Good morning, boneheads!
I’m back from vacation. The toughest part of our yearly ski trip is when we have to say goodbye to Wicky’s family. People like that are very difficult to find. And we have a good amount of friends…A lot of tears when we had to leave. Wicky and I? Not a teardrop. 🙂
As you all know, the Rangers called up two 1st rounders, and both are expected to play tonight.
Here is Carp’s article about that.
Also, an interesting article from Larry Brooks regarding the value of tanking.
Go Time post at 7:00 pm.
134 responses to “Game Day”
First line Fast
Second line slow!
Liked my own post dumb!
Welcome back ILB.
Wonder if Chytil and Andersson both play center?
Greek G#Y P0rn Hard!!
Tom,
Keep Spooner and Namestnkov on the wing, and scratch Holland and DD. Opens up two center spots.
DD was a healthy scratch last game.
4th line was Holland, Carey, McLeod.
I imagine Chytil will play 3rd C, Lisa 4th C
Good discussion on Buchnevich and Fast yesterday. My two cents, I think Fasts ceiling is as a good 3rd liner, and I think Buchnevich ceiling is a top 6 winger. Why not take the time now to find out what Buchnevich may be, and okay him with Z, and Kreider. Taking nothing away from how well Fast has played. He is every bit as responsible for how well that line has played as the other two. I just think you need to find out more about Buchnevich. My opinion on Buchnevich is he is probably to slow to play with them, but let’s find out.
Is that THE Newman ?
Not sure what to make of the links to Tyler Sheehy and Daniel Brickley from U.Minn & Minn State? Look like useful players – plus its a good time to be a young Ranger – first season in a while you’re not being blocked by high paid vets.
As long as Bazooka Joe is the coach his son will be top 6!
If i’m reading tankathon right at the moment the Azzlanders have the 8th & 12th picks ? We have 10, 27, 30. Depending on lottery outcomes i’d say they’ve the better chance of moving up into the top 6
Interesting article about Andersson; the Wolfpack coach spoke about the need to transition to learn the North American game and be strong on the wall and win 50/50 battles with the smaller rinks.
.
that sums up this team in a nutshell; inability to win 50/50 battles. No surprise that Krieder, who forces defensive coverage break downs by winning those battles and maintaining possession, along with Fast, who is not afraid to take a hit to make a play, are effective together. Allows Zika’s floating to be less of a liability, particularly with his shot.
.
Of the new guys, Spoon is better on the wall than Names who is a little too much dipsy do. Think about it, which of the forwards can win those battles? very few, which is why the shot charts are so lopsided.
Sheehy did not have a good season this year (12-13-25) then he did last year (20-33-53) – when he was a Hobey Baker finalist. Sheehy had back surgery during the summer and I would guess that played a major part in his lower numbers. Micheletti will love him as a Minnesota native, even though he originally committed to Ohio State. He is not a big player (5-10/185), but he makes up for it with his hockey sense. AV will not like the fact that he doesn’t play “whistle-to-whistle” as he is not shy about getting involved in scrums. He was Central Scouting’s 200th rated player back in 2014.
According to Bob McKenzie, Brickley has narrowed his choices to five NHL teams. Brickley is a big boy (6-3/205) who averaged nearly a point a game 10-25-35 in 40 GP) and fits the Rangers mold because he is – wait for it – a lefty shot. He has a good shot (both slap and wrist) and would be a valuable asset on the point on the PP). Hockey is in his blood as former NHLer and current Bruins color analysts Andy Brickley is his cousin (as his Panthers forward Connor Brickley). Brickley almost left school last year, but decided to return for his Junior season.
Thanks AnthonyM. I suppose with draft picks in hand this year there’s less need to delve into college free agents, but no harm in taking a flyer on one or two and trying them out in Hartford
Ilb
Oh man, we miss you guys already. You guys are the best of everything. Next get together can’t happen soon enough.
