Good morning, boneheads!
The Rangers won six games in a row and are now firmly back in the thick of things as far as the playoffs picture is concerned. There is no single team in the East ( Tampa? not convinced yet) that is so much better than anyone else.
Let’s face it, the Rangers aren’t as good as the latest streak may suggest. Nor are they as bad as they were in October. But even the most skeptical fans can’t deny that 6 games in a row is very impressive.
They won these games because:
1. They made a commitment to the defense-first structure, with every single forward coming back to defend, their D-men are better positioned than before, and their decisions with and without the puck are much better.
2. Henrik Lundqvist has been miles better lately. He is still fighting it sometimes, but his positioning, and his decisions are better overall. He’s also been able to have a clear view of many shots, thanks to his D-men.
3. They simplified their game in the offensive zone too. They win battles, shoot the puck instead of looking for plays that aren’t there. And if there is an opportunity to pass, their passes are crisp and easy to accept.
4. They score many goals by crowding the net, sometimes deploying 2-3 guys to station around the blue paint. Something we haven’t seen too many times even last season.
5. The PP. Wow! Note to the rest of the league – don’t take penalties against the Rangers. It’s so much better than it was in years prior, it’s not even close. Why?
- Kevin Shattenkirk. Shutdown D-man he is not. He will never win a Norris trophy either. But he is the best PP quarterback they’ve had since Brian Leetch. His skating, his ice vision, his ability to make a nifty, timely pass, and his shot that gets through make him much better than any single D-man they’ve attempted to sign for that spot over the last decade or so.
- Pavel Buchnevich, who has shown that he may become a true first line forward on this team besides Nash, has been a PP force too. He can kill you with his shot, his power moves ( hello, Zdeno Chara!), and his pass. Is he becoming untouchable in terms of trades? I believe so.
- Don’t underestimate what Chris Kreider does on PP. It’s not only his big body screening a goalie, it’s how he is positioned while doing it.
- Another player who is easy to overlook on this red-hot PP is Mika Zibanejad. One of the reasons they have many other options on PP is because opponents have to cover his deadly shot from his ( and Ovechkin’s ) office all the time making someone else wide open.
So after all this said and done, now what? Do they look into upgrading their center position? It won’t be easy. Anyone better than Hayes will require an arm and a leg. I doubt Gorton is going to go that route. And if you get someone to fill a 3-rd line center position, are they going to be better than DD? Or Nieves? And at what cost? I believe that this winning streak gives Gorton an opportunity to wait and watch this season unfold instead of making trades out of weakness.
Anything you want to post, be it a game review, random g(j)ibberish, or something totally different, please email me at ilbster@yahoo.com
308 responses to “6 in a row. Now What?”
Well known that Eric was hurt when we had him. He has since again proved his considerable value. And he’s not shy. We could use him bigly.
I have zero problem with the smith benching as long as the coach is doing it in a consistent manner with all players…which he doesn’t seem to be doing. There is no way a single person here can say that mcdonut and skjeL haven’t deserved to sit games at some point. Quite honestly every D man not named staal or shattenkirk (he is what he is) has deserved to sit games this season due to their play. Same with forwards not named Miller or Buchnevich.
Staal sux
E staal, hurt or not, was never given the opportunity to excel here. The fact he played behind Hayes is a joke.
The whole situation just reinforces the change of scenery is the only thing some players need to excel.
Revisionist history as someone pointed out earlier.
I am not a fan of Marc Staal, I’m even less of a fan of his contract, but just because I don’t like the player doesn’t change the fact that so far this season he’s been one of the 2 most consistent D men on the roster.
I lost all interest and faith in Marc Staal as a D man when he got bongo’d by semin.
😉
Peugeot
SkjeL
The Yandle, Talbot and Hagelin trades were bad trades (especially the way the latter two were bungled) at the time they were made and even worse in hindsight, so not just revisionist history.
“shuffleboard” is so fetch.
When was anyone a fan of Marc Staal on this site anyway… even before his contract he took heat for not scoring enough…….guy has been solid this year and his whole career
Marc staal has been damaged goods since the eye injury and concussions and hasnt played up to his contract (and certainly for another 3 seasons after this), which is a sad reality as he had the makingns of someone who could slot in as a solid top pair shutdown guy for years to come
Hardly anybody plays up to his contract in this league. It’s a salary structure, and the NHL is hardly the only place where you earn your future salary with your current talent and hard work. Older players are paid for past performance in all professional sports, just as younger players are underpaid in their most productive years. Players know this, and the good ones honor their current contracts as best they can. Nash, for instance, knows he can’t do what he used to do, but he still busts short shifts and contributes his experience in other ways. Staal is no bum in this regard, and I for one would not think much of an organization that underpaid its younger players and jettisoned them when it came time to pay up.
