Official off-season thread

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To me the one area this team clearly needs to improve on to take that final step and actually win the cup is grit and some size on the wing. That would be my 100% target this offseason. Replace Hags or MSL with that guy in the top 9 and I am ready to play tomorrow.

You put Justin Williams on this team in place of Hags or MSL and I am ready to go tomorrow.

Nash/Brass/Zucc
Kreider/Step/Williams
Miller/Hayes/Hags or MSL
Fast/Lindberg/Moore/Glass or Sheppard

You give me those lines and I am good to go. I don't think we need major changes. Williams is a right shot, and a clutch playoff grit guy, and can score 18 or so goals and 42 or so points. Perfect fit, just not sure we can afford him.

On D keep it the same, or get rid of Boyle and bring in another vet to be the 6th dman. Again not much needed on D IMO.

That's how I view things.
 
Enough with Av's system. Guess what. It hasn't worked. They haven't won. They also are giving up tons of scoring chances. Hank has to make tons of high quality saves every freakin game. AV needs to adjust his thinking with his system and his player personnel. That starts with getting McIlrath up here. That starts with getting rid of Glass and putting Lindberg on the 4th line. That starts with seeing what Yandle, Hagelin and Nash can bring on the market. Maybe you deal them. Maybe you don't. Changes have to be made. Starting with the way our coach does things.
 
I guess it's possible Hagelin could be dealt, maybe with another prospect for a guy with 2-3 years left on his contract. Someone who gives a little different element, though his speed will be missed.
 
It hasn't worked...LOL. A SCF trip and an ECF run in two years here. YES it has been a failure dump. You are always good for a laugh.

I agree with you though, if we brought cannot skate McIlrath up to replace our # 5 playoff scorer Boyle, I bet we wouldn't have lost game 5 and game 7 by identical 2-0 scores. We would have scored some goals for sure if we did that. And since the D was clearly the issue there he would have helped solve that problem as well...LOL.
 
His system is fine and done well, they were offensive duds at the wrong time and awful on home ice in this series. I agree that Staal was pretty bad in the playoffs, i don't what was going on there. He's starting on the downward trajectory.
 
Dump, you are obsessed with Glass. Your new toy is McIlrath, never mention he cannot skate or that D wasn't our issue in the playoffs. You want to trade our # 4 playoff scorer Yandle before he even gets a chance here. And BTW...with a 2.6 mill cap hit next season that is a HUGE edge for us. No way they deal him. You aren't getting this haul for RFA Hags. Maybe you can get a solid pick, I won't doubt that, but not this big haul. And saying our coach needs to drastically change things is comical.

We have been to 3 ECF's the past 4 seasons. One SCF trip. Our coach in two years has been to the SCF and ECF here, and you want all these big changes. Funny how you slept through all the games, or watched the NFL draft, and bailed on this team 170709860986 times this season and now want to come on here and act as if we need all these changes. Comical stuff.

We need to do the exact opposite of what you are suggesting. We don't need major changes. We need to get rid of Hags or MSL and bring in a gritty/firery top 9 righty shot. Try and get rid of Glass if possible (we agree here for sure I am not obsessed by it though as the end all be all to get us over the hump). And decide what to do with Boyle, I am fine either path they choose. That is what we need to do. We don't need all these major changes.
 
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Staal had a bad playoffs, he must be starting on his downward trajectory...LOL. Again please stop. How did Girardi play after his SCF struggles? Downward spiral? Maybe Staal just had a bad few weeks. Maybe Staal was hurting. Don't know, but I am not ready to write him off after some bad playoff games.
 
You guys focus on all the wrong things IMO.

Hags 2 goals (ZERO after the 1st round), Hayes 2 goals, Miller 1 goal, MSL 1 goal, Moore 1 goal, Fast 3 goals (2 in one game). There are your issues, not the D and not the game plan AV has in place.

That is why I say get rid of Hags or MSL. I expect the young guys Hayes, Miller, Fast to grow off of this experience. And we must add a firery gritty top 9 righty shot forward to replace Hags/MSL. Williams is a perfect fit, just not sure we can afford him.
 
85% of the team will be back, so we know what we have, plus Yandle as part of the D now and he's familiar going into camp. It's pretty much the same team going to battle with maybe a Lindberg or Skjei mixed in and a mid-range FA if the drop MSL or Boyle.
 
Right, that's it 71. You drop MSL or Hags and add a mid-range gritty righty shot top 9 forward to replace them. You do just that and I will be happy. I'd also love to get rid of Glass and resign Sheppard to play that 4th line role with Fast/Moore/Lindberg.

That's all I would do.
 
