2 Guys 1 Cup : A New York Rangers Podcast
A New York Rangers Podcast by 2 die-hard fans Shawn Stein and Jonathan "Roc" Papadimitrios. We aim to bring you insightful guests, information, and offer our opinions on the Rangers.
2 Guys 1 Cup : A New York Rangers Podcast
Sullivan's arrival signals a fresh start, but questions remain about the Rangers' depth.
Shawn and Rock discuss the current state of the Rangers after the draft and free agency period have concluded. They analyze how quickly the team's offseason moves were completed and evaluate if the team has improved overall.
• Assessment of the Rangers' third line construction options after losing Kaapo Kakko
• Debate about whether prospects like Matthew Berard, Brennan Othmann, and Gabe Perrault are ready for NHL roles
• Analysis of Taylor Raddysh’s potential impact on the third line alongside Parssinan
• Discussion of Mika Zibanejad's potential position shift between center and wing
• Concerns about defensive pairings and Carson Soucy's fit within the team structure
• Evaluation of Vladislav Gavrikov's signing and what it means for the blue line
• Examination of coach accountability versus player accountability after last season's collapse
• Speculation about Artemi Panarin's future with the team when his contract expires
• Analysis of the Rangers' draft success in recent years and their promising prospect pipeline
• Consideration of potential trade targets and free agent options for future seasons
Take the season one game at a time. We've seen in recent history how a coach's first season usually goes well before experiencing a downturn, so let's not get too high or too low as the year progresses.
Good evening. Two guys, one cup Sean and Rock here on. What is this July 7th already? Yep, next thing you know it's going to be September and we'll be getting ready for preseason, but, yep, we're still without a schedule, which I'm still trying to figure the fuck out how that's even possible. But yeah, july 7th, the offseason is completely underway. The draft is over. The free agent frenzy is over. Some of you were able to catch our free agent frenzy show, which we had a lot of fun with. I hope you did as well. And Rock, how's it going? Bud, what's up?
Speaker 2:pal, how are you? Yeah, it's been an interesting week, or week and a half, as you would say. We did our free agent show. I think that it was fun. I think we were both kind of like really anxious to get on and to talk about what had happened up to that point, to get on and to talk about what had happened up to that point. And you know, I think the season has been a success for the most part. Are they better? We're going to find out. But I was joking with somebody, or I said something on Twitter. I was like you know, it's funny how the NHL offseason, the Rangers had one of the worst offseasons, one of the worst seasons in our lifetime and probably in the history of the franchise, and their entire offseason was finished and done with in nine days 10 days For the most part.
Speaker 2:It just blows my mind how quickly it's over and done with Just done. That's it we. And done with just just done with it, that's it, we're gone you know, and I it's the whole league, though I mean there's not much there's still teams that have stuff going on and there's still things that are things that are still brewing out there Just not for us, right?
Speaker 2:You know we know our salary cap situation and you know we know where this team stands and you know we're gonna see. We're gonna see. It's a, it's a lot of, there's a lot of expectations on these young players and I just hope that so they're ready to take that next step, because they're nothing's being blocked. These guys have a clear path to making the nhl roster and if they don't make it, they have no one to blame but themselves. Like who? Who are you talking about? Well, obviously, perrault, perrault, berard Offman. They all have an opportunity to make this team. Not all, but one of them for sure has the opportunity to make this team Right.
Speaker 1:Do you? And we'll start there with. We'll start with perot. Do you think that he should start in the nhl, or is hartford, uh, where he should start the season?
Speaker 2:well, I mean it's going to be dependent on on what the preseason looks like. I mean I need to see what these guys do in in in preseason games. Okay, I know preseason games don't always mean anything. They don't always translate into having a successful season, or you know we're having a, you know, a miserable season. You never know. I mean it's it goes back and forth, but I, I don't know, I mean I I'm gonna, it's all gonna be contingent on, uh, I guess, how they play.
Speaker 1:But again, well, let's go off of what we saw from the end of last season with Barrow specific.
Speaker 2:They all were bad. I think Barad was the best one of the three of them. So I think we talked about this multiple times. Uh, perot, I feel gets a little bit of benefit of the doubt. I mean, you know, thrusted into, you know, a team. I was a sinking ship, I guess, for lack of a better expression. But you know just, I don't know really, I don't know how to he didn't, he didn't really impress me. So we'll have to see. We'll have to see. I don't think it's fair to judge him on an eight game sample size or how many games he played. I thought Berard was better, the better of the three.
Speaker 1:You know often played. Um, I thought barard was better. The better of the three um you know often is. You know, let me give you a yes or no question on this, based off of what you saw with barard last year, a little bit of what we know statistically from him with hartford. If barard were to get 82 games next year playing on a third line with, let's say, right now it's, you know, parsing in and either offman or perot, no, no, taylor radish, taylor radish. Oh, thank you, thank you for correcting me with that. All right, so one of these guys are going to win that job. Radish. On the right side yeah, will berard score 20 goals?
Speaker 2:no, why I just don't. I don't think he will. I don't know how good of a distributor Parsonen is. Okay, I think Berard's going to be the type of guy that's going to need to play with a good center. That's just my opinion, just based on what I've seen. I don't know. I mean, if you're asking me to put a gun to my head and said you know, hypothetical gun to my head, I would tell you no, I don't think anyone on that third line is getting 20 goals. I'll be honest, I said this. It's off this season. Maybe I should have kind, have articulated what I was saying more. This is really on Cooley and Lafreniere. A large part of it is, yeah, they need to. Essentially, I know Criot only had 22 goals this year, but let's just look at the bigger picture. He should have had 30. He should have had 35 goals had he been healthy, had maybe things changed. You figure Cooley, 20 goals and you need at least 25 out of Lafreniere. What did Lafreniere have last year? 17? Did he even hit that 17.?
Speaker 1:So they had 37 combined. That number needs to be 50 this year combined 100%, so you need an additional.
Speaker 2:what did we say? That's not money. 13 goals If those two guys can't get 13 more.
Speaker 1:Think of what 13 goals would have meant to this season. How many games would an extra goal have gotten us into the playoffs?
Speaker 2:I don't know how, about an extra goal that didn't go in? I mean, I don't?
Speaker 1:That's what Gabrikov's here for.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And we'll get into him later.
Speaker 2:We're going to get into him. We're going to get into the free agent stuff. We probably should have started with that.
Speaker 1:No, I like this. I like this because the third line seems to be so. The third line is a problem, in my opinion. So I'll start with why I wanted to start with the third line. Our good, dear friend, johnny Lazarus, was on. What show was he on? He was on.
Speaker 2:He was on the NHL Network. He was on NHL Radio.
Speaker 1:I can't remember if it was with Steve Koulias.
Speaker 2:I think it was. I think it was because I was listening to it while I was picking the girls up from school.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so afternoon would have been Koulias. So he was on with Koulias and he basically said he doesn't think the Rangers are a playoff team. Because when you look at the team last year that didn't make it, their third line to start the season was Kako, kouli and Hedl and you look at their third line to start this season, it's obviously a big drop down. How could I see this team making it that? Just making that one single comparison okay, I I can run with that. I'm anticipating our top six this year being exponentially better. And it's a top six where those two lines are both going to play 20 minutes a night. Four of those six players in the top six are playing over 20 minutes a night. That's the way. Well, I take it back. That's how LaViolette ran the team.
Speaker 1:I don't know what Sullivan's going to do. I don't know his philosophy as far as ice time and what they give out Third lines. Like I said, radish is someone who's you know the guy's had a 20-goal season in the NHL. So when we talk about how great Kako is, statistically for us, he was never better than Taylor Radish you can sit there and say you know, should have been or number two pick or showed flashes. Bottom line is in a results business. They're pretty much the same. Now remains to be seen with the eye test and watching it, because neither of us are, you know, have watched taylor radish play uh hockey night in and night out, and so not not not recently at least, at least when he played for tampa.
Speaker 2:We saw him a little bit more, but he's been in chicago, he's. He's bounced around a little bit now.
Speaker 1:He's been in a couple of places A couple of places, but a nice pickup and he's going to. It seems like when he gets his footing, Radish had 20 goals playing with Thames and Kane. No, they would have been gone before.
Speaker 2:They were gone. Oh, he's laughing. He's probably kidding, Maybe Wait. He's laughing.
Speaker 1:He's probably kidding, Maybe Wait how many years ago was that?
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, because Kane's been gone for what? Three years now?
Speaker 1:Yeah, his years with the Blackhawks were, so his 20-goal season with the Blackhawks was 22-23.
Speaker 2:That was Kane's, last. That was Kane's. Cain got traded to the Rangers, right, yes, and was Thames even playing? He might have played with them a little bit.
Speaker 1:I'll say Thames, mostly All right. All right, blaine, bringing it man Like it. Nice, good job, blaine.
Speaker 2:All right, so I guess we just got to put Taylor.
Speaker 1:Radish with Panarin and call it a night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because he only had seven goals last year.
Speaker 1:Seven goals About 80 games, huh, but he had 20 assists career-high in assists so it wasn't like a complete dud of a season for him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, he's a third-ranked guy, he's only 27. Dud of a season for him. He's a third-ranked guy, he's only 27. I'm not going to cry over $1.5 million given to Taylor Radish.
Speaker 1:You cry over everything, so don't even start.
Speaker 2:I know what you're going to refer in that too, about the agent signings. When it comes to a million and a half dollars, I'm not crying over that. I will cry over giving away assets for a defenseman who clearly isn't good, but that's another story you want to?
Speaker 1:no, we'll address him later.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about the whole defense about him I want to keep talking about this third line, though yeah, I disagree with you on berard. I think if berard is left alone in that spot, if, if he wins the job and he's going to get the same, you know 50, 60 game runway that you know ed sherm was given and ed sherm took advantage of and I I think that he can score 20 goals on that line. I do. I think the way his game is. I think I think it translates he has, he's proven he can score goals in the AHL. He scored six goals in 35 games here with inconsistent play. He scored how many goals? Six. He's got a nose for the net.
Speaker 2:Two or one game against an awful island of teams. That's fine, be fair.
Speaker 1:That's fine. Okay, it's against Sorokin, who's being still noted as no no no, no, no, it was against the minor league.
Speaker 2:It was against some guy that they threw in there. I forgot what the hell his name was.
Speaker 1:Yes, JF Berube. But it wasn't JF Berube. Yeah, I know who you're talking about. Mm-hmm, listen, guy who's wearing an NHL jersey in an NHL game is an NHL player. I'll always stand by that comment. Okay, let me see. So Radish played. So he played his lowest ice time since his rookie year and still had 27 points. He had a career high in assists. Playing only 12 minutes a night, it's not bad 59 hits.
Speaker 2:I like it. I think it's sticking out of the box 59 hits.
Speaker 2:I like it. I think it's sticking out of the box. I think it's a smart savvy, signing for a very low risk, high reward. He's not making a ton of money, he stinks. You put him in Hartford, you bury the contract. Sylvain, I'm not crying over him. He's 27 years old, so he's not 35. He's not 30. He's in the prime of his career for the most part, and maybe you catch lightning in a bottle. I mean, maybe sometimes, guys, you know, take a little time to kind of flourish a little bit and we'll see what happens with him. I mean, again, I'm not going to sit here and cry about it. I mean I don't think anybody has, I don't think anybody's overreacted to taylor radish, by any means no, he hasn't really even been discussed by no, it has.
Speaker 2:No one's complained about it. Um, there has the only chatter that I've seen today and obviously I don't know if you you listen to 32 thoughts, because it's three and a half no, I think I did not get into it the rangers were heavily into tanner janeau apparently yes, I saw that um, so the clip apparently boston had to spend money.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's, that's just a stupid contract. And again, I I'm fully aware of the cap going up, I'm fully aware of tanking and or, or you know, but but Boston's not going to be awful, they're not going to be god-awful, they're not going to be Chicago or Ottawa back in the day, or Buffalo, they're not going to be that bad.
