Upon Further Review, Rangers May Not Look All That Different Next Season [Links Added]

On break-up day, every Ranger pretty much said he wanted to come back, but each had a caveat. Jaromir Jagr said the Rangers were his "number one option" for next season, but promises to Avangard Omsk in Russia and his father in Czech could pull him back to Europe sooner rather than later. Sean Avery reiterated how much he loves New York, but he said his fate was in GM Glen Sather's hands and that he'd be happy playing for fans anywhere. Brendan Shanahan said his body was telling he could still play, but he wasn't sure at what level and whether that would be in New York again. Martin Straka said he has one more season in him, and he'd like for that season to be in New York if Jagr returns.

But unless some of these players are willing to give Sather a big hometown discount, there simply is no room for all of them on a roster that is becoming increasingly filled with players of the future. A quick look at everyone's contract status and at the salary cap shows that the Rangers could easily be the same team next season that they are now. All four center positions are already filled by Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, and Blair Betts. Assuming the Rangers easily re-sign restricted free agents Nigel Dawes and Freddie Sjostrom to economical contracts, six of nine wingers will return (Ryan Callahan, Petr Prucha, Colton Orr, and Ryan Hollweg are the others).

On defense, five players are already under contract -- Marc Staal, Fedor Tyutin, Dan Girardi, Christian Backman, and Thomas Pock. The Rangers will likely try to re-sign Michal Rozsival and may even want to keep Paul Mara if he is willing accept a salary commensurate with his role here. Henrik Lundqvist is under contract for a long time, and Miika Wiikman is already inked, so he's an option if the Rangers decide not to sign Steve Valiquette. Down in Hartford, nine forwards and four defenseman are already signed, eight more RFAs can easily be brought back should the Rangers choose to keep them, and two unrestricted free agents are highly likely to stay (David Leneveu and Hugh Jessiman). So there will be no shortage of young players knocking on the door, with Lauri Korpikoski, Greg Moore, Dane Byers, Ivan Baranka, and Bobby Sanguinetti sure to get long looks in training camp.

Right now, that all adds up to around $36 million, including upwards of $1.5 million in bonus payments from last season deferred to next season's cap calculation. With next season's cap likely to be in the $55 million range, that leaves $19 million to re-sign Avery, re-sign or replace Jagr, re-sign or replace Rozsival, re-sign Dawes and Sjostrom, and fill out three depth positions with rookies or veterans returning on the cheap. The early line is that it will take $6-8 million to fill Jagr's position, $3.5-4 million for Avery, and $4-6 million for Rozsival's spot. It will be impossible to go to the high end on all three positions and still have anything left over for the five other positions that need to be filled. Which makes it that much more imperative to re-sign Jagr, since part of his salary can be deferred into the following season.

The big conundrum will be on defense. If you re-sign Jagr, Avery, and Rozsival at the low end of the scale, you have precious little left for the type of power play quarterback or crease clearer the team really needs. And if one or two manage to get more than the low end, there is no room at all -- unless you forego Rozsival and target Wade Redden, the one free agent who combines both elements the Rangers need, although he will obviously cost more, or go for a cheaper option like John-Michael Liles or Marc Streit as your QB or Brooks Orpik as you banger, along with a second defenseman from the low-cost end of the list. None of which leaves you with any room to maneuvre during the season -- which means the best option of all might very well be a trade rather than a free agent.

But no matter how you cut it, it's hard to see where there can be any room for Brendan Shanahan, Martin Straka, or Paul Mara -- unless they are willing to work for peanuts as depth players. You'd want your young players to cut their teeth in those roles, but veterans like these would be great depth players if the team ran into a rash of injuries or young players unexpectedly hitting walls or ceilings.

We're not going to repeat the prime quotes from yesterday's exit interviews since they have already been much-repeated in the press -- see the Daily News here and here, Journal News, Newsday, Times, Post, Record here and here, Star-Ledger, Blue Notes, Rangers Report here and here, Slap Shot, Prospect Park, AP, MSG.com here and here, NY Sports Day, and NYR.com. Rangers going to the World Championship -- Lundqvist to Sweden, Dubinsky to U.S.A., Tyutin to Russia, and Rozsival to Czech (NYR.com).

