John Buccigross at ESPN says despite what some people say you can rebuild in New York...
"I keep hearing over the years that you can't rebuild in New York. I've never, ever, understood this. If there is one place you can rebuild, it is here. The fans are smart and passionate. They would be able to see the picture. Their winter sports teams have been dreadfully bad or dreadfully boring. They have so much revenue from Madison Square Garden and are so insulated from Cablevision and the megalopolis that the Rangers are the easiest franchise to rebuild. And I think the fans would embrace a young, scrappy, up-and-coming team. I know they would."
...i couldn't agree more with Buccigross.
...i think the Rangers are on the borderline of rebuilding as they have integrated a number of young players into the lineup. I would have loved to have seen them give maybe MZA or Grachev a chance instead of signing Frolov or somehow work out a rotation with McD or Valentenko instead of Eminger. But I think this is the closest we'll get to a youth movement with the Rangers. And don't forget young players such as the aforementioned two young defensemen as well as Kreider, Bourge, Werek and Hagelin are only a year or two away.
...h/t to reader Joseph P. for the link.
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5 comments:
Good piece. I looked at the youth movement in depth a while back too: http://www.blueseatblogs.com/2010/07/06/a-look-at-the-youth-movement/
Warning, piece was written in July, so it's a bit outdated.
The Rangers have been quietly rebuilding for years, they've just never admitted it. Two/three years down the line and it'll be a team almost entirely constructed of home grown players + Gaborik, not bad at all.
The rangers were a rebuilding team last year but refused to believe it. This year is somewhere between. Obviously, next year needs to be the next step. After Prospal's surgery, his tenure with the rangers is most likely over. If Frolov plays well, he'll either be traded at the deadline if the Rangers are out of it or resigned in the off-season for a mutually beneficial deal. The question is how they fit in Grachev, MZA, Kreider, etc in coming years. I think some of them might be trade bait.
It takes usually three to four years for a player to establish what type of player they will be in the NHL. Considering the possibility of adding offensive prospects like Kreider/Grachev/MZA and Werek (hopefully) and McDonagh/McIlrath and Valentenko eventually as well. The current young core need to progress enough to make room for the next movement. Tough to evaluate with always the possibility of error.
2nd youngest d and 9th youngest overall
seems like a youth movement to me
re the hartford guys - will again be several spots as gilroy and eminger will likely be gone on d and white, prospal, fedotenko gone this yr with drury a buyout possibility if he stays injured most of yr.
and following yr avery rozy and drury gone if they don't buy him out this summer
and btw neither mza or grachev has been effective so far
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