You are AV: Who is the 7th defenseman going into the season?

[FLYLine27*]

Now that the preseason is over...I'm sure the answer will be known tomorrow or the next couple days....who won it? Mci or Diaz. Factor in everything. Don't forget we will not be holding onto 8 per AV as we don't have the cap room.

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[Tawnos]

I like Diaz a lot and wish they would just carry 8 early in the season, but I understand their decision.

I think they've played pretty even overall, but you gotta give it to the young guy that you want with your organization for years to come. It also sends the right message to the rest of the youth like Skjei and Graves.

 

[Wolfy*]

Diaz for sure, reason: He has 4 points in 3 games, good puck handling and a decent shot, will be great on a PP team.

McIlrath is all zero except a bunch of penalty minutes...not exactly AV hockey.

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

Diaz, because we trade Klein and McIlrath is the 6th .

Seriously though, it's McIlrath. Team has too many anchors on D right now to hope a 30 year old journeyman can suddenly be a good piece for a cup winning team. Go with the young guy with upside.

 

[Tawnos]

Diaz won't play on the PP even if Boyle or Yandle is the player injured that he's stepping in for.

 

[Wolfy*]

Diaz, because we trade Klein and McIlrath is the 6th

The poll should have a trade option (keep both), because this may very well happen. But I'd reverse the positions

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I'm fine with trading Klein and rolling with McI as the 6th and Diaz as the 7th.

 

[Vitto79]

Diaz deserves to make the team too . Trade glass carry 8

 

[DanielBrassard]

Diaz. Trade Klein, McIlrath 6th

 

[RGY]

Klein will be here.
Mcilrath the 7th.

Diaz has a nice few tools but he is even smaller than Boyle. He can't bring the size elements those two bring to fill out the 6/7 spots. Yandle, Boyle, McDonagh and eventually Skjei can bring versions/aspects of what Diaz brings.

 

[KeninsFan]

Outsider opinion: Diaz fits AV's style perfectly. He loves the quick transitional defensemen as they're key to his system.

 

[Rick Nash 61]

On the #tradeklein train

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

Outsider opinion: Diaz fits AV's style perfectly. He loves the quick transitional defensemen as they're key to his system.

I agree, which is why it's odd he has yet to feature Yandle. In an ideal world where Diaz realized his full potential he'd be an AV stalwart, but the guy is a journeyman for a reason.

The Erik Christensen analogy from a different thread is absolutely spot on.

 

[Ail]

Trade Klein.

 

[Esa 10]

McIlrath.

Easiest choice ever. Diaz is a dime a dozen guy that can be easily replaced with next year's version of Hunwick. McIlrath will be needed for a regular role next year when a vet, most likely Klein, will be moved for cap reasons. Dylan also looks like a perfectly adequate #7 right now. His physical play is unique within the current NYR D group. Diaz is merely a very poor man's version of Boyle and a one-armed, blind beggar's version of Yandle.

He won't get PP time with Yandle, Boyle, McD and AV's PP favourite, Girardi here anyway. Stralman couldn't displace Girardi on the point, now Diaz will do it? Really…

We also have a bunch of forwards who can play the point. It's not like Diaz is some sort of specialist, who put up amazing PP numbers during the course of his career. Marc Andre Bergeron he is not.

 

[Esa 10]

Outsider opinion: Diaz fits AV's style perfectly. He loves the quick transitional defensemen as they're key to his system.

People often say this, but where's the evidence? Aaron Rome was an AV favourite in Vancouver. Fleet of foot and transitional are not the first, second or even third adjectives I associate with Rome.

AV also loves Girardi and Staal. He likes Klein's play. He certainly had some input in retaining all three and instead letting Stralman go.

All these decisions by AV run counter to this supposed preference for quick, transitional defensemen.

 

[Placid]

From an economic perspective, trading Klein is a very bad idea. True that he is not exactly a 1st liner, but he is on a 2.9 million contract for another 3 (?) years (he is a UFA in 2018).

Next year, we'll lose Boyle. We'll also lose Yandle unless some other major piece is traded away, because his pay raise is likely to be very substantial.

So next year we'll have McD, Girardi, Staal, and.... ? Mci, Diaz and Skjei as the bottom 3 ?

Chances are that we'll have to cough up more than 2.9 to replace a similar skill set, or accept an inferior.

Well, thats my take on it anyway.. not claiming to be an expert or anything, and while Klein doesn't normally "wow" me, he is usually fairly solid.

 

[pld459666]

big fan of Diaz game in the sense of being smart on the PP, and his ability to carry the puck into the offensive zone. He also provides a bit of offensive pop from the 3rd paid when inserted.

However, I think Dylan has done enough to nail down the #7 spot and an argument could be made that he has played well enough to take a reg. shift as the teams #6 guy.

Dylan gets the nod here.

 

[Vickers8]

McIlrath.

Easiest choice ever.

I agree, Mc is much improved and you better keep your head up when coming down his wing, ask Rinaldo

 

[nyr2k2]

McIlrath.

Keep Klein. McIlrath playing well in the preseason is not reason to assume he's suddenly ready to take over for Klein night-in, night-out.

 

[Mac n Gs]

Diaz won't have an impact on the powerplay when he's sitting in the pressbox. I'd prefer to trade Klein, recoup some assets, and roll with McIlrath as the 6th, while Diaz gets spot duty here and there.

 

[Fitzy]

McIlrath has room to improve into a Sauer-like late bloomer. Diaz is what he is.

If its not going to be a consistent starter, might as well go with someone with room for growth.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Keep 8. McIlrath #7 and Diaz #8. They are pretty much polar opposite players and I like the versatility that would bring if a defenseman goes down. I know AV said its looking like 13F and 7D but waiving Glass mitigates any cap problems.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

I'm fine with trading Klein and rolling with McI as the 6th and Diaz as the 7th.

Rangers management isn't right now. And thank goodness. That would be an ill advised leap of faith.

 

[nyr2k2]

McIlrath has room to improve into a Sauer-like late bloomer. Diaz is what he is.

If its not going to be a consistent starter, might as well go with someone with room for growth.

I agree with all points, but I do want to say, I don't really think it's fair to consider him a late bloomer. 23 is a very typical age for a guy to break into the league. It may be late by the standards of the tenth pick in the draft, but if he was picked in the second or third round it wouldn't see unusual at all. He was picked as a project and developed as a project.