Are the rangers the real deal?

[BigDaddyAl1973]

Look at these team numbers:

3rd in goals per game
7th in goals against per game
8th on the PP
10 on the PK
5th in overall goal differential

Just amazing stuff really. This is the best the O, and especially the PP, have looked in MANY years. We score 3 goals at least pretty much every game. The PP has been great, thank you Dan Boyle. And the D/PK is rounding into usual Ranger form.

AND most importantly we have won 4 straight and 12 of 13 overall.

Wow...

But what have we done against Toronto and the icelanders? This team sucks. ...end sarcasm

 

[SaveLundy]

Team is very small on defense with Hunwick and Boyle both out there. They also have 2 very small forwards that are counted on as key offensive players. St. Louis looked dead vs. the Kings last year in a lot of those 3rd periods. The NHL is two seasons. I don't put much into a great regular season. It doesn't mean it will translate into the playoffs. The Kings barely made the playoffs last year.

So, I think a deal for a defenseman is still something that has to be done.

The small size of several players is also why Kreider won't be dealt even when he sucks. The Rangers have spent some draft picks on bigger players the past 2 years. Only Graves seems to be the guy with major upside. Tambellini is an overage player in the WHL as is Nejezcheleb. So, neither is doing anything all that impressive.

Briere is a proven, playoff performer. He has 116 points in 124 games in the playoffs which is incredibly good. Last year he had 7 points in 16 games. Not what he usual does but hardly awful. He was not terrible in the playoffs. He was bad against the Rangers in that series. Most of that was because he's older and the Rangers are incredibly fast as a team. It wasn't a good matchup for him. He would basically be a backup here, needed if a player got hurt or needed a day off to heal.

So you say this team is SMALL, then you say we should acquire Daniel -Im softer then ice cream- Briere, that's just clown material right there, glad the CIRCUS is back in town. Briere's not only a midget but OLD, his best days are years behind him, frankly he'd do little to absolutely no improvement for this team. This team needs a grinder/powerforward that can park it in front of the net on the power play/ or another defenseman who can clear the crease make solid passes and play respectable defense. On offense I'd look at Wayne simmons, Viktor stalberg, Matt Moulson(contracts are a challenge) . On defense Andrej Sekera, Shane O'brien, or maybe a Brian Campbell(last year on contract) for added toughness/ offense with compbell