Lineup hasn't been officially announced but based on morning skate.....Morgan Barron gets a shot
Bread-Zib-Kreider
Lafreniere-Chytil-Blais
Hunt-Rooney-Goodrow
Barron-McKegg-Reaves
but if I'm the Rangers I'm quietly hoping for a non-serious injury to a bottom pair D to allow them to bring up Braden Schneider.
I think he's ready, so fundamentally sound. Big, physical, he's not Cale Makar, but he's not a black hole offensively.
Immediate upgrade at the blue line IMO.
In the 2020 draft there were three Canadian defenseman who were drafted within 10 picks of each other and IMO were practically clones (Kaiden Guhle #16 (MTL), Braden Schneider #19 (NYR) and Justin Barron #25 (COL) - Morgan's brother) interested in seeing how their careers turn out.
Barron and Schneider in the AHL, Guhle still in WHL all three were on the Canada WJC team the US beat in the finals.
but if I'm the Rangers I'm quietly hoping for a non-serious injury to a bottom pair D to allow them to bring up Braden Schneider.
I think he's ready, so fundamentally sound. Big, physical, he's not Cale Makar, but he's not a black hole offensively.
Immediate upgrade at the blue line IMO.
In the 2020 draft there were three Canadian defenseman who were drafted within 10 picks of each other and IMO were practically clones (Kaiden Guhle #16 (MTL), Braden Schneider #19 (NYR) and Justin Barron #25 (COL) - Morgan's brother) interested in seeing how their careers turn out.
Barron and Schneider in the AHL, Guhle still in WHL all three were on the Canada WJC team the US beat in the finals.
Agree. I think Braden Schneider will be the best of the current crop of young NYR D (excluding Fox). I know they bring different skill sets, but I was surprised they sent him down in favor of Lundqvist, Tinordi et al.
some growing pains with Schneider, and wanted to make sure he was getting a regular shift. Sending a player down kills their confidence, and takes a while to build it back up, so in order to avoid that they probably sent him to Hartford. just my opinion.
If you wind up with Tinordi or Nemeth in the press box, big deal, but you don't want Schneider there.
It feels like we're winning because of two players and two players only: Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin. Both are carrying this team.
Seems like an interesting game to post this as a reaction to. Chytil continues to play well and gets on the board with a goal last night, Lafreniere had a 2 point night, Blais was phenomenal all over the ice (though he takes too many penalties), Lindgren is a perfect complement to Fox, and that is quietly one of the best top pairings in the league, and the top line was actually good, just couldn't beat the goalie's best friend last night. Trouba also had a great game last night, and while he has his flaws, there are two occasions this year where he made a play that absolutely would have resulted in a goal. This team is far from perfect, but having played the majority of their small number of games without 2 of their top 6 forwards, they're getting the job done.
I'll give you that Igor is THE reason they won the Toronto game. They had zero business winning that one, but the win in Nashville featured several players putting on great performances.
Objectively, we're getting outplayed, but we keep getting points. The PP is a fucking disaster and the second PP unit is a joke.
But 3-1-1 to start the season. Not too shabby.
Hey Anakim! I should have combined my thoughts! I agree 100% with you about the PP, wow they're bad. I was saying to a friend last night that a 2 minute minor is really like a 1:20/1:30 minute power play for the Rangers since the second unit is so bad. Strome and Kakko's returns should help with that, but for now, I am not sure I've ever seen a worse PP unit assembled.
