Good morning, boneheads!
I haven’t felt the way I feel this morning since…I can’t even remember. Dark ages?
After two solid games against the Bruins they came out without any purpose and any structure. Against the team that hasn’t played for over two weeks and only practice once. Whose fault is it? Coaching staff, there is no way around it.
I do not remember how Trouba got injured. But I also do not remember most of that game.
Click here to read Carp’s new article.
334 responses to “Rangers-2, Devils-5”
At this point the rebuild, retool, re-whatever is a failed experiment. They are miss-handling the youts. Lafreniere should be in Hartford. He looks like a 2nd round pick. I said it before this organization for the most part can’t trade or draft worth a crap. Who’s fault is that?
Just no center presence on this team. Might as well throw 3 wings out there.
Strome -3 on the night and 2-12 on faceoffs. Absolutely atrocious.
Zibanejad 7-20 on Faceoffs and can’t move his legs. Using his reach to give or take a pass and to shoot. Take him out of the lineup.
Chances. Chances. Chances. They don’t mean Jack if you can’t pop a few in. Not good enough.
Now the top pair on D is out and will be replaced by what? Smith- Johnson?
How bad does this have to get before they have to take action?
Well we had some looks everyone’s gotta want it we have to be better you know we gotta learn from this we did a lot of things right but still not good enough we should be mad at ourselves
STFU AND WIN A GAME
Trouba blocked as hot with his hand.
I’m beginning to think JD and JG have no idea what to do. Why, because they aren’t doing anything!
There is so much blame to go around, but I think it ends with the coach.
Sure Gorton isn’t wanting to rush to fire Q as that starts his own clock as well. Coach is the easy one to blame (and would be partially correct here), but Gorton deserves blame as well for this band of misfit toys and JD will know that full well
This is not meant to get Coos upset, even though it’s going to, but they should have traded Smith with whatever it took for somebody to take him, and kept Staal. Smith is just awful, and he’s the coaches buddy, so the coach always finds a reason to play him.
Trade Panarin by the time this team is any good he’ll be playing shuffleboard with Staal.
They should not have mishandled 77 the way they did. The kid has a big mouth….he didn’t kill anyone.
Now they will have mickey mouse on defense.
Quinn is awful as I have said many times…..this team is almost always never ready to play. That speaks volumes about him.
It’s not just 77 Rich.
They made a mess with Lias, Kravtsov, and Chytil as well. Chytil has been the only one to come out the other side. I know a lot of people feel Nils is going to sign as soon as he can, but I find it telling that he hasn’t so far.
Guys I just want to say there has been virtually zero trades throughout the NHL since March of 2020.
I think trades are nearly impossible right now.
In the 3rd period the D consisted of Fox, Lindgren, Hayek, Bitteto and Smith. Not a winning group on the back line.
Kakko looks better but can he score a fuggin goal. Same for Laffy.
Derbils are really bad; do you know when the Rangers O looked good? When the Hughes line was on the ice. That kid is charmin soft.
That’s not an excuse for the coaching or for the front offices choice of locker room mix and free agents to bring in.
Just saying I think making hockey moves is nearly impossible right now
SN,
The Rangers started hitting Hughes halfway through the first. He did not like it at all.
Bdl….I know it….and now it seems he’s sticking pins in Laf and Kakko.
However, Quinn is really good at taking the youths to breakfast.
And by the way….Quinn loves Howden. Go figure.
Carolina has made a couple of trades, and there was a blockbuster between Calgary and Winnipeg. So impossible is not quite the word I would use.
The Pack has won both of their games, and they play at 1 today, so we got that going for us.
Defense was fine last night after first 10 minutes but they do miss Tony’s puck moving …Hajek looking better also. Our forwards….just clueless. How many times did Zibanajad shoot it into Blackwoods chest? I really think Strome will be traded asap
do they stream those games?
BDL what trade between Calgary and Winnipeg?
Of course Carp is saying they probably won’t fire Quinn. Wasn’t he was saying the same thing basically 5 minutes before they fired AV?
I meant Columbus and Winnipeg.
AHL TV.
The rational side of me sees Kakko gaining confidence and using his size and skill to his advantage. Becoming a tougher player to play against along the boards. Tougher to knock off the puck.
The not so rational side of me is screaming in my head over and over “This generation’s Jamie Lundmark! This generation’s Jamie Lundmark!”
Scottsdale,
I’ve read Carp, since the 90s. He’s a coach guy. Has never wavered from that.
Good stats from Uncle Larry ….next-to-worst five-on-five shooting percentage in the NHL….Kreider has not drawn a penalty all year…Mika one….stats that point to a bunch of forwards that don’t play hard
How long has it been since Strome was playing really well? Last January? December of ’19?
Throw him on your lists of “Gorton didn’t handle the situation the right way”
I think the contract situation soured Strome…not the same player… I think he will be moved
So a team that didn’t play in 15 days shows up at MSG put the Rangers top six back on their heels, rifle off 37 shots, were clearly the better team in the third where they score 3 goals and their goalie who hasn’t played in a month makes 37 saves and could have made himself a sandwich while stopping most of them.
Isn’t that all too familiar? Is that not something that matters to a big professional NHL organization? Do you chalk that up to “well it’s the NHL and level of competition…..”?
