Your biggest surprise this season

egelband

Registered User
Sep 6, 2008
15,910
14,504
I would say my biggest surprise this season is that our fan base will finally realize how good Gabriel Fontaine will be for this team. He almost made the team last year. He pretty much is thought of as garbage by this fan base in the prospect rankings. Why, I have no idea for a player who was one of the last cuts with a thickheaded coach who hates young players. He reminds me a lot of Fast in that he does all the dirty things you need to win I have no doubt that he trained his behind off on all the parts of his game he needed to improve. I'm not sure if he'll make the team right off the bat. However, he has elite 4th liner written all over him for the first few years of his career. McLeod is an awful hockey player who will be released or banished to the minors by game 30.
Glad to read this. I dont know anything about Fontaine. Seems he has flown under the radar. I hope you’re right.
I wouldn’t worry about McLeod blocking anyone. I’m confident he was signed to help provide leadership in Hartford.
 

Joey Bones

***** 2k16
Jul 27, 2012
10,663
4,409
Nowhere
The Rangers will suck. Life is meaningless. Eat at Arby's.

18uzk2.jpg
 

I Eat Crow

Fear The Mullet
Jul 9, 2007
19,643
12,716
Biggest surprise? Both Ty Ronning and Gabriel Fontaine play long stretches of NHL hockey with the big club and become folk hero favorites among the die hards. Fontaine in particular.

As far as season predictions go, I'll give it a whirl.

-DeAngelo continues to struggle despite his underlying numbers looking decent to good; shares time with Claesson as the rotating defenseman paired with Brendan Smith or Marc Staal on the bottom pairing. Becomes trade bait at the deadline/next summer. Finally scores a goal for us though.

-Buchnevich continues to show stretches of brilliance but also periods of inconsistency. Ends up putting up career highs in points though, ends up with about 45-50 total points.

-Lundqvist throws a (very) public hissy fit about getting bombarded with at least 30-35 shots a night. Posts a career worst or 2nd to worst career GAA, but a middle of the road save percentage when compared to his NHL peers.

-Hayes build on last year and puts up 50 points with good two way play. Gets dealt to a resurgent Carolina or Buffalo team that are in the running for the playoffs as a rental for a late 1st rounder and decent but not great prospect

-Spooner very quietly leads the team in points. Does not get dealt at the deadline or over the summer

-Namestnikov shows great two way play and good underlying offensive numbers, but is not reflected on the score sheet. Ends up with about 15 goals and 25 assists. Does not get dealt either.

-Zuccarello sees a drop in production and gets demoted to the 3rd line for long stretches during the season. Very unceremoniously gets dealt for a 2nd round pick to a team looking for forward depth. HFNYR flips out because they feel Gorton could have gotten more based on Zuccarello's past performance.

-Brett Howden gets an NHL cup of coffee but looks overwhelmed. Puts up decent to good numbers in the AHL, though.

-Both Chytil and Andersson spend some time in Hartford, but both play about 50 to 60 NHL games.
 

ReggieDunlop68

hey hanrahan!
Oct 4, 2008
14,441
4,434
It’s a rebuild.
.... And many say yes, but he is only 27 years old, and AV ruined his career, and it's only his 7th season, and Quinn doesn't know how to use him, and his linemates suck, and the team sucks, and he can jump out of a swimming pool, and that some players take longer to develop, and next season it will all come together, and................................................his perpetual defenders go crazy that one dare say a negative word about him, while it's okay to torch anyone else other than a Russian player, because to not love any Russian player makes one anti-Russian.

Quinn's Russian bias will stunt CK's development when he is in his 30s.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NewYorkNick

ReggieDunlop68

hey hanrahan!
Oct 4, 2008
14,441
4,434
It’s a rebuild.
.... And many say yes, but he is only 27 years old, and AV ruined his career, and it's only his 7th season, and Quinn doesn't know how to use him, and his linemates suck, and the team sucks, and he can jump out of a swimming pool, and that some players take longer to develop, and next season it will all come together, and................................................his perpetual defenders go crazy that one dare say a negative word about him, while it's okay to torch anyone else other than a Russian player, because to not love any Russian player makes one anti-Russian.