- as said above, Igor and Fox been extraordinary, even when run over
- Laf doesn't seem intimidated by the physical game
- same with Nils, not big for a d-man, willing to mix it up
- Zib skating hard, pushing in attacking zone
- Goodrow (not easy coming from TBL back-to-back Cup winners, slumming in MSG) and Blais looking for roles, works in process once linemates settle
- Fox and Lindgren cont' play well together
Half empty:
- Panarin doesn't look like the Breadman we're used to, think he's unhappy Buch got dealt, going thru motions right now, imo
- Igor and Fox--can't be so dependent, and Igor is not going to play every game, esp. b-t-b
- man I miss Buch so much, GG would love him, two way tough guy; I don't like Drury's team nearly as much
- was ready to quit after that pathetic 5 on 3; 'Nak is right, PP sucks and 2nd unit is a joke, starting with JT
- not even sure Dolan/Slats' mandate and Drury's implementation for 'grittier' even works when grit is largely confined to 3rd/4th lines and one of those pieces doesn't dress, roster construction, again. Is why TBL was so extraordinary, their guys were largely two-way with talent and grit, ours largely bi-polar
I'm so used to the Rangers being 3-7 after 10 games that 3-1-1 sounds awesome, even if we're not playing great yet (with the exception of Sherk).
Exactly. People complaining about this need to remember the starts under Quinn. I’d rather they win games while trying to figure it out than watch the team give up 4-6 goals every night and lose.
I didn't think they got outplayed at all last night
they got virtually no puck luck and while they weren't dominant, it felt like they were consistently carrying the balance of play by just a little and were bound to get one or two to go.
Definitely understand the concern with lack of scoring. It will need to improve, no debate there. Especially with the injuries, I think there's still some rapport left to be built among the forward combinations.
Beyond that, the nice thing is that if this looks like a team worth making a run with, they've got the cap space for a deadline move or two.
The frustrating part to me last night (beyond the obvious PP failures) was that while they didn't commit a ton of penalties, the ones they did commit were mostly just really stupid and avoidable decisions.
I'm so used to the Rangers being 3-7 after 10 games that 3-1-1 sounds awesome, even if we're not playing great yet (with the exception of Sherk).
Exactly. People complaining about this need to remember the starts under Quinn. I’d rather they win games while trying to figure it out than watch the team give up 4-6 goals every night and lose.
Right. We are wining the type of game we usually lost under Quinn.
We could have outshot them 2:1, won 5-0 and people would still be complaining we were only 40% on faceoffs.
- as said above, Igor and Fox been extraordinary, even when run over
- Laf doesn't seem intimidated by the physical game
- same with Nils, not big for a d-man, willing to mix it up
- Zib skating hard, pushing in attacking zone
- Goodrow (not easy coming from TBL back-to-back Cup winners, slumming in MSG) and Blais looking for roles, works in process once linemates settle
- Fox and Lindgren cont' play well together
Half empty:
- Panarin doesn't look like the Breadman we're used to, think he's unhappy Buch got dealt, going thru motions right now, imo
- Igor and Fox--can't be so dependent, and Igor is not going to play every game, esp. b-t-b
- man I miss Buch so much, GG would love him, two way tough guy; I don't like Drury's team nearly as much
- was ready to quit after that pathetic 5 on 3; 'Nak is right, PP sucks and 2nd unit is a joke, starting with JT
- not even sure Dolan/Slats' mandate and Drury's implementation for 'grittier' even works when grit is largely confined to 3rd/4th lines and one of those pieces doesn't dress, roster construction, again. Is why TBL was so extraordinary, their guys were largely two-way with talent and grit, ours largely bi-polar
Appreciate all of the thoughts.
I can't agree with you on Panarin. To my eye he was working really hard out there.
I've not seen (or heard) anything w/r/t him being even slightly unhappy. I think some of the bench visuals were his frustration with the near chances that just weren't finding nylon for that line last night.
I can't agree with you on Panarin. To my eye he was working really hard out there.
I've not seen (or heard) anything w/r/t him being even slightly unhappy. I think some of the bench visuals were his frustration with the near chances that just weren't finding nylon for that line last night.
hoya, I can't counter with facts, which is why I qualified w/ imo--and I don't read all the team's web sites for stuff. My impressions have been that he felt so comfortable with last year's teammates, you could see it on his face, esp. his fellow Russki. It's a new coach, new system, and maybe he's in adjustment mode, makes all the sense in the world, but my eyes tell me he's not in synch right now, maybe mainly the newness of it all.
