Kitchener Rangers 2018 Offseason Thread

[Mach85]

The P-Bruins will surely also have NHL/AHL/ECHL/OHL experienced FA options on right D invited to eval camp(s) that they could easily add as well if desired. There was some defensive talent on the ECHL Gladiators last season and always a dearth of former OHL stars looking for contracts. Unless Axel absolutely kills it at the pro camps he attends, he’ll come here.

I wouldn't be so sure. Liljegren played in the AHL last year despite the Leafs having vet options (Marlies were scratching a guy they signed just that offseason), and Liljegren was drafted higher in the import draft too by Niagara. I mean, none of us are privy to what was said behind the scenes, and given MM's track record, I'd like to think he has assurances Axel will be here, but my analysis was intended to ignore that and just go by numbers. And based on that, there's a hole currently for Axel to fill if he plays well in camp.

 

[BenchedGuy]

I wouldn't be so sure. Liljegren played in the AHL last year despite the Leafs having vet options (Marlies were scratching a guy they signed just that offseason), and Liljegren was drafted higher in the import draft too by Niagara. I mean, none of us are privy to what was said behind the scenes, and given MM's track record, I'd like to think he has assurances Axel will be here, but my analysis was intended to ignore that and just go by numbers. And based on that, there's a hole currently for Axel to fill if he plays well in camp.

Using Lilligren as an example is not entirely an equal comparison. Lilligren was a NHL 1st rd pick that some rankings had him in the top 10. Toronto wanted to give him meaningful minutes even if it came at the expense of other players.
Axel wasnt rating as high and is known to need further development. Also the situation in Boston is different in terms of prospect depth.

 

[Mach85]

Using Lilligren as an example is not entirely an equal comparison. Lilligren was a NHL 1st rd pick that some rankings had him in the top 10. Toronto wanted to give him meaningful minutes even if it came at the expense of other players.
Axel wasnt rating as high and is known to need further development. Also the situation in Boston is different in terms of prospect depth.

I agree that Liljegren is a better prospect, but it's not like he was NHL-ready. Like I said, Liljegren was a quite high import pick. Niagara had some reason to believe there was a shot at getting him in the O. I don't think the two situations are massively far off.

Also, outside of Zboril, the P-Bruins don't really have any advanced prospects. They have another first-rounder on the roster who needs work. I don't think they're stacked with D prospects.

I'm not saying Axel is a lock for the AHL. I'm just saying let's not pencil him in here either because there is some logic that places him in Providence (again, ignoring any assurances that may have been made).

 

[K2]

I wouldn't be so sure. ... And based on that, there's a hole currently for Axel to fill if he plays well in camp.

Very true, though he'd really have to outperform his current assessment IMO. I (like BG) also see Lilligren as a bit of a stretch comparison but, if they're equivalent, that would really be a great steal for MM if Axel ends up here!

Connor Clifton is a R (you had indicated L) and the P-Bruins do/did (?) have behemoth Taylor Doherty (another R) in the pipeline too & playing with ECHL Gladiators last year so he might still be in the mix on that side as well.

Anything is possible but I'm hopeful that Axel plays here after getting a good look at pro camps.

 

[BenchedGuy]

I agree that Liljegren is a better prospect, but it's not like he was NHL-ready. Like I said, Liljegren was a quite high import pick. Niagara had some reason to believe there was a shot at getting him in the O. I don't think the two situations are massively far off.

Also, outside of Zboril, the P-Bruins don't really have any advanced prospects. They have another first-rounder on the roster who needs work. I don't think they're stacked with D prospects.

I'm not saying Axel is a lock for the AHL. I'm just saying let's not pencil him in here either because there is some logic that places him in Providence (again, ignoring any assurances that may have been made).

Bruins actually have pretty good D depth right now. Training camps and roster still can change a lot but this is how I see it right now.
You have Gzelcyk and Goloubef as vets on Providence with Zboril, Lauzon, and Vaakanainen as prospects that probably are ahead of Axel at this time. Don't see him getting a lot of overtime in Providence unless the Bruins still make roster changes. If they want him developing against bigger/stronger players then I see him staying in Sweden for an SHL team. If they think he can learn and develop in the non pros then I see him in Kitchener.

