Stepan out 4-6 weeks

[pilldoc]

Derek Stepan C | NYR

Rangers' Officially Rule Out Stepan 4-6 Weeks

News: (3 hrs ago) Rangers GM Glen Sather announced Wednesday that Derek Stepan suffered a non-displaced fractured fibula and will be out for four-to-six weeks.

 

FYI for those Fantasy Leagues

 

[Irishjim]

6 weeks sounds to soon

[pilldoc]

@Irishjim

 

4 weeks sounded to soon.  If I had to make an educated guess 6-8 weeks and then add on another week or tow for contioning purposes

[hf101]

@pilldoc

 

The Rangers might be in trouble here, they are down 2 of their top 3 centers from last season after buying out B. Richards and now Stepan out.  Stepan's injury is to same leg as where he was hit on September 9., One has to wonder if there was a stress or hairline fracture that was not diagnosed?

 

So maybe Kevin Hayes or JT Miller, or Dominic Moore move up to the top line?    Some rumors also buzzing around include looking into acquiring  Joe Thornton, but there isn't much cap space available.  It will be interesting to see what they do in the next two weeks.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Jonathan Drouin, Jordan Staal, Pavel Datsyuk, and now Derek Stepan.....things aren't starting out very well for many team's prime talent is it?? Yikes...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

As for who can take Stepan's spot as a top six center...wow...that is going to be tough for this team.

I would try JT Miller before putting Dominic Moore in the #2 hole.

 

Derek Brassard can take the #1 Center position, with Miller before Moore on the 2-spot.

Moore really is an overall defensive forward best served by playing on a 3rd line...though he COULD work at C as the "digger" if his wingers are aggressive with good hands.

 

Rangers may think about going outside the organization and try to make a trade.

Perhaps give up some a young talent or two and try to make a deal with the Avalanche and acquire someone like Ryan O'Reilly.

 

The Rangers are up against the cap, and O'Reilly carries a $6M hit...so they would probably have to part with TWO of either Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello, or Kris Kreider to make it work salary-wise and to satisfy the Avs for giving up O'Reilly.

 

Also, a long shot, but maybe O'Reilly for MSL and a minor leaguer, as MSL carries about the same cap hit as O'Reilly.

Just throwing  that out there.

[notfondajane]

Good luck to the Rangers this year. If the penguins had a goalie, the Rangers would not have won the second round. The Rangers had a nice run to the cup

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Yep, that is how I see it also....the defacto #1 center will be Brassard, he does not really have any compitition at this point. This makes Brassard much more valuable in fantasy hockey than he would be if everyone is healthy. He was really starting to click with the points at the end of last year.

 

  What do you think the Rangers top pp will look like?  I'm think Brassard with Nash and Kreider, McDonough and Stall at the points?  I know there were times last year when the Rangers deployed Zuccarello on the top pp, he's much more effective in open space, gives him more room to create.

 

  EDIT...forgot about MSL...he plays the point on the pp I believe? 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Yep, that is how I see it also....the defacto #1 center will be Brassard, he does not really have any compitition at this point. This makes Brassard much more valuable in fantasy hockey than he would be if everyone is healthy. He was really starting to click with the points at the end of last year.

 

  What do you think the Rangers top pp will look like?  I'm think Brassard with Nash and Kreider, McDonough and Stall at the points?  I know there were times last year when the Rangers deployed Zuccarello on the top pp, he's much more effective in open space, gives him more room to create.

 

  EDIT...forgot about MSL...he plays the point on the pp I believe? 

 

Top PP on the Rangers, @jammer2 is probably something like what you said.....Brassard at Center, Nash/Kreider, Kreider/MSL, or Nash/MSL as the wingers, and while MSL has played point many times going back to his TB days, I honestly never really understood why he was put there, other than in Tampa, the Bolts never really had guys (until recently with Sami Salo and now Jason Garrison) with a good low shot....but that certainly isn't the case with the Rangers.

 

Along with the aforementioned forwards, I'd put two of Staal/Girardi/McDonagh on the back ends of the PP...MSL, while having that good shot and potential to pinch in from the point, is simply a defensive liability.

As good as he is as a player, I have seen way too many times when he is fed the puck and the PK'ers will aggressively go at him, knowing full well he has a better than average chance to cough up the puck, and since skating backwards and overall defensive type play ISN'T his strong suit, they skate up the ice with a short handed breakaway or odd man rush.

Ask the Lightning how many short handed goals or chances they gave up when Marty was with them.....and not piling on MSL, but many times, he was on the point when that happened!

 

But anyways, Stepan's injury does kinda jumble the lineups significantly and that will just filter down not only even strength, but in who plays 1st and 2nd PP units.

If JT Miller works out well as a 2nd line C, perhaps he can see more time on the PP as well.

[Vanflyer]

Some rumors also buzzing around include looking into acquiring

 

VLC?????