GG has always struck me as no-nonsense, which this team needed a strong dose of, it's true, but Artemi just seems off to me.
With the exception of Panarin dogging it. I don't think he is at all.
I don't love the roster construction. Blais has played reasonably well so far. Better than I expected, really. But I still don't love him in a top role.
Scoring wins games in the NHL and if this team can't figure out how to manufacture even-strength goals consistently, they won't be making the playoffs. They have something like 5 ES goals on the year through 5 games, and one of those was an empty netter.
I also wouldn't count Kravtsov out just yet. NYR isn't going to get fair value back on him and desperately his playmaking. Word is Gallant attempted to mend fences (not sure whether this is before the suspension or after). It makes too much sense for them not to come to an understanding. Both sides fucked this up and it's going to take both sides realizing there's too much to be gained from fixing this situation to not make another go of it.
While I didn't say 'dogging it', I guess 'going through the motions' could be construed as such. Maybe I should have said right now his head doesn't seem into it, making passes right to a defender inside their own blue line. Again, a lot of changes...no doubt absence of Strome has effect too.
I said above, maybe in this thread, that GG had phoned Kravtsov, to emphasize that he was wanted, pretty sure this was post-suspension, as in neither Vitaly nor his agent would pick up the phone if it was Dreary. Who knows what role Gallant had in that decision to send him to AHL?
You're right, both sides need to try to mend to make it less bad for both, and this seems redux as per Lias: wasn't Drury in the middle of that also at Hartford?
What made no sense from the get-go was keeping Hajek and the rest of the dreck at the expense of a roster spot, even if it cost him ice time. I thought he played more than reasonably well the last 10-12 games of the season. Yeah, he's young and doesn't (yet) have a banger's body. But as you say, as we all see, the team needs scoring, and take away a couple pieces from the top 6 and it's a drought.
- Morgan Barron, he needs to be at C position 3rd or 4th. At one point last night he was in the high slot looking to distribute and got off a decent, not great, shot that Preds' keeper gobbled up. But I just don't remember if that was on PP or not, but he looked very comfortable there, at 22 years of age, he too not afraid to mix it up. After he took the shot, for whatever reason, MSG cameras flashed to Gallant, who took out his pad and took notes. His eyes may have been some place completely different.
Aside from the Toronto game, they've held their own as far as possession goes, and Toronto has the kind of high end talent to do that to most teams in the league. They can generate some shots, but they don't have too many guys who can actually convert many of those shots. On top of that they're missing two from the top 6 and Panarin is off to a slow start.
I'm optimistic, but at some point they're going to need another skill guy or two.
I mean that's due to Kakko/Strome injuries and Kravstov being himself.
Kreider at RW is a failed experiment. When everybody is healthy we should run
Laf-Zib-Kakko
Panarin-Strome-Blais
Kreider-Chytil-Goodrow
Hunt-Barron-Reaves
That's what happens on any team when 3 guys from your expected/projected top 9 are out.
Quote:
Woof. And for all the hand-wringing, that bottom 6 looks as bad as ever.
That's what happens on any team when 3 guys from your expected/projected top 9 are out.
Get that. That's going to happen in any season. Precisely why you don't deal away young, top-line players who play both ways.
I think he's ready, so fundamentally sound. Big, physical, he's not Cale Makar, but he's not a black hole offensively.
Immediate upgrade at the blue line IMO.
In the 2020 draft there were three Canadian defenseman who were drafted within 10 picks of each other and IMO were practically clones (Kaiden Guhle #16 (MTL), Braden Schneider #19 (NYR) and Justin Barron #25 (COL) - Morgan's brother) interested in seeing how their careers turn out.
Barron and Schneider in the AHL, Guhle still in WHL all three were on the Canada WJC team the US beat in the finals.
I think he's ready, so fundamentally sound. Big, physical, he's not Cale Makar, but he's not a black hole offensively.
