Has the Rangers Window Closed?
- Thread starter LastWordArmy
- Start date
Lol no the only old guys are either UFAs or going to get traded. Fire the Coach change up the core a bit and we're competitive again.
Leetch66
Registered User
Hockey analyst's don't know it all .
It is not all doom and gloom for the Rangers . They have a decent core to still rebuild around in Stepan 25 , Zucc 28, Brassard 28, Miller 23, Hayes 23 ,Lindberg 24, Fast 24 ,Buchnevich 20 ,Kreider 24 , McDonagh 26 , Skjei 22, McIlrath 24 and FIVE promising young goalies in the system including Helberg/Raanta/Skapski and the two juniors along with Graves 21...a defenseman & AHL All Star .
They can recoup a few drafts/players/new blood quickly with deals for Nash, Staal and Girardi and even Lundqvist . They will need to eat some salary... but those guys will still return pieces and free up some coin depending on what we eat or place on LTIR and Nash did score over 40 the year before and has a bit of value.....
They move them 4 above guys and lose Boyle/Moore/Glass and possibly sign Yandle ....again....not all bad as TSN and others report it to be . A lot of teams would drool to have that type of core to return.
I dunno...but in McDonagh , Klein ,and Graves /McIlrath/Skjei I think our defense for the future is quite solid and big and mean with the average size of the last 3 McIlrath/Skjei/Graves being averaged at 6 ft 4 , 217 Lbs and average age of 22 . I kind of like the look of our upside in all honesty . Our team age averages out at under 25....that is OK !!!
The other big thing is that native New Yorker Kevin Shattenkirk could be ours next trade deadline if Blues go after Nash or the King for another Cup chance . Shattenkirk has hinted at being a Ranger someday and is a UFA after next season .
It is not all doom and gloom for the Rangers . They have a decent core to still rebuild around in Stepan 25 , Zucc 28, Brassard 28, Miller 23, Hayes 23 ,Lindberg 24, Fast 24 ,Buchnevich 20 ,Kreider 24 , McDonagh 26 , Skjei 22, McIlrath 24 and FIVE promising young goalies in the system including Helberg/Raanta/Skapski and the two juniors along with Graves 21...a defenseman & AHL All Star .
They can recoup a few drafts/players/new blood quickly with deals for Nash, Staal and Girardi and even Lundqvist . They will need to eat some salary... but those guys will still return pieces and free up some coin depending on what we eat or place on LTIR and Nash did score over 40 the year before and has a bit of value.....
They move them 4 above guys and lose Boyle/Moore/Glass and possibly sign Yandle ....again....not all bad as TSN and others report it to be . A lot of teams would drool to have that type of core to return.
I dunno...but in McDonagh , Klein ,and Graves /McIlrath/Skjei I think our defense for the future is quite solid and big and mean with the average size of the last 3 McIlrath/Skjei/Graves being averaged at 6 ft 4 , 217 Lbs and average age of 22 . I kind of like the look of our upside in all honesty . Our team age averages out at under 25....that is OK !!!
The other big thing is that native New Yorker Kevin Shattenkirk could be ours next trade deadline if Blues go after Nash or the King for another Cup chance . Shattenkirk has hinted at being a Ranger someday and is a UFA after next season .
GraveyTrain9
Registered User
If Nash, Girardi, & Staal are still on the team next year then yes the window is closed. You can't have that much dead cap space on the team and expect to contend for anything.
FLYLine27*
BUCH
Of course it is. I just hope Gorton doesn't think it's still open or it's going to be a LONG offseason.
Calad
Section 422
JT Kreider
FIRE GORDIE CLARK
I think so, yes, mostly because you look around the league, the East and in this case specifically the Metro and most teams are loaded with young talent/and or elite scorers (#1 c and #1 d minimum) which is what drives teams to long term success. The Rangers as currently constricted can't compete with anyone in that department.
It's a pipe dream fantasy for some Rangers fans to just assume someone is going to take Staal and or Girardi off our hands. This offseason starts with unloading Nash, whatever assets you can get for him fine but we'd basically be just handing him over at a lot less than what we would expect.
I mean even the Hurricanes are going to surpass us very soon. They have some really nice young pieces up front in Rask, Lindholm and Skinner and have probably the best future on defense in the NHL. Pesce and Slavin have made great strides this season and look like solid top 4 defenseman and are only 21. McKeown and Fleury have high upside and obviously Faulk is a majestic unicorn and Hanifin has unlimited potential.
Plus a top goaltending prospect in Nedjolevic or whatever his name is. The very near future is looking really bright for them.