Comments

[Ros]

On the bottom of the TSN article about Jagr it said that Lundqvist is heading to team Sweden for the WC. Any word on that? Is it true?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=236961&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl

[vee1968]

long time reader first time poster. I was reading on International Ice Hockey Federation webpage that he signed to play. Probably after the qualifying round. Here is the link below:
http://www.iihf.com/channels/iihf-world-championship/news/news-singleview-world-championship/article/henrik-lundqvist-joins-sweden.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=552&cHash=ad1c604b15

[baals]

what has rozsival done to warrant 4-6 million per? if thats what he wants forget it. definitely not worth it. id like to see him on the third pairing if anything. what about hutchinson, or pock? could they really be any worse than backman defensively? theyd sure cost alot less.

[Ros]

Thanks Vee!

[LisaMY]

For the record--this is what these UFA D-men made this year:

Wade Redden, 30 yrs old, $6,500,000
Mike Commodore, 27 yrs old, $1,300,000
Mattias Norstrom, 35 yrs old, $4,250,000
Brian Campbell, 28 yrs old, $1,750,000
Brad Stuart, 27 yrs old, $3,500,000
John-Michael Liles, 26 yrs old, $1,400,000
Ron Hainsey, 26 yrs old, $900,000
Andreas Lilja, 31 yrs old, $1,000,000
Oleg Tverdovsky, 31 yrs old, $2,500,000

For the Rangers UFAs:
Michal Rozsival, 28 yrs old, $2,300,000
Marek Malik, 32 yrs old, $2,500,000
Jason Strudwick, 31 yrs old, $500,000
Paul Mara, 27 yrs old, $3,000,000
Darius Kasparaitis, 34 yrs old, $3,116,000
Andrew Hutchinson, 27 yrs old, $500,000

[paularensburg]

That depth breakdown and Renney to lead is a disturbing scenario. "5 in the picture" and we're in for another season of numbing lowlights infrequently interrupted by memorable drama. Are we really going to have to see Hollweg and Betts again? Will Renney again automatically put them out after a goal is scored?

I'd love to see the NHL develop a +/- system for SOG. Betts hands down would be, imo, the worst rated forward on the team. And, when he was injured the Rangers killed 23/24 penalties. Betts scores slightly more than never and as a hitter he's a flyweight. If there's one guy who illustrates the limited scope of Renney's vision it's Betts.

[LisaMY]

Missed this one:

Brooks Orpik, 27 yrs old, $1,075,000

This is what Sean Avery said on MSG, NY while being interviewed by the media on break-up day about his impending UFA:

"Well, I said it yesterday to Brooks, I feel like, you know, I bleed blue and red. I feel like walking into Madison Square Garden is a privilege and I think it's an honor to play for Mr. Dolan, and to put the Ranger jersey on. And I love the city and I love the fans. I'd be lying if I didn't say that that wasn't the case."

John Giannone asked him if he thought he owed it to himself to find out what he was worth, free agency wise. Per Avery, "Yeah. Basically it just comes down to a situation where...it's in the hands of Mr. Sather, our general manager. He's the guy who makes the decisions and that's where it is at this point."

And yes, he did refer to the Daily News as the "National Enquirer World" for reporting that ""he was dead or in cardiac arrest or something". He doesn't remember much from the first two or three days of his hospital stay because "they popped a lot of drugs in me over there (St. Vincent's)". He said he "feels a thousand times better."

I'm glad to see Sean Avery's on his feet and looking well. But he really, really needs to ditch the tanning booths. Orange is not his best color.

On the same program, Jagr said, "If I don't have to change, I don't like to. I feel very comfortable here, with all the people around this organization. They were nice to me. They give me a chance to show everybody I can still play hockey after everybody doubt me when I was playing in Russia, for whatever reason. Glen Sather gave me a chance and believe in me. All the trainers and everything around., they were so nice to me and good to me so all I had to do is concentrate on hockey."

Per Shanahan, "Well obviously, if I decide to play this will be my first choice. I've had a great career in a lot of real great cities, but from the day we've been in NY, my family's loved it. My kids are fully immersed in NYC. I just laugh everytime I see my 5 yr olds call for a taxi. They're good at it, too." For the record, I've seen little kids hail taxis and have taxis stop! Their parents sure didn't ask them to do it, but it's funny if you've ever witnessed that.

Let the negotiations begin.

[ivrydov]

When a guy is to retire is always a problem in hockey.Andreychuk is one minute the captain of a cup team and the next minute he's told to go home. Luc Robitaille, LeClair, Mogilny all outstayed their welcome. Not always, Brett Hull knew when to quit. In the case of Shanahan if he's healthy he's still got something to offer, his shot, his PK work, his off ice presence. In hockey there doesn't seem to be a concept of the part-time player, say 50 games. But if Shanahan were willing to take a deep cut in pay and the club spotted him over the season, I think he would be worth the investment.

Lilles is not worth a second look. Commodore would give you size and snarl on D. Campbell could be the PP solution, but I don't think San Jose will let him get away. I doubt if Streit will be available. Redden is grossly overpaid.

It makes sense to bring Roszival back unless he wants the moon.You can't lose with Strudwick as the 7th D. I hope we never see Backman in a Ranger uniform again. All this hoopla about going for the cup by signing Drury and Gomez at the front end was cancelled out by adding this clown at the back end. The whole effort was sabotaged.

Since the C is fixed, and that's the core of any offence, and with lots of prospects banging on the door they don't have to chase after free agents at F assuming that Avery and Jagr come back. I don't think they could lose on Ryder who'll be looking for a team.

[i]

repost, didn't notice new 1:30 am article...
Jess Sather of course answers to his boss but only in getting to the playoffs to generate revenue with marquee names. Jagr will likely be back, Shanahan if he wants to continue playing, Straka & Rozival probably if Jagr stays. They have Gomez & Drury, and Sather will try to resign Avery. I don't expect a lot of changes. I would like to see a top D man. But I still believe the emperor napoleon buttman has no interest in the NYR getting to the finals even next season. He will stack his officials and war room with a wink and a nod; no paper, voice, video, or email trail. He has to promote his small market teams, they are his mirror image in every small way. He needs to go with his wwf mentality. And I think Sather should join him in the going, since he just plays along with the commish, and shuts everyone else out. Getting to the 3rd round would have been progress. Getting a D man before the deadline could have helped that cause. He should have known that & did it. What he did was an over-priced D man, who added zilch. That guy is a 3.4 cap hit next season, and he wants to quibble with Avery, amazing That's what he though would get them to the promise-land, there's grounds right there. If he knows buttman would put up roadblocks, then why make any deal? He did almost nothing all season, except some minor moves both good and bad. The NYR did not fulfill there promise they made after last year's playoffs. It wasn't the media or the fans with the expectations, it was management stating them. Not going after the nhl on and off the ice in a meaningful way, spoke volumes. Renney is a good coach and man, but he's not willing to fight for his TEAM. And the same for his boss, that's not leadership,but it's a big part of why the NYR didn't go further... ...Bring in the '94 boys, they'll fight. HEAVE HO!

[jack]

I'd look at Commodre, Hainsey, and Vandermeer but my first choice is Orpik. Rozy sucks.
Avery is a must sign. Jagr, I would like back. Everyone else can walk.

For a team rebuilding a few years ago why was Umberger shown the door so quickly. Sather is a decent GM for the most part but his ego is almost as inflated as Isaihs is. I guess Umberger wasn't kissing Slats arse enough.
This franchise is notorious for making horrible decesions and that is another in a long line.
Let Slats walk and throw a lot of money at Shero he has ties to NY and has done a great job in Pitt.

[Three Chord Monte]

It's simple. Don't sign Jagr or Shanny and go for defense.