Speaker 1:No, they still have guys in their prime. They got Pashnak and.
Speaker 2:Swayman and McAvoy still.
Speaker 1:And Geeky. Geeky scored 33 goals last year. Right, I'm? Just saying they still have, and Elias Lindholm Right, they still have a roster.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and Elias Lindholm, both of them. Yeah, they got both. They're not going to be god-awful, they're going to be a tweener. That's what the team they're going to be. They're going to be a tweener.
Speaker 1:They're going to be not good enough maybe to make the playoffs, and they got so I got a name and I I'm really curious and I'm going to do some more homework on this name, Cause he's someone going into the draft when he was in his draft chair, is very high on and, for whatever reason, it's not working out for him in the NHL. And I've seen him play both roles. I've seen him as a center, I've seen him play both in the top six role. I've seen him play on a fourth line role, Maybe a third line is you know a sweet spot that could work for him? Uh, is Joe Valeno, who was bought out by Chicago. And I just I don't understand what.
Speaker 1:What the deal with Valeno is? Because he's had so much. He had so much promise just two seasons ago. You know what the deal with Valeno is he had so much promise Two seasons ago. He had 12 goals, he had 28 points, playing 13 minutes a night. He's a 24-year-old with Detroit, he gets traded to Chicago and it just doesn't work. He had 7 points in 18 games with Chicago, so he produced and then they bought him out.
Speaker 2:I could listen. I don't know this for a fact and I haven't heard this, but maybe he's a problem. I don't know why would Chicago buy a guy out that's that young when they need?
Speaker 1:so many draft picks with their said. They've had so many draft picks over the last three years and they got to sign these guys. That's the only thing I can think of is that they need spots. That's a different story. 50 Rasa spots that's a different story.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Whether it's keeping a 25-year-old they don't see as part of their future versus signing someone to an ELC or trying to get someone to really help you know veterans to really help.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there are still free agents out there. But I wonder, at what point in the off season do you start to get to? I thought there were going to be some signings today. I thought there were going to be and there were. Just I don't think it was anything. I know the Rangers signed. They announced they signed Brisson, they signed Dowling. They announced both of those signings Right. But I thought maybe after the holiday dust had settled that maybe we'd see a little bit of flurry of action. But no, I mean Matt Krizlik's still out there. You know Cam Atkinson. There's some guys. You know Jimmy Vesey still isn't signed. I don't know, he might be done. There's certain guys that might just be PTOs at this point.
Speaker 1:But there are guys still out there, but we'll see what happens. So, as far as centers, you got Rune Dog. He's done. He's done To me the most intriguing of the centers, I mean Jack Roslevic. I don't think we want to go there.
Speaker 2:So he had the season he had in Carolina and he didn't bring him back Season he had. He had the lump that he had in Carolina. This guy's becoming a little bit of a suitcase now, huh.
Speaker 1:Well, think about it. He had what? 10 goals in the first, like 19 games. What did he? Finish the season with 21. No 22. He's terrible. He had a really really hot month and that was it.
Speaker 2:You know, just the thought of his name just pisses me off. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:But Luke Coonan, so to me, Valeno has this. Why is?
Speaker 2:nobody signed up though. I don't know 25 years old, right 25?. Why is he still available? That's what I want to know. Kaliev got a contract. Sean, I know, unless he's looking for a one way deal, that might not be out there. I mean, look at the deals that Kaliev and Zach Jones both got. They both got two-way contracts at like no money. So I mean that might be what his sticking point is at this point he wants a one-way deal.
Speaker 1:And again.
Speaker 2:I don't understand why a team wouldn't give it, Unless he's asking for a lot of money. Then why wouldn't you give a one-way deal at $775,000?
Speaker 1:You'd bury it.
Speaker 2:Unless he has a lot of options.
Speaker 1:He's getting paid his 2.2 million dollars from Chicago still maybe he's just sifting through offers. I don't know. Teams are knocking down his door.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Tanner Janot had an awful season last year for LA and he got 3 million dollars over 5 years disgusting.
Speaker 1:So you know, had an awful season last year for LA and he got $3 million. This is true Over five, five years. $3 million, disgusting. So the next question then becomes because there's a lot of non-committal to this and yeah, as far as what the top six is going to look like, yeah, is the bandage ad going to play center? Was this just a lobby let thing and just hey, let's see how this works. And putting him at right wing, what happened with the conversation with Sullivan when he went out to Sweden to talk to Mika? Is Mika going to stay in the middle? And if so, then that means that either Zibanejad or Trocek is going to be the third line center.
Speaker 2:That would probably mean Trocek would move down.
Speaker 1:I mean theoretically, Then who plays with Panarin and Lafreniere? Maybe Lafreniere moves back to his regular wing, maybe they don't play together, then that means Cooley plays on the right side. That's fine when he's never done it, but he's never done that. Oh, I don't know. That's what I'm saying. You have a total if Trevena goes back to the middle.
Speaker 2:This is what concerns me the most about this team is it's just a bunch of jumbled up guys, guys playing out of position. They want to put Braden Schneider on the left. Now they want to put Braden Schneider on the left side. So now we're going to go into next season with now two guys playing on their off side, unless Scott Morrow makes the team. You're hearing that it's possible that Braden Schneider's going to play with Borgen and that Soucy's going to play with Vakhanainen. How stupid is this. So now they're going to play two defensemen on their off side. Soucy was terrible on his regular side. You're going to play two defensemen on their offside. Soostie was terrible on his regular side. You're going to play him now on his offside.
Speaker 1:But at least he'll be on a third pair, which is where he belongs, playing, you know, 14 minutes a night.
Speaker 2:Sean, again it's spitting a square peg in a round hole. It's just, it's asinine. I just, I don't know. I get frustrated because I I think that I think, with Sullivan coming in and we and we've seen this, this recipe, how it's gone Quinn comes in, has a great year Next year. It's shit. Galant same thing, lavia the same thing. So you assume that Sullivan's coming in here and they're going to be. You know we're going to be. You know we're going to run through, you know we're going to run through fire for this guy and they're going to do everything right and they're probably going to push for a playoff spot or even make the playoffs, but they're not good enough to win a championship. They're not, they're not, they don't have the cap space to do it.
Speaker 1:But they're good enough to win the Metro.
Speaker 2:I don't know if they're good enough to win the mix. I think so.
Speaker 1:And that's all you can do.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Because nobody's good enough to beat Florida.
Speaker 2:Unless Florida shoots themselves or has injuries. They had a hard time beating Washington last year. Sean who, the Rangers they struggled like crazy against Washington. They got blown out. In how many games against Washington?
Speaker 1:They don't scare me in a playoff series and Washington's not much different why they lost Maggiapane they don't scare me in a playoff series whatsoever. I'm talking about the playoffs.
Speaker 2:But you played them four times in the year. Okay, you got to beat the teams that you're chasing, that you're fighting for.
Speaker 1:Everything in the goddamn world went wrong. We missed the playoffs by six points. Everything. There was not one thing other than Will Cooley in spurts that went right for an entire season. You're right Six points.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you it's going to take a really long time to wash the stench off of this season.
Speaker 1:So think of everything we say about Carson Soucy as to how awful of a hockey player he's been as a ranger. Correct, terrible, terrible. He was still a plus two. I know that plus minus is not the end, all be all right, but it wasn't like he was on the ice it wasn't like he was a minus two, but the rangers he was a plus two. That's incredible. We talk about him like he was a minus nine in 16 games. You know what I mean? Like that's.
Speaker 2:Very sheltered minutes though, but I get it.
Speaker 1:And that's fine. That's all he's supposed to be. Whether we like him or not, whether we like his cap hit or not, bottom line is he's only here because the coach still wants him here. We've seen, and here's the proof of this, that's not why he's here. Here's the proof of this. You've had guys like Cody Ceci. I mean, look at some of the free agent contracts that bad defensemen have signed.
Speaker 2:Cody Ceci. That's a knee-jerk reaction to losing Gavrikov Plain and simple. That's what that is.
Speaker 1:That's a knee-jerk reaction they gave him 30 million dollars that's a knee-jerk reaction to losing a defenseman, but he's not any good I know I'm fully aware of telling me that a team when, when, if they had the opportunity to trade nothing to trade a seventh round pick to the rangers for susie at $3 million, but they would prefer to give Cody Ceci $30 million.
Speaker 2:I hate to break this to you. Chris Drury is not doing anything that's going to be disruptive to this team. I think he realized last year and the year before that it doesn't work. I think I don't. I just think he's going to. He wants to be as drama-free as possible. Carson Soucy waved he didn't want. I think I don't. I just think he's going to. He wants to be as drama-free as possible. Carson Soucy waved he didn't want to come here. Had to be convinced why they had to beg this fucking guy to come here and be on me.
Speaker 1:They told.
Speaker 2:It's a proven fact. They asked him to wave. He had to have a phone call with JT Miller. He didn't want to wave. There's no trade clause. That's where the trade took so long to go through. That's a proven fact. He had to be convinced to come here. So now there's no way in God's name, this guy's getting fucking traded. No way, because now they're going to go to the FA twice. One, they gave up a high draft pick for him. One and two, he had to be convinced to come here. So so what? Now you're going to trade him again. I, I just don't think he's going to do it. I hate to say this, but this, this gm, is a fucking coward in some ways in some ways he got gavrikov and he got gavrikov at a discount.
Speaker 1:Let's be honest, we all thought he was going to get $9 million in the end.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, and again, I mean Gavrikov wanted to be here. Let's say what it is.
Speaker 1:The GM still gets credit for convincing him to take the money that he took.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, of course, but the player wanted to be here. It wasn't like they went on the doorstep and like, oh, take less money and the player money.
Speaker 1:And the players like, yeah, okay, no problem, he wanted to play in new york gotta get me what when the deal is signed and it comes out being what it was have to give credit where credit's due right well, listen I guess I'm not saying that gabber cop is on his way to fucking winnipeg and chris jury, you know, flew out the fucking, you know the cessna out there to fuck and drop the boatload of cash on his doorstep and said your signature or? Your brains will be on the contract here.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying he didn't need to be coaxed to come here, he didn't need to be wined and dined. He wanted to play here. Apparently, panarin played a factor into this whole thing. We're going to get into Panarin. I just feel like Drury is not doing anything else to bring any negative attention towards this team and them trading Carson Soucy three months, two months, three months after acquiring him, when he had to be convinced to come here, giving up a very high draft pick. They are not trading him right now. They're not. They're just not. So now they're going to blame. They're going to blame lobby, a lot of lobby Again, like it's always the coach's fault, always the coach's fault. It's Quinn's fault, it was glance fault, it was lobby, let's fault, and two years there'll be Sullivan's fault. I'm not. I'm not going to sit here and stop blaming the coaches.
Speaker 1:The coach is partially to blame for this last season. I'm sorry, sorry.
Speaker 2:I just disagree with you. I don't. They quit, they quit. How do you?
Speaker 1:blame the coach on a team that quit, and it's on the coach to steer the ship. How you can't get rid of anybody. It's up to you to be a salesman and get by him.
Speaker 2:He was supposed to bench. He tried benching this Abedijan. How'd that work out?
Speaker 1:Again. This is why these guys have paid millions and millions and millions of dollars to coach. I never said it was fair. It's pro sports.
Speaker 2:They quit on the GM. They quit on the GM and they quit on the coach. They should have played for the fucking coach.
Speaker 1:They quit on him too, on the coach to get buy-in If a coach can't get his locker room. Please, I disagree with you. If a coach can't get his locker room to buy-in, then what is he there for? Just to put out a lineup?
Speaker 2:So what is he supposed to do? Let me ask you a question. These guys aren't playing well, and this is a goes to what everyone else was saying Bench him, bench him. Someone has to play. He moved Cly, have been a jetty but had his lowest ice time since he's been a ranger because he wasn't playing well. How did this all work out for the coach? They quit on him, fucking too. So how he's supposed to do? Go to their house and freaking tuck them in at night you got to figure it out they fucking quit.
