The fact is the season is falling apart

[Greyvtrayn]

Everyone that posts on here knows it and sees it. We all knew they were never gonna win the cup this year but we were all looking for progress. This team has regressed and there are no signs of it improving. It's nice to see McDonagh becoming one of the best d-men in the league...and Kreider seems to be getting better. But aside from those two players this is a lost season in every aspect.

 

[Ranger71]

Pull for those Blackhawks tonight!

 

[Disturbed]

Come on SC based on this weekend I know who is winning the Black Hawks game tonight

 

[Ranger71]

Yeah, I'd be a little shocked if Detroit dosen't get at least a point.lol

 

[Messiah717]

They were red hot going into the Olympic break and are now 4-5-1 following the break.

 

[theProdigy223]

You're right that nobody had this team pegged as a cup favorite. And you're also right that we didn't see much progress outside of a few players. This team is too small to compete this year. Always has been. But AV has installed a system that is actually creating chances. We havent had that here in years. We're going to have some roster turnover next year, we'll find some guys who can finish, we'll get some size, and I still think we're close.

This team can still steal a playoff series if it gets in. I think that's important for kids like Stepan, Kreider, and McD to get as much playoff experience as they can. Even if they arent going to win the cup, lets not just say fuck it. A lot of meaningful hockey left. Beat OTT, beat CBJ, and beat NJ and we're right there for a run.

 

[dumpstralmannow]

Have to give Sather a lot of blame for his deadline lack of moves. Stralman, Dorsett and Boyle all should have been moved. I don't want to hear he couldn't have. He could have.

 

[theProdigy223]

Have to give Sather a lot of blame for his deadline lack of moves. Stralman, Dorsett and Boyle all should have been moved. I don't want to hear he couldn't have. He could have.

I was absolutely shocked we didnt get some bulk in here at the DL. Once Sather landed Diaz I thought for sure Stralman was out. Stralman for a good 4th liner like Fraser, then ship Boyle out for a pick to replace the pick for Diaz. 4th line of Fraser (or someone similar) - Moore - Carcillo.

Mind boggling that didnt happen.

 

[chuckd3534]

I said it yesterday, I think the bigger fail for Sather was not adding a big dman at the DL. Our bottom 3 d are questionable. Stralman stinks. Moore is a 3rd pair guy. And Klein is a 5th guy ideally IMO. We should have added a solid dman to go with MSL. That would have been a big help.

 

[chuckd3534]

Truthfully, the 4th line has been pretty solid. Issue is MSL and Nash doing nothing, and some bad D breakdowns the past few games...not the 4th line IMO.

 

[theProdigy223]

Its not that the 4th line hasn't been solid in creating and on the forecheck, it's that this team just isn't very big, isn't very tough, and isn't very difficult to play against. Who knows, getting some size and toughness in here might give guys like Nash and MSL a little more room. They're getting knocked around right now and we can't knock anybody back.

 

[Disturbed]

Its the top end forwards. They haven't been good. Nash, Richards, Stepan....now add St Louis

 

[chuckd3534]

I agree with Dis. And I do agree the team isn't big enough, but I don't think that fix needs to be a 4th line kind of guy. I think that fix should be a big banger in the top 9. That is what I would focus on this summer. And a top 4 big physical dman. And a # 1 C to replace Richards after he is bought out.

I don't think we are far away either. Size in the top 9. Size in the top 4 dmen. A very good C to replace Richards. Do that and away we go. Nash, MSL, MZA, Kreider, Hags is a solid group of wingers to start with.

A a very good C for Richards. A big physical dman for the top 4. And add one more skilled big winger to complete the top 9 wingers, and away we go.

 

[theProdigy223]

The top guys are having dreadful seasons and they are absolutely the reason this team has been struggling. My point was more that since we can't make wholesale changes at the deadline, something that could have been done to maybe prevent this season from "falling apart" would be to get bigger and tougher up front to maybe open up some more space for these top forwards to get going

Chuck as for your offseason plans that's absolutely the way I go. I just meant from a this-season standpoint, changes could have been made to give this team and the top players a better shot and they werent.

 

[Ranger71]

They could've also upgraded the 4th at the DL with a little creativity. Boyle/D Moore/Carcillo just isn't good enough.

 

[chuckd3534]

I hear you Prod. Overall I think we are all on the same page. It does sound like a broken record, but I really don't think we are far off.

We have top end talent in Nash, MSL, maybe Kreider getting close to that, McDonagh, Girardi, and Hank.

We have some other solid pieces in MZA, Hags, Stepan, and Staal.

Now we need to finish it off, and best part is we clearly have the space to do it this summer.

We badly need another top 4 dman so we can play Klein and Moore as the 3rd pair, which would be solid.
We badly need a better C. And with the buyout of Richards that is nearly 7 mill right there to spend on that C.
And we badly need to complete the top 6 wingers with a guy with size and some skill. And again we have the space to get it done.