 

[Mach85]

Very true, though he'd really have to outperform his current assessment IMO. I (like BG) also see Lilligren as a bit of a stretch comparison but, if they're equivalent, that would really be a great steal for MM if Axel ends up here!

Connor Clifton is a R (you had indicated L) and the P-Bruins do/did (?) have behemoth Taylor Doherty (another R) in the pipeline too & playing with ECHL Gladiators last year so he might still be in the mix on that side as well.

Anything is possible but I'm hopeful that Axel plays here after getting a good look at pro camps.

Ah, you're correct on Clifton! That's good to know that they're not as L-R imbalanced as I thought. Judging by MM's track record, I would be inclined to say Axel will be here if I were a betting man. But hey, it's the offseason so this gives us something to discuss.

 

[bobber]

Brown's blog:
"From the talks we've had with his agent there is a very strong chance that he needs a year of junior hockey here before making the jump," said Rangers general manager Mike McKenzie. "But he is an NHL draft pick and a lot of that will be up to Boston and how they want to handle that."

 

[SYWTom]

Obviously waiting to see if the import reports,

But projected lines for the fall? Who gets Liskas minutes? (Top 6)

 

[Mach85]

Obviously waiting to see if the import reports,

But projected lines for the fall? Who gets Liskas minutes? (Top 6)

Here's a quick and dirty lineup:

McHugh-Damiani-Meireles
Guest-Hugg-Garreffa
Gordon/Tresoor-Petizian-Yantsis
Gordon/Tresoor-Langdon -Valade
Serpa

I think it's likely we see a trade for a top-six winger (OA?) if someone doesn't step up in camp and show he can do it.

Vallati- Hall (OA)
Vukojevic-York
Sebrango-Andersson
Gentles (OA)
Peterson

*If Andersson doesn't report then Gentles or Vuko slide over to the right, as both have done so before. Wouldn't be surprised to see a depth acquisition here/camp invite sticking in that case as well.

Richardson
Hasley
Pfeil

 

[EvenSteven]

Assuming Bunnaman and Mascherin do not return as OA's, and assuming Anderson reports, my lineup:

McHugh - Damiani - Meireles.
OA - Garreffa - Hugg.
Guest - Petizian - Yantsis.
Gordon - Langdon - Valade
Tresoor

Hall - Vukojevic
Vallati - Anderson
York - Sebrango
Gentles

Richardson
Pfeil


I think we have to acquire a decent OA forward to play on our second line. With that lineup, I don't see room for two OA's on D. Not enough ice. Especially with a healthy Hall. So I keep Gentles around into November with the goal being to go with Hall and two OA forwards. However, should my third and fourth lines prove to be relatively solid, maybe we just go with one OA forward. No point in burning assets to acquire a second OA forward when we really don't need him.

We only move Gentles if another OA forward is acquired and/or our D stays healthy.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Based on the info I have, I expect Tresoor to be with the team, but Serpa will spend the year in Waterloo. So to that end, I expect Even's lineup to be pretty darn close.

 

[OHL insideout]

An observation from an outside source;
This proposed early season line-up sure lacks the "big name" guys of the past few seasons. 163 goals will be lost from the forward group alone. Of the forwards listed they scored 74 goals last season. Big shoes to fill for Damiani and company, but if the veteran forwards take a step forward and some promising young guys produce early, this proposed group will be a handful for the opposition for sure.
The D group should be the backbone of the team this season, IMO.
Just my 2 cents!!

 

[Ward Cornell]

Assuming Bunnaman and Mascherin do not return as OA's, and assuming Anderson reports, my lineup:

McHugh - Damiani - Meireles.
OA - Garreffa - Hugg.
Guest - Petizian - Yantsis.
Gordon - Langdon - Valade
Tresoor

Hall - Vukojevic
Vallati - Anderson
York - Sebrango
Gentles

Richardson
Pfeil


I think we have to acquire a decent OA forward to play on our second line. With that lineup, I don't see room for two OA's on D. Not enough ice. Especially with a healthy Hall. So I keep Gentles around into November with the goal being to go with Hall and two OA forwards. However, should my third and fourth lines prove to be relatively solid, maybe we just go with one OA forward. No point in burning assets to acquire a second OA forward when we really don't need him.

We only move Gentles if another OA forward is acquired and/or our D stays healthy.