❤️❤️❤️
Ron Darling mentioned something yesterday about how (pre-Jeter) the Marlins outstanding outfield of Yelich, Ozuna, and Stanton precluded everyone in their system from breaking into the outfield there for years. Suddenly, it’s open house, Ya never know!
It is funny how the undrafted UFA prospects always get more ink than the undrafted UFA Junior players. It might take signing a bunch of these type of players, but everyone now and then you come up with a Cam Talbot or Dan Girardi and even a European undrafted UFA like Zucc or Georgiev.
Sheehy? He might be advised to make up his/her mind before moving into a cubicle here.
ilb cured Wicky of his various ills and ailments and Wicky promised next NY visit, to put a beat-down on the guy who has been taking ilb’s parking space at the hospital. This, as with Casablanca, is how beautiful friendships blossom.
Ilb
Is it true that Wicky is sent to the quite room at least twice a day? 😛
quite what?
Quite a pain in the aasen?
Quite the room.
Quiet Earp
Never heard anyone but the Brits use the word ‘quite’ alone as a concept.
Quite Wyatt or there may be a riot!
Quite a full room of smart asses 🙂
Not sure if that was grammatically correct or not.
Quite the Raven, Nevermore.
The best thing since quiced bread.
The Quite Man
I think it’s best if we bring Lisa and Phil along slowly. Let them watch from the pressbox for 5-6 games or so before getting their feet wet.
You’re right, Dave. The ice is terrible.
If the old lady threw Adam Graves out of his Press Box seat, she won’t hesitate to jettison these two rooks.
Maybe let them work with Arniel over the summer?
So Dubble Bubble finally figured out a way to get rid of McLeod – skate him to death. McLeodkovich (patent pending) is going to need a rocket up his arse to keep up with Names and Buch.
Better they work with Benoit Allaire? 🙂
The Scotsman is probably faster than either or both.
McLeod makes an arrogant statement by not wearing a face shield, but gives up a lot of protection when the dukes start flying.
Hayes to the wing is interesting.
Are Namestoolong and Butch 4th liners? Or is McLeod a 2nd liner?
Get rid of babycakes Odell beckham. I’ve called it from the beginning. That dude is gonna flame out here. Sociopath delusional playboy wannabe who happens to be an elite runner and catcher and elusive and explosive to boot. But in the modern world, this insane culture in America for professional athletes, he’s literally this mix of dangerous/joke/talented. Get rid of him. Addition by subtraction. 30 teams don’t have Odell Beckham Jr. and they seem to do alright, some more than alright. That dude is not a giant and that dude is not even LT. he’s a flakey fruitcake
Mara may have had enough.
Whatever you do. DO NOT Give this guy this contract. I have a feeling he’s gonna ruin the franchise while going Britney Spears at some point
If Buch is really on the 4th line with McLeod AV should just be sent home….sans supper!
Great question Dave. Based on AVs history with Buchnevich, I’d say they were 4th liners. And honestly, if you base it on the way Buchnevich and Namestnkov have played, 4th liners be is where they belong.
The Giants will never get equal value for him, and that fact should not deter them. He needs to go.
I might MIGHT have one more year of Pro Football interest left. When Eli goes, I go with him.
I can’t stand Odell. Good riddance please!
Can you imagine Beckham with a rookie QB? Catastrophe.
I had sent a post two nights ago that didn’t go thru.
Congratulating Mr. Stan Fischler on living and enjoying a hockey career any fan could only dream of. I think a couple of old timers should get together and do a podcast or radio segment. Old timers will prob love it, some of youse types will get a kick out of here, and the younger generations can look at it like some funny joke. I think it’s kind of a fun idea.
And also a major heave ho to Eddie O. You think life’s real until it really gets real right. We all get tested, different manifestations of the tests. Congrats on fighting the darkness. Shines a whole new light on everything 😉
Hoping Gettleman does the right thing. Agree 100% with BDL’s 11:54. Cancer. Let him be someone else’s $100 Million headache. Cheapens the brand.
No remorse for any of what he does now. What will he be like AFTER he gets his money. Good riddance!
