Rangers Sign Michael St. Croix
 

http://snyrangersblog.com/rangers/ne...hael-st-croix/

Does this mean he can/will play for the Whale during the lockout?

Very good. He's got potential.

I expect he'll go back to the WHL for one more year.

Nice. I think he spends another year in the W.

The SPC slides. I read players and their agents are concerned about changes in the entry level system and even players drafted in this CBA will be subject to the rules of the new CBA. Longer terms. NHL wants 5 years but two of the years are guaranteed and the rest are team options. MSC will remain in the WHL.

Awesome. Him and Calle Andersson are two of the more under the radar guys I am excited for.

I think MSC is on all of our radar. There's just a great deal of skepticism regarding his size and ability to play in the dirty areas, and whether his skills will translate to the pro game.

Let MSC develop into a good trading chip.

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I'd rather he develope into an every day NHL'er for the Rangers.

St. Croix is a good prospect, I like him, but he needs another season in the WHL. No need to rush him. This is particularly true if there's a lockout and a lot of the NHLers are in the AHL.

Only 12 forward spots available at any given time. 9 spots for guys that can really play the game.

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I hope he becomes one of them.

I like his vision. If he can get his compete level up, he can be an asset in uniform for the Rangers.

The Rangers have two smallish centers in Richards and Stepan. Finesse players. MSC gives them three small centers.

If you have a quality center, you have a quality center. Let's say St. Croix becomes the next Marc Savard. Will you advocate keeping him in the minors? Would you be upset if our centers were Richards-Savard-Stepan-Boyle?

even in that event, stepan could become the trade bait. it'd be a test thing. having your top three centers lacking size is manageable, but not by any means ideal even if they're all skilled. would be better to move one for a slightly worse center with size (or whatever else we're lacking at the time)

I said this last year and I still feel it's true: MSC is the most purely talented player we have in the system when it comes to offense alone. If he can refine the rest of his game -- which he has made strides in so far -- he'll be a very solid scoring forward.

However, given his size and below-average defensive awareness, I see him on the wing in the future.

We'll deal with trades when we have to deal with them. Right now, I just want our prospects to develop. Do you remember when everyone was saying there's no room for Lundqvist because we already have a future star in Blackburn and two prospects superior to him (Holmqvist and Asplund)? Let's have the kids develop, then we'll figure things out.

blackburn :(

same thing goes for MSC developing into 'savard' then ;). we'll deal with that if somehow he gets there


wing def is more hopeful than center (not that he couldn't pull it off, just not healthy odds)

I think he probably projects as a winger.

Good signing, let him go back to the W this season and compete for a spot next year.

Oil King fan here -105 points last year, +40 on the WHL champion team. 8th in overall scoring, 7th in goals, player of the month in the WHL for December last year. He says he tries to play like P. Bergeron, but I (and a few other OK fans) think that he's grittier.

Great pick, great signing. Congrats!

Thanks for the analysis, always appreciated from people who watch the junior teams on a regular basis as most of us here try to follow them as much as we can, but we're limited to a certain scope of viewing.

I think I speak for all for all of the Rangers fans interested in your opinion.

I got to see a little bit of him throughout the season and in the memorial cup and I liked how effective he was offensively. It seemed like the Oil Kings offense went through him and he's very good at making others around him better. However, like others have said, I think center might be tough for him to manage in the NHL from what I've seen. We could all be wrong though.

Good to sign him, but I'm not in his camp yet. Will not be sold until he proves he can handle the pro game (since I just think he's too weak).

St.Croix was god awful in the Memorial Cup. Completely invisible like an Eric Christensen type. Samuelsson was running the show for Edmonton.

But I think Edmonton can make it again this year so we'll see what St.Croix does this time around. Don't like his WJC roster chances since RNH is likely going to take his spot.

True
JT Miller fills that 3rd line center spot amicabely though

Here is some pure speculation about a possible future NYR lineup:

Nash - Richards - Gaborik/trade/new FA signing
Kreider - Stepan - Callahan
Hagelin/MSC/other prospect - Miller - one of Fast/Thomas/other prospect/FA/trade
Boyle/FA/goon/prospect - Lindberg/Yogan - FA/goon/prospect

McD - Girardi
Staal - McIllraith
MDZ - Sauer (if he returns)

This - if things pan out - is lethal :yo: