Deadline Rentals

There is a lot of debate going on about whether or not we should acquire a power play quarter back, left wing scorer, or both at the deadline. It seems as though when people finally wake up & realize how slim our chances are of acquiring a Shea Weber or a Bobby Ryan, their next play is to find a cheaper alternative. But there is a flaw in the “deadline rental” logic as well.

Rentals are not going to solve our problems, especially in the long-term. Acquiring one may make sense for depth, but to think getting another erratic 40 point winger or a defensemen with a “cannon from the point” is going to put us over the edge is a bit of a stretch.

What we really need is for some combo of Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, or Christian Thomas living up to their potential. There may be a time down the road when trading one of these assets for an elite player is the right move, but I don’t think that time has arrived yet given where our prospects are, who is available, and the looming CBA talks.

Those of you who wish to see Dubi get moved, I politely ask who has more value at the deadline? A forward on pace for 25 goals or a forward on pace for 9 goals? I’m not against trading Dubinsky one day, but this is not the deadline to do so.

Stick to the Blueprint

My other issue with all of the names being thrown around is that few if any actually fit within our team concept. I’m tired of acquiring guys like Frolov, Wolski, EC, etc, who have no desire to forecheck or backcheck, and then we wonder why they don’t fit.

The national media doesn’t see the ingredients which makes our team successful on a game to game basis. If we are able to make a move at the deadline, they better be for players who can skate, have succeeded in deep forechecking systems and are defensively responsible. Souray, Hemsky, & Whitney need not apply.

Regression to the mean?

It’s entertaining how certain writers have to dump on the Rangers just for the sake of cheap hits & pageviews. Their new methodology for stirring up s*** is trying to convince us our team is not for real because of “regression to the mean” theories.

Who on this team is really over extending themselves this season? Gaborik? No. Richards? Obviously not. Dubinsky? We all know the answer to that one. But seriously who is over achieving? Don’t say Lundqvist because his stats are finally more reflective of his greatness.

If you want to debate some of our flaws, I won’t argue, but I’m beginning to think some of these analytic-types either aren’t watching our games closely or just don’t even believe their own scribble.

The new guy

I’m sure some of you may have noticed we have quietly added a member to our team. Justin was someone we pulled out of the comments section and is now contributing on a regular basis. He’s played the game, he is a part-owner of a goalie school up in Albany, and most importantly he can articulate his points. If you’ve missed any of his work, please be sure to check it out here.

Share: 

More About: