It seems Nieves is having a real good freshman year. This is a good sign. It is actually so far a better freshman year than what Kreider had during his freshman year.
It seems Nieves is having a real good freshman year. This is a good sign. It is actually so far a better freshman year than what Kreider had during his freshman year.
Kreider had less ice time and less responsibility, explaining his lesser numbers. Nieves seems to be similar to Kreider, but a little worse across the board: big but a little smaller, fast but a little slower, decent shot but not as strong.
The Rangers are looking real good at LW for the future: Nash, Kreider, Hagelin and either Nieves or Hrivik. That's a hell of a left side.
We are ok at center too: Brad, Stepan, Boyle are already here, with Miller, St. Croix and Fogarty on the way. Assuming of those of three becomes a top-9 forward, our centers are excellent for the foreseeable future.
With goaltending and defense very solid, the weak spot is the RW once Gabby leaves.
Kreider had less ice time and less responsibility, explaining his lesser numbers. Nieves seems to be similar to Kreider, but a little worse across the board: big but a little smaller, fast but a little slower, decent shot but not as strong.
The Rangers are looking real good at LW for the future: Nash, Kreider, Hagelin and either Nieves or Hrivik. That's a hell of a left side.
We are ok at center too: Brad, Stepan, Boyle are already here, with Miller, St. Croix and Fogarty on the way. Assuming of those of three becomes a top-9 forward, our centers are excellent for the foreseeable future.
With goaltending and defense very solid, the weak spot is the RW once Gabby leaves.
both kreider and nash can play both wings...so if hagelin remains in the top 6, you could balance out that depth by moving one of them to the right side...miller might end up on the wing too.
both kreider and nash can play both wings...so if hagelin remains in the top 6, you could balance out that depth by moving one of them to the right side...miller might end up on the wing too.
Kreider had less ice time and less responsibility, explaining his lesser numbers. Nieves seems to be similar to Kreider, but a little worse across the board: big but a little smaller, fast but a little slower, decent shot but not as strong.
The Rangers are looking real good at LW for the future: Nash, Kreider, Hagelin and either Nieves or Hrivik. That's a hell of a left side.
We are ok at center too: Brad, Stepan, Boyle are already here, with Miller, St. Croix and Fogarty on the way. Assuming of those of three becomes a top-9 forward, our centers are excellent for the foreseeable future.
With goaltending and defense very solid, the weak spot is the RW once Gabby leaves.
Rangers goaltending depth is not much after Lundqvist... Rangers can use a young backup future starter like Nucks have with Schneider if the Nucks trade Roberto. None of the Rangers players in AHL has any NHL potential... Rangers should have drafted Subban's brother this past draft..
Still, I do hope the Rangers use their top pick, which is in the second round this year, on another prospect like Christian Thomas. Someone who may become a bust, but who has the ability to become a sniper on the right side. If there's a quality prospect like that whom the team scouts like, I'd love to add him to the prospect corps. No matter how we spin it, the RW seems to be the weak spot.
Also keep drafting big defensemen like Andersson, Noreau and Ceresnak in the later rounds. Sooner or later, one of them will become a real player, saving us the need to keep drafting blueliners in the first round. Given that this team will likely be drafting late (probably not at all in the top-50 this year), we need to take out as many positions as possible out of the "need" category.
Rangers goaltending depth is not much after Lundqvist... Rangers can use a young backup future starter like Nucks have with Schneider if the Nucks trade Roberto. None of the Rangers players in AHL has any NHL potential... Rangers should have drafted Subban's brother this past draft..
There are several problems with this:
1. Lundqvist will likely be around another 8-12 years.
2. Goalies have the worst odds of panning out. A first rounder has less than a 10% chance of becoming a starter.
3. We have other, more pressing needs.
4. Goalies can be acquired for little to nothing unless they are absolute superstars, and even then, they can be had cheap.
Obviously you should draft the BPA, but if we could draft by position with all else being equal, this is how I'd draft this year, I would take someone like Christian Thomas in the second round, use 3 of the 4 third round picks on offense-first forwards, and the remaining one on a spark-plug like Callahan/McColgan in their draft years, with the 4th and the 6th rounders used for defensemen like Calle Andersson and Sam Noreau.
This way we'd have about a 50-50 chance to grab a top-6 scoring forward (a second rounder has a 20% shot of making the NHL and a third rounder has a 10% chance), and who knows, maybe one of the other players cracks it as well.
1. Lundqvist will likely be around another 8-12 years.
2. Goalies have the worst odds of panning out. A first rounder has less than a 10% chance of becoming a starter.
3. We have other, more pressing needs.
4. Goalies can be acquired for little to nothing unless they are absolute superstars, and even then, they can be had cheap.
Obviously you should draft the BPA, but if we could draft by position with all else being equal, this is how I'd draft this year, I would take someone like Christian Thomas in the second round, use 3 of the 4 third round picks on offense-first forwards, and the remaining one on a spark-plug like Callahan/McColgan in their draft years, with the 4th and the 6th rounders used for defensemen like Calle Andersson and Sam Noreau.
This way we'd have about a 50-50 chance to grab a top-6 scoring forward (a second rounder has a 20% shot of making the NHL and a third rounder has a 10% chance), and who knows, maybe one of the other players cracks it as well.
I feel like we're going to use one of our thirds on a goalie.
I've said it before and I'll it again. SIGN A COLLEGIATE GOALIE!!!!!! They have been playing soooo well and most of them are FA's. We also need to find a 1st rounder from somewhere. This draft is filled with extreme talent with big defenders, highly skilled snipers, and powerfowards. Not fond at all to the goalies in the draft, but sure seems interesting enough. Liking all of the "Top 5" (Mackinnon, Jones, Barkov, Drouin, Monahan) aswell as Zadorov, Santini, Nichushkin, Lindholm, Erne, and many others. Hope that the Rangers do well and pick solidly like they've been doing. I do remember watching an interview from Assistant GM Jeff Gorton saying they were going to be selecting a good amount in the coming event so idk.
I've said it before and I'll it again. SIGN A COLLEGIATE GOALIE!!!!!! They have been playing soooo well and most of them are FA's. We also need to find a 1st rounder from somewhere. This draft is filled with extreme talent with big defenders, highly skilled snipers, and powerfowards. Not fond at all to the goalies in the draft, but sure seems interesting enough. Liking all of the "Top 5" (Mackinnon, Jones, Barkov, Drouin, Monahan) aswell as Zadorov, Santini, Nichushkin, Lindholm, Erne, and many others. Hope that the Rangers do well and pick solidly like they've been doing. I do remember watching an interview from Assistant GM Jeff Gorton saying they were going to be selecting a good amount in the coming event so idk.
Most likely. Lindberg is almost a certainty. Fasth is less certain but still likely.
I saw an interview with Fasth in a hometown Swedish paper a couple of days ago, and in the text they wrote something like "before he joins NYR next season".
Its hard to speculate on percentages and you never know what will happen (everything from injuries to contract negotiations), but I definitely think both are planning to go to NA.
Calle Andersson will not play for Sweden in the WJC's. He can still play next year, and it would have been a bit of a long shot had he made it.
I've seen some more of him in the SEL. He is a big kid who is a well rounded and smart defensemen. Its tough to get a read of him since he is a young 18 y/o, who isn't super early developed, who is playing in a 2nd pairing, no PP/PK, role in the SEL. Alot of the shifts he takes more or less about just doing his job.
He definitely look like a decent prospect. He is listed at 6'2, but when you see him you wonder if he won't end up as a 6'3-3.5... He is well rounded, but what you miss in him is of course some explosiveness and intensity. He is a RH shot who seems set on developing into a decent PPQB. I don't notice any real weakness in him defensively. Its more like the opposite. He takes the body and stands up for himself.
It will definitely be interesting to following him in the coming years. He could explode in his development in the near future when he fills out and becomes more mature physically, or he could of course just become a very decent SEL/AHL D. Its still very hard to even tell what type of D he will become.
I agree. Worst case, he'll be a spark-plug player in the NHL.
I think that's his best case upside. He's undersized and lacking top-end skill. He usually plays hard and is pretty damn annoying to play against from what I've seen and read. That's only going to take him so far though.
Worst case, he's a 3rd line energy guy in the AHL than can score some points. There are very few players in the system who you can reasonably say, at minimum, will have an NHL career. I honestly can't fathom how anyone that has followed McColgan and his flat development path can say he's a sure bet to have an NHL career in any capacity.
What makes him any different than, say, Alex Bourret? At least with him you saw some career progression in his time in junior hockey. McColgan is just kinda there. He's not much different of a player than he was 3 years ago. I always look for development in prospects, and I don't really see any with McColgan.
He fell to round five for a reason: he never got any better. And he still hasn't.
I think that's his best case upside. He's undersized and lacking top-end skill. He usually plays hard and is pretty damn annoying to play against from what I've seen and read. That's only going to take him so far though.
Worst case, he's a 3rd line energy guy in the AHL than can score some points. There are very few players in the system who you can reasonably say, at minimum, will have an NHL career. I honestly can't fathom how anyone that has followed McColgan and his flat development path can say he's a sure bet to have an NHL career in any capacity.
What makes him any different than, say, Alex Bourret? At least with him you saw some career progression in his time in junior hockey. McColgan is just kinda there. He's not much different of a player than he was 3 years ago. I always look for development in prospects, and I don't really see any with McColgan.
He fell to round five for a reason: he never got any better. And he still hasn't.
That was a typo. I meant thst worst case, he will be a spark plug in the AHL, not the NHL.
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"Of course giving Sather cap space is like giving teenagers whiskey and car keys." - SBOB "Watching Sather build a team is like watching a blind man with no fingers trying to put together an elaborate puzzle." - Shadowtron
Sestito still on the make a wish tour. - rholt168
I have a feeling Skjei's not making it on the WJC team this year.
Yea. It's definitely not a lock. Though I have no idea how people are pencilling Mike Reilly ahead of him unless they are just looking at stats.
At the end of the day, despite being picked 12th overall Ryan McDonagh didn't make the WJC in his post-draft season. It would be great experience no doubt but it's one tourney.
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