Quinn's Russian bias will stunt CK's development when he is in his 30s.
 

The Crypto Guy

Registered User
Jun 26, 2017
26,474
33,646
Ok i'll go:

- DeAngelo makes the team out of training camp and plays all 82 games mainly as the 4/5 defenseman with 2nd unit PP time. Puts up 30 points.

- Chytil makes the team out of training camp for the 2nd year in a row and doesn't look back. Plays the entire season in the NHL.

- Andersson starts the season off in the AHL but gets called up sooner than later.

-Howden plays the entire year in the AHL and after a slow start becomes a point a game player the 2nd half of the season.

-Hajek has a strong training camp but ultimately is sent to HFD for the majority of the season. Continues to develop into a very solid defenseman and could see action at the end of the season. Will play big minutes on the top pair in HFD.

- Hayes continues to climb to his prime and puts up 55 points this season.

- Vesey has his best season thus far under the new coach, 20g/20a.

- Buch puts up 45-50 points but still struggles to be as good as he can be.

- Zucc for the 4th season in a row will decline in points, might not hit 50.

- Kreider struggles to hit 50 points as well.

-Zibanejad has his career season scoring over 60 points.

-Shattenkirk has a very nice bounce back season now that he is completely healthy and scores over 40 points.

-Pionk has a solid season as the 4/5 defenseman

-Lettieri plays over 42 games for the Rangers.

-Spooner will put up 50 points, Namestnikov will put up 40.

-Lundqvist still plays Lundqvist hockey and steals games that we have no business winning.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 28BHM

The Crypto Guy

Registered User
Jun 26, 2017
26,474
33,646
Ok i'll go:

- DeAngelo makes the team out of training camp and plays all 82 games mainly as the 4/5 defenseman with 2nd unit PP time. Puts up 30 points.

- Chytil makes the team out of training camp for the 2nd year in a row and doesn't look back. Plays the entire season in the NHL.

- Andersson starts the season off in the AHL but gets called up sooner than later.

-Howden plays the entire year in the AHL and after a slow start becomes a point a game player the 2nd half of the season.

-Hajek has a strong training camp but ultimately is sent to HFD for the majority of the season. Continues to develop into a very solid defenseman and could see action at the end of the season. Will play big minutes on the top pair in HFD.

- Hayes continues to climb to his prime and puts up 55 points this season.

- Vesey has his best season thus far under the new coach, 20g/20a.

- Buch puts up 45-50 points but still struggles to be as good as he can be.

- Zucc for the 4th season in a row will decline in points, might not hit 50.

- Kreider struggles to hit 50 points as well.

-Zibanejad has his career season scoring over 60 points.

-Shattenkirk has a very nice bounce back season now that he is completely healthy and scores over 40 points.

-Pionk has a solid season as the 4/5 defenseman

-Lettieri plays over 42 games for the Rangers.

-Spooner will put up 50 points, Namestnikov will put up 40.

-Lundqvist still plays Lundqvist hockey and steals games that we have no business winning.
 

I Eat Crow

Fear The Mullet
Jul 9, 2007
19,643
12,716
Forgot one.

The Rangers finish 31-41-10 for 72 points, good for 4th worst in the league, only behind the Islanders, Ottawa, and Montreal. However, they move up one spot in the lottery to 3rd overall. The Rangers take Alex Turcotte 3rd overall. Hughes and Byram go 1/2 to Ottawa (Colorado, lol) and Montreal, respectively. The Islanders fall to 4th overall.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mschmidt64

Mikos87

Registered User
Mar 19, 2002
9,064
3,244
Visit site
Here's my take:

Goaltending:

Hank plays up to his old self, with .92+ svg thanks to a much better defensive zone scheme used by Quinn.
But the back-ups are not up to par. Rangers feel like they could have made the playoffs if it weren't for the rotating door of goalies with .890 svgs and 3+ GAA

Defense:
Pionk steps up as a legitimate NHL player with close to a 40 pt season, and a great transition game. Becomes that 4th option on the rush, and executes on the PP. Confidence grows, and is viewed as a Shattenkirk replacement by Jan.

