Speculation: Roster Building Thread LXXXIX: Going 11-3 to close out this crazy year should do it!

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I think there has to be a dozen guys like Rooney available in the expansion draft. He's everything you want in a 4th line center (except being able to win faceoffs), but he's still a veteran 4th liner. I think the pick is Gauthier, Blackwell, or Howden.

Yeah, depending on who gets the last slot (and any trades/signings that may happen between now and then), if I'm Seattle, I either take a kid who still has perceived upside or the vet who had the unexpected breakout. Rooney is a good player with definite value, but I think that value is higher to a team like the Rangers than it is to an expansion club building a roster from the ground up.

 

[True Blue]

I think there has to be a dozen guys like Rooney available in the expansion draft. He's everything you want in a 4th line center (except being able to win faceoffs), but he's still a veteran 4th liner. I think the pick is Gauthier, Blackwell, or Howden.

If you are Seattle, one would think that you would take the one with the most upside. That is clearly Gauthier. Plus there is the Francis thing.

 

[True Blue]

Yeah, depending on who gets the last slot (and any trades/signings that may happen between now and then), if I'm Seattle, I either take a kid who still has perceived upside or the vet who had the unexpected breakout.

Great minds........

 

[Kodiak]

If you are Seattle, one would think that you would take the one with the most upside. That is clearly Gauthier. Plus there is the Francis thing.

Gauthier would be my pick as well. If he is protected, I can see the appeal of Blackwell over Howden, as Blackwell is currently scoring at a 30 goal pace and Seattle is going to need somebody who can score goals next year.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

If you are Seattle, one would think that you would take the one with the most upside. That is clearly Gauthier. Plus there is the Francis thing.

Absolutely.

Provided the Rangers don't protect him.

And given the current state of the team, which is obviously subject to change between now and 7/21, he's the guy I personally would protect with the final forward slot...

 

[IDvsEGO]

I understand what you're saying but when you can build around Mackinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen up front along with Byram, Makar and Girardi on the back-end for the next 8-10 years, that's a pretty nice start.

Right but mackinnon’s sweetheart deal ends, and he’s not taking another one. And I think makar hits rfa at the same time.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

At this stage of the game I’m not hopeful they protect Gauthier

I’m assuming they’ll have 1/2 spots to protect forwards after Mika, Kreider, Strome, Chytil and Panarin. Buchnevich is 50/50 due to trade

That leaves 1/2 spots to protect Howden, Gauthier, Blackwell or Rooney

Blackwell feels like a shoo-in to be protected atm, and Howden is David Quinn’s son basically. Hell you could make the argument Gauthier 4th on that list because they clearly like Rooney over him

 

[Raspewtin]

I might be in the minority, but I don't get the Rooney hate. He's been fine for what he is, IMO.

yeah I mean he's a 4th liner and a good enough one, don't know what anyone else wants.

 

[Off Sides]

Rooney, Blackwell are great for their cap hits. Gauthier probably would be too if he played.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

We've had much worse 4th liners take regular shifts than Rooney. I mean Howden is just one example.

Rooney really just exists and kills penalties, but thats alright.

 

[duhmetreE]

What do we think about

Lafreniere Rooney Kakko
PDG Chytil Kravtsov

not really 3rd or 4th line but 2 decent lines
_______

Ideally, KZB is broken up

Lafreniere Zibs Buch
Panarin Strome Kravtsov
Kreider Chytil Kakko
PDG/Gauthier Rooney Blackwell

 

[Off Sides]

Just for reference, if the Rangers are going to pay tons for other spots, and have the younger become more highly paid, finding guys like Rooney, Blackwell, Di Giuseppe, even Gauthier is going to be important.

Cost Per Point - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

 

[Vitto79]

At this stage of the game I’m not hopeful they protect Gauthier

I’m assuming they’ll have 1/2 spots to protect forwards after Mika, Kreider, Strome, Chytil and Panarin. Buchnevich is 50/50 due to trade

That leaves 1/2 spots to protect Howden, Gauthier, Blackwell or Rooney

Blackwell feels like a shoo-in to be protected atm, and Howden is David Quinn’s son basically. Hell you could make the argument Gauthier 4th on that list because they clearly like Rooney over him

someone said after a TDA buyout they have like 31 million in cap space

I’m not too concerned about Buchnevich getting traded. He’s on the Pk now , scoring .., you keep him and trade in another year if it starts getting tight on the cap

I get Fox , Shesterkin etc will need raises but next years not a problem IMO

 

[Fitzy]

I will be decidedly not pleased if they elect to protect Bert Howden.

