- Stuart
We all are happy that the Rangers showed restraint in the free agent market. I for one do not think they showed enough restraint and signed too many older forwards leaving little room for the most glaring need on the team. A real first line.
This is why I think the Pavol Demitra rumor may make sense and why it is something I anticipated happening.
Demitra by himself isn't enough but how about also adding Marian Hossa?
The one thing Glen Sather has gotten right after the lockout is how to get more out of less by putting together parts with great chemistry.
We all know Chicago is way over the cap and is trying to move one of it’s long term contracts. Hossa’s cap hit is a manageable $5,233,000.
I think the Blackhawks would rather move Brian Campbell or Cristobal Huet but that is just not going to happen. They may be forced to move Hossa.
The Rangers get a first liner in Hossa, they pick up Demitra on a short term deal and presto with Marian Gaborik they have a pretty darn good first line that was very potent and demonstrated chemistry on the power play in critical situations for Slovakia in the Olympics.
One of the two wingers would have to switch sides, probably Hossa.
One of the great things to see during the Rangers Prospect Camp was the development of camaraderie among the prospects.
Which had a lot to with why Ryan McDonagh signed.
I'd like to see the Rangers create some more camaraderie with these moves. It worked before with Team Jagr, it could work again.
The Rangers could open up the cap space for Demitra and Hossa by waiving Redden and/or trading Rozsival.
And while I’m on the subject of trading Rozsival, while we have not done all that well trading with Columbus, I'd like to see the Rangers trade Rozi for the young dynamic talent Nikita Filatov who is on an entry level contract and is affordable.
I really believe we have to get this guy. Quick, how many forwards who were drafted after the 10th pick were in the top ten in goals and assists last year? Two maybe three? I bet it's the same for the last five years.
We need goals and Filitov also meets the chemistry test. Filatov played on the same line as both Evgeni Grachev and Artem Anisimov on different Russian Junior National teams.
Filitov was Russia's best player when they played together in WJC in Ottawa two years ago, while Grachev was the second best. The rumor mill has Columbus shopping for a puck moving defenseman and offering Filatov as bait.
Maybe we don’t get him straight up but we all know Rozi needs to go to clear out the cap space. Rozi’s cap hit is $5,000,000 but only gets paid $7,000,000 total in the last two years of his deal.
He is more affordable and works for a team like Columbus which is not going to push against the cap.
These are the moves I would make if I were king for a day.
20 comments:
Stuart, thanks for blogging but can you clarify something for me? In your opening you claim that Sather did not show enough restraint in signing older forwards which limits space for our prospects. Then, in your next breath you promote the idea of signing Demitra.
I understand that you want a potent top line but you cant have it both ways. Not to mention the fact that Pavol is past his prime and injury prone. Pass.
Ad for Hossa, I've got a feeling the bloom would be off the rose for him at MSG much in the way it was for his brother. He had shown himself to be a good player but I'm not sure he is tough enough for NY. Just my opinion.
Thanks again.
I agree with TRL but I also wonder why again from my point yesterday, people are so down on prospal and Christensen (which I assume you mean by older forwards). These guys were great point producers. Marian Hossa would be a good addition, but the money is too high. I think prospal Christensen gaborik, or Dubinsky prospal gaborik (as we all saw also worked) is a potent top line already, I just think that the rangers need better 2nd 3rd ad 4th lines who also score a ton of goals. I'm all for rewarding people when they play well and demoting when they do not (meaning moving them up and down lines) but tortorella should probably consider keeping some together this season. Just think about Chicago's unbelievable balance all the way through, and you can see why they won the cup. What does everyone else think? Am I wrong?
Sorry, but signing Demotria makes zero sense due to the resigning of both Christensen and Prospal.
No thanks to Hossa - that contract doesn't end until the guy is like 92 years old.
And yes to Rozey for Filitov, but why oh why would Scott Howsen ever agree to such a deal? Perhaps if Sather offered MDZ instead of Rozey, a deal might be struck.
Despite the fact that I want nothing to do with Demitra, great job Stuart.
Similar to TRL, I also had questions about the opening paragraph regarding older forwards.
I was happy that not only did you offer who you wanted to bring in (Demitra & Hossa) you also gave a way to pay for it (Rozy to Columbus and waive Redden).
Nice way to get things started.
I think too much is being made of getting a superstar top line center. Seels is right, the Rangers desperately need more scoring from lines 2 and 3 so teams can't just key in on the top line. I do think that Dubinsky will come close to 30 goals this year, but they could use another 2nd tier scorer. As far as Rozival is concerned, I find it hard to believe that Sather has had any opportunity to feature him in a trade, but has chosen not to. His contract is an albatross, which is why he's still a Ranger. I fear if they want to trade him, he's going to have to be the throw in with one of the talented kids.
