Dorado*
Guest
SMH @ John Moore as barely an NHL d man . I sense him being candidate for 2014-15 whipping boy on here .
Don't bother. John Moore can't do anything wrong, and any mistake he makes is because "he's still learning". Yet, conveniently, McIlrath doesn't get the same excuse.
I don't get it, either. McDonagh was better as a 23 year old than a 22 year old. He was better as a 24 year old than a 23 year old. I expect him to be better as a 25 year old than a 24 year old.
Why can't the same logic apply to Moore and McIlrath? Obviously, they're not starting from a point where he was a top-4 D in the NHL as McDonagh was and don't have the same kind of ceiling. Why can't they improve while other players can?
Here you go on Diaz.
Larry Brooks @NYP_Brooksie 5m5 minutes ago
Rangers did have interest in bringing back Diaz but Diaz did not want to be 7th D. He is in Calgary top 6.
McDonagh is an exception because he's an a special plater, but young defensemen can have ups and downs in progression on a year-to-year basis.
TBH I'm not sure what to expect from McIlrath anymore, probably a Deryk Engellend type is a fair comparable.
TBH I'm not sure what to expect from McIlrath anymore, probably a Deryk Engellend type is a fair comparable.
One game in and it's already happened.JMoore can't think the game nearly as well as Mac Truck. He is physically weaker, and softer when it comes to defending.
There are things that get better with experience, positioning, moving the puck quicker, coverage. That's not the case with JMoore.
The Rangers are in a position of weakness with him as opposed to a more reliable LHD. JMoore was on a the ice for several OT playoff goals against the last two years where he missed his man in front of the net. That's something that can't happen this year.
No more growing pains.
Adam Mcquaid with the added fighting and ability to throw the open ice hit, been saying this for 3 years at least now. MCI is on the same exact path. MCQ entered the NHL around the same age, and of course, drafted by Gorton when he was with the Jackets. Bruins traded a 5th rounder to acquire him.
He's an exponentially better skater than McQuaid, though.
One game in and it's already happened.
Which barely matters, he'll play that same role in the NHL. Great to have a better skater, but until he proves its an asset I'll curb my expectations.
McIlrat barely held on in preseason when half the lineup was made up of AHLers and the other half of barely trying players. He will get exposed if called up now. Let him catch up as he learns the right moves in the AHL. I am still confident he will be NHL-ready before the season's end.