Speculation: Roster Building Thread Part XI: We can read between the lines

[NYR Viper]

The other thing moving those guys gets you is a TON of cap space in the off-season. Nash is a UFA. Grabner is a UFA. Tavares is a UFA. Stastny, Kane, Neal, JVR, Hornqvist, Carlson, Backlund, Cogliano, Komarov, Calvert, Maroon, Roussel, McNabb.

If the Rangers wanted to target, say 2-3 of these guys they could pretty easily.

 

[Irishguy42]

#HayesIsActuallyGood campaign still going on strong.

 

[Savant]

There is no direction. You can’t retool when the window has closed. They can’t givr contracts to out of their prime players and watch them and the team get worse. Their young forwards are their strength their weakness is their depth. It isn’t hard to figure out what they will do.

 

[Savant]

The other thing moving those guys gets you is a TON of cap space in the off-season. Nash is a UFA. Grabner is a UFA. Tavares is a UFA. Stastny, Kane, Neal, JVR, Hornqvist, Carlson, Backlund, Cogliano, Komarov, Calvert, Maroon, Roussel, McNabb.

If the Rangers wanted to target, say 2-3 of these guys they could pretty easily.

I don’t really agree with this. They need Nash and Grabners money to pay their RFAs and they need money in the bank for Buchnevich next year. I don’t think now is the time to build through UFA

 

[LeetchisGod]

I don’t really agree with this. They need Nash and Grabners money to pay their RFAs and they need money in the bank for Buchnevich next year. I don’t think now is the time to build through UFA

Building through free agency is also a strategy that doesn't work.

 

[Lion Hound]

I think Tavares stays with the Isles. Seems like a really loyal guy. Isles are also building a pretty good team.

I think I read somewhere JVR grew up a Rangers fan.

 

[NYR Viper]

So because it's close to Thanksgiving and I am attempting to keep my mind off of work. What about this:

Deadline trades:

To DAL:
Rick Nash

To NYR:
Antoine Roussel + DAL 1st


To LAK:
Mats Zuccarello

To NYR:
LA 1st '18 + LA 1st '19 + Jokinen (cap dump)


To OTT:
Nick Holden

To NYR:
OTT 3rd '18 + OTT 4th '18


To MIN:
Michael Grabner

To NYR:
MIN 2nd '18


To TB:
Ryan McDonagh

To NYR:
Mikhail Sergachev + TB 1st '18 + TB 1st '19


Signings in off-season:
Roussel - 4 years @ $2.6m
Grabner - 3 years @ $2.6m
Hayes - 4 years @ $4.0m
Miller - 6 years @ $4.35m
Skjei - 7 years @ $4.75m
Nieves - 1 year @ .85m
Vesey - 1 year @ $1.25m

Line-up next year:

Kreider-Zib-Buch
Roussel-Hayes-Fast
Miller-Chytil-Lettieri
Fast-Nieves-Grabner

Skjei-Shattenkirk
Sergachev-Smith
Staal-TDA/Pionk

That still leaves boat loads of cap space and the Rangers have (4) 1st round picks in 2018 and (3) in 2019

 

[Savant]

Building through free agency is also a strategy that doesn't work.

I agree. You can use free agency to add a guy that will put you over the top. You cat use it to fill holes. The way to build is to not give out big third contracts, and to trade those players to someone else to recoup assets.

 

[Ola]

I'd be happy if they chose a direction.

I wonder if we aren’t entering a phase were to some extent constant retool on the fly is the way to go. Just check the standings, all familiar faces at the bottom of it. Ari, EDM and Buffalo. Colorado will be there. I think Toronto have done everything right the last years. When will they win their first PO series? Things aren’t getting easier for them with the cap.

Of course, you can get to a point were you aren’t competitive and just are better off completely dismantling and taking 4-5 years of top picks.

But if you have a choice I don’t think “not” being competitive is a luxury you can afford yourself. Bad teams destroy good prospects, and good teams develop good players. It’s not a cliche, you can’t learn to play the right way if you cannot practice on it. These worthless teams get completely marinated in bad habits. When like Klefbom and Lander played for Swedish National teams they drove their coaches nuts with boneheaded unfocused plays. You can blame Swedish hockey players for a lot, but not sloppy undisciplined mistakes that often, so it really stood out.

With the above said, vets hardly the way to go either. Eric Staal and he likes. Make good moves, be careful and bring things along slowly. Just do a perfect job. That can entail trading a McD, or not.

 

[Inferno]

So because it's close to Thanksgiving and I am attempting to keep my mind off of work. What about this:

Deadline trades:

To DAL:
Rick Nash

To NYR:
Antoine Roussel + DAL 1st


To LAK:
Mats Zuccarello

To NYR:
LA 1st '18 + LA 1st '19 + Jokinen (cap dump)


To OTT:
Nick Holden

To NYR:
OTT 3rd '18 + OTT 4th '18


To MIN:
Michael Grabner

To NYR:
MIN 2nd '18


To TB:
Ryan McDonagh

To NYR:
Mikhail Sergachev + TB 1st '18 + TB 1st '19


Signings in off-season:
Roussel - 4 years @ $2.6m
Grabner - 3 years @ $2.6m
Hayes - 4 years @ $4.0m
Miller - 6 years @ $4.35m
Skjei - 7 years @ $4.75m
Nieves - 1 year @ .85m
Vesey - 1 year @ $1.25m

Line-up next year:

Kreider-Zib-Buch
Roussel-Hayes-Fast
Miller-Chytil-Lettieri
Fast-Nieves-Grabner

Skjei-Shattenkirk
Sergachev-Smith
Staal-TDA/Pionk

That still leaves boat loads of cap space and the Rangers have (4) 1st round picks in 2018 and (3) in 2019

i would do all those moves...pretty sure the other teams wouldnt.

