Good afternoon, everyone.
Rangers looking to bounce back after a 5-1 home loss to Buffalo. No big deal. These things happen. Red Wings have a bit of a win streak of their own (3) and after tonight's game, we head into the weekend with a Sat Sunday game.
Two gorgeous set up passes to Panarin who converted the second one.
Who would you replace him with / how would you rearrange the lines?
Well no one asked you
On my thread?
Just as long as we win
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They can afford to roster a mostly washed player like him given the contract and their cap situation, but get him the hell off that line and get his minutes way down.
Who would you replace him with / how would you rearrange the lines?
Nobody. Some people just always need a whipping boy on the Rangers to bitch about, regardless of how well they are playing.
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They can afford to roster a mostly washed player like him given the contract and their cap situation, but get him the hell off that line and get his minutes way down.
Who would you replace him with / how would you rearrange the lines?
Probably Vesey in the short term. There isn’t an ideal answer given the injuries, but Wheeler can’t even skate anymore. At least you know you’re going to get max effort and back-check from a guy like Vesey.
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In comment 16308071 bigbluehoya said:
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They can afford to roster a mostly washed player like him given the contract and their cap situation, but get him the hell off that line and get his minutes way down.
Who would you replace him with / how would you rearrange the lines?
Nobody. Some people just always need a whipping boy on the Rangers to bitch about, regardless of how well they are playing.
I have rarely logged a single complaint about the Rangers this season. This might be my first, in fact.
Wheeler’s play was awful last night. The second goal was so squarely on him that my 9 year old was able to call it out.
At this point the sample size isn’t that small. Body of work says this isn’t a guy who you want getting top line minutes or sandbagging guys like Mika and Kreider.
Good chirp though.
@vzmercogliano
I was joking with Vesey about all of his goals feeling like they're game-winners. He said he didn't know the exact number, but knew it was a big % in his career.
I told him I would look it up, so here it is: 88 career goals, with 25 of them game-winners. That's 28.4%
Cool stat on Vesey on X StatBoy or someone else: of his 88 career goals, 24 have been game winners (might be off on the numbers)--that's crazy stuff. Also nice to see him get props on the PG from the crazies on TNT (they are growing on me a bit, with Hank). You all prolly heard it, but Lav posts W-L stats from each practice scrimmage on the club house wall. Ha! On his GW, Laf about to cross blue line, loses edge, slips to ice gets up to take the pass (Trochek?) and whips the shot on goal and Vesey makes like Rod Carew (: Was damn close to being above the cross bar, like those high jumpers on the Fosbury Flop who skim the bar and leave it shaking: will it fall??
Boy, when KAM has time to lean in to his slapper, they are near invisible lasers, two now in last 3 games. Re. invisible, didn't 'see' much of Fox, which I guess is a good thing.
JT and Igor came up big in 3rd, exciting hockey. That 4-min minor for blood was crazy: DET coach, lol, "so f...ing bad", what was he seeing? I was shocked the refs actually decided to review it, game changing.
Before last night, NYR led League in FO win %%. That's nuts considering where team has been. Goes to pj's mantra (one of them).
Maybe it's Cuylle who should slide up. Third line isn't much anyhow while it's being centered by Goodrow. (But I also thought last night was one of Cuylle's worst performances of the season)
This isn't just a scoring concern. A line consisting 2/3 of Mika and Kreider can be as much of a shut-down line as it is a scoring line. A guy as slow as Wheeler diminishes the effectiveness of that. The number of failed clears and pucks that he just doesn't get to will catch up with them.
It's surely a luxury that this is the height of the complaints at this point. It's been a dream of a start; not trying to say the sky is falling.
But it's my opinion that his usage is sub-optimal right now.
Vesey's goal was a situation where if it was called no goal, it would have stood as no goal. I didn't even celebrate because I thought it was not going to count. Ask me how bad I feel though that they got a break on a call to Toronto!
As long as Wheeler plays a strong defensive game leave it alone until the beginning of the year.
