Of course he isn't a first choice. But considering we have very little assets to offer I thought he could be a bargain, especially considering that nobody seems to have a single other right handed alternative to offer.
You guys want leadership. You guys want size. You guys want to be tougher to play against. You guys want goal scoring. You guys want powerplay help. You guys want a guy who can score a damn goal. I suggest a guy who is all of those things, will be available and possibly for cheap, and in three responses all I hear is "too old" and not a single suggested alternative who is available. That's the Sportstwo Rangers board summed up perfectly there. Complain, and contribute nothing.
I have no clue who is available, that is why I don't suggest names. Like I said, I would have no issue with Doan if that was the best we could get, but he wouldn't be close to my first choice. I also don't think he would greatly elevate us from where we are now as a team. But sure if he was the best we could get given our situation, bring him in. He is better than many of the options we have now after our first 6 or 7 forwards. So I am with you there for sure Prod.
Will be interesting to see at the trade deadline if our trade involves players we've been discussing shattenkirk, drouin etc or someone completely by surprise and out of left field like last year with yandle.
I'll say out of LF. That's usually how it works. Why I try to stay away from throwing names out, because who knows.
If you don't like this board then no one is forcing you to stay here. You asked for our opinion. Do you want us to go on a five page rant about who we should get as an alternative? I will leave that to dump.
This is a rare good article from Brooks I think: http://nypost.com/2016/01/26/rangers-deadline-strategy-hinges-on-one-dominant-issue/
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/rangers-trade-deadline-options-article-1.2511907 Another good read for the slow week. Mentions a possible summer swap of Nash for Shattenkirk which I have discussed before. Also, Shattenkirk and McDonagh were defensive partners on the 09 world juniors team. Never knew that. We're going to be priced out of Ladd most likely. I still want to hang on to Yandle. I want no part of Marleau with another year at 6.66m after this. A lot for Gorton to think through. Not a lot of sellers yet.
That would be sweet. Then they could trade Boyle. Perhaps Klein for a forward. Maybe they know Buchnevich will be coming soon.
Either way with Yandle likely gone and Boyle definitely gone they have to get another guy on the back end who can move the puck and not handle it like a live grenade. I'm excited to see Skjei but that really isn't his game.
I agree Prod, I think Nash is a summer swap. I still fully believe that unless we are really going in a different direction and start to focus on next season. I would never be upset with adding a player like Kirk. Yandle and Boyle are out, so yeah we'll have an opening. I would just really love to be able to move Girardi or Staal if we added Kirk this summer. But I agree with you Prod that if you added him you could sort that out later since he is signed at a somewhat reasonable # for next year. I would still be concerned that Kirk, McD, G, and Staal would all be signed for 4.4 mill or more next season, and Klein is here also, but we would get the big 7.8 mill of Nash off the books in the deal for Kirk. We'd need to add forwards for sure if that happened though. We'd be crazy short upfront. That's for the summertime though. For now I am focused on this season and what we can do to improve. Yandle will almost certainly get moved, the question is for what...that is the move that will set the tone I believe.
Trading McIlrath would be a huge mistake. I think you could probably do a deal of Klein and Hayes for Drouin. Drouin does not have the value Yzerman thinks because of what he's doing. That package however, is worth the risk for him. I don't see Nash for Shattenkirk working because the Blues need to dump salary. As I've said before, he wants to play for the Rangers and probably told St. Louis he will when he goes UFA. So, they have no leverage. The only way I see the Blues adding Nash is if they know they can deal Stastny.
I've said for months. Major changes on this team are needed. If you look at teams around the league and their cap room, many teams won't be able to change their rosters without one big trade, setting up another. Teams with cap room will be offered up very good, high paid players and the return asked will be role players and maybe 2nd round picks just to dump that salary. Rangers IMO, need to make a min, 2 major deals. Gorton needs to assume control of this team. That means no longer consulting AV on deals or transactions. Glass needs to be released if he can't be dealt. Period. It's no longer debatable. If AV doesn't like it, tough shit. AV is proving that he won't put the best lineup out on the ice. That must be fixed immediately by the GM. Unfortunately, he needs to have the conversation with Girardi. Tell him if they don't trade him this year, they will next year to one of the teams on his list. That they might also send him to the minors if he can't play well. It sucks but this is a business where winning is first and Girardi right now is clearly not a positive. I'd rather dump Boyle and keep Girardi but I doubt Boyle would go anywhere. He'll retire after this season. Hayes absolutely has to be dealt. He is slow and lazy. His game doesn't fit this team at all. Somehow, last year he pulled it off. Now, the team and he don't even come close to meshing. He's got to be dangled at the deadline and hopefully traded for a player that is a better fit.
Hayes, McIlrath and a prospect/pick for Ladd. C'mon Gorton of New York, use that fishermans rod and reel him in!
If we trade a cost-controlled Hayes, a cost-controlled McIlrath and a pick/prospect, of which we have very few, we better get way more back than 2 or 3 months of Andrew Ladd. I still think we won't see any wholesale changes until the summer, if at all. I think the playoffs this year will be the determining factor for what happens in the summer. Gorton will get us a rental, hopefully a top 6 righty like Vrbata, and if this team flames out in the first or second round the hammer will come down this summer. Who knows, we even may see a run at Stamkos this July. Don't forget we had him in a trade until Tampa ownership nixed it, and Sather always gets his guy. Stepan for Drouin, Staal to his bros, Stamkos to his favorite road building at 9.25m per? Stranger things have happened. Miller-Brassard-Zuccarello Drouin-Stamkos-Nash Kreider-Hayes-Buchnevich Klingberg-Lindberg-Fast My Saturday morning pipe dream. Not sure how the D would look in this scenario though. Probably not good. And by the way..I really hope Klingberg comes back after his KHL season. He could be a great fourth liner for us. It's a damn shame to see how well Stempniak is playing right now and to think a) he was pushed out of the lineup by Tanner Glass, and b) the guy we got also couldn't move Glass out of that spot. We could really use Stempniak's right shot on the third line right now. Fun fact: if we traded for Stempniak today, he would be tied with Brassard for the team lead with 36 points. That's infuriating on so many levels.
