Maybe Richards convinces Lecavalier to sign here for 1 year on the cheap......I gotta stop smokin this shit!

Leave it to Sather, the one year where every team is pretty much willing to deal, to unplug his phone and be a by-stander.
- aecliptic

Who knows he could be working on something but not buying out Richards, not having a 1st or 2nd round pick, tomorrow is going to be depressing, Sather has to go

And also, my thoughts on MZA, he's got 34pts. in 67 career games in the NHL. Now he's never gotten a fair assignment, he's sparingly used and on the 3rd and 4th lines for the Rangers in the past. The guy has never been a - and he's a +13 overall in 67 games playing on the bottom 6. Thats fairly impressive to me. If he gets a full 82 game season with significant top 6 assignment, you could see him put up more than .5PPG. Zucc is a pure playmaker and makes his linemates more dangerous. At 2M or less, he is a HUGE asset. You can't say he's a liability because he doesn't allow goals to get scored against when he's on the ice. He possesses the puck and allows our team to keep it. I think its a mistake to get rid of MZA, I mean, considering how much Dubinksy and Callahan added to the scoresheet and the TOI they got and the linemates they played with, I think MZA is an even better offensive asset.
- xcheckmajor

Ive already made this argument multiple times here, the fact remains... would you rather keep MZA and leave Hagelin on his off wing on the 3rd line and Miller in the AHL... or would you rather move Hagelin to the LW with the top line, and have Miller playing the 3rd line?

Basically what Im saying is... its either MZA or Miller, one will not play on the NHL roster when Callahan and Hagelin come back from injury. If youre not going to play them, trade them and get value for them while there is any.

And IMO, Ryan Clowe is gone. I don't think there is any way we sign him with the cap now Richards is staying. Clowe said he would consider a discount, but how much? If he wants anything more than say 2.5M, we can't do it. We still need at least 2-3 backup players, and if we decide to call up McIlrath or Miller, thats over 1M each would need in the cap to bring them up. Clowe is out of the question.

Ive already made this argument multiple times here, the fact remains... would you rather keep MZA and leave Hagelin on his off wing on the 3rd line and Miller in the AHL... or would you rather move Hagelin to the LW with the top line, and have Miller playing the 3rd line?

Basically what Im saying is... its either MZA or Miller, one will not play on the NHL roster when Callahan and Hagelin come back from injury. If youre not going to play them, trade them and get value for them while there is any.
- aecliptic

Kreider Stepan Nash
Hagelin Richards Callahan
Zuccarello Brassard Miller
Dorsett Boyle Pyatt (Asham)

Kreider Stepan Nash
Hagelin Richards Callahan
Zuccarello Brassard Miller
Dorsett Boyle Pyatt (Asham)
- xcheckmajor

You cant have Zucc on the 3rd line hes too small and not good enough defensively to be there. Youre not putting him in a position to succeed. You say he doesnt get proper minutes, doesnt get a chance to showcase his skills and youre putting him on the 3rd line. Whats the point?

Plus you have 3 playmakers on one line, whos going to shoot the puck?

And IMO, Ryan Clowe is gone. I don't think there is any way we sign him with the cap now Richards is staying. Clowe said he would consider a discount, but how much? If he wants anything more than say 2.5M, we can't do it. We still need at least 2-3 backup players, and if we decide to call up McIlrath or Miller, thats over 1M each would need in the cap to bring them up. Clowe is out of the question.
- xcheckmajor

Its not out of the question if Sather can get a good deal on Stepan and McDonagh.

You cant have Zucc on the 3rd line hes too small and not good enough defensively to be there. Youre not putting him in a position to succeed. You say he doesnt get proper minutes, doesnt get a chance to showcase his skills and youre putting him on the 3rd line. Whats the point?

Plus you have 3 playmakers on one line, whos going to shoot the puck?
- aecliptic

Well, 2 parts, 1st Zuccarello is very good defensively. He has great vision and great stick skill and he's quick. He can play defensively, strip pucks and move them out. I've watched him do it countless times, where he creeps down and lifts the stick, takes control and moves it out. What I like most about Zucc is similar to Stepan, they both rarely make mistakes and always make the smart play. 2nd, if you have a shut down huge 4th line, you don't need necessarily a huge 3rd line. AV simply won't match the line up against a physical larger line, thats what he has Boyle's line for and also Callahan and Kreider's line. Essentially, Zucc Brass Miller would be a puck possesion skill line.

Its not out of the question if Sather can get a good deal on Stepan and McDonagh.
- aecliptic

Is that rule still in effect when you can be over the cap till a certain date before the season starts?

Maybe Richards convinces Lecavalier to sign here for 1 year on the cheap......I gotta stop smokin this shit!
- cranford93

Maybe one too many centers. Stepan, Brassard, Richards, and Vinny L down the middle.

And its the same thing with Seguin, if you trade for him, a center needs to go somewhere else, because you can't have 4 Top 6 centers on the team.

You cant have Zucc on the 3rd line hes too small and not good enough defensively to be there. Youre not putting him in a position to succeed. You say he doesnt get proper minutes, doesnt get a chance to showcase his skills and youre putting him on the 3rd line. Whats the point?

Plus you have 3 playmakers on one line, whos going to shoot the puck?
- aecliptic

This isn't a video game, the rule of 3rd line doesn't mean anything if the coach is rolling 3 scoring lines properly. Also, we don't need to match playmaker with grinder with scorer like its NHL13. Brass, Zucc, Miller ALL have very good shots, any one of them can shoot and score. I watched a lot of KHL games and Euro games and have grown a fondness to puck carrying quick passing movement lines. Many times, you can't tell who the playmaker is because they all have great vision and move the puck well. When you have that kind of movement, it leads to amazing chances all over the ice and a decent shot can score.

Considering that theyre shopping JT Miller... and Fast probably has no shot to make the team with Hagelin, Kreider, Clowe ahead of him... its a possibility.
- aecliptic

I don't truly believe that Miller is being shopped.

This isn't a video game, the rule of 3rd line doesn't mean anything if the coach is rolling 3 scoring lines properly. Also, we don't need to match playmaker with grinder with scorer like its NHL13. Brass, Zucc, Miller ALL have very good shots, any one of them can shoot and score. I watched a lot of KHL games and Euro games and have grown a fondness to puck carrying quick passing movement lines. Many times, you can't tell who the playmaker is because they all have great vision and move the puck well. When you have that kind of movement, it leads to amazing chances all over the ice and a decent shot can score.
- xcheckmajor

We don't have many finishers aside from Nash tho. In so many ways, Kreider playing well is imperative for this teams success

This isn't a video game, the rule of 3rd line doesn't mean anything if the coach is rolling 3 scoring lines properly. Also, we don't need to match playmaker with grinder with scorer like its NHL13. Brass, Zucc, Miller ALL have very good shots, any one of them can shoot and score. I watched a lot of KHL games and Euro games and have grown a fondness to puck carrying quick passing movement lines. Many times, you can't tell who the playmaker is because they all have great vision and move the puck well. When you have that kind of movement, it leads to amazing chances all over the ice and a decent shot can score.
- xcheckmajor

Over the course of the last 30 years of watching hockey, I have seen a lot of different style of teams win the Cup. High flying teams, great defensive teams, big and strong teams, puck possession teams. et. We can all pull out a team from past years, and say "we need to be like that team." Now it chique to be like the Bruins or some big banging team. Of course, we need some sandpaper in this lineup. We need guys that will lay it on the line. Put their body in harms ways.

But with the all the above said, IMO, the quickest path to failure is to try to be a cheap imitation of another team, rather than building of your own strengths. The Rangers have drafted and acquired very specific type of players over the last few years. Their defensive core and skate the lights out, and they have alot of fleet footed forwards. IMO, the Rangers should try to win by being the best skating team in the league, and with guys like Moore, McDonagh, Kreider, Hagelin, Nash, Staal, et., they have a really good head start to that.

You want to intimidate? There is more than one way to do that. You can do it by hounding the puck with your speed, and making other teams fear your speed in transition. The Rangers last year, simply didn't play to their talents, by having elite speed guys down beneath the circles in their defensive zone, and creating no fear in the other team in getting burnt in transition.

We don't have many finishers aside from Nash tho. In so many ways, Kreider playing well is imperative for this teams success
- Slimtj100

It would really be nice to have another finisher. Kreider really needs to pot 25-30 goals this year.

Over the course of the last 30 years of watching hockey, I have seen a lot of different style of teams win the Cup. High flying teams, great defensive teams, big and strong teams, puck possession teams. et. We can all pull out a team from past years, and say "we need to be like that team." Now it chique to be like the Bruins or some big banging team. Of course, we need some sandpaper in this lineup. We need guys that will lay it on the line. Put their body in harms ways.

But with the all the above said, IMO, the quickest path to failure is to try to be a cheap imitation of another team, rather than building of your own strengths. The Rangers have drafted and acquired very specific type of players over the last few years. Their defensive core and skate the lights out, and they have alot of fleet footed forwards. IMO, the Rangers should try to win by being the best skating team in the league, and with guys like Moore, McDonagh, Kreider, Hagelin, Nash, Staal, et., they have a really good head start to that.

You want to intimidate? There is more than one way to do that. You can do it by hounding the puck with your speed, and making other teams fear your speed in transition. The Rangers last year, simply didn't play to their talents, by having elite speed guys down beneath the circles in their defensive zone, and creating no fear in the other team in getting burnt in transition.
- Pete V

Fully agree. Rangers have abandoned the black and blue big bad Rangers and have really 180 their makeup to a skill speed puck possession roster. They need to start playing like it. They have the unique blend of 2 way responsible players (credit torts), good skaters, good playmakers. We are short on natural snipers and finishers but that doesn't mean we can't score. The problem before was, you needed a sniper or natural goal scorer because you needed to score from different areas of the ice where it takes a beautiful shot rather than be in perfect position to bang it in. When you have great possession and play making, you can score without the elite shot. Any NHL player is capable of scoring as long as the puck gets to them where they can easily beat the goalie with a shot, so thats where lots of puck moving and playmaking will compensate from sniping a shot from somewhere else. Lots of tic tac toe, criss crossing, bang bang goals. This is what style our roster should start adopting.

Who knows he could be working on something but not buying out Richards, not having a 1st or 2nd round pick, tomorrow is going to be depressing, Sather has to go
- cranford93

maybe sather was the one that argued in favor of buying out richards and gorton or AV argued against it.

all we know is that half the organization wanted to buy him out, and the other half didn't. who wanted what, the world may never know.

Over the course of the last 30 years of watching hockey, I have seen a lot of different style of teams win the Cup. High flying teams, great defensive teams, big and strong teams, puck possession teams. et. We can all pull out a team from past years, and say "we need to be like that team." Now it chique to be like the Bruins or some big banging team. Of course, we need some sandpaper in this lineup. We need guys that will lay it on the line. Put their body in harms ways.

But with the all the above said, IMO, the quickest path to failure is to try to be a cheap imitation of another team, rather than building of your own strengths. The Rangers have drafted and acquired very specific type of players over the last few years. Their defensive core and skate the lights out, and they have alot of fleet footed forwards. IMO, the Rangers should try to win by being the best skating team in the league, and with guys like Moore, McDonagh, Kreider, Hagelin, Nash, Staal, et., they have a really good head start to that.

You want to intimidate? There is more than one way to do that. You can do it by hounding the puck with your speed, and making other teams fear your speed in transition. The Rangers last year, simply didn't play to their talents, by having elite speed guys down beneath the circles in their defensive zone, and creating no fear in the other team in getting burnt in transition.
- Pete V

agreed. every team needs an identity and when we made it to the ECF, we had one. last year, we didn't.

I am starting to think its gonna be quiet for the Rangers. No trades will just go into the draft and use their 3 3rd rounders.

maybe sather was the one that argued in favor of buying out richards and gorton or AV argued against it.

all we know is that half the organization wanted to buy him out, and the other half didn't. who wanted what, the world may never know.
- rangerdanger94

AV wanted him back. So, he's back, and my information is the players are thrilled. extremely well liked in the room.

I've see all the different lines scenarios, and it makes for great conversation, but it's just not going to work. It's a collection of parts, we keep trying to put the round pegs in the square holes. They do have some talent, no question.

Slats is on the hot seat now, not that he cares about hot seats, but watch out for the offer sheets coming for McDonagh, you think we have problems now.

AV wanted him back. So, he's back, and my information is the players are thrilled. extremely well liked in the room.

I've see all the different lines scenarios, and it makes for great conversation, but it's just not going to work. It's a collection of parts, we keep trying to put the round pegs in the square holes. They do have some talent, no question.

Slats is on the hot seat now, not that he cares about hot seats, but watch out for the offer sheets coming for McDonagh, you think we have problems now.
- OLDSCHOOL#6

It makes sense, both AV and Sather have to win now. They aren't as concerned long term like us fans are.

Fully agree. Rangers have abandoned the black and blue big bad Rangers and have really 180 their makeup to a skill speed puck possession roster. They need to start playing like it. They have the unique blend of 2 way responsible players (credit torts), good skaters, good playmakers. We are short on natural snipers and finishers but that doesn't mean we can't score. The problem before was, you needed a sniper or natural goal scorer because you needed to score from different areas of the ice where it takes a beautiful shot rather than be in perfect position to bang it in. When you have great possession and play making, you can score without the elite shot. Any NHL player is capable of scoring as long as the puck gets to them where they can easily beat the goalie with a shot, so thats where lots of puck moving and playmaking will compensate from sniping a shot from somewhere else. Lots of tic tac toe, criss crossing, bang bang goals. This is what style our roster should start adopting.
- xcheckmajor

The coach change is obviously designed with this in mind. In my mind i guess I need adjust how I view or like the team, to what your saying. My thinking is the forwards need to be a bit more balenced. Like to many grinders is bad. Or to many slow players is bad. I think right now we have to many softer play making type players which is also not good. Granted most of them are fast and skilled, but sometimes that can be predictable.

The coach change is obviously designed with this in mind. In my mind i guess I need adjust how I view or like the team, to what your saying. My thinking is the forwards need to be a bit more balenced. Like to many grinders is bad. Or to many slow players is bad. I think right now we have to many softer play making type players which is also not good. Granted most of them are fast and skilled, but sometimes that can be predictable.
- Slimtj100

i'd kill for a guy like bickell or lucic or clarkson or clutterbuck on the roster. a guy like bickell, clarkson, etc. on the bottom 6 would be exactly what this team needs. but it's not only a need because of their size and grit, but because it makes the team sooo much deeper.

our 3rd and 4th line are basically spare parts and useless compared to what it used to be unfortunately.

Dreger on NHL Network. Said Holmgren has 2 possible deals he likes.
1. Coburn to Carolina for the #5

2. Coburn to Edm for #7 and 4th Rounder

.............................if this is true and philly can move coburn for the #5, slats better get on that with a MDZ package or staal if it comes down to it.

The coach change is obviously designed with this in mind. In my mind i guess I need adjust how I view or like the team, to what your saying. My thinking is the forwards need to be a bit more balenced. Like to many grinders is bad. Or to many slow players is bad. I think right now we have to many softer play making type players which is also not good. Granted most of them are fast and skilled, but sometimes that can be predictable.
- Slimtj100

As much as I like and respect Zucarello, I don't disagree with you that given the makeup of the rest if the roster, I would rather have a bigger more physical player in his spot. My opinion would be different if Richards was bought out. Perhaps the Rangers view on this may change as well.