I would also bring back Brassard and let him be the 3rd C after the guy we bring in and Step. And I would use a kid or two on the 4th, and then add a legit big banger/grinder to complete the 4th line.

I will also add, if we don't see a clear top 9 home for Miller next season, maybe we let Brassard walk in favor of Miller, I may look to deal him for that big skilled top 6 winger we need.

 

[Malco]

Sather knows the greens better these days then he knows what his hockey team needs. He should retire...Dolan is a complete asshole.

 

[Disturbed]

For this team to be very good you have to have great seasons from the following players....of which none have really delivered

1) Lundqvist - Has had some vintage games but he hasn't been great this year in fact its his worst season in GAA and save percentage since 08
2) Nash - Uh......no. I am officially worried he is ok being a 25 goal/50 pt player....all for the bargain of $7.6m cap hit
3) Stepan and/or Richards - Both have had good stretches but both of them have been clear disappointments this year

I like the new system. Agree we can tweak this team in the offseason and potentially change things around. No issue buying out Richards. We have 6 more years on his deal. Yikes. He would be a great 3rd line center for $4m.

I would also have no issue looking into packaging Stepan in the offseason. I do agree with Dump that getting older with St Louis makes me want to keep Stepan but he is certainly not untouchable. He just isn't a #1 center. But I am not sure there is one out there for this team.

Sather brought in a proven impact player in St Louis who is still playing at a high level and he hasn't been very good in 7 games in New York.

Getting this play from Lundqvist, Nash, Step and Richards + the few games of St Louis gets us where we are: Fighting for a WC

 

[panzerporter]

Seasons are full of peaks and valleys, the Rangers were peaking until the ridiculous Olympics break now they're in a bit of a rut. If AV gets them to hit their stride and perform up to pre-Olympic levels they can cause problems for most teams. The team that lost today to San Jose is light years better than the one San Jose pounded early on and honestly they should have won today's game easily but for the inability of Derek Brassard to hit an open half of the net twice, another bs ruling from Toronto and MacD trying to slapshot a perfect pass instead of merely tipping it into an open net. Hank's numbers are down but he's playing much better now than when he started off the year. I would not sign Brassard for the $4 mil he's going to want, would rather use the money to lock up CK and Zuc long term, would rather use the $4 mil to bring back Pouliot and Boyle. The Rangers 4th line is fine it's the 1-2 lines who get the lion's share of minutes that are killing them. I think Nash would perform better with a bigger player on his line to watch his back, an annual problem Glen has never properly addressed. No point on giving up on the Rangers now with 13 games left. I still think this team is better than the one that made it to the Conference championship.

 

[Disturbed]

Good post Panzer, I do agree with the peaks/valleys. Just a frustrating game but definitely better than the one where their rook put Biron in retirement

 

[dumpstralmannow]

Sather knows the greens better these days then he knows what his hockey team needs. He should retire...Dolan is a complete asshole.

This.

Sather has become an incompetent hoarder. He holds on to tools like Boyle and Stralman when he knows they will leave, don't fit this team and he could at least get some picks or a prospect for them as a rental. Total jackass. He knew he had Miller who is much more talented than Boyle ready to take his place. Miller could have played the rest of this year on the 4th line. Yet, he holds onto the lumbering buffoon. He knew he could have called McIlrath up, or Allen, limited their minutes and started to break them into the NHL and dealt Stralman. Nope. He held onto the guy who will leave for nothing. I've defended Sather on these boards. He's incompetent now. Time for him to step aside and let somebody else f this team up. At least it will be a new moron.

 

[NYR31]

Sather's been a disappointment for far too long, but with the mediocre Eastern Conference outside of PIT/BOS i think this team is close to being a legit contender. I expected some adjustment period for MSL, after all he's basically played in TB all of his career, but 2pts and 0 goals in 7gms is killing us.

Next year i want to see a 1st line center and a more physical 4th line center brought in. Not a buyer on Brassard and Stepan is playing out of position. Looking at the UFA list Stastny is the only real choice as a top center, and one of Goc/Ott would fit in nice on the 4th line. Give Miller the 3rd line job.

 

[jamsim67]

For this team to be very good you have to have great seasons from the following players....of which none have really delivered

1) Lundqvist - Has had some vintage games but he hasn't been great this year in fact its his worst season in GAA and save percentage since 08
2) Nash - Uh......no. I am officially worried he is ok being a 25 goal/50 pt player....all for the bargain of $7.6m cap hit
3) Stepan and/or Richards - Both have had good stretches but both of them have been clear disappointments this year

I like the new system. Agree we can tweak this team in the offseason and potentially change things around. No issue buying out Richards. We have 6 more years on his deal. Yikes. He would be a great 3rd line center for $4m.

I would also have no issue looking into packaging Stepan in the offseason. I do agree with Dump that getting older with St Louis makes me want to keep Stepan but he is certainly not untouchable. He just isn't a #1 center. But I am not sure there is one out there for this team.

Sather brought in a proven impact player in St Louis who is still playing at a high level and he hasn't been very good in 7 games in New York.

