NFT: NY Rangers

to lose the game. I don't know what the problem is but he hasn't been nearly the player he was last season.

but I have not been impressed with Lafreniere so far.

In comment 15133350 nyjuggernaut2 said:

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but I have not been impressed with Lafreniere so far.

He just turned 19 years old 3 months ago. There is going to be an acclimation period.

have thought the other tenant at MSG would be more compelling to watch!

I didn’t see the Blueshirts competing for a playoff spot in a meat grinder of a division against hardened and seasoned rosters but this start in a condensed season is about as disheartening as it can be. I’m not saying it’s time to throw in the towel but if they don’t come out of Buffalo with some positive results, there will be some serious decisions to make.

Teaching and learning lessons...vs doing their all to win.

They are still not a finished products but young guys are doing their part....

Panarin and Zibanejad look nothing like they did last year. Kreider is completely invisible out there.



Fox and K'Andre are really the only two bright spots.

A lot of youth on this team, so I’m not expecting them to be a serious contender or anything, but aside from the first period of opening night, they have generally played very well, but can’t finish these close games. Some of it has been bad luck, some has been some bad mistakes, and most troubling is the lack of production from the top line. Zibanejad and Kreider look out of sync, Shesterkin has not been good, and up and down the lineup, they are mishandling passes, fanning on one timers, missing the net, just not executing on offense. They have played well enough to win these past 3 games, and have 1 point to show for it. Very disappointing, and I suspect they will get going, but in a 56 game season in this division, there is not much room for error.

I think the loss of Fast is underappreciated. Their entries are clumsy and mis-timed. As said by some, the kids are playing well, and I see nothing 'bad' from LaFrenière, he's learning and holding his own.

imo A big factor in lack of chemistry is all the line shuffling in the attempt to find a group that works. But at some point the coach has to use a learned hockey eye to say, these 3, these 3, and these 3. That doesn't seem to be settled. On the late P2 PP with Howden out there with first unit--whytf is he out there.

No question the GA in the 3rd were shaky. Neither of the keepers has any standing yet with the team whereby Igor or Georgiev can steady and energize, kind of the inverse to a query by Brooks at DQ's PG.

scored his 1st for LAK tonight. Out of the Penalty box picked up the puck for a breakaway, Binnington stopped it, but Lias banged home the rebound.

I don't share this for any reason other than patience and it's not like Lias is setting the world on fire, he's playing on the Kings 3rd line, but even now he's still just 22 and is gaining good experience and a proper evaluation IMO.

In comment 15133308 Greg from LI said:

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to lose the game. I don't know what the problem is but he hasn't been nearly the player he was last season.

I dont know shit about this, but this guy is fishy as hell. First, he cant start the bubble series because of "an undisclosed issue" then he looks like garbage in his few starts this yearvincluding a couple lame-os tonight. Then there was the car crash.

Maybe hes a boozer? Again I dont know anything, but he went from being Hasek to Darko Milicic this year.

Also DeAngelo has sucked. So has Lindgren. Zibby has been meh, Kreider has been awful.

WHY DONT THEY FUCKING SHOOT THE PUCK?!

In comment 15133571 chopperhatch said:

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WHY DONT THEY FUCKING SHOOT THE PUCK?!

THANK YOU! Where's Bill Chadwick when you need him? :-)

Buch square in front from 10 or 15 feet forces a pass to Panarin that gets blocked. PP is all pass pass pass, nobody shoots the fucking puck.

played two straight games where they outplayed the Penguins and still lost. A fluke goal in both games. Lindgren throwing the puck in his own goal and the fluttering shot by McCann.

The other night I made a remark that Buchnevich looked a lot better this year shooting the puck instead of always looking for the pass and then he tries a pass with no pressure on him and he's 10 feet from the net. SMH.

I think we got 50 shots on the Devils, we outplayed Pittsburgh both nights, but our goaltending has been abysmal except for Georgie’s game against the Isles. Normally, I wouldn’t panic, but some of the goals Shysterkin has let in have been horrendous in Pittsburgh and the season is only 56 games. You can’t be throwing points away like that. Just can’t. I know the long approach is that the playoffs are not necessary this year, but I kinda feel like that is the benchmark for a good season.

