Ridiculous. Kane has won 3 cups, and been a huge playoff performer. The Hawks have been bad in spite of his great play - 92 points in 78 games last season. Don't make up your BS because you would have rather have done nothing than add Kane for very little.
They just played the best team in NHL history at this point of the season and surprisingly ran out of gas playing down 2 men but when you watch every game through Hatervision the sky continues to fall. I still don't understand why the NHL wouldn't let the Rangers use an emergency call up or how often the request is denied by the NHL. Highly unlikely the guys out there will fail to gel after a few practices.
Rangers haven’t played good team defense since Gallant was the coach. Shesterkin just played out of his mind all last year to bail them out.
I did not say not to add anything. They needed to complement Tarasenko trade with another top six forward who is not past his prime and plays more north south hockey with grit. And the last time Kane played in the playoffs was so long ago. Chicago has been irrelevant for the past 7 years. Isn’t he the top dog who is supposed to lead the team?
They had very little cap space after the Tara and Motte deals, like 900 K. Here were the choices - add Kane or add a 4th line little bump like a Bjugstad type. Those were the choices. And don't give me they afforded Kane, so they could have added someone else. Drury was not going to make the deals he made, send players down, play short handed, give up a pick to a 3rd team to eat some money for anyone but a Kane type who said flat out trade me to the NYR or I go nowhere. Again, I know it doesn't fit the narrative of if we didn't add Kane, who plays the style we didn't need to add, we could have added some other big player that plays the style we want. That was not happening - period. It was Kane because he said NYR or bust, and didn't cost a lot, or a minor 4th line bump MAYBE (and that is a big maybe since they added Motte for a 4th line bump and may have been done). That was the choice. And Kane is still a very good player at worst. 10 points in 4 games before the trade. 92 points in 78 games last year (why do we keep dismissing that). So still at worst very good. The one 2nd guess you could make was since Kane came to us anyway, maybe we should have taken O'Reilly from the Blues instead of Tara, but who knew we'd get Kane also, and who knows if the Blues make the exact trade with O'Reilly in for Tara.
I’m not saying don’t add Kane, but then we didn’t need Tarasenko and could’ve used that cap space on something more. Kane, Tarasenko, Panarin are carbon copies of each other. Outside, perimeter players on offense who would rather do suicides than back check. That’s what’s frustrating. We should’ve done the Kane trade and not the Tarasenko trade. It is what it is at this point, but when you look at these playoff teams, I really can’t see this team beating anyone if they don’t wake the fuck up and snap outta the funk they’ve been in for the last three weeks. The talent is there offensively and in goal. Defensively we are shaky as fuck in our zone. And Drury did not do this team any favors as we made these trades for guys in a year where the team feels much more incomplete than they did last year when they were a year ahead. This years performance is what I expected last year.
With that said, full honesty, I am concerned. I said that after the Ottawa game. The playoffs is a gritty North-South grind. We are not built that way. It greatly concerns me. I think we are really going to be up against it in round 1 against CAR or NJ. We absolutely could be one and done and it wouldn't be an upset. I standby my comments that the 3rd line will be the decider for us, and if we can get through to Kane and Panarin they must be aggressive and shoot more. If Gallant doesn't, and doesn't hold them accountable we will not go far. It is embarrassing sometimes as they don't even give a hint of looking at the net to shoot. The two games together have been really bad in that regard. I told you what I would say if I was Gallant, Kane/Panarin, I know you guys want to play together. I will give you that opportunity, but if you don't play aggressive and shoot more, I will have to break you up. That simple. Also, regarding this years team vs. last years team. No doubt this years team has more talent. Kane, Tara, Tro over Strome, Mikkola over Braun. Just a more talented team. BUT you could argue last years team was better equipped for playoff hockey. Grit with Copp, shoot first mentality with Vatrano fitting in perfectly on the 1st line, chemistry between Strome and Panarin, Reaves and some grit in the lineup. So yeah more talented this year for sure, but we'll see if that means better equipped to win rounds in the playoffs.