Shatts, offense is there, but still gets beat wide. Quinn does him a solid and let's him play Number 1 minutes and role... but Rangers sag and lose in the 3rd period, and Shatts gets fatigued when playing past a softer set of 23 minutes. No 1 experiment ends by early November, and Shatts continues to provide great interview content to MSG. Talks a lot about his injury... comes across as an excuse maker.

Smith comes into camp as an NHL level skater.... still not the brightest guy, but takes on a leadership role as a walking life lesson. Plays a much more emotionally engaged game, and wins some fans over. Becomes a reliable PKer, and a solid 5v5 contributer. No offense, but doesn't flop around the ice as much.

Staal. Plays much better than anyone here would give him credit for, but is still a half ice contributor. New system suits him well, and he looks a lot like the Staal of old winning contained one on one battles in the d-zone. No offense.

Skjei takes a step forward, and is recognized as one of the better young defensemen in the game. Offense comes alive as he's that 4th option off the rush, and joins the cycle often. Plays really well, and the two way game becomes better as the season goes along.

DeAngelo starts the season in the minors, and people freak out here as expected. But Tony pairs up nicely with Hajek down there and they form a real deal all situations pairing that pushes for an NHL spot with good chemistry.

Hajek isn't ready to start in the NHL, but goes down in the AHL and plays real well. Plays the game similarly to Hampus Lindholm but the corsi points don't show up. Is underrated by Dec.

Claessen and O'Gara piss a lot of people off here by blocking the kids on defense. But both guys play well in the roles, while some of the veterans prove to be overmatched as the season progresses. The defense is altered mid-season after the kids make a strong push.

Forwards

Kreider responds well to Quinn in the sense that he plays with a greater sense of urgency. But only when trailing by 1. Still doesn't exert full effort, but his timeliness earns him a "KLUTCH" moniker that guys on here run with. Finishes the year with 21 goals and 27 assists, but a 45 point winger is lauded like a star on here because... well I just don't know.

Zucc proves that he's probably best served on a contender's 3rd line. Effort is there, as are the passes, but the legs start to give out. Is traded at the deadline for a disappointing return.

Zibs takes a step forward as a two way center. Still disappears for stretches, but those stretches are shorter. Embraces the role of a top line center and develops a power game where he and Kreider become a little more dynamic instead of trying to do the same things over and over again like they did under AV.

Buch becomes more confident and develops chemistry with Chytil. The two form a skilled duo that start to light it up, but it takes them a while to get there. The pressure is taken off of him a bit and he plays more instinctively. Skills are on display.

Vesey doesn't find a role, and is considered trade bait. Quinn tries to get him to kill penalties and play a defensive role, but Jimbo isn't great at it. He's one of the guys that benefits from not having an absentee coach, but doesn't live up to the role of a very good 3rd liner/

Fast becomes the defensive conscience and utility guy next to Zibs. Starts shooting more, and more accurately. Offensive confidence grows, as does his value. Teams ask about him in trades after running a 20 goal-40 point pace.

Hayes isn't a defensive center, but played one on tv last year. Doesn't play with the type of wingers to maximize his game, but the guy plays his ass off this year to cash in as a UFA. Rangers trade him for an above average return and get a very good prospect and a 1st for him.

Spoons surprises all on here with his offense. Sucks defensively, and is benched when the team is protecting leads, but the guy lights it up on the PP and scores over 50 points leading the team. Reality sets in after a few pats on the back that when Ryan Spooner is your scoring leader with 54 points, your team sucks. Ticket sales go down.

Names disappoints all with a low offensive total, but is complimented for a mediocre defensive game, and for plugging holes in the line-up.

Chytil cracks the line-up early on and becomes a scoring option with Buch. Offense is a bit dry at first, but then things click. Plays ~50 games and score 28 points.

Anderson also cracks the line-up, and becomes a leader on the ice. Shows tremendous compete level and a will to win. By the trade deadline he's given tough matchups but struggles shutting down top line players. Treats it as a great learning experience.

