Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part XLV

[GeorgeKaplan]

A question for the group...

Let’s for a moment assume the Rangers do not sign Panarin.

Who do they sign?

They will have quite a bit of salary cap room. Worst case $10-12 MM. best case? Closer to $18MM. They are not simply going quietly into the night. See John Davidson article in the Post tonight.

I don’t have a list. I do have a question which is what does JD think of Matt Duchesne? I’ve never been high on Duchesne but I am not making the decisions. What does JD think? Beyond that, I see a few small signs (e.g. Brian Boyle) that I wouldn’t mind but that’s not going to eat up much of the available $.

Who’s on your shopping list?

I think even if the Rangers wanted Duchene, he wouldn’t sign here, so I’m not all that worried about him

 

[SA16]

Brendan Smith doesn't so much block a kid as he takes up a roster spot no matter where he is. Let's say he gets beat out for a spot at all of LD, RD and 4th line. He gets sent to Hartford. Now he's taking up a spot in Hartford that's better suited for a kid too. It's best to just remove him from the equation.

JD just said, in Brooks article today, that he wants a mix of kids and veterans in Hartford and pointed to Letestu as an example. So regardless of whether or not you think Smith is the right veteran to have there most likely he will not be blocking a prospect there because they said they want to bring in veterans anyway.

 

[Tawnos]

JD just said, in Brooks article today, that he wants a mix of kids and veterans in Hartford and pointed to Letestu as an example. So regardless of whether or not you think Smith is the right veteran to have there most likely he will not be blocking a prospect there because they said they want to bring in veterans anyway.

I thought of that too, but Smith would be in addition to those players not instead. So yeah, he'd still be taking up a roster spot we don't need him for.

I actually like the player, though I do get annoyed at his penchant for dumb penalties. That lack of discipline is why he won't be the kind of vet JD is looking for down there.

 

[True Blue]

A question for the group...

Let’s for a moment assume the Rangers do not sign Panarin.

Who do they sign?

I do not think that they HAVE to sign anyone. Not his year. Doesn't mean that they won't, but I do not see urgency in what Gorton has done nor what JD has espoused. Next year, the story could be different. This year could very well be just assessing what is under the hood and seeing with what pieces you choose to move forward with.

 

[True Blue]

I do like the mix of having bitter dmen mixed with quicker mobile dmen like they have in Dunn.

What made them bitter?

 

[Leetch3]

Brendan Smith doesn't so much block a kid as he takes up a roster spot no matter where he is. Let's say he gets beat out for a spot at all of LD, RD and 4th line. He gets sent to Hartford. Now he's taking up a spot in Hartford that's better suited for a kid too. It's best to just remove him from the equation.

but unless a kid can't go thru waivers you aren't going to keep him in the pressbox. so I don't think smith on the 23 man roster matters unless he's in the lineup. so you'll remove him at a cost, to bring in another vet to sit in the press box just for the sake of saying he's gone?

and there won't be all kids playing in hartford so whether its smith or another vet does it really matter?

 

[Leetch3]

JD just said, in Brooks article today, that he wants a mix of kids and veterans in Hartford and pointed to Letestu as an example. So regardless of whether or not you think Smith is the right veteran to have there most likely he will not be blocking a prospect there because they said they want to bring in veterans anyway.

side note letestu is a UFA...so if he was as good a vet as JD said, could he be a target to play the same role in hartford?

 

[Tawnos]

but unless a kid can't go thru waivers you aren't going to keep him in the pressbox. so I don't think smith on the 23 man roster matters unless he's in the lineup. so you'll remove him at a cost, to bring in another vet to sit in the press box just for the sake of saying he's gone?

and there won't be all kids playing in hartford so whether its smith or another vet does it really matter?

My preference is to just buy him out.

 

[True Blue]

I really don't see the urgency to dump brendan smith in return for another bad contract...he's the 7th/8th dman and is more likely to play LW than be on the blueline. He isn't blocking anyone. if the kids can't beat him out they don't deserve a spot...

if you want to debate staal who will actually be in the lineup thats a different story, but imo dump smith is just for the sake of saying you dumped him. ultimately it matters very little.

I actually see his role as the 4th line wing protector. And when needed, he drops back to play D. Give the cap situation and who can possibly skate on the 4th line, if he is not playing major minutes on D, I am fine with keeping him around.

 

[Gardner McKay]

My concern with Pool Party extends beyond the NHL. Frankly, his overall play in the AHL hasn't exactly been inspiring either.

Do you remember two years ago when our roster building threads were practically giving away half our team in order to obtain JP?

 

[Edge]

Do you remember two years ago when our roster building threads were practically giving away half our team in order to obtain JP?

Yeah, and I was not crazy about that concept in the least.

The weird thing with JP is his inability to generate offense by himself. Not just at the NHL level, but at the AHL level as well.

Even back in 2016, arguably his most successful pro season since being drafted, I felt a lot of the AHL play was being driven by Anton Lander (who is probably a prime example of a AAAA player).

When I see JP, it's almost like watching a pitcher who completely forgot how to find the strike zone after reaching the high minors. It's that dramatic of a difference.

Now, I will say that JP's challenges actually started before he was drafted. At the start of the 2015 season, I had him second behind Matthews and just a hair ahead of Laine. As the season wore on, Laine kept progressing and JP's growth was more moderate. Still, it wasn't bad. But by the end of the season, there was a disconnect starting to show. Still the international showings gave some hope.

I know it's easy to blame Edmonton because they've been such a tire fire. But there's something in JP's game that is just missing, like a wire became disconnected. I can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

#7 and #8.

The team that has #7 has a bad GM, a superstar who has never played a playoff game and is desperate to make the playoffs in general. Any player they get at 7 will not help them do that anytime soon.

The team that has #8 has a the best player in the world losing patience, their fans losing patience and are desperate to make the playoffs. Any player they get at 8 will not help them do that anytime soon.

The Rangers NEED to target one of these two picks. This is where Gorton has a chance to take advantage of two teams who need actual NHL players, not prospects, on their team to help them win ASAP.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Yeah, and I was not crazy about that concept in the least.

The weird thing with JP is his inability to generate offense by himself. Not just at the NHL level, but at the AHL level as well.

Even back in 2016, arguably his most successful pro season since being drafted, I felt a lot of the AHL play was being driven by Anton Lander (who is probably a prime example of a AAAA player).

When I see JP, it's almost like watching a pitcher who completely forgot how to find the strike zone after reaching the high minors. It's that dramatic of a difference.

Now, I will say that JP's challenges actually started before he was drafted. At the start of the 2015 season, I had him second behind Matthews and just a hair ahead of Laine. As the season wore on, Laine kept progressing and JP's growth was more moderate. Still, it wasn't bad. But by the end of the season, there was a disconnect starting to show. Still the international showings gave some hope.

I know it's easy to blame Edmonton because they've been such a tire fire. But there's something in JP's game that is just missing, like a wire became disconnected. I can't quite put my finger on it.

I remember during his draft year when he was really under the microscope, a lot of people loved his physical tools, but they began questioning if he could think the game well enough to reach his potential and I feel like that line of questioning hasn’t gone away and keeps dragging down his perceived ceiling the longer time goes on.