Good evening, boneheads!
I found this article to be very interesting, if not entertaining. She uses a lot of statistics, but if you can scroll through that (if you want :-)) you can see that she doesn’t always use them for her decisions. I think this one deserves a little discussion.
Besides, we needed a new post.
50 responses to “Some center options, by Shayna Goldman”
Shayna broke the blog
If only Gorton had drafted a center besides Lias and Chytil.
Those are tough choices ILB. I like Lindholm. Larkin or Horvat might be good, but they’re only signed for 2 more years each and then will need to get hefty raises. Hertl’s knees scare me.
Hertl will need a sizable raise in a year as well.
Need to give Chytil a very long look as the number two center. It would create options. It would enable them to trade Strome, and not necessarily have to get his replacement back in the trade. It would also open up the 3 center spot for Barron. Granted we have seen very little of Barron, but with what we have seen, Barron profiles better as a prototypical 3 center than Chytil.
It’s Go Time!
Hockey Heroes: FDNY vs NYPD @ 20:00 on ESPN2.
So awesome. Watching with my son. A name for FDNY wrung a bell. I googled his info and low and behold he played hockey with me 20 years ago in college.
So awesome to hear John Buccigrass calling his name. Small world.
It’s small world,. but I’d hate to have to paint it.
odd that no new article from Carp after Drury’s presser yesterday
I thought Drury managed to say a lot, without saying to much.
Kravtsov not being on the developmental camp roster, and continuing to skate with the main group, tells you they are confident in him, and where he’s at right now. I think that is a good sign.
I think that Chytil and Barron both at center is interesting. Let’s face it, Barron is blocked on the wing. He needs to be at center. Asset management.
Vancouver not letting Petterson go…. and we can’t trade for Larkin because Yzerman will absolutely fleece us…right?
Love that Drury clarified about Barron as a center. It’s been my suspicion for a while but even earlier this summer when I threw out the thought of Barron at 3C I was mostly just making conversation.
With Goodrow beside him to step in if/when necessary I think 3C is a great fit. The question is who is the LW on that line. Kreider is a good option. Blais could fit. Maybe chytil goes to LW?
Options and versatility are key.
If Kreider goes to RW it makes me wonder which line it’s on.
He played great w Strome last season. He’s been the guy that makes Zibanejad effective for three years now.
Options options options.
With that said I don’t believe he makes the switch. Kakko or Kravtzov will battle to fill out that top six. If one or both can’t assume those roles then there’s a problem
Often times it’s not what the roster looks like on opening night, it’s what it looks like on January 1st that kinda determined what your team is made up of and consists of.
There are so many moving parts. From rookies playing their way onto the team, trades.
The biggest positive from going into the season without having made a big move, is that every young player will get a chance to force his way into being kept. I like that dynamic. Young guys knowing their names are in trade rumors (not bc we don’t like them, but bc other teams like them and part of gameplan for the rangers was accumulating so many good young players knowing some would be used in trades to bring in established players) and those same young players getting a chance to show the front office, ‘you don’t want to trade me. I’m gonna show you guys, you don’t want to trade me. I am your long term solution”
Personally I really like parts of chytils game. He drives the net harder than most of our guys do. There are times he gets the puck in the neutral zone and you can just tell he’s picking a lane and driving to the net. I like that. I’m not in love with his overall awareness of everything going on on the ice as a center, but like drury says he’s 21.
But the parts I like of his game, if the center ice awareness doesn’t developed, is best suited on the wing. And unless kravtsov is moving to center, I like Kakko and kravtsov as wingers better than I do chytil.
So there in lies the reasoning for why I think he eventually gets traded and it’s best off to do it sooner than later. That being said, he’s here and if he gets a chance to center Panarin and it works, well than, chytil forces his way into the long term plans. That’s a jackpot if it happens
And the same goes for jones, lundvist, Robertson, reunanen, and even a guy like panajuemi
Don Cheadle is a Mika in the making; but may take another 3 to 5 years to reach his full scoring potential. Kid wants to score; but not do much else. Doesn’t think the game like a center, just like Mika; sees it as a scoring forward. You could surround him with two way wingers and board scrapers, but when push comes to shove, he has to play the whole rink unless he is setting the world on fire by scoring like Mika, which has not happened yet .