Can you imagine Odell now, with the richest contract in NFL history. If not his head, something will explode. I really stopped giving an F about football bc I can’t watch it anymore. My head hurts just watching football. So the whole Odell thing, it hasn’t really fazed me. But I’ve been reading and paying attention since the new boss was brought in, interested in the organization building decisions that go down with the new boss. And seeing Odell pictures and that video and everything I remember from those meltdowns on the field. He seems unstable and on drugs. And I’m not talking the stuff that’s legal in a lot of states now. He has the look of it. he always has too. This isn’t a new thing.
Oh so you guys have been talking about it huh. I just saw the post article about not steeping on the field and came here to post my thoughts. I’m glad you guys see it the same way. I’m sure Mara and gettlemen do too. I’d rather have a young Steve smith than Odell Beckham. Different upbringing different issues
He’s a great player of football, but otherwise sucks.
Get rid of him and don’t look back.
Football blah blah blah!
Cannot for the life of me figure out why vlad and buch share a 4th line with McLeod. Get rid of this clown April 8
He’s there to keep them alive and healthy for the time being. What else could be the reason?
i knew heads would explode over this
Dan Rosen
Verified account
@drosennhl
NYR lines:
Kreider-Zibanejad-Fast,
Hayes-Chytil-Zuccarello,
Vesey-Andersson-Spooner,
McLeod-Namestnikov-Buchnevich.
AV said Chytil and Andersson might get some PK time. PP units rolling now so unlikely they get PP time.
https://twitter.com/drosennhl/status/978293261201821696?s=19
AV hates Russian players.
haze on wing? Who the F mentioned that recently??
Dan Rosen
Verified account
@drosennhl
Philipp Grubauer is in the starter’s net for the Caps. Braden Holtby is in the other net.
Should Spoon on Heetle’s wing instead of Zucc; too much defense coverage for the rook to manage.
Should ‘have’ Spoon
carps old coworker
https://twitter.com/janesports/status/978303229246296066
Colin Stephenson
@ColinASteph
More Colin Stephenson Retweeted Rich Prehart
Georgiev playing, Pavelec backing up. @HLundqvist30 back at practice tomorrow and good to go for Wednesday in D.C.
fast was hurt at beginning
Alex Spina
@Aspina25
Replying to @MattCalamia
Season opener:
20-93-89
61-72-36
40-13-10
26-51-28
Now:
20-93-17
13-72-36
23-50-26
8-90-89
AV> Against Vodka!
AV believes in the Deterrence Fairy, old-school nonsense. McCleod has no business being anywhere this audition. Otherwise the lines make sense, give the rooks someone to play with.
Good one, St Pete!
AV is pro-prohibition!
AV sure is a lot tougher on Russians than trump!
I don’t understand the outrage about McLeod playing. Who’s he in the way of? While we may not believe a deterrent is important, players do. Buchnevich and Namestnkov are going to play on the PP. they will still get there 14 minutes. Heck, they may even get a little extra space on the ice playing with McLeod.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/allen/2018/03/26/nhl-mock-draft-first-round-projections-rasmus-dahlin/457770002/
1st rd projections has us taking a center with our 1st pick. a dman and left winger later.
BDL
they could double shift another forward instead of McLeod at times.
Barack: “you know, The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back.”
Mitt: (dude, are you for real??)
Mitt to AV: “hey – way to go, Bazooka Joe!”
Absolutely Alex.
Alex – An undersized lefty d-man (Rasmus Sandin ; 5-11/190). I can just imagine a fan finding out that the Rangers drafted a Swedish defenseman named Rasmus and being all excited until they find out it was Sandin and not Dahlin.
I just found out that Arda Ocal is speaking at Iona College tonight as part of a Mass Comm Industry Panel. Now, if the great Anson Carter were going to be there I would definitely pass up the Andersson/Chytil Show tonight 🙂
Is that the Mets new shortstop?
