Team: 2020-21 New York Rangers

Initial Creation Date: Aug. 10, 2020

Published: Aug. 10, 2020

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I don't watch this team enough to know the ins and outs of each player, but from what I've seen and collected from stats from hockey db and the nhl site, this is the best I can do.

For starters, la di da, NY got the first overall pick in this draft. Drafting Laf. would be a mistake for this team. NY has plenty of scoring wingers, not enough shut down guys(who are important-look at what CBJ did to Toronto and what the 4th line on the Hawks did to Edmonton) or Centers who are consistent and solid. We can address the latter of the 2 issues with the pick getting Byfield. He's a big body center yada yada, hope he plays 200ft hockey and makes the team out of training camp, NY needs it.

If NY lets Lundqvist walk I will go out of my way to cheer against this team even though I a big fan of Panarin and Zab........d. Trade Gorgiev for a first, you don't need him as much as Ottawa does, and he simply wont get the minutes he deserves in NY because Shesterkin is flat out better than him. Yes, Gorgiev is worth a first, he's a solid goalie with a reasonable ceiling and those are rare.

The second trade, I admit, is questionable. Why did I make it? NY will never win without a guy like Pavelski, he's a leader, he wants a cup, when he's played in the right system he scores 40 goals, yes, he can still score 40, Dallas was the issue for him and even though his points droped this season, it's because he was to busy covering for his teammate's mistakes and playing a more defensive heavy style that was the Dallas system. Did you see his goal in the seeding tournament against St. Lewie? He still has it. Lastly, he wins faceoffs, NY doesn't do that, every center listed on their roster that is in the lineup had a below 50% faceoff percentage, and we all know you can't run a fancy powerplay without starting with the puck. Trading Buch clears up space for the Future guys, and there are more Buches coming in Kakko and Gauthier. He's 24 and Dallas needs scoring at a good rate, I threw in Smith to reach 7000000 going both directions and you can never have to many defensman, good news for NY, they can replace smith, they have good talent that needs room to grow on the blueline, dealing smith clears this up.

Thats all I really have to say about this team, I think if they can get focused they will have a much deeper run with Panarin leading the way on the score sheet.

Dont read to much into the lines, though, Strome isn't a 2 line center, though he can step up when called upon without question.

Lemme know what ya think.

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