What did I miss?

[Greyvtrayn]

Haven't been on here since November....same old stuff I imagine>

 

[kreidertime]

Same crap. Chuck still acting like nothing is wrong with this team that hasn't won jack since 1994. AV still playing that worthless tool Glass. Nash still playing like a pussy. Same posters sucking of Yandle who isn't an impact defenseman.

 

[chuckd3534]

Yup...same old crap grey...sky is falling and the 2nd place Rangers again have no shot to make a run this season....

 

[chuckd3534]

In all seriousness, you are back just in time for the fun part of the season. Welcome back.

 

[Ranger71]

Yandle isn't an impact defenseman?C'mon Dump.

 

[Stepupstepan]

Yandle shows flashes of being an impact d-men but he is way too inconsistent and shaky defensively. I wish we can find another Brian Leetch in our lifetime. McD shows flashes as well but he is also inconsistent.

 

[theProdigy223]

Yandle shows flashes of being an impact d-men but he is way too inconsistent and shaky defensively. I wish we can find another Brian Leetch in our lifetime. McD shows flashes as well but he is also inconsistent.

There's a reason that Leetch is not just a Rangers legend, but an NHL legend and a hall of famer. Guys like that are incredibly rare.

Of course Yandle is shaky defensively, almost all offensive defenseman are. I've posted numerous times how guys like Subban and Karlsson turn the puck over at an even higher rate than even Yandle does. But in my opinion what he brings on offense is well worth the drawback.

What he really needs is a partner who isn't also shaky defensively. That's why Yandle played his best hockey this year with McIlrath, and it's why he looks even shakier when playing with Girardi and Klein, each of which have struggled at times this year. And when he's paired with Boyle forget about it.

When he is either traded or walks along with Boyle at the end of the year, you'll see how important a guy like that is as 5/6 of our defenseman will be lucky to complete a pass.

 

[Ranger71]

McDonagh is a solid player but just dosen't have the cerebral qualities a guy like Yandle does. And too often he passes up shots or dosen't shoot at the right time.

 

[theProdigy223]

Oh and welcome back Grey! Always room for another quality poster

 

[Stepupstepan]

IMO...McD is a better all around d-men than Yandle. And Yandle passes up on a lot of good shots and I mean a LOT.

 

[cagedlion]

Hello GreyV. Hope all is well with you. Hope you
can join in the Ranger ballywho........as you know
the ride can be wild. LOL

 

[chuckd3534]

What is happening here...LOL. Like there needs to be some justification or qualifier like in my opinion McD is a better dman than Yandle.

I'm sorry, but it isn't even close. McDonagh is a MUCH better dman than Yandle, they aren't even in the same class overall. We SO underrate McD in here. He may be a top 10 dman in the whole NHL.

You underrate every Ranger dman except Yandle 71, but what are we talking about here. McDonagh doesn't have the cerebral qualities of Yandle...wow.

I feel like I'm in the twilight zone here. This isn't even a discussion. And BTW...McDonagh has 1 less point than Yandle right now, 3 more goals than Yandle right now, is a +12 compared to a +3 for Yandle right now, and he plays against the other teams best players game after game.

Yandle is a real good dman, a solid 2nd pair dman IMO, but he is not McD who is a legit # 1 dman.

I wish we could keep Yandle long term. If we are rolling at the DL maybe we even keep Yandle for another playoff run, but come on now guys...please stop downplaying our guys. McD is so underrated on this board.

 

[chuckd3534]

As for Klein, no doubt he has had some missteps this season, but overall he has been very good. The past two seasons he has been our steadiest dman outside of McD IMO.

Go look at our record with and without Klein this season and it paints a heck of a picture about Klein's value. Now I'm sure there is some flukiness to that stat, but overall Klein is very important to this team. Also a solid 2nd pair dman IMO. He is also a +16, best on the team, and has been playing more and more against the other teams top players paired with McD.

Yandle gets the edge over Klein due to his offensive ability, but please let's not sell Klein short. He is a very important part of this team, and the team has a much better record with him in the lineup than it does when he is out.

I do agree that playing Yandle and Boyle together is not smart at all. Pairing maybe our two worst defensive dmen together makes no sense to me.

 

[theProdigy223]

Chuck, Nobody is selling Klein short, and nobody is saying Yandle is a number one (well maybe 71 is). Yandle and McDonagh are much different players. McDonagh better be keeping pace with Yandle, he gets way more minutes and way more PP time, all of which is with way better players.

Klein is fine. He's consistently above average, but also has disaster games such as against Vancouver where he was our worst dman and was carried by McDonagh. My point was not to rip him and start a debate about Kevin Klein. My point was that Yandle needs a stay at home, steady dman to cover for him. He hasn't had that for much of his time here, and his mistakes are therefore magnified. McIlrath was a perfect compliment to him.

 

[chuckd3534]

McD plays a little less than 4 minutes a game more than Yandle. Considering Yandle is an offensive specialist not sure McD better be keeping pace with him, but he is. We all know he isn't getting a lot of points on the PP because our PP has been terrible the past couple of weeks after a hot stretch. I actually think Yandle should get more PP time, that is his thing, but think McD should play more minutes overall.

