If Tortorella was a good coach Rangers would be prepared for this game and would be truly playing like their backs were against the wall. But all I see is Caps dominating more than in any other game.
What you're seeing is the superior team playing with confidence after coming back from a 3-0 third period deficit away from home. This has absolutely nothing to do with Torts whatsoever - he has squeezed every bit of performance possible out of this roster and he deserves to be commended.
As far as the offseason goes, I wasn't on board with the idea of bringing in Brad Richards until seeing the Rangers playoff performance. They are very close to being a really good team, and Richards would be an excellent addition. Keep it simple this summer and just sign Richards and do what you can to get rid of Drury. Let Thomas and Kreider compete for a spot and deploy them in an offensive role (Richards to Thomas for the one-timer has the potential to turn the PP into a real weapon). Those should be the only changes. The supporting cast is in place, has bought into the system, and they like and play hard for each other. All that's left is the addition of a gamebreaker to help Gaborik, and Richards is a low-risk, high reward, and most importantly available solution to that problem.
What you're seeing is the superior team playing with confidence after coming back from a 3-0 third period deficit away from home. This has absolutely nothing to do with Torts whatsoever - he has squeezed every bit of performance possible out of this roster and he deserves to be commended.
As far as the offseason goes, I wasn't on board with the idea of bringing in Brad Richards until seeing the Rangers playoff performance. They are very close to being a really good team, and Richards would be an excellent addition. Keep it simple this summer and just sign Richards and do what you can to get rid of Drury. Let Thomas and Kreider compete for a spot and deploy them in an offensive role (Richards to Thomas for the one-timer has the potential to turn the PP into a real weapon). Those should be the only changes. The supporting cast is in place, has bought into the system, and they like and play hard for each other. All that's left is the addition of a gamebreaker to help Gaborik, and Richards is a low-risk, high reward, and most importantly available solution to that problem.
Agree with the bolded. This series could have EASILY been ours if it wasn't for a few unfortunate plays. The way some people think, this team would have been showered with goals by the Caps, but the Caps have had as much trouble scoring as the Rangers in this series.
The whole core is in place. The 'rebuild' is finished. Now we need that one missing piece, which is a #1 center, who could also help us on the PP and in faceoffs. Richards is not only a guy who would be that #1 center. He makes our depth so much stronger while improving almost every single area of our game.
With more faceoff wins, we keep the puck longer.
With a better PP QB, our PP bcomes stronger.
Our passing also becomes a lot better.
Look where we are, with no #1 center, with a terrible power play, with the numerous amount of injuries we've had this season, etc... some people here are really really downplaying us.
I think we need to stay the course again. I'd rather see more young players and wait for Drury's contract to be gone to use that money to add depth to the team. That's what this team is really missing.
I think we need to stay the course again. I'd rather see more young players and wait for Drury's contract to be gone to use that money to add depth to the team. That's what this team is really missing.
This team is all depth and no high end. I disagree completely.
I think we need to stay the course again. I'd rather see more young players and wait for Drury's contract to be gone to use that money to add depth to the team. That's what this team is really missing.
It's clearly the opposite. This team has no high-end talent whatsoever.
would you guys do a 2012 2nd rounder for the rights to Richards at the draft? 2nd becomes an 2012 1st if he signs with us? we dont need any more futures. our cupboard is stocked. we need some high end talent.
Signing Richards gives us a very small window before he inevitably becomes more of a burden than an advantage (let's say 3 years). I don't know if we have the supporting cast to win a cup, even with Richards. I'd rather continue to build assets to the point where we have a loaded young team, even if it's mostly 2nd liners. Then at least we could trade them for a IN PRIME superstar.
Plus, guys like Weber and Ryan Suter are going to be free agents sooner than later and will be smarter investments than Richards. I love Richards and would sign him for 3 years if I could but that will not be an option.
would you guys do a 2012 2nd rounder for the rights to Richards at the draft? 2nd becomes an 2012 1st if he signs with us? we dont need any more futures. our cupboard is stocked. we need some high end talent.
Conditional 1st would be too much for him, imo. 2012 is too good of a draft.
I'd happily give up one of our 2011 2nds for his rights straight up.
Signing Richards gives us a very small window before he inevitably becomes more of a burden than an advantage (let's say 3 years). I don't know if we have the supporting cast to win a cup, even with Richards. I'd rather continue to build assets to the point where we have a loaded young team, even if it's mostly 2nd liners. Then at least we could trade them for a IN PRIME superstar.
Plus, guys like Weber and Ryan Suter are going to be free agents sooner than later and will be smarter investments than Richards. I love Richards and would sign him for 3 years if I could but that will not be an option.
We're already stocked with 2nd liners. Dubinsky. Callahan. Anisimov. All have 3-4 seasons under their belt and will be entering their prime. Stepan will improve quickly. Boyle took a huge step forward. Our core is in place. They're at the point where they'll be entering their prime. We need top end talent.
**** Richards. We're still a work in progress and we have to stop with these injury prone overpaid hacks. Enough Redden, enough Drury, enough Gaborik. This was only a small step in the right direction. I want more kids and more grit, and we'll make the big move when we're ready.
Conditional 1st would be too much for him, imo. 2012 is too good of a draft.
I'd happily give up one of our 2011 2nds for his rights straight up.
I was thinking it was a lot, but I'm too lazy to look up what the rights to players recently traded went for. Maybe a 2011 2nd for his rights and a 2012 2nd if he signs? Essentially 2 2nd rounders for a signed Richards? Idk.
Signing Richards gives us a very small window before he inevitably becomes more of a burden than an advantage (let's say 3 years). I don't know if we have the supporting cast to win a cup, even with Richards. I'd rather continue to build assets to the point where we have a loaded young team, even if it's mostly 2nd liners. Then at least we could trade them for a IN PRIME superstar.
Plus, guys like Weber and Ryan Suter are going to be free agents sooner than later and will be smarter investments than Richards. I love Richards and would sign him for 3 years if I could but that will not be an option.
How many "IN PRIME superstars" have been traded since the lockout?
None without serious baggage. Even with a wealth of assets, it takes two teams to trade, and no team in their right mind is trading in prime superstars without being forced to.
I was thinking it was a lot, but I'm too lazy to look up what the rights to players recently traded went for. Maybe a 2011 2nd for his rights and a 2012 2nd if he signs? Essentially 2 2nd rounders for a signed Richards? Idk.
To be honest I think I'd be more willing to give up our 2011 1st without any condition attached than the chance of losing our 2012 1st.
We're already stocked with 2nd liners. Dubinsky. Callahan. Anisimov. All have 3-4 seasons under their belt and will be entering their prime. Stepan will improve quickly. Boyle took a huge step forward. Our core is in place. They're at the point where they'll be entering their prime. We need top end talent.
This.
If you wait 3 years like some people are proposing, you no longer have our young guys with good contracts and Lundqvist is suddenly in his early 30s. We're at a point where we can't really rebuild, because of the age of our core, but also lack top end talent, because Jagr and Lundqvist carried us to the playoffs.
What we're lacking is top end talent. Right now, the only foreseeable fix for that talent that I see is Brad Richards. There's obviously a risk that he doesn't work out -- like there is for any player. That's why making sure he doesn't have a NMC at the tail end of any contract he signs with us would be very important.
We're at a point where we need to make a move for the top end talent or risk passing over our core's chance to compete without ever even competing.
Hoping that Gaborik returns to form is pretty nerve-wracking, at least for me.
His performance this season is a complete setback, somewhere along the lines of Cherepanov(R.I.P.) passing away. Seriously, I have no clue where we stand with Gaborik. It does look like he won't be going anywhere.
It simply has to be the end of Drury as a Ranger. Has to be. Sather keeps ****ing this team up and the price keeps having to be paid on a season after season basis.
This is pretty negative, but this team cannot rely on the great, emerging core of young players to do it all and make the team Cup worthy. That is far too much to ask.
For me, a lot keeps coming back to which version of Gaborik appears next year? Plus, who can be picked up who is a proven leader who scores in all types of situations.