It would be awesome if Chytil can return by the end of the year which would be very helpful. I would leave Trocheck on the second line and slide Chytil to the third line.
Does anyone have news on Kakko? It looked gruesome on tv.
I don't think they want to rush Othmann, but I do think that he gets a call up in April and it's possible he joins the team in the playoffs. Wheeler does seem to be dragging down the Mika/Kreider line, but I can't imagine putting Vesey, Brodzinski, or Cuylle on the top line. I think there is a case to be made for Chytil to go to 1RW when (if) he returns. He is a shoot first player, has speed, size, good enough defensively, can create some opportunities for two elite goal scorers.
As long as Wheeler plays a strong defensive game leave it alone until the beginning of the year.
It would be awesome if Chytil can return by the end of the year which would be very helpful. I would leave Trocheck on the second line and slide Chytil to the third line.
Does anyone have news on Kakko? It looked gruesome on tv.
Chytil is skating, I still think he's not particularly close to returning, but it does seem possible that he could be back in the next few weeks. Kakko's injury is serious but not deemed season ending. You make a good point about Mika and Kreider, but it does seem to me that while they continue to be productive players, Wheeler is holding them back. He just can't chase down a puck or win a loose puck battle. He might actually be slower than Reaves.
I was at the game and thought the vesey goal was 100% a good goal. Stick was not above the cross bar, did not come in a downward motion, etc. and clearly Toronto agreed. So Brett wrong per usual. (Also not sure what being at the game means in terms of credence of opinion…. But anyway)
Game was only close last night because the refs tried their best to give the wings about 10 minutes of extra power play time. Feel like the crowd got them / forced them to review the bullshit high sticking call.
Also Brett thanks for coming by and saying hi.
Hoya is right about Wheeler, it's painful watching him skate.
Maybe he was upset because he saw his reflection in the iPad.
I took a look at the replay today and thought it was much closer than it looked live/on the scoreboard but still thought it was slightly above. Much less sure watching it today.
I also think that rule is dumb. I don't care about their faces getting hit.
Oh don't tease me now. That would be incredible. Playing as good as ever and he's still only 28.
Arthur Staple said in the off-season that he doesn't think Drury is a Buch fan, so he doesn't see a reunion happening.
Which it was.
Exactly. The 4th line is a huge part of this team right now, why would the Rangers mess with that? Vesey has never been a top 6er in his entire career anyway. Although he has the talent to move up to top 6 for spurts, which is nice to have with injuries.
The funny thing about this being complained about, is that the top line is playing their best 5 on 5 than they have all season, for the past handful of games. Is Wheeler a first liner at this point in his career? No, but we had no cap room this past offseason and got him on the cheap. And he is still an incredible passer. He was a PPG player for a decade in Winnipeg and still had 55 points last year. He didn't lose the ability to play in one offseason. He moved to NY after 12 years in Winnipeg (that is quite the change). Give him some time. He is already playing better than he did in the beginning of the year. He is our best option at 1st line RW for now, and they should keep trying to get him more and more comfortable there. And then at the deadline we likely bring in a RW to slot in there.
That could end up being the best move for this roster. I guess it depends on what we can find easier at the trade deadline...a top line RW or a 3rd line center. Because Bonino is a 4th line center at this point in his career not a 3rd line center. Has Chytil ever really played RW though?
I think I read that Drury is not interested in a Buchnevich reunion
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and they look to sell off pieces. I'd welcome back Tarasenko. Or the Blues with Buchnevich.
Arthur Staple said in the off-season that he doesn't think Drury is a Buch fan, so he doesn't see a reunion happening.
Or what my neighbor to the south said
That could end up being the best move for this roster. I guess it depends on what we can find easier at the trade deadline...a top line RW or a 3rd line center. Because Bonino is a 4th line center at this point in his career not a 3rd line center. Has Chytil ever really played RW though?
