Jeff Gorton met with the media earlier today and said the following (NYR)
On looking for a center, "I think it's fair to say that we are always looking. We are comfortable with JT and know he can play all three positions. He hasn't played a lot of center in the NHL but in the past he has been able to do it. In the preseason we will take a look at him there and see where it goes."
Are you comfortable with your forward depth, "I'm never comfortable with anything, you are always looking to get better at all positions, you always want to be deeper. We have some players we want to look at, two first round picks we want to look at in camp. A bunch of different things we are working on, we will see where it takes us. Everything now is on paper, we haven't seen pucks yet."
Did you expect to have another center by now, "I wouldn't say that I expected that. A lot of times when people have to forecast and planning what we are going to look like on October 1, we are not looking at it like that. I'm looking at training camp and everybody and see how we look on the ice and we can adjust after that."
On Lias Andersson, "he went to Plymouth and played really well. We like him a lot. He is a real character player, skill, has a passion for hockey to be really good. He is 18 years old, it's probably unfair to put too much expectation on him and we won't do that. We will give him some games and he will be in camp and we will see where it takes us."
On Chris Kreider, "he just did his testing, he will be out there, he is okay."
On how good the team is going to be, "I like our group, we have a lot of good players. In the summer we wanted to change our defense and give it a different look, more puck moving. Until we play games and get going and the guys start coming together we don't know the answer yet. The answer is yes, I like our team."
On Marc Staal, "I think it was Rick Nash last year who said that every day he feels he has to compete for a job. I feel that for everybody, they all have to compete for jobs. If you are on the first line you want to stay there and get PP time, if you are on the second line you want to be on the first line, if you are on the fourth line you want to go to the third line and that is the kind of environment that we want. Marc has been a good player in this league for a long time, he can defend the best players, there is a lot that he can do for us. I don't think it's anything different for Marc. He will come in and try to play well and get as much ice time as he can."
On the center market, "we all know that defense and centers are a big commodity and we are not the only team looking. I like to think that some of the guys here can do the job and we will give them the opportunity. Our focus is on seeing what the guys can do."
On Henrik, "I still think that Henrik is one of the top goalies in the league, I think his teammates and coaches think that way. We haven't seen anything to tell us different. Henrik is a great goalie, a real driven player, motivated and I think he will have a great season."
On Mika and Hayes, "They are both young players who have proven to be good NHL players. I think both of them want a bigger role and the opportunity came to make a move at center and move them up and see if they can do it and gave us some flexibility to do other things on the back end. I know they are both looking forward to the opportunity and see if they can step up."
On the defensive depth, "we have some young players on defense that will try and make the team. You need that competition. If it looks like we have 9 or 10 NHL defensemen it will be good for us. It means we will have 6/7 really good ones here and then see what we can do with the other ones, see if they are ready or need to go to Hartford or see we have to move somebody. Those are situations that will hopefully play out in the next 3-4 weeks here."
Are you comfortable with your forward depth, "I'm never comfortable with anything, you are always looking to get better at all positions, you always want to be deeper. We have some players we want to look at, two first round picks we want to look at in camp. A bunch of different things we are working on, we will see where it takes us. Everything now is on paper, we haven't seen pucks yet."
Did you expect to have another center by now, "I wouldn't say that I expected that. A lot of times when people have to forecast and planning what we are going to look like on October 1, we are not looking at it like that. I'm looking at training camp and everybody and see how we look on the ice and we can adjust after that."
On Lias Andersson, "he went to Plymouth and played really well. We like him a lot. He is a real character player, skill, has a passion for hockey to be really good. He is 18 years old, it's probably unfair to put too much expectation on him and we won't do that. We will give him some games and he will be in camp and we will see where it takes us."
On Chris Kreider, "he just did his testing, he will be out there, he is okay."
On how good the team is going to be, "I like our group, we have a lot of good players. In the summer we wanted to change our defense and give it a different look, more puck moving. Until we play games and get going and the guys start coming together we don't know the answer yet. The answer is yes, I like our team."
On Marc Staal, "I think it was Rick Nash last year who said that every day he feels he has to compete for a job. I feel that for everybody, they all have to compete for jobs. If you are on the first line you want to stay there and get PP time, if you are on the second line you want to be on the first line, if you are on the fourth line you want to go to the third line and that is the kind of environment that we want. Marc has been a good player in this league for a long time, he can defend the best players, there is a lot that he can do for us. I don't think it's anything different for Marc. He will come in and try to play well and get as much ice time as he can."
On the center market, "we all know that defense and centers are a big commodity and we are not the only team looking. I like to think that some of the guys here can do the job and we will give them the opportunity. Our focus is on seeing what the guys can do."