Adding Demitra is not a terrible idea if he can play with Gaborik on the top line. As stated previously, the rangers need to find 2nd, 3rd and 4th line scoring. This is the real issue.
Wade Redden had better be in the minors this season. Between Gilroy, McDonagh and Eminger, someone has to be able to outplay Redden.
Whatever you would like to see done, it all comes down to ridding ourselves of the overpaid dead weight three...Redden , Rosival and Drury...problem is, no other team wants these guys at their cap hit either...need solid stay at home defence core, and more production from second, third and fourth lines...
Is Risebrough running this team?
He must be since Sather is senile and obviously completely uninvolved.
Lets see, Gaborik, Boogaard, Demitra, all ex-Wild players.
Reuniting the Wild team from 3-4 years ago is not the way to build a team.
Re-posting this comment:
I know I'm probably in the minority, but I'm willing to take a step back the next two seasons.
What does bringing Demitra in for this season really do for the Rangers? Get them back in the playoffs for a round. While also holding back a player like Stepan.
Then what next season? The Rangers cap situation doesn't improve till the 2013 season. So despite plenty of good free agents being available next summer the Rangers again will not be able to afford them. Putting them in the same situation as now.
Build the system with young kids then when Drury, Rozy and Avery come off the books after the 2012 season add a few big time players to a young, established core.
That is how you run a successful franchise in the NHL, not quick fixes like Demitra.
This is a team whos bottom 6 forwards can compete with any bottom 6 our there, yet our top 6 have nothing but Gabby producing. I dont know who said we need more scoring from line 2 and 3 but remember line 1 was only scoring bc it was all Gabby. Christensen could and did center Gabby but it didnt and probably wont last. Prospal is basically the same case. They cant play 82 games centering line 1. They were never supposed to. If Demitra is our best option, i say go get him. Hossa has a contract we dont want. And i cant see chicago getting rid of him. I know they have cap problems but they can release Huet and theyre OK i believe. Also not a big hossa fan. Failed me in NHL 10.
As someone else mentioned, why would Columbus trade a young, highly touted prospect like Filatov for an older expensive defenseman like Roszival?
I agree with Mister Anonymous. What does Columbus have to gain from that deal? The way you're talking, we might as well trade Redden for Stamkos. St. Louis has the cap space. So why wouldn't they want him?
Yeah the only way Columbus would ever do that is if Rangers took back a bad salary on their end. Although I just looked at Columbus' salaries and they don't really have any.
i find it almost comical to read some of these hypothetical trades people come up with. I got a great 1 here lets package Brashear, Drury & Redden for Pavel Datsyuk& with the cap space we clear lets got out & sign Kovalchuk.
Filatov for Rozival hmm. maybe we can toss Redden in that deal too & get not only Filatov but Rick Nash too, I mean it's worth a shot.
Kevin,
I completely agree with the comment you re-posted.
Was actually talking to a co-worker who grew up in Montreal this morning about Demitra and the future of the Rangers.
I told him I would be willing to see the Rangers take a step back this year IF it meant that we were giving the kids ice time at the NHL level.
Let's face it realistically here... This team is not going to get past the second round with the current roster they have and the clock is ticking on Henrik's prime.
Just my thoughts.. I hate tolerating losing but if it's for a good cause to improve the youngsters, I am 100% for it.
Brent
Stuart great job on the post. Much respect to you. But, as much as Hossa and Filatov sounds great, this is a total pipe dream. Scott Howson and Stan Bowman would be out of their minds to make these trades. also, who would the Rangers trade for Hossa? MRS? Grachev? Stepan? Chicago is looking to get cheaper; not worse. If you could stand to give up a medley of our best prospects for a guy who is not getting any better, then that is your opinion. As far as Filatov goes, CBJ wouldn't be trading hhim if there wasn't something seriously wrong wiu him. They would have liked Filatov to be in his second year now, but he's off in Siberia somewhere. Sounds like Raulov to me. And Demitra- maybe as a one year deal to act as a stopgap to give our prospects some time to develop. What we really need to do is get worse to get better. Get a couple of high draft picks and rebuild. Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, LA- they all sucked and then rebuilt around great draft picks. That is what needs to be done because there is no easy fix to this problem.
no thanks on demitra or hossa - hossa will be 32 in january and with all those yrs left can only start to go downhill sooner rather than later
i just don't see dubinsky at anywhere near 30 goals. if he gets 20 again with those bad hands we would be fortunate
still don't see how drury or rozy can be lumped in with the real albatross in redden. both drury and rozy showed their value during olympics/world championships. neither worth the money but they are much better players than redden is and at least they try. and if the rangers had drafted better especially at forward - over last dozen yrs they would not be in the mess they are in
Brent nailed it. Waiting and wading through a couple of years is probably for the best, but what a shame to waste henrik's best years. Oh well, timing is everything. Ask Don Mattingly.
Thank you for sharing informative piece of work!! well done
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