BC, he has. Before the Kids Line became a thing in the 2nd half of the '21'-'22 season (and thrived in SCP), he bounced around before finding a home at C. I think he was used at times RW on the 1st and 2nd lines before Kids L got established. He distinguished himself in two ways during that stretch: terrific burst down the right wing often leaving the LD man in his wake and an equally terrifically poor ability to bury his shots, usually flying wide right or the puck bumbling off his stick w/o a finishing move.
Yep, agree. And as observed by the Studio crew (or maybe Albert and BB), it seemed Vesey hesitated just a tad as the puck crested in height and he nailed it on the way down. But we're talking cm's here. What struck me was that after Husso stopped Laf's shot low on his pads in a squatting position how the puck got so high to begin with.
God, I'd love this so much.
But that contract extension he just signed makes it very tricky.
more likely that an expiring contract would be the target I think.
Rangers may add one or maybe two cheap players, maybe they can afford a player in the $1.5-$2M range if Jones is part of the trade (his salary is 925K).
it depends how long Chytil and Kakko are out.
Today, if I understand LTIR correctly (which is possible I don't), NYR can add $6.5M in contracts since that is how much cap space they have on LTIR ($4.4M for Chytil and $2.1M for Kakko). Of course if Chytil or Kakko come off LTIR and they have used any of that space they would need to make a move to clear space so Chytil or Kakko can fit back under the cap.
Worst case, if Chytil and Kakko are out of the year the Rangers can spend that full $6.5M and never worry about it. - like TBL did with Kucherov a few years ago. And in the playoffs there is no salary cap.
I don't think ARI can trade Weber or Voracek - I believe they need them to reach the salary cap floor of $61M. At least one, if not, both - they have other players on LTIR but I don't think they are in the "retired" category.
Maybe Price from MTL.
it depends how long Chytil and Kakko are out.
Today, if I understand LTIR correctly (which is possible I don't), NYR can add $6.5M in contracts since that is how much cap space they have on LTIR ($4.4M for Chytil and $2.1M for Kakko). Of course if Chytil or Kakko come off LTIR and they have used any of that space they would need to make a move to clear space so Chytil or Kakko can fit back under the cap.
Worst case, if Chytil and Kakko are out of the year the Rangers can spend that full $6.5M and never worry about it. - like TBL did with Kucherov a few years ago. And in the playoffs there is no salary cap.
The difference is, Kucherov did not come back until the playoffs, when the salary cap doesn't count, essentially. The Rangers have that $6.5M NOW, but when those 2 guys come back, that money disappears. In the meantime, if I understand it correctly based on what Vince has said, teams with players on LTIR do not accrue cap space. So instead of the Rangers accruing say $10,000 daily between now and the deadline, they accrue nothing. So for RIGHT NOW, they have that LTIR money available, which is how they are able to call up Brodzinski and Edstrom and were able to call up Domingue and Mackey a few weeks back.
If Chytil and Kakko both miss the remainder of the regular season, then yes, the Rangers have $6.5M to spend on free agents or via trade, and then Chytil and Kakko can be activated when the regular season concludes.
Reality is they can use that full $6.5M today but they cannot have either player come off LTIR without sufficient cap space to accommodate them so would be forced to make other moves.
Carey Price may be a good NYR solution that wouldn't cost a lot - but the Habs have used some of that space so would need to make some moves of their own.
Reality is they can use that full $6.5M today but they cannot have either player come off LTIR without sufficient cap space to accommodate them so would be forced to make other moves.
Carey Price may be a good NYR solution that wouldn't cost a lot - but the Habs have used some of that space so would need to make some moves of their own.
Yes, Vince is suggesting that Chytil is not coming back imminently, but that he anticipates he will not be out for the remainder of the season. Kakko will obviously be longer, but Laviolette stated that he does not believe his injury is season-ending. The $6.5M they have in LTIR is not really their money, whereas a move for Price would add to their cap space but I don't see them doing this. What hurts is that they are not able to accrue cap space leading up to the deadline, as long as these guys are on LTIR. That is what is going to make things tight at the deadline, or even with bringing up players from Hartford should they decide to give Othmann his shot, for example.