Phil Housley hired as an Assistant Coach for the Rangers

[Brawndo]

 

[dudacek]

Poor Peca.

In all seriousness, Housley did a good job with Nashville’s blueliners under Laviolette and Peca seems to work well with young forwards.

Given Lavi’s unfortunate competence and the early boost he provides, I’m not expecting the Rangers to backslide next year.

[Randall Flagg]

I've always been convinced that with a real roster Phil could still be coaching here. 

[Curt]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Poor Peca.

In all seriousness, Housley did a good job with Nashville’s blueliners under Laviolette and Peca seems to work well with young forwards.

Given Lavi’s unfortunate competence and the early boost he provides, I’m not expecting the Rangers to backslide next year.

Housley did a good job when coaching a top 4 of Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and Shea Weber/PK Subban.  Based upon what he then did in Buffalo I’m a little skeptical that he had a great deal of influence in making that defensive unit good.  I think maybe the players were just really good.

[dudacek]

13 minutes ago, Curt said:

Housley did a good job when coaching a top 4 of Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and Shea Weber/PK Subban.  Based upon what he then did in Buffalo I’m a little skeptical that he had a great deal of influence in making that defensive unit good.  I think maybe the players were just really good.

Agreed. He’ll be working with Fox, Trouba and Miller in New York. In front of Shesterkin.

[Thorny]

32 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I've always been convinced that with a real roster Phil could still be coaching here. 

There’s basically a decade where the “competent roster” variable is so thoroughly absent that no judgment can be adequately made on anyone (well, except the Heads)

It’s kinda funny and kinda infuriating 

Edited June 21, 2023 by Thorny

[Marvin]

4 hours ago, Thorny said:

There’s basically a decade where the “competent roster” variable is so thoroughly absent that no judgment can be adequately made on anyone (well, except the Heads)

It’s kinda funny and kinda infuriating 

Sad, but true.

[PASabreFan]

11 hours ago, Thorny said:

There’s basically a decade where the “competent roster” variable is so thoroughly absent that no judgment can be adequately made on anyone (well, except the Heads)

It’s kinda funny and kinda infuriating 

Except Ralph of course.

[inkman]

13 hours ago, Curt said:

Housley did a good job when coaching a top 4 of Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and Shea Weber/PK Subban.  Based upon what he then did in Buffalo I’m a little skeptical that he had a great deal of influence in making that defensive unit good.  I think maybe the players were just really good.

 

[Randall Flagg]

13 hours ago, Thorny said:

There’s basically a decade where the “competent roster” variable is so thoroughly absent that no judgment can be adequately made on anyone (well, except the Heads)

It’s kinda funny and kinda infuriating 

I don't hate Ralph as much as most do, but I wonder if looking at his last team's roster is more damning of him than can be said for Phil or Dan or whoever. 

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart

Hall - Mitts - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Lazar - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

Ullmark

The top line has 2 30+ goal wingers flanking the cup winner's 1C

The second line has two young guys who would develop to be good players getting better, and a guy who played the second line this year on the best regular season team in history 

Third line has a 30 goal scorer even in a down year, a player that was just six months from a 38 goal season, and a guy who played bottom 6 mins on the cup finalist this year 

The fourth line has 2 legit 4th liners at the time at least 

The defense should have been legitimately good if the players in it played the way they did as soon as they left. Miller played top 4 mins, sometimes top pair, for a western conference finalist, Montour dominated for a cup finalist, McCabe was a highly sought after deadline piece. 

Sure some of the players in this lineup weren't what they are today, and bad injuries hit, but that probably should not have been even close to a last place team, and they played like one right from the start 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Randall Flagg

[inkman]

36 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I don't hate Ralph as much as most do, but I wonder if looking at his last team's roster is more damning of him than can be said for Phil or Dan or whoever. 

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart

Hall - Mitts - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Lazar - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

Ullmark

The top line has 2 30+ goal wingers flanking the cup winner's 1C

The second line has two young guys who would develop to be good players getting better, and a guy who played the second line this year on the best regular season team in history 

Third line has a 30 goal scorer even in a down year, a player that was just six months from a 38 goal season, and a guy who played bottom 6 mins on the cup finalist this year 

The fourth line has 2 legit 4th liners at the time at least 

The defense should have been legitimately good if the players in it played the way they did as soon as they left. Miller played top 4 mins, sometimes top pair, for a western conference finalist, Montour dominated for a cup finalist, McCabe was a highly sought after deadline piece. 

