Losses to Pens and Isles put nail in coffin Rangers can't consider themselves contenders, let alone playoff hopefuls. Unfortunately, I think it's time to start over. Here is what they need to do:
1) Fire AV. That's a given at this point. A coach who does not give young players their deserved ice time and has a horrible defensive system needs to go.
2) There are 5 guys on the team they keep. Zibanejad, Buch, Skjei, Hayes, and Kreider. The first 3 are self explanatory, Hayes won't get his deserved value in a trade and is versatile in the sense he can play both wings. Kreider is also on a team friendly contracts and how much he does is evident ever since their current slide following their SO win over the Caps.
3) Listen to trades for everyone else. As good as players could be, they already have a good forward group, and 2 highly rated prospects in Chytil and Andersson who will be NHL ready next year, if not there then the AHL. If I'm the Rangers, fixing a depleted farm system is a priority, so trading some guys for picks and prospects is a start. Guys in the juniors who have been pretty good such as Day and Ronning will be AHL ready next year, adding some high potential players who could eventually make jump to NHL.
4) Let the kids play. Guys like Buch, Vesey, Skjei, Hayes, Miller, Zibanejad need to see the most ice time. They need to develop as much as possible, and it's only going to happen with minutes. Defensive prospects such as Pionk, Deangelo and Graves need to see NHL ice time this year, as does Chytil. Minutes at the highest level are the only way they get better.
5) Don't worry about contending for next year. Sure it could happen, but more likely than not a team like this cannot be retooled on the fly. Trading for future matters most. That's the only way a team can rebuild.
I did not put roster together for remainder of season. Doesn't really matter how it looks if this season is a throwaway.
Good deals for blues who have no cap space. Grabner's speed and goalscoring ability should help a contender. And while some of his goals are empty netters, he gets them from his speed. If someone wants to question why he is worth a late first rounder, go watch his goal against the penguins last night and the play he made to get it.
Desharnais adds center depth to a team that needs it. While he is not great, it is still an upgrade over oskar sundqvist.
No explanation needed for picks. Instead of prospect, I'll take Hutchinson. He has been unreal in AHL this year and would be their backup next year without question. I think rangers could probably get more but could be wrong. Winnipeg gets defender who pairs well with Byfuglien or Trouba and arguably now has one of the best defenses in the league.
I like the Blues trade but we do not need Deshardins. Take him and the pick out and take two of Schmaltz Barbashev Walman Blais or Kostin for Grabner 1 for 1.
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