Neal Pionk

[hockeyrobot]

Might be going under the radar here because the Rangers are done, but Neal Pionk has 9 assists in 17 games including 3 last night. He was involved in a ton of great plays defensively too.

[LuigiC173]

that kid is legit the boy can skate.

[hockeyrobot]

In between all of Susan Sarandon's ohhhhhs and ahhhs, Pierre was really gushing about it. I never know if that's a good thing or a bad thing....but he did look great.,

[Poutine]

Definitely seems to be flying under the radar but with Shattenkirk and DeAngelo both out with injuries, there's a wide opening for him to make a name for himself.

I wouldn't get too high on him because the Rangers are embarking on a rebuild but 35-40 points next year would be a great season for him.

[loco man]

Was jumping on to make a thread. Grabbed Gilmour off the wire but after last night quickly dropped him for Pionk. Looked very solid on the PP and always a great sign to be on the ice for the OT winner.

Very likely will have a nice run on the top PP - sneaky great grab down the stretch and maybe a solid keeper. I honestly had no idea who he was until last night.

[tonyguy]

Should i drop Leddy for Pionk for the playoff run?

G, A, P, PPP, +/-, PIMs, PPP, SOG, GWG, Hits

[hockeyrobot]

Should i drop Leddy for Pionk for the playoff run?

G, A, P, PPP, +/-, PIMs, PPP, SOG, GWG, Hits

Depends when your playoffs are and how many games they play.

[tonyguy]

on bye this week. in the semis starting Monday. Head to head.

Both teams play the same amount of games.

[hockeyrobot]

Since you're on a bye I assume you have the better team on paper.....in which case I'd lean Leddy. But....I really did love how Pionk looked the other night.

You know what....safe bet or not...I like Pionk.

[donpaulo]

a few points;

NYR are 5-2-1 since the "selloff"

The younger players are showing that never say die attitude which is really encouraging to see.

While the formerly constructed team had the "talent" they often seemed to be going through the motions and despite the bonafides they were losing far too often.

Its been awhile since this fan has seen so much mobility from the backend.

Regarding Pionk, what I and probably most other fans who watched the pre season games was that he often put himself in a position to be hit once he was in possession of the puck. He reminded me a bit of when Artem Anisimov was feeling his way around the league and got caught with his head down on more than one occasion. It had a wincing effect to see Pionk, get the puck on his tape, look up to make the outlet/skate it decision only to be pounded once he moved the puck. That isn't happening anymore. He is playing with his head up, aware of who is around him and the player he has to beat if he wants to move it himself.

Skating is not an issue with this kid. In fact there was a point in the last Pengiuns game with Letang in on the forecheck down deep to the left of the goalie when Pionk calmly made 2 or 3 moves, gained time and space then skated the puck out of the zone. This was done vs a high echelon player with tons of experience who can skate very well, yet Pionk handled it like an experienced pro. Its not easy to outskate Letang, and while he was doing it I was thinking how Girardi, Staal and others would have opted to whack the puck around the boards and possibly onto the stick of a pouncing Penguin. Not with this kid. Saw where he was, knew Letang was there and moving into check him, made a first move, made a second then skated easily out of the zone and danger.

My hunch is that Gilmour earned AV's trust sooner and so was given more ice time. But both kids play a simple smart game and its encouraging to see.

Gilmour did trip in a previous game causing a breakaway that was buried, but that is the exception to the rule.

Going into next season I think we are looking at

Skjei-Shat
Staal-DeAngelo
...-...

with Pionk and Gilmour getting a good long look

regarding the Leddy for Pionk question. The Islanders look done, but its hard to go with the Rangers kid over Leddy with his body of work. Leddy is getting 22+ a night and has 2 shots on net over the last 5 games. Pionk on the other hand is trending upwards very nicely. The DeAngelo injury seems to have done wonders for his ice time.

great interview with Pionk's parents

https://www.nhl.com/rangers/video/pi...422/c-57612703

[Bubba55]

a few points;

NYR are 5-2-1 since the "selloff"

The younger players are showing that never say die attitude which is really encouraging to see.

While the formerly constructed team had the "talent" they often seemed to be going through the motions and despite the bonafides they were losing far too often.

Its been awhile since this fan has seen so much mobility from the backend.

Regarding Pionk, what I and probably most other fans who watched the pre season games was that he often put himself in a position to be hit once he was in possession of the puck. He reminded me a bit of when Artem Anisimov was feeling his way around the league and got caught with his head down on more than one occasion. It had a wincing effect to see Pionk, get the puck on his tape, look up to make the outlet/skate it decision only to be pounded once he moved the puck. That isn't happening anymore. He is playing with his head up, aware of who is around him and the player he has to beat if he wants to move it himself.

Skating is not an issue with this kid. In fact there was a point in the last Pengiuns game with Letang in on the forecheck down deep to the left of the goalie when Pionk calmly made 2 or 3 moves, gained time and space then skated the puck out of the zone. This was done vs a high echelon player with tons of experience who can skate very well, yet Pionk handled it like an experienced pro. Its not easy to outskate Letang, and while he was doing it I was thinking how Girardi, Staal and others would have opted to whack the puck around the boards and possibly onto the stick of a pouncing Penguin. Not with this kid. Saw where he was, knew Letang was there and moving into check him, made a first move, made a second then skated easily out of the zone and danger.

My hunch is that Gilmour earned AV's trust sooner and so was given more ice time. But both kids play a simple smart game and its encouraging to see.

Gilmour did trip in a previous game causing a breakaway that was buried, but that is the exception to the rule.

Going into next season I think we are looking at

Skjei-Shat
Staal-DeAngelo
...-...

with Pionk and Gilmour getting a good long look

regarding the Leddy for Pionk question. The Islanders look done, but its hard to go with the Rangers kid over Leddy with his body of work. Leddy is getting 22+ a night and has 2 shots on net over the last 5 games. Pionk on the other hand is trending upwards very nicely. The DeAngelo injury seems to have done wonders for his ice time.

great interview with Pionk's parents

https://www.nhl.com/rangers/video/pi...422/c-57612703

Well done Sir!! Great post.

[Doug Glatt]

Great post from the Don.
I was kind of surprised when the Rags traded Graves. Is Pionk the reason?
Grabbed Pionk as a prospect FA and slotted him right into my lineup. His numbers have been very nice in multi-cat.

[Doug Glatt]

Fairly dominant against the sad-sack Sabres tonight
Way to come up big in the fantasy playoffs, unearthing a gem who could really make a difference in a title run this late in the season.

[donpaulo]

Pionk skates so effortlessly its a pleasure to watch him

Gilmour on the other hand with an UGLY turnover in the first period that resulted in a great chance for the Sabres. At this point Pionk has passed him on the depth chart

great goal for Pionk in tonights game, 7 game point scoring streak with 9 points !

[loco man]

So what should we expect from Pionk next season and beyond? Clearly he has some jam, but does Shattenkirk render him waiver fodder or is there enough offense to go around?

Debating selling high on him but also don't want to lose him if he is a keeper - especially in our format where D are by far the most scarce and valuable