Has the Rangers Window Closed?

[bubba5]

If we are tanking we might as well keep Girardi. His poor play will be good for us.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

you can still tank with henrik.

u play him 50 games a season, and you put a defense that is actually worse than what we have now....which is almost impossible to think about.

I don't see how we could possibly ice a worse defense than what we did this season. Weren't we 2nd to worst at giving up high-danger scoring chances this season?

We're always going to be a middling team at least with Lundqvist in net.

I think we should let him chase a cup with the 3-5 years he has left, if he's open to being traded. This is, of course, assuming the return actually helps the team and is not just a move for the sake of making one. Make the other team take Glass and you've cleared $10M in cap space.

Nash needs to be gone. He's the epitome of fragile. He has one of the worst PPG drops in regular season versus playoff production of any top line winger in the past 20 years. I was truly done with him in game 2 when he just gave up on that odd man rush and decided to change instead of backcheck. I've never seen a player with as many physical gifts as him be so utterly disappointing. He has it all; size, skating ability, and hands, and yet, for all that, appears to lack desire.

At least one of Staal or Girardi needs to be gone as well. We can't be paying $11.2M for two bottom pair defensemen. Sell them on a chance to play a bigger role on a contender, or a team on a clear upward trajectory.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Hank isn't good enough to get a defense like this near the playoffs. Thats the type of defense we should aim for next season.

McD-McI
Skjei-Boyle level veteran
Bodie-Diaz level veteran

I think Hank would want a trade. If he doesn't want to be traded, there's nothing he can do, and he'd just have to be part of the tank. As he continues to get worse, it'll only help out the tank. Big contract that helps us reach the cap floor, declining player, it'd be good. The two problems are this, I'd rather trade him because if we retain some salary, we could probably get a lot back for him. Also, what happens around 2019 or 2020 if we are good, have NHL ready goalie prospects like Shesty or Halvy, and Hank is bad? Does it turn into a Brodeur situation?

 

[True Blue]

At least one of Staal or Girardi needs to be gone as well. We can't be paying $11.2M for two bottom pair defensemen. Sell them on a chance to play a bigger role on a contender, or a team on a clear upward trajectory.

Selling them on the idea is fine. How do you sell the buyer?

 

[The Gloaming]

Hank isn't good enough to get a defense like this near the playoffs. Thats the type of defense we should aim for next season.

McD-McI
Skjei-Boyle level veteran
Bodie-Diaz level veteran

I think Hank would want a trade. If he doesn't want to be traded, there's nothing he can do, and he'd just have to be part of the tank. As he continues to get worse, it'll only help out the tank. Big contract that helps us reach the cap floor, declining player, it'd be good. The two problems are this, I'd rather trade him because if we retain some salary, we could probably get a lot back for him. Also, what happens around 2019 or 2020 if we are good, have NHL ready goalie prospects like Shesty or Halvy, and Hank is bad? Does it turn into a Brodeur situation?

I'd feel really bad watching Hank behind dat defense. Yikes.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Selling them on the idea is fine. How do you sell the buyer?

Well, you can sell either guy based on history.

Staal is probably the easier sell in all reality. His PK numbers are still very, very good (best PK corsi on the team), which would seem to indicate that his struggles are due to our defensive scheme, and not him just being trash. He has good reach, an active stick, and plays pretty well positionally. He gets beat by speed, but that isn't as much of an issue when you play zone and don't have to worry about being velcroed to a specific skater.

You could find a buyer for Girardi on many of the same points.

Both guys also wear letters, and have been nothing but good soldiers. I'm sure that has value around the league.

Staal I bet could garner an OK return. Girardi, you may have to take back a bad, but hopefully shorter term, contract.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Hank isn't good enough to get a defense like this near the playoffs. Thats the type of defense we should aim for next season.

McD-McI
Skjei-Boyle level veteran
Bodie-Diaz level veteran

I think Hank would want a trade. If he doesn't want to be traded, there's nothing he can do, and he'd just have to be part of the tank. As he continues to get worse, it'll only help out the tank. Big contract that helps us reach the cap floor, declining player, it'd be good. The two problems are this, I'd rather trade him because if we retain some salary, we could probably get a lot back for him. Also, what happens around 2019 or 2020 if we are good, have NHL ready goalie prospects like Shesty or Halvy, and Hank is bad? Does it turn into a Brodeur situation?