Speaker 2:Don't tell me they have to figure out.
Speaker 1:You call the players, athletes.
Speaker 2:You play for the fucking team and he's a professional coach I disagree. Putting too much completing, putting too much at the feet of lobby life. So he's a genius in year one and he's a fucking failure in game in year two. What's the common denominator? The players quit. That's the problem.
Speaker 1:They had a fucking meeting he was a genius in the year talk about the good row thing he was a genius in the year where everything went right yeah, and this team?
Speaker 2:what did they do? They did the same thing they did under galant and I'll tell you, galant got a lot of shit, but he had two 100 point seasons, two and he got fired. And what did they do? The same thing. They came out against tampa I get with galant. They came out, they were guns blazing. They fucking smoked tampa in the home opener. Come out against anaheim. They were smoking them. All of a sudden they stopped playing defense and what happened? Anaheim started climbing back into that game, if you remember, and it all went down. It was all downhill after that until true butba threw the fucking helmet Because they thought they were better than what they were. They thought they were above being coached or above being whatever it was. And they pulled the same shit this year. The same fucking shit.
Speaker 2:The season opened up quick and Scherkin had to bail this fucking team out. For the first 18 games of the season. They did the same shit they did the year before, or I shouldn't say that, the second year of Gallant Play. They played. This is why this core was fucking cancer to begin with and why Drury wanted to get rid of him, because he saw similarities to what he saw three years ago. That's why he started making changes. Well, here we are. I don't like him either, but I don't like Drury either.
Speaker 1:I think he's a shit bag, but that's another story but there's a ton of roster turnover right from opening night but are they better? Well see, everyone makes the comparison between last year's opening night roster and this year's opening night roster, jt Miller wasn't on last year, but last year's opening night roster and this year's opening night roster.
Speaker 2:Jt Miller wasn't on last year, but last year's opening night roster depth-wise was better.
Speaker 1:But if they weren't playing as a team, would it matter?
Speaker 2:No, I'm fully aware of that, but on paper and depth-wise it was a better roster.
Speaker 1:Gabrykab's great but Gabrykab's much better than Ryan Lindgren. Correct, but that's not even a comparison. Jt Miller as a 1C and moving everybody down a notch is an improvement over where they were to start that season. Yeah, the third line is the third line's a problem.
Speaker 1:It's only a problem if one of these kids doesn't step up to at least be what Kako was Again. They don't need to be a 25-goal scorer out of the blue, because remember Will Cooley you know when Johnny Lazarus says oh, it was Cooley, hedlund Kako that was to start the season. Cooley moved up in the lineup halfway through and put up a lot of points when he was playing, because he was playing so poorly.
Speaker 1:Okay, halfway through and put up a lot of points when he was playing so poorly, okay. But I'm saying like that when we're talking about how good the third line was, when we're looking at the names, yes, but as a line, yeah, they produced here and there cooley had that nice stretch. What was that? When everything else was going down, it was like cooley was the only guy who would score some nights, um, but then he got moved up into the top six and continued to play really well.
Speaker 1:But Kako was never a stud for us at any point. So if you're talking about a third line that can replace the production that Kako gave us, what are we talking about replacing?
Speaker 2:Yeah, how many points.
Speaker 1:How many?
Speaker 2:goals. Again, it's all going to be contingent on what barard often a parole give you. I don't think pro is going to be on the third line. I think if he doesn't make it to have a top, top six spot, I don't think he's going to be on the team that I um. So I think it's between, I think it's between off, unless they put zabinij at the center. I think it's between offman and Berard for the third, the third line spot. Maybe they'll bring in a guy on a PTO to kind of push them a little bit. Um, and then you got Parson in, who I like. I want to like the guy and I'll tell you I asked you if you listen to uh Elliot's 32 thoughts. So they have a range Rangers segment on there. It's between the Islander, obviously the Islander and the Phillies segment, and he brings up Parsimon, which shocked me. I want to see what this guy I'm like. If they're banking on this guy as being some form of savior to help them to get to the playoffs, they're in trouble.
Speaker 1:Well, savior, a third line playing 11 minutes. 12 minutes a night and Xavier are two different things.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, he brought him up, sean. He brought him up. The guy's been on three teams and he's brought him up. He brought him up in his 32 thoughts. End of season commentary.
Speaker 1:I just thought it was hilarious, but what did he say? What was the context?
Speaker 2:I'd really like to see where they re-sign this guy. I'd really like to see what he's going to do and blah, blah, blah. I'm like, really, that's what I have to look forward to. I just thought maybe he was just fishing for something because he had nothing else, because, you know, with everything, with the Rangers.
Speaker 1:Let's break down Parson in for a second, because when you really look at it it's not nearly as as bad as you think. When you just think, I don't think he's bad.
Speaker 2:I try and I don't think he's bad. I like him as a player, but I'd like him more as our 13th forward than our 9th forward.
Speaker 1:Let me ask you a question. So third-line center on a good team.
Speaker 2:I don't want Johnny Brzezinski as my third-line center. No, no, no, I'm sure.
Speaker 1:How many points on a good team should a third-line center? 30 points, 30? 30. Parsons' rookie season he had 25 points in 45 games.
Speaker 2:And what has he had since?
Speaker 1:He had 16 points in 48 games this season so he's easily a 30-point player. So his per 82 NHL game average is 32 points a season.
Speaker 2:Well, they brought him back for a reason.
Speaker 1:I mean listen, I like I'm 25 points in 45 games.
Speaker 2:I'm not gonna sit here and tell you I don't like, don't like him as a player. I I liked a lot of things I saw from him, especially towards the tail ended last season. I I like what I saw from him, I liked what I saw from robertson. But man, man, there is so many question marks. I mean they're going into the next season. There's a lot up for grabs.
Speaker 1:Here's the other good part. You got Radish, who you know has the capability to score 20 goals, because he's done it. You have Parsonin, who you know has the capability to put up 30 points if he plays every game or if he plays done it Right. You have Parsonin, who you know has the capability to put up 30 points if he plays every game or if he plays 75 games Right, because he's done it on a per-game average in his career. The only question mark is the left side, and you're going into next season with two first-round picks. Do they have their second-round pick for the Rangers?
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm, they have Carolina's second-round pick.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry you have a second-round pick, you have all the draft pick ammunition. You need to make a move at the deadline. The moves at the deadline that they're going to make next year. Most likely, if everything's going the way we would anticipate it would go it's not going to be to be replacing Cooley Lafreniere Panarin. This is also assuming Zibanejad's staying on the right wing in the top six.
Speaker 2:It's fixing the third line.
Speaker 1:It's fixing the third line.
Speaker 2:Right, and it's what you would want to do going into the playoffs. If you have to start replacing guys in your top six, you're just not having problems.
Speaker 1:Even when Florida brings in Brad Marchand. They brought him in to play in the bottom six and he forced his way up because he played so well.
Speaker 2:But the Rangers brought in St Louis played on the third line and he forced his way up by playing. Well, maybe not, maybe the Pouliot line was the third line, but anyway it doesn't matter yeah, the pulley, yeah, pulley up broussard and um.
Speaker 1:But I mean parson is going to be 24, so this is, you know, it's a big boy year for him. It's time for him to to step up, and they committed to him, they gave him two years.
Speaker 2:They gave him two years. You know he's not making a ton of money. Um, you know, what I will give jury credit for is he was smart when people were crying and I was guilty of it, about crying over him signing all these guys. He definitely got some kind of cost certain, cost certainty. And when you start seeing what these other players have gotten, you know someone made a point of saying, well, would you rather have Will Borgen at five years at 4.1, or Ryan Lindgren at four years at 4.5, or ryan lingren at four years at 4.5?
Speaker 2:not even not even a conversation yeah, I mean obviously lingren's, maybe a year or two younger. But I even told one of my friends who hated the borgen signing and and a lot of people didn't like it I mean a lot of people we respect didn't like that. They that they essentially, you know, handed borgen, you know that contract based off of what? 17 games at that point, or eight, 10 games, whatever it was, and it was more than that. When did they re-sign him? They re-signed him fairly quick, right, I think probably 10, 15 games in, yeah, something like that. So there were people a lot upset about it.
Speaker 2:And when you start seeing the contracts that have been thrown out, I mean Borges is a better defenseman than Cody Ceci, he's a better defenseman than Lindgren. You know Dublin, I would say he's maybe, like you know, neck and neck as far as defensively. But I mean you saw what these defenses were getting and you know they got some core certainty out of it. You know they got some core certainty out of it. You know vac and I was another guy. I go why they signed him and again, I was critical of it like keep the cap space, he was available first before you start throwing money around yeah, could you imagine?
Speaker 1:yeah, and he's still a young kid. He's only 25 years old, vac, and I didn't, so maybe his potential is not even realized yet and we've had, and you and I had a.
Speaker 2:We went back and forth with someone on twitter about it or on Facebook, I think, about Vakunainen, and I'm not going to completely dismiss what the person said and disregard it, but I want to at least see what the kid can play, if he can play in the playoffs. You know we all loved Anton Strollman. You know we all loved him when he was making $800,000 his first year in 2000,. And then when he got the two-year extension, when he was making $800,000 his first year in 2000,. And then when he got the two-year extension when he was making $1.5 million or $1.8 million, and we all loved him. But Strollen played on what he played on Columbus. He played on Toronto. He got cut from the Devils in training camp. The other Rangers signed him on a PTO. Sometimes these defensemen take a little time and we talked about this a million times about.
Speaker 1:Michael Sauer.
Speaker 2:Forsling in Florida. He got bought out.
Speaker 2:Forsling, michael Sauer. There are defensemen that just find a niche later on in their careers. I want to at least give the kid the benefit of the doubt and say, okay, you're not making a lot of money. I need to see how this guy plays in a playoff series and you know what, sean. Honestly, maybe what this team needs is just to get in this year and give these guys some, some, some of these other guys some playoff experience, and, even if they don't go very far, and then they reload next year and and you know, we have what would we say they have about 30, almost $ million dollars in cap space for next season I still think, and, and until we lose, I'll be proven otherwise I still think we're the best team in the metro, especially once you get us into a seven game series.
Speaker 1:And it starts with it starts with the fact we win every goaltending matchup. You, if we're going to play carolina, where we have the better goalie, if we're going to play the devils, we have the better goalie.
Speaker 2:Washington, we have the better goalie a hard time though that son of a bitch markstrom always gives them a hard time we still have the better goal. I'm not disputing that, but I'm just saying the better.
Speaker 1:They're all floating guys, the dev Devils. Now they traded away Eric Holla. They're looking to move Dougie Hamilton, if they can. They're in transition too. They don't scare me like they once did.
Speaker 2:Definitely.
Speaker 1:the Atlantic is definitely better Columbus is a team that is going to be really good. I still think they're a year or two away from being there, but they look like they're going to be very good. Philly is still just going to be Philly. The Isles is still going to be the Isles.
Speaker 2:How much would Proveroff have made if he made it to the open market, like why you didn't?
Speaker 1:get the eight years from Columbus Right.
Speaker 2:Why wouldn't? You didn't get the eight years from Columbus Right? Why wouldn't you have tested the market? You knew what Columbus's offer was.
Speaker 1:He wanted to stay there, they said. I mean there's a lot of people who have come out and said you know the hate that Columbus gets as a market. It's a great city Because these guys love living there.
Speaker 2:It is a wonderful, warm city Not warm temperature-wise, but people. I've been to a game there. It's a wonderful city to visit and to be in. They're just never good. They've never been good. They can't attract free agents.
Speaker 1:But they're starting to. Johnny Goudreau went there yeah, he did, and now they were able to keep. They're starting to. Johnny Goudreau went there, he did, and now they were able to keep Zach Wierenski. They were able to keep him. He didn't go free agency. They were able to keep Provorov, and they have all these young kids that look really fucking good. They're just still really, really young. Adam Fantilli is going to be one of the best players in the league. He's 20 years old. We young. Adam Fantilli is going to be one of the best players in the league. He's 20 years old. We'll see what happens. I don't know, he's 24. I'm going to be really scared.
Speaker 2:They've been there for 20 years. They haven't You've got to convince me. It's great. God bless Johnny Goodrell. God bless him for going there. I love that he did that, that he went a different route, that he didn't sign with the Islanders or the Devils or Philly. He was close enough, but not too close. Philly was a foregone conclusion.
Speaker 2:But he was close, but he wasn't too close. He came back east, but he wasn't too close, and I think sometimes that's the best thing. Coming home isn't always the best scenario for a lot of guys. No, just ask our strawberry, the ex Chris Higgins, if you want to say I'm telling you. I've heard a lot of stories about him coming back. It was not. It was a very stressful time for him. People asking for tickets you know it was. It wasn't. It wasn't enjoyable.
Speaker 1:Let's just put a bow on the third line here. I'm going to state that Parson in the middle, radish on one side, and to me it's you. Let Othman and Berard duke it out. I want Perot starting the season in Hartford. Let him make the Rangers' decision for him. We can't keep this kid down. He's just too damn good.
Speaker 2:And if that's the case, then he earns a spot somewhere. I think Mika's going to play center and I think Mika's going to play on the wing. I think they're going to do both.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to see where the chips lie, mika's going to play center on the wing.
Speaker 2:He's going to play center. Some games I talking about. I think Mika is going to play both center and wing. I think he's going to. Before they make a decision, I think where he plays might be based on the way the young players play, the way Perot plays, the way Offman plays. Maybe they force them to move one of these guys, move Mika back to the center.
Speaker 1:It should be based on move Mika back to the center. It should be based on how Mika plays. How does Mika look? Does Mika look quick? Does he look fast? Because his hockey IQ, I think, is still very, very good, so it's just a matter of is his motor going and are his?
Speaker 2:legs there If we are going. I think if we don't see now again, pre-season is what it is. I mean we've seen a lot. You know brandon peary, the list goes on and on. You have great guys, have great pre-seasons. I need to see jump out of him in the pre-season, all you ever have to do with zibanejad is look at his skating.
Speaker 1:That's it.
Speaker 2:If he's able to jump out of him if he's skating well.
Speaker 1:It was always the same with Crider too. When they're when they're skating and they're engaged, they're great, and when they're not. Last year was the first year we saw anything from Zibanejad where he wasn't skating hard.
Speaker 2:Right Frank Saravelli called his car. He's like his contract is untradeable, nobody wants that guy nobody wants. Yeah, I disagree, something along those lines, I disagree, I, I, I don't know, maybe if he gave, maybe if he was able to go there for free, but it's low hanging fruit to to attack?
Speaker 1:I don't think I, I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't think you can win with him, but I guess we'll find out. Win with him or win with him as your best player. I don't think you can win with him in your top six.
Speaker 1:That I disagree with. It was proven clear in the Florida series that we couldn't win with him as our number one center. Yeah, so if he's a right wing or if he's a number two center, I do think he can win with him I don't know.
Speaker 2:We'll see shauna listen I where we can only say we can, only we can debate this. You know, you think your opinion we gotta, we gotta see. I mean, we gotta see what this season brings. And this is going to be a very big season for him because it's just gonna get more. He has another down here. Oh yeah, it's going to just keep getting louder and louder and louder and it just going to get more. He has another down year. Oh yeah, it's going to just keep getting louder and louder and louder and it's going to get a lot more uncomfortable for him. And we all know that he can't handle the criticism. I just part of me is very surprised that he'd rather I mean, his family is young enough where you can go somewhere else and start over and it not be a big deal, like you're not taking an eight-year-old out of school. Why wouldn't you want to go somewhere else and, kind of like, start over, like start fresh?
Speaker 1:Wants to be here. Why is that a bad?
Speaker 2:thing Because he wants to be here for the wrong reasons? We don't know that. Well, did he say that he didn't? Did he say he would? Did he say in his comments that he wanted to be here to help this team win a championship? Or did he say I know what my contract says?
Speaker 1:Could have been taken out of context.
Speaker 2:Well, he said it live. I heard him say it out of his own mouth. I'm going to send you the clip, I'm going to find it and send it to you, but I don't want to talk about him anymore because it gets me aggravated.
Speaker 2:I don't like the fact that he quit. I don't like the fact that he quit. But the other thing too is Panarin. Let's talk about Panarin for a minute, and Larry Brooks had a big article about him and it got me thinking a lot about Lafreniere, because Lafreniere was just an absolute ghost last year. What happens? What happens if this season? What happens if the Lafreniere from two years ago was an outlier? Where does this team stand? They have no choice then to bring back Panarin. I think they have no choice anyway.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't know, we don't know yet.
Speaker 1:I mean again I'll tell you why. Just the UFA market that we think is going to be there won't.
Speaker 2:Well, I don't think the Rangers move, do anything until Eichel and McDavid are signed. I don't think he's re-signed until then, and I would go as far to say that I don't think he's resigned unless a lot of the big free agents are the ufas are signed. I'm talking about caprizov, I'm talking about a lot of these, a lot of these ufas for next year. I don't think, and I want panarin back. Let me, let me preface that. Right, panarin. I looked his statistics so he had 89 points last year. So he was one point off, obviously, from scoring 90 points. In his six years here he has scored. We'll say he scored 90 this year, just to be fair to him, right it?
Speaker 1:was 89.
Speaker 2:He would have scored over 90 points 90 or above in five out of his six seasons. The only year he did not score was the shortened season, the COVID shortened season, where he scored 58 points in 42 games. So he was on pace.
Speaker 1:For 120 points.
Speaker 2:For 116 points Right.
Speaker 1:His first year he was on pace for 120. The second year was on pace for 116 or 120. That's why when he had the 120 point season, it's like, well, it's kind of just what he's done, except and he put up 40 goal, almost 40, except for the putin year.
Speaker 2:The putin year was the only year that he struggled and you can understand, and his goal scoring has gotten better right, he's put up 39 when he scored 30 something goals, 38 goals year and 49 the year before, something like that. Yeah, so he's gotten better Correct and he scored 90 points this year on an awful team with no help, right, so to your point.
Speaker 1:Let me just finish my thought.
Speaker 2:He, I forgot. Just go Say what you can say. I forgot what I was going to say.
Speaker 1:So McDavid's not going anywhere. I just want to state that today, tomorrow, for the next 10 years, he's not going anywhere. He's being resigned. They're going to work this out during the season. What's-his-name went into the season also, why were they waiting for the season to start?
Speaker 2:Why are they waiting for the season to start to get this thing done? They did the same with Dreisaitl and they still haven't fixed their goaltending problem. They haven't David's not going anywhere.
Speaker 1:So the big names that I Kyle Conner I could see shaking loose. I could see Winnipeg getting totally blown up during the season this year. So Kyle Conner is someone that could shake loose. He's 28. Eichel not going anywhere. I wish I would chop off a leg to get him. It's not happening. Chop off a leg. Marty Natchez that's a very, very intriguing player. He's only 26 years old. That could happen. Colorado probably won't have the cap room to keep him. Talk about someone who would be a great deadline addition with our first round picks. Are the Rangers bringing in Ovechkin? I saw that. Agent Kempe. Rasmus Anderson I saw that Adrian Kempe.
Speaker 2:Rasmus Anderson's another one that's a free agent. I think he's going to go to Vegas, but I'm sorry, let me interrupt you. Keep going.
Speaker 1:Adrian Kempe. Maybe We'll see what happens with LA Right. Alex Tuck, I'm sure he'll be gone.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I heard he likes Buffalo. That's all I've been hearing Kaprizov.
Speaker 1:Andrews, lee Zuccarello, malkin Giroux. So now you're getting into some. You know, yeah, these are nice names and nice guys to add, but no one that I wouldn't re-sign Panarin to try and bring in patrick linea. Yeah, you know, the the list gets really narrow really quick when you consider a lot of these guys and these teams know that they're every single team's getting another 10 million dollars in caps. Yes, yeah, so to think that these guys are not going to be resigned. The only reason they wouldn't be resigned is that they don't want to be there, right.
Speaker 2:So, Connor, I could see that not want to be in LA Right, and, and Kenny Holland and I don't know if you watch the NHL network um, uh, free agent thing. I recorded it and watched it later. Uh, you know, EJ Raddick said that he was at the draft and he asked you know Kenny Holland? Straight out, and he said you know, sometimes you can read a guy's body language and and Holland, you know, said those said what he was saying, but you could just tell that you know he wasn't going back there.
Speaker 2:So guys want to stay but they can't because obviously cap or whatever else. But if guys want to stay and they're comfortable, what I don't like is are you staying because you think the team has a chance to win a championship or are you staying because you're comfortable? That's the part that would bother me, as a fan, obviously, and not as a player, Because if I'm a player it would be none of no one else's business. I want guys that want to win. I want a guy that wants to come here and say okay, I think this team, I don't think is good enough to win. I need to go someplace where I think I can win. I mean, if you're Connor McDavid right now. You've just been to back to back Stanley Cup Finals. How many?
Speaker 2:times do you think you're getting back there?
Speaker 1:how many times with him and Dreisaitl, together with that goal tending with that defense.
Speaker 2:They have to get another goalie. How about their defense? Sean Darnell Nurse is awful.
Speaker 1:Not in the playoffs, he wasn't. He's getting praised for playoffs.
Speaker 2:I didn't watch by who. I didn't hear anyone praise him.
Speaker 1:Nationally he's getting a lot of praise.
Speaker 2:I didn't hear that, but I didn't really watch.
Speaker 1:I want to try to relate this to you because, other than professionally, I've never really been part of any team, being what I do you have. So, for instance, you were comfortable in your firehouse.
Speaker 2:You have guys that want to chase fire and you have guys that go to Brooklyn, that want to go to busy house in the Bronx, they want to go to squad, they want to go to rescue. So, yeah, you got guys leaving. And you know what, if you don't want to be in my firehouse, leave. I was content where I was, cause I had, I had seniority where I was and I was comfortable where I was. I didn't want to chase fire at that point. I was already at that point, right. But in my profession, you know, I was content with that. But as a young player, as a guy that's hungry, I went to fires. I did it. I've experienced that At that point in my career I wasn't looking to move and I worked in a slow house in Manhattan and I transferred to a busier house in Queens.
Speaker 1:You know who you sound like who Panarin Zibanejad.
Speaker 2:No, I don't, Because Panarin Zibanejad hasn't won anything.
Speaker 1:But he was comfortable where he was and it wasn't worth it.
Speaker 2:He didn't experience anything.
Speaker 1:He experienced plenty, he just didn't get the cup. He got close my point.
Speaker 2:And he put in his time. He put in his time. That's a totally different situation.
Speaker 1:He hasn't won a championship did you win a championship of fires? I'm not trying to be, it's a different thing.
Speaker 2:It's a completely different thing. And I worked. I worked in lower Manhattan. I bounced around, but worked in Lower Manhattan. I get it, I bounced around, right, but what the difference is? He didn't say what he should have said. He wanted to rather be comfortable, and I don't want players here that just want to be comfortable.
Speaker 1:And that's a fair statement to make, but when you're looking at it from his point, of view, I also didn't make $9.5 million. I was waiting for that.
Speaker 2:I put my fucking life on the line, not what these guys do?
Speaker 1:This guy just has to battle Sasha Barkov for seven games.
Speaker 2:Listen, I'll tell you.
Speaker 1:You know what, though, sean, I don't know, I think I'd rather run into a burning building than have to battle Sasha Barkov for seven games. Probably right.
Speaker 2:Maybe in some ways the criticism these guys get is ridiculous and in New York more than anywhere else, as a hockey player you can Mika Zbigniewicz can walk around Manhattan in anonymity, aaron Judge can't, jalen Brunson probably can't, to a certain degree, jeter couldn't, probably Juan Soto can't. I don't know about the football guys, I can't speak to that.
