@itsmcilrathtime Can we see the source of your "data"
Deny it or not he is a ~ 15th on that list. Every FWD on that list showed immediate impact and you could tell that they were going to be 1st line players save for Yakupov and JackHuges.Hughes has certainly lifted himself up.
Laf got an uplift in toi last season up to 15:15 from 14:00 and his goals went down his scoring avg went form 17's to 12%.(his assists were up tho). If he was deserved of more ice time and PP time than he would be getting it. What do you think his numbers would be if he got more PP time and moved up to the 2nd line and played 17-18 mins a game? Because obviously the coaches and management probably don't see it... You should send them an email telling them you know something they don't.
Unfortunately he is waivers eligible and can't get sent down.
He is slow, an average puck handler, above average shot, not great on the boards, not especially physical (he will throw the body on occasion) and doesn't have the speed/stick skills to kill penalties.
He even took a lousy contract extension because he and his people thought that that was the best deal he was going to get. If he had such mad skill he would have waited for his RFA years, but if you put him against his comparables he gets 3rd line wing money.
So who do you sit to prove this argument? Who do you take off the #1 PP? Kreider? I don't think so. And take into consideration that if you play him over somebody who has earned the ice time and PP time that you risk losing the locker room. What parameters make him a bust? if you give him 18 mins a game including PP time and he doesn't put up 70 points is he a bust?
He's earned being a third line player and by his acceptance of his bridge deal he seems ok with. Hindsight being what it is he is at best a disappointment heading towards a bust for a 1st overall pick. I hope he amounts to be better than a third line player, and that is solely up to him to prove it.
Who's job on the first/second does he deserve to take? Please answer me and don't give me one of your bullshit non answers.
If they need me to bleed, then I'll bleed for my team
Another factor is the Rangers had two established top lines when the Rangers "won" their draft lottery positions in 2019 and 2020. Teams that win the #1 or #2 overall are typically lousy with top line slots available.
Even without having a terrible inexperienced head coach, the timing was poor for bringing Lafreniere aboard. With Covid, sending him back to Juniors wasn't a good option and even if they were allowed to send him to Hartford, the AHL played an abbreviated schedule, IIRC.
Add to the above that Zibanejad, Panarin and Kreider aren't the best NHL role models and that's why Lafreniere and Kakko haven't progressed much.
He's a perfect fit for the Rangers then.....they've been using that philosophy with regard to player acquisition for decades.Unfortunately, I have zero confidence that Laviolette will be any better. His coaching style is to jam square pegs into round holes, not devise strategy make best use of his players' strengths.
He's a perfect fit for the Rangers then.....they've been using that philosophy with regard to player acquisition for decades.
If only Marian Gaborik would block more shots...
I enjoyed watching the team play so far. I can see an improvement since last season. Still, I hope to see some phases this season. I hope that some new young players will have the opportunity to shine. I was recently looking at the SportStats platform, and everyone there says that the Boston team can qualify high this season. Let's see how it will go. By the way if you are interested here is the link to the platfrom I used: https://sportscore.io