I would say probably 10th or 11th in the east, if both Henrik and Gaborik stay healthy, as we saw last year there is only so many games Henrik can steal. Hopefully MZA can come in and score, as well as Dubinsky taking another step, but who knows if he will max out as 50 points.
1; This team is no worse on paper than last years, unless Gaborik gets hurt. I dont think anyone is going to argue that the loss of Ollie Jokinen in exchange for Mats Zuccarello Aasen is going to kill us, or that Enver Lisin was a part of any of our wins.
2; Some of our competitors have improved on paper
3; Part of a rebuild means your kids get a little better each year.
I think we could finish anywhere from 5th to 11th. Should be fun to watch our kids improve regardless of where we end up.
This team, as constituted, is likely to challenge for the worst record in the east, with Florida and the Islanders. All other teams behind them, save the Panthers and Islanders have improved, most notably, Atlanta, TB and Toronto. And, Carolina is likely to have Cam Ward for the full year.
This team, as constituted, is likely to challenge for the worst record in the east, with Florida and the Islanders. All other teams behind them, save the Panthers and Islanders have improved, most notably, Atlanta, TB and Toronto. And, Carolina is likely to have Cam Ward for the full year.
This team will give the first pick a run this season. They are not very good. Without Lundqvist.....they would be worse than the Islanders.
This team will give the first pick a run this season. They are not very good. Without Lundqvist.....they would be worse than the Islanders.
The myth that this team will never be awful with Henke and Gaborik was certainly put to the test last year. They had both players fairly healthy, and didn't make the playoffs. Just about everyone in the conference has gotten better. Yeah, everyone is hoping for improvement from the young players. You know what? So are Atlanta, TB, Toronto and the Isles.
6-11. essentially the same team as last year...maybe the team develops chemistry this year with a lack of changes and the young players make some improvements.
one benefit to this marginal team is the possible/eventual firing of torts the clown.
not for the record, as the talent is just not there again, but for his lunatic act that im sure we'll all see once this team loses 7 games in a row.
i suspect that after 2 years ago and the torts freakout with the water bottle debacle, and last years missing the po's by one game and subsequent trashing of his stud player to the press, torts will have minimal time to gather some chemistry with this rag tag bunch before the call for his head on a platter
in some perverted way, i think this could be entertaining....
Hank is gonna be more rested and that will get us a few extra points alone. I still think Sather has a trade up his sleeve for more offense but when you have goaltending liks this your always in a playoff hunt. The Devils never had big scorers and made the playoffs playing good D with great goaltending.
Can Drury really have another piss poor season? I don't see it happening, the guy has too much pride and I think he will have a bounce back year. Not like his one big season with the Sabres but better than he did last year.
Redden! This problem has now been identified by the coach and the fans, Sather has to be working on getting rid of Wade, so for the first time I really don't expect him here in the fall.
Those three reasons alone make me think the Rangers are in better shape now than last year, add in another year experience for our younger players I think it's way too premature to start calling another top ten pick next year.
pray they gel and the young guys produce . Sadly will not be surprised if they miss the playoffs. The league is tight
This.
So lets see.
The Flyers went to the Finals, got tougher and made some other decent signings - so they are good and have improved. Still a question in net as always though. Theyll be there and be bitter about losing in the finals. Not good.
The Devils at one point looked as if they were about to take a step backwards after they lost Martin, but then upgraded their D with Tallinder (marginal) and Volchenkov. If they add Kovalchuck, and it seems likely, they will probably be one of the teams to beat not only the Atlantic but the East as well - even if they have to jettison some players to fit him in.
The Penguins seem to be losing more players then gaining the last few years but with the lineup they have they will always be in it. They lost Gonchar but added Martin and Michalek. They now have one of the strongest D's in the league let alone the East. Malkin, Crosby and Fluery all hitting their prime and they know how to win a Cup. Not good.
The Islanders had another good draft, and while they are still young - one of these years they are going to start clicking and thats not good for Rangers fans. They always show up to play as it is and each year they are getting stronger and wiser and they have the cap room to add good players (Plural) if need be.
And then you have us. There still could be some more movement in the Atlantic but as far as the Rangers are concerned they are most likely done because they have no other choice really. What happens to Redden is going to be a huge story/turning point for this team moving forward IMO. How the young players gel and how guys like Dubinsky, Del Zotto and Anisimov take it to the next level will probably dictate if they will be in the race or not.
I dont think you can even compare this team to the Flyers, Pens and Devils at this point. The Rangers have to set their sights on the lower tier teams like the Canes (who don't have that bad of a roster despite their finish last year) Florida, Atlanta (who will be coming), Toronto, Isles etc... And thats a shame considering where they were three or four seasons ago. Its definitely trending downwards IMO as far as the standings is concerned. Once again they will struggle to score goals mightily. Once again theyll have trouble with consistency. I think a key to the season will be better play at home and getting more points after the regulation horn. They were downright terrible in OT and shootouts last season. Two to four more Ot and shootout wins would have had them in the 6th spot in last years playoffs and I expect it to be that close again.
I think another glaring key will be health. I havent checked this stat, but im sure everyone will agree with me. They have had one of the lowest if not THE lowest manpower lost in games over the past half decade or more. They have been MORE than lucky with the lack of injuries. One of these years (god forbid) the injury bug will bite its just the law of averages. The Rangers have compiled all of this suckage with full squads and they still havent done anything to write home about.
All that aside, It will most likely be a long season unless we have some big surprises and resurgences from some older veterans. But as always, with a guy like Hank in net you can never count them out.
Last edited by HockeyBasedNYC: 07-05-2010 at 07:45 PM.
What do I see? Another season of brainless and boring hockey.
This team hasn't been smart enough or talented enough to sustain offensive pressure in the other team's zone with any consistency for several seasons now, and that'll likely continue.
Teams like CHI, PIT, DET, WSH win by getting into the opposition's zone and staying there. Then they pass the puck around a whole lot to create scoring chances. This team doesn't do that. They don't cycle the puck, mainly because they aren't good enough to do it. Teams that can't do that don't win or play entertaining hockey.
Honestly, I expect this team to be very frustrating. With all of the young players they will not be consistent but they will show flashes. I expect a 11-13th place finish in the East.
Teams better than the Rangers on paper in the East:
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
Washington
Montreal
Boston
New Jersey
Buffalo
Tampa Bay
Ottawa
Toronto
Teams at or slightly above the Rangers:
Atlanta
Carolina
New York Islanders
Honestly, the only team who looks worse is Florida and it isnt by much.
