Official off-season thread

[kreidertime]

Here we go

 

[Ranger71]

Is Raanta signed next year?

 

[strudwickisthebest]

Nope Raanta wasn't that great

 

[Ranger71]

He was excellent what are you talking about?

 

[kreidertime]

No loss if he isn't here.

 

[Messiah717]

He was pretty good but at this point I think you have to limit Hank to 60-65 games and maybe bring up one of the kids to back him up and get some NHL experience.

 

[strudwickisthebest]

They need hard nosed players next year. Dmac and Skjei will be on D

 

[Ranger71]

For 1m he was a great value. I guess they can see what Hellberg can do. Halverson isn't for 2y.

 

[strudwickisthebest]

Tough because they had a top 10 offense in the regular season but year after year they cannot score in the playoffs

 

[kreidertime]

Another reason AV is a moron. McIlrath is hard to play against and AV won't play him. The team is slow, soft, stupid and has too many overpaid players. There has to be monumental changes.

 

[Messiah717]

Hayes, Kreider, Miller and Hrivik are restricted free agents. Yandle, Boyle, E. Staal, Moore and Stalberg are unrestricted free agents.

 

[chuckd3534]

I want all the UFA's gone. You have to bring Miller and Kreider back for sure. And I would take Hayes back assuming we can get him for a cap hit of 2 mill TOPS.

To me any conversation about where we are going has to start with at least one of Staal or G gone. If both are back we are in trouble. Then you can focus on Nash. But at least one of Staal or G has to go. And if all 3, Nash/Staal/G, are back we are f'd before the season even starts.

I see 6 or 7 new players on this team.

 

[Ranger71]

They are going to push to keep Yandle, which is good because it also means one of the two could be gone. I would look to move Hayes either way for a 2nd and prospect.

 

[chuckd3534]

Here's my Yandle issue, aside from playing one end of the ice, and why I don't want him back if Staal is back. We paying Marc Staal 5.7 per to be our 3rd pair LD? Yandle is making at least that much long term, so we are going to have a 3rd pair LD with a 5.7 mill cap hit? Doesn't seem like good balance to me. And then we'd also be saying Skjei is a RD period.

At least if G is back he is a RD and we can make Yandle the 2nd pair LD, Skjei the 3rd pair LD. And have Klein, McIlrath, and G on the right side.

Hard to sell me on balance if we resign Yandle and Staal is still here. I think it is Staal OR Yandle on the left side with Skjei. Don't think you can have Staal AND Yandle.

 

[NYR2009]

Why would you bring Hayes back at all? I would not have him as in intern. He sucks. He is too slow and second year in a row he proved that he is not made for playoffs. At least Krider did something, JT wasn't used correctly and with a new coach I think JT will be great, but I don't want Hayes back for free. He should be gone period.

 

[Messiah717]

Why would you bring Hayes back at all? I would not have him as in intern. He sucks. He is too slow and second year in a row he proved that he is not made for playoffs. At least Krider did something, JT wasn't used correctly and with a new coach I think JT will be great, but I don't want Hayes back for free. He should be gone period.

Because he's restricted and you can own him for a cheap price. Then possibly package him up in a trade.

 

[Ranger71]

Vigneault is not leaving after one quick exit so let's end that.

 

[mrmel29]

Vigneault is not leaving after one quick exit so let's end that.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. The team up and up quit on him and his history with teams is they get worse and worse. After 3 years his personnel and in game decisions suck. The fan base wants him out

 

[theProdigy223]

Hard to sell me on balance if we resign Yandle and Staal is still here. I think it is Staal OR Yandle on the left side with Skjei. Don't think you can have Staal AND Yandle.

Agreed. I am all-in on resigning Yandle. But if we can't get out of Staal, it's a non-starter. For starters, we need that spot open on the left. Second, I see him waiving before I see Girardi waiving. But most importantly, there will be a bigger market for Staal than G. Better player, better pedigree, younger. Waiving means nothing if we can't find a team to take him. I posted the article a few weeks ago with a rival GM saying there would be a market for Marc Staal. Figure out where Eric is going to sign his last deal and see if Marc will waive to go there.

