He obviously has no idea that a team needs defense. He showed this in Vancouver, and he's proving it again here. Guy simply doesn't believe in defense. He's a hack. He's bascially Jon Gruden, minus winning the championship. He's an offensive guy that took a team that was defensively sound to the Finals and then when he starts to actually have to coach his true colors and lack of a defensive scheme comes through.
Agreed. Most coaches with a lifetime .588 point %, two SCF trips, have been a coach of the year finalist 3 times, and 1 time won coach of the year are bad coaches. Couldn't agree more.
The issue that I see is the new rule that says the NHL season is 5 games long. I seriously doubt we can make this up with only 1 game left. If the season were 82 games let's say, we'd have a shot. But not with a 5 game season...darn.
i like AV, don't understand resting your #1 2nd game into season regardless of playin next day... since that big win in st louis, the decision to rest him had resulted in 15 goals against in 3 games.... and yea, lets blame kostka for everything when staal had puck and turned it over AGAIN, and how many goals has girardi been on the ice for.. those 2 r horrible 4 games in or 40.. and mcD, u better rethink how good u think he is
You realize Torts had a .558 win percentage with the Rangers, right? He also led the Rangers to an ECF, won a President's trophy and should have won a coach of the year with the Rangers (DID win one with TB though). So everything you are sayig about AV could be said for Torts. But yet we all wanted him gone, right? We traded Torts hard nosed, defensive style hockey for his EXACT opposite. AV is a soft, offensive style only hockey coach. Seriously. Am I the only one who found it ironic that we went from one extreme to the other. We now have a coach who doesn't believe in physical hockey, doesn't believe in tough guys, doesn't believe in defense at all.
This thread is twilight zone stuff. AV is a bad defensive coach? This team was 4th in the entire league last year in goals against. Fourth. Yet he doesnt know defense. Please.
I am agreeing with you 28. Fire AV. Trade 1/2 the team. Let's not even play the rest of the season. Let's hope next season we start 2-2 instead of 1-3, otherwise we should punt on next season as well. We agree 28.
I do agree with you on Staal pasta. If we re-sign him for 5 years or more with a 5 mill or more cap hit we are nuts IMO. I actually really do agree with you on that one. His game is going down and down. He has had many injuries. His offensive game is a zero. I really hope we don't make that mistake.
It's very easy to say that. The harder part is who is going to play those minutes. There's nobody in the system ready to do that, which means we might have to overpay for a top 4 dman in FA. Not sure who's going to be available next year but we might be better off with Staal. We do seem to have a surplus of young guys though, maybe somebody can be packaged for a top 4 guy. We'll see. Not as down on Staal as some here seem to be.
You let it play out. I am not saying you deal him now, you don't IMO. Either you deal him if you can get back a good package, including a solid dman...OR...you just let the season play out and move on this summer. I am okay with that if we are in it and have something to really play for and win at the trade DL. My bottom line is I just don't see the logic in re-signing him for long term and big money. I just don't see how that makes sense for us given the roster makeup, the other dmen signed, Staal's play, and the cap.
And BTW...this has NOTHING to do with 4 games...I don't care about 4 games. I was saying this during the summer also.
Last year team was pretty much stocked with Torts type players so AV had to work with that. This year, it is his team so again he needs time to fix this train wreck.
The Rangers will be fine. Clean up the net front. Get a win at home against a bad Canes team, would like to get that W with SJ, NJ, Montreal, and Minny up after that. And stay around .500 until Stepan and Boyle are back and we'll be fine. LONG season. I know it feels like the sky is falling after 4 games, but we have a long way to go. Marathon not a sprint.
Thurs is the day to get McIlrath up here. Home game against arguably the worst team in the metro whose best 2 players are hurt. Even if it's just one game, let him get 15 mins and see what he can do. Cant be worse than Kostka.
Sound the klaxons! Abandon ship! Thinking back to last year's start there was much more to be negative about. Definitely a rough 3 game stretch but I don't know how you can put these losses on AV when the Rangers are making mistakes you don't see in a pee wee game. To suggest that AV's coaching style encourages reckless passing in their own zone, leaving opponents alone in front of the net and taking dumb penalties is ridiculous. Hank has played like he needs a rest and was outplayed by Halak tonight, aside from the tip in by Klein he usually stops most of the shots that found the back of the net tonight. Hank had a slow start last year. That being said the Rangers need to finish a few of the many chances they had in the second. On a positive note Nash has been on fire and looks like the guy we wanted. Tony D. has 3 assists in 4 games and Stempniak is a player much more talented than the guys from last year's team who sought fortune elsewhere. Hayes also looks like a keeper. I agree with Pasta and Chuck about moving Staal, might as well try to get something for him because he's not worth Klein money let alone the $5+ he'll want and I'd also sweeten the deal with the Hagelin for a physical anchor on defense.
Totally agree about McIlrath prod. He played 2 games last year, held his own in a fight with one of the tougher vets in the NHL and wasn't shy about initiating contact. 6'5" and 230 pounds but I guess he should develop his stickhandling while guys 40+ pounds lighter and 6" shorter shit the bed for the big club.
It's the typical Rangers slow start and HL never starts off well. Losing Stepan/Boyle isn't helping things but they just aren't putting in the effort defensively. John Moore better start getting it together he's regressing. I wouldn't have a problem giving McIlrath a few games but I honestly don't think he's ready for the speed/pace of the NHL.
