Will the positive board members get angry as always? Or will they finally realize that this team defensively sucks now because our defense is slow, soft and is overpaid.
I'll say this dump, this year you may finally be right. I am closer to thinking this team will be done round 1 in 5 or 6 games against the Pens, if we even hold onto 3rd in the Met. All season long I hoped/expected the D to tighten up as the games got bigger, and our focus got greater, but it simply has not happened. This team is WAY too soft in their own end. Makes WAY too many coverage mistakes in their own end. Right now it is hard for me to see us beating the Pens in round 1, and REALLY hard for me to see us beating the Caps if we get to round 2. We simply have WAY too many lapses to make a run this year I think. So yeah sadly I am coming over to the dark side and think this may be the year you guys are right and we get rolled early. We would need to do almost a 180 regarding play in our own zone for that not to be the case. Last night was disgusting...no other way to put it. The 1st and 3rd periods we got rolled...and that is pathetic for a team trying to clinch a playoff spot against a team that is out of it. We'll see how it goes to end the season, but right now it is hard to feel good about a long run this Spring. And if we do get rolled in round 1 I am sure they will look to retool this summer with some bigger changes. This would be the last dance for the team we currently know.
I almost hope they fall to the wild card spot and go in with zero expectations. Honestly, I hated the go for it now trades as far as value they gave up. I really feel they will blow this thing up. That probably includes asking Girardi for a list of teams he will accept a trade to. Nash and Hayes are almost definitely gone. Girardi as well if he will accept a trade. Moore and Boyle will not be brought back. I don't think Stalberg is back. Glass can't be brought back. Gorton really needs to grow a pair of balls and dump him. He can be traded with one year of his contract left. That won't be an issue for other teams. I probably would see how cheap E. Staal would sign here for. He would be a nice third line center and let Fogarty or Lindberg take the 4th line center role. Yandle they will lose for nothing most likely like morons.
I also think if we get beat in round 1 we'll make big changes. Many guys not brought back. After next season Girardi does not have a full NMC, so they could ask him to give a list of teams he would be open to this summer knowing they would move him next summer anyway. Nash, Hayes, Kreider will all be question marks. Boyle and Moore gone for sure. McIlrath and Skjei should be part of the D next season...worst case McD, Staal, G, Skjei, McIlrath, Klein are the D. I think we'll see a very different team next season...at least to the extent we can make many moves this summer...I agree there dump. First let's see how this season ends though. Maybe we do a 180 game 1 against the Pens...unlikely...but who knows.
I have brought it up before but the cap management of this club has been very poor. Way too much money tied up in the defense and lets just say it you cannot have this much money and as high of a cap hit tied up in the goaltender. You have guys in net around the league with rings that don't take up that much space. Quick and Crawford for example have much more reasonable deals than someone killing the cap with a $8.5 million hit. Plus, lets be honest Hank hasn't had the type of season to justify it. Sure the defense lets him down at times but last night he's allowing a game tying goal on a weak wrist shot from just inside the blue line. It's sad the defense hasn't been able to get itself together because the forwards have played better. Even though it would kill you to admit it Dump but the fourth line has played well for a while. I'm not saying give them any rewards or promises moving beyond this year but the line has brought energy and played very well. They simply have constant defensive lapses that absolutely kill them. I don't know how many times guys can allow people to get behind them and be all alone in front of Hank without anyone noticing or how how they can not communicate so often or not pick up their assignment. Some of that stuff should be fundamental. They don't need to blow the team up. Boyle and Yandle take care of themselves but then it's a matter of what they do with that money. The biggest thing they can possibly do it try to move out Girardi someway somehow. Then all of a suddent you have good cap room and you can entertain adding a power forward. I'm not saying him specifically but how much better would the Rangers be if they had a Kessel type up front? He's killing it for the Pens right now.
The 4th line is too expensive. You are paying just under 4 million when it is not necessary. Hrvik-Fogarty-Lindberg will probably be as good or better for more than half the cost.
I don't disagree. I think fundamentally we're all in agreement at the point at where this club is at. Over the course of the year I really thought the defense would iron itself out and improve. It never happened and that's why this team is now losing games where they score 3-4 goals. The real issue is they painted themselves into a corner with their cap management. You cannot just throw years and money at everybody. In a cap sport you have to make tough decisions sometimes and that includes letting guys walk at times and replacing them with people who make more sense and offer more flexibility. Not to beat a dead horse on the subject but if the numbers I see are correct the Rangers total cap hit is just over $74 million. $26,525,000 of that is taken up by the defense and if you add Hank into the mix $35,025,000 is taken up by the defense and the goalie. Nearly half the payroll tied up in those areas. That's insane.
