only 38 points (in 64 games) in year 2...and then scored 52 & 53 points in years 3 & 4. It wasn't until year 5 at 22 years old that he exploded to 97 points and became one of the best players in the league...

Barkov scored only 24 points as a rookie (similar to Kakko), 36 points in year 2....he didn't become a PPG player until year 5 (also 22 years old) with 78 in 79. And then hit 96 points in year 6.

so Lafreniere SHOULD reach that potential. but we also shouldn't expect year 1 Lafreniere to match year 5 MacKinnon & Barkov.

 

[haohmaru]

Personally, I will be happy if he starts on the third line and works his way into shifts on the second. For me, that's a very successful rookie season.

Me too.

 

[wafflepadsave]

I’m warming up to the idea of Hanifan if the deal was something like ADA + Buch for Lindholm + Hanifan. He’d be a nice guy who can slot up or down the left side for the foreseeable future. His contract is pretty much on par with a good, not great 2nd pairing d-man and that’s assuming flat caps for the rest of his contract. If he takes even a small step forward he’s a bargain and if he gets passed by someone like Miller or Robertson or whoever he’s perfectly suited as a 2nd pairing guy.

I’m warming up to the idea of sending a contingent of @Edge , @bobbop , @Kupo , @DutchNYR ,@SingnBluesOnBroadway ,@GoAwayStaal, among others to meet with Gorton and company to get this off season plan down. Anybody on board?

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I’m warming up to the idea of sending a contingent of @Edge , @bobbop , @Kupo , @DutchNYR ,@SingnBluesOnBroadway ,@GoAwayStaal, among others to meet with Gorton and company to get this off season plan down. Anybody on board?

Need @Machinehead so he can flip a shit anytime something dumb is suggested so they decide against doing it just to shut him up.

he’s our true ace in the hole.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

but the thing that we need to keep in mind when looking at those examples if that those 2 weren't stars from day 1...both guys are currently on the 2 best contracts in the league because they were considered disappointments early on during their ELCs

MacKinnon scored 63 as a rookie which was good enough to win the calder but then scored only 38 points (in 64 games) in year 2...and then scored 52 & 53 points in years 3 & 4. It wasn't until year 5 at 22 years old that he exploded to 97 points and became one of the best players in the league...

Barkov scored only 24 points as a rookie (similar to Kakko), 36 points in year 2....he didn't become a PPG player until year 5 (also 22 years old) with 78 in 79. And then hit 96 points in year 6.

so Lafreniere SHOULD reach that potential. but we also shouldn't expect year 1 Lafreniere to match year 5 MacKinnon & Barkov.

Patience on this board? Good luck with that. If LAF doesn't have a 50 point season there will be plenty calling him a disappointment.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Need @Machinehead so he can flip a shit anytime something dumb is suggested so they decide against doing it just to shut him up.

he’s our true ace in the hole.

Gorton: “I was planning on going into the season with howden at 4C”

“Breaking news: rangers search for new GM as ravenous fan OBLITERATES Jeff Gorton in front of MSG after being challenged by Tony DeAngelo”

 

[Alluckks]

Reading Calgary fan takes on the main boards gives me brain damage

They talk about how they can just go sign Barrie and that therefore makes Deangelo useless to them. Without even getting into the comparison or value, it is like they completely forget that essentially no free agent with any worth has any interest in signing in freakin Calgary

 

[PuckLuck3043]

Need @Machinehead so he can flip a shit anytime something dumb is suggested so they decide against doing it just to shut him up.

he’s our true ace in the hole.

Im sure he will bring his laptop with him for an in depth analytics presentation to Gorton.

 

[Machinehead]

Need @Machinehead so he can flip a shit anytime something dumb is suggested so they decide against doing it just to shut him up.

he’s our true ace in the hole.

I was born to be a no-man!

 

[Machinehead]

Im sure he will bring his laptop with him for an in depth analytics presentation to Gorton.

