Try to be as black and white as possible

Are we talking Stanley Cup?

Yeah, and not this season or the next, answer assuming this core is a lot more grown up and is in their prime contention window

I mean on a championship team Mika is probably a high end 2C. It would be better if they had a bonafide 1C. But typically with championship winning teams they have good C depth, so in that case probably not Mika at 1C if they win.

Well asuming chytil becomes a solid 2C I think their wing depth can make it work

I like this assessment. If NYR can find a way to get a 1C without losing Zibanejad, suddenly we're looking at a serious contender IMO.

You really need 3 good C’s. Chytil and Mika won’t be enough. I mean look at what St. Louis had, ROR, Schenn, Bozak, Barbashev, Sundqvist as well as others I’m probably missing.

In all honesty, I don’t think rangers win with Mika as 1C. Would be better off as like a 1B.

Yeah but that would require tons of ELC talent AND cap space and assuming mika gets PAID it'll take tons of cap maneuvering

Yeah that was my point, just didn’t make it as clear. Like yeah Mika is great. But if they can get a bonafide 1C, while having Mika as a 2C they’d be dangerous.

Thats fair but with us projecting to have 6 wings with top 6 talent I don't think it would be as much of a problem with us

Mika has had 1 good year. 1. He’d need this year and next above a PPG to get PAID. If he gets paid off of 1 year, 3 years before his next deal, you guys need a GM. A fair deal for Mika is like 6 or 7 years at 9.25 million. That’s honestly a bit generous IMO.

I'm sure it would. If NYR can maybe sell high on one of Kaako/Laf and get that 1C, Rangers would be scary good.

How is the Rangers shutdown pair?

Mika has looked amazing (not quite last season but still great) after recovering from covid after-effects, it caused him to start the season on a huge cold streak, but since then he looks like mika of last season

Or, hear me out, you use 2 of those pieces, to get a bonafide 1C. Imagine a top 6 of like:

Laff-1C-Kakko
Chytil/Kreider-Mika-Kravtsov

That’s better than having a weaker C group and better wingers.

I get this, but he’d need to be over a PPG by a solid amount next year to get over 9.5 million IMO.

Well all of fox lindgren miller and trouba are reliable enough defensively, I can think it can be a much more cohesive unit if we really pay attention to our 3rd pair (heres to hoping nils isn't a mess in his own end to start)

Yeah see I was thinking that exact same thing. I'm just not updated on NYR's d-core. Can they play solid defense.

Forgot panarin

Whoops, slide laff down and panarin in at 1LW.

Yeah they can, with Lundqvist and Schneider coming they’re set.

And then chytil at 3C

Exactly, thats the type of C depth the rangers need to ally become successful.