[Joe]

Cut Backman. There's your money for Avery. I'd like to see JJ back, but not Shanny and Straka. I'd give Korpi a shot and get Prucha back into the grove. Betts could go either way. If it's cheaper to bring up a kid, do so. As for defense, Staal, Girardi and Toots are the only players I'd keep, with Struds as a #7. If Pitt got Gill for a second and fifth round pick, why can't we pull off something similar? How about Philly getting Coburn for a vet d-man? Sather is passed his prime and needs to move on.

[cwgatti]

Sather made the moves to improve the offense last summer, he will need to improve the defense this summer. If the Rangers release Malik and Mara that money could be used for Redden. And signing Orpik would make up for passing on Brendan Witt when they really could have used his snarl. Dubinsky was great this year, but Jagr had a lot to do with his success. I am not sure I wanna see what happens to him when JJ is out of the equation. So, Jagr should be re-signed. I think Rozy is gonna stay if JJ stays. Rozy is another guy that goes as JJ goes. Avery needs to be re-signed, but Shanny should go. UNLESS, he would consider a lesser role, and play for a contract that would re-pay the Rangers for the gift he recieved from Sather this past summer. If Shanny could somehow be slotted on the fourth line, with special teams time, I would accept his returning. Backman will be back, but I don't imagine him weathering the storm at MSG if things go south.

NEXT YEAR:

Jagr-Dubi-Avery
Ryan Malone-Gomez-Chereponov
Callahan-Drury-Dawes
Gratton-Betts-Sjostrom

Redden-Stall
Rozi-Orpik
Tyutin-Girardi

Backman in the press box.

[kogan]

This is interesting information from Russian newspaper.
http://news.sport-express.ru/online/ntext/23/nl234997.html
Dubi, can you pass this to Lauri for translation?

[Pavel]

Sign Orpik for 3.5, Redden for 6 (or Liles/Streit for 4). Offer Jagr no more than 5m, offer Avery a front loaded @ 3.75m cap hit, offer Malone 4m. That's 18.5m. There's 32m dedicated next year (according to nhlnumbers.com so not sure how accurate), so that's 50.5m with some wiggle room w/ the rising cap for any bonus-laden contract or Dawes/Sjostrom raises.

[Pavel]

Oops my math was off (sorry, not enough coffee this morning), but still gives wiggle room for the cap. I hope Malik and Rozsival sign with a huge rival so we can expose them every time we play.

[Ana]

Re-sign Avery and Jagr. Send Hollweg to Hartford or pee wee but I couldn't bear to see him in a Rangers uniform again; the guy has no talent whatsoever, unless you consider getting inopportune penalties a talent. Put Laurie K with Fred on the 4th line and get some offense and grit without the idiocy that Hollweg brings. I like Shanahan but does he have enough left in that body? It is dubious. I like Straka but I got tired of seeing him pass just way too much and missing chances in front of the net set up by Jagr.

[ibialik]

The info mentioned in that link to Russian newspaper is basically a very poor English-to-Russian translation of what JJ said about the Rangers being his first option, signing for not more than 3 years, his father building a new stadium, etc.

[ibialik]

Sorry, 2 years.

[laurie]

Kogan, as ibialik already pointed out, those quotes in the Sport Express article are just the Russian translation of what Jagr told the media yesterday during breakup day. I suspect Dubi will probably post the original English versions today, or folks can get them from Zipay's blog here: http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/2008/05/today_jagr_leaning_to_rangers.html

[kogan]

Laurie Good point.
I missed that article.

[Godot]

Hmmm....

I know a lot of fans have already expressed their displeasure for Jagr, but all things considered, his mentorship of Prucha and Dubinsky, his carrying the team in the playoffs, his overall leadership has made him a must sign in my eyes. Ditto Avery.

I keep hearing all these UFAs that we have to sign--but we have no sense of what our competition is and how much they'll be offered elsewhere, so I would prefer to talk about who's ours to deal with right now, what's in hartford, etc.

