NFT: NY Rangers 2023 - 2024 Season

[EDjohnst1981]

And now Lindgren exits the game and won't return. 1-3 down, I'm hitting the hay.

[Messiah717]

The coach needs to send a message and start benching people.  There's no excuse for such pathetic efforts.

[DaveBrown74]

Team sucks. I'm losing interest by the day.

[kartanoman]

2-5 score and going 0-2, uncompetitive against the reigning Champs is not the stuff made of Lord Stanley's precious chalice.

The Senators always play well against them and an Avalanche is waiting to bury them completely. No answers from Laviolette. It may be time to acknowledge changes need to be made, take some steps back, and redevelop the team into a contender for the future. At best, another first round exit looms.

Peace.

[jgrangers2]

It's a flawed team. Even when they were winning it was basically on the back of one line, an elite power play and good goaltending. Right now, two of those three things aren't up to par and it's costing them. You can only get away with three lines not providing much offense for so long. Quite frankly, I'm not sure there's much for the coach to do as the problem is mostly that they lack significant offensive depth.

[Messiah717]

Flaws yes but there's no reason for Mika and Kreider to be invisible most nights.  At this point it's obvious this core isn't going to win anything significant.  Changes are definitely needed.

[DaveBrown74]

Flaws yes but there's no reason for Mika and Kreider to be invisible most nights.  At this point it's obvious this core isn't going to win anything significant.  Changes are definitely needed.

We've been running it back with this same veteran core for years now expecting different results and have been perpetually disappointed.

And now they're all in their 30s, they're all highly paid, many of them still have years left, and all of them have no-trade clauses, which we like to give out like candy.

The hope was that our promising young players (Kakko, LaFreniere, Chytil, Miller, etc) would become stars or at least that 1-2 of them would. There was also hope that the 2021/22 Shesty was more or less what he was going to be.

None of it panned out and now we're stuck with these veterans, none of whom will want to leave as all are very cozy and content with their big paychecks and their life routines.

The Rangers are not an intense, balls-out franchise anymore. The team is soft now and has been for years. The fan base is still robust, but when you go to Rangers games now it's not as intense and focused on the hockey as it was 25 years ago and before. Everyone is just content. It's a sad state of affairs.

[kartanoman]

The contributors to this thread sure aren't content; to that I trust we all agree!

Peace!

[jgrangers2]

Flaws yes but there's no reason for Mika and Kreider to be invisible most nights.  At this point it's obvious this core isn't going to win anything significant.  Changes are definitely needed.

They've essentially committed themselves to a relatively mediocre core. Been saying it for a while that Mika and Kreider are PP merchants best served as middle sixers at 5 on 5. Their cap hit is probably too high for what they provide. And then there's guys like Goodrow and Trouba who are way overpaid compared to what they provide.

The issue is that people keep talking about breaking up Mika and Kreider but to do what? This team significantly lacks true depth and if Shesty is going to look like an average goalie, they're in trouble.

[Messiah717]

Yup, they're very average if that five on five.  They were carried by one line and the PP during their torrid start.  Lafreniere and Kakko are not even remotely offering what this team needs them to.  Blame development or whatever you want but the #1 and #2 pick overall have offered little to nothing over several years now.

[DaveBrown74]

The issue is that people keep talking about breaking up Mika and Kreider but to do what? This team significantly lacks true depth and if Shesty is going to look like an average goalie, they're in trouble.

"Average" is generous at this point if we're talking about Shesty.

[kartanoman]

"Average" is generous at this point if we're talking about Shesty.

At what point should Laviolette be taken to the woodshed for not playing Quickie more if he, at the very least, gives them a punchers' chance out there? Granted, the defense is hanging both goalies out to dry right now. But, at some point, you have to tell Igor that he's not getting it done and to take some time off to get his groove back.

With Quickie now 38 years old, and the clock is ticking on the amount of time he's got left before he hangs it up, you might as well go with the guy who gives you the best chance and that's him.

But does the coach have the cojones to make that call?

Hmmm.

 

Peace.

[kartanoman]

Meanwhile, on Hockey Night in Canada, down 2-0 in Ottawa, the dam finally broke when Kreider scored and four more Rangers goals followed, but not before the Senators' starting goalie was pulled after goal #4.

5-2 Rangers after two periods. Quickie in goal tonight.

[kartanoman]

Meanwhile, on Hockey Night in Canada, down 2-0 in Ottawa, the dam finally broke when Kreider scored and four more Rangers goals followed, but not before the Senators' starting goalie was pulled after goal #4.

5-2 Rangers after two periods. Quickie in goal tonight.

The home team, tattered in ruins, lay waste as the Rangers dumped a puck for the empty net goal and, for the lucky seven, continued to harass the lifeless Senators until that elusive goal number seven went in.

It stops the bleeding, for now, and allows them to cling onto first place in the Metro; however, the game of the season I've been waiting for is finally next up (i.e. the Avs) and they had better find the A-game and bring it or it's going to be embarrassing as the Colorado Boys are melting the ice these days.

Holding my breath and I'll be wearing my new third jersey which arrived earlier this week ... easily the coolest design of a third jersey they've ever pulled off.

Peace!

[DaveBrown74]

I am a very long way from patting this team on the back in any way or from feeling any sense of confidence about them.

Sure, last night in isolation was a good comeback win, but I need to see a great deal more before my feelings go from very negative to even just neutral about this group. January has been a total disaster.