Team of the Decade: 3rd Pair LD

3rd Pair LD


  • Total voters
    123
  • Poll closed .

Fitzy

Very Stable Genius
Jan 29, 2009
34,868
21,401
Kevin Klein won the final starting RD spot comfortably.

Below are the NYR player stats for the decade... (Note, the second half of the 09-10 season is not included in these stats, unfortunately)

Player Season Finder | Hockey-Reference.com

Team of the Decade

Forward
Kreider-Stepan-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Zibanejad-Zuccarello
Hagelin-Brassard-Nash
____-_____-_____

Extra Forwards ______-_____

Defense
McDonagh-Girardi
Staal-Stralman
_____-Klein

7th defenseman -_____

Goalies

Lundqvist
Talbot

Head Coach- John Tortorella
 

Fitzy

Very Stable Genius
Jan 29, 2009
34,868
21,401
Yeah I realize Yandle could have been used better by AV in a way that increased his impact, but I vote based on what a player gave us, regardless of whether it was their own fault.

MDZ should also be in the conversation- he gave us about 250 games this decade and he was fairly decent for a lot of them.
 
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Fitzy

Very Stable Genius
Jan 29, 2009
34,868
21,401
Both of those things are better than Skjei.
200_s.gif
 

Edge

Kris King's Ghost
Mar 1, 2002
34,749
42,578
Amish Paradise
Yeah I realize Yandle could have been used better by AV in a way that increased his impact, but I vote based on what a player gave us, regardless of whether it was their own fault.

MDZ should also be in the conversation- he gave us about 250 games this decade and he was fairly decent for a lot of them.

That tends to be how I've approached these things.

Unless someone blew away the competition, it's hard to put someone with 100 games on an all-decade team.
 

kovazub94

Enigmatic
Aug 5, 2010
12,298
8,097
Voted Yandle without looking at stats. His impact was definitely affected by AV's use so I can't make myself blame the player for that. Also I am not too excited with what Skjei (too uneven) or Del Zotto (too far removed) accomplished.
 

Maximus

Registered User
Dec 23, 2003
8,502
3,140
Doylestown, PA
It has to be Skeji. None of the of the others played long enough in a Ranger uniform anyways other than maybe Del Zotto and he pretty much washed out and stunk with us other than one year.

So yeah Skeji pretty easily tho not exactly the greatest of choices.
 
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Jabroni

The People's Champ
Jun 1, 2008
7,522
168
Went with Yandle here. Skjei and MDZ are also good choices for this spot, Del Zotto had some really good years, especially 2011-12 and his rookie season.
 
Last edited:

Tawnos

A guy with a bass
Sep 10, 2004
28,819
10,391
Charlotte, NC
I almost voted John Moore because he was the guy that filled the 3LD role the best in the decade, but decided to go Skjei.

Yandle’s body of work is too short and not spectacular in a way that could overcome that.
 
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Edge

Kris King's Ghost
Mar 1, 2002
34,749
42,578
Amish Paradise
It goes beyond this thread. And having a better Ranger career than either Is more than debatable

I think Yandle gets the “what if” bonus.

With Skjei, good and bad, there’s a pretty clear indication of what he is and isn’t.

With Yandle, there’s a question of what he could’ve been if used to the level that some wanted.

Combine that with strong feelings associated with AV, and seeing Skjei on a daily basis, and I think there’s at least some impact on perception. Maybe not huge, but a swing of a voter here and there can be a difference maker.
 

Crease

Chief Justice of the HFNYR Court
Jul 12, 2004
23,975
25,014
I guess this is one of those splits between honoring Rangers (Skjei) and building the best possible roster (Yandle). I'm firmly in the Skjei camp here, and I chirped him through the penalty box tonight.
 

Greg02

Registered User
Jun 28, 2009
3,894
2,867
What's the argument for Skjei over Del Zotto besides the fact that MDZ's tenure ended with a whimper? Skjei has his standout rookie season and two other decent seasons that didn't quite live up to expectations. Del Zotto has his rookie season which from my recollection matches Skjei's, as well as a 2012 campaign that saw him eat major minutes, put up 41 points, and played a role on a deep playoff run. MDZ has the overall longer tenure, has put up cumulatively more points, and unless I'm misinterpreting hockey-reference, has better Corsi numbers as a Ranger. And beyond stats, I was more excited by Del Zotto's early career than I have been with Skjei over-all.
 

Edge

Kris King's Ghost
Mar 1, 2002
34,749
42,578
Amish Paradise
This is the first choice that to me just feels really odd.

Yandle was good in the 103 games he played for the team. But he wasn't a world beater.

If we're going to vote based on what should've been, or how guys could've been used, than that's a whole other can of worms.
 

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