Chuck, you are missing the point. Forget about trades, moving players for a moment. AV is going to get you to SCF or ECF every year. We will be top team in the NHL every season, perhaps winning that stupid presidents trophy every year, but with his thinking we will not win the CUP. We saw refs don't call penalties in the playoffs. Backstrom should have had 1 game suspension and 5 minute for his hit on Boyle, and Stamkos should have had the same. We need to protect ourselves. I don't care if McIlarath cannot skate. Was Beukaboom an amazing skater? I understand it was a different time and today's game is faster but still. There has to be two guys on this team that other would be afraid of or intimidated by. The opposition will be aware of that and stop take liberties at our players. Maybe then we can win the Cup because Stall, McDonough will be healthy by ECF and then we can win. AV refuses to get those guys. We don't have Towis and Kane who can compensate for lack of toughness. We don't have Malkin and Crosby. So this team need few guys like McIlarth who have few loose screws in their brain and can go after those guys, knock their teeth out so that those hits won't happen again and then we can play fair hockey.
 
And the reason why I said get rid of Boyle is because there is no need to pay 26M on D. Take 4.5M out of Ds and spend it on a forward since we cannot score at times. Sixth defenseman shouldn't be making 4.5M per year. It is idiotic.
 
So he will get you to the ECF and SCF. He took Vancouver to game 7 of the SCF...but he cannot win you the cup...okay 2009...that all adds up...LOL.

And AV refuses to get those players right...I guess he is the GM now as well.

I guess D was our issue against TB? I mean we didn't score a goal for the last 144 minutes at MSG, we got shutout in games 5 & 7 by the same 2-0 score...IF ONLY WE COULD PLAY D, but I blame the D. Clearly if we played more D we would have won those games 1-0 in 8 OT's...LOL.

We need playoff scorers. We need a gritty firery righty shot with some size on the wing in the top 9. That's what we need, not D. Hopefully that is what Sather will focus on adding. One of Hags or MSL must go and be replaced in the top 9 by a player that fills the role I mentioned. You add that player to CK, Nash, Miller, and Hayes and we have some good size out there. I fully expect Miller and Hayes to be much more playoff ready next season after the experience of this run.

We do that and we'll be fine. Team is so close and some of you want major changes, and coaching changes, and style changes, and focus on D despite our scoring being the clear issue in the playoffs. I don't get it.
 
You are kidding yourself if you believe hits won't happen because a below average skating crease clearing d man is on the ice. Again I wouldn't encourage having a fighter as one of 6 d men.
 
I am with you on this one Al. I have no issue bringing McIlrath up if he is ready, but everything I have read says he is not. He has a lot of work to do still. If he can get there let him be in the 7th dman mix next season. All good with me.
 
The lack of playoff scoring by the forwards has nothing to do with coaching right? NBC repeatedly showed TB dmen stepping up and waiting for the outlet pass but there's no need to change anything when you have a handful of President's trophies and multiple playoff appearances. I'm not saying AV has to go just that he needs to adjust his game plan when it clearly isn't working. No other playoff team let their opponents camp out in front of the goalie like the Rangers. I wouldn't want McIlrath dropping the gloves every 5 minutes, that's why they have Tanner Glass. Big Mac's just there to clear the crease and throw the body.
 
He has more than multiple playoff appearances panzer. He has 2 SCF's (including getting to game 7) and an ECF trip as a coach. And in two years here AV has been in the SCF and ECF.

With that said every coach should learn and grow every season, so I won't disagree he can learn and grow, we all can no matter what we do for a living. I disagree when you say it clearly isn't working, that is over the top, but no doubt he can grow and learn...we all can and should.

As for Mac, if he can get his skating up to NHL level I have zero issue with him being in the 7th dman mix...get him up here and let's go, but I don't think he is at that point. And I am also not sure I'd want Glass and Mac on the team unless Mac is here for more than just a big body to clear the crease.

Lastly, I don't think D was our issue at all in the playoffs, that's why the Mac talk is nice, but I don't think that is a huge need or where the main focus should be. Just my opinion.
 
Chuck, and AV hasn't won anything. Exactly my point. 6 division titles out of 7 in the last 7 years. 3 Pres Trophies in 5 years, 2 Stanley Cup appearances in 5 years and he still hasn't won. That says something about AV. He is stubborn and does not adjust well. He keeps on playing the same stupid plays hoping it will work. Look what happened when he changed few lines, it sparked the team. For example, FAST on the first line and JT with Brass and Nash. He makes these changes very little. We beat MLS on PP to death by now but that is a huge reason why we are not in SCF. Timely PP goal can change momentum of the game and the series especially like team like Tampa. That could have crushed Tampa. AV has an issue adjusting and that is why he hasn't won anything. By now every coach with such resume won the Cup. It is him and Ducks coach who will never win, until they adjust.

Torts stupidity probably has a better chance of working because him changing lines every 5 minutes throws the other team off. AV is too predictable.

And by the way, I am sure coach has influence on GM which players they sign. Glass would have never been on this team if it wasn't for AV and his love affair with the guy. Outside of Zuk this team has no energy at all. 4th line is the energy line and this year, all year long we had dead energy 4th line. We will be saying SCF, ECF, Pres Trophy, Division Champs for a long time...but no Cup. Just like Vancouver fans are saying this now. He wasted Vancouver window with much better roster than ours by the way. He had Sedin twins in their prime, Kessler and very good role players for all those years. Outside of Hank vs Luongo who is no slouch by the way, that team was better that today's Rangers. And he still couldn't win. First round exists for many years in a tough Western Conference at the time, but he won Pres Trophy though.
 
And I don't think McIlarth is great. I have no idea. From what I saw he was slow, but again Beukeboom wasn't a great skater either, but he did what he was asked. I don't care who it is, McIlarth, or anyone else. Get some physical guys in here who will protect Lundqvist and others.
 
I don't really get this obsession with getting a crease clearing dman. Was that the reason Killorn trickled one through or Palat scored the 2nd one? Sure they could use someone more physical than Girardi or Staal but that's not really the major issue imo. They need another forward who can get around the net. This is a highly inacurrate weak shooting team overall.
 
No 71 that would not prevent Kilorn from scoring. It will prevent Stamskoses and Backstomes and Ovechkins for running our guys and breaking their legs. Stall was hurt, McD was hurt and God knows how many others were hurt because of those illegal hits that were never called. If you set precedence during the season that, that is not allowed those hits will be minimized. As soon as team trailing Rangers in a game or in the series the go to those hits, break McDs leg and win the series. If there was a guy like McIlarth, he could have knocked the teeth out of Stamkos, get suspended for few games but Stamkos would be out with the next game due to that injury cause by McIlarath. Teams know how soft Rangers are and take those libetries and by the time ECF comes around our guys are hurt to the point where they can't skate and take the man which allows Kilorn to score those goals.
 
Clearly that is the much bigger need, but let the people have their say...LOL.

And BTW...Girardi is very physical...good try slipping that one in...:). Staal is more about position and reach.
 
NYR2009 said:
And I don't think McIlarth is great. I have no idea. From what I saw he was slow, but again Beukeboom wasn't a great skater either, but he did what he was asked. I don't care who it is, McIlarth, or anyone else. Get some physical guys in here who will protect Lundqvist and others.
Click to expand...
How many jeff beukeboom's are playing right now in the NHL? Chara.... And he also has one hella of a shot which is just as meaningful if not more than his physicality... Phefium and everyone is down on him...Weber again more high end that Beuke... Dylan has none of the traits those others I mentioned he was a reach and a bust just like Bobby sangiellite
 
You are comical 2009...winning the cup isn't easy man. The guy has his teams in position just about every season. Mutiple finals trips. ECF trip. The run last season was way unexpected and magical. This season we didn't play as well as we needed to in the playoffs, but point at the players not AV.
 
McD could barely skate in game 7. Stamkos did his job. Hawks captain won the series in game 7 for them, ours was hurt. This should be taken lightly and real issue here. This has to change.
 
On top of that Al, these guys think if Mac was up here other teams would stop hitting. As if we haven't seen OV do THAT EXACT SAME THING to team after team...just us right.

This AV thing and Mac thing are nuts to me.

D is NOT the issue AND AV has been to a SCF and an ECF in two years here.
 
Yes...and having Mac here stops it all...LOL...so funny. If Mac can skate at an NHL level AWESOME let him be the 7th dman. If he cannot then we have no use for him. EITHER WAY players will play how they play. In the 1st round OV ran a few Isles players, they are one of the toughest teams in the NHL. What happened there???

This is not 1995 anymore, the game has changed and we need to understand that.
 
Tough season for McD... Started off with injuries from last season (shoulder) accidentally hurt Hank and Zucc, played with a broken foot... Looking for a bounce back season next season
 
Who was running our guys and breaking their legs? Kreider could knock someone into next year if he wanted to. You don't want to take dumb penalties either. You guys need to face it that Mcilrath most likely won't play in the NHL.. It's a little annoying frankly that they wasted a pick on him. Ryan Graves, a 6th rounder, has a better shot at making it than he does. 6TH ROUNDER.
 
No...Absolutely not! I am not blaming the players. The effort was there, they really did best they could. I blame AV and GM!

Good point Al. Maybe there are none available, but if that is the case then we won't win the Cup until one or two becomes available. That is the truth. I just think even if one would become available, he would not fit AV's system because he needs 8 Yandles and Boyles with his stupid stretch passes. It is not a knock on Yandle or Boyle, I am just trying to prove the point. I actually like both of them.
 
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