It's scary when you start agreeing with a moron like Larry Brooks. Says the team looks slow and poorly coached. Sadly, I agree.
I know you agree with him dump, but for Brooks to write that article with 37 games left as we sit in playoff position now, only 1 point out of 2nd place, is a joke. I think we'd ALL agree it doesn't look good big picture. I think we'd ALL agree we need to make a move here to shake things up. I think we'd ALL agree the current players need to step up their games big time for us to have a shot. We'd ALL agree there are clearly issues that need to be worked out. That is all true IMO. But to say we are done now...AS WE SIT IN A PLAYOFF SPOT CURRENTLY...is a joke by Brooks. Ridiculous.
Well guess we might as well shut it down if Brooks has ruled - Let's Go Rangers Next Year! The Rangers are going to the playoffs, anything can happen from there. The NHL record books are full of teams who have played better than this year's Caps team only to be shown the door in the first round.
It's LIKELY we will go to the playoffs, but if you look at the standings you can see it's far from a guarantee. We're 3rd in the division w/ 53pts and PIT is only 4 pts back and have a GM with balls who is not afraid to pull off trades. NJ also has 49pts, though i worry less about them. In the Atlantic BOS, MTL and OTT are all within 3pts of us or less so getting one of the wild card spots will not be easy.
For sure 31. We are no lock at all to make the playoffs, but truthfully I don't think that is the point at all. Pronouncing a team dead with 37 games left, a team that currently is in playoff position, is ridiculous. That's the point to me, not whether or not we will actually make the playoffs. We could miss the playoffs for sure...don't think we will, but it certainly can happen no doubt about it.
I'm not surprised by Brooks since he never saw a positive side to anything even during the prior two seasons. That being said he's not the only one since today we're a very knee jerk society. As soon as something doesn't go right they want to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Coming into this year i wasn't too high on the team because i thought they were flawed, but then they got off to that crazy start and everyone was excited how we were a powerhouse. Dump was the only one who during the amazing start openly said the team was flawed and he was vilified for it, yet here we are couple months later and he was spot on. After our unexpected 16-3-2 start over the first 21gms, we have gone 8-13-3 over the last 24. That is a long enough sample to realize there IS a problem and if not fixed we're screwed and very reasonably could miss the playoffs.
Wasn't rocket science. You just look at the other teams forwards standing in front every game and Hank standing on his head to see this team was eventually going to lose.
Dump was also the one who started threads the past two November's pronouncing the team dead. You know the teams that ended up making the SCF AND won the Pres trophy and made the ECF. Not sure I would be throwing him any bouquets...LOL. AND last time I checked the final chapters weren't written on this season either, so may be a little premature to say he was spot on there as well. But hey...that's just me...and I guess Mess also based on his post.... Edit to add...and I guess Prod also based on his post below....
Dump declared this team dead the past two years as well, and we've gotten damn close despite his gloom and doom. Who knows where we'd be if Zucc doesnt take a slapshot off the temple and if our top 3 dmen dont end up with significant lower body injuries, two of which required surgery the second the season ended. Injuries are part of the playoffs and they can happen, or not happen, to anybdy. What if the same thing happens to the caps this playoffs? Ovi gets hurt, Holtby goes down...what happens then? You never know. This isnt the damn NBA. Just get in and who knows. I didnt see any Kings fans a few years ago declaring their team "dead" when they snuck in as an 8 seed and then whoops they won a cup. Declaring a team that sits in a playoff spot dead is idiotic. But I expect nothing less from Larry "Lets trade JT Miller for Santorelli at the deadline" Brooks.
Nothing is certain. The team very well might not find themselves and continue to stumble. But this is also not NHL on PS4 where you can just trade everybody for whomever you want. Plus, like I have said if you do want to completely slice and dice the roster you better be prepared for the down seasons that come with something like that.
I guess the Rangers record the last 24 games overrides the fact that they've been to the playoffs 5 straight years, too bad the powers of prognostication possessed by a few board members couldn't provide the winning powerball numbers. At least wait until the deadline before waiving the white flag.
Actually, yes. It does. Because if you go by past performances than I guess that every year you should give New England the super bowl trophy since they've been there so much. You can only go by performances in THE CURRENT season. Who gives a crap what whomever did last year? How does that have ANY affect on this team this year? The last 5 years have been fun to watch as a fan, and painful to see us come up short, but in no way does past successes guarantee present or future success.
Not sure that was a good example 94 because the Pats are in the SB or AFC championship game pretty much every year. You have to be in it to win it. And it does matter because it shows this team has a winning pedigree and winning players. Doesn't mean you are a lock to get back there, but I think panzer's point is this team has earned our faith and trust as fans, and I agree with him 10000000000000000% even though most on the board jumped ship weeks/months ago.
You missed the point totally chuck. I said that if past success is the only thing that matters, then there's no need for the NFL season to be played because we should just give them the Lombardi trophy every year. To base current success on past successes is an inane idea. Current success is based on CURRENT trends, not past successes.
Past success does matter. It sets a pattern for the team. Winning teams and winning players matter. I disagree with your point 94. I think the Pats would disagree with your point as well. It does matter 94, and as fans of a team that has had great success over the past couple of years we should have more faith, but that is not what we do in here.
Jesus Christ. PAST SUCCESS HAS ZERO TO DO WITH THIS SEASON. How in the fuck does what we did 5 SEASONS AGO matter AT ALL this year? Experience? Experience what? More close games and big losses in huge spots and not winning it all? Knowing that they've been built for the past 5 years at winning 2-1 and 1-0 games but seeing they can't do it this year and panicking because PAST experiences say that they can't score consistently so they have to play solid defense but aren't and are still awful offensively? You cannot simply use last years success or the year before, and sure as shit not 5 years ago success on this season. Eventually a team WILL regress if new blood isn't brought in and is effective. Hell, if past success were consistently so "important" then the Cowboys would still be relevant due to their success in the 90s. The 49ers too. But we can see that past success doesn't mean dick and every season is a new season.
And I disagree. Having winning players who have winning pedigrees does help IMO. It doesn't mean you are a given to win again, but I don't agree that it plays no factor. When games get bigger and moments get tighter having past success matters. Having winning players matter. So yes I do think winning in the past has an affect on winning today and tomorrow. We disagree 94...that's okay man. No need to get upset because I don't agree with you...LOL.
If Staal and Girardi can at least get back to being average, which may be asking alot, and they can add a Buchnevich and someone like Ladd or Boedkker up front they will have a solid shot to make it deep into May. Otherwise they will probably expend all the energy they have just to sneak into the playoffs and may not even win a series.