Sure some of the players in this lineup weren't what they are today, and bad injuries hit, but that probably should not have been even close to a last place team, and they played like one right from the start 

There was a dude named Rieder on the Sabres?  (I remember him but only after reading his name) No chance in hell I remember it otherwise. 

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

I don't hate Ralph as much as most do, but I wonder if looking at his last team's roster is more damning of him than can be said for Phil or Dan or whoever. 

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart

Hall - Mitts - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Lazar - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

Ullmark

The top line has 2 30+ goal wingers flanking the cup winner's 1C

The second line has two young guys who would develop to be good players getting better, and a guy who played the second line this year on the best regular season team in history 

Third line has a 30 goal scorer even in a down year, a player that was just six months from a 38 goal season, and a guy who played bottom 6 mins on the cup finalist this year 

The fourth line has 2 legit 4th liners at the time at least 

The defense should have been legitimately good if the players in it played the way they did as soon as they left. Miller played top 4 mins, sometimes top pair, for a western conference finalist, Montour dominated for a cup finalist, McCabe was a highly sought after deadline piece. 

Sure some of the players in this lineup weren't what they are today, and bad injuries hit, but that probably should not have been even close to a last place team, and they played like one right from the start 

You're even more right than you think: Girgensons and Okposo were on that team as well, even if Girgs blew his achilles (?) and was unavailable.

Edited June 22, 2023 by dudacek

[Weave]

4 minutes ago, dudacek said:

You're even more right than you think: Girgensons and Okposo were on that team as well, even if Girgs blew his acchiles (?) and was unavailable.

After seeing a bunch of those ex Sabres performances in this seasons playoffs, something was waaaayyyy wrong with that team.  It should have been good enough as built.  (Wait… who were the goalies?  Maybe there is your real wildcard)

 

[Taro T]

50 minutes ago, Weave said:

After seeing a bunch of those ex Sabres performances in this seasons playoffs, something was waaaayyyy wrong with that team.  It should have been good enough as built.  (Wait… who were the goalies?  Maybe there is your real wildcard)

 

Hutton & Ullmark.

[Weave]

46 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Hutton & Ullmark.

*insert ominous sounding music here*

[Randall Flagg]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

You're even more right than you think: Girgensons and Okposo were on that team as well, even if Girgs blew his achilles (?) and was unavailable.

Good call, I was reading off a list that ranked the roster on scoring so I just grabbed 12 forwards I happened to see and remember

2 hours ago, inkman said:

There was a dude named Rieder on the Sabres?  (I remember him but only after reading his name) No chance in hell I remember it otherwise. 

I remember him being a decent PKer actually 

[inkman]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

Good call, I was reading off a list that ranked the roster on scoring so I just grabbed 12 forwards I happened to see and remember

I remember him being a decent PKer actually 

I tend to remember guys who are good with the PP.  
 

 

sorry, I just can’t stop the nonsense sometimes 

[Thorny]

8 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I don't hate Ralph as much as most do, but I wonder if looking at his last team's roster is more damning of him than can be said for Phil or Dan or whoever. 

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart

Hall - Mitts - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Lazar - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

Ullmark

The top line has 2 30+ goal wingers flanking the cup winner's 1C

The second line has two young guys who would develop to be good players getting better, and a guy who played the second line this year on the best regular season team in history 

Third line has a 30 goal scorer even in a down year, a player that was just six months from a 38 goal season, and a guy who played bottom 6 mins on the cup finalist this year 

The fourth line has 2 legit 4th liners at the time at least 

The defense should have been legitimately good if the players in it played the way they did as soon as they left. Miller played top 4 mins, sometimes top pair, for a western conference finalist, Montour dominated for a cup finalist, McCabe was a highly sought after deadline piece. 

Sure some of the players in this lineup weren't what they are today, and bad injuries hit, but that probably should not have been even close to a last place team, and they played like one right from the start 

I have a hard time discerning anything from that Covid year from hell. There was just so much that was unusual about it. Remember, they couldn’t even practice? Weird divisions and scheduling? Sabres in a strong division? At then the Jack injury right at the start. I don’t think it represents a sample size worthy of much of anything.