In comment 15133453 pjcas18 said:

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scored his 1st for LAK tonight. Out of the Penalty box picked up the puck for a breakaway, Binnington stopped it, but Lias banged home the rebound. I don't share this for any reason other than patience and it's not like Lias is setting the world on fire, he's playing on the Kings 3rd line, but even now he's still just 22 and is gaining good experience and a proper evaluation IMO.

Lias leaving the Rangers had nothing to with patience ... at least from the Rangers camp anyway. He was / is an entitled brat

In this stacked division for a playoff berth was likely overly optimistic. To me, the biggest disappointment is Igor. The winning goal last night was unacceptable. They’ll get better as will he for sure, but I look at this year as the last year to almost expect/accept missing the playoffs. They have enough “built in” excuses: youth, no preseason, condensed season, loaded division, etc”...very NYG like in that regard except I have faith in their front office, unlike how I feel about Dave...

In comment 15133658 MetsAreBack said:

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In comment 15133453 pjcas18 said: Quote: scored his 1st for LAK tonight. Out of the Penalty box picked up the puck for a breakaway, Binnington stopped it, but Lias banged home the rebound. I don't share this for any reason other than patience and it's not like Lias is setting the world on fire, he's playing on the Kings 3rd line, but even now he's still just 22 and is gaining good experience and a proper evaluation IMO. Lias leaving the Rangers had nothing to with patience ... at least from the Rangers camp anyway. He was / is an entitled brat

I don't know him, so I can't say either way, but I will say if it were *just* Lias then I could more comfortably say it's all Lias, but the way the Rangers have handled Kravtsov and others tells me it's not just Lias.

He could be an entitled brat, but like I said, I don't know him, but the Rangers development of prospects leaves something to do be desired.

I know they are young but I have been kinda hoping to see flashes of greatness from them from time to time. Don't see it. They are top of the draft players so I believe we should expect to see more from them. Goaltending is losing us games. And yes - SHOOT THE PUCK BARRY......!!!!!!

"From time to time"....can we get more than two weeks into his career before proclaiming him a disappointment?

Leon Draisaitl as a 19 year old posted 9 points in 37 games. He turned out OK in the end, no? Not everyone is a McDavid or Crosby who is enormously productive from day 1. In fact, almost no one is, which is why those guys are legendary.

relax - they will bounce back and Lafrenier will get better. The season is very young. Goaltending should improve and it has been great to see Miller play so well on the back end.

will kick in. Easily could have taken all four points over the weekend in Pittsburgh. The young kids look good, especially K'Andre. It's the veterans we'll need more from

The Rangers should have won their last three games and that's with their stars looking like ass.

Patience.

In comment 15133678 Greg from LI said:

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"From time to time"....can we get more than two weeks into his career before proclaiming him a disappointment? Leon Draisaitl as a 19 year old posted 9 points in 37 games. He turned out OK in the end, no? Not everyone is a McDavid or Crosby who is enormously productive from day 1. In fact, almost no one is, which is why those guys are legendary.

Not proclaiming him a disappointment yet . Not expecting him to fill the net. But I am looking for a sign of greatness to come. Hoping he gains confidence soon and provides some offense. Kakko in second year has had limited time but is underwhelming so far. Sure hope they become weapons eventually.

Again, what are your expectations for a teenager?

Three of the top five forwards in TOI are Zib, Strome, and Kreider. None of them are contributing much of anything at the moment. Chytil is playing so well. He deserves a shot at Strome's place on the second line.

I think Kakko has played much better this season, both in his own end and producing scoring chances. PDG-Chytil-Kakko has been, in my opinion, the best line these first 5 games. Lafreniere you can tell has skill. To me, he looks like Kakko last year, a bit tentative. I think we’ll all be signing a different tune when Zibanejad and Kreider get going, and even to a certain degree Panarin. He has 6 points in 5 games, but he has not been the every shift dominating force he was last year.

Problem with this season is time. If they have any shot of making a playoff push, it really needs to start soon. The good thing is, they play a lot of games against all of these teams, so they can make up points in the standings quick if they get going on a 3-4 game winning streak. Conversely to that, the Pens have 8 points, Rangers have 3. The way those games were played, Rangers should have 6, Pens should have 4. These 2 losses were an 8 point swing.

Seems like Lafreniere is deferring an awful lot to vets. Whether this is almost subconscious on his part or something he is being told to do by his coach, I have no idea, but this should get better with time.