Accountability?
BDL, is he worried he won’t be let in the room anymore if he says the coach should go?
It may not be funny when the Rangers cant draw 2,000 fans when they open the doors against Bruins
Bobby at this point they don’t have a choice but to move Strome. It sucks. I love the way he played most of his tenure here. But clearly it’s over thanks to the organization’s approach to the situation.
Buchnevich is another one. What do you do with this guy? The game he played last night is what you need from him and you only get it about half the time if you’re lucky.
5th NHL season. Hasn’t cracked 50 points. Disappears for long stretches but when he’s on he’s on.
What do you give him? I feel like it shouldn’t go beyond 3.75 million per for what he is. And that most likely equates to him being an ex-Ranger very soon.
And a lot of fans with have Hayes syndrome when it happens. He’ll get an overpay from a team like Carolina and Twitterverse will have aneurisms across the board about him playing on a line with Svechnikov for what was a modest raise.
Bobby I hope they do. It’s unjust to me that these clowns aren’t hearing the boos they deserve for their crappy play.
We will end up with another lottery pick and come up empty once again. Who knew Lafreniere would look like another Alexander Daigle. The Rangers catch a break in the lottery and end up with an apparent dud! Laffy prove me wrong please prove me wrong!
I think Laf has been fine but he’s been fine on a team that’s playing like a dumpster fire. To me the kid just looks like a rook playing his first month in the NHL. You can see the size and skill are there. I have more faith in his finishing ability after 14 games than a do in Kakko’s after a year+
Who’s going to take Strome? Right now he is just expansion bait. No need to do anything with him just yet. The entire center ice position need to be blown up. Rooney is proving to be a good 4th line center. He can stay if there is not an upgrade out there. The rest need to go. To soft, one dimensional players. Need to add some muscle, some grit at center. Zibanejad, Strome, and Chytil are way to easy to play against.
Will they get rid of the phony crowd noise when they let 2000 people in? How loud can 2000 people boo? How long will it take to get the first “POTVIN SUCKS!” chant going? Inquiring minds want to know.
DQ is a little like Fizdale was. He sells himself real well, says all the right things, but, it’s not clear he can coach. His BU teams never performed up to the talent level they had. He was a great recruiter (salesman). Look at the number of BU players in the NHL. Time to install a proven commodity so that they can evaluate the roster. Another top 5 pick this year and they are Edmonton East or the San Diego Q’s reincarnated. This is not a wining formula. A course correction is required.
I move Buch also James especially if he’s looking for more that 4M per. He’s improved but whats his ceiling? He’s just not fast enough to be an impact player plus he’s blocking Kravtzov from top 6
Getting very tired of hearing the name Nils Lundkvist. The clamoring has increased since the Tony D fiasco started.
He keeps scoring. That’s great. Everyone loves Dmen who score and play “dynamic” know what you never hear about? His defensive play. That’s not worrisome to anyone? Are we that hell bent on wanting some kind of power play specialist on the point?
Rasmus Dahlin was all the rave. Do you see Buffalo improving? Of course not. but hey! Dahlin gets his 20 power play points every year and no one in Buffalo cares that he’s a -32 over his first 150 NHL games as the “top” D-man on the team. As long as he’s dynamic, right?
Laf clearly not really ready and while that’s frustrating for us fans, it’s really to be expected. Most 18/19yr olds aren’t ready to excel in the NHL, even when drafted 1st overall. It’s the rare few like Crosby, McDavid and Matthews who are.
However it sure would be great if he could settle down with consistent linemates and not have the rest of the team be a dumpster fire.
Keeping Staal wasn’t the answer as he would be overused by Q in much the same way he has been the last few years of his career here. And moreover, I’d say our D is the least of our worries right now.
James, probably not impossible, but may be somewhat tuff to trade strome before the expansion draft unless the return is so minimal that the acquiring team doesn’t care about leaving him exposed. Otherwise probably not many teams who have enough spare slots to want to use to protect Strome. Buch somewhat similar but have a little more control with him. I do think it’s likely best to move Buch rather give him a new contract here tho
I’ve said this a lot, but I will repeat, Nils is the guy they should use as a center piece in a trade for a proven center.
Too much money that has to be spent in the not so distant future, Bobby. Buchnevich for 4 million +? No thank you. I’ll take my chances with Kravtsov who has just as much if not more skill and will play for much less money.
The defensive side of the puck will be an issue but since they don’t seem to give two craps about that with any other aspect of their lineup (especially at center) I don’t see why it would cause hesitation on JGs part.
I would not go forward with Zibanejad, Buchnevich, or Strome. All three need to playing elsewhere next year.
Nils has gotten good marks on defense James, now whether that translates immediately to the NHL who knows, but he won’t be asked to be 1st pair on an awful team like Dahlin has been.
also, not that worried he hasn’t signed yet as clearly was no spot for him in the NHL prior to the season and with the AHL’s status uncertain at the time staying in Sweden made the most sense. This offseason (if not before) there is a clear path for him to play
Those that were mocking Brooks, and certain fans who wanted to do a Josh Anderson, for Buchnevich trade have gone quiet.
BDL I’ve been in agreement about that for a while now. If their eggs aren’t in the Schneider basket then why the hell draft him over a few guys that could have been here to plug a third line C role within the same time frame or a guy like Greig who has more balls in his left toe than this team has drafted in the last 20 years?
There needs to be a deal that makes sense out there first. that’s the real issue. I think it may turn out to be a good thing that this season is going the way it has. It may be the slap in the face that Gorton needs to see that you can only go so far without building this team the right way down the middle.
Brooks seems to think there may be an issue regarding Nils signing. The other beats don’t. I tend to trust Brooks more with this stuff.
I wouldn’t let go of Zibanejad yet …he’s been so bad he’s either hurt or sick
Gorton isn’t the type of GM that has the balls to do something that bold, BDL. Trade Buchnevich for a guy that’s a rugged N-S type recovering from an injury? Way out of this organization’s comfort zone. Stick with old reliable Buch. Can’t take the KZB line away from Quinn, right?
OK, so now what do you do when Buchnevich wants the same 5.5 million per? Oh that’s right. Let him walk and let Colin Blackwell slot in while NYR’s twitter keeps throwing out Kravtsov stats from Russia.
James,
I watched Schneider play in the 4 games that were important in the WJC. One game he struggled, but the others 3! I came away thinking, how were they able to get this guy at 18?! He’s everything you want in an NHL defenseman.
Bobbyo,
I’m taking in to account that I think Zibanejad is eventually going to start scoring again. That’s what he does. The rest of his game is not number one center material. Don’t make the mistake of giving this guy one C money, when he at best is a two C/PP specialist.
Bobby after last night I’m 100% positive he’s hurt. He’s using his reach to do everything. Or should I say to attempt to do everything. I’m putting that on Quinn too. Tired of seeing players that are hurt get 20 mins of ineffective ice time every night. I thought we were through with that after AVs ass went out the door. Apparently he was just the appetizer. Quinn is the main.
And your dad (BDL) will get on me for “defending” Zika as if I’m not saying he’s been terrible. But there’s a reality to be faced- no matter how much certain things matter, points always matter too. Someone has to score the 70-80 points he’s capable of. Who’s going to do it from center ice? Howden? Chytil?
In a better constructed lineup Zika is the 2C- warts and all- and you live with his mistakes for the sake of the offense.
It’s not exclusive to the Rangers. There are plenty of teams that have to do the same exact thing because high scoring centers are at a premium in this league and not every one of them is a selke candidate unfortunately.
BDL, I don’t think you were around yesterday when SN and I were talking D. He was saying that had things been handled correctly, you could have had a 3rd pair of Graves- ADA.
Would have been nice, but I still think that the future pairing is Robertson-Schneider. And I don’t think we should label them “the third pair” just yet.
Is THE auditioning for Captain or is Dolan throwing him a couple hundred here and there to take the Press heat every night? 🙂
Damn it, BDL. I go to take a shot at you and you post something at the same time agreeing with what I say. Typical.
They certainly have handed him the script, Coos. “Here Chris just recite this after every game. You can put your name on top there just cross out where it says “Hank”
If I was Nils Lundkvist and the team started the season with Fox, Trouba, DeAngelo and then drafted Schneider, I might wonder what the plan for me was.
I agree that it would make a lot of sense for him to be part of a trade for a center.
Disagree with BDL about ‘mismanagement’ of Lisa et al. Honestly don’t think any of the kids deserve to be on the big club their first year (and perhaps longer). But fans want to rush everyone along at the pace fans want. And if the kids are so weak mentally/emotionally that they can’t take criticism or not getting the spot in the lineup they want, well cya because you don’t belong playing in any major league sport.
Certain players we make excuses for (Zibanejad), certain players we blame (Kreider).
James,
The things that are happening to Zibanejad have nothing to do with injury. He can’t make a pass, he can’t receive a pass, he’s tripping himself, he knocking over teammates when falls. His confidence is shot. Pucks will start to go in eventually, but what should be clear to anybody watching Zibanejad throughout this slump is, the rest of his game is average at best. He’s a one dimensional player. Always has been.
In Quinn’s defense who is he gonna put at center with Ziba hurt ….not many options. Also while Ziba may not be a number one he’s a damn good number 2 when healthy and those type of players get paid
Zib needs to be put on the taxi squad for a few games. Whether his problems are medical or mental, playing every night has not helped. Stop digging a deeper hole.
Also, re players who have had covid, https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-celtics/2021/02/16/jayson-tatum-continued-covid-19-issues
So Mika is hurt but the others aren’t trying hard….
Convenient.
The most troubling thing to me about the team play this season is that you see the 3rd and 4th line players going out there and for the most part playing n/s hockey, trying to forecheck and generally not dipsy dooing out there. So apparently DQs message does get through to some of the players.
There is a fine line between letting guys be creative with the puck and letting them d*ck around. If he has not already done so, DQ needs to have a sit down with those types of players and reign them back in.
Beezle,
That’s not the point I was trying to make. I don’t think anybody should be handed a spot. If you are going to bring these guys over at 18/19, communication better be perfect. You better have a plan for them. The players better understand the plan for them. We will see what happens is not a plan. It causes mistrust, and frustration, and that is clearly what happened. I’m not arguing that Andersson, or Kravtsov (better argument for Kravtsov) should have gone right in to the line up.
