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

[haohmaru]

Let's say season ended last night

We are at 16 on draft day, who we taking?

Not a defenseman

 

[wafflepadsave]

We’ve suffered through enough ugly. It’s time to win. This is the youngest team in the league and they are already a .500 team.

There’s enough money to sign the RFAs and add a couple of solid veterans. The Rangers need more sandpaper. There’s going to be some movement at the bottom of the roster because of a) Seattle and b) some players will no longer be waiver exempt (Howden, Gauthier, Hajek) and may need new homes. There’s also a lot more ELC players coming.

It’s all about making the right decisions.

Wish we could add a young Barry Beck.

 

[wafflepadsave]

Any chance the Rangers tell Seattle if they take TDA they will expose Gauthier for them to take?

Otherwise they get Howden . I still can’t see the expansion team taking a bit older guys like Blackwell or Rooney . This was their 1st full time years in the nhl

Wondering if a petition would have any affect?

 

[haohmaru]

It's mostly a cap issue. A few pieces of that core are gonna be due a huge raise here within a year or two and the cap is flat. We might have to suffer through an ugly season but all rebuilds do at one point or another. I'd rather sell this off-season as their prices are high and get a few good pieces back and add a couple of not too expensive UFAs that play the roles we need on the team.

I would submit that the goal at this point is improving, not suffering through another season or adding to the draft pool. If that were the goal, Strome would've been gone, Buchnevich, and Smith too.

Some minor pieces need new homes, a long term decision has to be made about our 1 & 2 C's, and we need to add veterans with leadership and north/south games. Decisions will have to be made about logjams at D and wings.

The Rangers need to take steps forward, not backward.

 

[wafflepadsave]

Not a defenseman

Goalie?

 

[haohmaru]

Goalie?

I mean, it depends on who is there, obviously but the Rangers clearly need to take a hard look at their center depth.

 

[GAGLine]

Those that wouldn’t put Chytil in a Eichel deal are funny.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. If we trade for Eichel, Zib is almost certainly gone. It's unlikely that we are going to pay Eichel 10 mil per year and then re-sign Zib for 9+ per year, or whatever it would take. Even if we are trading Buchnevich, that's still a lot of money between Zib, Eichel, Panarin, Trouba, Kreider, and soon, Fox. If we move Chytil in a deal for Eichel, then our centers become Eichel, Strome, Howden, Rooney. Is that really better than what we have now? We get younger, sure, but I don't think we get better. And this would probably mean re-signing Strome, since we have no one else in the organization who could possibly fill that role, unless one of Kakko, Kravtsov or Laf gets moved to center AND takes a huge leap forward in terms of production.

 

[Riche16]

This team is so depressing right now... the big moves we could make, have been made... we won 2 lotteries but don't look like it at the moment... we're all but mathematically out and will have a mid rd pick in a weak draft... & no one in the system who can play center.

This is the HARD part of rebuilding & while we can talk potential all we want, the honest truth is that we're going to lose a player who we want to keep in Buch, keep a player we should've dealt in Kreider and our future depends on hitting elite or near elite on a few kids not named Fox.

 

[leetch99]

We’ve suffered through enough ugly. It’s time to win. This is the youngest team in the league and they are already a .500 team.

There’s enough money to sign the RFAs and add a couple of solid veterans. The Rangers need more sandpaper. There’s going to be some movement at the bottom of the roster because of a) Seattle and b) some players will no longer be waiver exempt (Howden, Gauthier, Hajek) and may need new homes. There’s also a lot more ELC players coming.

It’s all about making the right decisions.

A few names to toss out...Casey Cizikas.....and it hurts the Fishstick .....Armia as a 3rd line winger option if we sell high on Buch or KK in any kind of deal . Also Brett Ritchie....big and decent speed .....certainly not a goon....but he will aid his buds on the ice and not turn a blind eye after a bad hit as Kharia of Oilers found out . If Buch moves KK and Kravs move up and then slot Armia the Finn into the 3 hole .

 

[DutchShamrock]

Any chance the Rangers tell Seattle if they take TDA they will expose Gauthier for them to take?

Otherwise they get Howden . I still can’t see the expansion team taking a bit older guys like Blackwell or Rooney . This was their 1st full time years in the nhl

I'm sure there would be no problems with TDA suiting up at the CHAZ Arena.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

I doubt a brand new franchise in Seattle would take on a potentially toxic player in ADA.

