More Ranger Thoughts

Alright, we've had a little time to breath and reflect.  Hockey's a pretty forgiving game, and if injuries don't get you, the salary cap will.  Over the past few years, the Rangers had to break up a perennial cup contender, over the early decline of Ryan McDonagh, the salary excpectations of RFA's like JT Miller and Carl Hagelin, poor pick management, and NMC they gave to Henrik Lundqvist, that prevented them from moving him when he could have commanded a rolling reload with his pick and prospect price. They started the most painful part of their peel down the day before last year's draft when they traded Derel Stepan, and continued through yesterday, when the traded Ryan McDonagh.  When this latest era was really running those two use to make funny-ish videos for MSG. Alas, we can only hope this next group is as good and as likable, and hopefully a litle lucklier.

So what is next?  Not sure, but it would perhaps be coming sooner had they not spent 4 straight first round picks and trades and failed to recoup #1's in the Gaborik, Hagelin, and Cam trades.  But this year they finally have a plethora of picks coming in this Junes NHL Draft, what's more they still have more moves they can make leading up to the draft, like they did last year with Stepan, and the way they've moved around in many drafts during the Sather/Gorton/Clark drafting era.

They are calling this one the "Rasmus Dahlin Draft" for the sweet skating Swedish D who everyone believes will be the #1 pick.  Barring, long overdue lottery luck, the Rangers probably aren't going to be able to lose enough games to vastly increase their odds.  Of course, during the Sidney Crosby Draft, the Rangers had the by far the best odds, but somehow, the Pens, who were once again on the precipice of extinction won it and have won too often since.  Also, not's go insane and trade up from our highet spot in the first round.  Unless this guy is Bobby Orr, we need more players in the system, not fewer, if we can pair picks around for other target's that's another matter, but no 3 for ones unless we add more picks by draft day -- and that remains a distinct possibility.

So what will they do?  I think they are back on the speed and skating train big time.  You might remember, and few years ago when they were routinely eliminating very good teams, it was because they could outskate them.  People immediately copied them, and now it's their turn to re-set the model.  The Rangers are organizationally trong in goal going forward, as well as D after the the recent trades, and C, though they may not have a Superstar in any of those position groups. They could use power wingers and snipers, and hopefully, barring the positional superstar, they will load up on those guys with the 10 picks..

Okay, took about an hour to look at film of Rasmus Dahlin -- it would be really good to get him.  Though this whole draft looks like a good one, so the 10 or more picks should come in handy.