Pretty much what I have said. You can't change two wingers off Zib's line and three or four of your bottom two lines, and 2-3 defensemen at the deadline. Drury has decisions and actions to do with Kreider, Lindgren and Miller in particular. Can he win with them. And to a lessor extent Kakko, who might be better moved in the summer. Certainly don't see him moving the dial on any big trade.
If I were Drury, I'd be looking beyond just plugging holes. Time to swing for the fences and look to make a few talent-for-talent moves. Have to be other teams with high salaried players that need a change of scenery. Get creative.
With the Rangers having nearly everyone with a NTC/NMC you would have a lot of work to do to shed those contracts. Then what do you get? Draft picks? Well they haven't worked out so well. You don't need big money or blue chip draft picks, you need grit and tenacity and that is what this team lacks up and down the lineup. I would cut bait on Kakko. He is not physical enough to help in the playoffs. I would trade Goodrow (might have to eat some salary) as he gives almost no production for his $4+M. I think the top 6 (maybe with the exception of Trocheck)have proven they aren't tough enough for the playoffs and the rest of the defense with the exception of Trouba and Lindgren (who is going to be carried off the ice someday) aren't physical playoff performers.
When I watch the Rangers I see basically an entire team that can't play physical hockey and I don't mean fight, I mean they can't possess the puck in a physical style; they are always poking at the puck trying to avoid contact, which just doesn't get it done in the playoffs. The makeup of the team is out of balance and as fun as it is to watch Panarin and Fox in the regular (exhibition) season it is agonizing to watch them not be able to do what it takes physically to win playoff games. Those 2 represent over 20% of the salary cap.
Now we'll have some cap to go and get players at or before the deadline, but I don't think we can find the right guys to help make up the gap we have.
In the playoffs you need to be able to roll 4 lines and you need scoring from all 4.
And then there is the goaltending.... Quick has been way better than expected and Shesterkin flat out stinks right now. Quick is not going to carry the Rangers and I don't know wtf happened to Shesterkin but he is like a bottom 5 goaltender.
Cuylle shows promise and maybe just bring Othmann and Enstrom up at this point. I've seen 1 game out of Mackey and everyone said he was slow, but I didn't see him out of position or get caught or make bad giveaways like Miller seems to every frikken night.
If they need me to bleed, then I'll bleed for my team
If I’m coach Mackey is in til he proves he can’t keep up. His hit on Stutzle was excellent. Rangers need him, Trouba and Schneider bringing that every night. Same up front need more banging, but the Rangers have a team ful of forwards, that don’t hit mostly because they might have back it up. Ranger players don’t have to fight all the time, but they must when they have to. And it’s important to have those types that can play but will square off when needed, and in the meanwhile play physical.
When I say talent-for-talent trades, I mean for guys who have been not so good for their current teams. I would offer Zibanejad, Kreider, Miller and Lindgren to obtain guys like these (examples):
- Josh Anderson and David Savard from the Canadiens
- Jordan Greenway and Jeff Skinner from the Sabres
- Braden Schenn and Justin Faulk from the Blues
- Ryan O'Reilly from the Predators
- Jaden Schwartz, Brian Dumoulin and Adam Larsson from the Krakken
- Boone Jenner and Ivan Provorov from the Blue Jackets
Could throw Zac Jones and Kakko into the mix for the right combination of veterans with size and skill. Don't need to move them all, just a few to shake up the team core.
If Toronto made him available, I'd even consider moving Shesterkin for Marner and Martin Jones.
Need some outside-the-box thinking from the Rangers for once.
Just read Hartford signed a dman see link. Which I think will be Jones traded by the deadline and Mackey on the roster.
The only reason Jones is still on the roster is to trade. Someone would take him if put on waivers so he can't go back to Hartford.
Monahan to the Jets
If they need me to bleed, then I'll bleed for my team
The NYI just waived NewBomb!
1 Cup in 86 years
2048
A Caught a little of the NHL Allstar game and thought it was the Rangers playing defense
If they need me to bleed, then I'll bleed for my team
The only reason Jones is still on the roster is to trade. Someone would take him if put on waivers so he can't go back to Hartford.
That has been the Rangers thought process, right or wrong. And many’s the player that might get picked up on waivers, that you wouldn’t get a wooden nickel for in a trade. I don’t think he’s around after the deadline just based on not being the type they need. Unless Gustafsson gets traded and for who, then it’s hard to say he might stick but will still be number 7. Mackey has also proved in one game he also just might be a factor and help the cause.
Krebs and Sturm would be my choices. Krebs has a lotta upside, but there’s no room for him on Buffalo and he’s being used as a role player which he is not and his value is not gonna bring back a lot. Sturm is a face off stud and he’s got size and some offensive ability. He shouldn’t cost that much either. If you wanna go big then offer Kakko and a first rounder for Zegras otherwise I’m not giving up any first or second round picks as our core forwards are getting old.
Krebs and Sturm would be my choices. Krebs has a lotta upside, but there’s no room for him on Buffalo and he’s being used as a role player which he is not and his value is not gonna bring back a lot. Sturm is a face off stud and he’s got size and some offensive ability. He shouldn’t cost that much either. If you wanna go big then offer Kakko and a first rounder for Zegras otherwise I’m not giving up any first or second round picks as our core forwards are getting old.
The players aren't the only ones who think Zegras is overrated, the guy provides highlights every now and again, but is not a 2-way player, and not that great of an offensive or possession driver...count me as big no thanks for value for money on that one.
For me, the place to use assets would be the following:
Center (3rd line)
Right Wing (top 6 guy)
Two bottom six forwards who provide two of the following three things - physicality, speed, defense, offense. Ideally I'd like to see two of the following get pushed to the bench (Wheeler, Goodrow, Vesey, Pitlick, Brodzinski) and maybe just rotated in and out.
Additional (probably left) defenseman who is maybe a top four guy now, but would do better playing in the bottom four
Can you get all that? Probably not, but those would be the areas I'm looking at
Ottawa thought the same thing about Zibanejad. Overrated. Inconsistent. The reality is you don't know much about Zegras. He plays out west and I doubt you see him play more than a few games every year. He's also been on a crap team with garbage coaches his entire career. So I doubt his overrated status holds any weight to the Rangers front office.
That being said, there is work to do in his game with faceoffs and in the defensive zone. However, just look at his roster the previous 2 years where he had over 60 points. The roster completely sucks. He had 43 points and 48 points at even strength the previous two years to this one. In case you haven't noticed, this team sucks moose dong at even strength offensively. I would not be so quick to dismiss Zegras based on a bunch of jackasses that probably play with a superior supporting cast. If you put Zibanejad or Trochek on the Ducks, there offensive production would drop like a rock and I'm sure the rest of their game would decline as well.