Let’s face it; 75% of the 3rd period lineup were bottom 6 and bottom pair in talent that lost to an AHL caliber lineup.
.
Center ice is a problem so trade Strome? You may want to watch Filip playing unprotected minutes against top pairs before you send Stromeo Packing this season.
.
This team has mostly one dimensional players; they are 2-3 seasons away of Scotty Bowman was behind the bench.
.
When Carp said Kakko was. Provable in all 3 zones I nearly spit out my coffee. The kid has learned to control the puck on the boards in the Ozone and take bad angle shots versus passing. He refuses to pass to #13; prolly just a coincidence. Defensively he is as active as a fence post.
On Mika and co vid. The entire Devils team had Covid. They looked pretty good.
There are 4’Alternates, but no captain. Like a college team. You 4 guys are all captains, but none of you are the captain.
I’ll jump out of my rocking chair when Gorton actually does something to help this team that involves critical thinking!
On Igor – There are flashes of brillance, but a young HL or Mariano Rivera he is not. Not tossing him under the bus or dumping all blame on him, just being realistic. He has his share of breakdowns and some of the rebounds he is letting fly are going to come back to haunt him soon.
Think ‘overhyped’ might be more appropriate than ‘overrated’ at this point. At the end of the day, the team can certainly win with him – look at all the cups won with tenders not named HL.
I still do not understand what they did/are doing with Kreider. Here’s your contract, but we don’t think you are worthy of being the captain, we just don’t think that highly of you. By the way, after tough losses, we want you to represent the team.
This season Could be a blessing of sorts as last years mirage was exposed in the bubble and further deflated this season.
Need to clean house at the end of this one. JD will have the cap space to bring in 2way players while also assets to make deals at trading deadline and draft. Expansion draft makes it trickier.
There have been some positives. Miller is darn good, and Hajek is certainly improving. Still takes a lot of unnecessary big hits, and still panics from time to time, but overall he’s a lot better.
Is DeAngelo the guy who painted the Sistine Chapel?
So maybe they can stop drafting defenseman
It’s very interesting seeing the difference in Trouba when he’s not with Miller. When he’s with Miller he is so much better. He knows where Miller is going to be. He trusts him, so Trouba can play his game. Last night, he was erratic. Just running around aimlessly. Trying to cover up for Smith. Hesitating with his passes, and joining the rush.
BDL – I understand what you are saying but let me ask – did you always get perfect communication from your bosses? Never had what they told you the plan was a month ago not in fact turn out to be the plan? Seems to me that ‘bumpy’ is something that happens to most people in their careers from day one and those that are able to navigate the situation without animosity and pouting end up being successful.
Expanding on that – part of the problem with NYR is they seem not to pay much attention to character and other non-talent attributes when drafting/signing players.
I’ll duck after hitting post: Has Kreider ever played any center?
I was never 18, and going to work in a foreign land. They needed to do more for them to help them acclimate. Especially if the plan had them in Hartford. They handled both of them poorly.
Instead of more defensemen maybe Gorton can draft more captains…..Fox is the next captain anyway. If Kreider was gonna be captain it would have happened already
I suggested Kreider at center quite a few years back. He’s a horse that lives to run. Center would have made a lot of sense for Kreider. I was told by many at the time he was not good enough defensively.
Without question bobbyo, they don’t think Kreider is captain material.
Center position maybe no so crazy, would force THE into consistent North/South and end his travel in front of the net where he’s at his best.
SN that isn’t what I said. I know it fits the narrative better to say Zibanejad is 100% and has just regressed because he’s one dimensional and now it’s apparent so they shouldn’t sign him and bla bla blah.
Is Strome hurt? Or is this just him going back to what he was after being motivated and overachieving a bit? Before Panarin was in the midst of a career year most of you guys said he belonged at 3rd line RW.
Your the aficionado in regards to centers. How many teams tell an 80 point center to take a walk and then just go about their business?
Or is there a ridiculous enough fantasy in there somewhere about how the Rangers get a trap coach and play like the Islanders after they clear out the “dead weight”?
Kreider can’t possibly be worse than the centers on the roster at face offs. Can he?
Bdl
Not good enough is a lot better than sucks.
They could sign Boyle…at least bottom six would be settled, there would be a good vet in the room and we could win a face off once in a while
I root for Q, but I think that if we had live, booing crowds at MSG, JD and Gorton would have already lowered the boom. Gorton’s a not too bright reactionary. Let him do his reacting elsewhere.
Gorton removed Fast, Staal and Lundkvist. I have no problem with that from a hockey talent perspective, but he didn’t add any established NHL leadership to replace them. Add to that the weird Covid protocols,(more zooms-less face-to-face according to Quinn), and a very young team and some injuries and “Welcome to the NHL Alexis Lafreniere.” When Crosby got to the NHL, he was living with Mario Lemieux and his family. Who’s teaching our kids how to be successful NHL players? There’s no Captain on this team because there’s no captain on this team. And it’s not Kreider’s fault that he’s not a captain. It’s just not who is and Gorton should have known that.
When they called time out last night Quinn had to shake Strome on bench to pay attention to Assistant Coach who was designing a play. Not a great look…Strome is ready to move on
Noticed that, bobbyo.
BDL I agree that he’s not as good as a 1C needed to be on a team contending for a Cup. But let me ask you this- Do you think a guy like Sean Monahan doesn’t have warts defensively? what about Eichel, Barkov, Point, Petterson?
THIS IS NOT A COMPARISON of Zika to those guys. But I’m reiterating my point from above. Not every center plays a flawless 2 way game.
Would he be at his best as a 2C? Of course.
As for the covid thing, I didn’t say he’s affected by covid I said he looks injured. There’s more going on than the puck just not going into the net right now.
Strome heard that Rooney was taking the faceoff in the O zone, and checked out.
Things could be worse for Quinn – he could be married.
James,
I think you made my point. Of the guys you listed, only Point is a winning player. Eichel and Barkov have had little team success. Petersson is to early to tell.
I know many do not view +_ as a viable STAT, but Point is a big plus player.
Kreider was actually 4-5 on faceoffs last night. Laferniere 3-7 and Blackwell 3-3. Kevin Rooney had a great night at the dot for once. Those guys are the only reason the final faceoff numbers look half way decent this morning in the box score.
The Columbus winnipeg literally included 3 players not willing or barely willing to play for their teams.
And the Ottawa/Carolina trade was a swap of UFAs to be and a guy who got waived the next day.
Obviously it’s not “impossible’ to make a trade but the point stands from everything I’ve heard on podcasts, bc owners losses and quarantines and borders, teams are kinda just going about their business to get through the season. You’ll see some activity towards the deadline with players that have free agency or expansion factors, but otherwise it really feels like teams have determined to get through the season without doing anything that has any fninacial impact past this season
And Eichel is a -66. But Rangers fans think he’s the answer once they trade Zibanejad.
Again though, I’m truly not defending Zibanejad or his play. Saying he’s injured is just an observation from what I’ve seen of him. It’s not meant to be an excuse.
His one dimensional play doesn’t hurt if he’s in more of a secondary role. I’m not naïve. Aside from production he’s not a 1C.
But I do believe it’s naive to think that you can jettison a guy with his offensive ability from an organization that’s so devoid of centers and not be worse off.
And regardless of who any of us want to pick apart specifically it doesn’t change the fact that the entire team is heading off the rails unless something happens soon.
Unless JD/JG are just going to throw their hands up in the air because it’s a shortened season I think there’s got to be some kind of change coming.
James
I say it’s obvious they’re throwing their hands in the air.
Brooks is using words like “malodorous” to describe last night’s “game”…
Get a dictionary. Find out what this “malodorous” thing is. If that’s what he’s going to hit us with, I want to be ready.
Looked it up. Accurate description of the Rangers performance.
Any word with mal in it is bad. Odor has to do with the nose. Thus, malodorous is stinky.
I think JD sees everything we do.
He’s an old school western canadien boy. We know how he thinks hockey should be played. He’s been around the game and the league and it’s finer offices and coaches for 50+ years?
He’s jumped on board while the rebuild was in the accumulating stages and the front office did a great job of making the decision and accumulating as much as it did. Feel good stage. That in itself probably means it bought Gorton a good 2 years or so to take it to the next level, same with Quinn.
But I watch JD assessing things in live press conference, I can he’s assessing this stuff.
And eventually if the culture and the fit and the group and the coaching isn’t a winning mix, JD will eventually bring in proven guys He knows and trusts
You can’t talk/outsmart your win to a winning culture. It takes the right blend of people and personalities and authentic communication which breeds into into the very veins and thought processes of everyone in the organization.
Malodorous = E3 on the can or Rangers hockey take your pick!
JD’s not married to either Gorton or Quinn. Both inherited.
I just want to re-post Tomk19’s. Post bc it’s dead on. I’ve been thinking it to myself and wouldn’t articulate any better if as good as he just did
“ Gorton removed Fast, Staal and Lundkvist. I have no problem with that from a hockey talent perspective, but he didn’t add any established NHL leadership to replace them. Add to that the weird Covid protocols,(more zooms-less face-to-face according to Quinn), and a very young team and some injuries and “Welcome to the NHL Alexis Lafreniere.” When Crosby got to the NHL, he was living with Mario Lemieux and his family. Who’s teaching our kids how to be successful NHL players? There’s no Captain on this team because there’s no captain on this team. And it’s not Kreider’s fault that he’s not a captain. It’s just not who is and Gorton should have known that”
Due to covid protocols. Everything surrounding team building and what these guys lives would be is different.
No NYC dinners with teammates after a win and Laffy and kandre etc getting that buzz and feel and then going into work the next day or into the garden for the next game.
All of that kind of stuff that brings and mojo and bonds the team together and makes it a 💩ton of fun is missing this year.
Laffys rookie experience would a different world normally
…see malady, malcontent, malevolent, malicious. malpractice.
C3, you know what I do when I’m angry? I hit a pillow. Why don’t you try it…:)
BDL it’s soaring over your head like an Eli Manning hail mary in the final days of his career.
I beat on Trump’s azz.
JPP,
I stick by what I said the other day in response to the “world turned upside down” scenario. Certainly not having an adverse affect in Tampa, Toronto, Boston, Carolina, Vegas….