I agree with your point on Tara and Kane, but I fully believe Drury had moved on from Kane when he added Tara, and then he was pulled back in by Kane's reaction and his camp being clear he wanted to be a NYR or bust. If you gave Drury truth serum after the Tara deal, he would have said no way we add Kane. He made his choice of Tara over Kane based on where things stood at that time. Then Kane fell into his lap. That is why I said one second guess is they should have targeted O'Reilly over Tara because they ended up with Kane. It is really tough to get on Drury for not seeing how the Kane situation was going to play out, that was hard to predict. When he got Tara everyone said wow what an amazing deal. Plus do not forget we also got Mikkola, a clear 3rd pair upgrade, with size, completes the D with Schneider well. Also on the D, what do you do? On paper the Rangers D is very strong. Norris winning Fox with stay at home tough in his own end Lindgren. All the talent in the world Miller with tough, shot blocking, hitting, Captain Trouba. And he upgraded to Mikkola to play with tough, growing, learning Schneider. What else do you want Drury to do? Who do you cut/replace there? You want someone a bit better than Mikkola to play with Schneider? Well Mikkola is better than any partner Schneider has had, and is much better than Braun from last year. Plus he is a 3rd pair guy, not make or break. You deal Lindgren or Miller? Not sure what you think the move is to improve the on paper very good D.
Pens lost tonight - perfect example of why we will finish ahead of them unless they sweep 3 from us. Despite the sky falling, we will win our fair share of games. The Pens will also lose games. That is how this will go. If we play even .500 the rest of the way, the Pens need to get 70% of their remaining points to finish ahead of us. Very unlikely both happen.
I just got back from a long hiatus and this board is already in meltdown mode on Kane. RELAX He’s a playmaker and a goal scorer. He’s probably the best American born hockey player ever and he’s definitely lost a step from his peak but he’s still very good and he’s also a very good playoff guy. Give him some time. Grit and sandpaper is important it’s also overrated. If we learned nothing else from the Torts years with Hank in net in all those 2-1 playoff games. Kane is going to figure things out and do what he always does. Create offense and make players around him better. in some ways the Rangers are in perfect spot. Sandwiched in 3rd in Met where they can get Senko and Kane adjusted. Next few days will be great for both before Montreal Thursday.
As much as I loved Reaves coming here he was irrelevant in the post season other than a few hits and a scrap with Falloon. Rangers defense is 11th in goals against per game and 7th in shots allowed per game, could be better but hardly firing material.
The key for the Rangers defensively is staying spaced out and not bunching together like they've been doing alot lately. Shest will come around i think as the playoffs near but they can't hang him out to dry with cheating and bad pinches etc.
I am just not sure I see where the Rangers improve on D. Which guy are you dropping? A bump from your 3rd pair LD Mikkola? Sure, you can point there, but it's 3rd pair, and he is by far the best partner we have had for Schneider, and way better than last years playoff partner Braun. I just don't see how much you can really upgrade the D if we are being reasonable. I agree about the sandpaper and grit being overrated within context Dis. The context being you need to score to win, and you need both scoring/skill and sandpaper/grit to be successful. For many of the runs with Hank we lacked the scoring part, especially because Nash simply could not get it done in the playoffs. I think we have the scoring part down this year, but we have very little sandpaper/grit. Not enough of a mix and balance? Can the 3rd line score enough to justify going all skill there? Will Kane/Panarin ever shoot the puck? These are the questions that need to be answered, and will be coming to a rink near you soon.
I thought Mikkola was pretty solid at first but despite his ranginess and size he seems to be chasing the puck alot. Overall not much they could've done there and getting him in the Tarasenko deal was a logical move. Kulikov perhaps was a guy they could've gone after seperately i suppose instead.
Lotsa good insight on this rangers team.. From last year to this years team is much more talented, but team still does not possess the killer instinct that cup teams have to win. Imo. shesterkin is no where near the net minder he was last year . But, he doesn’t have to be. the defense is good enough, healthy of course. Should we have added a d man , of course instead of having so many similar type wingers and forwards but like some say offense wasn’t enough in PS play. Should we have gone after orlov instead? Why we got rid of reaves , I know he wanted to be traded, but trouba is not enough. Mistake getting rid of him. yes, these 5 days of practice should get them all on same page and hopefully get them back to winning mode. last thing, devils and Boston , wow. Sick teams.