Everyone was so excited when he started out with 3 pt sin 5 games (He’s great!) before getting hurt. Why? Because he had his head down with puck on his stick cruising east-west in the ozone. Then he came back in the Spring when the ice is smaller and did not produce as much. He was 2-6-8 in 23 games against Division playoff teams on the season. Meh.
Habits are easy to make and hard to break. This kid may not have the fortitude to play center on a contending team. Hope he gets some nasty to his game, but just mostly been bouncing around like a happy puppy on the rink. Hope he got a check up from the neck up.
My thoughts on Chytil are very much like Chytil himself, up and down. This season I am optimistic about him. Here’s why. Two seasons back he was sent down to Hartford to start the season. The coaching staff there seemed to get through to him. He was a different player. Since he had been back with Quinn, he had plateaued. With a new, experienced coaching staff, I could see Chytil making a big jump. Chytil is the key to how the Rangers handle the center going forward.
I agree with SNs Meeka comp.
James G, there are a ton of moving pieces that will likely continue to move throughout the season – they seem to have built up real depth up front. The mystery to me is how they adhere to Gallant’s view that he wants toughness/grit up and down the lineup. Unless Kakko and Lafreniere (the likeliest candidates) develop that trait, you might see Goodrow or Kreider (assuming one view him as a gritty player) in top six. That said, Kravtsov on the third line with Chytil and Barron wouldn’t be half bad.
As you say, they have lots of options. To me, it is critical to see what Chytil is. He will provide the answer to the ‘what do we do with Mika and Strome’ question. If he’s a 1 or 2C, then you can move on from one or both of Strome and Zibanejad next year and bring in a solid two-way center (just need to go to the ‘solid two-way center aisle at Walmart) with the money and assets saved/accumulated from trading or not resigning those two.
Chytil might improve rapidly with some protection, finally.
I know that if I had a Probert or a Kocur on my line, I’d skate fearlessly with a lot of brio.
Coos are you suggesting Chytil use Trojans or Durex? 😉
i read Drury’s comments as Chytil likely 3C (with Barron staring in AHL unless he supplants Rooney) and fair chance Kreider is RW.
Chytil looked at his best when paired with Kreider and Buch previously, so think giving him Goodrow and Kreider or Krav would be the way to go. As the season goes on i do think they should look to give him time top 6 as very unlikely both Mika and Strome are coming back
Think you guys are reading a little too much into Drury comments about centers. He said a number of times lineup decisions are up to the coach.
Personally, I want to see Barron play center and would prefer that Chytil be traded or moved to wing and never take face offs again. Maybe Chytil can put up a few more points and do so across the season but that is not the only criteria by which to measure a center.
One is playing on the PK. Raise your hand if you want to see more of that? Since 2018, #531 of 651 forwards in SH TOI per game, 10 games min. 3 minutes so far in 186 games. I know, I know.. the coaches hate him and never give him a chance!
“Why isn’t Hagelin on the power play?”
Torts, “ cause he stinks”
Why do I have that strange feeling that the moment Chytil gets traded, he’ll start looking like a scoring center who isn’t clueless in his own zone? Like BDL said, let’s give this 22 yr old veteran a chance to play for an NHL coach once in four years.
I still think kravtsov or Barron is the odd man out if there are no other deals…
you called that early in the summer wicky. And with no moves having been made, i think your right on
Barron or Kravtsov could very well wind up in Hartford to start.
Key words there are “to start”. It’ll be a long and crazy season. Rarely does an entire opening night roster stay together with no one under performing or getting injured.