Quinn included. When you consider the cap dead space, the short season, the youth of the roster, and planning ahead for the expansion draft with the UFA approach ... making the playoffs this season would be quite an accomplishment.

It seems to me Quinn is a significant question mark, is he the head coach to lead them forward.

In comment 15133714 Greg from LI said:

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Three of the top five forwards in TOI are Zib, Strome, and Kreider. None of them are contributing much of anything at the moment. Chytil is playing so well. He deserves a shot at Strome's place on the second line.

I didn't want them to go hard after a 2C because I thought Chytil deserved a shot at filling the role.

shot, either. He's clearly outplaying Strome.

but I like they way Chytil and Kakko have looked together so far this year. I'd like to see those guys continue playing together for awhile.

He’s flashed in the previous 2 years, his impact on games so far this year goes beyond just flashes. He’s played a very good two way game. If he is able to play tomorrow and going forward, I can see him having what would be an equivalent of a 50 point season (doing math that seems to be a 34 point season in 56 games) and I think his limit is higher than that in future years.

In comment 15133731 Greg from LI said:

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shot, either. He's clearly outplaying Strome.

Yeah, completely agreed. He's the young guy who has been flashing the most. I can see him as a 60 point guy - one of those guys who can play 1C but is a great 2C.

Miller's been great, too.

Good Teams Find a Way to Win
&
Bad Teams Teams Find a Way to Lose...

frustrating to watch. Panarin and Zibanejad look nothing like they did last year. I wonder if Zibanejad is still feeling the effects of COVID-19 because he looks less spry than he did last year. Panarin is doing a lot of floating out there. Kreider is invisible. Strome blows and should not be a top-6 C on any team. If DeAngelo is not producing on offense, he's worthless. Not to mention, his fucking distractions off the ice (i.e. the burner account).


K'Andre, Fox, Chytil and even Kakko to an extent have been positives. Kakko still needs to work on his skating because he's too slow for the pace of the game.

Honestly, if they can flip Zibanejad like they did with Brassard, I'd probably do it. If they can get Sasha Barkov for Zibanejad, I'd do that in a heartbeat.

.......

was a 50 point player when the Sens traded him, Barkov is closer to a 100 point player - and a two way player, Mika was not known for being a 2-way player.

Barkov already in the top 20 players, Mika was not.

Both players are signed for next year at similar deals.

Both have NMC/NTCs

I do think Barkov could be traded but it would be massive not like Brassard for Mika. More like Kakko, Miller or Neils Lundqvist and a 1st

Mika in my opinion would be traded separately. Why would FLA want Mika whose contract expires same times as Sasha's? And then have to extend Mika when they wouldn't extend Sasha?

In comment 15133796 pjcas18 said:

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was a 50 point player when the Sens traded him, Barkov is closer to a 100 point player - and a two way player, Mika was not known for being a 2-way player. Barkov already in the top 20 players, Mika was not. Both players are signed for next year at similar deals. Both have NMC/NTCs I do think Barkov could be traded but it would be massive not like Brassard for Mika. More like Kakko, Miller or Neils Lundqvist and a 1st Mika in my opinion would be traded separately. Why would FLA want Mika whose contract expires same times as Sasha's? And then have to extend Mika when they wouldn't extend Sasha?

He supposedly wants out and wants to go to a bigger market. I agree that we would have to add, but the Panthers could trade for Zibanejad without production dropping off too much. They still have Huberdeau. But yeah, I could see the Panthers looking for our younger guys rather than Zibanejad.

Hypothetically speaking, given how well the Canadians are doing so far in the season, would you consider a Zibanejad for Kotka trade?

In comment 15133813 Anakim said:

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Hypothetically speaking, given how well the Canadians are doing so far in the season, would you consider a Zibanejad for Kotka trade?

Not a chance.

Kotkaniemi is looking more and more like a legit 2C, who can play 3C or 1C, but really fits as a 2C.

He has grown so much physically - and improved his skating and he's such a great play maker. Canadiens went from holy shit we can't find a center to having 4 quality centers 3 under 25, 2 under 22.

I'd trade Danault and Caufield for Mika.

