Way early, last year was going to go Liljegren, Patrick, Vilardi at this time.

Merkley and Veleno could just as easily wind up being the top guys this year. Plus you’d need luck like the Devils, no way you finish at the bottom with Hank.
- smellmyfinger

Oh yeah, I fully expect them to turn it around, just saying I wouldn't be upset if they had a crappy season and got a lottery pick.

I would never root for failure or tanking, just that if the season goes the same as it is now, I wouldn't be overly upset about it.

Way early, last year was going to go Liljegren, Patrick, Vilardi at this time.

Merkley and Veleno could just as easily wind up being the top guys this year. Plus you’d need luck like the Devils, no way you finish at the bottom with Hank.
- smellmyfinger

One one of Merkley, Veleno, Tkachuk, Smith, Wilde, Boqvist, Mcissace, Zadina or Hughes could go 3rd overall. It's just a very deep draft.

If the Rangers don't score and don't defend, doesn't matter who is in net. Plus Ondrej Pavelec and his career .907 won't aid in that regard either.
- tomburton99

Devils “should” have been bottom two or three for the last three years, Schneider prevented that. Buffalo going to wind up with another top pick this year.

Nash, Grabner, Desharinais and Holden all should be dealt if this tire fire continues.
- tomburton99

Should be gone now. Rather have Chytil.

Serious question, does anybody remember or enjoy the 1980 Rangers season?
- tomburton99

First, your Devils defeated us last night.
Second, I remember that Rangers 1980/81 season, when prior to that loss last night, they last started at 1-5, and ended up with around 75 points, good in those days of an 80 games season for a playoff spot, in a weird NHL playoff format. That's when the Rangers won their 1st "Preliminary" Round series 3 games to 1 over the Kings, (yes, that's the L.A. Kings out West in a Round 1 back then). There was one penalty filled game in L.A. with a bench clearing brawl, which of course, Dave Maloney was right in the middle of the lengthy game delay, with both the late Jim Gordon & Bill "The Big Whistle" Chadwick covering the road games on WOR TV Channel 9 in NY back then.
That was followed by the Rangers defeating the Blues in 6 games in the Round Two "Quarterfinals", before getting swept in 4 games in the "Semifinals" of Round Three by the eventual Cup Champions, Isles.

First, your Devils defeated us last night.
Second, I remember that Rangers 1980/81 season, when prior to that loss last night, they last started at 1-5, and ended up with around 75 points, good in those days of an 80 games season for a playoff spot, in a weird NHL playoff format. That's when the Rangers won their 1st "Preliminary" Round series 3 games to 1 over the Kings, (yes, that's the L.A. Kings out West in a Round 1 back then). There was one penalty filled game in L.A. with a bench clearing brawl, which of course, Dave Maloney was right in the middle of the lengthy game delay.
That was followed by the Rangers defeating the Blues in 6 games in the Round Two "Quarterfinals", before getting swept in 4 games in the "Semifinals" of Round Three by the eventual Cup Champions, Isles.
- RangerSaver

The Rangers started 6-14-3 that year, if they even have a similar start to that they'll be belly up soon.

Devils “should” have been bottom two or three for the last three years, Schneider prevented that. Buffalo going to wind up with another top pick this year.
- smellmyfinger

If anybody is every against the "tank" Pinpoint Buffalo. Cause that team has been terrible, with the likes of Ristolainen and Eichel. Just no excuse.

Should be gone now. Rather have Chytil.
- mdw7413

WE are not going to see Chytil unless one of the centers gets inured, AV gets fired or the Rangers continue to languish. Not sure the last two even have a chance at bringing Chytil back up either.

The Rangers started 6-14-3 that year, if they even have a similar start to that they'll be belly up soon.
- tomburton99

With 3 point games now, once you hit about the 20 game mark or so it becomes very difficult to make up ground.

WE are not going to see Chytil unless one of the centers gets inured, AV gets fired or the Rangers continue to languish. Not sure the last two even have a chance at bringing Chytil back up either.
- tomburton99

Just saying if it was me. If the option is Desharnais or Chytil, I would rather play Chytil mistakes and all if the season isn't going well. I haven't seen anything from Desharnais that shows me he belongs.

Just saying if it was me. If the option is Desharnais or Chytil, I would rather play Chytil mistakes and all if the season isn't going well. I haven't seen anything from Desharnais that shows me he belongs.
- mdw7413

I agree with you. I can't believe Nash-DD-Fast was a line last night.

The Rangers started 6-14-3 that year, if they even have a similar start to that they'll be belly up soon.
- tomburton99

At 12-15-5 over their last 32 regular season games dating back after Feb.13th (with their last season's high, 6th straight win that day, & being at their peak of 37-18-1), if that pace should play out through all 82 games this season, they would end the season at 31-38-13 for 75 points, similar to their amount of no higher than 75 points in that 1980/81 season. But this time, that will keep them out of the postseason by a likely 20 to 25 points.
Forget about what their final record would be if they played all 82 games at this season's 1-5-0 start!