With that said I think they’re hoping that both these kids can play their way into regular roles this season.
I cannot believe every ranger beat writer is behind a paywall.
They’ve been operating for the last 15 years as free to read publications and found a way to make money through advertising and the lot.
Suddenly one publication goes behind a paywall and they each follow suit. Bc if we all do, it becomes the new norm.
Out of principle alone. I won’t pay for it. I’ll find everything out secondhand via someone on a forum posting what so and so wrote about today.
How long before these publications websites won’t allow you to copy and paste.
Opportunistics are admirable, so long as your not taking the opportunity to bleed others.
Which is fair game in this world. It’s the name of the game in fact
Bite me media conglomerates
Your all owned and paid for and progoganda at this point anyway
I really pray when Larry or Carp retire we aren’t just left with the Dom and shayna show
I think Barron beats out Rooney, who then becomes the 13th forward.
Of the two, Barron more likely to be AHL at start of season and it is not necessarily a bad thing. Let him get his reps in down there and bring him up in December.
I think both will be on the team opening night, and by December, have prominent roles. Amateur hour behind the bench is over.
May as well buy Kratsov a plane ticket back to Russia if they are going to try and send him to hartford. Barron is an extra or goes down, not Kravtsov. Even if they plan to trade him in the future, it would not be good from a player management perspective to send him down at this stage given what happened last time. Also couldn’t help his trade value if we did so either
https://www.mckeenshockey.com/nhl-blog/top-15-prospects-york-rangers-rank-5-tier-ii/
I think kravtsov will make the team.
I think Barron has to force his way on otherwise he will be playing 1C in Hartford to start to get him reps and big minutes in the middle.
Curious if gallant gives chytil first crack as a center to Panarin and moves strome to the Rw on that line.
If so it allows
Laffy-Mika-Kakko
Panarin-chytil-strome
Kreider-Goodrow-kravtsov
One aspect I hadn’t thought about until just now. If drury is contemplating signing Mika long term doesn’t he first need to see if he fits with either laffy or Kakko. Since one of those two are guaranteed to be our top line winger.
Might as well put your 3 top offensive players (sans breadman) in their natural positions together and see what they can do.
If they can’t figure it out together. It may help make a long term decision or teon
I just keep having the feeling that Barron will be a HUGE part of this team for a long time. And watching and listening to him in that clip above just strengthens that feeling. He looks like a true hockey player.
As I said awhile back, I’m hoping that Barron is the forward version of Ryan Graves that Gorton never got around to trading away. If he can be a solid 3rd liner, like Adam Lowry(?), that would be huge for this organization. Maybe he wasn’t ready and spending most of last year in Hartford was exactly what he needed. He sure passed the eye test for those handful of games he came up at the end of last season.
Barron!! awesome video. looks like he is fully developed. Man strength. Great mindset. Love that drury doesnt have to toe the gorton line of this whole “we see him as a winger” PR BS. If Barron is really is good on faceoffs like in college, he can be the answer as 3C for sure. Maybe he and chytil both grow this year and then our cap situation for center ice looks a little better the next few years.
Rooney I believe is on the team. Built like a role player. Age and maturity to be trusted. Can pot a couple goals but really matchup checking guy.
Othman “ryan reaves taught me a few things” at camp. And THAT is why you like the Reaves trade and signing. True vet leadership with instant credibility.
“Im 175 lbs but like to play like Im heavier. Im a bit of an agitator and like to hit and you have to be ready to defend yourself in the OHL or AHL”
JPP. Thanks for the links man. I wouldve probably missed them.
Zac Jones “fox has the best brain in the NHL the way he thinks the game” damn skippY!!!
just watch how much more aggressive and how much of a better fighter Lingren can be now with Reaves and company having his back
But we brought in ‘Reaves and Company’ so that our important ‘little’ guys don’t have to fight and can concentrate on their talents, which aren’t served by fighting majors.
Brodeur’s new tee shirt reads: Honor the Pasta
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