I saw a very young Devils team last night that doesn’t have much of a leadership group come out after 15 days off the ice due to their worlds being turned upside down and they wiped the mat with the Rangers.
So IDK that I buy it…
Eli threw six yard passes last few years because he had no line/protection and coaches told him get rid of it fast.
Yes Coos but do you azz on beats Trump?
Trying to. figure that one out, James. Might take me a few weeks. 🙂
They also aren’t the youngest team in the league james
And what don’t you buy about what I said.
I didn’t copy and paste toms post to use as an excuse for their play
I’m just saying it’s a very real difference
Tom wasn’t even making it an excuse. He was clearly putting it on gorts.
I think we’re taking what we’re saying and putting it into a context it wasn’t meant in
You’re*
Anyone fired or traded yet?
James – Retired NY cops make good Sheriffs in Texas.
James-outside of the Devils,(and yeah they beat the Rangers), all of those other teams are much further along and have won a lot of playoff series.
Rangers are the youngest team in the league.
Not saying it’s the only issue, but IMO, it’s one of a few glaring issues.
Coos
In Texas the Sherriff carries a badge. Everyone else carries AR15s with fully automatic conversion kits.
Problem with the Rangers is there is no go to leader. Kreider, ZPack, Trouba, Panarin et al are not the answer.
Man could they use a guy like Messier. Even at age 36 or something. But with all the dead cap space, they can’t afford a >36 yo
‘My Name is Friday; I Carry a Badge…’. Dum de dum dum…
Jpp- you and I were discussing it the other day.
Tom- I get that. It’s a legitimate factor for sure. I wasn’t disagreeing with your post I was referring to what JPP mentioned. I don’t like bringing the pandemic into it.
The issues are leadership, coaching and asset management way way way before factoring in whether these guys can go drop a couple grand at Peter Luger’s and run into game stop without a mask on before binging on X-box all weekend long with their pals.
Things could be worse. – Doodie could still be Posting here.
BTW Tom, It’s funny you mention Crosby and how the Pens eased him into his role because I almost posted something similar earlier. Laf may be a 1 OA but there’s a big difference in the approach taken with these guys from organization to organization. Baptism by fire doesn’t work well with everyone. Laf certainly looks better than the likes of Chytil his first year for instance but that’s not to say he’s playing at the level of Matthews when he was a rook.
The Rangers are doing the old spaghetti test the last few years. Fling a handful against the wall and see what sticks.
I expect Buch and Strome to either be traded or one of them will be a member of the Kraken next season. There are surely issues, and this off season will be significant as they will be mostly out of salary cap hell. During the season, I don’t expect much to change. They will be in the lottery again. This is another reason why I don’t expect anything to change with the coach. It probably will have to change when the Rangers are ready to contend, but that day is not arriving this season or even next.
If Doodie had never come here we wouldn’t have a “here”. I miss heat maps jokes too.
Contend is so far over the horizon, This Cotton Candy Crew can’t even beat the devils.
TYM, the offseason will mark the end of the Smith era (error?) and Johnson will depart as well. In turn they get even younger. If they part ways with those two forwards you mentioned, that’s about 10 million dollars off the books but they’ll need to re-sign Lindgren, Chytil and Igor…Then there’s decisions to be made on Gauthier, Howden, Hajek and Di Giuseppe. I’m not sure how much veteran help we’ll see them go after…
Trouba 4/6 weeks.
So, teams that win have good leaders and teams that lost have bed leaders? BS. They were better last year because the ‘leadership’ helped the PP and Mika? don’t think so….
Trouba out 4-6 weeks? This season just went from suck to blow.
James like to speak of regression/reverting to mean. There are at least three – Mika, Bread, Strome and nearly a fourth, Kreider, who had outsized seasons last year. Too much pressure to repeat the performance?
You were right, BDL. Probably hand fracture after blocking a shot with his hand. I just don’t remember when it happened.
Yes. SN. Leadership matters. Crazy concept right?
BDL is it busted hand? The only plus on that might be less shots wide from the point when he is back.
4/6 weeks……FREE TONY!
4-6 weeks on Trouba= that’s a wrap. There’s a silver lining however. Now the fans that love to talk about how bad he is will get to see just how bad the lineup looks without him.
If Miller can’t go, we’ll see Johnson, Bitetto, Hajek and Smith. How’s that for a solid defense. And if Johnson can’t go, who’s next?
Tarmo Reunanen time?
I saw (and see) Doodie as an arrogant know-it-all, insulting, politically coercive Bully who, had he stayed, would have eventually run this forum into a wall of venom. So there. Other than that, who cares?
Let’s just address this now and get it out of the way: They aren’t going to issue an apology to Ton DeAngelo and beg him to get back into the lineup.
Probably not James but it does say they not looking to compete for a playoff spot this year
Who’s the top center in this year’s draft?
Vince Z. Mercogliano
@vzmercogliano
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58s
#NYR practice lineup:
Kreider – Mika – Buch
Panarin – Strome – Kakko
Laf – Rooney – Blackwell
Lemieux – Howden – PDG (Gauthier rotating in)
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Smith (Johnson rotating in)
Hájek – Bitetto
What a shame…..