BDL, I don’t sense much outrage about McCleod. It annoys me, but I’m an anti-fighting pansy. I’d rather see an audition for any forward on the farm, literally any warm body who has even the slightest chance of sticking at the NHL level as a Ranger or trade bait. And I’d rather see who can handle himself out there without McNanny glowering from the bench. Take care of your own business or think about a career in curling.
McLeod has to be in the lineup with Timid Tom Wilson playing. Has to!
Slats will not allow a team to be iced in MSG without a legitimate pugilist aboard.
Who was the pugilist before McLeod this season?
Zucc was Norm who else?
Just catching up. I don’t mind the lines at all, not sure why people are upset. You want to see these two in action, don’t give them 4th line minutes. What Buchnevich and Namestnikov do at this point isn’t as important. And like BDL said, they’ll get their PP minutes.
We’ve seen everything from DD, Holland, and Carey this year. They’re all goners.
And McLeod has a pretty clear purpose for being in the lineup tonight. Like it or not, that’s the reality.
OK, I’ll bite, ilb. I would have said McCleod’s clear purpose is to keep fight fans hopeful that there might be a fight. I find just about any other explanation to be hogwash. Oh, the rookies need protection. What if the team is dragging and needs a spark. It’s “part of the game”, whatever that means. I’d prefer if the league were more honest about it: Many fans like fights, and they can’t get them in the three major sports.
First Good Guy!
Buch should have another year to prove his worth
Hayes belongs on the wing…and another team
Not a McLeod fan but with 2 rookies coming in and the idiot Wilson in the line up he has to play
Meaning: he has to fight?
He does not need to fight. He’s there in case the Wilson hits the fan. Having watched Wilson play over the years, he would be much more likely to do something stupid if McLeod were not in the lineup. He may still do something stupid, but just less likely.
So McLeod doesn’t need to fight unless Wilson tries something, in which case I assume McLeod will need to. I would love to see if there’s a correlation, Wick, between his fights and goon/no-goon presence on the other bench. Not saying your impression is wrong–I don’t watch Wilson except vs. Rangers–but it would be interesting to see if he’s statistically deterred by goons. Plus which, unlike McLeod he can actually play and may want to earn scorer money rather than goon money.
Norm, I know I’m not going to win this one anyway. But how about taking Tom Wilson out of the lineup for 5-10 min? That is 5-10 min less in his opportunity to do something stupid.
Win, ilb? Not sure what you mean. I’m not trying to bring anyone over to my point of view, just expressing it. But if you mean the Rangers should beat Wilson to stupidity, that’s at least an argument other than We Want Fights! (Sort of, because it’s goading him into one.) I’m not a fan of preemptive gooning, but I don’t like any at all, which makes me, I know, an outlier.
Sorry, Wick/BDL about the name mixup in my 3:30. Brain fart.
Beat Wilson to stupidity? Where did I say that? In fact, I think he is a much better fighter than McLeod. Point is, if they fight once or twice, Wilson will sit in the penalty box. In case you haven’t seen him play, he is only 23 and has over 600 penalty minutes and was suspended twice this year already for dangerous, head hunting plays.
Norm agree what BDL said on McLeod. Wilson is much more likely to do something stupid if McLleod is not dressed
What you want to happen with McLeod in the lineup is nothing. That’s the idea behind dressing him. You want Wilson to think twice before doing something stupid.
This is a generic question, but did I miss an era of the nhl where fighting was prohibited, not just penalized?
I’m extremely old, and I always remember there being fights.
Did I miss something?
Wicky,
The fighters ruined it for themselves with the ridiculous staged fights. Spontaneous fighting used to be the way the game went. Once they started staging them, it became a joke.
Bdl
I agree re staged fights, but my question still stands…
Was there a time where fights were prohibited?
My issue is burying Buch with McLeod and Names (who may be playing himself out of the franchise), while Fast is up with Kreider and Mika. The games are meaningless, but we should still be using this time to develop one of our only offensive wingers. Nothing against Fast and he has been looking good with those two, but don’t see his longterm place as a 1st line or even 2nd line winger, whereas Id hope the Rangers still think that is possible for Buch, even if he isn’t the next Tarasenko.