The Flyers made some good strides this season as well and have a very deep prospect pool, particularly on defense. I mean many people had Ghostbae ranked as the lowest guy among Sanheim, Hagg, Provorov, Morin, etc. to go along with the Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds who are all top offensive players in this league. Couturier had a rough go of it this season with injuries but was really starting to get going offensively when he was healthy while bringing his soon to be Selke level defensive play.
And then you have a bunch of elite talent in Tavare (leading a really good young and upcoming team), Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Backstrom, Kuzy and OV etc. not going anywhere anytime soon.
Even the CBJs should get back into playoff contention relatively soon with so much young talent, assuming Torts doesn't do any permanent damage and Bobrovsky can stay healthy, though Korpisalo looked pretty good this season.
Outside the division in the East you have Buffalo, Florida and TB with the latter 2 being elite SCF contenders for the next 5 years minimum while Buffalo should be back in the playoff hunt within the next 2 seasons or so.
So yeah the thing is the Rangers are either going to remain stagnant or start to decline if Lundqvist can't keep up his elite play, while the rest of the league improves. We've wasted so many draft picks, we have no more assets to trade to bring in game breaking franchise changing talent (and those players are mostly only available in the top 5 where the Rangers haven't been in 10+ years of perennial playoff contention). And we have no cap space to make the necessary improvements.
I'd really be open to blowing this **** up and trading Lundqvist. The problem is not many playoff contenders are in need of a goalie. And certainly aren't lining up to give away anything really valuable for a 34 year old with an insane cap hit and contract. Especially considering their should be much cheaper options available in Reimer and Freddie A, among a few other solid options. The whole building around a goalie thing doesn't work. You look at who have been the best goalies in the playoffs so far (other than the obvious Holtby)two career backups in Greiss and Neuvirth and a rookie with less than 15 games of NHL experience in Matt Murray.
So yeah I am ready for this team to suck for quite some time. It could be good for us to build the team the "right way" through the draft. It's the only way. You look at all the top teams and nearly every single one of them is led front and center by top 5 talents.
Kane and Toews in CHI, Backstrom and OV in WSH, Crosby, Malkin and Fleury in PITT, Tavares with the Islanders, Stamkos in TB, Barkov, Huberdeau and Ekblad in FLA.
You obviously catch where I'm going with this. And those teams have done a really good job in surrounding those players with stellar DRAFT picks, but the whole thing revolves around elite players (not a goalie) which the Rangers have none.
Either way, this offseason starts with trading Nash. **** him.
And I don't feel bad at all about this. All our wounds are self inflicted. It was a fun run at the Cup and when you have a chance you go for it. In the end we're in the same boat as 27 other teams in the league with nothing to show for the past 5 years.
It's a pipe dream fantasy for some Rangers fans to just assume someone is going to take Staal and or Girardi off our hands. This offseason starts with unloading Nash, whatever assets you can get for him fine but we'd basically be just handing him over at a lot less than what we would expect.
I mean even the Hurricanes are going to surpass us very soon. They have some really nice young pieces up front in Rask, Lindholm and Skinner and have probably the best future on defense in the NHL. Pesce and Slavin have made great strides this season and look like solid top 4 defenseman and are only 21. McKeown and Fleury have high upside and obviously Faulk is a majestic unicorn and Hanifin has unlimited potential.
Plus a top goaltending prospect in Nedjolevic or whatever his name is. The very near future is looking really bright for them.
The Flyers made some good strides this season as well and have a very deep prospect pool, particularly on defense. I mean many people had Ghostbae ranked as the lowest guy among Sanheim, Hagg, Provorov, Morin, etc. to go along with the Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds who are all top offensive players in this league. Couturier had a rough go of it this season with injuries but was really starting to get going offensively when he was healthy while bringing his soon to be Selke level defensive play.
And then you have a bunch of elite talent in Tavare (leading a really good young and upcoming team), Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Backstrom, Kuzy and OV etc. not going anywhere anytime soon.
Even the CBJs should get back into playoff contention relatively soon with so much young talent, assuming Torts doesn't do any permanent damage and Bobrovsky can stay healthy, though Korpisalo looked pretty good this season.
Outside the division in the East you have Buffalo, Florida and TB with the latter 2 being elite SCF contenders for the next 5 years minimum while Buffalo should be back in the playoff hunt within the next 2 seasons or so.
So yeah the thing is the Rangers are either going to remain stagnant or start to decline if Lundqvist can't keep up his elite play, while the rest of the league improves. We've wasted so many draft picks, we have no more assets to trade to bring in game breaking franchise changing talent (and those players are mostly only available in the top 5 where the Rangers haven't been in 10+ years of perennial playoff contention). And we have no cap space to make the necessary improvements.
