Now that the deadline has passed and there is no help on the way in terms of forwards like a Richards the players in the Rangers dressing room will understand that it's all up to them to get this team into the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how the youngest players respond now that there is no "savior" on the way.
just so you guys know, I would prefer Sather's insulting offer of gilroy+ as opposed to nothing in the offseason. Too many contigencies surrounding the Richards signing here and its pretty obvious NY has a bigger check book come summer. Our only hope here in Dallas is that everything falls into place.
But Gilroy+ for a number 1 center? What is the Rangers organization smoking.
As opposed to Neiuwendyk's insulting request of Staal, Stepan and Dubinsky.
At the end of the day, this team still cannot score consistently enough to compete. Once again, we will be looking to next season...
Don't look to next year. Enjoy this year for as long as it lasts knowing that we are on the upswing and barring terrible injuries or total failure of our prospects we will contend very soon. Even with Richards we were looking to next season if the only reason to focus on the current is if the Cup is a reasonable expectation. Brad Richards would not make us a contender this year. However, with some added scoring on the wings we could contend in the next two or three years.
blessing in disguise i think. the best possible scenario would be he heals from his concussion and gets back to scoring and then we have no doubts in our minds and sign him in the offseason.
Sather has a history of being schrewd in deals and being stingy. Joe is a nooby with no history except the questionable Neal deal so its really a fail comparison. And Gilroy plus is what I said as in Gilroy 1st rnd, 2nd rnd pick. Kritter and a few others on the Stars forum have the details behind the questionable Gilroy offer.
I hope we sign Richards in the offseason. We are not going to take the next step without another elite player. He is the only one that is available in the near future. If we dont sign him it will be more of the same, a fringe playoff team that is not good enough to contend and not bad enough to get a star player in the draft like a Stamkos or Duchene etc.
Joe went to bat with runners on board and could have drove in a couple. He looked at strike three waiting for a home run pitch. His team lost the game. Rookie mistake! Wait till next July.
richards didnt happen, meaning dallas wanted too much. i like richards centering our first line but aint happening now, so time to move on.
so we move forward and try to earn a playoff spot this season with a bunch of offensively challenged forwards and an improved defense. i like mccabe. if we dont ask him to do too much at even strength, keep his minutes reasonable and play him on the pp point, were still better off then we were before he arrived.
at the end of the day, richards was too expensive. mccabe made alot of sense. we fight on with what we got. all you people wanted to keep all the kids. slats did. now we go to war with the kids. lets see what they can do.
i was on record saying no moves just to try to make the playoffs if it cost us core youth. slats held fast and did that. there are no reinforcements coming.
now the hard part. getting gabs back healthy, not over working henrik, scoring pp goals and playing torts hockey 5 on 5.
Also the Stars GM will look like an idiot July 1st. Definitely should have traded him for something, anything reasonable. I'm happy we didn't bite on their crazy demand though.
...or BR will extend his contract with Stars and everyone here will go crazy about how Sather didn't offer AA, MDZ&1st for him...I think it will be alt 2.
...or BR will extend his contract with Stars and everyone here will go crazy about how Sather didn't offer AA, MDZ&1st for him...I think it will be alt 2.
Worst case Richards re-signs with Dallas. We'll still have AA, MDZ and a 1st...I'm sure there is another center out there who can be had for that package if we are so inclined to get one. Honestly, the worst case is far from tragic.
I would be lying if I said I wasen't dissapointed with this deadline. While they didn't overpay which is always a great thing they didn't truly address needs like I thought they could have with the tools they had to make a deal.
To me the biggest one is the one that got away. With all the Richards talk I would imagine that Sather knew that Neal too might be available. If Goglioski got Neal and Niskanen I would have thought that Anisimov, Del Zotto, 2011 1st and one of Grachev, Werek, Hagelin etc could have gotten Richards and Neal together. I think the deal to be made was the package deal. Plus...Those two were linemates as well correct? To lets say that Gaborik didn't click with Richards...You could always put another RW up there. Cally, Zucc, hey even Boyle? Up front it would have loaded the Rangers with size, and a much bigger scoring punch. It would have also solidifyed the PP.
But it's over now and were get to go to war with ther guys that got them this far. Not necessarily a bad thing. Guess well see what trasnpires shortly.
How the hell does Atlanta give up Bergfors for Dvorak? What are they smoking in Georgia?
edit: oh yeah, most boring deadline ever. I'm glad I resisted keeping up with live updates on all the trades this year. Apologies to the NBA, whose trade deadline I originally thought was boring and was gonna get showed up by the NHL.
I remember this is what i wanted (keep assets AND chance to sign him for just cash) though I do admit a pang of dissappointment we didn't land him. At the same time I also sighed in relief. i'm really uncertain about how long B.R. will be a 90 pt guy. is he even gonna make it THIS year? I'm not sold it's even good we sign him in the off season especially not for some 7 mil per. maybe 5 at 6 per and only after we get our guys back first. Dunno I can't even think about it now without getting a headache.
I pray Sather refuses to at least go over 7 mil and if he does the deal is only for 3 or 4 years. If B.R doesn't want that then he can take his butt somewhere else imo. But that';s a flame war for the summer.
Real excited to watch this team finish out the season
How the hell does Atlanta give up Bergfors for Dvorak? What are they smoking in Georgia?
edit: oh yeah, most boring deadline ever. I'm glad I resisted keeping up with live updates on all the trades this year. Apologies to the NBA, whose trade deadline I originally thought was boring and was gonna get showed up by the NHL.
Agreed. I went to one of my classes today but skipped the other to stay up to date on twitter and on my website.
Hate to break it to you but this team wasn't winning this year WITH Brad Richards...so were were looking to next season regardless. Only now we'll have all our assets and very possibly Brad Richards as well. A win win in my book.
Why does it have to be the cup or bust? This is more shortsighted than any possible move we could have made today. Everybody thinks you tank until you have a core made up entirely of 1st round picks, then you go and win the cup. Once you stop winning cups, you sell everyone off and rebuild.
You look at every cup winner and they came up short the season prior. I would not be shocked in the least if Philly takes the step that Chicago and Pittsburgh took in previous years. Improving the team now, then playing a few rounds of the playoffs is infinitely more valuable than hoarding picks and prospects. We have an absolute logjam in our system. I'm not advocating acquiring guys at any cost but I absolutely cannot condone the attitude that you hoard assets until you are guarenteed a cup.
