Santa’s Sleigh
Merry Christmas, y’all! It’s a lovely day, whether you celebrate or not, because chances are, you’re not at work! If you do celebrate, you’re also feverishly unwrapping gifts and relieved that shopping madness is over. Bonus: it’s super warm in the Northeast, so if you’re not quite in the mood to watch Hour 14 of the Yule Log, you can go play outside and burn off some of that ham.
Tomorrow starts 10 day haul that is the IIHF World Junior Championships over in Finland, so our hockey withdrawal will slowly subside. Prelims on Saturday include Canada-USA at 1pm. We also get the return of NHL hockey tomorrow, so before then, let’s take a look at what the BSB crew is low-key hoping to get this morning from Santa.
Realistic Wishes* from the crew:
*Realistic: where applicable, stays within the cap hit, can be done tomorrow, etc..
Chris: I’d like to see Alain Vigneault ride his horses more. Give his top line 20-22 minutes a game. You have an elite winger in Rick Nash but he’s not used like other elite wingers. Shield the bottom six a bit more. Does Dom Moore’s line need 12+ minutes per game? (They don’t.)
Becky: Put Keith Yandle on the first power play unit. Also — never have Jesper Fast or Tanner Glass on the power play ever again.
Justin: I would like to see AV be a little more self-aware with his personnel. I know he likes his overload and hybrid defensive structures, but the declining foot speed and positional issues of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have turned the d-zone into a complete mess. AV needs to adjust the defensive system to try and mask some of these issues and allow for a more predictable defensive structure in front of Hank.
Dave: All I want for Christmas is adjusted ice time for players that can’t do [expletive] anymore.
Kevin: Continue to redistribute ice time with McDonagh, Yandle, Klein and McIlrath as the four top minute munchers the rest of the way.
Pat: Less dump and chase hockey, more clean carry ins and passing plays at the blue line to enter the offensive zone. The Rangers definitely have enough skill on the roster where Mats Zuccarello isn’t the only one capable of carrying the puck across the blue line into the other team’s end. In general clean zone entries would help them set up the play better I think, and it seems to be a relatively small adjustment that they have the personnel to carry out.
Crazy Dream Moves* from the crew:
*Think fantasy hockey, except you own all the teams and can do whatever the heck you want. It is Christmas, after all..
Chris: I would love to see Jeff Gorton take a page out of Glen Sather’s book and go shopping in Columbus. Go steal Ryan Johansen and revitalize him in New York. While he’s there, dump off Dan Girardi and somehow get Ryan Murray for the D.
Becky: Trade Dan Girardi to be with his soulmate in John Tortorella for Brandon Saad. PLEASE.
Justin: I would like to see a complete overhaul of the blue line. Find a taker for Girardi and Staal, try to clear some additional cap space for RFA raises and potentially a UFA run at Stamkos. Take a run at Mike Hoffman in Ottawa.
Dave: Create that TV-in-brain beaming technology that The Riddler had in Batman Forever, and beam the right process into the players’ brains.
Kevin: Dump Girardi or Staal to help the realistic process and clear some dough from the cap so the Blueshirts can assure Yandle’s re-signing. In the process, obtain some more speed up front to help return to the team’s core identity.
Pat: Move both Girardi and Staal and potentially someone else for either a pick or an NHL ready prospect (preferably a d-man) in order to clear enough cap room to re-sign Yandle and/or drop the money bomb on Stamkos this offseason.
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