I'd really be open to blowing this **** up and trading Lundqvist. The problem is not many playoff contenders are in need of a goalie. And certainly aren't lining up to give away anything really valuable for a 34 year old with an insane cap hit and contract. Especially considering their should be much cheaper options available in Reimer and Freddie A, among a few other solid options. The whole building around a goalie thing doesn't work. You look at who have been the best goalies in the playoffs so far (other than the obvious Holtby)two career backups in Greiss and Neuvirth and a rookie with less than 15 games of NHL experience in Matt Murray.
So yeah I am ready for this team to suck for quite some time. It could be good for us to build the team the "right way" through the draft. It's the only way. You look at all the top teams and nearly every single one of them is led front and center by top 5 talents.
Kane and Toews in CHI, Backstrom and OV in WSH, Crosby, Malkin and Fleury in PITT, Tavares with the Islanders, Stamkos in TB, Barkov, Huberdeau and Ekblad in FLA.
You obviously catch where I'm going with this. And those teams have done a really good job in surrounding those players with stellar DRAFT picks, but the whole thing revolves around elite players (not a goalie) which the Rangers have none.
Either way, this offseason starts with trading Nash. **** him.
And I don't feel bad at all about this. All our wounds are self inflicted. It was a fun run at the Cup and when you have a chance you go for it. In the end we're in the same boat as 27 other teams in the league with nothing to show for the past 5 years.
nsvoyageurs
Registered User
Definitely yes with the current "core" group. This team needs more than a tweak or two here and there. Blow it up.
PlamsUnlimited
Big Church Bells
There's a screen where the window is. You need to move 2 of 4guys between staal Girardi Nash or Yandle. Lose glass and Boyle too.
Roo Returns
Skjeikspeare No More
The answer is yes and no. There's gonna be a lot of history in this post so bare with me.
Yes with this exact core it's over, but who is the core? There were guys on that 79 team (Tzachuk, Vickers) who were around from the early 70s, and guys on the the 86 team (Maloney, Greschner) who were around from the late 70s team. So you don't have to blow it entirely up. Guys like Stepan, McD, and even Lundqvist sharing time with a Shetyorkin/Halverson and maybe not starting the playoffs can still be here.
From 98-00, Smith had some really good pieces in Sundstrom, Cloutier, Savard, Knuble, Johnson, Kloucek, Cherneski, Zidlicky, Schneider, etc. Some were lost to injuries of course, but he also totally messed up and struck out.
This group has more pieces than that and also 5/6 more in the pipeline than can help out in the next 2-3 years. That's not too shabby.
The key for Gorton, Clarke, and Greeley, is to also identify a certain psychological element to these players in how they handle pressure. So many of these Rangers with the exception of Lundqvist, Brassard, and maybe one or two others are completely erratic and inconsistent during the playoffs. No killer instinct, don't play the same from game to game.
They need more rats, guys who will get in a Crosby or Tavares's face which is why I'm so high on a skilled guy like Kovacs. Even if he's just a third liner with good shootout skills, that agitation could make him a very effective playoff performer.
Yes with this exact core it's over, but who is the core? There were guys on that 79 team (Tzachuk, Vickers) who were around from the early 70s, and guys on the the 86 team (Maloney, Greschner) who were around from the late 70s team. So you don't have to blow it entirely up. Guys like Stepan, McD, and even Lundqvist sharing time with a Shetyorkin/Halverson and maybe not starting the playoffs can still be here.
From 98-00, Smith had some really good pieces in Sundstrom, Cloutier, Savard, Knuble, Johnson, Kloucek, Cherneski, Zidlicky, Schneider, etc. Some were lost to injuries of course, but he also totally messed up and struck out.
This group has more pieces than that and also 5/6 more in the pipeline than can help out in the next 2-3 years. That's not too shabby.
The key for Gorton, Clarke, and Greeley, is to also identify a certain psychological element to these players in how they handle pressure. So many of these Rangers with the exception of Lundqvist, Brassard, and maybe one or two others are completely erratic and inconsistent during the playoffs. No killer instinct, don't play the same from game to game.
They need more rats, guys who will get in a Crosby or Tavares's face which is why I'm so high on a skilled guy like Kovacs. Even if he's just a third liner with good shootout skills, that agitation could make him a very effective playoff performer.
Doctor King Schultz
Garian Maborik
RangerBlues
Registered User
Who is Chris Lizza?
Exactly.
Nobody.
This organization is not pathetic or poorly run.
Nor is it broke.
The window is closed for this bunch.
And that should include the coach.
We have a good core.
We have Hank
In Slats we trust!
Exactly.
Nobody.
This organization is not pathetic or poorly run.
Nor is it broke.
The window is closed for this bunch.
And that should include the coach.
We have a good core.
We have Hank
In Slats we trust!
