Post-Game Talk: #7 - Sharks @ Rangers

[Wolfy*]

Nash has the biggest muffin of a shot on the team. He needs to score his goals within 5 feet of the net. There's a reason why he can put up 8 shots in a game and not score, if the majority of those shots are from outside the crease.

Yep, Nash needs to do what he does here, get in front of the net. His size makes him a great screen.

I also love those quick releases from Zucc, that's something new. I expected a pass to Stepan in the middle there, goalie probably did the same.

 

[NYR Viper]

So a kid from Russia and trading 3 guys that the majority of this board think are collective shit? Thats the plan, eh? Like I said, good luck.

To be fair, the Bruins traded Thornton and got better. It's not always about replacing that one player with one player. If moving Nash gives the Rangers cap room to aid in other areas, say re-signing Yandle and signing Byfuglien (I am in no way proposing this but just in principle) along with acquiring the assets he returns, then it may work. If moving Nash allows for the Rangers to go out and get a Stamkos or allows them to get Vrbata on a short term deal to help off-set some scoring in the short term it may work.

There are lots of options to replace offense. I guess I'm in the group that would move Nash at years end. Recoup some assets. Try and re-tool the team in a slightly different direction. I would like to see a bit more offense coming from the blue-line considering all of the looks those guys get on a regular basis on the heels of the forwards pushing back opposing defensemen and looking for the trailer.

I also am not a fan of a 32-33-34 year old Rick Nash who really hasn't looked anywhere close to as explosive since starting in NY. He has a lot of heavy minutes on him over the year. Lots of NHL, International, and playoff minutes against other teams best players.

 

[haveandare]

Yup, Girardi and Staal are going nowhere anytime soon. Any why would they? They took a discount off what they would have gotten in FA for the promise of stability for themselves and their families. Unless their relationships with the team start to sour, which I see no indication of, I can't see them being moved until their NMCs are expired.

Those are going to be really bad contracts in hindsight, but I can't kill management for the Girardi contract. At the time, we were thin on RHD, and McIlrath was still a huge question mark. Staal's contract, however, I was railing against from day one.

If the team starts realizing and acting like they have better players than them in their positions, I could see them moving.

People talk about NMCs and the like as if pro hockey players aren't still pro hockey players. Theyre athletes. They know that from 20-30 they might have to move and might not have the stability that an accountant or lawyer has. That's their life. If these guys are getting minimal minutes here and they think they can get more somewhere else, I wouldn't be that surprised to see them open to moving to another good team. NMC means they control where they go if it comes to that.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Miller, despite his 4 assists, has been very disappointing so far this season.

After yesterdays game I absolutely agree. It's like he didn't give two craps about anything and was just going through the motions each shift. He needs to be sat. I'll give Hayes more leeway since a lot of players have sophomore slumps, plus I think he has looked better at center the last 2 games, especially two games ago.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

After yesterdays game I absolutely agree. It's like he didn't give two craps about anything and was just going through the motions each shift. He needs to be sat. I'll give Hayes more leeway since a lot of players have sophomore slumps, plus I think he has looked better at center the last 2 games, especially two games ago.

I would prefer to go with these lines against Arizona:

Nash-Brassard-Fast
Kreider-Stepan-Zucc
Stalberg-Hayes-Etem
Lindberg-Moore-Stoll

The top6 has 2 lines with good defense which we will need against the young wolves. Etem should play with some decent players so he can show what he can do. Possibly switch Stalberg and Stoll to give Hayes some help in the circle

 

[Mac n Gs]

I would prefer to go with these lines against Arizona:

Nash-Brassard-Fast
Kreider-Stepan-Zucc
Stalberg-Hayes-Etem
Lindberg-Moore-Stoll

The top6 has 2 lines with good defense which we will need against the young wolves. Etem should play with some decent players so he can show what he can do. Possibly switch Stalberg and Stoll to give Hayes some help in the circle

I really hope AV doesn't break up that Nash-Stepan-Zucc line. They were amazing last night

 

[Glen Sathers Cigar]

Yeah I can see that

Looks like Zucc will be our top scorer, after he finally decided to shoot. Nash and Stepan will pick up the assists..

You're laughing at Nash being our biggest goal scoring threat? Seriously?


Ah yes, Zucc has 4 goals and Nash has 0 in the first few games of the season, must mean Zucc is going to keep up this pace and finish with 47 goals, and so will Nash and he will finish with 0.

 

[Miamipuck]

Lol you want to sit Miller and continue to play Hayes? Miller as meh as he has been sometimes, he's still an order of magnitude better than Hayes so far. Hayes has genuinely looked putrid.

