Coming into this season, everyone thought this roster was weak. The top level talent was widley felt to be not so "top". Everyone knew we needed another top talent. Only the f'n management felt the top guys were solid and paid them accordingly. So why should everyone be so surprised that the coach is grasping at straws now. The signings and terms of them over the last few years have been laughable. This team has only one legit elite player in Lundqvist. Unfortuantely, he has been shown to be barely one in this coach's system. Everyone suspected he would face more quality chances and would be challenged more than he ever has been. He has had more below average games than elite games. Not all his fault but he has not played to the level expected. It's no secret that your top players need to be your best players ...period. Nash, Stepan, Mcd have all been crap. Nash cannot raise his game- that's no secret and has no excuses. The two guys I'm sick of hearing about being elite players are Stepan and Mcd. These guys are no leaders and are both floundering. Mcd is not an elite dman in this league (maybe was an elite US player but that's it). He is banged up no doubt but has shown a clear inability to play an uptempo game, making too many high risk plays with most winding up in his net. How he played ahead of Yandle on the PP early this season was a joke. Offensively he is a B- to C player. Again, dman dont develop offensive skill at the NHL level..you either have it or dont but this mgt group thinks he's a stud. Stepan is another of the charades being pushed by this management. The guy is not a good enough skater to play C and is pathetic on draws. He does not makes guys around him better and is a huge reason why this team struggles through the neutral zone- he just has no speed. He is a stationary player and should be moved to the wing. Their best players have all been shit. Brassard had a consistent year and is a much better player than Stepan yet he has to hear that Stepan is their #1. All year, guys excelled playing with Brassard (Miller, Nash, Zuc) yet were moved to play with Stepan to try to get him going. Funny that Michelleti says they were moved to play with Stepan to get their game going. It was so obvious that Stepan was struggling and slow as shit. Talk about the rest of the roster and the fall of Girardi and Stall...those are all legit points. But the bottom line is your top players need to be your best players and just sucked.
Thankful for a lot of great playoff wins but I have tried to tell Chuck and some others here that you can't trade prospects and picks away. That is what the morons did when they ran the team in the ground years ago. Stepan like all these guys I don't give a NMC or NTC. However, the problem is he is being used wrong. He's not a center because his faceoffs are abysmal. He should be put on wing. However, the organization has nothing at center to replace him.
Prospects and picks only develop and help a team to win when combined with established top notch vets...look at Edmonton flounder year after year. I understand your frustration about prospects etc but a team must make moves to win when the opportunity is there ..when it's top notch players are in their prime as the Rangers supposedly have been and are now. This management group of Sather and his cronies have sucked ass at adding the pieces needed. No willingness to trade from the strength of their D last few years...now they have several dman just getting old together and are broken down. All the while, they accumulated and built a roster of soft forwards who have no grit and are just not playoff type players. Same reason why they have no leaders.
I like to think I am as critical and realistic as anybody. At the end of the day we're all fans who want the same thing. But one thing I wont do is quit on this team and write the obituary before the death. I mean jesus, look at those posts. How did you guys finish them before your tears soaked the keyboard? There's a game to win right now, let's fucking play hockey.
Prod, I think the team gave up with those last 2 disgusting, heartless performances before any of us did.
One win does not change the lackluster garbage that's been on the ice this year...especially on home ice...just rotten!
Something is very wrong with this team ...from within. You saw a bit of it earlier this season when Zuccarello said something to Kreider on the ice. There is a rift, no doubt, between groups of guys on this team. Too many guys just dont bring their A game very night...too many!
I was hoping Eric Staal would come in raise the overall level of the offense and help alot witb his size and FO ability but he never really got going. I do think he still has 2-3y left of good hockey.