Speaker 1:Mika's pretty noticeable. He's a different looking dude, but he's not.
Speaker 2:The hair, the eyes. You and I would recognize him in a second. I'm talking about the scope of New York sports. He is so far down the chain it's not even funny Like.
Speaker 1:I couldn't even tell you.
Speaker 2:He's not. Even Hank is probably the only guy that you could maybe see, other than Mess, that you could say, if you saw him, people would know who he was to a certain degree. I don't think Leach. I think Leach could walk around and nobody would know who he was to a certain degree. I don't think Leach. I think Leach could walk around and nobody would know. I think Richter could walk around and no one would know who he was. Hank and Messier, because their faces were out there, more so than anyone else. Mika's face is not out there, panarin's face isn't out there. No one knows who. Panarin is One of the greatest free agent signings in Rangers history, and Aaron is one of the greatest free agent signings in Rangers history.
Speaker 2:We have no idea who he can walk around New York and anonymity. I've got to have a point to this whole thing. Um, you know, I just want guys that are hungry to win, not just all right. Well, I know what my contract says, I know what I agreed upon, so I'm not going anywhere because that's what my contract says.
Speaker 1:No, I don't want a guy like if I remember that, win a championship, I do want you to get me the clip because, if I remember correctly, it was a direct answer to whether or not.
Speaker 2:X to waive your no trade clause? No, but I, if you would you well, no, I know what my contract says. That was the. That was the quote, sean, I'm not making it up.
Speaker 1:I just want to see the full context. I know for shit, sean that he didn't say.
Speaker 2:I want to stay here to help the team win a championship, that's fucking sure.
Speaker 1:Let's see how they come into training camp this year and what the quotes are and what the body language is. Like you said, we're going to see it right away. It is going and said we're going to see right away.
Speaker 2:It is going and listen. I am very guilty of not being able to move on from certain things, especially when it comes to this team. I feel in life I'm able to move on from things. In a fight with my wife I'm able to move on a lot faster than I am with this team. Faster than I am with this team. I am so disgusted with the way this season ended that I am going to be waiting for all of next year. They could start off 25 and oh, and I'm going to be waiting for a five game losing streak. I'm just, I'm sorry and I'm guilty of it and I apologize for it in advance.
Speaker 1:Even if the 25 and oh is that winning hockey games like the way you want to see them win and it's not smoke and mirrors?
Speaker 2:But smoke and mirrors. When everyone was complaining to me last year oh, just enjoy it. Oh my God, they're winning games, but they're doing it. It's fake, it was all a mirage.
Speaker 1:I said how many times on this show. They're a 50 win team, they're going to get 100 points and be in the playoffs, and I'm, as I eat, a ton of crow for me being completely, completely wrong, and I will be while I didn't think.
Speaker 2:But to be very optimistic, did you think this team was going to quit the way they did?
Speaker 1:Sean they, when I saw it happening, they didn't go to overtime one game yeah, no one is saying if they would have went to overtime three times they did Sean.
Speaker 2:They went 4-15. They didn't go to overtime one game.
Speaker 1:Do you?
Speaker 2:understand if they would have went to overtime three times. They would have made the playoffs.
Speaker 1:When you saw it happening, you knew it was happening, you couldn't deny it. They quit. They weren't just all of a sudden bad. But what happened with Zibanejad? It's weird. I don't think Zibanejad see, I see I it's. It's weird. I don't think Zibanejad quit the way a lot of people do. There had to be something physically wrong with him to start the season because he physically wasn't skating the way that he normally skates. And again, I've heard this from if I've heard it from a hundred pro athletes, I've heard this from if I've heard it from a hundred pro athletes, I've heard it from a thousand the minute you take your foot off the gas, you leave yourself susceptible to an injury. Every pro athlete knows this. Every pro athlete preaches this. So I can't imagine that he just took his foot off the gas and skated the way he skated. He had to be nursing something because in the second half of the season he didn't skate like that and he was back to being 70-something. Point to Benajed, not 90. Okay.
Speaker 2:He'll never be 90 points again.
Speaker 1:And that's fine. I need him to be.
Speaker 2:You know what shocked me though Because I was looking at last year's numbers because I knew we were going to talk about some of this stuff tonight he was tied for second in points with 62? Where those were the weakest 60 points I've ever seen in my life. Second half of the season. He was much better. Yeah, when the team was already buried, they weren't already buried.
Speaker 1:They were buried with a week to go.
Speaker 2:They had lost 15 a week to go. They had lost 15 out of 19 games.
Speaker 1:And they still weren't buried because of the start they got off to. They weren't buried. In the standings. They were never buried, at any point.
Speaker 2:No one in their wildest dreams. I don't think they were ever more than 8 points out of the playoffs you telling me a gun to any Ranger fans' head and I put a polygraph test on them. You're telling me that they thought this team was making the playoffs after that 4-15 tobacco I still did.
Speaker 1:I said it on the show a thousand times.
Speaker 2:You're the only one. You might have been the only one. And I wasn't far off yeah.
Speaker 1:And again.
Speaker 2:If they would have just gotten to overtime, three times they would have made the playoffs.
Speaker 1:Or if they would have showed up in the last week of April, the first week of April, they showed up. During that week they'd make the playoffs. Yeah, you know, I just January 1st to the end of the season.
Speaker 2:You know what you want? To sit here and say they turned the season around. I watched them get shit canned by fucking the Buffalo Sabres twice. I saw them get smoked by Pittsburgh without Crosby and Malkin.
Speaker 1:That's the game that does it, man, I just here's the stretch. I can't defend them. When they didn't make the playoffs, the stretch was the devil. They get shut out by the devils.
Speaker 2:They lose five. To Tampa, they lost eight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, four, nothing. They lost. Eight to five to Philly.
Speaker 2:That's right. Was that the Davidson game?
Speaker 1:A five game.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I remember that that's the one game I watched. Where's the Pittsburgh game that was coming out of? That was a Friday night. I want to say when in the season was it. It was Friday night, but it was after the Four Nations. I think it was after the Four Nations or just before it.
Speaker 1:It was just before it Were they lost 3-2?.
Speaker 2:No, it wasn't that close, was it Was?
Speaker 1:it that close.
Speaker 2:No, it was more than 3-2.
Speaker 1:I'm looking for another game where we played Pittsburgh. It was a Friday night in February, I want to say so. We beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh 5-3 on February 23rd. Yeah, it was February 7th. We lost 3-2 at home to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2:Really that was it, yeah, wow.
Speaker 1:But there was just no reason in the world they should have won, and we were playing really good at that time. Are you sure it was only?
Speaker 2:3-2? Yeah, wow, that game seemed a lot worse than 3-2. Maybe they were down 3-0 in the first period.
Speaker 1:Must have been what it was. Again, I know I said it a couple of shows ago January 2nd to the end of the season 46 games and Benajed had 41 points and he was a 0 plus minus 52.6% of his face-offs. He was much more just back to being Mika for whatever reason, and we'll never know if he was nursing an injury because he won't admit it. Or was he nursing just being butthurt over Truba and Goudreau?
Speaker 2:and everything else. Yeah, this is the game I think Raquel scored. I could tell you by who scored. I know Ricard Raquel scored in the game February 7th. Yeah, he did so, it was….
Speaker 1:Yeah Raquel, yeah Tomasino on the power play.
Speaker 2:Tomasino on the power play Lake Lazat yep, and that's the game. Raquel, so it was 2-1 going into. Wow, I'll tell you that game seemed worse than what it was.
Speaker 1:I thought it was a lot.
Speaker 2:I thought it was a lot more than 3-2. Well, how many shots a goal did they even have in that game? It was yeah, they had 24. Well, how many shots a goal did they even have in that game? Because it was yeah, they had 24 shots on goal. 17 giveaways I mean, pittsburgh had 18 giveaways. Pittsburgh blocked 22 shots in that game and Pittsburgh was 1 for 3 on the power play and the face-offs were even. It was just a bad game. It was just the-offs were even.
Speaker 1:It was just a bad game, it was just the circumstances around the game.
Speaker 2:It was just a bad game.
Speaker 1:They got in at 3 o'clock in the morning, back-to-back. There was no reason in the world that they should have won, and that's why they won. They played with zero pressure at all. Is what it is. Yeah, I'm not allowed.
Speaker 2:Sean, I'm trying so hard to not keep rehashing last season, but it was just so epically bad that I just it's like a car wreck that you just can't look away from.
Speaker 1:It really is. It's awful. Let's move on and talk about Well, let's finish.
Speaker 2:I mean, do we type an aaron off in a bow? Because the thing about what we didn't finish?
Speaker 2:that we gotta, we gotta weigh on that tangent yeah, so the get back to ben aaron for a minute. Yeah, you talked about because I listened to your live that you did for our patreon, uh, subscribers and I like the idea of spreading the AAV out. I just don't know how far into your 40s they're going to let you, because can't you not go past your 40th birthday? Oh, I don't know, because remember the whole Kovalchuk contract that had to do with him playing until he was like 49 years old?
Speaker 1:I think that was just because it was past eight years. They changed the rule to eight years. They gave him a 15-year deal when he signed it.
Speaker 2:Well, panera, up until when does the CBA change, where you can't give players eight years?
Speaker 1:Two years from now, not the upcoming offseason, the one after that.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So this upcoming offseason, you could still give him an eight-year deal. Okay, so I mean again, it depends on what the guy wants. Actually, I take that back. If it's before July 1st, you can give him an eight-year deal.
Speaker 2:Before.
Speaker 1:July 1st right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, July 1st is when the new CBA starts, so the I mean it depends on what Panarin wants. I mean, does he need it with every last dollar?
Speaker 1:I've made my view clear. I want Panarin back, do you? Yes, okay, for the same reasons, where just there's no one you could really replace him with.
Speaker 2:I don't think you can replace. First of all, he hasn't shown me he's 34 years old. He hasn't shown.
Speaker 2:Well, he 34 years old he hasn't shown Well, he's going to be 34 when the season starts. I haven't seen a drop off. Right, I have. I mean, usually when guys hit 30, 31, like we talked about Adam Graves, in some ways it's a. It's remarkable, even Crider had gotten better in his thirties, which me. Crider had two of his best seasons after 30. I mean, that's unheard of, you know, and you haven't seen a drop off. He's still putting up 90 points, you know. And I said to myself well, you know, do you bring him back? What if they have another shit year? I mean, what if they have another really down season where they're, like you know, in really dire straits again and all the wheels fall off and so on and so forth. And that's why I think in some ways, like with Dan Rosen said, they may wait, take the wait and see approach to see how this team plays to start the season. Cause on both ends.
Speaker 1:maybe if an Aaron wants to see how this team plays to start the season On both ends Maybe.
Speaker 2:Panarin wants to see how the season goes too how he likes playing for Sullivan.
Speaker 1:Maybe a wait and see on both ends.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly. So I'd bring him back. If you're telling me right now to make a decision, I'd bring him back. But I could definitely see the apprehensiveness from the team. Because, sean, let's be honest, you rattled off those free agents. Natch from the team. Because, sean, let's be honest, you know you rattled off those free agents. You know nature's is a nice player, connor's a nice player. You know Kempe is a nice player. Don't do any of Tuck's a nice Tuck to me. If you tell me right now, tuck to me is the one guy you could say I could put my line up, I could be, I could win a championship with that guy Because the way he plays, his style of play, he's tough, he's tenacious. I don't want another soft player playing in my top six.
Speaker 1:You think Kyle Conner's a soft player?
Speaker 2:I don't know. They played Kreider in game seven of the frigging Four Nations. It's Four Nations tournament over him. I mean, I don't think Kyle O'Connor's a pansy. Do I watch them enough? He's a skinny, red-headed guy. He doesn't scare me in any way 41 goal, 97 point guy last year. That scares the shit out of me. How are you doing the playoffs? What were his statistics? I'm curious.
