NFT - ** 2024/25 New York Rangers Season Thread **

[Messiah717]

I mean it's best to just accept it's a lost season.  Even if they snuck into the last spot they would be out in four or five games.  They have a lot to do moving forward as this screams for a house cleaning.

[DaveBrown74]

The worst part of this season is the realization that, given the contracts and the roster make-up, they're unlikely to be good anytime soon either. They'll be wasting Shesty's prime years and this huge contract they gave him.

To not even have a first round pick after this calamity of a season is just a disgrace. Drury is a useless yes man.

Meanwhile Jeff Gorton appears to have the young Canadiens thriving and will be in the playoffs.

[coggs]

The worst part of this season is the realization that, given the contracts and the roster make-up, they're unlikely to be good anytime soon either. They'll be wasting Shesty's prime years and this huge contract they gave him.

To not even have a first round pick after this calamity of a season is just a disgrace. Drury is a useless yes man.

Meanwhile Jeff Gorton appears to have the young Canadiens thriving and will be in the playoffs.

Trade Kreider.  If you have to sell low, sell low.  Hopefully that makes Mika agree to waive his NMC.  This feels like 1993 all over again, but without the talent there to make next year 1994.  Dont really care about the 1st round pick as whoever they take, the Rangers will mess them up anyway.  I said after tuesday, the Rangers are going to waste the Igor years the same way they wasted the Lundqvist years.

[DaveBrown74]

Trade Kreider.  If you have to sell low, sell low.  Hopefully that makes Mika agree to waive his NMC.  This feels like 1993 all over again, but without the talent there to make next year 1994.  Dont really care about the 1st round pick as whoever they take, the Rangers will mess them up anyway.  I said after tuesday, the Rangers are going to waste the Igor years the same way they wasted the Lundqvist years.

Given their recent track record of developing Kakko, LaFreniere, and Miller, all big time prospects (especially Laffy), I can't disagree with your point that they'd likely screw up any first round pick. Obviously, given the state of affairs right now, I'd still much rather have that pick than not have it, and I'm sure you'd agree with that.

I agree about trading vets like Kreider and, if possible, Mika. I'd be fine trading Bread too. The only player I would be close to a hard no on trading is Shesty. Frankly if any of these older players fully hold out on their NMCs, given the state of the time and the extremely low likelihood of contention anytime soon, that would say a lot about how much they care about winning. I could understand not wanting to get traded to a bad team, but not being willing to be traded to any team at all would reveal a lot about how big of a priority winning (including winning a championship) is to them and might explain why so many of them have been consistently awful in postseason play, when the stakes are highest and opponents raise their effort level up several notches.

[jgrangers2]

The team just stinks and it's likely not gonna get better anytime soon. Part of me kind of wishes they would have traded Shesty, get a good return and let this team see what happens when you don't get elite goaltending for the first time in 20 years. Might force them to actually recognize that this core isn't winning anything and stop trying to make it work.

[coggs]

Given their recent track record of developing Kakko, LaFreniere, and Miller, all big time prospects (especially Laffy), I can't disagree with your point that they'd likely screw up any first round pick. Obviously, given the state of affairs right now, I'd still much rather have that pick than not have it, and I'm sure you'd agree with that.

I agree about trading vets like Kreider and, if possible, Mika. I'd be fine trading Bread too. The only player I would be close to a hard no on trading is Shesty. Frankly if any of these older players fully hold out on their NMCs, given the state of the time and the extremely low likelihood of contention anytime soon, that would say a lot about how much they care about winning. I could understand not wanting to get traded to a bad team, but not being willing to be traded to any team at all would reveal a lot about how big of a priority winning (including winning a championship) is to them and might explain why so many of them have been consistently awful in postseason play, when the stakes are highest and opponents raise their effort level up several notches.

It is more than just Kakko and Laf.  It goes back to Malhotra and Marc Savard. 

[Messiah717]

It is more than just Kakko and Laf.  It goes back to Malhotra and Marc Savard. 

Yup, this team could've been handed Mcdavid, Crosby and Ovechkin and would've screwed them up.  This is decades of this garbage. 

[jgrangers2]

Yup, this team could've been handed Mcdavid, Crosby and Ovechkin and would've screwed them up.  This is decades of this garbage. 

I'm almost 40 and the only two really good skaters they've developed, and actually kept long term, in my lifetime are Leetch and Kreider. Two guys in 40 years is absolutely brutal and I'd hardly call Kreider an "elite" player.

[DaveBrown74]

Taking all the disappointment, disgust, and whatever other emotions out of the equation, the fact remains that this team is still very much alive and kicking in this race for the final wildcard. While I have absolutely no designs on them going anywhere if they get in (which is far from certain), hockey is not like the NBA where the low-seeded teams have basically zero shot.

As far as making the playoff goes, while this team has been a total disappointment, I'm not convinced there any worse or less deserving than the Canadiens or Blue Jackets, myself.

I will continue to pull for them until it's over. I've been a fan since the mid 80s. I'm not going to stop now.

[EDjohnst1981]

Taking all the disappointment, disgust, and whatever other emotions out of the equation, the fact remains that this team is still very much alive and kicking in this race for the final wildcard. While I have absolutely no designs on them going anywhere if they get in (which is far from certain), hockey is not like the NBA where the low-seeded teams have basically zero shot.

As far as making the playoff goes, while this team has been a total disappointment, I'm not convinced there any worse or less deserving than the Canadiens or Blue Jackets, myself.

I will continue to pull for them until it's over. I've been a fan since the mid 80s. I'm not going to stop now.

Yeah, it's a big ask but the Jackets or Montreal have been unable to pull away.

If they can win six of the last eight - huge ask - I think that's enough.