Hey Nicky!

Yep. In two years I believe they’ll be division winner worthy and then the fun should start for a decade or so
- Slimtj100

Yup! I'm wondering if this is the year I should pay for the NHL yearly package or whatever that is... Or if I should start next year?

I'm currently unemployed at the moment. Quit the teaching thing to go to a 15 week coding bootcamp. Then try to find another job after week 15... So maybe if I land a job by October I could purchase that and be all in on the Rangers again...

He's been here for a long time, funny thing was in the first few years he was on here he was not like that. At some point he took on that persona, maybe for attention or just wanting to stand out.
- B2B76

After the constant tank tank tank talk and then we finally get arguably the best pick possible in the draft, the fact he didn’t jump for joy or show the least little bit of excitement about it, said a lot about him. He is the equivalent of water boarding on a blog lol a constant dooshbag. We all kid and have laughs and needle each other, but act like an adult for (frank)s sake.. Jesus

I’m still convinced he’s a devil fan🤷🏻‍♂️

After the constant tank tank tank talk and then we finally get arguably the best pick possible in the draft, the fact he didn’t jump for joy or show the least little bit of excitement about it, said a lot about him. He is the equivalent of water boarding on a blog lol a constant dooshbag. We all kid and have laughs and needle each other, but act like an adult for (frank)s sake.. Jesus

I’m still convinced he’s a devil fan🤷🏻‍♂️
- Slimtj100

He began his "tank tank tank tank" talk coincidentally when the Devils became competitive right from the start of that 2017/18 season, and ended up making the playoffs, prior to losing in the 1st Round to Tampa.
I felt and mentioned back then, as per also some of his various other posts, that he was a Devils fan, in likely using his "tank Rangers tank" talk so that his Devils would have one less team to worry about in order to reach that postseason.

For those frustrated somehow with Gorton for being unable yet to trade Namestnikov, Shatty, or Smith, think of it first in this means.

If an underpaid Trouba, and another d'man in an NHL going rate, P.K. Subban, could only net in return for their previous teams what they received in exchange under those two teams salary cap strapped situations, then how much in value can one expect an overpaid Shatty and Smith, along with Namestnikov to a lesser degree, net the salary cap strapped Rangers in return in any trade?

For those frustrated somehow with Gorton for being unable yet to trade Namestnikov, Shatty, or Smith, think of it first in this means.

If an underpaid Trouba, and another d'man in an NHL going rate, P.K. Subban, could only net in return for their previous teams what they did in exchange under those two teams salary cap strapped situations, then how much in value can one expect an overpaid Shatty and Smith, along with Namestnikov to a lesser percentage degree, net the Rangers in return in any trade?
- RangerSaver

I have full confidence in Gorton to figure out this teeny tiny mess they are in. Nothing has suggested otherwise over the last couple of years. He’s done a brilliant job, minus maybe Shatty and Smith signings. But really those are just a drop in the bucket of what he’s done as a whole. It’s amazing what this team is starting to look like in such a short time. Obviously, the Kakko luck helped

I have full confidence in Gorton to figure out this teeny tiny mess they are in. Nothing has suggested otherwise over the last couple of years. He’s done a brilliant job, minus maybe Shatty and Smith signings. But really those are just a drop in the bucket of what he’s done as a whole. It’s amazing what this team is starting to look like
- Slimtj100

I also have complete confidence in Gorton straightening out their salary cap issues, and believe he is delaying for now from re-signing his RFA's, and also completing trades due to being offered little value in return.

As the arbitration hearings period of July 20th to August 4th approaches, you will see him become active, along with possibly buying out a contract during the 48-HOUR maximum time frame allowed within that second buyout window. However, that limited 48-HOUR buyout window begins for all teams on the THIRD DAY AFTER their final arbitration hearing is either settled or concluded.

We don’t talk much about it, but what they do in goal will be fascinating. 3 guys, one net...Assuming Georgy isn’t moved, and I’m not seeing it as being likely anymore, i imagine the plan would be something like Hank playing 40 games and the other two 21 games, give or take a few games. Rotate the two kids back n forth to Hartford where they play 6-7 in a row then come back here play 4 of 10 games or something like that. I’m very curious how they work that out, but both kids need to play at least 15-20 games in the NHL imo

Hank certainly needs to play less then usual, in case they make the playoffs so he’s stronger for them

We don’t talk much about it, but what they do in goal will be fascinating. 3 guys, one net...Assuming Georgy isn’t moved, and I’m not seeing it as being likely anymore, i imagine the plan would be something like Hank playing 40 games and the other two 21 games, give or take a few games. Rotate the two kids back n forth to Hartford where they play 6-7 in a row then come back here play 4 of 10 games or something like that. I’m very curious how they work that out, but both kids need to play at least 15-20 games in the NHL imo

Hank certainly needs to play less then usual, in case they make the playoffs so he’s stronger for them
- Slimtj100

That's all true, as well as being a plan now to not trade Georgiev, with them suddenly becoming playoff contenders after signing Panarin. Maybe Gorton was also low balled with trade offers for Georgiev, given the amount of teams who desperately needed to improve their goal tending after last season.

They may also want Shestyorkin to play at times in Hartford in order to first adapt better to the game in North America. That despite the fact Shesty has a clause in his contract stipulating that if he is not on their pro roster, he can return to play in Russia.

We don’t talk much about it, but what they do in goal will be fascinating. 3 guys, one net...Assuming Georgy isn’t moved, and I’m not seeing it as being likely anymore, i imagine the plan would be something like Hank playing 40 games and the other two 21 games, give or take a few games. Rotate the two kids back n forth to Hartford where they play 6-7 in a row then come back here play 4 of 10 games or something like that. I’m very curious how they work that out, but both kids need to play at least 15-20 games in the NHL imo

Hank certainly needs to play less then usual, in case they make the playoffs so he’s stronger for them
- Slimtj100

that's how the Islanders used to do it, Billy Smith only played like 40 games every year so he was rested for long playoff runs

they overworked Hank over the years

After the constant tank tank tank talk and then we finally get arguably the best pick possible in the draft, the fact he didn’t jump for joy or show the least little bit of excitement about it, said a lot about him. He is the equivalent of water boarding on a blog lol a constant dooshbag. We all kid and have laughs and needle each other, but act like an adult for (frank)s sake.. Jesus

I’m still convinced he’s a devil fan🤷🏻‍♂️
- Slimtj100

He has complete, normal conversations in the Devils blog, then comes here and acts like a jerkoff. Much better flow to the blog without him

From the CHI blog, Alex Nylander,

"I thought maybe I would be in the NHL sooner than I have been, but I'm just really excited and looking forward to being part of the Blackhawks organization," Nylander said. "They're really good with development players. They actually know what they're doing. I'm going to do my best and stuff that happened in Buffalo and Rochester is obviously in the past."

From the CHI blog, Alex Nylander,

"I thought maybe I would be in the NHL sooner than I have been, but I'm just really excited and looking forward to being part of the Blackhawks organization," Nylander said. "They're really good with development players. They actually know what they're doing. I'm going to do my best and stuff that happened in Buffalo and Rochester is obviously in the past."
- nyrangers9479

obviously just an accident and nothing to do with Buffalo's development, but right after the draft at one of Buffalo's camps, Dylan Cozens hurt his thumb and needed surgery, 3 months of recovery

obviously just an accident and nothing to do with Buffalo's development, but right after the draft at one of Buffalo's camps, Dylan Cozens hurt his thumb and needed surgery, 3 months of recovery
- jimbro83

He took a pretty big shot at the Sabres as an organization with that statement. Especially coming from a kid that hasn’t proven a damn thing and has been rumored to be lazy/unwilling to adjust. Blame everyone else instead of looking in the mirror, we’ll see if a change of scenery changes things for him.

Happy birthday to our 2nd line center and future buyout candidate Ryan Strome 😂

He took a pretty big shot at the Sabres as an organization with that statement. Especially coming from a kid that hasn’t proven a damn thing and has been rumored to be lazy/unwilling to adjust. Blame everyone else instead of looking in the mirror, we’ll see if a change of scenery changes things for him.
- nyrangers9479

I mean the Sabres history in developing young guys is pretty meh. He's obviously a really good player, but you could even argue Eichel has somewhat underachieved. The Hawks seem to be really good at low key getting useful young players. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Nylander was effective there. He's going to be getting pretty favorable matchups in that lineup.

Happy birthday to our 2nd line center Ryan Strome 😂
- nyrangers9479

Anyone stop at Bagel Boss today?

Anyone stop at Bagel Boss today?
- eichiefs9

Anyone seen Cranny? Something tells me that was him.

Anyone seen Cranny? Something tells me that was him.
- smellmyfinger

Apparently the guy has an entire youtube channel of him just being an absolute napoleonic lunatic yelling at people

https://www.youtube.com/c...0AU&wlfg=true&app=desktop

Anyone stop at Bagel Boss today?
- eichiefs9

You know, this guy is actually a nutcase, but he's not totally wrong. Legit story, one time I hit on a woman. I was rejected because I wasn't 6 foot (I'm 5 10). Her reasoning was she likes to wear high heels, this girl was 5 3. I've seen it in profiles where they say no guys under 6 feet though I've never been told I should be dead.

For women though, the opposite is true. A ton of women over 6 feet have difficulty.

You know, this guy is actually a nutcase, but he's not totally wrong. Legit story, one time I hit on a woman. I was rejected because I wasn't 6 foot (I'm 5 10). Her reasoning was she likes to wear high heels, this girl was 5 3. I've seen it in profiles where they say no guys under 6 feet though I've never been told I should be dead.

For women though, the opposite is true. A ton of women over 6 feet have difficulty.
- 2sticks1puck

You should have just said you were 6 foot...not like she was going to pull out a tape measure and measure you

You should have just said you were 6 foot...not like she was going to pull out a tape measure and measure you
- TPC

"before we go out we need to stop at the convenience store. Now stand next to the door"

Athletic article, 10 worst contracts in hockey

1. Brent Seabrook, CHI
Contract: $6.875M x five years
Surplus Value: -$33.2M
Positive Value Probability: 0.1%

The biggest shock to me was not that Seabrook ended up number one (anybody could’ve guessed that) it’s that there are still five years left on his deal. Five! At $6.875 million. For a replacement-level defenseman. Who is 34-years-old. I’m not sure how any of that is possible, and I’m not even sure how probable it is that Seabrook actually finishes the remainder of the deal in the NHL.

For that price, a team should be getting a capable number two defenseman, and I’m struggling to remember the last year Seabrook actually offered that kind of value. Very few players carry a worse defensive impact than Seabrook and he doesn’t provide much more in the way of offence either. The probability of Seabrook providing positive value on this deal says it all: 999 times out of 1,000, he doesn’t.

2. Drew Doughty, LAK
Contract: $11M x eight years
Surplus Value: -$55.7M
Positive Value Probability: 6.1%

I can imagine this is a very spicy take, so let me explain before you fire off that 300-word tirade in the comments. Doughty signed his deal a full year before free agency, for the full eight years. That deal won’t actually kick off until next season, but a lot has changed since Doughty put pen to paper.

At the time of signing, there was every reason to believe Doughty would be worth it, as he was coming off a Norris trophy win. He was driving play at an elite rate against tough competition and under new coaching put up a career-high in points. He was a bonafide top-five defenseman and deserved to be paid like one. Based on my research on term, Doughty was a safe bet to age gracefully based on his standing as an elite defenseman. It’s a deal a majority of people would’ve signed. Maybe a little rich, maybe a little long – but probably worth it in the end.

No one expected the Doughty that showed up in 2018-19. That’s bad luck. He was just average defensively and a complete shell of himself offensively in terms of play-driving. For the first time in his career, Doughty carried a negative expected goal rate and had one of the worst relative rates of his career. By actual goals, it was the worst of his career and he dropped back down to a pedestrian 45 points. By GSVA he was worth just 0.4 wins last season compared to 3.0 and 2.4 the two seasons prior. WAR didn’t like him much either, putting him just below replacement level. You can argue that Doughty struggled because his team did, but part of the team’s struggles are simply on Doughty not playing like the elite defenseman he should be.

Obviously, no one expects Doughty to be as bad next season, but how much of a bounce-back is reasonable to expect? Can he still be considered an elite defenseman? My model puts a lot of weight for play-driving metrics on the most recent season based on historic predictiveness and Doughty doesn’t come out so hot as a result with an average projection of just 1.1 wins. Still a top pair rate, but nowhere near the 2.75 expected of a defender getting paid $11 million.

And there are eight years left.