Who else wore those numbers for the Rangers before?
Pete I suspect that the mgt. views getting (and keeping) Mika and THE rolling as much, if not more, important that seeing if Buch deserves future 1st line minutes. That the bruiser is on the line is a numbers thing unique to the game tonight (we should hope). But playing with Namestoolong, who was on a top line with TB for a large part of the year, should not stunt Buch’s development in any way.
And in totally sucky developments, I’ve got a 7PM metting tonight that will likely take most if not all of the game. Arg!
I don’t love the large numbers. Wish more guys would wear numbers in the 10s and 20s.
Rob
1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 11 aren’t available 😉
Mika and Kreider are largely known quantities tho at this point so don’t see 7 games at the end of this season meaning too much in the grand scheme of things for those guys. Maybe it wouldn’t mean anything for Buch either, but still frustrating. Hopefully there is a new coach here next year who gives him a fresh start
@CCCP They need to move to a license plate format to reuse those lower numerals, 7Z, 3B, 2A. All fine apartments as well
Rob, I also see this as the only real issue with tonight’s lineup. Seriously.
ilb, sorry about the delay–ferry ride from Orcas Island, delightful–what I meant by beating Wilson to stupidity was taking him out preemptively. I thought that’s what you meant by taking him out of the lineup.
lol @ apartment numbers!
BobbyO, do you have data on Wilson’s alleged proclivity to blow up only or primarily if there’s no opposing goon? Again, not saying it’s not true, just curious about evidence. Sold on McLeod if it’s an actual cowardly thing he does. But again, he may want to have a real career if he thinks he can or even wants to discipline himself.
Norm would prefer that in time of war, we make no use of Sherman, Grant, Patton, Schwarzkopf, or Mad Dog Mattis. He would prefer us to utilize PeeWee Harman and Mister Rogers and make the best of it.
Welcome back, captain! Do you hate Wicky now?
for the record, I do.
Norm no data readily available but but sure he among leaders in fighting majors and has been suspended for boarding in the past.
Staal goes after Semin, not Ovi, LOL. And all he succeeded in doing was to disrobe him and get him ready for a nice, ho tbath.
When he’s in town, Terrible Tom stays in a boarding house.
Pretty dull crowd around here, actually.
CCCP – According to Hockey Reference, Andersson will be the first Rangers player to wear #50 in an NHL game. Chytil was the first and Rangers player to wear # 72.
For the record, once Lias makes his debut the Rangers will have 13 numbers that have never been worn in a regulation NHL game. The numbers are: 52, 57, 59, 60, 64, 65, 66, 69, 78, 79, 83, 85, 98.
While technically not a number,00 was worn by John Davidson for a brief time in 1978. For some reason, the NHL rules prohibit anyone from wearing 00 (and I suppose 0 as well).
The number with the most players is #6 (45 players) followed by #14 (44 players), #16 (42 players), and #21 (40 players).
In the end, i don’t think fighting isn’t “a part of the game”. It seems to have been around a long time, the people that quote that aren’t wrong when referring to professional hockey.
My guess would be that those that know more about the non professional game or the high school level or below may have a distaste for fighting.
Some may not like “contact” in general.
If it bothers folks that much, then perhaps they should just watch high school games etc, so they don’t have to deal with potentially seeing a fight or physical contact.
I think staged fights between two guys that contribute nothing else (most of those guys are gone now) are ridiculous most of the time (unless they are payback from a previous game event…mcilrath v simmonds), but I’m all for post whistle scrums that lead to scraps or attempts at game changing momentum with two willing participants etc.
McIlrath-Simmonds was the highlight of last season. Simmonds answered the bell quite well.
Agreed on both points
Some of us are living in the 70’s. Goons don’t attack non-goons anymore. Wilson is a goon? That’s effing laughable.
Time to wake up.
EYES WIDE OPEN NOW.
Fighting the n this game is OVA. Just what Bettman and the owners wanted
NEW POST