Nothing worse than a Devils fan above .500, (frank)ing worst, just stay in your thread douche bags
- KreiderBomb

Reason why I brought up 1980 is because this is the Rangers first 1-5 start since then. That team ended up going 6-14-3
- tomburton99

Matching that prior worst 1-5 start was also brought up after the game ended at some point on the Rangers MSG coverage.

I agree with you. I can't believe Nash-DD-Fast was a line last night.
- tomburton99

If it was my lineup..

Kreids/Zibanejad/Buch

Zuke/Chytil/Nash

Miller/Hayes/Vesey

Cracknell/Boo/Fast

At 12-15-5 over their last 32 regular season games dating back after Feb.13th (with their last season's high, 6th straight win that day, & being at their peak of 37-18-1), if that pace should play out through all 82 games this season, they would end the season at 31-38-13 for 75 points, similar to their amount of no higher than 75 points in that 1980/81 season. But this time, that will keep them out of the postseason by a likely 20 to 25 points.
Forget about what their final record would be if they played all 82 games at this season's 1-5-0 start!
- RangerSaver

The NHL regular season is 82 games so that 5-10 game stretches don't define which teams make the playoffs. Hell, 20-25 game stretches don't even define which teams make the playoffs.

There's teams who turn it on after sucking for half a season that ultimately make the playoffs. Way too early to panic.

If it was my lineup..

Kreids/Zibanejad/Buch

Zuke/Chytil/Nash

Miller/Hayes/Vesey

Cracknell/Boo/Fast
- mdw7413

Mac-Shattenkirk
Skjei-Deangelo
Smith-Pionk

But this is too much for AV to comprehend as optimal

The NHL regular season is 82 games so that 5-10 game stretches don't define which teams make the playoffs. Hell, 20-25 game stretches don't even define which teams make the playoffs.

There's teams who turn it on after sucking for half a season that ultimately make the playoffs. Way too early to panic.
- rangerdanger94

The Avs last year went 9-11-1 through their first 21 games. And 10-14-1 through their first 25 games.

Mac-Shattenkirk
Skjei-Deangelo
Smith-Pionk

But this is too much for AV to comprehend as optimal
- KreiderBomb

Have to keep Staal in. He has been our best D man. Who would have thunk it.

The Avs last year went 9-11-1 through their first 21 games. And 10-14-1 through their first 25 games.
- tomburton99

They started off poopty and continued to be poopty. Some teams get better...

Anaheim was 8-11-4 in 2015-16 and won their division with 103 points....

They started off poopty and continued to be poopty. Some teams get better...

Anaheim was 8-11-4 in 2015-16 and won their division with 103 points....
- rangerdanger94

Show me the Rangers version of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Ryan Kesler.

22 games over .500 the rest of the way?

As a Giants and Rangers fans I never dreamed 2 seasons would be over by the middle of October
- KreiderBomb

That was my point to that Devils fan, as to what it required last season to earn a postseason spot in the East.
Under A.V. right now, for them to play 22 games over .500 for the final 76 games is appearing to be doubtful. After they were scoring in bunches to start last season, their height was reached at 19 games over .500, but through only 56 games, in going 37-18-1 through Feb. 13th. Then they began their downfall of 11-10-5 for the remainder of that season, leading into this 1-5-0 start, for only 12 wins in their last 32 regular season games.
Maybe with a new leadership on the bench, and if a vocal type leader on the ice and for his team mates in the locker room is acquired, this team may awaken and play 60 minute games. They have also been affected greatly by the lack of replacing Stepan and Lindberg at center. If they can acquire at least one experienced center as well, then maybe tallying 93 to 98 points in the final 76 games, (a 1.22 to 1.29 points/game avg.), is possible to earn a playoff spot. That, in comparison to them earning last season 75 points in their first 56 games (1.34 pts./game avg., which is a pace of 110 points over 82 games). However, that's IF all goes well only.

They started off poopty and continued to be poopty. Some teams get better...

Anaheim was 8-11-4 in 2015-16 and won their division with 103 points....
- rangerdanger94

This is not the Pacific Division and Western Conference. This is both the improved Metro. Division and Eastern Conference, in which 102 points last season only earned us the 1st Wild Card spot, and 95 earned Toronto the 2nd one. This season it will require at least the same 95 points, up to likely 100 points to earn just that 2nd Wild Card spot. Columbus finished 3rd in the Metro last season with 108 points.
The odds of making the postseason decrease when off to slow starts. Just ask Lightning and Isles fans about last season for proof, when they both ran out of games to earn only 1 more point to earn the 2nd East W.C. spot by the wins tiebreaker over Toronto.

The fact that people have literally given up on the season 6 games in is absolutely pathetic. The people who are doing this have no spine at all and don't deserve to root for the team when they turn it around.

One one of Merkley, Veleno, Tkachuk, Smith, Wilde, Boqvist, Mcissace, Zadina or Hughes could go 3rd overall. It's just a very deep draft.
- tomburton99

If A.V. is still around, it wouldn't matter if we traded for the #1 overall pick without chancing receiving it through tanking means.
If A.V. were coaching the Devils, their promising stud, Will Butcher would not have 8 assists in his first 5 NHL games. Under A.V., he would be lucky enough to have been given just 8 minutes of total ice time in his first 5 games.