Doughty is without a doubt the best player on this bad contracts list, but he’s also much higher paid and that means a lot of negative surplus value if he can’t live up to his contract. P.K. Subban was just traded as a cap dump despite similar pedigree, makes $2 million less for five years fewer and was better than Doughty last season.

Maybe last season was a blip. Maybe he’ll return completely to form, and given his talent, I wouldn’t be at all surprised by that. But given his most recent season and the amount he’s getting paid, it’s difficult to view Doughty’s contract, which pays him until he’s 37-years-old, as anything but an albatross right now. And it’s hard to really fault the team for giving it to him either.

3. Kyle Okposo, BUF
Contract: $6M x four years
Surplus Value: -$21.4M
Positive Value Probability: 2.7%

The year of 2016 was a great year for RFA contracts, with three deals signed then in the top 10 best contracts. For UFA contracts though… yikes. Okposo’s deal is one of four from that summer on this list. It’s safe to say Okposo hasn’t come close to living up to the hype that came with his seven-year deal and his days of being a player worth $6 million are long over.

There was always risk involved with Okposo as a player who may have been carried by teammate John Tavares, but at the time it seemed like the most sensible of the deals signed as he was coming off a 64-point season. In his first year he did fine, scoring at a 57-point pace, but the past two years have been rough, with 2017-18, in particular, being derailed by injury.

Without that fact, maybe Okposo would’ve lived up to his promise, but for now he’s being paid like a second-line forward while providing fourth line value or worse over the remainder of the deal. Any chance at a bounce-back feels relatively slim.

4. Marc-Edouard Vlasic, SJS
Contract: $7M x seven years
Surplus Value: -$44.7M
Positive Value Probability: 7.6%

While the new Marc-Edouard Vlasic winds up on the best contracts list, the old one winds up on the opposite end. Vlasic was still a reasonably strong defender just two-or-three seasons ago, but 2018-19 was extremely unkind to him. It was like he fell off a statistical cliff.

Last year, Vlasic was the only Sharks defender with a negative expected goals differential, he was second last defensively, and by actual goals only his partner, Justin Braun, was worse. The argument for Vlasic is that he plays difficult minutes, but those were dialled back last season when he struggled. His underlying numbers were fine early on in the season with Karlsson and in the playoffs with Burns, so it’s possible that a new partner (read: not Braun) can rejuvenate his career, but with seven years left there are now legitimate concerns about how well Vlasic will age. You probably also don’t want to be paying that much for a player whose play is dependent on his partner.

A bounce-back should be expected next year, but going up to the level commensurate of his paycheck is a tall order. He’s paid like a number two defender, one who should provide 1.6 wins of value next season and 8.2 in the six seasons after. That’s close to where he was at in 2016-17 and 2017-18, but his age and performance last season makes me skeptical he can reach that point again.


Milan Lucic. (Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
5. Milan Lucic, EDM
Contract: $6M x four years
Surplus Value: -$23.0M
Positive Value Probability: 6.2%

Contract No. 2 from the hellscape summer of 2016. Many would put Lucic as worse than Okposo, and that’s mighty fair given he’s a worse player with a larger negative surplus value. What’s working in Lucic’s favour is a wider range of uncertainty than Okposo, giving him a slightly better chance to bounce back. His individual offensive numbers are much weaker, but his play-driving numbers are a little stronger, albeit still weak overall.

Honestly, there’s no sense splitting hairs with those two – neither are worth their compensation. At their price, the expectation is 5.9 wins over the next four years. My model has both at less than zero.

6. Mike Matheson, FLA
Contract: $4.875 x seven years
Surplus Value: -$21.5M
Positive Value Probability: 8.3%

Relative to the rest of the players here, Matheson isn’t paid that much, but it still seems mostly non-sensical that he does and for seven years. It’s the type of deal that’s panned out extremely well for other teams like Nashville’s Roman Josi and Carolina’s Brett Pesce, but Matheson didn’t really showcase the same level of excellence before signing.

Based on the salary structure, it’s clearly a deal the team expects him to grow into, going from $3.5 million in the first year to $6.5 million in the final year, but that’s difficult to imagine given what he’s shown so far. He’s 25 now, what you see is what you get and from this vantage point that seems to be a run of the mill bottom pairing guy that’s fed far too many minutes. He doesn’t drive play, is frequently out-scored as a result, doesn’t put up points, and he doesn’t play tough minutes.