He is if they play zone. He's taken worse defenses to the playoffs. Are you sure you're not forgetting some of the scrubs we've had on our bottom pairings? Bickel, Gilroy, Woywitka, Emginer, Hamrlik, etc.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He is if they play zone. He's taken worse defenses to the playoffs. Are you sure you're not forgetting some of the scrubs we've had on our bottom pairings? Bickel, Gilroy, Woywitka, Emginer, Hamrlik, etc.

He's also a worse player now

 

[Beer League Sniper]

He's also a worse player now

I'm not sure that's the case, to be honest. He faced the 2nd most high-danger shots in the league this season, and still posted a SV% more or less in line with what he always has.

I'm pretty hard on the guy when he lets in a softie, but I haven't seen anything to indicate he's truly declining yet.

 

[The Gloaming]

He is if they play zone. He's taken worse defenses to the playoffs. Are you sure you're not forgetting some of the scrubs we've had on our bottom pairings? Bickel, Gilroy, Woywitka, Emginer, Hamrlik, etc.

Let us not forget the days of Malik and Roszival on the top pair.

 

[chosen]

Let us not forget the days of Malik and Roszival on the top pair.

Malik was underrated because he was big and didn't hit, which will always cause boos, but Rosy and him performed very well in the group of 5 with Jagr..

 

[True Blue]

I'm not sure that's the case, to be honest. He faced the 2nd most high-danger shots in the league this season, and still posted a SV% more or less in line with what he always has.

I'm pretty hard on the guy when he lets in a softie, but I haven't seen anything to indicate he's truly declining yet.

I think that it is very hard to make an argument that at 34, he is as good as he has ever been.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

No - This current group of Rangers that has had success - their window is closed.

Address that and the window is still open. Anytime you have a Vezina winning goaltender on your roster the window is open. But changes have to be made.

I'm not going to get into individual players and what to do, but the first order of business is to improve the core leadership of this team. Its stale and needs to be refreshed. I feel like that is one of the biggest issues.

Defending champs in Chicago - out in the first round. A team like Pittsburgh, thought of as by some as a non-playoff team to start the year - hottest team going in and some peoples' favorite to win the cup. Anything can turn around quickly in sports these days.

 

[Edge]

No - This current group of Rangers that has had success - their window is closed.

Address that and the window is still open. Anytime you have a Vezina winning goaltender on your roster the window is open. But changes have to be made.

I'm not going to get into individual players and what to do, but the first order of business is to improve the core leadership of this team. Its stale and needs to be refreshed. I feel like that is one of the biggest issues.

Defending champs in Chicago - out in the first round. A team like Pittsburgh, thought of as by some as a non-playoff team to start the year - hottest team going in and some peoples' favorite to win the cup. Anything can turn around quickly in sports these days.

Can't argue with any of these points.

 

[Bluenote13]

No - This current group of Rangers that has had success - their window is closed.

Address that and the window is still open. Anytime you have a Vezina winning goaltender on your roster the window is open. But changes have to be made.

I'm not going to get into individual players and what to do, but the first order of business is to improve the core leadership of this team. Its stale and needs to be refreshed. I feel like that is one of the biggest issues.

Defending champs in Chicago - out in the first round. A team like Pittsburgh, thought of as by some as a non-playoff team to start the year - hottest team going in and some peoples' favorite to win the cup. Anything can turn around quickly in sports these days.

Yep, good end to this thread, bravo Sir.

 

[Inferno]

pittsburgh has 5 thirty goal scorers on their team and what...3 or 4 40-50 goal scorers? at least historically players that have reached those levels?

Rangers have 1....Nash...and hes likely gone...so theyll have 0.


Unless Henrik is going to fix the offense, the defense, and be an all universe goalie...i dont see anything happening.

the team is FAR too dependent on scoring off the rush. it just doesnt happen in the playoffs unless u happen to be playing agsint the rangers defense.

 

[TheDirtyH]

pittsburgh has 5 thirty goal scorers on their team and what...3 or 4 40-50 goal scorers? at least historically players that have reached those levels?

Rangers have 1....Nash...and hes likely gone...so theyll have 0.


Unless Henrik is going to fix the offense, the defense, and be an all universe goalie...i dont see anything happening.

the team is FAR too dependent on scoring off the rush. it just doesnt happen in the playoffs unless u happen to be playing agsint the rangers defense.