Defensemen making what Staal makes. Everyone is top pair for their team and brings something of value on both sides of the rink.
Erik Johnson $6,000,000
Johnny Boychuk $6,000,000
Tobias Enstrom $5,750,000
Matt Niskanen $5,750,000
Dougie Hamilton $5,750,000
Marc Staal $5,700,000
Duncan Keith $5,538,462
Tyler Myers $5,500,000
Jeff Petry $5,500,000
Andrej Sekera $5,500,000
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Trying to think which player I would NOT take over Staal on that list. Most play better D and all provide better O from backline.
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Sorry, but you are being paid to perform, not just collect checks because at one point in your career brass thought you could maintain and even improve performance.
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Yes, there are bad contracts all over the league, but not always more in Rangertown.
SN
Great and valid points.
Embarrassing
Man…just got off the phone with UPS. Had to file a claim. I had ordered a Brendan Smith bobble head. It showed up in bad shape….
SN idk what’s more absurd. That someone is paying Sekera 5.5 mill or that he’s a better defender than Staal at this point…
Did a bobble-head wife come with that order?
James
I saw on tsn that the rangers have hired brodeur to get smith up to his conditioning level.
Stall indeed an embarrassment.
Brendan Smith bobble belly!
Now retired, my father decided to drive a school bus part time for Rye Country Day School. He said once half full, the bus is louder than MSG.
Time to assign Shonny to Smith at that Upstate fat farm cabin.
Staal same height, a bit heavier than Stu Bickel. That would be a fair fight.
Maybe Smith needs to work out with C C Sabathia!
Often wondered, does anyone go to Rye Country Night School?
Who was that out of shape sad sack that Shonny took to the mountain cabin?
Staal’s methodology in a raging fight is to try to get all your clothes off.
Wouldn’t know, Coos. I’m never up that late..
One day Staal will claim the title of World Shuffle Board Champion!
Hey Crosby is in a goal scoring slump. let’s trade Smith and Vesey for him?
Hamrlik
Roman Hamrlik
“Coach in the OT you send out Desharnais for the defensive zone draw instead of Crosby and the puck winds up in your net. Was that a decision you’d like to have back?”
“Well you know, Cros kinda got lost on the bench there late in the third and I thought David played a real good OT until that point..”
You got it ten seconds before I did, Wick. 🙂
Haven’t thought of Hamrlik since my nervous breakdown..
Staal to Smith at open practice: ‘Keep effing with me and I’ll pull all your clothes off and expose your belly to the world.
Last time I did something ten seconds too late we were pregnant with our son..
Semin girlie slapfest similar to Avery’s ‘fight’ with…..?
Hilarious
Lots of Rangers lived in Rye in the day. Doubt they could afford it nowadays.
We should make an offer to the guy who attacked Rand Paul.
He probably can’t skate coos but then again neither can Staal!
Good list, SN, of guys who are mostly past their peaks. Will look at their ages and where they are in their contracts if I have time. Also will look farther up the list to Seabrookes and Giordanos.
Should have never traded Del Zaster!
SN did not say Staal was top pair defenseman but hes’s been solid… bash Sather for the contract instead …some of the guys on that list are not gonna look too good in a year or 2…Hawks will be paying Keith till he’s 40…unless he catches that rash from Hossa
By the way where is Emerson Etem these days? Eating pie with Ryan Gropp?
James – Sekera – 2016-17: 80GP; 8-27-35/+14 – out with ACL for first part of ’17/18
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Staal in last 2+ seasons; 167 GP: 7-22-29/+10
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Different players, both contracts are caca. Sekera in two years with Edm point up offense playing with forward who could put the puck in the net.
It wasn’t a fight Avery was in, he made fun of max Talbot for doing those “motions”
St Pete,
His second incarnation is here now in skjeL
Remember when we could have traded prucha for seabrook?
I do.
Pageau
Semin should be a lot more embarraed by that “fight” than Staal should. It’s way worse to be the bongo-er than be the bongo-ee
Hawks paying until next lockout which is 3+ years away.
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Most on that list are top pair or #3 being paid similar wages as Staal. yes, there are very bad contracts out there and it’s not the players fault for accepting those terms, though their agent I am sure put forth the argument that their skill level warranted that contract, then and into the future.