Rangers will buy him out in the offseason and save $4.4MM on the cap.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Rangers will make DeAngelo available to Seattle but I think the chances of them taking him are at zero. But who knows maybe they get lucky

another thing I’ve been wondering and the chances are also low on this, the team signs another goalie to protect and exposes Georgiev in the hopes of Seattle taking him to get him off the books.

His trade value is non existent and the team probably won’t qualify him in the summer of 2022, so maybe they hope Seattle sees something there and takes a chance.

 

[Zats Muccarello]

Rangers will make DeAngelo available to Seattle but I think the chances of them taking him are at zero. But who knows maybe they get lucky

another thing I’ve been wondering and the chances are also low on this, the team signs another goalie to protect and exposes Georgiev in the hopes of Seattle taking him to get him off the books.

His trade value is non existent and the team probably won’t qualify him in the summer of 2022, so maybe they hope Seattle sees something there and takes a chance.

crazy how quickly our perception of AG changed

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Any chance the Rangers tell Seattle if they take TDA they will expose Gauthier for them to take?

Otherwise they get Howden . I still can’t see the expansion team taking a bit older guys like Blackwell or Rooney . This was their 1st full time years in the nhl

An organization trying to build a fanbase from scratch in Seattle is not taking on the specific controversy that selecting DeAngelo would inevitably bring. Zero chance.

 

[Daves a mess]

I mean, it depends on who is there, obviously but the Rangers clearly need to take a hard look at their center depth.

"Hard look" is an understatement imo.

Love Mika but must win games and the 3 playoff games against Carolina concern me. Big game cup winning center type at 29? Man I wish I could believe that. Not saying NO, but leaning that way. 29 when he signs his retirement deal? Gotta pass.
One head shot away from hanging em up concerns me too. Strome for 5 years at 35 million? Chytil a #1 center? Prob not. #2? Probably. Then Rooney, Howden Barron (if he plays pivot at the NHL level) and Henrikkson? Weak sauce.

Not the center crew i want to present to these high end wingers we drafted.
Weak sauce fellas.

Eichel? Larkin? - Gonna hurt.

Barkov? Love to.

Trade high end D prospect(s) for high end C prospect(s)? That's kinda where I'm hanging my hat right now. But who's looking to make that kind of deal?

I think Jack goes to LA.
Larkin will cost Chytil plus Nils or Kravy.
Barkov is a hope but I keep hearing that he is leaning to resigning. Or at least not dying to get out of FLA.

All this points to me that Buch is gone this summer. He's the guy that others teams want. He and a D prospect could land a hell of a center.

Gonna be fun watching this all unfold.

 

[Bruner4329]

"Hard look" is an understatement imo.

Love Mika but must win games and the 3 playoff games against Carolina concern me. Big game cup winning center type at 29? Man I wish I could believe that. Not saying NO, but leaning that way. 29 when he signs his retirement deal? Gotta pass.
One head shot away from hanging em up concerns me too. Strome for 5 years at 35 million? Chytil a #1 center? Prob not. #2? Probably. Then Rooney, Howden Barron (if he plays pivot at the NHL level) and Henrikkson? Weak sauce.

Not the center crew i want to present to these high end wingers we drafted.
Weak sauce fellas.

Eichel? Larkin? - Gonna hurt.

Barkov? Love to.

Trade high end D prospect(s) for high end C prospect(s)? That's kinda where I'm hanging my hat right now. But who's looking to make that kind of deal?

I think Jack goes to LA.
Larkin will cost Chytil plus Nils or Kravy.
Barkov is a hope but I keep hearing that he is leaning to resigning. Or at least not dying to get out of FLA.

All this points to me that Buch is gone this summer. He's the guy that others teams want. He and a D prospect could land a hell of a center.

Gonna be fun watching this all unfold.

As you point out we need a hell of a center. Most discerning thing last night was watching Mika lose draw after draw when we were on the penalty kill which led to the second goal. This is not a one game issue. It has plagued us all season. I remember overtime games where we lost the draw and didn't see the puck in OT. Bottom line we need more grit and more consistency from the center position. I would not be looking to resign Zibs to a huge deal.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

This is the part of the rebuild where things get really interesting, and Gorton has to earn his paycheck even more. Tough decisions ahead.

He has done a really nice job overall through the "asset accumulation" phase, albeit aided by some big time luck.

But now comes the strategic decisions RE roster structure that will go a long way towards determining if this team will become a true perennial contender or a perennial 4-8 seed with the odds stacked against it in the POs (I do believe in ~2 years that is the NYR floor, call me an optimist).

