If you are simply talking about dealing some dead weight like a Boyle, Dorsett, D. Moore, lesser guys like that for some mid round picks, okay that is cool. But if you are talking bigger than that and us dealing some decent players with the goal of obtaining more picks, I disagree dump. We need to be going for it NOW. The next two seasons are the now. Stock piling picks for lesser guys we don't have a need/role for is fine. Dealing players we like/can use for picks makes little sense to me though. We need to be in win now mode the next two seasons with Hank, Girardi, Cally, Staal, and Nash in their primes. McDonagh really entering his. This is the window dump.
It's only the window if they have a team that is good enough. This team isn't good enough. You're kidding yourself if you think it is. Stepan's crap season really has ruined this from being a legit cup contender. Maybe next season the team will be legit. It's not this year. To me, this team badly needs a Fraser from Boston on our 4th line to replace Dorsett, Miller and Lindberg to take the roster spots of Boyle and D. Moore, McIlrath to replace Stralman and probably one big FA signing on the wing to replace Richards.
I am not fooling myself at all. I have said many times we are not a legit SC contender this season. We NEED to be the next two seasons IMO. We should be going all in within reason for the next two seasons. No more excuses. All the dead weight will be gone after this season. Richards bought out. Girardi, Hank, and McDonagh re-signed long term. Nash and Hank in their primes. The cap going up by a decent amount. Some of the young kids like Stepan and Kreider will have good real NHL time under their belts. Another potential important kid should hopefully finally be up here in McIlrath. We should be able to make any moves we need to in order to complete the team this summer. No excuses the next two seasons. This is when it needs to happen. If we are winning a cup, I truly believe it needs to come in the next two seasons. I have been saying for a while now that needs to be the 100% focus. I don't see the upside to stock piling picks for 3 and 4 years from now...I just don't. If that is the focus, why re-sign Hank and Girardi? Why keep Nash around? All those players are in their windows now. Hank is 32. The time is the next two seasons when we need to win.
my concerns are mostly hank, he cannot play like he did yesterday, there is no excuse for it! and you guys can get on me all you want, but at this point macrlrath however you spell it is imho not the answer, i hope i am wrong!!!! but the 2 times i seen him play, 1st game he looked out of place he was responsible for 2 quck goals by mistakes he made, you can say it was nerves, i don't know, . the 2nd. even the fight he had with mcgratten, now i respect the fact that he went up vs the toughest guy in league, he held on, but that was about it.. didn't see anythng that made me take a step back and say wow this is gonna be a tough dude, an orr type guy, i don't know what experience will do for this kid when it comes to fighting, please make me understand what his role is going to be, and how, if he was that much a threat, how is he not up here when this team clearly needs him to be
If they don't get a #1C ie Stastny in the offseason it's going to be tough to win a SC. Not to mention another big wing. Sather needs to make this a priority and not just assume this current roster plus Miller/Lindberg/McIlrath(?) will be enough. I have faith AV knows what he needs but we'll see. I still think some kind of pp dman would help too, even a 5th/6th type, but they may not have roster space.
McIlrath may not even make it in the NHL, who knows, but either way I don't see him as better than a 4th/5th tops. If he brings physicality and also be respectable offensively that's about all you can ask. Poor mans Beuk with a little more nastiness is the way i see it, but he was definately 'overdrafted' imo.
I would say the focus this summer needs to be adding a legit # 1 C (if possible) and another legit top 6 scoring winger. We add those two things and we'll be okay IMO. I expect more O by McDonagh again next season. McIlrath should be a 3rd pair guy next season. I think the D is pretty solid for next season with Klein, McIlrath, McD, Staal, Moore, and Girardi. Maybe add one more solid 4th or 5th dman type. I think our 3rd and 4th lines look to be solid as well with some kids ready to take those spots, combined with Pouliot and MZA back. That leaves the hole at # 1 C (that guy will take Richards' money and spot) and another legit top 6 winger. We are not far off. Sather makes the right moves this summer and we'll be in business for sure.
BTW...the last two days have been AWFUL for us. Every game going against what we want. Now the Caps were beating the Flyers 4-2 with under 10 left. And the Flyers score two to tie it at 4, the last goal with 1 minute left, and now we have the awful 3 point game. Stinks... Need to get a W tonight.
Well, that was terrible. Philly gets 2 points, and another ROW, which means they are 1 up on us now, and tied in ROW's (we do have a game in hand). And the Caps, who are a bunch of chokers year after year, are 1 behind us (we have a game in hand and the TB). We better be careful. That is why I said before yesterday that I thought the Flyer game was big (our upcoming schedule is VERY difficult). That 2 spot in the Met division is huge. You just get the feeling that us and the Flyers will be in the 2/3 spots. That would be a crazy series. Would love to have home ice.
Agree that Rangers need to get extra picks, especially for 2015 draft. That draft will make some organizations better real soon. As for McIlrath......he is a project. Was drafted too early as per his skills. Also, how can a hockey player be 6'7" and not be an enforcer? Boyle....get nasty.FCOL
I want TWO POINTS tonight. Their home play is deplorable. We know that Philly will get nasty & dirty to win a game. I say, treat fire with fire. Rangers & Caps got pushed around. Wonder if Bruins go the same route? If so, Rangers better grow a pair.....fast. And how about defending your playmates.
I agree that Talbot should have started yesterday after his performance against the Hawks and give Hank the Boston game tonight but what's done is done. The highly overrated utterly useless Stralman continues to stink it up out there, haven't liked him all year for exactly the reason Philly scored their 1st goal. There's Anton hanging in no man's land leaving half the net wide open then tipping in the first goal for good measure. Second goal was another of the caught in betweeners variety by Hank where he starts to go out and challenge the shooter then decides to try and get back leaving the upper 2/3 of the goal wide open. Seems like every time that happens the opponent is capable of easily lifting the puck, Hank must be used to making that move successfully in practice against the elevationally challenged Rangers squad. Third goal also on Hank in my opinion, can't get beat 5-hole there, lazy goaltending. Hope it was just a one night thing and not another post-Olympics slump for Hank, he was playing lights out before those stupid NHL Olympics. I think Dorsett needs a few games back before getting killed, he's not that much of a dropoff from D. Moore. As far as McIlrath goes he should have been up rotating in with Stralman and J. Moore after the MDZ trade but AV apparently wants him to waste more time in the AHL. Nobody knows what the Rangers have in him yet, only one way to find out.
If they can deal RC for someone like Foligno or McGinn, plus maybe get a 3rd/4th out of it that's the way I would try and add another pick. Otherwise nobody will deal for Dorsett/Moore this week just for picks. There's nobody else to deal after that as of now.
It's almost like they're afraid to tell Lundqvist no, instead of going with what they think might work better. Right now Talbot just seems more level headed, and HL may still be thinking about the gold medal loss.
You can't go on someone's first trip to the big time. Some players need time to prove they belong, while others look good right out of the gate. With McIlrath it may have been a confidence thing, as most prospects grow up dreaming of playing in the NHL only to find out it wasn't quite what they expected once they are there. They go up, go back down and work on the things they need to learn in order to go back up.
I'm not going off his first trip, obviously he wasn't ready, but I just have my doubts about him making it long term. Hopefully he does.
Why don't we deal for a bunch of extra picks and pack it in. We'll have Nash, Hank, Girardi all in their prime, but I still think we should play for 4 years from now and stock pile picks in the 15 and 16 drafts...LOL. Some of you guys are comical, and I will leave it at that. We are so sad as a bunch of fans that all we can do is live for 3 or 4 years from now EVERY SINGLE SEASON. Funny stuff.
