Labor Day is a week away. Summer is unfortunately fading fast. Some places already have a smidge of chill in the air. This means hockey is around the corner or at least, just a few weeks away. Training camps should open in slightly more than three weeks and players are already gathering informally or will be soon.
To help pass the time, I posted my off-season questions, a list supplemented by a few readers. Below, I have added in the links to the questions I believe we have covered already. The list of 19 questions has been almost whittled down to nothing. The remaining unanswered ones should hopefully be tackled before camps open to give us a clean slate of ice, pun intended.
In this blog I cover question:
15) What's the biggest gap/issue with the team that needs to be fixed for them to be a true Cup contender?
We could go in multiple different directions here. The lack of a viable system, at least one that was tangible, and an inability to adapt clearly stood out in last year's playoffs. This weakness hopefully has been remediated with the hiring of Peter Laviolette as coach, as the expectation / hope / belief is that he will put in a system that bears fruit, hold players accountable and be able to adjust to counter what opponents do. Add in what looks like three solid assistant coaches and this area has been upgraded.
If you want to add in concern over back up goalie and/or who will be the top-nine right wihs, hard for me to argue. The former is an area that to me is not getting enough play. Goaltending coach and whisperer Benoit Allaire has his work cut out for him seeing the decline in Jonathan Quick last season. Blake Wheeler should fill one RW spot, where remains to be seen. Kappo Kakko will receive every chance to open the year as the first line RW. Beyond those two is unclear and if Kakko proves not ready, all bets are off.
The two biggest weaknesses to me are the poor defensive and neutral zone coverage along with the lack of team speed. Phil Housleys's hiring along with the system implemented by Laviolette should aid the first weakness. I am not saying it will eradicate it, but if we see two d-men go behind the net and leave the slot open, look for Laviolette to throw a conniption and bench the offending player (s). This is all about communication and reading situations. Laviolette and Housley should be drilling this into their skulls as soon as camp opens. But it's not the defensemen, it's the forwards as well.
Speed or the lack thereof is the second. New Jersey skated circles around New York after Game 2 of their playoff series. The Rangers' off-season moves really didn't remediate this weakness, though the addition of Tyler Pitlick should help slightly. Wheeler lacks the foot speed he once had, so while he isn't slow, he most certainly isn't a speed demon at his age. Druty and Laviolette spoke about the system and positioning aiding here. Color me skeptical and consider me Missouri, the Show Me State. Show me that the system and positioning can cover up a lack of speed and I will believe. In addition, the hiring of Christian Hmura as Skills and Performance Development Coach should eventually pay dividends in this area, just not sure we see any gains for this season.
What say you? What do you think is the Rangers biggest gap that needs to be close for them to contend for a Cup?
Top Offseason Questions:
1) Will and should Gerard Gallant be fired? Gallant fired
2) If Gallant is let go, should the Rangers target a young coach or retread? Covered here, here, here, here, here
3) Which of the team's free agents - if any - would you bring back? Free agency covered here
4) Is Jaroslav Halak the best option as the back up goalie? Covered as Jonathan Quick signed with the team he rooted for as a kid
5) Is Filip Chytil a center or a winger? if a center, should he center the second line? (Chytil at C or W)
6) Has Artemi Panarin's playoff struggles soured you on him enough that he should be dealt? (Shoudl Panarin be dealt)
7) Any concerns that Mika Zibanajed is not a playoff performer and puts up his numbers mainly on the PP and against weaker opponents?
8) Did Alexis Lafreniere show enough 5x5 to be moved to the top-six and do you view him as a first line right winger? How many years and how much salary would you sign him to in his next contract? (Laf contract close)
9) Should New York add a veteran blueliner or try Zac Jones or Matthew Robertson as the sixth d-man? Covered as Erik Gustafsson signed with the Rangers
10) Will Brennan Othmann and/or Will Cuylle be given a REAL chance to make the squad this summer or will the Rangers opt to not rush the youngsters? Both are on their ELCs and are listed as LW. If they do make the roster, then who gets moved out? Pretty much covered in free agent signing blog. But happy to discuss it further in another blog.
11) Are the Rangers built to compete for the Stanley Cup? What about compared to Carolina or New Jersey for the division?
12) How do you want the third and/ fourth lines to look? Do they need to be a traditional bottom-six or should the third line be more of a scoring line?
13) Who would you have targeted in free agency given the minimal cap space available? (Kind of answered in the various blogs leading into and during free agency)
14) Is K'Andre Miller worth a long-term deal? Would you go one year and then sign him to an extension in January with the cap rising? How about a two-year deal with a $4 mil cap hit? Covered in K'Andre Miller signs two-year deal.
15) What's the biggest gap/issue with the team that needs to be fixed for them to be a true Cup contender?
16) To what extent do you think analytics should be used in roster/line/pair decisions? (Mark Weissman) Covered in Analytics vs. eye test
17) Do you think too much emphasis is put on what other orgs are doing? (by mgmt? coaches? players? fans?) (Mark Weissman) Covered here
18) What will be/should be the power play deployment based on the current roster (TJ)More to come. Covered in Who should man the PP
19) How do you want the makeup of the assistant coaches to look? Veterans? New faces? Mixture of both? (This has also already been answered with the hiring of Phil Housley, Don Mase and Michael Peca. A nice mixture of a coach that has been around a while in the NHL, one who has some but not a ton of experience and a new coach, but one who was a captain and brings recent experience to the table)
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