On NBCSN, Bob McKenzie said the following about the Rangers potential offseason plans:
On Alain Vigneault, "lots of speculation on that, some people think that for sure he will be gone and with a rebuild they will need a different voice, not a guy in his sixth-year with the organization. There are others that say he has two-years left, believed to be $4 million per, not an easy guy to get rid of if they so choose to do that. I don't think the Rangers have crossed that bridge yet, because they don't have to, but as soon as the season is over, the first thing that will happen is that they will sit down with Vigneault, get his feelings on how he feels about being in a rebuild, not sure he signed up for that necessarily but with two-years left at $4 million he isn't about to walk out the door and say he isn't interested. They have to decide if he is the right guy and do they need someone different to sheppard them through this evolutionary stage of the process."
Vigneault is the whipping boy amongst the fan base. This comes as no surprise. Coaches are always under scrutiny but when you add in his deficiencies, either real or perceived, that augments the ire of faithful. AV failed last year to utilize the correct player usage and deployment, especially late against Ottawa, costing New York an ECF berth. Add in the (over) reliance on veterans and tough love shown to younger players and you have additional fuel to that firing fire.
Part of the decision GM Jeff Gorton and President Glen Sather make will be driven by the future path of this team, which is part of #3 below. If the rebuild or retool is viewed as short term, then, you could maybe see AV be brought back because veterans will play a key role. If it’s a slower retool and additional reliance is placed on the kids, where development is paramount to record, that would bode well for Vigneault.
One area of defense for AV, which wouldn’t have been the case two weeks ago, is that the team hasn’t quit despite the sell-off. Leading up to an at the sell-off, this was far from the case, as the team looked flat and appeared ill-prepared at the start of period. This also was an issue last year and since AV arrived. But post sell-off, no quit has been seen in this team, as they have been engaged and refuse to bend despite being outmatched or many hoping a tank was in order.
Vigneault is signed for at least another year if not two based on the extension he received early in 2017, so James Dolan would need to sign off on a buyout or payment. If we believe that Dolan agreed to the letter and future direction, this won’t be an impediment. Last, management will ask AV his view on if he wants to continue. The five years here coupled with SCF and ECF appearance afford him that luxury. However, if you read some of Henrik Lundqvist’s comments this year, it seems pretty clear he isn’t seeing eye to eye with his coach. If that is the case, New York may opt to clear house and bring in a new voice, which would come with a new system.
On Henrik Lundqvist, "he is all in, he wants to be a Ranger. Stories in the NY Post this week reinforced, he doesn't want to go anywhere, understands what is happening. That is the road he is going down."
This mirrors, as McKenzie said, what Lundqvist told Larry Brooks. He is all in for whatever direction New York takes. Management won’t move him unless he wants to go, which based on his salary might be challenging anyway. Alexandar Georgiev has started the last two games and will start Saturday, giving Hank, who was overworked, time off. Vigneault’s overuse of Lundqvist, which partially was driven by the view that the team lacked a quality backup, a failure of management this offseason, is also a factor to consider. Lundqvist needs a solid backup so that he only starts 50-55 or so games. If Georgiev can be that backup, or one is added this offseason, Lundqvist has shown he can carry the way. But this is also why a new system is needed, since the old one has seen the shots rise in each season while possession numbers declined, placing too much pressure on Lundqvist to bail out the squad nightly. When he faltered, Lundqvist was rightly blamed but way too much was placed on him rather than all the mistakes in front of him.
On free agency focus "The Rangers, meanwhile, as soon as this season is over, Jeff Gorton will be back open for business and doing the same kind of sell of that he did at the deadline. But, keep this in mind, even though they are rebuilding, they aren't tearing it down and if there is an opportunity - if they can sign Ilya Kovalchuk this summer on a short-term deal or Rick Nash or Grabner come back, if they are willing to take short-term deals, they will look at plugging a lot of holes with veteran guys. And, Erik Karlsson is not out of the question in terms of at least looking back and seeing if they could possibly make this work. They will be trying to do two things at the same time, rebuild and fill in the holes with veteran guys as long as they are not long-term deals."
Brooks is pushing Ilya. He did so last summer and his column today did the same. Based on his connections, which you can decide if real or used to gauge response or both, that view may not be that far-fetched.
You’re delusional if you believe the Rangers are going to throw a bunch of young lambs onto the ice to be slaughtered in 2018-19. The Baby Blueshirts will need accomplished veterans to help show the way, and Kovalchuk — most certainly along with Rick Nash, no guarantee to return after experiencing life near the top of the league in Boston — is one of the guys management will attempt to enlist who can do that.
Martin Brodeur has high praise for Ilya: “Kovy is one of the best teammates I’ve ever had,” Brodeur, who played four seasons with No. 17 in New Jersey, told The Post on Monday. “And I’m not talking about just his play on the ice.
He was one of our most engaged guys in the room. He was great that way. He really cares about winning, and he cares about guys on his team. Away from the rink, and I think it’s unusual in the NHL for someone from Russia, but his wife organized dinners and was great with the team.”
“I have only good things to say about him,” said Brodeur, who was at the Garden, scouting the match against Carolina in his role as assistant general manager of the Blues. “I understood why he left, but from a personal and team standpoint, I wasn’t happy. It was a big loss for us.
“If he comes back, and it sounds like he might — I think he would have this year if it weren’t for the Olympics — he’s going to be a very good player for whoever signs him.”
All the kids here will benefit from veteran leadership, but perhaps Kovalchuk can have even a greater influence with Pavel Buchnevich, Vlad Namestnikov and Alex Georgiev, if not with current SKA mates and projected future Rangers Igor Shestyorkin and Yegor Rykov.
Adding Ilya will depend on direction New York wants to go and also what type of deal he wants. Would one year with incentives suffice or does he want a two year plus deal? That will play an impact. I like if you believe we still can score and also feel that Marty was fully honest, then kicking the tires on him, as was done this offseason when NJ held his rights, makes a ton of sense. The Rangers need a sniper and difference maker and Ilya might be able to solve both.
A better fit in terms of true need and style might be John Carlson. But if you wouldn’t give McD that type of deal in another year, why do so for Carlson? He would certainly improve the blueline and give NY a true first pair defenseman who has less wear and tear on him especially compared to McD, based on system of play that Carlson utilized in Washington. But he also will be 29 and do you want to give him seven years and $50 mil? Those $ won’t be enough to get John Tavares, but he too fills the need as a true number one center and also quite possibly team captain. Some think he would be a better choice than Carlson based on need and hard to argue. But I also feel other locations may be more attractive if he decides to leave the Island (or Brooklyn, as the case may be).
A determination of which path forward must be made. Is it the long view where you add small pieces and make a splash in a year or two or so you believe with one or two additions next year coupled with continued growth from the youth on the team accelerates that turnaround? The good news is that the experience the players are currently getting will only benefit them for the future. If the thought process is the long view, that Mats Zuccarello is more likely to go this offseason because he may not be a part of that rebound in the future.
I think New York believes they can contend next year. Despite that pipe dream view in the eyes of many, talented pieces still exist here with additional growth possible. But it’s not just talent and growth. Consistency is an issue. If you look at Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Brady Skjei for example, each of them have talent and room to grow but their lack of consistency night in and night out has been noticeable. When CK and Zib play as they did Wednesday, the sky appears to be the limit. But that’s been a rarity. Same with Skjei who has regressed this year, further the adage that defensemen growth is not linear. But I think each can attain a higher plateau, if that happens, or NY believes that realistically can happen, then a shorter term rebuild may make sense.
If we thought last offseason was interesting, we haven’t seen anything yet.
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