Is Cheraponov ready for the NHL as someone suggested? Can we trade Backman (or buy out his contract?), ditto Hollwegg? I imagine Strudwick in Hartford as a player coach. Does Hutchinson have anything to offer after his stellar year in Hartford? And does Pock have any chance of being on the team???

G

[gravey]

Please, please, Slats, let Roszival go. Most of his goals were scored early in the season on the power play and once teams adjusted their defense to start blocking our point shots and shooting lanes, his PP production went down drastically. And most of what he got us on offense he gave back on defense, where he is indecisive, slow to react and not physical. And at that projected price? Atrocious! Please, please, NO!

[adam]

It drives me crazy to hear guys like Rosival, Straka, Hollweg would be back. WHY? Do we want to be a 1st or 2nd round team and out again next year? Clearly this team is not good enough to win, that is obvious. Also, two of the last three years, Sather has tried to take the cheap way out with dmen, adding Ozolinsh and Backman. Is Sather as soft as the defensmen he brings in? We need to let all of our free agent defensemen go, ALL of them. Not one adds anything to this team, and especially at a cost of 2, 3 or 4 million no reason to commit that kind of money to below averge players. Not even close. And definitely send Backman to Hartford and save the cap hit of 2.3 mill, add that to Malik and Mara, and a guy like Campbell or Redden could be here, then sign a stay at home dman and bring up 1-2 young dmen, then it would look like:

Staal-Campbell\Redden
Tyuton-Girardi
Baranka-Orpik\Commodore\A Witt type guy

The d has to be changed or we'll be inconsistent and dissapointed again next year. And someone made a great point above, what does Hollweg\Betts\Orr really add? I like Orr, I'd keep him, but Betts and Hollweg add little to nothing on this team. We have plenty of guys who can kill penalties, but to have 3 forward completely unable to establish any type of scoring, to me that doesn't help. Todays game, your checking line needs to be able to add points, and these guys can't.

Also, what would be so bad about letting more of the younger guys come up and play? When I see veterans making mistake after mistake, I wonder to myself "How much worse could it really be if a 22 year old was doing the same thing, except learning from it and growing and getting better?

[oleosmirf]

pavel i agree with those signing exceot for malone. Take him away from Pittsburgh and that is 4 million a year for a 15-20 goal scorer. Let someone else take that risk.

the rangers are at a crossroads.

They have a lot of young propsects that could play on the 3rd/4th line but Dawes and Callahan IMHO are not ready to be 2nd line players. Now will Renney move a guy like Prucha up in the lineup or package him for a decent big 2nd line RW grinder that would be an upgrade over shanahan or resign the 4 forwards and rebuild the defense with a PP QB and some bruisers

[cwgatti]

I think Gratton will take Hollweg's job next year. . . .

[oleosmirf]

godot

pock is done, cherepanov wont be here next season.

I dont know about our 2 goons but if Byers and Jessiman can fight then they give the Rangers an offensive upgrade immediately and I doubt Betts is going anywhere.

i'm pretty sure you can't buy out contracts but a team like Phoenix that has excess cap space could take his contract for like a 6th rounder or something but as things stand Bachman might be our PP QB next season...

[cwgatti]

Dubinsky will go as Jagr goes. So, Sather just needs to tweak what will line up around Gomez and Drury. If Jagr leaves, I would sell high on Dubinsky, and see if we can call up Anisimov and Chreponov and make that the new 3rd line if they are ready. I like Dubinsky, but I believe he is the beneficiary of JJ. If Dubi were traded for a young physical D-man (traded in the wake of Jagr leaving only), I wouldn't complain. I am not saying trade him now, I am saying if Jagr goes. . . . .

[oleosmirf]

cqgatti

what??????

[Pavel]

The only reason I'd like Malone is because he's a very gritty player. Put him on a line WITH Avery and you'll get a ton of goals. Imagine a line such as:
Avery - Drury - Malone. That's a net-crashing line!

[wwwc9]

How about shanny as an assistant coach? He could still provide some wisdom to the youngins.

He's been around for 2 yrs, time for the kids to apply what they learned from him.