Based on his salary, his expectations aren’t that high at just 5.8 wins over the next seven seasons, but even that low bar doesn’t seem like one Matheson can clear.

7. Cam Fowler, ANA
Contract: $6.5M x seven years
Surplus Value: -$35.4M
Positive Value Probability: 11.7%

The Ducks signed Fowler just two seasons ago after a career year where he scored just 39 points taking up loads of power-play time. That he was being paid $6.5 million for his services felt like a stretch then and looks even worse now coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. The Ducks were one of the league’s worst teams by expected goals and Fowler contributed heavily to that as the defensemen with the worst impact on chances. That was a problem at both ends of the ice where he was the worst regular at generating expected goals and suppressing them. He wasn’t scoring points either, putting up just 23 in 59 games.

Fowler still has seven years left on his deal and it doesn’t feel like the rest of the deal is going to be very pretty. He was a sub-replacement level defender last season, but is being paid like a top pairing option. That’s always been a bit of a reach, but looks even more so now. My model expects a bounce-back campaign above replacement level, but doesn’t expect Fowler to stay above that threshold for even half of the remaining years of his contract.

8. Loui Eriksson, VAN
Contract: $6M x three years
Surplus Value: -$17.4M
Positive Value Probability: 3.6%

From day one, Eriksson has been a complete bust as a Canuck. He’s contract No. 3 from the wondrous summer of 2016. The worries of his age and that he was a product of his environment in Boston next to Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand were realized to an extent few could’ve really predicted. It speaks to the limitations of current data too as I recall most analysts being largely okay with the Eriksson deal at the time (though not that the Canucks were the team that signed it) as a contributor to that elite line in Boston, rather than a passenger.

What’s clear from his time in Vancouver is that he couldn’t do much by himself and he’s now a replacement-level player, one whose scoring dried up three years ago and whose play-driving went in the tank last season. In the latter case, he was at least passable in that department for the first few seasons.

What makes his deal a little more appealing than Okposo’s and Lucic’s is that it’s over three years from now rather than four. Still, that’s three years with a replacement-level player at a cap hit of $6 million – far from ideal.

9. Bobby Ryan, OTT
Contract: $7.25M x three years
Surplus Value: -$16.7M
Positive Value Probability: 2.6%

There was a time when Ryan looked like a promising player, but ever since signing a monster extension with Ottawa, he hasn’t shown much of that. He isn’t completely abhorrent like some other players on this list – he can still chip in 40 points – but his poor defensive play undermines that. There’s still somehow three years left of that deal and in those years my model sees Ryan producing just 0.6 wins of value, looking like a fourth liner or worse. He’s 32 now, so things will only get worse for him too. At least in Ottawa’s case, Ryan’s bloated contract is an asset toward reaching the cap floor and it’s not like the team will be competitive while he’s on the books either.

10. Andrew Ladd, NYI
Contract: $5.5M x four years
Surplus Value: -$19.2M
Positive Value Probability: 8.6%

Finally, there’s the Ladd deal, completing the quartet of terrible deals from the summer of 2016, a year that should serve as a constant reminder of the dangers that come with unrestricted free agency.

At the time, the Ladd deal carried a lot of risk as he was already in his 30s and showing signs of decline. Aside from providing good defensive value in Year 2 of the deal, Ladd hasn’t done much for the Islanders and looks to be a huge cap liability going forward. He provides as much on-ice value as Okposo, Lucic and Eriksson – very little, if any, over the life of the deal – but costs $500,000 less, has higher variance in his projection, and is a slightly better bet to return some value as a result. The odds are still pitiful though, and it’s why Ladd rounds out the top 10 here.

Honorable mention: Bryan Little (WPG), James Neal (CGY), Justin Abdelkader (DET), Kyle Turris (NSH), Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI)

You know, this guy is actually a nutcase, but he's not totally wrong. Legit story, one time I hit on a woman. I was rejected because I wasn't 6 foot (I'm 5 10). Her reasoning was she likes to wear high heels, this girl was 5 3. I've seen it in profiles where they say no guys under 6 feet though I've never been told I should be dead.

For women though, the opposite is true. A ton of women over 6 feet have difficulty.
- 2sticks1puck

I'm 6'1 and had a woman once tell me she wanted a taller guy cause she was 5'11. Ok Zena. Not that many guys are taller than 6'1.