Getting this play from Lundqvist, Nash, Step and Richards + the few games of St Louis gets us where we are: Fighting for a WC

Dis ... St. Louis has been very good everywhere he's played. He comes to New York, and is very average (maybe a little better than that). At what point do we question the dead weight around him? And if we're going to question the dead weight around him, do we have to question the dead weight around Nash, and Stepan as well?

 

[MrSleeps]

wow these people, first of all if you honestly thought that we were going to win a stanley cup prior to the season you are not a realistic person, lets face it, first year new coach first year new system NOBODY WINS STANLEY CUPS THERE FIRST YEAR COACH, not scotty bowman, not julian, nobody. it takes time for a coach to implement a system get his players to play his system and execute that to win a cup, if you thought the rangers were going to win a cup this year, with teams like boston and pitts already executing there style at high level your delusional and dont know much about hockey.

Its going to take AV a little while and a couple off seasons to do some damage. be patient jesus christ some fans have such high expectations and just think its easy to win a stanley cup. a lot of things have to go right, and dont get me wrong this season has been tough to watch but i feel its been a step up from watching torts here, PP a lot better, we get scoring chances (we need to finish better IMO), and we are solid defensively. we have a tough time matching up to boston and pitts but what can do you, THERE team is better and have 4 lines that can score

 

[MrSleeps]

i love how people say trade this guy trade that guy wtf sather your stupid, this isn't nhl 14, nobody wants stalman or boyle or dorsett, and if they do we are getting garbage in return, who the fuck is going to replace boyle at the trade deadline and do better then him, boyle plays the PK wins faceoffs tries to create 4th line chances, NOBODY is going to trade for boyle and give something good to replace what he does. they got to learn system learn teamates etc etc AT the trade deadline, its one thing to trade in the off season and have training camp to start fresh but we are going to get a 4th liner for 4th liner trade and chances are that 4th liner isn't going to be better then boyle. delusional people

 

[panzerporter]

Come on now Sleeps wake up! Scotty Bowman did win the Cup his first year coaching the Pens in 1992 after Bob Johnson was diagnosed with cancer. Darryl Sutter won the Cup his first year with L.A. in '12 and Dan Bylsma in '09 his first year with the Pens. The team that wins the President's Cup brings home the Stanley Cup 1/3 of the time so regular season win totals don't correlate to the Cup and it's not farfetched to think your team has a chance come playoffs. I agree with you about AV's style, when the Rangers are all on the same page they can play with any team and have beaten most of the top teams this year. I also agree with you about the equally useless Stralman and Dorsett but check Boyle's postseason stats before you kill the guy he's not the problem in the playoffs, the 1-2 lines are the problem.

I doubt any Ranger fan thinks it's easy to win the Cup when it's only happened once in the last 75 years but it's not delusional to expect more from Sather after 14 years with an owner more than willing to shell out top dollar.

 

[Pastafazul]

the big 3, lundy nash and richards have let this team down, had they had a halfway decent season we would be right in the mix

 

[MrSleeps]

panzer, thanks for correcting me, i wasn't thinking bowman with the pens (even tho jagr and lemiieux with barasso) was thinking of the red wings, i wasn't even aware daryl sutter that was his first year, yikes he must be a amazing coach, bylsma i think is overrated his team is staked, i think he is a terrible coach as we saw with team usa. but again thanks for correcting me, those 3 did win there first year, its not often but it has happened, Thanks for input .

i never said boyle was terrible, i said he is used for other things besides scoring, faceoffs, PK, defense. Never knocked the guy i just think people need to lower his expectations. His highest goal scoring season was 20, he will never achieve that again. i was saying that theres no point trading him.

i don't entirely put it all on sather, Look at the teams who have been succesful, pens (who tanked 3 years in a row), blackhawks who drafted really well. The bruins who used there farm and put there system in lock and kept with it even when it didn't succeed at first. (Trust me i live in MA and everybody wanted juilian fired before he won the cup).

sather could do better definitely but number one picks don't come easy and would be nice we drafted a kane, crosby, etc

 

[theProdigy223]

Sleeps is on to something with the drafting. Dump has also said something similar before. If you aren't ever drafting in the top 5, or even top 10, it is extremely hard to win a cup.

Since the lockout, only the Red Wings have won a cup without having had a top 5 draft pick within the previous 5 years. Obviously not every team has been carried exclusively by their top pick or picks like Pitt and Chicago have. But when you draft well overall and make smart FA moves, that extra lottery pick talent will put you over the top. We don't have that luxury. It doesnt look like we will for a while. That means we have to be patient and do it the hard way. No reason to flip the fuck out because it's not happening in AV's first year. I really think this organization is on the right track with the moves that have been made.

 

[Disturbed]

Agree Prod

Rangers have had 1 top 5 pick in 20 freaking years. Pavel Brendl (ugh).

The team has been remarkably consistently decent to mediocre sprinkling in a great season. It pays to tank long term