Immediate upgrade at the blue line IMO.
In the 2020 draft there were three Canadian defenseman who were drafted within 10 picks of each other and IMO were practically clones (Kaiden Guhle #16 (MTL), Braden Schneider #19 (NYR) and Justin Barron #25 (COL) - Morgan's brother) interested in seeing how their careers turn out.
Barron and Schneider in the AHL, Guhle still in WHL all three were on the Canada WJC team the US beat in the finals.
Agree. I think Braden Schneider will be the best of the current crop of young NYR D (excluding Fox). I know they bring different skill sets, but I was surprised they sent him down in favor of Lundqvist, Tinordi et al.
If you wind up with Tinordi or Nemeth in the press box, big deal, but you don't want Schneider there.
i think Schneider is better than both right now.
But 3-1-1 to start the season. Not too shabby.
2 points for Blais and the bottom six played well.
Color me pleased for right now
Seems like an interesting game to post this as a reaction to. Chytil continues to play well and gets on the board with a goal last night, Lafreniere had a 2 point night, Blais was phenomenal all over the ice (though he takes too many penalties), Lindgren is a perfect complement to Fox, and that is quietly one of the best top pairings in the league, and the top line was actually good, just couldn't beat the goalie's best friend last night. Trouba also had a great game last night, and while he has his flaws, there are two occasions this year where he made a play that absolutely would have resulted in a goal. This team is far from perfect, but having played the majority of their small number of games without 2 of their top 6 forwards, they're getting the job done.
I'll give you that Igor is THE reason they won the Toronto game. They had zero business winning that one, but the win in Nashville featured several players putting on great performances.
But 3-1-1 to start the season. Not too shabby.
Hey Anakim! I should have combined my thoughts! I agree 100% with you about the PP, wow they're bad. I was saying to a friend last night that a 2 minute minor is really like a 1:20/1:30 minute power play for the Rangers since the second unit is so bad. Strome and Kakko's returns should help with that, but for now, I am not sure I've ever seen a worse PP unit assembled.
- as said above, Igor and Fox been extraordinary, even when run over
- Laf doesn't seem intimidated by the physical game
- same with Nils, not big for a d-man, willing to mix it up
- Zib skating hard, pushing in attacking zone
- Goodrow (not easy coming from TBL back-to-back Cup winners, slumming in MSG) and Blais looking for roles, works in process once linemates settle
- Fox and Lindgren cont' play well together
Half empty:
- Panarin doesn't look like the Breadman we're used to, think he's unhappy Buch got dealt, going thru motions right now, imo
- Igor and Fox--can't be so dependent, and Igor is not going to play every game, esp. b-t-b
- man I miss Buch so much, GG would love him, two way tough guy; I don't like Drury's team nearly as much
- was ready to quit after that pathetic 5 on 3; 'Nak is right, PP sucks and 2nd unit is a joke, starting with JT
- not even sure Dolan/Slats' mandate and Drury's implementation for 'grittier' even works when grit is largely confined to 3rd/4th lines and one of those pieces doesn't dress, roster construction, again. Is why TBL was so extraordinary, their guys were largely two-way with talent and grit, ours largely bi-polar
Exactly. People complaining about this need to remember the starts under Quinn. I’d rather they win games while trying to figure it out than watch the team give up 4-6 goals every night and lose.
Definitely understand the concern with lack of scoring. It will need to improve, no debate there. Especially with the injuries, I think there's still some rapport left to be built among the forward combinations.
Beyond that, the nice thing is that if this looks like a team worth making a run with, they've got the cap space for a deadline move or two.
The frustrating part to me last night (beyond the obvious PP failures) was that while they didn't commit a ton of penalties, the ones they did commit were mostly just really stupid and avoidable decisions.
Quote:
I'm so used to the Rangers being 3-7 after 10 games that 3-1-1 sounds awesome, even if we're not playing great yet (with the exception of Sherk).
Exactly. People complaining about this need to remember the starts under Quinn. I’d rather they win games while trying to figure it out than watch the team give up 4-6 goals every night and lose.
Right. We are wining the type of game we usually lost under Quinn.
We could have outshot them 2:1, won 5-0 and people would still be complaining we were only 40% on faceoffs.
- as said above, Igor and Fox been extraordinary, even when run over
- Laf doesn't seem intimidated by the physical game
- same with Nils, not big for a d-man, willing to mix it up
- Zib skating hard, pushing in attacking zone
- Goodrow (not easy coming from TBL back-to-back Cup winners, slumming in MSG) and Blais looking for roles, works in process once linemates settle
- Fox and Lindgren cont' play well together
Half empty:
- Panarin doesn't look like the Breadman we're used to, think he's unhappy Buch got dealt, going thru motions right now, imo
- Igor and Fox--can't be so dependent, and Igor is not going to play every game, esp. b-t-b
- man I miss Buch so much, GG would love him, two way tough guy; I don't like Drury's team nearly as much
- was ready to quit after that pathetic 5 on 3; 'Nak is right, PP sucks and 2nd unit is a joke, starting with JT
- not even sure Dolan/Slats' mandate and Drury's implementation for 'grittier' even works when grit is largely confined to 3rd/4th lines and one of those pieces doesn't dress, roster construction, again. Is why TBL was so extraordinary, their guys were largely two-way with talent and grit, ours largely bi-polar
Appreciate all of the thoughts.
I can't agree with you on Panarin. To my eye he was working really hard out there.
I've not seen (or heard) anything w/r/t him being even slightly unhappy. I think some of the bench visuals were his frustration with the near chances that just weren't finding nylon for that line last night.
I've not seen (or heard) anything w/r/t him being even slightly unhappy. I think some of the bench visuals were his frustration with the near chances that just weren't finding nylon for that line last night.
GG has always struck me as no-nonsense, which this team needed a strong dose of, it's true, but Artemi just seems off to me.
I don't love the roster construction. Blais has played reasonably well so far. Better than I expected, really. But I still don't love him in a top role.
Scoring wins games in the NHL and if this team can't figure out how to manufacture even-strength goals consistently, they won't be making the playoffs. They have something like 5 ES goals on the year through 5 games, and one of those was an empty netter.
I also wouldn't count Kravtsov out just yet. NYR isn't going to get fair value back on him and desperately his playmaking. Word is Gallant attempted to mend fences (not sure whether this is before the suspension or after). It makes too much sense for them not to come to an understanding. Both sides fucked this up and it's going to take both sides realizing there's too much to be gained from fixing this situation to not make another go of it.
I said above, maybe in this thread, that GG had phoned Kravtsov, to emphasize that he was wanted, pretty sure this was post-suspension, as in neither Vitaly nor his agent would pick up the phone if it was Dreary. Who knows what role Gallant had in that decision to send him to AHL?
You're right, both sides need to try to mend to make it less bad for both, and this seems redux as per Lias: wasn't Drury in the middle of that also at Hartford?
What made no sense from the get-go was keeping Hajek and the rest of the dreck at the expense of a roster spot, even if it cost him ice time. I thought he played more than reasonably well the last 10-12 games of the season. Yeah, he's young and doesn't (yet) have a banger's body. But as you say, as we all see, the team needs scoring, and take away a couple pieces from the top 6 and it's a drought.
- Morgan Barron, he needs to be at C position 3rd or 4th. At one point last night he was in the high slot looking to distribute and got off a decent, not great, shot that Preds' keeper gobbled up. But I just don't remember if that was on PP or not, but he looked very comfortable there, at 22 years of age, he too not afraid to mix it up. After he took the shot, for whatever reason, MSG cameras flashed to Gallant, who took out his pad and took notes. His eyes may have been some place completely different.
I'm optimistic, but at some point they're going to need another skill guy or two.