Just when it looked like they were icing a more than serviceable defensive corps:
Miller-Trouba
Lindgren-Fox
Hajek-Bitetto
Damn. Wow.
Tom – they must really miss Staal’s leadership this year…
Mika and Kreider were great leaders last year when producing . This years their leadership is obviously sub-sandard as their performance is not good…
Appreciated hearing Staal’s cogent take on Tony D.
Beezle,
I don’t know for sure, but I saw the play that he blocked a shot with his hand. He shook his hand immediately. Happened pretty early in the second I think. Finished the period with it.
SN-i think that Fox and Lafreniere and Miller might be leaders, but my point is when you have a young team you want some guys who’ve been thorough the wars and won to set an example. It’s not about Staal or Fast. We know that Hank was probably the biggest leader on the team for years and I’d bet he’d call guys out if they were mailing it in.
And I’ll say it again: leadership matters. It’s not the only reason they’re losing.
Gorton and Q can’t even find a leader.
Me: “Leadership matters.”
SN: “Tom said that Staal made the power play work last year.”
Why might they be “leaders” ? Because they are good or were drafted high? Sounds like leadership only comes with talent….
Interested in who else you feel is an effective leader? Messier?? Good leader in original tenure but obviously lost his leadership abilities the second time around. Or did maybe his talent waned…
Only leaders can recognize leadership. “The Minx has Spoken.”
So I guess the slogan for the duration is “save your cheers for Matthew Beniers”?
Boy, you are all in a great mood this morning. I wonder why.
Your pals at McKeen’s have him ranked #1 now, BDL.
ILB I’m on about 3.5 hours of sleep today. I’ll give you three guesses as to why and the first two do not count 🙂
That’s part of why the captaincy doesn’t mean jack as far as I’m concerned, SN. I would like to know who is holding themselves and their teammates accountable in that locker room.
I think many of you agree the NYR are totally botching this rebuild. It starts with the coach….he is the wrong guy here.
Maybe Lias will never be a top flight player but Quinn screwed that kids head on backwards. And just to demonstrate that it wasn’t just a mistake by Quinn…he scrambled Kratsovs brains a bit as well. He has also done no favors for Kakko or Laf.
And I think a more solid coach would have known how to channel 77’s agression the right way…speaking of that he has Pepe on a tight leash as well. That boy isn’t going to score 30 goals….he is here to be a top notch rodent….so let him do that….stop gelding the hard nosed guys.
Fortunately Fox and Miller have been handled correctly….I’m guessing that is not due to Quinn however.
So all the lottery picks in the world will not make a difference unless they fire Quinn and find a coach who doesn’t always have the dull confused look of a trapped animal.
And one last thing, as has been said today in other posts….perhaps start to bring up a few pups from Hartford and see what they have….and it might not be a bad idea to sit Mika a bit and perhaps send Laffy to Hartford for a spell….at least to get him away from Quinn.
My take is you need a leadership group. Brass also needs to bring in players who WANT to play the right way. The danger with giving high picks an automatic slot.
High picks aren’t exactly stupid either. The whole “have a seat I’ll play Colin Blackwell if you don’t play thee way I want you to” isn’t a long term solution and they know it. At least Gauthier has stepped it up a bit after being a healthy scratch. Sure would like to see him get a chance away from the fourth line.
Not much left to do this season but assess the youth anyhow.
Man if Schneider signed his pro contract when he was able to. He might have be playing this year
My take is that they need centers ..if Ziba can find his game and Chytil comes back things should improve …not playoff contender but things will get better …they still need to address the overall forward mix though
4-6 weeks sucks
The bottom line the way I see is the team we see on the ice is the result of DQ trying to keep his job!
If Mika continues at this pace, has there ever been an non-injury related drop off in performance for any player in his prime?
Very small sample size relative to last 3 years, but just really unthinkable drop in production esp after last season.
SN
Mind boggling last year before the shutdown he looked like an offensive Dynamo!
It! Was! STINKER! Don’t want to repeat myself – said it all in the last thread.
And Trouba’s situation is like parafraze of adding injury to INSULT.
Now it’s become even more clear, what a huge mistake was ADA handlin. Besides creating bad moral climate and removing avid scores producing player he was (easely can imagine, that it would be totally different conversation now, with him, almost certainly having scored on a PPs and in the so many games Rangers lost within 1 (one!) goal), it damaged the very fragile team’s structure, creating cracks, leading subsequently to it further decline. Patching didn’t help. Did it?
I still think, that another big thing – that the management didn’t do everything possible to obtain bona-fide center for 1st/2nd line instead of Strome, having very decent sources to packaging for trade. And, of course, organization;s fault of not creating the real leadership in this team.
MacKinnon comes to mind, SN. During the Duchene saga he suffered statistically. It was his fourth season in the NHL and he topped out at 16 goals and a 6% shooting percentage. Was a -14 that year too.
That being said, it’s not a regression. And it’s not making an excuse. They’re playing him hurt.
Pack up 1 zip. Rueschhoff with the goal. Tarmo with assist.
Give it up James.
BDL still has no answer to how you replace a 70 point center so he chooses to be snarky instead.
I guess they can give RNH 7×7 and offer sheet Pettersson. That will make everything better. Maybe pony up another 6×6 and bring in Brandon Sutter for the bottom six.