Holland earns a one-way contract.

Belesky gives you some solid games, plays a handful in a goon role, but takes a lot of penalties.

McLeod dresses against the Islanders.

One of Lindqvist/Meskanen pushes for a spot, and creates a lineup where the Rangers are icing 4 lines that can get shots and create chances.

Brett Howden starts to torch the AHL after a slow start and sees some NHL games. Rangers realize he's a much better utility option than Names and put Names out on the trade block.
 

True Blue

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
30,092
8,362
Visit site
The GOOD:

All 3 of Krieder, Hayes & Zibad take steps forward, making for some tough management decisions.

The BAD:

The board's patience (or lack thereof) when rookies are up and down.

The UGLY:

1) the utter meltdown when opening night when Balesky, Smith & Mclead are ALL in the starting line up
2) what the so-called advanced metrics show when Henke continues not to be able to bailout his team., with one of the worst defenses in the league in front of him.

The defense leads this team to a bottom-5 finish.
 

B17 Apricots

Registered User
May 18, 2016
1,617
1,836
Hopefully Bigras is a huge surprise at camp and we get to see him and Deangelo on the bottom pair to start the year. He isn't ranked very high on our lists but there was a point where Bigras' hype was real
 
  • Like
Reactions: Krams

CaptBagel

Registered User
May 2, 2018
65
27
Biggest surprises:

Our best RD will be Smith
Shat and Pionk will be meh
ADA won't be here by mid nov

Gorgi outplays Hank just as Ranta and Talbot did

Our best offensive forward in Feb will be Meskanen

We somehow make the playoffs (which would suck)

Not much of a surprise:

Zuc's trade value diminishes a lot

K, Z, and B won't be any better or worse and probably won't play that much together

Hayes is our best overall forward
 

NYR

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
8,604
2,690
LI
Idk if it will be a surprise but Skjei proves his worth and plays rock solid defense while adding some offense.

No surprise:
Smith will come in and be solid for 20 games then fall off a cliff.
Shattenkirk still can't defend ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
:laugh:
 

Kupo

MAFIA, MOUNT UP!
Sponsor
Oct 31, 2017
11,390
24,024
Stamford CT
Watching Skjei and McD training last off-season made me realize Skjei has the body of a ****ing thoroughbred.

There’s no hunchback! It’s just layers and layers of muscle....

But seriously, Skjei has the “physical tools” to develop into a legit #1D.

Does he have the smarts though..? He’s definitely a bright kid. And as weird as it sounds, I keep seeing shades of McD in him with certain aspects of his game.

Skjei is my biggest surprise this season. Despite a little bit of a sophomore slump, I think he solidifies himself as a legit top pairing, two-way dmen in 2018++++++

346860064e19136795e0b9f3a542163c.gif
 

lilphildub

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 17, 2009
720
147
Andersson is way ahead of Chytil and gets the #3C spot while Chytil spends most of the year in the AHL

Fast is top 5 in points by the end of the year on the team
 

FoxysExpensiveNYDigs

Boo Nieves Truther
Feb 27, 2002
6,388
3,893
Colorado
An unexpected vet like Kreider or Zibs is traded by New Years for futures. Chytil breaks out for a 50 point rookie season and finished 3rd in Calder voting.
 

tradenashnow

Registered User
Feb 17, 2018
949
459
Gabriel Fontaine, C (2016, 6th rd, #171 overall, NYR)
I have to admit that Fontaine was somewhat off my radar before this last week–his numbers were only okay this past season in Hartford and, given where he was drafted (and the fact that he was passed over in his first year of eligibility), Fontaine was considered a long-shot to make the NHL. After this camp, I am not so sure. Fontaine had a kind of slow Wednesday, but on Thursday and Friday, his play was off-the-charts good. His effort, work with the puck, release, and hockey smarts opened everyone’s eyes to Fontaine’s possibility as an excellent two-way bottom-six forward in the NHL. Still only 21, Fontaine will almost certainly go back to Hartford this season, but he is definitely a player to watch.

Like I said. Our fan base is beyond lost on this guy. He's going to be our next Fast.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad