If you are going to suggest that the New York Rangers should make any move(s); could we ask that you first seriously think the move out rather than closing your eyes and making wishes?
Not meaning to be sarcastic but there are just too many folks who want the Rangers to do what they want and not what would be in the best interests of the franchise. Short term entertainment versus long term improvement for the franchise has to be honestly evaluated in the favor of the long term success of the Rangers.
In the perfect world every prospect would exceed expectations, every trade would work out, and the Rangers would be the favorites for the Stanley Cup. Sorry but as much as we would love to see all of this happen yesterday; it does not happen like that.
If the Rangers do not take any of their prospects to Europe then it should not be seen as the prospects not developing properly. The Rangers have to measure almost down to the most microscopic of details whether taking a prospect who has can't be sent to the AHL is worth the risk.
We wrote about this before and it really has to be stressed that the long term development of a prospect has to be the number one priority for the Rangers. Yes it would be very nice to give a JT Miller or a Christian Thomas some playing time in Europe but if it keeps either prospect out of regular playing time for an extended period of time then no it is not worth cameo appearances.
And despite what Ranger fans make think; the Rangers are under no obligation to put the prospects on display for them to see. Even the fans have to realize that the end has to justify the means for someone like a JT Miller who now has a giant microscope that he is going to be under after the summer he had.
The Rangers have legit chances to get their prospects playing meaningful games like the World Under-20 Championships or long playoff runs. That kind of experience can help the development of the prospects a whole lot more than a couple of token appearances in exhibition games against European teams.
If any prospect makes the trip then it has to be because he is a legit challenger for a roster spot. Doing it for any other reason than that only wastes everyone's time especially the prospect.
Now after reading what we said about the Ranger prospects, it is going to seem almost hypocritical for us to say that for the New York Islanders that they have to keep Nino Niederreiter their 2010 first round pick.
In this case our argument is going to be that sending Niederreiter back to Portland of the WHL will be a huge waste of everyone's time. For Niederreiter, there is nothing at all for him to gain by spending a 3rd season in Portland.
Last season when the Islanders returned Niedereiter to Portland, the Islanders said he would be better off playing more than 10 minutes with them. It was an argument that we did not believe; instead what we believed was the truth was that the Islanders wanted to save a year on Niederreiter's entry level contract.
Because of all the injuries as well as the losing streak that knocked the Islanders out of the playoff race before the season got warm. That is what we believe as there was nothing in Niederreiter's play that said he was overwhelmed in the NHL.
Niederreiter was going through the typical growing pains that a rookie undergoes as he develops into an NHL player. Of course Niederreiter was playing on the 3rd line when he started out as expecting him to be a first liner right from the start is asking too much.
Niederreiter may be 19 now but there is nothing for him to do in the WHL other than get hurt or pick up bad habits. After 9 games with the Islanders last season, if the Islanders send him back yet again then they will do more harm than good.
Niederreiter after a 40 goal season then a 9-18-27 playoff run did exactly what the Islanders said they wanted to see him do when they returned to Portland. Now it is time for Niederreiter to continue his development at the NHL level.
The Islanders say they are wanting to accelerate their way back to the playoffs then Niederreiter should be a part of their acceleration. There is no excuse for him not to be a part of the Islanders this season as the Islanders will need Niederreiter as much as Niederreiter needs to be in the NHL.
It is time for Niederreiter to start playing against adults not 16-17 year old kids so the Islanders need to keep him or send him to Europe to play there. Yes we expect him to start by playing 10 minutes a night of 3rd line duty but this time we expect the Islanders to give him the tools as well as the opportunity to develop.
Otherwise they will have wasted another year and possibly they will waste a prospect too.
(Logos courtesy of their respective teams)
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