There's no reason to assume Gorton sees him the way Quinn does.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

someone said after a TDA buyout they have like 31 million in cap space

I’m not too concerned about Buchnevich getting traded. He’s on the Pk now , scoring .., you keep him and trade in another year if it starts getting tight on the cap

I get Fox , Shesterkin etc will need raises but next years not a problem IMO

Buchnevich is def getting traded. Not a matter of if but when

just cause they have the cap space doesn’t mean they need to tie up more money long term to a position they’re already loaded at

 

[Calad]

someone said after a TDA buyout they have like 31 million in cap space

I’m not too concerned about Buchnevich getting traded. He’s on the Pk now , scoring .., you keep him and trade in another year if it starts getting tight on the cap

I get Fox , Shesterkin etc will need raises but next years not a problem IMO

After a TDA buyout, Shesterkin signed at 5x5(demko contract), and Buch signed at 6x6, Lindgren and Chytil bridged. we would come in at round 11m in cap space. Other moves not withstanding of course.

 

[Peltz]

Oh I agree with you that Howden is not playing well enough to keep his spot. Kravtsov should be on the second line and the 4th line should be Blackwell-Rooney-Gauthier.

I was making light of the situation that Quinn continues to play Howden over the better player in Gauthier, to the point that Quinn played Howden last night expecting a win against a depleted Devils team so that Thursday's game he can use the "sticking with what worked" argument. Despite not changing the lineup after a loss to the Isles.

I think Quinn just doesn't like Goat. And perhaps Howden is a good practice player, works hard and battles in every drill, and Goat doesn't. Some guys are like that and some coaches don't like the bad practice players. Of course, that is pure speculation on my part. If our beat writers ever decided to actually cover our team we might actually have information one way or another.

Howden kills penalties and doesn't cough up the puck in his own zone. It's really that simple.

 

[Fitzy]

After a TDA buyout, Shesterkin signed at 5x5(demko contract), and Buch signed at 6x6, Lindgren and Chytil bridged. we would come in at round 11m in cap space. Other moves not withstanding of course.

Which in the short term is great news, and not many teams will have that amount of cap space right now, so we could even take a Marc Staal type trade for assets.

The problem is then the years after, where the cap is still flat, and you have Fox and Kakko needing extensions. Laf and Miller a season after that. An 8x7 deal for Fox cuts you down to 4 million. Zibanejad and Strome, if kept, will both get raises.

Long term, to keep all the kids, veterans will have to be jettisoned. Trouba and Kreider aren't moveable until 2024, well after these ELC's come up for extensions.

2 years from now who can we trade so that we have the money to extend Miller, Kakko, and Laf, even if they are all bridged? Georgiev can be gone, but that's a small amount. With a flat cap, it's gonna be difficult to trade even good value contracts like your Buch extension without having to take salary back.

 

[Rangers in 7]

Which in the short term is great news, and not many teams will have that amount of cap space right now, so we could even take a Marc Staal type trade for assets.

The problem is then the years after, where the cap is still flat, and you have Fox and Kakko needing extensions. Laf and Miller a season after that. An 8x7 deal for Fox cuts you down to 4 million. Zibanejad and Strome, if kept, will both get raises.

Long term, to keep all the kids, veterans will have to be jettisoned. Trouba and Kreider aren't moveable until 2024, well after these ELC's come up for extensions.

2 years from now who can we trade so that we have the money to extend Miller, Kakko, and Laf, even if they are all bridged? Georgiev can be gone, but that's a small amount. With a flat cap, it's gonna be difficult to trade even good value contracts like your Buch extension without having to take salary back.

while i hear what you are saying, the cap wont be flat forever

 

[True Blue]

I get Fox , Shesterkin etc will need raises but next years not a problem IMO

The issue not just next year. You need to look a few years down the line to players like Fox getting paid. And then other players coming off the entry level contracts.

 

[Hire Sather]

We are going to have to pay a lot of guys and make decisions.

That is why you can't just say oh we're not ready to contend yet and just throw away this season

It's possible our team next year will be the most talented team we ice in this window

 

[BBKers]

There are several, if not many, other teams in not so enviable $$ positions that will be using buyouts, trades and sellouts to make the cap work. There will be many good and unexpected names available for smallish money the next two years while the cap remains flat. That is the landscape (I believe) where the front office is heading...

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

I’ll be blown away if the Rangers sign Buchnevich for 6x6 this summer

you can’t commit more long term money to a winger

 

[MrAlmost]

Howden kills penalties and doesn't cough up the puck in his own zone. It's really that simple.

Strome, Kreider, Blackwell, Rooney, Buch, and Z kill penalties. PKers are not in short supply.

As for coughing up the puck, that's harder to gauge. He certainly doesn't do anything with it, that's evidenced by his lack of points and lack of shots. Howden gets more ice time and more offensive zone starts than Goat, yet their numbers(advanced) are identical. That tells me, like when I watch them play, that Goat starts in our end and ends in the oppositions, while Howden starts in the oppositions and ends in ours. Howden does have less giveaways, but he has the puck less. So I understand what you are saying. But at the end of the day when I watch Howden he just isn't getting to where he needs to be fast enough. He may need to work on his skating, specifically first step quickness and stop-starts, tight turning and speed preservation. No player is a lost cause, that goes for Howden, but right now, this year, he is not one of the best 12 on the team.

 

[Off Sides]

I’ll be blown away if the Rangers sign Buchnevich for 6x6 this summer

you can’t commit more long term money to a winger

My guess, they'll agree to like a 2 year deal.