My final point on this topic is the posts above mine (not you Prod) were kind of making it sound like it is close or there is some question as to who the better dman is, and I found that to be a bit out there. To me there is no comparison as McDonagh is simply much better. And if one were to watch these guys play every game I personally don't see how it could even be debated. Yandle is a good solid 2nd pair dman while McD is a legit # 1 dman. Just not close between them.

And I agree on the type of player Yandle should be paired with. My point is Klein would be a guy Yandle could be paired with and it would be a good match (and they are never aired together so I agree with you Prod). Every single player in every single sport at every single position has games where they struggle, and Klein is no different. But the very very vast majority of the time Klein is very good and our steadiest dman after McD the past two seasons. The numbers prove that point out in my humble opinion.

Not talking about you here Prod, speaking in general, but I think on this board there is a real underrating of our players, and especially our dmen. Dump has said that for a long time, and that is something I actually agree with him on. I think McDonagh is near the top of that list.

 

[Greyvtrayn]

Pretty strange arc this season seems to be on, in my opinion. Started out like gang-busters then couldn't win a game (or stop a shot) to save their lives and now they are just inconsistent game to game. I haven't watched many games start to finish yet this year so I can't really attribute it to anything in particular.
I think getting rid of Stoll was not a smart move but who knows what was going on with him. He was solid on face-offs and a great PK guy so it makes me think it could've been off-ice issues.
I thought when they sent Glass down we were done with him but well...yeah. While he hasn't played as poorly as he did last season I have to imagine there are better options with higher upside in the system that would give the Rangers a better chance to win.
I think McIlrath has showed he can play effectively in this league, I was concerned with how tough it's been for him to crack the lineup leading up to this season but, I would be confident with him going into the playoffs as a 5/6.
Nash looks nothing like the player we saw in the 2014/2015 season and that could be what is hurting this team the most. Zucc is doing his thing but Brassard has been off a bit. Kreider has shown some signs recently of picking it up but not nearly where we thought he would be this year.
All things considered I think the Rangers can make a run this year but they still need to improve on all ends of the ice to really have a shot. Paille has never lived up to his potential so hopefully being here will breathe some life back into him. Either way though, the Caps look incredible and will be tough for any team to beat in the playoffs. Granted they've underachieved every year in the playoffs this seems to be a year where they won't disappoint their fans. Long way to go, lots of hockey left to be played.
Thanks for the warm welcome back, everyone. I can't say I missed any of you but, it's good to talk Rangers hockey again!

 

[Ranger71]

McDonagh is not simply much better than Yandle, that's ridiculous Chuck. You just like McD so much and want to feel like the Rangers have this young stud dman. In reality he's an above average player but isn't elite either offensively or defensively. He may not make as many glaring errors as Yandle but he's made many boneheaded plays in the last few years.

 

[chuckd3534]

LOL...he is much better. McDonagh is MUCH better than simply an above average player. You like to way underrate our dman, except your beloved Yandle, which is certainly your right.

The fact that you think it is close and McDonagh is just an above average player makes me smile. All good though.

We disagree...no harm in that.

 

[chuckd3534]

And BTW...I like McDonagh, but he is not my favorite player or a player I love and have closed eyes about. But I also know he is a legit # 1 dman while Yandle is a solid 2nd pair dman. That means they are not close value/ability wise. You see it very differently, is what it is.

 

[chuckd3534]

Answer this question 71.

I think McDonagh is a # 1 dman. Maybe a top 10-15 dman in the NHL.
I think Yandle is a solid 2nd pair dman.

So how do you view those guys?

 

[Ranger71]

He's a top 20 and the #1 here but that's not really saying a ton. Yandle is still one of the top 50 dmen in the league imo so the gap just isn't that big is all i'm saying.

 

[chuckd3534]

Okay, so I think McDonagh is a little better than you do, top 10-15 as opposed to top 20. I think top 50 or so is fair for Yandle, I might say top 60, but we don't have this huge disagreement there. You think he is better than I do but not a huge difference of opinion. But to me that is a big gap either way.

Even by your opinion McDonagh is a top 20 dman in the NHL. That is more than a he's a # 1 here, that is a # 1 in many places...most places. Yandle to me is a 2nd pair dman...which BTW is darn good, but he is not McDonagh who is a # 1 dman.

I simply think McD is a different level overall from Yandle. But I do think Yandle is a good dman for sure. I also would have him on my 1st PP unit, and it is now time to scratch Boyle for a few games as well. Give McIlrath a couple of games.

Good discussion.

 

[Ranger71]

He should've had them paired on the 1st unit awhile ago, despite Boyle having a good stretch.

 

[chuckd3534]

I was okay with Boyle being given the chance when the PP was sucking anyway, and he did well for a few weeks and the PP climbed into the top 7. Now it has not worked in a couple of weeks and it is time to get Boyle off of the 1st unit.

 

[Ranger71]

Yeah, he doesn't always seem to make adjustments quick enough.