On Henrik, "I still think that Henrik is one of the top goalies in the league, I think his teammates and coaches think that way. We haven't seen anything to tell us different. Henrik is a great goalie, a real driven player, motivated and I think he will have a great season."
On Mika and Hayes, "They are both young players who have proven to be good NHL players. I think both of them want a bigger role and the opportunity came to make a move at center and move them up and see if they can do it and gave us some flexibility to do other things on the back end. I know they are both looking forward to the opportunity and see if they can step up."
On the defensive depth, "we have some young players on defense that will try and make the team. You need that competition. If it looks like we have 9 or 10 NHL defensemen it will be good for us. It means we will have 6/7 really good ones here and then see what we can do with the other ones, see if they are ready or need to go to Hartford or see we have to move somebody. Those are situations that will hopefully play out in the next 3-4 weeks here."
Miller on Playing Center: I Want to Do What's Best for Team (NYR)
Center or on the wing, J.T. Miller is willing to do whatever is asked of him entering training camp.
But it appears center is where No. 10 will at least get a look early in training camp and through the preseason, which begins Monday night at The Garden against the New York Islanders.
"I just want to do what's best for the team, and if that's playing down the middle then let's do that, if I can do well at it," Miller told reporters on Friday. "I know the coaches are going to do what's best for the team. I think at the end of the day, I think I can play both and I think that's helpful for me and the team. Whatever I'm going to start at, I'm going to try and do my best with that."
Miller said he had had conversations with the coaching staff in the summer following the June trade that sent Derek Stepan to the Arizona Coyotes, opening one of the spots down the middle.
There's more defensive responsibility playing the pivot, and while it's been several seasons since Miller - who was drafted as a center in 2011 - did it on a regular basis, he said he's up for the challenge and fully expects himself to handle it.
"It's a responsibility I'm willing to take on," he stated. "I think they know that. I've proved I can play there before. I think we're going to feel that out and see how it goes and see where it fits. Obviously any responsibility they need me to take, I'm more than willing to."
The looks in preseason should help not only Miller but head coach Alain Vigneault, who said Miller's experience at center made him the natural choice to be added to the mix to fill the slot behind incumbents Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes, as well as with newcomer David Desharnais.
"I've got to go out and see right here early on at training camp, a guy like J.T. who has played that position before, how he looks, how he feels," Vigneault said. "He's not a young player anymore. He's a veteran player. I want to see that experience and I want to see what he can do at that position."
Vigneault said on numerous occasions Thursday that Miller has now transitioned into the phase of a veteran. While still just 24, Miller is entering his sixth season in the NHL.
More responsibility will come on the ice, and Miller is also looking to take more on off the ice as a leader following the departures of several players this offseason.
"We're getting older now. We're not young," Miller stated. "When I was 19 and first got here, it's a little different now. It happens fast, but that was one of the things I was worried about coming into this season. I want to be more of a leader and lead by example and be a consistent 82-game player. I think I can do that and I think it's time I stepped up a little bit more in that category."
Miller, who tied his career-best with 22 goals and set a new career-high with 56 points, said he's been preparing for this role for several years and is ready to take that next step.
"This is what they've been grooming me for the last handful of years to hopefully step up in a time like this, leadership wise," he said. "As a player, too, I think it's time I - I think I have more to give, another level, and I think I'm ready to take on that."
Approach to Camp Doesn't Change for Staal (NYR)
Marc Staal's approach to training camp is the same as a 10-year pro as it was when he arrived for his first camp in 2005.
"I've been here - I think this is my 11th season here now. I'm not naive. I don't take anything for granted," Staal told reporters on the first day of on-ice testing. "I come into camp with that mindset every year. You've got to earn your minutes. That doesn't change my mindset going forward."
Head coach Alain Vigneault on Thursday said Staal is entering training camp as a player who must fight for minutes this season. With that said, though, Vigneault said he and the organization still have full confidence in the 30-year-old to play a big role on the team in 2017-18.
"If we decided to bring Marc Staal back, it's because we believe in him," Vigneault said. "Anybody that questions his character would probably be wrong. There's a guy who's come back from two serious injuries, has played some big minutes, big games for us in the past. I like Marc Staal. I believe in Marc Staal, but at the end of the day, this is probably the first time in a while that he's fighting for a spot in minutes, and he knows that."
Staal said he understands he has to be better than he was a season ago. He missed several games with an upper-body injury in the middle of the year and admitted he had difficulty getting back up to speed.
"There are some ups and downs with every year. It took me a while, after I got injured there, to get back to where I wanted to be," Staal said. "I think any time you lose like you do against a team like that in the second round, on a personal level, you need to be better. It goes for me. You want to be at your best getting into those situations. The goal this year is to build on that starting with today to be at your best come that time again."
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