Our goal scoring depth is pretty much unmatched around the league. Our forwards have proven every year that you don't need super stars if you have a lot of players contributing. Our weakness is not goal scoring. And as for being one-dimensional, if argue that this too had much less to do with our forwards and much more to do with our defensemen. Pittsburgh has Letang, Daley, Doumolin, lovejoy, and Schultz, who can all skate well, move the puck well, and blast pucks from the point creating options and space for their forwards up the ice and in the o-zone. We have McDonagh and yandle. Klein is also ok. Teams can collapse on us bc we have no other options but to put the puck behind the net and cycle low when in the o-zone. That's how we get contained. Not to mention the fact that the forwards have to play low in our zone to compensate for our slow/inept defense there and so any attack has to move the full 200ft of the ice.

 

[alkurtz]

Absolutely closed.

The heart of our elite, Cup worthy team of the last 4 years was a future HOF all-world goalie and (I know many do not want to hear this), 3 legitimate #1 pair Dmen.

Our goalie is showing the first signs of aging.

Two of those D men (their names shall be unspoken) have seen their games deteriorate due to age and injuries. One has fallen completed off of the map and the other is, at best, a 3rd pair D.

The 3rd Dman (McD) looked like he was on a career arc putting him just below the very top of the league's elite defensemen. He has not been able to take that final step into that class. In fact, due to injuries, assuming the captaincy when he wasn't perhaps quite ready to handle the responsibilities, and perhaps having to overcompensate for defense partners whose games were deteriorating, has retrogressed.

This was our real "core:" all world defense with an all world goalie. Do we really realize how special and unique it was to have 3 top tier D? In any case, that D is gone, gone, gone and so is our window.

 

[The Gloaming]

Our goal scoring depth is pretty much unmatched around the league. Our forwards have proven every year that you don't need super stars if you have a lot of players contributing. Our weakness is not goal scoring. And as for being one-dimensional, if argue that this too had much less to do with our forwards and much more to do with our defensemen. Pittsburgh has Letang, Daley, Doumolin, lovejoy, and Schultz, who can all skate well, move the puck well, and blast pucks from the point creating options and space for their forwards up the ice and in the o-zone. We have McDonagh and yandle. Klein is also ok. Teams can collapse on us bc we have no other options but to put the puck behind the net and cycle low when in the o-zone. That's how we get contained. Not to mention the fact that the forwards have to play low in our zone to compensate for our slow/inept defense there and so any attack has to move the full 200ft of the ice.

Our goal scoring depth scored exactly 2 goals per game during the playoffs putting us at 14th out of the 16 playoff teams.

 

[Raspewtin]

Our goal scoring depth scored exactly 2 goals per game during the playoffs putting us at 14th out of the 16 playoff teams.

it would be nice if we could have some offensive cohesion skating through the neutral zone for controlled entries and not dump and chase literally every shift.

 

[Inferno]

Rangers gf/g in the last few playoff years.
15/16 - 2.0 (14th)
14/15 - 2.37 (7th) (Blackhawks ranked 3rd with 3.00/g)
13/14 - 2.56 (11th) (Top ranked offense...Kings...also SC winner)

You gotta score more than 2 goals a game in the playoffs...it takes 3 or more to win.

 

[McRanger]

it would be nice if we could have some offensive cohesion skating through the neutral zone for controlled entries and not dump and chase literally every shift.

This, although I would settle for an occasional tape to tape pass in transition.

Every attempt seems to end in sadness.

 

[trilobyte]

It's true, isn't it? The Rangers did not do drills in practice on mundane things like passing.

 

[kovazub94]

Trading for E. Staal for what we gave up (instead of addressing glaring issues on D) was the omen to me. Playing this atrocity of a system called man-to-man defense? PK that ranked 26th in the league? People even got used to Glass being a fixture on this roster.

I'm typically positive and patient with my assessment of the Rangers' possibilities but the only way the window is not shut to be a contender is if everything works out perfectly and based on the recent history I have a hard time believing.

Defensive system needs to change but realistically AV needs to be fired for it to happen. So likely not happening. Skjei has to become a top-4 defenseman right away. Possible- yes but how likely? Klein shouldn't be a top pair fixture on a contender. We need to be able to afford Yandle and maybe move McD to the RD and be effective enough as a top pair D on a contender level team. Trading G and somehow getting a cheap depth RD replacement (if McI doesn't workout) who will overachieve.

At forward I like all of them individually but they are collectively not good enough. I'd lean to keep Nash because I'm afraid his replacement will be worse. They need to also move Brass, Kreider or Zuke for an upgrade but I'm afraid that whoever they get will be worse.

So possible - yes? Likely - no?

 

[SickNice]

Lot of good points in this thread...

- Defense needs to be significantly improved and is highest priority
- Completely agree with Inferno re: man-to-man coverage, but doubt AV will address that
- Leadership needs to be refreshed