Speaker 1:Sure, it's not sure why I called him up. He had 17 points in 13 games in the playoffs this year. Okay, five goals.
Speaker 2:Okay, winnipeg hasn't won shit though, and I'm not saying it's his fault, I'm saying it's Mark's fault. But I don't know, is he a big?
Speaker 1:He's another small guy, he's six One. Is he six one one, 85.
Speaker 2:Wow, he looks much smaller on the ice. Wow, wow, that actually blew me, that actually blew my mind a little bit. He looks so small out there. Yeah, you know, isn't it funny that certain guys that just look small and he looks him. I thought Brett howden looked small. I met him in person. He's pretty big. Jimmy Beastie always looked small to me on the ice. He's a pretty big guy. You know, it's funny how these certain players they just look small on the ice.
Speaker 1:Beastie he was listed at 6'3. When the Rangers got him, like I said, I met him. He was listed as 6'3. When the Rangers got him, like I said, I met him. He was my height, so he's not 6'3.
Speaker 2:I don't know, I'm not a Conor guy. Those Winnipeg guys scare me. They've always fallen short and maybe they need to be separated. Shifley, to me, is the guy you really. I mean to me, sean, honestly, the collecting the winger thing again, they need a center. They need a center. They're not winning. Tell me right now, you're telling me right now, that Vegas, even though they got Stone, they got Petrangelo, they got friggin' you know shape to your door. They got this guy, they got that guy. I'm telling you right now, they do not win a cup. They don't sniff a cup without jack eichel. So if they can't find a legitimate superstar center, they're winning. I just don't think they can win. And you want to say, okay, well, look at st louis. All right, st louis is one team out of how many that have gone to the one championship without an elite center. I just think, unless think they're not drafting them either.
Speaker 1:Right, I'm past that. If they're ever going to get this guy, it's trading or signing for.
Speaker 2:And the problem is they don't become available.
Speaker 1:Ever, and when they do, you're not trading them to the Rangers because it's a high-profile trade. If you're going to trade away a long-term Trading Eichel to Vegas, wasn because it's a high profile trade If you're going to trade away.
Speaker 2:you know I go to Vegas. It wasn't a high profile.
Speaker 1:No, who the fuck gave a shit about it in the news. I went to Vegas. Maybe now if it went to the Rangers. It's all over the news Every two seconds. His face is everywhere. It's a much, much, much different thing they have to.
Speaker 2:Again, I don't know what they do and you know what, sean, honestly, even if they bring Panarin back, they still need to fix the defense. They still need another defenseman.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about that. So you're good with Gavrikov playing in that role. So, gavrikov Fox, leave that alone. That's your top pair, love it. Are you good with Braden?
Speaker 2:Schneider playing in your top four? Yes, but I'd rather Borgen slide down then.
Speaker 1:Are you good with Borgen playing in your top four?
Speaker 2:As a player, I like, yes, I do, I like Borgen, I do, I like Borgen.
Speaker 1:So then we got to give it a chance before we can shit on it, because we like both players playing in that role.
Speaker 2:Then give Scott Morrow every chance to make the team next year. He will, regardless of Scott's, of Susie's contract and his family and all the other nonsense. Then give Scott Morrow the opportunity to make the team. Don't automatically give Carson Susie a spot.
Speaker 1:You don't think that Drury wants something to show for the trade right away, like if we're being skeptical of you know? Oh, drury would never want to get rid of Soucy because he brought him in. It's his guy. Well, scott Morrow is a Drury guy. He brought him in. I know that.
Speaker 2:I'm not, he's going to get a chance. I just think that Soucy has gotten a lot. I mean, there is not many people on this team that want this guy back. I mean, he is the new defenseman whipping boy on this team.
Speaker 1:Wait, rephrase that there's guys on the team itself that don't want him back. No, no, no, no. There's a fan base, A fan base excuse me, sorry, let me rephrase that. Yeah, he has the potential to be the guy who gets booed during introductions on opening night Correct and totally unfairly. Honestly, he played 16 games here, oh, but he was fucking terrible.
Speaker 2:But he wasn't. Don't go by the plus minus, because he could have been on the ice for four goals in the Islander game, where they scored a nine.
Speaker 1:Let's find out. No, no, I'm curious. I want to see his plus minus for that game.
Speaker 2:And to also be fair, they decided to go on a two-game winning streak at the end of the season and shut out fucking Tampa and freaking come back against fucking Florida when they had no business doing that.
Speaker 1:Listen, if he was a plus six in the last couple of games. Here I'll totally agree with you. He did not play the final game of the season, so he wasn't a part of that he did huh, no, robertson played, remember, robertson played the last two games?
Speaker 2:Yeah, but there was a reason. Was he hurt?
Speaker 1:Susie, yeah, susie had surgery, susie had surgery.
Speaker 2:I thought so no Schneider had surgery. Oh, schneider, right, he's shining to. No Schneider had surgery.
Speaker 1:Oh, schneider, right, he didn't play the last two games. Okay, so Susie played the next Tampa game. He was a plus one.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh.
Speaker 1:So we'll give him that one.
Speaker 2:That was the last game of the season, by the way.
Speaker 1:No, it was the next to last one. He didn't play the last game of the season. Who was the last game of the season against? No, I'm sorry, florida was a team. He was a plus one, a minus one the night before against Carolina. And here's the big Islander game, the minor league game plus two. So if you take that game out of it, he was still a plus one he was still on the positive side. Again we act like he was a minus nine in 16 games Do you remember?
Speaker 2:I don't know what team it was against? Do you remember the game he was playing with Fox?
Speaker 1:I don't remember the team it was, that's all you needed to tell me right there he doesn't belong in that role.
Speaker 2:I don't care, but he wasn't playing against the freaking top line and he's completely out of position, boxing in the corner, and he's going behind the net as well, leaving the slot wide open. Where are you going?
Speaker 1:Do you know who we'll put that on?
Speaker 2:Laviolette? Let me guess no, not.
Speaker 1:Laviolette, because Laviolette's system is Laviolette's system. The jury shouldn't have brought in a guy who's never played man-to-man defense and expect him to step right in and learn it. You've got to feel bad for the player a little bit on that. He's got to learn a completely, completely new defense he's never played before. That's difficult.
Speaker 2:You're a professional athlete, you're 29 years old not 21.
Speaker 1:When you're playing in a system, it's.
Speaker 2:He's played on three other teams. He's never played man-to-man defense.
Speaker 1:Loppy Lutz is the only guy who's played man-to-man in the league for the last 10 years. No one else does.
Speaker 2:They play zone.
Speaker 1:Everyone plays zone.
Speaker 2:We'll see what happens this year. Like I said, when you were saying that you thought they were going to trade him, I'm like, I don't think they're trading him. I just don't see it, I just don't see. And then, who are you getting? Who's replacing him at?
Speaker 1:this point now, it would have been Vakanainen, and then you would need to get a right shot defenseman to play in the third pair, which maybe it's Mauro and maybe it's one of these free agents that falls through the cracks.
Speaker 2:He was bad. He got scratched in Vancouver. He was a healthy scratch in Vancouver. I know Vancouver had their own fucking problem.
Speaker 2:For him to be healthy, scratched in Vancouver, whatever? Again, we're harping over this. I don't like having to play two defensemen out of position. You want to play one on their off wing, on their off side fine, but you're telling me that they're going to play Schneider on his off side fine, but you're telling me that they're going to play schneider on his off side and possibly play either vacanin or susie on his off side. I I don't agree with that. If you're telling me that they're going to play um schneider on his off side and that morrow's making the team and that susie's their seventh defense defenseman, well, that's a different story. But that also concerns me about them having to expose Robertson to waivers. And if he has a very good camp, I don't know. They may not do that either way. So I don't know. I don't know what they're going to do to me.
Speaker 2:I said it to start to start the off season. I thought Robertson, he's the seventh defenseman. I think it's start the offseason. I thought Robertson, he's the seventh defenseman. I think it's his job to lose. Obviously that was before the Miller trade and before they got Morrow, and apparently Morrow was Carolina's best defenseman prospect.
Speaker 1:He's the top 10 defensive prospect in the league, forget just Carolina. He was their second best prospect overall.
Speaker 2:that guy Nouveau or something like that, was their top prospect a wing so, all things considered I mean, we talked about this on the free agency show you know you got it you have to think that, based off of everything that, this was a monumental offer that Drury just couldn't pass up. This was a great trade. He has to get credit for this. I don't think you were getting the 26th, because a lot of teams do not want to give up that 26th pick. But the thing I don't understand, sean, is if they don't want to give up the 26th pick, which is fine, then put conditions on it. Make it top 10 protected, like Carolina did. And Sean is, if they don't want to give up the 26th pick, which is fine, then put conditions on it. Make it top 10 protected, like Carolina did. So you can protect yourself.
Speaker 2:But maybe the Rangers insisted on a 26th pick. So, unless a team has two of them, you had no choice. You had to deal with the teams that only had one. You know, two first-round picks in the 26th round. Listen, I don't mind trade.
Speaker 1:This is the other thing. Drury didn't want to trade Trouba to the East Coast why? Because he didn't want Trouba lighting up one of his players one day.
Speaker 2:He did anyone but the Blue Jackets. But he was ready to put Trouba on waiver so he didn't have to go to Columbus. He gave Trouba the option.
Speaker 1:Trouba picked. That's right. He did give him the option Right and he would have traded him to Detroit, which was also in the conference. That's true.
Speaker 2:I don't think anyone's scared of Keonji Miller.
Speaker 1:I don't think I don't think as a team we were scared of him.
Speaker 2:You know somebody said that on Johnny's trade recap show with the Daily Faceoff I think it was his that obviously if the Rangers are trading him at the conference they're not afraid of facing him.
Speaker 1:They're not afraid of him. He's going to stick check somebody.
Speaker 2:And listen. Miller might go on to have a great career. He just wasn't doing it here. He's regressed. And again, who are people blaming? Phil Housley Now Phil Housley's fault for Keandre Miller's regression. Why is it always the coach's fault when players regress?
Speaker 1:But then they get zero but.
Speaker 2:Sean, they get zero, not just talking about you. The coaches get zero, credit Zero when a player has a career season Zero. But when a player regresses, it's the coach's fault I don't understand an individual player's performance.
Speaker 1:I put 95 on the player, five percent on the coaching. A team's performance, I put a lot more stock in the coaching than I do not, not then the team. Obviously it's handed, but it's more hand in hand, right? I think listen, like capo caco not producing here was a lot had a lot to do with capo caco, not not the rangers. I don't agree with this whole. Uh, you know this team can't develop a prospect. What do you like? These guys all work out on their own. They're at practice, but the minute practice ends they go to their own. They go to Ben Prentice for their strength and conditioning in the offseason they go to this guy for skills?
Speaker 2:Why haven't the Rangers drafted a forward? They've drafted defensemen that have succeeded. They've drafted goaltenders that have succeeded, have succeeded. They drafted goaltenders that have succeeded. Why have they not been able to draft the forward that has gone on to be a Hall of Fame? They have never drafted a Hall of Fame forward. Never, never. Over 40 years they've never drafted a Hall of Fame forward. How is that possible? Not one guy. I mean you've got to say to yourself at some point, like is it just coincidence or is it a developmental issue? Is it? They're just not giving these guys? Kako should have been in the NHL, play it simple. He has no business playing in the NHL. That first year, I know the team was bad, but they brought in Panarin, they brought in Trouba, they brought in Fox, they brought in all these guys and it just pushed him down the lineup. Then you know what he wasn't playing. Well, he was what? A minus 20? What was he that?
Speaker 1:year.
Speaker 2:Why is he in the NHL? Why are you forcing this guy to play? Because he's the first? Are you afraid of embarrassing him Because he was the second overall pick? I just think they did the kid an injustice, yeah.
Speaker 1:But again, a lot of it's just how to do with him. How to do with him. I also just don't think he had the personality to work in new york. It's, it's a different animal seattle this year sean he'll put up. He'll put up points for a losing team any day of the week I. I don't doubt that. I don't doubt that he'll never be a, he'll never be a top player on a winning team no, but he might play third line and win a cup god bless he could have done that here and I, and and I would have been fine with that.
Speaker 2:I thought he played well for us the day before he would have never, ever let him here, never would have let him hurt. So he would have been. You know, and again here's my manny moholtra reference. You know, man Manny Malhotra winded up having a 15-year career but you know, first round pick was his. You know, high first round pick, eighth overall, I think I think it was eighth. Frustrating.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe, maybe Will Cooley will be the first first Hall of Famer. We try.
Speaker 2:And I'll tell you Lafreniere if he has another down season wow what he's not going anywhere.
Speaker 1:People are like, oh, it's a make or break year for him, make or break what he's already signed.
Speaker 2:Well, he's signed.
Speaker 1:What's making or breaking well, again now.
Speaker 2:Now the only the only benefit the rangers have right now is that, even if he stinks less next year, they don't need his cap space. They don't technically need it for the following season. Right to get better, to add, to bring in somebody else, unless the contract start getting out of hand, where we already saw Grand Link at $7 million, so you could start seeing that trend where mediocre players are getting a lot of money. But unless that starts happening, even if he has a down year next year, you might be able to ride this out for a couple of seasons.
Speaker 1:But that's the problem with the fact that there's no real free agency for the next two, three years. The people who make it to the pool are going to get so overpaid because you're going to have so many teams lining up to spend money. There's not enough talent because everyone's being retained by their own teams, and that's what we're going to continue to see until it balances itself out in a couple of years. Let's be honest Is the cap going to go up $10 million every year, or are they playing catch-up? Because it was a flat cap five years? I can't see the cap going up 10 million dollars. Everybody. We're gonna have a 200 million dollar cap in uh, in 15 years. I can't see that. I don't know. So I think it'll eventually level. How?
Speaker 2:long. How long is the cba for now? Four years and they've already projected out that it's going to be what it is. How could they do that without a CBA? How could they project?
Speaker 1:the cap? Is it just based off of revenues? It's based off of revenues. It's a 50-50 split Strictly out of all revenue 50-50 split based on revenues Okay, so they're projecting what the revenues are going out, right, and they're conservative projections Right, so they can always change.
Speaker 2:You know, based on conservative projections. They're not like the end of the rainbow projections.
Speaker 1:Right, well, the TV money is already guaranteed. Right, those are contracts, so they and that's a large part of the revenues is the TV money the four nations brings in money. Players get that the Olympics is now going to bring them in money. Players get that this is all factored into hockey revenue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess again, where they're going to stand going into next season is going to be all contingent on what free agents are signed, what they do with Panarin and what they do moving forward, and then maybe somebody shakes loose, maybe they're going to have to bite the bullet and make a fucking hockey trade for once in their fucking lives.
Speaker 1:On Twitter. There's a handle that goes by Hockey of Rumors or whatever. There's a ton of followers. Yeah, I saw that. He's hearing from GMs that they think a lot of, a lot of moves, a lot of trades are going to happen within the next week. I saw that. I heard that.
Speaker 2:So we'll see if he's full of shit or not. I've heard Brian Rust is still on the market. You know, the problem is the Rangers aren't a player for any of these guys unless they're prepared to move on from somebody that hurts, and I don't think they're just prepared for that.
Speaker 1:Or if Soucy's moved His $3 million is the only $3 million that really opens up.
Speaker 2:That is honestly the only player they can move. And then you've got to replace the defenseman. And then you're banking on Morrow, you're giving him a spot, you're essentially telling him all right, you're on the team.
Speaker 1:I don't think they'll do that.
Speaker 2:I don't think they'll do that either.
Speaker 1:I think that they would go out and find a veteran for a million and a half dollars in a trade trade, a draft pick or a prospect to get somebody. Who are they? Trading Again who are you?
Speaker 2:trading Susie for A draft pick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you would just be clearing salary.
Speaker 2:But there's no reason for them to do that right now, unless there's a player false to them that they need.
Speaker 1:If they're trying to make a hockey trade, they need the cap room to take somebody in.
Speaker 2:Oh, I get it. I get what you're saying, but again they would still have to reply yeah, what hockey trade or what player are you getting that? You need three and a half $3.25 million, because what do they have right now? 700,000? That's with a full 23-man roster.
Speaker 1:You want to know what trade I'd do in a heartbeat. What, nah, what I'd do? Yeah, I would do it. What? Yeah, I would do it. If Winnipeg starts to realize that they can't trade, that Kyle Conner's not going to resign, trade Lafreniere straight up for him. Winnipeg would get there, would get the certainty of a six-year term deal. He gets to go back to Canada.
Speaker 2:I don't know how far. Winnipeg is probably not close to that. Again, I'm not trying to.
Speaker 1:I'm not in the trying to trade Lafreniere camp.
Speaker 2:What's the age difference?
Speaker 1:Connor. So Lafreniere just played his age 23, and Connor, I think, just played his age 28. It's a five-year age difference.
Speaker 2:Well, I can just say this it would be a ballsy move, which I don't think he has the stomach, to trade Lafreniere.
Speaker 1:So he's Kyle Connors' December 96th birthday.
Speaker 2:I don't think Drury has the stomach to trade Lafreniere.
Speaker 1:Wasn't his draft pick.
Speaker 2:I don't care, I just think that that might be a Dolan thing.
Speaker 1:At some point it won't matter, like that 2021. Five-year difference.
Speaker 2:That's something to think about. What do you think about this Isaac Howard guy? What's?
Speaker 1:the deal. I thought that he was signed already.
Speaker 2:Would you trade Laffey for Brian Brian Trottier Boehm-Byram is that who you're talking about?
Speaker 1:It's got to be Byram. No, I would not traderam. No, I would not trade that they need forwards.
Speaker 2:They honestly need a top 6 forward and another defenseman. To me, to feel good about this team going into next season that I think they can win a championship, I think they need another defenseman and another top six forward. And then you slide someone else down. That's just me.
Speaker 1:Oh, the only move that they would do, if that were the case, would Sabanajad would have to go back to center and you're acquiring a wing, or unless you're acquiring another center, and then which?
Speaker 2:you're not. That's why they re-signed Parson. I'm almost convinced that's why he was re-signed, because I think he's gonna play wing well, no but that or that, and the fact that they just can't.
Speaker 1:There's no centers out there, right, that also never say never got seven million dollars for three years they have so much trade ammunition for this, so they had they jury played this the right way, because if they're good which they should be he's got all the trade ammo in the world to make all the moves he wants at the deadline, and if they're not good, he's got picks.
Speaker 2:They're in the picks and there's a possibility they're in the lottery. How crazy would that be? But you know what, though? They would fuck up this guy too, it wouldn't matter, god, he's going to go to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1:You've already seen it he's going to Pittsburgh. Sean, I'm off my words. He's going to Pittsburgh. He's going to live with Sidney Crosby for the first two years, just like Crosby lived with.
Speaker 2:Lemieux, because we haven't been haunted enough by C crosby for the last 15 years that this fucking kid is going to go to pittsburgh at least it wasn't our draft pick to pittsburgh. I just want him out. If he's this good, please go to the western conference. I don't care where you play in the west playing, play in Anaheim, play in Calgary, play in Edmonton, play with McDavid, play with McDavid and Dreisaitl. Just please do not come to the Eastern Conference.
Speaker 1:Before we wrap up the show, there's just one question I want to ask you on a serious note, and it's not nearly as far-fetched as I think people will think that it is would you want Crosby to be a ranger? Yes, what percentage do you think that it could happen? Zero, you think zero With Sullivan as our coach? Without Sullivan, I would agree zero.
Speaker 2:I think he would have the Rangers would have to be really good one. They would have to be a legitimate cup contender to say, okay, I want to go there. One, two. I just think that it would take a lot for him to come here. I just don't think they're good enough. I just don't think they're good enough to get him For him to want to come here. He's going to pick. If he leaves, he's going to get to pick where he wants to play. You don't think he wants to be the.
Speaker 1:He leaves, he's going to get to pick where he wants to play you don't think he wants to be the guy where he goes, though do you think he wants to take a back seat? So everyone's like, oh, he's going to go to colorado. That's nate mckinnon's team I don't know this stage in his career, I mean I see, I see he's great enough that I don't think he buys this stage in his career. He knows he's still a top two or three center in the league.
Speaker 2:I just don't think he thinks the Rangers are close enough. How many years does he have left in his deal?
Speaker 1:Two years Two, I think two 8.7 million for a guy.
Speaker 2:They'll figure it out.
Speaker 1:Listen, I guess You're trading both first-round picks this year and a second round next year to get him 50% retained. Obviously, take Susie back.
Speaker 2:Oh man, it's something to think about. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I mean honestly, I would move hell and high water to get him here I think you've got to make sure that you're at least making the playoffs. Oh, that goes without saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I wouldn't. I mean, you have to make sure that you're in a good place.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not saying that I would do this in the stage that they were in when they got Miller this year.
Speaker 2:I think the Rays are in a holding pattern. I think they don't know what to expect coming into the season. That's my opinion.
Speaker 1:I don't think so, because they went and got Gavrikov. I still don't think.
Speaker 2:He didn't cost them any assets.
Speaker 1:I don't think they're giving up any assets.
Speaker 2:I don't think they're giving up any assets, unless they think for sure that they could. I mean, listen if I'm Panarin. They just traded.
Speaker 1:Keonji Miller. They just traded a big asset of theirs. Well, if I've been ariana keonji miller, they just traded a big asset of theirs well, because they didn't think this guy was. They don't want to give a long-term contract?
Speaker 2:okay, but they could have done status quo for and then traded him at the deadline. Oh yeah, I guess they could have. But man, oh man, could you imagine that? Oh, but they made, they made.
Speaker 2:You know that that actually made him getting rid of him and I I don't know if we touched on this. Getting rid of him gave me a glimmer of hope because, honestly, when I kind of felt like they were going to, they're just kind of running it back again, I was like you gotta be kidding me that we're doing this again. How are we doing this again? And in some ways, we really are not really. Sean, the team that you saw that lost to Pittsburgh is the same team that's starting next season, because Kreider was not in that game now you're really going to go make me look at the he might have been in that game was the Four Nations.
Speaker 2:No, the trade deadline was after the Four Nations, right? Yes, so he might have been in that game when did he get hurt scheduling results? He played in the four nations prider. He played in the four nations, so he might have.
Speaker 1:The rangers lineup from that game was borgen, brudzinski, caracoli, fox, zach jones is gone. Prider's gone, uh-huh. Lafreniere lindgren's gone. Keonji Fryder's gone. Lafreniere Lindgren's gone. Keiondre Miller's gone. Riley Smith is gone. Jimmy Vesey's gone. It's almost A third of the roster's changed over from that game.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking that game is. You know what I was thinking? That game was later on in the season. I keep thinking that game was after the Four Nations. It was before. It doesn't matter, we'll see.
Speaker 1:We'll see what happens. 11 out of the 18 skaters will be back, so it's 7 out of 18 gone just from February. It's a lot of turnover. I'm not counting Bruddzinski because, yeah, I think Brodzinski might be part of the roster, but not as not a player.
Speaker 2:He might be the 13th forward.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying. He might be the 13th forward or he might be back in Hartford. Yeah, Listen again, I hope.
Speaker 2:I'm wrong, we'd love nothing more than to be proven wrong, and I want them to do well next year. I can't sit through another season, sean. I barely watched any games this year. I couldn't watch them. They were unwatchable, unwatchable, unwatchable, unwatchable. This year, no effort, no urgency, just you know, I don't want you to even call it.
Speaker 1:That was so bad, unwatchable sydney crosby had 91 points last year, god bless well, that's what gives you hope that maybe panarin can play better.
Speaker 2:It could play up to that level, going into his late 30s. You know he's going to be 34 this year. You figure he came into the league late. Crosby I mean Crosby also had breaks because of his concussion issues. Not really. He never really lost a lot of time Did he lose one full season to a?
Speaker 1:concussion no, really Played every year. I always thought the same thing, too. When I look back at it We've talked about this already no, when he was 24,. The 11-12 season, when he was 24, he only played 22 games.
Speaker 2:That was the season then.
Speaker 1:Right, and then he only played 36 games the next season.
Speaker 2:So maybe that's what it was. He didn't come back until maybe like the last 36 games of the following season, so he did really lose a full season, but just not Of games played. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so he had a stretch where it was 41, 22, and 36. So he had two big concussions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so he lost out on a season and a half.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he still managed to put up like 190 points in those games. That's insane, that was like Lindros.
Speaker 2:Lindros would score 100 points in 60 games.
Speaker 1:But then he's been as durable as can be ever since. Yeah, he has been, which is crazy.
Speaker 2:God bless him though.
Speaker 1:Because it's not like he changed his style, it's not like he stopped going to the net.
Speaker 2:Well, and then Trouba took him out of the playoffs. Yeah you know, like you said a lot of things need to break your way to win a championship, but that's everybody.
Speaker 1:No, I know that, I'm just saying that I'm just saying.
Speaker 2:I know that. I'm just saying. It just goes to show you our hardest, and you and I've watched every range of documentary about the 94 cup. If you think about one hit. One thing here, one thing there. We could be looking at a completely different thing nathan lafayette baby right, exactly, you know, nathan lafayette, I mean there. You know my toe and all the other things. You know what if my toe, instead of deciding to wrap around you, decided to come out from behind the net and try to feed somebody in the slot?
Speaker 1:You try and feed Buka boom for a long time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, god.
Speaker 1:It's, but that's it. There's a. You said it's a bounce one way or the other. That Florida again. I know you don't see it that way. I don't, because you could sit here and say it was the goaltenders, even though Bob was great. I mean Bob is a first ballot Hall of Famer. There's no questions about it. There's no question about it.
Speaker 2:Meanwhile he couldn't play for the Flyers man. Talk about not being able to develop anything, look at the Flyers and their goaltending Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:But the Rangers were a bounce here and a bounce there, away from beating Florida in that series. As much as you can sit there and say that they were outplayed or they were this or that, listen, they call Forsling for a fucking trip on Kako as regulation was about to end. What was that? Game 4? Yeah, could be a different outcome. My man, it's a call here, it's a bounce, it's this, it's that, and sometimes it's how lucky. Are you the luckier team? It's the way the bounce goes. I this, it's that, and sometimes it's how lucky, you know, are you the luckier team?
Speaker 2:It's the way the bounce goes. I guess Maybe we'll get lucky. But you know you're starting to get. Guys, sean, are starting to creep on the wrong side of 30. They're starting to creep towards that 35-year-old. I mean, you only got so much time left.
Speaker 1:And you just signed your goalie, who's going to be 30 to eight more years.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not saying you're not going to go for it. You have no choice now. Now you just got to keep doubling down and doubling down and doubling down. You have to, but that's why it's essential that some of these young players hit. You got to infuse something into this lineup. You can't just keep rolling out 30-something-year-old players. At some point the Millers and the Zbigniews they're going to have to maybe take less of a role.
Speaker 1:They got five more years. Man, I know, but those two guys are here for five more years.
Speaker 2:Maybe at some point, millers, maybe he's not on your top power play. You don't already know Trochek? They're dying to put Trochek on the third line. He's not a second line center. I mean me personally. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:It's a different coach, the last coach played him 22 minutes a night last year 100%, then make him a matchup guy, match him up against the other team's better players. The question is, rad radish can play. He's a solid defensive player who we have to see what the other third, who have the third wing, would be move. Make it back to center, move miller, move jt miller to center, put the three of them down the middle and go to war but then I think you need another top six player exactly you still needed another.
Speaker 2:no, if I'm saying, if you're going to do that, well, at least you have a deeper lineup then, oh, the lineup lengthens out big time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you send those three centers up against anyone in a seven-game series. Who's matching up against that? So?
Speaker 2:what's easier to get then a center or a winger, a winger? Well, there you go. I understand.
Speaker 1:I honestly think, I think it's a deadline move or a Perot forces his way into the lineup or it's a mid-season thing, kind of like what Hagelin did in 12. Perot's out there, a point-of-game player in Hartford, 30 games in. They may want to see that. But again, they have all the may want to see that. But, like, again, they have all the, all the draft capital to trade at the deadline. Right, and I'm sure that that's where they'll get their wing and we're in a good spot.
Speaker 2:Listen, they're in a good spot.
Speaker 1:I got to clip that. We are in a good spot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're in a good spot, moving forward because, you're right, they do have the draft capital and they also have cap space. They're going to finally show, they're going to finally have cap space next offseason. This here has been cap strapped for five years where they haven't been able to do shit Nothing. Why do they have to roll it back every goddamn year? So they're going to actually be able to do something.
Speaker 1:They'll have the money.
Speaker 2:But they'll also have some assets. They have assets and they got cap space.
Speaker 2:So if Jason Robertson doesn't resign and they can work out something, they have the cap space to play around with now and they have the assets. They have a Perot. They have the cap space to play around with now and they have the assets, they have a Perot. They have an EJ Emery, they have a, you know, an Offman or a Berard or someone like that. They have players that can move. So we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. Do you think we're going to do any more shows this summer, or you think this is it?
Speaker 1:I'll do a show. I also want to do a show with Stevenson.
Speaker 2:I want to talk to him about some of the drafted players, yeah.
Speaker 1:There's no point in touching on this.
Speaker 2:The kid Barnwell really intrigues me. Giant player, big shot from the point, very intrigued by him.
Speaker 1:We'll do two seconds on that and then we'll wrap up the show Spence. All right, so they don't have Malcolm Spence in here yet. Can I get to?
Speaker 2:I saw something where them get drafting Spence and adding Morrow moved them up eight slots in their prospect ranking.
Speaker 1:That's why I don't go by stuff like that. I think that's ridiculous. I mean they're both big ads. But put it this way If the Rangers had a first-round pick this year and not a second-round pick, and they took Malcolm Spence in the first round, it wouldn't have moved the needle. It's only getting attention because of where we got him. It's the value that we got. We got someone.
Speaker 1:So for anyone who hasn't paid attention to Steve Corneanos' stuff, if you don't subscribe to it, when Steve Corneanos put out his draft guide, he had Malcolm Spence 12th overall. It's not like he did a team-by-team draft and, hey, he's going to go the 12th pick. He ranked him as his 12th best player in the draft and we got him at 43. Sean Barnhill again someone that he had higher. Don Char he had higher. Michael Erickson our fourth round pick he had much higher. He had Erickson around 50. We got him at one, 11. Wow. So those first. You know those first five picks that we had this year he loved. So we'll see you know if they pan out. You don't know, but if we're looking at just juries drafts, it's done very well.
Speaker 2:Yeah from just a value standpoint, you and I, you and I talked about one of them. Um, which draft was it? The 20, the lafreniere?
Speaker 1:draft. Right well, that wasn't his draft. That was okay, still all right. What was the draft? That's a huge draft. That was the 20, the lafreniere draft right well, that wasn't his draft. That was okay, still all right. What was the?
Speaker 2:draft. That's a huge draft. That was the draft where they got it was lafreniere, schneider, cooley, rempe, barard, barard and garand and garand all could, all should be in a long time either. Those guys were in lineup and that was out of seven draft picks. They hit on five guys.
Speaker 1:Eight draft picks. Eight draft picks I'm sorry, two ones.
Speaker 2:Who didn't?
Speaker 1:make it.
Speaker 2:Who didn't hit?
Speaker 1:Oliver Tornstrom and Evan Verling.
Speaker 2:And Oliver Tornstrom was a third-round pick, if I'm correct, right, yes, 92. And Verling was a third-round pick, if I'm correct right, yes, 92. And Vierling was a fourth-round pick, fifth Fifth-round pick. So I mean that's, I mean you, and I sent you that and I said what was the last draft? And I didn't get to go through it and I will. What was the last time the Rangers had a draft with five players from the same draft with the lineup? And I think, if you look at the draft before, I think edson was in that draft and someone else that played for them, and I can't I'm blanking on who the taco robertson robertson, I said you had the, so there is a distinct possibility that next season you could have seven guys that were from two separate drafts playing in your lineup.
Speaker 2:Seven guys.
Speaker 1:Now the two drafts that I look at with Drury real quick. The 22 draft I think Sikora plays in the league, right, I think McConnell Barker plays in the league, never a star, but as like a third fourth-wing guy.
Speaker 2:I haven't heard much out of him recently. I hope so.
Speaker 1:Noah Laba is extremely intriguing to me.
Speaker 2:Correct. I think he's high on a lot of people's lists, right now Mancini's already in the league.
Speaker 1:Great Barbashev, we liked what he profiled, as We'll see if he ever makes it. I don't know what his deal is right now. I don't know if he's even selling Islander's. Got him Islander's on him. Oh, that's right. Yeah, and Zach Karp is a big center, you know maybe he takes some time.
Speaker 2:He's another one, that's still.
Speaker 1:So he might make it Mancini's playing 15 years in the league.
Speaker 2:You can write that one down, or maybe not 15, because he came up a little older At least 10 years in the league, but Sikora, Lava and Mancini are three really good prospects that they drafted and they had no first-round pick that year either, and I mean look what they were able to turn into.
Speaker 2:So maybe the development part, maybe the drafting and development part's a little bit overblown because they've missed on their top, top players. They've missed on their top, top players, their top, I mean Kratsov bust, anderson bust, you know Kako, which again relative bust Bust, but not I mean Kako. You can't get mad at them, for because he was the, everybody was going to take him at that point, every single, every team in the league would have taken him.
Speaker 1:you can't get mad at them, for because he was the, everybody was going to take him at that point. So every single, every team in the league would have taken him.
Speaker 2:So when I will not like any and it's again.
Speaker 1:This was the loaded draft and I'm sorry this is a two player draft and we took the second player because if the Rangers wound up with Kirby, doc or Bowen, byram or Turcotte, yeah, you know, dylan Cousins, we we have a nice secret at this point is his.
Speaker 2:His stock is dropped A lot. It was a few years ago A lot when they get a second and a third for him.
Speaker 1:Something like that, but it's dropped a lot. Yeah, the other draft is the Perot draft which we're going to start to see over the next year. You know draft is the perot draft which we're going to start to see over the next year. You know what type of jump does this draft take? Right, because right off the top, perot and fortescue I think is it fortescue or fortescue, fortescue. He seems like just a guy. He guy's gonna play 10 years in the league defensive defenseman. That and and rubric led hartford in scoring in goals last year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a six-round pick in that draft.
Speaker 1:Someone had one of the rankings, had Rubrik as the I saw that that boy, steven, had him at seven or six or seven.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, he had him higher. Someone had him higher, so don't have him in the top five.
Speaker 1:Wow, I mean, he might very well be that he's a center, he's a center.
Speaker 2:He's a center. At some point you've got to draft the fucking center of the place. I mean, we thought Jay Groob and Korsak were going to be the guy. They're gone. We thought Donald Barker, we thought Hedl was going to be the guy, and Anderson for that matter.
Speaker 1:Listen, we drafted JT Miller, and when he wins two cups as a Ranger and goes to the Hall of Fame, the argument will be over. Yeah, we'll see what happens. They drafted a Hall of Famer, yep, all right. Anything else you want to do before we wrap up.
Speaker 2:No, no, let's reconvene, let's try to get Steve on and we'll talk more about the draft and we'll get his opinion on the team and the state of the roster and whatnot, and it'll be fun.
Speaker 1:Sounds good, all right. Talk to you guys soon Later.