The immediate top need for next season is pretty obvious - a competent 3rd pairing. There are a lot of kids who could be ready, but it would be prudent to invest in some vet insurance as well. It's remarkable how one injury to Trouba basically threw the entire defense into disarray. They need at least another veteran dman who can play, arguably two.

Then the real challenge is to figure out how the style makeup of this team needs to be tweaked moving forward and what the best moves in & out are to execute these tweaks. Similar to what @Edge has talked about for a while now...maybe making a move where you sacrifice raw production for 1-2 pieces that they feel fit better long term. This is an admittedly tough thing to execute with a lot of risk for a GM. Therefore maybe it happens this offseason, maybe it doesn't. I could see the team wanting to get more information by seeing the young players develop longer before pulling the trigger on something like this.

 

[Captain Monglobster]

I really hope Smith will take a 1 year deal near league min because he is actually a stabilizing presence on the back end. Problem is he needs to be paired with someone competent.

Kreider needs to be moved. I know it wont happen but let Seattle take him. Buchnevich is way more valuable to the team and plays with actual intensity. It would be huge if they could keep Buch and lose Kreider instead.

Jones looks good for 1 game but there is no future for both him AND Nils. Its time to start packaging these kids for a center.

Resign Strome. Hopefully Mika gets closer to 8 than 9. Lose Howden. There is alot of dead cap space coming off the books. Fox wants to be here and wont demand a kings ransom. Kakko probably gets a bridge deal.

The Rangers have more flexibility than it seems. But its time to start making some trades and identifying who is here long term.

 

[leetch99]

Rangers will make DeAngelo available to Seattle but I think the chances of them taking him are at zero. But who knows maybe they get lucky

another thing I’ve been wondering and the chances are also low on this, the team signs another goalie to protect and exposes Georgiev in the hopes of Seattle taking him to get him off the books.

His trade value is non existent and the team probably won’t qualify him in the summer of 2022, so maybe they hope Seattle sees something there and takes a chance.

How about Seattle takes him....he scores 40-50 + points and is an angel all season and a model citizen for them....out of all the other picks they possibly have selected in an expansion draft ....which one possibly might fetch as much as Tony at the trade deadline next season when some club that has one more shot or last shot comes looking for a PP QB for the playoffs ? I think as a GM I roll the dice on that one with the potential to return a possible first round pick at the 2022 draft or worse case a 2nd and a 3rd . That is also how you build expansion clubs....moving guys that are not part of your future and enlarging your own farm system .

 

[NYSPORTS]

Let's say season ended last night

We are at 16 on draft day, who we taking?

Left Wing

 

[NYSPORTS]

The Rangers have more flexibility than it seems. But its time to start making some trades and identifying who is here long term.

i think the Covid cap will limit those chances. Youth for youth is the only shot which might be tough.

 

[RGY]

It would have been nice to have some veteran presence in the bottom 6 this year. Like an actual veteran with hundreds of NHL games under their belt. Not Rooney. Not even Blackwell.

 

[Kodiak]

Rangers will make DeAngelo available to Seattle but I think the chances of them taking him are at zero. But who knows maybe they get lucky

another thing I’ve been wondering and the chances are also low on this, the team signs another goalie to protect and exposes Georgiev in the hopes of Seattle taking him to get him off the books.

His trade value is non existent and the team probably won’t qualify him in the summer of 2022, so maybe they hope Seattle sees something there and takes a chance.

Where is the buyout window in relation to the expansion draft? Would DeAngelo already be bought out by then?

I think you are overthinking the expansion draft. The Rangers will lose one of Blackwell, Rooney, Howden, or Gauthier. Those are all low-impact players to begin with. None of them are worth any sort of shenanigans to try to retain them.

 

[tomobson]

It would have been nice to have some veteran presence in the bottom 6 this year. Like an actual veteran with hundreds of NHL games under their belt. Not Rooney. Not even Blackwell.

This will be the off-season to change that now that we actually have some cap space. A combination of the veteran core I think will be traded to try to acquire a young center and we can fill up the bottom six with the type of role players that are usually played in those positions instead of skilled top prospects in the bottom six. Hanging on to the veteran core will be costly in cap space and they won't be able to get the proper bottom six role players they need if they resign them. They'll have to fill them with prospects and ahl tweeners and as you can see...it's not a great strategy. You can't have a bottom six that you're afraid to play and that's what we're looking towards at if zib, strome, and buch stay. The right moves will have to be made.

 

[NYR Viper]

How about buying low on a kid like Lawson Crouse. 9 points in 44 games. 23 years old. Plays a hard-nosed style. Maybe something around Hajek for Crouse?