The defense has been slow, small and a turnover machine who constantly leave opposing forwards open in front of the net and can't move the puck crisply out of their end or clear it when on the PK all season long . I've been saying it all season. Dylan is healthy now and dumbass AV still keeping him in the press box for boyle and/or girardi is a joke. I still think they will get by the pens but don't see how they beat the caps. Hank is a great goalie but I agree with some of you guys that his cap hit is a total killer and I'm thinking we should see what we can get for him in terms of assets, draft picks etc going forward. The biggest mystery will be what they do with the forwards in terms of who stays and who goes. Can't say much about yesterdays game except it is what it is.
I would stick with Kreider. He's showing some signs of finally getting it and even with his head up his ass most of the time he's going to score 20+ goals for the season. I said he should be a 30 goal guy and with a little more effort he can clearly get there. Hayes the one who just looks clueless game in and game out. You can't fix slow and lumbering. Plus, if you really want to move a Girardi then packaging him with a guy like Hayes it what's going to have to happen anyway.
This team would be far better with Skjei and Boyle in the lineup rather than slow as molasses Girardi and Boyle. However, as we all know AV will never realize that his vets blow.
95 points with 5 to go, several negatives jump out...........losing to their city rivals, NYI 0-2-1 with 6 goals for and 11 against & 1-9 PP; NJ 1-2-1 with 7 for 11 against & 0-11 PP; vs Pitt 1-2-1 9 for 12 against & 1-9 PP; vs Wash 2-2-1 16 - 20 & 1-9 PP. Lost series to Mtl 1-2 both losses with Price in net. Shut out..0-2, again by Winnipeg.....that's two years in a row. Not one team have the Rangers scored 4 PP goals against. Special teams really lacking....PK is worse than their PP. Chicago, NJ, NYI, Washington & St. Louis have done well on their PPs vs Rangers....with the Caps scoring 6 out 14 chances. I usually pay no mind to stats, but these are telling...... Will their play improve. Unlikely, this late in the season. Win one, lose one.........not to mention Lundqvist's goals against on the decline ........much to the shaky defense by the D men and forwards. And most importantly, how many games has this team squandered a lead and lost the game? If this team exits after Round 1, lets hope Gorton makes a kill at draft time. The window needs a revamping.
They need to focus on keeping Staal and Yandle, beyond whatever happens in the playoffs. Moving Hayes at the draft or after will free up critical $$ and also maybe give them a 2nd back. Then you add in Skjei and hopefully Buchnevich and go from there. I wouldn't get rid of Kreider or Nash.
Not impressed with Fogarty at college. However, I wasn't impressed with Hrvik all that much in the AHL. I'm starting to think AV is kind of turning into Renney with some of his young players. He is sticking with guys who are not productive at all on offense and not giving some of our younger guys with offensive upside a chance to play. That's what got Renney canned.
I hear they are playing Skjei on the right side in Hartford. That pretty much spells the end for Girardi. Who knows, maybe in the playoffs as far fetched as that may seem. Also tells me they are serious about keeping Yandle if they can. Boyle gone. Girardi gone. Skjei and McIlrath on the right side. I could live with that.
Problem is that Yandle is horrific in his own end a lot of games. Not a few. So, the trade off is even which makes it hard to justify giving him 5+ million a season. They made a huge mistake not trading him at the deadline if they got any kind of decent offers.
When the Rangers fail to show up for a game that clinches a playoff spot against a bottom tier team it's on the coach and the Captain, they don't play with the pride MSL instilled in them. Many have been saying the same thing about the ridiculously generous contracts given to dmen on the downside of their careers. I disagree with Hank though, he has earned the money this year frequently winning games singlehandedly especially in the Rangers early run. The dmen continue to abandon the front of the goal to chase after pucks in the corner that are gone by time they get there. AV or Ulf has to beat it into their heads to stay in front of the net where dropping down to block a shot is acceptable, not at the top of the circle or sliding into the side boards. If the defensemen simply stay at home this team will go far barring McDonough hurting Hank again. Girardi, Staal or ideally both need to go - too much money for the result. Klein gives better all around play for half the pay and McIlrath/Skjei combined make less than him. Yandle's resigning will depend on the number he wants, Staal $5.7 cap hit and Girardi $5.5 lead me to think Yandle's agent will want $6.5-$7 year and I think he will get that from a team.
They are going to resign Yandle. Even before Girardi started his decline it was always easier to replace him then a guy like Yandle.