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Bigger issue with Staal was the coaching staff having to motivate him to come in this season and be ready to play better. Yep, that’s a captain, somebody who needs the coach to raise his urgency to play better. Sorry, doesn’t warrant the letter unless it is about time served.
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Booby
Noble effort but I’d say at minimum that embarrassment should be a 50/50 split.
“Aren’t as good as their win streak suggests”? All the reasons you state, ILB, say otherwise. The question is keeping it up. And we haven’t had men down for any appreciable time. Hello adversity, how do we handle ye?
Skjelzaster!
https://twitter.com/RickCarpiniello/status/930554900089589761
SN that’s what I call frighteningly similar.
Re VC…sorry I couldn’t resist
Haze needs to be tougher mano a mano and move the puck better.
Carp 2015 “Hayes. Woof.”
Carp MSG era: “Hayes. Wooot woot!”
🙂
I’m just teasing Carp. Great read. Thanks for continuing to link your stuff here in this HAV
Nice write up on Haze Carp, there’s hope for him yet!
Nash is a nice person.
Nash is not a top line forward.
I was a fan of Staal when Stralman was carrying him. Best he’s ever played.
So they have zero top-line forwards. … and I’m not disagreeing.
Buchnevich might turn out to be one.
5M and up club, age, TOI, pts
Subban 28 404 4 8 12
Burns 32 396 0 7 7
Hedman 27 457 2 11 13
Weber 32 449 3 8 11
Byfug 32 338 0 10 10
Suter 33 429 2 8 10
Ekblad 21 380 2 5 7
Letang 30 494 1 12 13
Phaneuf 32 340 3 6 9
Doughty 28 461 3 8 11
Seabrook 34 393 1 5 6
Giordano 34 407 2 4 6
Shatty 29 382 5 12 17
Karlsson 27 382 1 16 17
Pietrangl 28 501 7 9 16
Yandle 31 377 5 7 12
M Green 32 423 1 13 14
Johnson 29 426 0 6 6
Boychuk 34 361 1 4 5
Enstrom 33 273 0 2 2
Niskanen 31 106 0 1 1
Hamilton 24 350 2 5 7
Staal 31 321 1 2 3
Keith 34 453 0 8 8
Myers 27 322 2 3 5
Petry 30 382 2 3 5
Sekera 30 * * * *
Ek-Lars 26 480 2 9 11
Schultz 27 247 2 3 5
Barrie 26 358 2 12 14
Leddy 26 371 3 9 12
Parayko 24 400 1 5 6
Orpik 37 408 0 3 3
Goligoski 32 434 1 7 8
Jones 23 430 3 9 12
Ristolain 23 353 0 5 5
Bouwmees 33 * * * *
Lindholm 24 238 3 2 5
Krug 26 321 3 8 11
Spurgeon 28 402 2 8 10
Bogosian 26 * * * *
Orlov 26 420 1 2 3
DeKeyser 27 59 0 0 0
MacDon 31 157 1 0 1
Rielly 23 401 3 13 16
A Greene 35 354 2 2 4
Edler 31 96 0 1 1
Dang, spent all that time trying to tab those up to make them readable. Apologies.
Doesn’t necessarily deserve to be there on pure talent, but think most, if not all, teams would love to have Kreider on their top line given his combination of size/speed/scoring. But don’t disagree that Buch is the next guy who could actually deserve to be their on pure talent alone. Nash tries real hard tho!
I’d bring Nash back for 2 years @ 4m per. I can see him taking that over another team giving him better term. But if someone ponies up 4 years @ 5m per…he takes it like a shot.
Nash is still our best forward. Our best player, actually.
Kings and Oilers swap CamilerI and Jokenen. Not exactly a blockbuster. Would have been a bigger deal a few years ago. Neither player what he once was.
Staal has regressed considerably since the Oilers win.
Nash is the best forward, he just doesn’t score much, takes short shifts, doesn’t win board battles and rarely passes. His defense has declined as well. Paying him $4M per would be an absolute joke IMHFO.
Anyone would give Nasher 4 mil.
I myself would give Nash 4 mill, out of my own pocket. Provided I had a few other hundred mills lying around. Anyone seen my mills!?!?
Best complete forward perhaps, but needs to find the net more. Have to see where we are come July 1, but retaining Nash wouldn’t be at the top of my list given where we are as a franchise
You guys better stop picking on Staal or Carp’s going to come on here and post how he’d be a first pair defenseman on any other team.
Nice Haze article Carp! He’s rising to the challenges so far – on a line with Nash and Zuke its like the scene from Animal House
Good morning, boneheads!
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