 

[Ola]

I think Tavares stays with the Isles. Seems like a really loyal guy. Isles are also building a pretty good team.

I think I read somewhere JVR grew up a Rangers fan.

I am not a trade Kreider fan — but if we did JVR would be a good replacement.

But won’t he be too expensive? Seems like he would get close to 7m, good stats. He just isn’t worth that even remotely IMO. 5.5m per tops...

 

[RangerBoy]

First possible major injury of the season. Is McDonagh going to see specialist in Philadelphia?

 

[Kovalev27]

not trading kreider 26 year old horse. could play on this team another 10 years. no way

mcdonagh zucc nash grabner holden Smith DD should all be available if this thing goes south by Feb

 

[Savant]

Look at the way this team is built.

Right now 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 26, 89, 93 are all either under RFA control or are signed to fair long team deals. Next year hopefully you add FC and LA to that. Maybe VL gets a shot. That is a strength. They will probably lose 40 and 61, but you can trade them to replenish draft assets or get a younger replacement. You need their cap space to re-sign RFAs though.

Defense is murky but workable. 22 and 76 are your cornerstones. They need to figure out what to do with 18 and 42 sooner than later. The can’t have a $10m 3rd pairing defense. 55 can be moved to the highest bidder. 47 is a bandaid who doesn’t cost anything. ADA, NP, RG need to step in. The Rangers need to seenwhat they have with those guys. 27 needs to be traded though. His extension is very bad news. How do you think the Sharks are going to feel about that deal they gave Burns? SJ is a team whose window has closed and look at the payout that Burns got. That is not where the Rangers want to be. If the Rangers can move him this year to get more value than they can next year, that is all the better.

Goalie is pretty obvious but the Rangers need to take a step back these next two years so they are peaking again when Shestyorkin is ready to take the job/or at least time share with Hank. This is all doable, but they have to be proactive.

 

[Lion Hound]

First possible major injury of the season. Is McDonagh going to see specialist in Philadelphia?

Damn...that's not good!

If McDonagh goes down what is the likelihood of this team winning games w/out him?

 

[Ori]

First possible major injury of the season. Is McDonagh going to see specialist in Philadelphia?

Ya, I saw the official New York Rangers tweet about an hour ago.
Kampfer will take his spot while Ryan is injured.

 

[Savant]

Damn...that's not good!

If McDonagh goes down what is the likelihood of this team winning games w/out him?

They are a .500 team with him, so I would say the chances of them winning are less without him. Hopefully he isn’t hurt too bad so they can trade him. I wonder who gets called up though.

 

[Tawnos]

#HayesIsActuallyGood campaign still going on strong.

I think Hayes is good too, but MSG is notorious for inflating their real-time statistics. I wouldn’t put much stock in where he ranks compared to the league.

Where is he compared to other Rangers?

 

[LeetchisGod]

First possible major injury of the season. Is McDonagh going to see specialist in Philadelphia?

The storm clouds are brewing. This is a bubble team without injuries.

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

Just had a feeling McD was playing hurt most of the season so far. Hopefully it's not serious.

 

[Trxjw]

McD missing time would be a big blow to the team. He's looked off all season.

 

[NYR Viper]

Injuries were going to happen. For a health team to be ~.500 is not a good sign

 

[TheTakedown]

I am not a trade Kreider fan — but if we did JVR would be a good replacement.

But won’t he be too expensive? Seems like he would get close to 7m, good stats. He just isn’t worth that even remotely IMO. 5.5m per tops...

I would like JVR...

I'm a fan of these "sell your assets then sign replacements"... it's essentially using cap space to buy picks in the end, which I'm not necessarily opposed to, especially with all the money that is coming off the books this year and next.

 

[Beacon]

To DAL:
Rick Nash

To NYR:
Antoine Roussel + DAL 1st


To LAK:
Mats Zuccarello

To NYR:
LA 1st '18 + LA 1st '19 + Jokinen (cap dump)


To OTT:
Nick Holden

To NYR:
OTT 3rd '18 + OTT 4th '18


To MIN:
Michael Grabner

To NYR:
MIN 2nd '18


To TB:
Ryan McDonagh

To NYR:
Mikhail Sergachev + TB 1st '18 + TB 1st '19

You're asking for a little too much, but I generally agree.

Nash for a pair of second rounders and a third (similar to Eric Staal)

MZA for 1, 2 and a mid-level prospect similar to Nieves (a little less than Yandle since we're not retaining)

Grabner for #2.

McDonagh for Trouba+1 or Sergachev+1+2.

That gives us 3 firsts [incl our own] and 5-6 seconds, plus a couple of young guys. Probably adding around 5 young NHLers when all is said and done. That's a major rebuild effort.

 

[NYR Viper]

Evander Kane would be a nice addition if they have the cap space