He was one of the top 5 centers in the league last year, and he’s off to a slow start after having COVID. He’s a leader on this team, plays both ends of the ice exceptionally well, kills penalties, scores big goals...5 bad games and we’re shipping him out of town? It’s not like he’s 33 years old, he’s only 27.

In comment 15133819 ShockNRoll said:

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He was one of the top 5 centers in the league last year, and he’s off to a slow start after having COVID. He’s a leader on this team, plays both ends of the ice exceptionally well, kills penalties, scores big goals...5 bad games and we’re shipping him out of town? It’s not like he’s 33 years old, he’s only 27.

Brassard was 28 when we traded him

would be because of his upcoming contract, not because the Rangers don't like him, he's developed into a fantastic player.

but you need to decide after next year (or before) is he an $8M player or not.

In comment 15133836 pjcas18 said:

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would be because of his upcoming contract, not because the Rangers don't like him, he's developed into a fantastic player. but you need to decide after next year (or before) is he an $8M player or not.

Spot on. I am confident that Mika will be a 1C for the next 5 years, but I am doubtful he ever hits the 100+ point pace he was on in his next deal.

Rangers will struggle with the cap, especially if some of the young guys pan out. Looking to move Mika for a younger, cost-controlled player is probably the right move.

In comment 15133836 pjcas18 said:

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would be because of his upcoming contract, not because the Rangers don't like him, he's developed into a fantastic player. but you need to decide after next year (or before) is he an $8M player or not.

Exactly

It's pretty clear Quinn is not the guy for this team. Simply put, the Rangers have looked slow and confused out there. They don't seem to know what they should be doing with the puck when they get it, and where they should be when they don't have it. The constant line juggling is not helping matters either.

PS: Not that it really needs addressing, but trading Mika is laughable. He is an all-star center in the prime of his career (not to mention the only decent NHL-caliber center in the entire organization at the moment.) You sign him, period. It's Buchnevich that you trade; a winger (on a team loaded with players and prospects on the wing) who is about to get paid.

still scares me.

This team checks every box.

Minimal development from young players (Are you happy with anyone besides Fox? I am not. No one that has played the last two seasons has gotten any better besides Foxy.)

Terrible/undisciplined penalties... too many men penalties.

Brutal, slow starts where the team looks unprepared.

No in-game adjustments/line juggling that ever works.

Quinn seems like a nice enough guy, but the longer he stays the more this orginization is digging itself a hole. All these talented youngsters will be wasted and the bust list will grow exponentially.

Everyone wanted to blame the poor defense on Ruff. Now he has the devils playing strong defensive hockey (small sample size) and our defense is still an absolute mess.

QUINN HAS TO GO.

P.s. We have Kreider for 6.5 more years. So when we finally get back to the playoffs three years from now, he can clam up and hide like he has done in every playoffs except his first. This guy has not done a fucking thing for us when it mattered since then.

That contract is going to cripple the NYR for many years to come.

Chytil and Lindgren are two young players developing well, in addition to Fox.

Kakko looks better this year than last. Still not where we need him to be, obviously.

I'm not a Quinn fan, but I think we need some patience.

thank you. I only watch the Rangers and I usually don't even make it make through an entire game anymore so I have no idea who any of the NHL players are on other teams. But I still sports love the Rangers so I appreciate the smart opinions here.

From what I've seen so far 79 Miller looks like a potential future all star. Size strength skating looks good to me (is that accurate?) huge reach. Right now he's my favorite player on the team to watch.

The coach seems to be an issue. I think he's a short timer. The Rangers seem to be at a coaching disadvantage most nights. Anecdotally putting 77 out 3rd in a shootout was very odd. It will be a good day when 77 is gone. The sooner the better.

Based on what I know about the cap and the Rangers go forward plan I hope they don't invest in Mika at his age. Even if they don't get full value back. At this point they can't afford him.

I know they're kids and it's only 5 games but I also agree it would be nice to see 13 & 24 (Kakko looks stronger and has scored 2 goals) show a little more than they have so far. Although I agree with Greg that 13 almost looks like he's trying not to get in the way. I had to google who Leon Draisaitl is but I'm sure we'd all sign up for Lafreniere to mimic his trajectory.

How can anyone not worried about the goalie he's been really bad so far.

These no fan games are tough to watch as it is but when they're playing poorly they're brutal to watch. I hope by the end of the year the young guys show us enough to be excited about a fans in stands 2021-22 season.