It seems your plan is to just keep rolling Zibanejad out there. How’s that working out. Don’t need a 70 point center. Did just fine with two 50 point centers, and another who could match up.
It’s a broken thumb for Trouba
James Gsays:
February 17, 2021 at 7:34 AM Edit
Just no center presence on this team. Might as well throw 3 wings out there.
Strome -3 on the night and 2-12 on faceoffs. Absolutely atrocious.
Zibanejad 7-20 on Faceoffs and can’t move his legs. Using his reach to give or take a pass and to shoot. Take him out of the lineup.
…….Try to keep up BDL.
I’m talking next season James, not tomorrow.
I thought I saw Trouba hitchhiking on 7th Avenue.
Laferniere-Rooney-Blackwell….Jesus Christ, Quinn….
BDL I don’t have an answer for next season. You don’t have a rational answer for next season.. Let’s hope Gorton can earn those GM dollars better than we can.
I’m starting to hope that Khodorenko or Rueschhoff pull a Hayes and wind up cracking the NHL lineup this year or next..
Ask yourself….can either be any worse than Brett Howden or Ryan Strome?
Hayes was drafted though. I guess we need one of those centers to pull a Kelly Kiso?
Pack up 3-2. Johnny Brodzinski has 9 shots on goal. Barron has an assist.
Wait.. Trouba can’t defend with a busted thumb? I really don’t care if he can’t shoot from the point because of it.
James you want GoatY to move up. So who moves down?
So… I’ve got two line-ups to consider. Both assume Bread is back and eventually Don C.
Laf/The/Buch
Bread/Zib/Strome
DiG/How(Chy)/KK
LM/Rooney(How)/Goaty(Blackwell)
or
The/KK/Buch
Bread/Zib/Strome
Laf/How(Chy)/DiG(Blackwell)
LM/Rooney(How)/Goaty
The first gives Kreider a spin at center, the second Kakko. Kakko does have previous centering experience.
Beezle:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko
Laferniere-Strome-Buchnevich
Di Giueseppe-Blackwell-Gauthier
Lemiuex-Rooney-Howden
Kreider played center prior to BC where he was ‘converted’ to wing. Would love to see him at the pivot; the responsibility would help his focus. Pipe dream at this stage, but ya never know.
Moving either Kreider or Kakko to center lets you put Zib with Bread and move Strome off to right wing where he does have experience. At this point, why not think out of the box a bit?
James – seems not much difference 3rd/4th line for Goat. Pepe or DiG, Howden or Blackwell.
Wolf Pack just like the parent club. Lost the game in the 3rd period. Tyler Wall with 4 GA on 17 shots.
Never thought I’d type these words but they need Chytil back ASAP.
Beezle the real issue is Quinn’s lineup and deployment. Gauthier is a guy I’d like to see on the ice for more minutes unless he flat out can’t handle them. He takes up room out there and he’s starting to drive to the net more.
Important piece if they can guide him along the right path IMO.
Honestly though,when Panarin comes back Quinn should stick him with Zibanejad and put Kreider on the right. When Chytil comes back sandwich him between Laf and Kakko as your second line. If those 6 aren’t going to get it done then no one on this roster is really going to unless Buchnevich is suddenly going to make his presence felt every game.
I forgot my promise if they lost to the devils “I’m Speechless.” And why does Quin still have a job now I’m Speechless! Wait maybe I said if they win I’ll be Speechless. I need to get out of the rocking chair.
Pitchers and catchers reported today.
Vickers – Ratelle – Gilbert
Middleton – Tkhachuck – Fairbairn
Irvine – Stemkowski – Rousseau
MacGregor – Sanderson – Butler
Tomorrow against the philth will be AV’s revenge. Goalies need to flip around to find out who gets shelled.
E3,
No Hadfield?
4 to 6 weeks for Trouba.
Anyone else over this season already?
Ev
It’s hard to watch this clown show for sure.
I like the Big Buff or Fotiu type for Captain who will either throw your clothes in a running shower or stuff you in a garbage can if you’re a shirker or a wise guy.
At this point I’d be ok with the guy who was stuffed in the garbage can.
Jersey Devils notified the Courts today that if the NY Rangers cannot ice a more competitive team, New Jersey will apply to assume the name ‘NY Rangers.’
BDL – I had a premonition that he would giggle in the box serving a 2 minute minor for too many men in the 73-74 semi vs Filthy and traded him to the Penguins. It’s mostly the 74-75 team with a few from 72 tossed in….
E3 said box
Torts’ to do list in his final days as Rangers coach:
-get Wolski out of the hot tub
-write Jim an apology letter
-talk to Hank and the boys about why they haven’t returned my texts
-find Musky
–
Watching canes / panthers, Beat Wide still true to his name.
Torts’ apology to Richards: “Sorry, but don’t blame me. You were the one who was sucking every night.”
They would have to order more garbage cans.
Hello Wilbur, I’m Mr. Ed
ORF said Cans
Kooz said sucking
James said stick
St Pete said job
Beezle said can’t shoot
SN said Size
I’m not funny
🤔
https://i.ibb.co/n72xp88/FB-IMG-1613616128748.jpg