The Gloaming
23
I'll reiterate that to be truly successful in this league, a team needs a bonafide defenseman and a premiere center. We still have neither. McDonagh looks to be more of a solid first pairing defenseman instead of a guy to build your blue line around. And neither Stepan nor Brassard are elite.
trilobyte
Regulated User
Which is the type of player Andrew Shaw is. Watching him play, he's all amped up with competitiveness. He hates losing. I always hear people say that you want to stay away from that type of player. To the contrary (yes, after his recent controversy, I would welcome him to the Rangers with open arms, that's just my take on it), I believe it is necessary. It's not a good strategy to become overly antiseptic, too squeaky clean. It is obvious that skill is the very most important thing that you want on a team, and that should be the primary goal, but there are hard working effective players (I'm using Shaw as an example) out there that complement the higher-skilled aspects.
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Jaromir Jagr
Registered User
Of course it is? Uhh, it's really not. The only reason I'd lean toward it being closed is because I have no faith in this dog **** management.
If they made 3-5 correct moves, this team would be contending as early as next year and easily within 2-3.
Lol, in Slats we trust. 16 years and counting. From the guy who said if he had the Rangers money he would win the cup every year.
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
trilobyte
Regulated User
This is something I've always wondered myself. Granted, we've had the same 2 teams dominate for a half decade, so tough to find other examples. I would've hoped our strong depth and by committee philosophy would work given the playoffs are a war of attrition. Only exception might be Bruins, as I'm not sure Bergeron, Krejci, Chara is THAT far ahead of Brass, Step, McD, but the game has changed a lot since the B's hoisted the cup.
Would be nice to see how far the Blues can go, since they are weak at C and Pietro doesn't quite qualify as that franchise 1D in the vein of a Keith or Doughty. However, Hawks might just continue to shut them down and prove your pt.
trilobyte
Regulated User
Tarasenko is getting very low minutes. He is at the bottom of the forwards TOI. That is not right, considering he is what got them to where they are.
StepansLabyrinth
Rational Police
- Jul 2, 2009
- 1,845
- 1
Mats Zuccarello: 28 years old
Derek Brassard: 28 years old
Ryan McDonagh: 26 years old
Derek Stepan: 25 years old
Chris Kreider: 24 years old
Oscar Lindberg: 24 years old
Jesper Fast: 24 years old
Dylan McIlrath: 24 years old
Kevin Hayes: 23 years old
JT Miller: 23 years old
Brady Skjei: 22 years old
Hell to the no has that window closed. If Dom Moore, Dan Boyle, E.Staal, Paille, and Glass are let go, that's a damn young roster outside of Hank and Nash. Girardi will be somewhat easy to move next offseason and Staal's NMC expires the season after that. No reason to get trigger happy, 90% of rebuilds turn out worse than what we have now. Hank isn't going to be better at age 38 than he is now, so our hands are tied anyway. All-in every year til the King hangs them up. Around that time, guys like McDonagh/Stepan/Kreider will be nearing their late 20s. THEN we can think about blowing things up.
We're in a strong position moving forward; I don't think people give this roster enough credit. It's not easy building a playoff quality roster (see: Canada).
Derek Brassard: 28 years old
Ryan McDonagh: 26 years old
Derek Stepan: 25 years old
Chris Kreider: 24 years old
Oscar Lindberg: 24 years old
Jesper Fast: 24 years old
Dylan McIlrath: 24 years old
Kevin Hayes: 23 years old
JT Miller: 23 years old
Brady Skjei: 22 years old
Hell to the no has that window closed. If Dom Moore, Dan Boyle, E.Staal, Paille, and Glass are let go, that's a damn young roster outside of Hank and Nash. Girardi will be somewhat easy to move next offseason and Staal's NMC expires the season after that. No reason to get trigger happy, 90% of rebuilds turn out worse than what we have now. Hank isn't going to be better at age 38 than he is now, so our hands are tied anyway. All-in every year til the King hangs them up. Around that time, guys like McDonagh/Stepan/Kreider will be nearing their late 20s. THEN we can think about blowing things up.
We're in a strong position moving forward; I don't think people give this roster enough credit. It's not easy building a playoff quality roster (see: Canada).
BlueshirtBlitz
Foolish Samurai
Rangers window is "closed" in the sense that we probably shouldn't expect them to win a cup next season.
As long as Hank is still playing at a .920 SV% level, the window is absolutely opened again with a smart couple of off-seasons.
As long as Hank is still playing at a .920 SV% level, the window is absolutely opened again with a smart couple of off-seasons.
Oscar Lindberg
Registered User
No its not. Move dead weight, bring in fresh blood, don't ice a horrendous blue line in front of Hank. The window is open as long as Lundqvist is on this team, despite all the **** he's caught this weekend.