 

[eco's bones]

I don't know why anyone is worrying about Etem so much. The number of actual good shifts he's had since the beginning of training camp could probably be counted on one hand. I'm not sitting either of Miller or Hayes for him anytime soon. To me the Hagelin deal just looks like shit right now and there's pretty much no way you're going to get shit to smell good.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Lol you want to sit Miller and continue to play Hayes? Miller as meh as he has been sometimes, he's still an order of magnitude better than Hayes so far. Hayes has genuinely looked putrid.

Yes. I do.

Hayes looked fine 2 games ago and was the only one creating any chances and trying to get to the net with the puck. Oh it is his 2nd pro year once again, its very common for players to slump a bit in their second year.

Miller doesn't learn, this is his 4th pro season, he needs a wake up call if he thinks he can play like he did yesterday. Didnt engage, didn't fight for the puck, didn't do anything. Probably his worst game from him since he came to the NHL.

 

[TheTakedown]

Its funny, because Stamkos playoff performance, especially in the finals, would have been lambasted if he was a Ranger - now we want him to replace Nash, likely at a much higher price. Cant make this stuff up.

Fine, kopitar...

I only bring this up because we could essentially buy ourselves a first round pick again. Sending Nash away for a 1st, prospect, and minor league player gives us $7.8M in cap space, which can go to just about any other top end player for around the same money...

 

[TheTakedown]

Yup, Girardi and Staal are going nowhere anytime soon. Any why would they? They took a discount off what they would have gotten in FA for the promise of stability for themselves and their families. Unless their relationships with the team start to sour, which I see no indication of, I can't see them being moved until their NMCs are expired.

Those are going to be really bad contracts in hindsight, but I can't kill management for the Girardi contract. At the time, we were thin on RHD, and McIlrath was still a huge question mark. Staal's contract, however, I was railing against from day one.

Well this brings me back to my original point...

If Girardi or Staal can't be traded (and I still believe both could be), then the next option for cap relief is Nash...

I'd like to see Girardi AND Staal shipped out, which would give us farm assets as well as assets to buy a rental player for a playoff run in 2017...

 

[ReggieDunlop68]

Yes. I do.

Hayes looked fine 2 games ago and was the only one creating any chances and trying to get to the net with the puck. Oh it is his 2nd pro year once again, its very common for players to slump a bit in their second year.

Miller doesn't learn, this is his 4th pro season, he needs a wake up call if he thinks he can play like he did yesterday. Didnt engage, didn't fight for the puck, didn't do anything. Probably his worst game from him since he came to the NHL.

I've been saying this for a while. I think Miller has a serious maturity issue. It's not that he's stupid [hockey IQ]. It's not that he doesn't have the frame. It's that he still thinks he can carry a team by his own rules at the NHL level.

 

[TheTakedown]

To be fair, the Bruins traded Thornton and got better. It's not always about replacing that one player with one player. If moving Nash gives the Rangers cap room to aid in other areas, say re-signing Yandle and signing Byfuglien (I am in no way proposing this but just in principle) along with acquiring the assets he returns, then it may work. If moving Nash allows for the Rangers to go out and get a Stamkos or allows them to get Vrbata on a short term deal to help off-set some scoring in the short term it may work.

There are lots of options to replace offense. I guess I'm in the group that would move Nash at years end. Recoup some assets. Try and re-tool the team in a slightly different direction. I would like to see a bit more offense coming from the blue-line considering all of the looks those guys get on a regular basis on the heels of the forwards pushing back opposing defensemen and looking for the trailer.

I also am not a fan of a 32-33-34 year old Rick Nash who really hasn't looked anywhere close to as explosive since starting in NY. He has a lot of heavy minutes on him over the year. Lots of NHL, International, and playoff minutes against other teams best players.

Thanks... basically what I've been trying to post for 2 weeks now

 

[Miamipuck]

Yes. I do.

Hayes looked fine 2 games ago and was the only one creating any chances and trying to get to the net with the puck. Oh it is his 2nd pro year once again, its very common for players to slump a bit in their second year.

Miller doesn't learn, this is his 4th pro season, he needs a wake up call if he thinks he can play like he did yesterday. Didnt engage, didn't fight for the puck, didn't do anything. Probably his worst game from him since he came to the NHL.

I dont care, if it's 2nd season or 22nd he's been the worse player by far this season. Miller has been better, even though that's not saying much.

 

[Wolfy*]

I really hope AV doesn't break up that Nash-Stepan-Zucc line. They were amazing last night

Won't happen.

I don't understand why people always want to change the lines, no matter how well they play..

 

[BlueshirtBlitz]

I mean, i don't think it's a coincidence Lindberg and Miller looked bad with Hayes.

Hayes is in no mans land right now and needs to figure it out. It'll happen, but who knows if it'll take 5 games, 10 games or 20 games. He's dragging down everyone right now.

 

[offdacrossbar]

hayes looks totally lost. clueless.

jtmiller hasn't been much betterv really. both of these guys looks like they are trying to do it all alone and thats not gonna work. neither guy is skilled enough.

hayes looks slower and ore lumbering so far this season. the game seems like its too fast for him. you can tell he's frustrated.

jtmiller just does dumb stuff. frequently. he's at his best when he's crashing, skating and playing a physical brand of hockey and flying up and down the edge. when he gets too cute, he's suddenly becomes ineffective and makes that extra pass, waits the extra second or shoots it too late.

kevin hayes, so far, has been the worst returning player by alot. nash hasn't scored yet, buyt he's been semi effective in being involved and has taken some really choice shots that haven't gone in.

hayes needs to figure it out soon. he's not back at the 3c cuz he's been effective at the 2rw. he's been bad.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

For all the talk of cap relief, and I preface this saying its extremely early, but the returns right now do not suggest that Kreider/Hayes/Miller will be breaking the bank next summer.

 

[NYRFAN218]

To be fair, the Bruins traded Thornton and got better. It's not always about replacing that one player with one player. If moving Nash gives the Rangers cap room to aid in other areas, say re-signing Yandle and signing Byfuglien (I am in no way proposing this but just in principle) along with acquiring the assets he returns, then it may work. If moving Nash allows for the Rangers to go out and get a Stamkos or allows them to get Vrbata on a short term deal to help off-set some scoring in the short term it may work.

There are lots of options to replace offense. I guess I'm in the group that would move Nash at years end. Recoup some assets. Try and re-tool the team in a slightly different direction. I would like to see a bit more offense coming from the blue-line considering all of the looks those guys get on a regular basis on the heels of the forwards pushing back opposing defensemen and looking for the trailer.

I also am not a fan of a 32-33-34 year old Rick Nash who really hasn't looked anywhere close to as explosive since starting in NY. He has a lot of heavy minutes on him over the year. Lots of NHL, International, and playoff minutes against other teams best players.

Agreed about potentially trading Nash. I was in the anti trade camp this past summer because I didn't see the need to move his salary at the present time and didn't think we'd get fair value to replace his production in the present. After the year though with the need to re-sign a bunch of guys I'd definitely look into dealing him. It's not as much of an overreaction to his start as it is the realization that he's getting older and some other pieces need to be locked up along with rebuilding the farm system. The only thing about trading Nash as it relates to possibly re-signing Yandle is we still have the problem of where are you playing all these guys? You have your 3 left D if you re-sign him, Girardi, Klein still under contract, McIlrath, and Skjei ready to come up. Unless they plan on playing someone on the off side, where is he fitting? Yandle isn't a third pairing defenseman and should be getting bigger minutes.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

To be fair, the Bruins traded Thornton and got better. It's not always about replacing that one player with one player. If moving Nash gives the Rangers cap room to aid in other areas, say re-signing Yandle and signing Byfuglien (I am in no way proposing this but just in principle) along with acquiring the assets he returns, then it may work. If moving Nash allows for the Rangers to go out and get a Stamkos or allows them to get Vrbata on a short term deal to help off-set some scoring in the short term it may work.

There are lots of options to replace offense. I guess I'm in the group that would move Nash at years end. Recoup some assets. Try and re-tool the team in a slightly different direction. I would like to see a bit more offense coming from the blue-line considering all of the looks those guys get on a regular basis on the heels of the forwards pushing back opposing defensemen and looking for the trailer.

I also am not a fan of a 32-33-34 year old Rick Nash who really hasn't looked anywhere close to as explosive since starting in NY. He has a lot of heavy minutes on him over the year. Lots of NHL, International, and playoff minutes against other teams best players.

To be fair, those Bruins teams were in quite a different situation when they traded Thornton. I doubt they would've traded him had they been to 3 conference finals in the previous 4 years.

Look, if the Rangers don't win it all or come very close this season, I'd be open to trading Nash. But Im also not jaded enough to believe that wouldn't signify an initial step back for a team thats already going to have a difficult time once Lundqvist's play begins to slip.

 

[The Lunatic Fridge]

People are going to rage over this but i actually miss MSL.
People can whine about him all they want but when he went out there he knew what needed to be done to try and contribute for the team. I can't say that about all our players out there so far to start the season.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

People are going to rage over this but i actually miss MSL.
People can whine about him all they want but when he went out there he knew what needed to be done to try and contribute for the team. I can't say that about all our players out there so far to start the season.

I miss 2014 MSL. I do not miss 2015 MSL

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

The worst part is, as much as they have struggled, I still play Hayes/Miller over Etem every day of the week.

 

[aufheben]

Did trading Thornton improve the Bruins? They missed the playoffs for 2 years, and I don't remember any players received from San Jose doing much for them?