I suspect you may be almost 100% correct.
The only area I could see changed is the back-up goalie....I have both Hasley and McBride ahead of Pfeil (not that it matters who I have slotted anywhere!!)

Sill hoping in a rebuild yr that that we can get McDonnell signed and slotted into the line-up.

 

[Ward Cornell]

Nice read by Brock Otten of the various teams import picks... OHL Prospects: 2018 CHL Import Draft Review

51. Kitchener Rangers - Axel Andersson - Defense
A 2nd round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2018, Andersson is an offensive blueliner who could be a very shrewd pick up for the Rangers. With the loses of Logan Stanley and Austin McEneny on the horizon, Kitchener needed to look for someone to quarterback their man powerplay unit and Andersson could definitely be that guy. He has suited up internationally for team Sweden (winning bronze at the Hlinka and U18's), and lead the U20 SuperElit league in assists from the back-end.

Scouting Report: Jimmy Hamrin says, "Good skater with good technique and room for improvement. Puck skills are strong, both his shot and his passing skills have NHL potential. He’s also smart both defensively as offensively. In a future role I see Andersson as a top 4 NHL defenseman as the ceiling and an AHL/SHL defenseman as the floor. For him to reach the ceiling, his game needs to standout and flash more often and for that to happen he’ll need to use his best skills more often and effectively. If he takes more risks in his game, he’ll also learn more on where his limits are and where he can work on improving to become the player he wants to be."

Axel Andersson is electric, the crowd can hardly contain themselves pic.twitter.com/fQ1dVZusnF
— Bruins Stats (@bruins_stats) June 23, 2018

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[SYWTom]

An observation from an outside source;
This proposed early season line-up sure lacks the "big name" guys of the past few seasons. 163 goals will be lost from the forward group alone. Of the forwards listed they scored 74 goals last season. Big shoes to fill for Damiani and company, but if the veteran forwards take a step forward and some promising young guys produce early, this proposed group will be a handful for the opposition for sure.
The D group should be the backbone of the team this season, IMO.
Just my 2 cents!!

I would agree that this team has potential to surprise some people. Going to take a lot of step up performances tho.

 

[EvenSteven]

Very true. As good as the Damiani line was defensively in the post season last spring, they'll have to turn it around and start producing some offence. They all have the tools. They just have to bring it together.

Meireles especially has a lot to prove this year. The kid was our 1st rounder and this year he should be given front line minutes and be put in every situation to put up points. No Bunnaman or Mascherin, etc etc etc in front of him to gobble up the prime offensive minutes. This line has the potential to be together again in 2019-20 when we should contend again as Meireles and McHugh, along with Garreffa are good OA candidates.

Based on what we saw of Hugg in the post season when elevated into the top six, he and Garreffa have the potential to put up points too - especially if we pick up a good OA who is a very good top six player. Again, I'm not a fan of spending assets in a non contending year on a player who won't be here when we contend, but if that OA comes at a bargain....

 

[K2]

I suspect you may be almost 100% correct.
The only area I could see changed is the back-up goalie....I have both Hasley and McBride ahead of Pfeil (not that it matters who I have slotted anywhere!!)

I think that looks right too, for now. We could still see an OA return, though I think only Mascherin would stand to gain anything from big minutes on a rebuilding team & then likely a flip to a contender at the deadline. Could be some FA shooters invited to camp worth a look, etc and I certainly wouldn't be against to MM shopping for a OA goalie (ADB, Culina type) on the cheap if the current BUG prospects really aren't ready &/or if Richardson hasn't been working his tail off all Summer to earn #1.

We'll need some forwards to have breakout years to make any ripple at all in the West but I think we have a formidable young D that matured a lot during last season's run and perhaps a true two-way contributor if Axel suits up here.

 

[Rangers True Blue]

Defense defense defense was certainly a core element of last season's team....to the point that Damiani and crew spent most of their time shutting down the top lines of some very good teams. This season, Damiani and others should be able to focus more on offense while being defensively responsible. Garreffa's numbers should pick up and this is the year for Meireles and McHugh to step it up. The fun will be seeing the younger players having the opportunity to play more and show what they can do. Petizian showed glimpses of great promise and should get the minutes needed to shine.

