Series Thread: Eastern Conference Final - New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

[Cyder]

The time off was definitely a factor tonight.

Sure seems so. That's a long time to be off for a Hockey team. Offensively the Bolts had 39 shots but they didn't seem to have an idea of what to do on D

 

[forty_three]

Sure seems so. That's a long time to be off for a Hockey team. Offensively the Bolts had 39 shots but they didn't seem to have an idea of what to do on D

Their structure was good, but their timing was way off. Passes they were able to make with their eyes closed before just weren't connecting. And Vasy was a hundredth of a second behind the whole game.

 

[nynasty]

Lafreniere and the whole "kid line" have been fantastic.

Exciting that he's only 20 years old.

 

[sbb122]

According to rangers twitter there isn’t any need to play any more games. The series is already over lol

 

[Cyder]

According to rangers twitter there isn’t any need to play any more games. The series is already over lol

I'm glad I'm not on twitter, it would drive me nuts. All they did was win game one at home. If they lose tomorrow the same people will say the same thing except that the Bolts will win

 

[Cyder]

Lafreniere and the whole "kid line" have been fantastic.

Exciting that he's only 20 years old.

He's 20, Schneider is 20, Kakko is 21, K'Andre is 22 and Chytil is 22. Unless they screw it up this should be a solid team for years. They also have Igor under contract for the next 3 seasons at 5.5 mil a year.

 

[dash]

He's 20, Schneider is 20, Kakko is 21, K'Andre is 22 and Chytil is 22. Unless they screw it up this should be a solid team for years. They also have Igor under contract for the next 3 seasons at 5.5 mil a year.

It also certainly didn't hurt when the Rangers acquired Adam Fox from Carolina for a 2nd and 3rd round pick.

 

[Cyder]

It also certainly didn't hurt when the Rangers acquired Adam Fox from Carolina for a 2nd and 3rd round pick.

At 24 he's one of the "older" guys. That was an amazing pick up. Carolina rebounded getting DeAngelo and Skjei but Fox is easily the best of the 3.

 

[dash]

At 24 he's one of the "older" guys. That was an amazing pick up. Carolina rebounded getting DeAngelo and Skjei but Fox is easily the best of the 3.

It certainly made it easy when the Rangers were the only team that Fox wanted to play for. He's an amazing offensive defenseman.

 

[nynasty]

He's 20, Schneider is 20, Kakko is 21, K'Andre is 22 and Chytil is 22. Unless they screw it up this should be a solid team for years. They also have Igor under contract for the next 3 seasons at 5.5 mil a year.

You could see they were on their way to building something really good, but I think everyone's a little surprised how ahead of schedule they are.

Not going to get too excited yet though, Tampa will make their presence known this series. I still think it's going 7 one way or another.

 

[Cyder]

You could see they were on their way to building something really good, but I think everyone's a little surprised how ahead of schedule they are.

Not going to get too excited yet though, Tampa will make their presence known this series. I still think it's going 7 one way or another.

We all thought the Yanks were way ahead of schedule in 2017 so I'm temper my expectations.

 

[forty_three]

He's 20, Schneider is 20, Kakko is 21, K'Andre is 22 and Chytil is 22. Unless they screw it up this should be a solid team for years. They also have Igor under contract for the next 3 seasons at 5.5 mil a year.

It was kind of annoying to see everyone shitting on Laf and Kakko, but all it took was some patience. Neither one is a franchise player, but man they are both soo good at the little things. Ke'Andre is right on where he is expected to be. Keeps developing his hockey sense and looking ahead of the play and he's gonna be a monster.

 

[Cyder]

It was kind of annoying to see everyone shitting on Laf and Kakko, but all it took was some patience. Neither one is a franchise player, but man they are both soo good at the little things. Ke'Andre is right on where he is expected to be. Keeps developing his hockey sense and looking ahead of the play and he's gonna be a monster.

Kakko was hurt a lot this year which slowed him down. I thought Laf was just fine for a 20 year old, you see the talent so it can be a bit frustrating. Ke''Andre literally gets better every shift. I remember watching his first couple of games and saying "Wow, maybe the brought him up too soon" but by game 3 or 4 you could already see progress. I agree, I think he's going to be a beast. Bunch of people already wearing his jersey

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Kakko was hurt a lot this year which slowed him down. I thought Laf was just fine for a 20 year old, you see the talent so it can be a bit frustrating. Ke''Andre literally gets better every shift. I remember watching his first couple of games and saying "Wow, maybe the brought him up too soon" but by game 3 or 4 you could already see progress. I agree, I think he's going to be a beast. Bunch of people already wearing his jersey

Laf maybe should've stuck in junior for another year. There's this stigma about first overall picks not immediately making the jump, it was nice to see Power go back to Uni instead of playing outside his capabilities.

But he'll be fine.

 

[forty_three]

Laf maybe should've stuck in junior for another year. There's this stigma about first overall picks not immediately making the jump, it was nice to see Power go back to Uni instead of playing outside his capabilities.

But he'll be fine.

I think Cole Sillinger could have benefited from going back to Medicine Hat for a year, He really started to come into his own by the end, but was a tad over his head. He was one of few brights spots though. Really looking forward to next year. Kent Johnson too.




Plus @dash wouldn't have annoyed me so much this season with his whining about the Tigers

 

[dash]

Plus @dash wouldn't have annoyed me so much this season with his whining about the Tigers

It's all good, there's no way the Tigers get the first overall pick in the bantam draft if Cole is back playing this past season.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I think Cole Sillinger could have benefited from going back to Medicine Hat for a year, He really started to come into his own by the end, but was a tad over his head. He was one of few brights spots though. Really looking forward to next year. Kent Johnson too.




Plus @dash wouldn't have annoyed me so much this season with his whining about the Tigers

He had a good start, that can kinda force management's hand when it comes to making the decision on whether to keep them up or not.

Of course, the real solution is to let them play in the A but something something slavery.

 

[forty_three]

He had a good start, that can kinda force management's hand when it comes to making the decision on whether to keep them up or not.

Of course, the real solution is to let them play in the A but something something slavery.

Long term, Cole, China and Johnson tearing up the A together for a season would have more impact than those three trying to figure out where the next elbow is coming from playing 3rd line minutes in the show.

But we realistically didn't have a lot of other options.

 

[dash]

It was February 8, 2018 when the Rangers sent out the following:

As a member of the Blueshirt Faithful, we consider you a part of the New York Rangers family, and always want to ensure we share important news about the organization directly with you. Today, we want to talk to you about the future.

As you know, since the 2005-06 season, we have been a highly competitive team. We have played 129 playoff games, won the Presidents' Trophy, reached the Conference Finals three times, as well as the Stanley Cup Final. While we're proud of all those accomplishments - we didn't reach our ultimate goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New York.

So as we do every season, we have been continuously evaluating our team, looking for areas that can be improved to enhance our chances of winning. We began the process of reshaping our team this past summer, when we traded for assets that we believe will help us in the years to come. As we approach the trade deadline later this month and into the summer, we will be focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill and character. This may mean we lose some familiar faces, guys we all care about and respect. While this is part of the game, it's never easy. Our promise to you is that our plans will be guided by our singular commitment: ensuring we are building the foundation for our next Stanley Cup contender.

There are no fans like Rangers fans. You are passionate, loyal and true. You fill The Garden every night, and we always know there will be a strong showing from RangersTown in every building across the League. We do not take your support for granted. We appreciate that you have always stood by us, and we ask you to remain by our side as we undertake this exciting new chapter filled with promise and change.

We will keep you informed as this process takes shape. Thank you for the incredible loyalty, pride and respect you show to the New York Rangers, each and every day.

 

[forty_three]

I am sure the Rangers are giving credit to John Davidson and Jeff Gorton for the team being ahead of schedule, right?