The top of the various Hockey East scoring leaders looks pretty much the way we expected. Chris Kreider leads the league with 15 points on eight goals and seven assists.
I really don't think Rangers should sign another costly NHL free agent next summer. I think this is the guy that will give this team everything they need to compete for the cup. Thoughts?
The top of the various Hockey East scoring leaders looks pretty much the way we expected. Chris Kreider leads the league with 15 points on eight goals and seven assists.
I really don't think Rangers should sign another costly NHL free agent next summer. I think this is the guy that will give this team everything they need to compete for the cup. Thoughts?
Isn't he a junior right now? How do we know he won't go back for senior year?
Isn't he a junior right now? How do we know he won't go back for senior year?
Is that Anisimov in your avvy?
I was one of the big people around here questioning Kreider's commitment. But him showing up at pre-training camp practice and the fact that he'll be done with school after this year are why he won't be going back for his senior year.
The top of the various Hockey East scoring leaders looks pretty much the way we expected. Chris Kreider leads the league with 15 points on eight goals and seven assists.
I really don't think Rangers should sign another costly NHL free agent next summer. I think this is the guy that will give this team everything they need to compete for the cup. Thoughts?
I think it's too early to draw assumptions on what Kreider can produce at the NHL level. There have been numerous good college players that turn into average NHL players.
I think he will be a good player for us but to say we should pass up the opportunity to sign a talented and young established NHL player for someone who could turn into a great player is a little bit of of a risk.
You also have to take into consideration how long it could possibly take for Kreider to "get it." I think, as I said, that Kreider will be a good player, but if we have an opportunity to get a good player now you can't pass that up.
I don't know about "not signing big names" because Kreider may be ready, but it'll be more like not re-signing Fedotenko or something. Give Kreider a chance to earn a 3rd line roster spot and see if he can play his way up the lineup
I kinda doubt the Rangers will be able to snag a big name like Parise anyways
I don't know about "not signing big names" because Kreider may be ready, but it'll be more like not re-signing Fedotenko or something. Give Kreider a chance to earn a 3rd line roster spot and see if he can play his way up the lineup
I kinda doubt the Rangers will be able to snag a big name like Parise anyways
Agreed.
__________________
"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
Give Feds money to Kreider. Re-sign Biron and Prust.
FORWARDS
Zach Parise ($7.500m) / Brad Richards ($6.666m) / Marian Gaborik ($7.500m)
Brandon Dubinsky ($4.200m) / Derek Stepan ($0.875m) / Ryan Callahan ($4.275m)
Chris Kreider ($1.700m) / Artem Anisimov ($1.875m) / Brandon Prust ($0.900m)
Michael Rupp ($1.500m) / Brian Boyle ($1.700m) / Andre Deveaux ($0.525m)
Chad Kolarik ($0.525m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Daniel Girardi ($3.325m)
Ryan McDonagh ($1.300m) / Mike Sauer ($1.250m)
Michael Del Zotto ($1.800m) / Tim Erixon ($1.750m)
/ Wade Redden ($6.500m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m) / Martin Biron ($0.900m)
BUYOUTS: Chris Drury ($1.666m)
Puts us over the cap by 4.8 million, but the 10% bonus allows us to go 6.4 over. Then we just send Redden back down come September. Yes, no? Thoughts?
I don't know about "not signing big names" because Kreider may be ready, but it'll be more like not re-signing Fedotenko or something. Give Kreider a chance to earn a 3rd line roster spot and see if he can play his way up the lineup
Wolski, Fedotenko, Christensen, Avery all potentially gone next season... There will be plenty of room for at least 1 prospect... Hopefully we can field a roster that features Prust/Boyle/Rupp on the 4th line so we can field a prototypical 3rd scoring line with the more skilled forwards...
The top of the various Hockey East scoring leaders looks pretty much the way we expected. Chris Kreider leads the league with 15 points on eight goals and seven assists.
I really don't think Rangers should sign another costly NHL free agent next summer. I think this is the guy that will give this team everything they need to compete for the cup. Thoughts?
He won't come in and be at his max potential in his rookie season. By the time Kreider is anywhere near his potential, it will likely be his 3-4 season in the NHL. By then Gaborik, will be gone.
If we can sign Parise in the summer, we should do it. We have the cap space and the addition of a scorer like Parise to the first line, plus speedsters like Kreider and Hagelin to the bottom-6, would make us not just Cup contenders, but Cup favorites.
Anyone who's watching the BC-BU game right now can see what a huge gap there is between college and the NHL. Only ~25% of Division-1 college kids go on to play professional hockey. No, not NHL hockey, but professional hockey at any level, including the Federal Hockey League and the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Even those rare NCAA kids that do make the NHL are still very raw when they are in college.
The average D-1 hockey team is about at the same level as the Brooklyn Aviators (probably a little more talented, but less experienced and the underclassmen still have undeveloped bodies). Even the best NCAA teams are barely on ECHL level. If the average ECHL team goes up against Boston College, I will put my money on the ECHL team.
So to expect Kreider to go from NCAA to first line duty is not reasonable. It can happen, but let's not call him a bust if he needs half a season in Hartford or if he starts in the NHL as a Sjostrom-like player who is fast, but not much else.
It will take Kreider time to get going. He won't be a 35 goal scorer in his rookie season. If he scores 15 goals, that's a very successful rookie season. Even 10 goals is acceptable.
i'd like to keep feds for cheap and look for a top 4 dman...then and only then go for a winger.
Because with Staal, Girardi, McDonagh, Sauer, and Del Zotto here and with Erixon and McIlrath on the way, we really need a top four defenseman rather than a scoring winger? Unless Staal proves incapable of playing this season, there's no way Parise shouldn't be the first guy we go after.
Because with Staal, Girardi, McDonagh, Sauer, and Del Zotto here and with Erixon and McIlrath on the way, we really need a top four defenseman rather than a scoring winger? Unless Staal proves incapable of playing this season, there's no way Parise shouldn't be the first guy we go after.
Definitely a valid point, I just have my heart set on adding Ryan Suter to this team. I think he makes more of an impact on a shift by shift basis than a Parise. Suter, IMO makes this team a contender (assuming Staal plays this year and is ready to go next season). He also should cost a little bit less than Parise, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Hard to gauge what the needs of certain teams will be 8 months from now.
Can't go wrong with either, honestly. I just love Suter and think he's the perfect mix of Staal and Girardi. Absolute playoff warrior and underrated offensively.
Definitely a valid point, I just have my heart set on adding Ryan Suter to this team. I think he makes more of an impact on a shift by shift basis than a Parise. Suter, IMO makes this team a contender (assuming Staal plays this year and is ready to go next season). He also should cost a little bit less than Parise, but maybe I'm wrong about that. Hard to gauge what the needs of certain teams will be 8 months from now.
Can't go wrong with either, honestly. I just love Suter and think he's the perfect mix of Staal and Girardi. Absolute playoff warrior and underrated offensively.
By the time Kreider will be that player, Gaborik's probably gone and Richards is most likely past his prime.
I think that's completely pulled out of thin air. None of us know this one way or another. All we know is that Kreider is an elite prospect and he's dominating the NCAA. I'd say there's at least a 50/50 chance he is a top 6 player within the next two years.
BRICHARDS comments upon seeing Kreider skate with the team was apparently , " is this guy signed ?" . Not expecting some kind of instant domination but CK looks to be at least as good as a Brandon Dubinsky . He has Played with Pros at the WC s , and did OK and I think with pros around him with his size and speed he will be able to raise his level tobthose around him . I he can be like Erik Cole a speedy power forward who drives to the net and pots 20-30 range a year he's golden
By the time Kreider will be that player, Gaborik's probably gone and Richards is most likely past his prime.
Exactly, Parise fills far more of a need than Suter does. As much as I like Kreider, you can't just assume he's going to be a star until he actually does it. There's no reason to make a signing that bumps McDonagh down to the third pair.
Also, keep in mind that we should take advantage of having a cost effective defense while we still have it, not actively move to make it eat more cap space. This team is much deeper defensively than it is offensively.
I think that's completely pulled out of thin air. None of us know this one way or another. All we know is that Kreider is an elite prospect and he's dominating the NCAA. I'd say there's at least a 50/50 chance he is a top 6 player within the next two years.
Kreider is still only 20, though. To expect him to come into the league and become a star in 2 years is a bit much. He has the speed and size to do so, but does he have the all around skill to? I'm not knocking on Kreider, but Parise is among the best players in the league.
On to the notion that Kreider is an elite prospect, I disagree. Kreider is a prospect with elite speed, but he is not an elite prospect. An elite prospect is a prospect with all around skills that absolutely dominates in any position. Kreider hasn't done that. You can argue that he had limited minutes in BC and did well at the WJCs. If he were truly elite at the WJCs, he'd have at least 2x the points he had.
Kreider will need some fine tuning before coming into the league and dominating.
Of course, Parise was around 22/23 when he came into the league and did well, but he had already done well in the AHL and NCAA. His rookie season in the NHL was poor, but that's also because of poor coaching.
Parise is obviously the first target for the Rangers if he reaches free agency. But let's say July 1 comes and he has already re-signed with the Debbies or he signed with another team 5 minutes after the clock struck zero. Now Parise is not available. What do we do?
If Suter is still there, we should put a bid on him. He's a great player. His addition would give us the best defense in the game, as well as an ability to trade one of our defensemen for a left wing.
So like I said, if we can get Parise, get 'em. But if not, I wouldn't complain if we got Suter as a UFA. You don't just pass up on a player like Suter just because he's not your primary need. With his addition to the defense, not having a "perfect" offense will not be a big deal.
Let's keep in mind that in 1994, we had Matteau as our second line left wing, and he was not exactly a star player. Matteau was a run of the million third liner, no better than Fedotenko is today. So how did we win the Cup with him on the second line? By having Leetch, Zubov, Beukeboom and Lowe as the best top-4 in the game.