Will Richardson have a strong season? I sense that we all want him to and certainly, we need him to. Not so sure our goalie prospects are ready yet but one of them will get the opportunity to develop.

Also, IMO, good to point out that Rangers D is already promising with the addition of Sebrango but would be even stronger with Andersson on the team. A good read here:

Andersson among core of youthful Bruins defensemen

 

[GeoBlue]

A good read here:

Andersson among core of youthful Bruins defensemen

The article hints that he will be going back to Sweden. :-(

 

[Gondrex]

The article hints that he will be going back to Sweden. :-(

Yes. Personally, I'm not pencilling him into the line-up...not at this point anyway. He was picked this late in the draft for a reason, and ever since that day, in the back of my mind I have expected him to stay in Sweden.

There is hope however. Having a coach and player from Sweden already here can't hurt, and I've quickly learned not to totally write off MM's moves which I would have originally labelled as gambles. He bats a pretty good average in the short time span that he's been calling the shots.

 

[EvenSteven]

Yes. Personally, I'm not pencilling him into the line-up...not at this point anyway. He was picked this late in the draft for a reason, and ever since that day, in the back of my mind I have expected him to stay in Sweden.

There is hope however. Having a coach and player from Sweden already here can't hurt, and I've quickly learned not to totally write off MM's moves which I would have originally labelled as gambles. He bats a pretty good average in the short time span that he's been calling the shots.

MacKenzie has pretty much been batting 1000 with the gambles he's taken. Sooner or later he's bound to miss on a gamble. We are going to have a very strong defence anyway whether Anderson comes or not. If MacKenzie is going to miss on a gamble, and he's due to, better to miss on this one than a gamble where losing out would affect the team much more - say if Anderson was a forward and him reporting would mean he would likely be our top point producer.

 

[Ward Cornell]

MacKenzie has pretty much been batting 1000 with the gambles he's taken. Sooner or later he's bound to miss on a gamble. We are going to have a very strong defence anyway whether Anderson comes or not. If MacKenzie is going to miss on a gamble, and he's due to, better to miss on this one than a gamble where losing out would affect the team much more - say if Anderson was a forward and him reporting would mean he would likely be our top point producer.

Agree 100%, we can't jump the gun and saying this is a miss of a draft pick since AA can still report next season. Not sure if AA would make a real difference this yr for the Rangers anyways. Question.... if AA doesn't report this season does it gives MM a chance to pickup a solid Import\OA forward on waivers throughout the CHL?

 

[Rangers True Blue]

The article hints that he will be going back to Sweden. :-(

The author of the article says that but neither the Bruins or Andersson do. I've posted a couple of articles I've found (including this one) and all agree that he's not quite there yet and needs more work. Now, he already did a season in Sweden and this development comments are being made. So you have to wonder if Boston may want to see him come here for his development rather than seeing if another year in Sweden will do the trick. Hey, it's a crapshoot but MM has shown that he can entice these players here.....Vuks......Sebrango.......and just maybe, Andersson. If he didn't think he had a good chance of doing this, IMO I don't think he would have drafted him.

 

[MatthewsMoustache]

With Masch signing with Dallas, that leaves us with 12 forwards (13 if you include Serpa as an option, but will be playing Jr. B). MM should be looking for an OA forward but 13 forwards is still not a comfortable number considering Damiani and likely Garreffa will be at NHL camps to start the season. Potentially an FA signing in the works? Canadian major midget/junior b guys maybe (like yantsis) an american FA even (like sherwood when he signed with London in 2015).

Either way, not sure if 3 16 year old forwards in the lineup until NHL camp guys are back is safe. But this is what it looks like until trades or signings are made while players are at NHL camps:

McHugh-Hugg-Meireles
Guest-Petizian-Yantsis
Tresoor-Langdon-Valade
Gordon-Serpa-?

Hall-Vukojevic
Gentles-York
Sebrango

Richardson
Pfeil/Hasley

 

[EvenSteven]

Historically, mid round NHL drafted players are most often back with their junior team's by the first weekend of the OHL's regular season. Invitees even sooner.

I expect Damiani, Vallati and Garreffa back by opening weekend.

Also, if you notice, the Rangers rarely play more than one game on opening weekend. Especially at home. Should either not be back for opening weekend, they won't miss many games.