Pirri to the Rangers, how many wingers do they need????

[yave1964]

Brandon (Cy Young) Pirri has just signed a one year deal with the Rangers. A good solid signing, I just question the landing spot.

 Late last week the Rangers won the Jimmy Vesey sweepstakes, promising Vesey a spot in the top six, two supermodels of his choice and the keys to the city. They also have brought over Russian import Pavel Buchnevich who refused to come over from Mother Russia for the past few seasons until he was guaranteed a spot in the top nine.

So top nine wingers are:

1)Nash 2)Kreider 3)Pirri 4) Buchnevich 5)Vesey 6)Zuccarello 7)JT Miller 8) Kevin Hayes 9) Jesper Fast

 

9 guys for six spots, Miller may be able to slot into the 3C role as a stretch, he had a dreadful .433 faceoff pct in limited work in the role,  and MAYBE Fast could move to the fourth line, both would really be out of position.

 

  So the signing of Pirri IMHO is not a bad one, just curious where he fits in. Is another deal in the works? They have two real centers, nine wingers for the top nine, a winger for a center seem to be in order.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@yave1964

 

Maybe the Rangers are trying to play 'keep away' with the other NHL clubs.

 

You know, "Hey, let's sign that guy just so Team X CAN'T....Mwahahahahaha"

Of course, as you mentioned, they will end up with a glut at the wing position, but I guess they can just sign now and ask questions later, no?

 

Or perhaps, more realistically, they feel the need to sign as many wingers as it takes to get the message through to Rick Nash's thick skull that HE needs to be the premier winger they thought they signed, and NOT just for stretches at a time during the season...

[The Mountain Man]

You also forgot Grabner !

 

I see this happening.

 

Nash/ Stepan /Zuccarello - this will cause ZERO fear into other top lines.

Krieder / Zinbanejad / Miller - again...reaching

Grabner / Hayes / Pirri - could be solid against other 3rd lines

Vesey / Lindberg / Buchnevich - learning curve here...let them grow into and up the depth chart.  

 

I see Fast filling in when ever somebody gets hurt. Jensen, Gerbe, and Glass playing elsewhere.

The cupboard is completely bare of forward talent in the minors.

 

[no1sjsharksfan]

Pirri is a solid depth signing. He can play anywhere in the middle six. He can fill in at center (where he played in junior and in Rockford (AHL)). I see him on the third line. 20 goals.

 

7 minutes ago, The Mountain Man said:

You also forgot Grabner !

 

I see this happening.

 

Nash/ Stepan /Zuccarello - this will cause ZERO fear into other top lines.

Krieder / Zinbanejad / Miller - again...reaching

Grabner / Hayes / Pirri - could be solid against other 3rd lines

Vesey / Lindberg / Buchnevich - learning curve here...let them grow into and up the depth chart.  

 

I see Fast filling in when ever somebody gets hurt. Jensen, Gerbe, and Glass playing elsewhere.

The cupboard is completely bare of forward talent in the minors.

 

 

Flip Vesey and Grabner. Vesey will provide more offense, and Grabner is the stereotypical 4th liner in today's NHL. Speed, hardworker, chip in a goal here and there.

[The Mountain Man]

I was just leaning towards letting him develop a little first. Far too many times do college kids get unrealistic expectations put on them when all they have done is play well against college students... who go to school and party. They are not Pros and he may need half a season, or more, to grow into his potential.

[yave1964]

@The Mountain Man

 

Vesey is a mortal lock for top six minutes. That was the agreement when he signed, that is why he is a Ranger and not a Sabre or Leaf or a whoever. He insisted upon it. Buchnevich was staying in Mother Russia unless he was given a clear shot at a top nine role, he will be no worse than a third liner.

 

  Kevin Hayes, if I could just for a moment point out how simply DREADFUL the man is in the dot, his faceoff pct. the first two years is .360 and .363 which is putrid, he was dead last two years ago among all centres with at least 300 faceoffs, by a wide margin, last year he was next to last, not because he got better but because Jarred McCann was bad on faceoffs.

  He is not a center, kind of like Charlie Coyle in Minny, he is an athletic forward who shrugged and said if nobody else can play center and that was his ticket then sure he would do it, but the truth is his numbers slipped considerably last year, playing out of position hurt him. He is a winger trapped in a role that does not suit him. He would be much better suited to move back on the wing, but the team is so wing heavy and center short that they cannot do it.

  Fast will be a regular. He had a very nice year last year and deserves a starting job.

 No, I did not forget Grabner, he just sucks and when I was thinking top 9 he simply never entered the equation. He is really fast and had a good year not that long ago and won a speed thing at the All Star game once but the truth is he is not much of a player. I like Gerbe a hell of a lot more but left Gerbe out of the talk because they have so many better option in the top nine and Gerbe can and will excel in the bottom grouping on the 4th line. Grabner is a hopeless lost cause who skates really fast but cannot play Hockey.

  So this team needs to move a winger for a center, move Hayes back outside where he belongs and quit screwing with his future by playing him out of position. Overall tho I love the offseason they have had. No Sather-esque 60 million dollar deals, just a bunch of quiet good solid signings and Vesey too.

[no1sjsharksfan]

On 8/26/2016 at 8:26 PM, The Mountain Man said:

I was just leaning towards letting him develop a little first. Far too many times do college kids get unrealistic expectations put on them when all they have done is play well against college students... who go to school and party. They are not Pros and he may need half a season, or more, to grow into his potential.

 

Yeah, but you don't develop on the fourth line... That is where you get 8 minutes a night. Better off sending him to the AHL than putting him on the 4th line.