My laptop currently has four Liverpool stickers on it and I'm in the market for more

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I’m warming up to the idea of Hanifan if the deal was something like ADA + Buch for Lindholm + Hanifan. He’d be a nice guy who can slot up or down the left side for the foreseeable future. His contract is pretty much on par with a good, not great 2nd pairing d-man and that’s assuming flat caps for the rest of his contract. If he takes even a small step forward he’s a bargain and if he gets passed by someone like Miller or Robertson or whoever he’s perfectly suited as a 2nd pairing guy.

Now where have I seen that proposal before...?

 

[Ghost of jas]

Now where have I seen that proposal before...?

My original proposal?

 

[bobbop]

Gorton: “I was planning on going into the season with howden at 4C”

“Breaking news: rangers search for new GM as ravenous fan OBLITERATES Jeff Gorton in front of MSG after being challenged by Tony DeAngelo”

Don't send me then. I'm closer to management POV on Howden than the vultures on the board.

 

[Edge]

Reading Calgary fan takes on the main boards gives me brain damage

They talk about how they can just go sign Barrie and that therefore makes Deangelo useless to them. Without even getting into the comparison or value, it is like they completely forget that essentially no free agent with any worth has any interest in signing in freakin Calgary

Hey if they want to go for a player than is 5 years older, might be on the decline, is less productive, and somehow interested in actually going to Calgary, by all means power to them.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

My original proposal?

Which I, not yet having read yours, subsequently proposed not long thereafter, prompting me to receive a blizzard of sarcastic responses in like the first 17 seconds after posting.

Yep, that's the one!

 

[Shesterkybomb]

As Rangers fans, we've trained ourselves to temper expectations. I get that.

That being said, while Lafreniere obliviously doesn't occupy the A1 tier (with Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, McDavid, and maybe Dahlin) he's absolutely in that next tier with Kane, MacKinnon, Eichel, Barkov, Hedman, Tavares, and Stamkos. He's an out-of-the-box franchise-altering player. Kakko was never that and you can't show me a single scouting report that said he was that.

I fully expect Lafreniere to be a 100-point player in the NHL at some point.

f*** it. We deserve to be excited about something for a change. What's gonna happen? I, a Rangers fan, might end up disappointed?

Mackinnon belongs in the top tier.

 

[Thirty One]

I’m warming up to the idea of sending a contingent of @Edge , @bobbop , @Kupo , @DutchNYR ,@SingnBluesOnBroadway ,@GoAwayStaal, among others to meet with Gorton and company to get this off season plan down. Anybody on board?

 

[Alluckks]

Hey if they want to go for a player than is 5 years older, might be on the decline, is less productive, and somehow interested in actually going to Calgary, by all means power to them.

I have a slight feeling that bitter boys on a message board see it differently than people paid obscene amounts of money to evaluate these things... at least I'd hope so

 

[bleedblue94]

Seeing people pencil Lafreniere in at 1LW is awfully reminiscent of seeing people do the same thing with Kakko last season.

His place on the team should be at 3LW, behind Panarin and Kreider, unless one of them make the switch to RW (which probably means Buch is a goner).

I think for some it's less about forcing laf into 1lw as it is spreading out the inexperience of the top 9 in the roster. You have kakko in his sophomore year and potentially kratsov and laf as rookies. We all want those players in the top 9 if they are on this team for the 21 season. Rarely will you see two rookies on a line together or a rookie and sophomore on a scoring line together. So if you spacing those three players out across the top 9 on three separate lines than that's the thought. If laf takes ck spot with zib it's not bc we expect him to elevate zib, it's bc there are two veteran top line players already there that can help bring laf along while ck can go insulate chytil if he's going to center a 3rd line with kratsov or kakko on the rw. At least that was my reasoning.

I do not want to have a 3rd line of laf chytil kakko/kratsov and have set each of those players up to fail by grouping them together that way rather than spacing them in the top 9.

 

[egelband]

I was born to be a no-man!

I was born in a desert. Raised in a lion’s den.

 

[egelband]

Don't send me then. I'm closer to management POV on Howden than the vultures on the board.

Kindly adhere to board orthodoxy.

 

[egelband]

Which I, not yet having read yours, subsequently proposed not long thereafter, prompting me to receive a blizzard of sarcastic responses in like the first 17 seconds after posting.

Yep, that's the one!