Coincidentally, that’s also why i feel it doesn’t represent an honest to goodness college try at “going for it” from KA

Additionally, with a non “arrived” Tage that’s a putrid bottom 6, and once you factor in Eichel’s injury, the F unit is kinda just poor

Edited June 22, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorny]

7 hours ago, Weave said:

After seeing a bunch of those ex Sabres performances in this seasons playoffs, something was waaaayyyy wrong with that team.  It should have been good enough as built.  (Wait… who were the goalies?  Maybe there is your real wildcard)

 

Don’t really agree. Eichel played all of 21 games, hurt while doing so. When you remember this is 14 point Tage Thompson, and 20 year old Rasmus Dahlin (AND that it’s a rookie, 41 game Cozens) it’s really not a roster to write home about 

Skinner - Mittelstadt - Reinhart

Hall - Lazar - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Girgensons - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

 

Ullmark

...this was the roster for the majority of that season. It’s not good 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Thorny

[Thorny]

Look at this schedule. 12 of their first 21 games were against teams who averaged 102 points over an 82 game frame.

[Weave]

Thorny is a Kreuger apologist.

😁

[Thorny]

43 minutes ago, Weave said:

Thorny is a Kreuger apologist.

😁

No. I just really like @PASabreFan

[inkman]

11 hours ago, Thorny said:

No. I just really like @PASabreFan

The old coot rubs off on us in different ways 😎

[miles]

21 hours ago, Taro T said:

Hutton & Ullmark.

i was just going to mention how ullmark moves to a good team and becomes the best goaltender in the regular season in Wins, GAA and Save%

 

[Marvin]

On 6/22/2023 at 9:01 AM, Randall Flagg said:

I don't hate Ralph as much as most do, but I wonder if looking at his last team's roster is more damning of him than can be said for Phil or Dan or whoever. 

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart

Hall - Mitts - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Lazar - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

Ullmark

The top line has 2 30+ goal wingers flanking the cup winner's 1C

The second line has two young guys who would develop to be good players getting better, and a guy who played the second line this year on the best regular season team in history 

Third line has a 30 goal scorer even in a down year, a player that was just six months from a 38 goal season, and a guy who played bottom 6 mins on the cup finalist this year 

The fourth line has 2 legit 4th liners at the time at least 

The defense should have been legitimately good if the players in it played the way they did as soon as they left. Miller played top 4 mins, sometimes top pair, for a western conference finalist, Montour dominated for a cup finalist, McCabe was a highly sought after deadline piece. 

Sure some of the players in this lineup weren't what they are today, and bad injuries hit, but that probably should not have been even close to a last place team, and they played like one right from the start 

 

15 hours ago, Thorny said:

Don’t really agree. Eichel played all of 21 games, hurt while doing so. When you remember this is 14 point Tage Thompson, and 20 year old Rasmus Dahlin (AND that it’s a rookie, 41 game Cozens) it’s really not a roster to write home about 

Skinner - Mittelstadt - Reinhart

Hall - Lazar - Cozens

Olofsson - Tage - Staal

Sheahan - Girgensons - Rieder

 

Dahlin - Montour

McCabe- Miller

Joki - Risto

 

Ullmark

...this was the roster for the majority of that season. It’s not good 

On paper, with the first line-up, the GM should be thinking that he has a decent team, barring injuries and assuming the goalkeeping is normal after Hutton's surgery.  Once Eichel is out, Hall checks out, and Staal stalls, what you have left at forward is pretty grim because of the lack of depth.  And no GM who does not cheat the salary cap can survive his 1C missing over half the season like that team.  But I would have worried about XHCRK's system and handling of the line-up.

Aside 1: This is why I evaluate off-season moves in 2 stages: first, on paper, was the thinking sound; then, on the ice, was the analysis correct.

Aside 2: One point of fact that we don't harp on enough with this era is that XGMJB badly hurt the team when he signed Hutton.  If you give the Sabres decent goalkeeping in Housley'e tenure, maybe the result is not so toxic.

Aside 3: One big reason that I am dead set against trading Mittlestadt is that a solid playoff team needs someone from the 3rd line who can fill in competently on the top lines for an extended period.  Similarly, I would like Krebs around to fill in higher in the line-up if need be.