Because he's restricted and you can own him for a cheap price. Then possibly package him up in a trade.

I also want to keep Hayes. You dont just give up on a guy with his size who scored 45 points in his first ever NHL season. I was very disappointed in him this year but I'm hoping we start to some maturity but on and off the ice. That's my issue with him, he's got a too cool for school attitude and needs to realize you can't get by on talent alone anymore. Kreider needs to get his ass in the weight room and he needs to stop partying (which he does A LOT). If we find a trade partner then fine but we need to keep him under control for sure.

 

[theProdigy223]

By the way, you all realize we're signing Stamkos right

 

[Ranger71]

The team didn't quit on him Mel they just got exposed around the net and blitzed in the last 2. I guarantee they didn't give up.

 

[chuckd3534]

Well said Prod. We agree. I am admittedly not a big Yandle guy, but if we could move Staal I would at least entertain the idea. As you said if we cannot move Staal it is a non-starter...we agree 100%.

Also agree on Hayes. I do not love him, but if we can get him for 2 mill TOPS why would that be a bad move. No way he is a 3 mill cap hit guys after this season, but at 2 mill...sure.

 

[Messiah717]

By the way, you all realize we're signing Stamkos right

It would certainly make many of us very happy if that was to happen. The problem is the Rangers will be one of many teams in on him and the Rangers will not be in the best cap situation unless they do a lot.

 

[Stepupstepan]

CK does not need to hit the weight room. He needs to see a good therapist so he can unscrew his stupidity. Hayes is lazy and did nothing in the offseason. I saw Hayes gasping for air pretty much after every single shift this season. His conditioning and foot speed sucks.

 

[chuckd3534]

I would love to see Stamkos...he is a franchise guy. Don't see him back in TB. Maybe us, Toronto, and a few others as the main teams. Even if we had to buyout Nash and add a couple of 2.7 dead cap years on the end I would do it to get Stamkos.

I think AV is back after one early exit, but I admit I hate how we played this season. I HATE the comments I am seeing after the L today. I hate the lack of passion. A lot I don't like about this season, and I admit it concerns me looking forward. Hope it is something we can put in the past after a couple of weeks.

The marriage of Torts discipline and AV freewheeling was really good the past couple of years. I hope now that Torts influence is gone we aren't left with a wide open AV system with no D zone discipline. That's why I am in the middle on AV. You could convince me we should hire a D coach to replace AV and then get the AV open play combined with a D coach again. The reverse of what we had in AV's first two years here with Torts influence and AV's system.

 

[Stepupstepan]

The marriage of Torts discipline and AV freewheeling was really good the past couple of years. I hope now that Torts influence is gone we aren't left with a wide open AV system with no D zone discipline. That's why I am in the middle on AV. You could convince me we should hire a D coach to replace AV and then get the AV open play combined with a D coach again. The reverse of what we had in AV's first two years here with Torts influence and AV's system.

Say What?

 

[Ranger71]

There isn't much he could've coached differently in this series. Players were just not alert enough or quick enough on a bunch of goals.

 

[Stepupstepan]

If you want to get Stammer here then either brassard or stepan must go.

 

[chuckd3534]

I don't agree with that. I think Nash at 7.8 would have to go (along with G or Staal). Not 5 mill Brass or 6.5 mill Stepan.

 

[chuckd3534]

Miller, Kreider, Hayes, Buch, Fast, McIlrath, and Skjei all won't make a ton of money next season. Brass reasonable at 5 mill. Zucc reasonable at 4.5. McD reasonable at 4.7. Klein reasonable at 2.9.

Those are all reasonable deals. And I would say Step at 6.5 is not awful.

It is the Nash, Hank, G, and Staal deals that are the issues. That's it really. Those 4 bad deals. That's why I say again we CANNOT have Staal AND G back. And we 10000000000% cannot have Staal, G, and Nash all back.