Sather definitely should have gotten more offense under Torts especially 2 years ago when we were the #1 seed. I dont think there is any way to dispute that and we were all very vocal on the old board about that. Lundqvist has not been and isnt the problem with this team. I am not going to waste time defending him. 7/59 might be a little high but the guy has earned it and if he wanted to leave NY in July another team would offer him more. He is very durable and has excelled here for a long time. I guess the point of your post is that Sather hasnt gotten enough offense. Cant argue that. Nash wasnt a UFA, he came in trade and we lost signifcant pieces. I am still high on Nash though. Time will tell. Regarding Devil UFA's, its not so much about not signing them its the fact you lost them and got NOTHING in return Parise Niedermayer Rafalski Gomez Clarkson I am not saying ANY of them were worth the contracts they got but to lose ALL of them and not get a single draft pick back is called being a poor GM. As Chuck said, worry about your own team. We dont go on Hoopla and bash Lou for not doing much since the lockout
The onus is on mgmt.to put together the right roster around Lundqvist so they can average more than 1.7g per game. Thats where GS has failed in constructing things. Then you have a top 3 goalie on top of it, instead of having to patch it together with FA goalies. Talbot has been very good so far but whether hes a long term nhl starter is unknown. How about getting a gm that isnt lazy 10mos of the year?
"So if scoring is the reason Lundquist cant win in the playoffs, then maybe they should have obtained some more scoring instead. I know you guys spend alot of time here, but you may not have noticed that the NHL is changing to a game where goal tending is not quite as important as it was. Puck possession is the key to the game now." That's about the only part about Danipman's post that is accurate and makes sense. The rest is just stupidity.
disagree..the fact is we are a 500 team and if status quo continues we will be fighting for the last 2 playoff seeds..which does nothing...one of the reasons this team has never built a huge winner is because the drafting as been mid round almost every year. Not to say we have to throw seasons away, but it only makes it harder drafting the best 10th player every year. so....having one of the best goalies on the team when your fighting for that last spot doesn't do shit this year or the future.
What should the Rangers have done Danip? Rask set the market at $7m a year as an RFA. What is fair value for Lundqvist? If you are going to bash the Rangers for signing him please tell me his worth on the open market. You brought up Hanks playoff losing record but anyone who has watched this team closely since the lockout knows he was the only reason this team has made the playoffs. 7/59 I think is a fair deal for both sides. Curous what you thought Sather should do
BTW here is Rangers goal scoring per game under Torts in the playoffs: 1.57 1.60 2.15 2.17 Yeah its Hank's fault they havent won a Cup
in clownspeak: See, the offense improved every year and Henrik still couldn't win a Cup. He's mediocre.
Rask has a cup but didnt win a single playoff game that year, Tim Thomas was goalie during thier cup run. For comparison sake Rask's cup is meaningless because he didnt appear in a single playoff game. If you want to tell me they should have signed him for $7.5, what real difference does it make... Even though Rask is very good and will likley win the Vezina, Lundqvist has accomplished more as a goalie than Rask and its not like he is 35. There are problems with the Rangers but this deal for Hank at 7/59 is not one of them Losing him for NOTHING in July would be devestating to this franchise.
Among goalies with at least as many post season games as him, Henrik is second ALL TIME in playoff save percentage. This playoff stuff is such nonsense I can't stand it.
Yes, it definitely is. And trolls like Danipman are unable to let it go. Heck, if it wasn't for Torts maybe we would have won a Cup already. The team entered the playoffs dog tired and bruised from blocking shots for 82gms and couldn't hold it for another 16 wins. When we went to the ECF's, remember how many teams we had to come from behind in the playoffs? we'd go down 2-0 seemingly almost every game, and when we were down Torts would loosen up the reigns and the team would play awesome and come back, then when tied or taking the lead Torts would have them collapse again. It was infuriating.
WOW you keep bring back Torts yet this current team is not lighting up the score board now is it.....
This whole thread has gone comical thanks to dan. I was maybe the loudest voice in here saying we cannot afford to go crazy for Hank. I wanted the hit to be around 8 mill or so, and that is pretty much where we ended up. The raise Hank gets is 1.6 mill or so, which is nothing crazy with the cap going back up next season, and pretty much will go up every season Hank is signed for. Now will will pay for years 6 & 7 when Hank isn't at top level form still, very possible, but that is how sports work when guys get to UFA stage. Hank will give us 5 more years of top level play at worst barring injury IMO. Now we can focus on everywhere else, because we are set in goal for many years. The issue will NOT be Hank's contract, the issue will be will useless Sather get out of his lazyboy chair and make moves to complete this team, and enable us to be a real serious cup contender. THAT is the issue/question, not Hank's deal. Hank's contract will be a very good deal moving forward. When other top goalies come up to UFA status, they will be 7 mill + or 8 mill per season also. This contract, a 1.6 mill or so raise, will not be an issue for 5 years or so if it ever becomes an issue at all.
If you are going to comment on the Rangers you should follow the team closer. Most of us appreciate what Torts did here, he brought accountability and hard work. But pretty much everyone outside of Al knew it was time to go. His style has a shelf life and last year he threw players under the buss unnecessarily (Hagelin stinks on the power play) and lost the locker room.
Yea, he sure is leading Vancouver to unseen heights, right? He's winning 50% of the game so far this season, lowest W% since the '07-08 season, not to mention the offensive juggernaut the 'nucks are this year with a 2.63 GPG, the 2nd lowest also since the '07-08 season, with only last year being lower and that was a lock out year. And my post was in response to Dani's stupid comment that " if Lundquist cant win with all the shot blocking and defensive collapsing, is he going to win with a looser team strategy that isnt generating any more offense?"...actually, when Torts played a looser strategy b/c we were down in the game, that's when the team played its best. Then when we were tied or leading, he went back to collapsing. The guy blew here.
there was an article earlier in the year with a quote from one of the Sedins saying "if you're not blocking shots, you're not going to play"...i mean, wtf? how can Torts not be able to differentiate skill vs. gritty players and let each play a style that best suites them?
Totally 31. Also Vancouvers PP is like 27th after being great for years. Another Torts staple. It's too early to judge either coach. But if Torts is fired in 2 years because everyone including the Vancouver media hate him nobody here will be surprised.
Correct me if im wrong..but aren't the Sedin's still basically a point a game player? You are soooo missing the fucking point it is beyond smacking my head against the wall.... TORTS REALIZED HE HAD LIMITED OFFENSIVE ABILITIES IN HIS TEAM...SOMETHING THIS COACH IS ALSO FINDING OUT REAL QUICK. So instead of trying to win games 4-3 which must be sooo fucking wonderful to watch...he said you know what...if we are going to score 2 goals..lets try and not allow the other team to fucking score 3.
btw 35 points would be tied for third in the Eastern Conference...doesn't that say something about the WEST and the teams Vancover is playing?
I hope he can emulate what he has done for us in the past for a long time to come because if not that is a hell of a lot of money to hand out. I hope his best goal tending days are still in front of him with this new coach and style, he has had a whole team dropping down and blocking shots for him for the past few years, that is not happening nearly as much with this new system. But without a top goaltender you can't win a cup so can't blame them for locking him up. Its just like a QB in the NFL, very hard to win without one of the top guys at that position being on your team.