I don't know why they make Miller a healthy scratch anyway, he's young, good and he needs the experience. It's not like he stands around on the ice not knowing where to go, he plays hard and makes things happen.
Once again, glad I didn't see this game. I haven't been against seeing what kind of return Nash will bring back. He's a dog. Really thought the guy would have been inspired to play in NY. Seems like since he's second concussion, he no longer has a lot of drive. I honestly don't think a lot of teams would want this ass clown at this point.k
My lord we turn on players quickly. This board is out of control right now. Rip after rip. This guy sucks. That guy sucks. Trade this guy. Trade that guy. I loved this guy, now he is terrible. It is actually funny to read. Now I am not saying it is crazy or without reason, but it is funny still. If you want to get on someone. If you want to "blame" someone. Start with Mr. Glen Sather. He's the head. He's the guy who put this team together. The guy who has overseen 15 years of no results outside of one good season. That's where we all should start. Anyway, is what it is. I don't get fired up. I made my peace with this team weeks ago as I said at the time. What can you do.
Chuck that is what is driving me crazy. One good season in 15 years and we had to change things. I am not saying Dubi and AA are great, they are not and they are not doing that well in Columbus, but they were a good fit in New York. Maybe it is because of chemistry with others, I don't know why and I do not care. My problem is not the trades but the fact that we have to change things up every single year and when finally we have some success we still have change players. Sather does not resign Orr for 1M 4 year deal. Then we go and get useless Brashear, then RIP Boogey, then John Scott and etc. Same thing with Prust. How can there be identity or toughness when you resign guys every single year. The group needs to be tight and like each other, and that is why we had some success few years back. Dubi, AA, Prust they all cared about each other, maybe they did not have the skill to win but they cared. Nash trade killed this Rangers era and we need to rebuild. Pens are successful because they resign guys that fit and carry their weight at their role, but Sather does not want to overpay your own guy and needs that fu...in home discount on every player. I say we rebuild from the ground up, but first Sather must go. I agree with you there.
Dubinsky and Anisimov were every bit as lazy as Nash was. Anybody who thought otherwise wasn't paying attention. Sather kept the hard working players in the Nash deal. Girardi, Staal, Callahan, Stepan, Hagelin. Nash has dragged Stepan down a lot this season.
We are NOT rebuilding from the ground up 2009. WILL NOT HAPPEN. You need to get over that already. We have some solid core pieces, and we need to build around them with good solid players this summer. I do agree with you on one thing though, we need an identity. We had a close group that liked playing with each other and we broke that all up. That's real. That does matter. So we need to add the right players this summer. And the right character players as well. Then let them go out and play. My issue is what it always is though...do we trust Sather to make those right moves this summer. That is the huge question mark. I say no based on track record, but we can hope. And dump, right this minute it is difficult to say the Nash deal was a good deal for us. It could get better. Nash could get better. But at the moment it was a bad deal. Even though the players and pick we gave up are nothing to write home about, it hasn't worked thus far. We could have flipped those players for another player not Nash. So right now it doesn't look good. I still believe (hope) that Nash gets better. We'll see.
The Nash deal isn't over until you see what he does going forward or what you get back for him if you trade him. You know what Dubinsky and Anisimov are. Two streaky morons who don't try hard half the time. I have no idea where Erixon is. He was the guy I liked the most in the deal. Looked like he was lighting up the AHL, got called up and now he has vanished.
Losing Erixon is the only part of that deal i wish they had back. AA was nonexistent and Dubinsky wasnt playing to his salary level. Hopefully Nash is just easing back into things and maybe using the rest of the season to continue healing. If this is what he's like nextyear and beyond thats a big problem.
I agree. The Nash deal is not written in stone either way yet. Anything can still happen. Just saying if this is Nash now going forward, no good for us. That's the way it is. But I don't expect that.
With Sather's Rangers anything will happen. and why don't I think it will be for the better. Imagine something better is just that .............in my imagination. Just play the kids. Get rid of the milquetoast players they keep stocking this roster. Pitiful display.
2009 - I agree about chemistry issues with the constant change of players. Dubi/AA were not stars, as you mentioned, but the team played very well with them on the team and chemistry definitely seemed to be there. With them gone we seem to have lost some of that identity and their impact seems to have been beyond the stat sheet. On top of Dubi, AA and Erixon we also gave up a 1st rd pick, so the trade was far from cheap.
I would hardly say the team played well with Dubinsky and Anisimov. Hank played well and Torts covered up the lack of offense by playing a zone where all the forwards blocked shots with their faces. Other than one year, this team never went far in the playoffs.
through a quick search i read he was sent down to make room for Brobovsky / Horton who were coming off IR.
We had our best year in ages in the '11-12 season (51 wins) with Dubi, AA and Gaborik. Since the Nash trade instead of improving we've taken steps backwards each of the last 2 seasons (incl. current one).
Again, one year where they went far. That team barely beat two average teams in the first, two rounds. You could make the case they got freakin lucky to beat the Craps by tying the game with 6 seconds left. The offense with Dubinsky and Anisimov was awful. It's just as bad now because Nash is playing like a woman which is killing Stepan's game. I would put Stepan with Kreider and MZA. Then I would put Callahan with Brassard and Hagelin. I would put Richards with Miller and Pouliot. Then, I'd move Nash to the 4th line with Boyle and Moore and see how he likes it.
btw, not saying AA/Dubi were the glue of the team but that when they were here, before the Nash/Gabby trades, the team as a group had an identity that they would outwork you every day (or just about). Maybe it's just coincidence, but last year we started to see those identity issues and eventually got Torts fired and now we're seeing that again this year.