We know the needs, we know this team is filled with very young kids, we know this team a year away from being ready to really be a threat to win and make a run, we know we had to go through one more off-season with buyouts/dead cap space and bad contracts (Smith) hurting us. On top of all that it got even worse for this season when the new divisions and format came in - which means 32 of 56 games are against the big/physical Bruins, Isles, Flyers, and Caps. That 's reality. We'll be in the 4-6 range in our division I'd guess. We will have bad nights like last night. Let's hope we learn and improve, and come out the better for it on the other side. At some point, during the season or after it, we will add the pieces we need to complete the team, but until then we should be mentally ready to have rough nights like last night and not overreact. Let's hope they aren't as bad as last night, but given where we are, and our schedule as I called out above, they will happen unfortunately.
You don't have a chance to land a Dubois often at 23. It's something IMO the Rangers have to do. They can't pass up this opportunity. If it cost you Kakko, Chytil, Jones a a prospect like Wall, so be it. Has to be done.
I hate to give up on a 19 year old kid in Kakko but I think your right Dubois fits our team too good not to do it and we have kratsnov in the wings for rw.
Yes, not only has Dubois proven more of course being further along in his career, it is about position to me. We badly need a # 2 C. That is a huge must. Strome is a 3rd line player. We have many wings. So to me it would be something we'd have to explore if it can be done.
If Columbus trades Dubois in a deal where they have some high level, NHL ready prospects coming back, they must immediately fire Torts. He's not a coach you want at all for young players and a rebuild.
I would ask them to take Smith back in any trade. Looks like Georgiev is in tomorrow. Maybe they give Barron a shot with Rooney out but more likely it's DiGiseuppe. Along with the poor D coverage they didn't shoot the puck enough.
Sounds like G in goal, Kakko with Chytil and Gauthier, Lafreniere with Strome and Panarin, and DeAngelo skating with taxi squad, meaning maybe Smith in for him tomorrow night.
Not going to make a big thing out of it in game 2, but I don't love the moves Quinn made at practice. Every defense tandem changed at practice, with Ryan Lindgren skating with Jacob Trouba, Jack Johnson on Adam Fox’s left and Brendan Smith on the right with K’Andre Miller. Other than the Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich unit, the remaining three lines were flexed as well. Most noteworthy, Quinn moved Alexis Lafreniere up and across to right wing on the 1A line with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome, while Kaapo Kakko was dropped to a remodeled third unit with Filip Chytil and Phillip Di Giuseppe. If he goes with this lineup tonight, we need to play well otherwise he will get ripped by a lot of people. Johnson moved up, Lindgren/Fox broken up, Kakko demoted, Di G on the 3rd line (I thought Gauthier played well). We'll see.
Thing to remember is bigger players like Kakko often take longer to develop. Dubois didn't even play in the NHL the year he was drafted. He was sent back to juniors. Next season he played with Panarin. So, I'm not putting a ceiling on Kakko as far as point production. Who knows what he can become. On a side note, was it just me or did the camera view during the game suck ass? It looked like they were shooting the game from a mile away.
Johnson should be moved to the press box. Bitetto can't be any worse. It seems in the indoor arenas of the NBA/NHL don't have the cameras in the normal locations but rather at a higher point for some reason. I noticed it in college basketball too. Maybe with announcers in remote locations they can't have the regular angles.