[oleosmirf]

pavel

Malone had Crosby and Malkin getting all the attention leaving him with a lot of room. You put him with Avery and Gomez and he doesnt come close to what he did this year. You want to invest over 4 million in a gritty 20 goal scorer??? We already have a surplus of 15-25 goal scorers what we need is at least 1 30+ goal scorer and Malone is not that guy

[cwgatti]

I think Malone is something the Rangers could use: A physical scoring winger. The Rangers lost the playoffs because they are too soft. Plenty of skill, but if your opponents can play the entire game without worrying about keeping their heads up, you will never win a cup.

[Jess]

First of all Jagr can be signed to an incentive laden contract due to his age. You can spread his money out keeping him affordable

Second CW trading Dubinsky after investing all that the Rangers just did is a Neil Smith era mistake. Sure let someone else reap the benefits of what the Rangers built. That is why they missed the playoffs for 7 years.

Anisimov is a half season away, Cherepanov is not leaving Russia.

Dawes and Sjostrom are RFAs, the Rangers keep their rights by offering them a 10% raise so if someone wants to top that then the Rangers will be comped.

No on Orpik as the Ranger answer is Ron Hainsey (only 700K last season) who if the Rangers offered any of the departing defenders the same money will get. Hainsey is also from CT (Bolton).

Avery knows that few teams actually want him but for his off ice interests there is only one place which is NYC. He will not make Page 6 or Vogue playing anywhere else.

Avery is the master of self-promotion and being a Ranger is going to help him the most open those doors. He will sign.

You can add a Kurt Sauer who quietly is a steady stay at home defender for 1.1 and have a mentor for kid brother Micheal.

And as I wrote at Prospect Park, keep an eye on stealth prospect Corey Potter who I think could steal a roster spot next training camp.

The Rangers can fix the team at reasonable numbers something Cameron Hope has repeatedly proven he can work the Cap.

[oleosmirf]

i completely agree with you but i dont think those 3 guys are enough. If Straka and Shanny go we have a 1st line LW and a 2nd line RW spot open and unless you strongly feel that they can be replaced internally (which i don't), the Rangers will have to overpay for a UFA in a week year or trade a prospect/pick or 2 for a goal scorer...

[Tom]

How much is Backman and Malik valued by other teams? Maybe we can package the 2 of them to simply move up 5 or 6 spots in the drafts to get a better prospect.

[Tom]

O and i think instead of a redden or campbell i think Streit at a cheaper price would be a better answer and get orpik/hainsey along with him. IMO we need to address the 2 problems with the D with 2 FA/Trade aqusitions. A puck-moving D man and a stay at home type. I say we dont get one with out the other.

[Pavel]

Not that I'd want to invest 4m/y into a Malone or Avery, but Slats will HAVE to. Mainly because Hartnell had 24g and is making 4.2m/y. Avery is going to want a similar deal, as well as Malone.

[Tom]

St. Louis resigned Jackman correct?

[And This One Will Last A Lifetime]

Maybe someone can go over the transcript between Sather and JD over the Backman trade and see if someone confused Backman with Jackman.

[laurie]

You can add a Kurt Sauer who quietly is a steady stay at home defender for 1.1 and have a mentor for kid brother Micheal.

I actually like this idea, not necessarily for the brother connection, but because Sauer is exactly what you say he is... a steady, stay-at-home defender with some experience, which is something we really need. And he shouldn't cost a lot. I do worry a bit about his durability, however. I'm not sure he's played a complete season since the lockout.

I'd also be interested in Streit, but everything I've read and heard seems to suggest he really wants to stay in Montreal.

And as I wrote at Prospect Park, keep an eye on stealth prospect Corey Potter who I think could steal a roster spot next training camp.

I'm with you on this one too. Everyone always mentions Baranka but Potter has very quietly zoomed up the depth chart similar to the way Girardi did. After Hutchinson, Potter was the top defenseman in Hartford this season. He's a solid, two-way, mobile defenseman, which is exactly the kind of player Renney seems to want to fill his defense corps with.

[Jameson]

Dubi,
If we let Roszival walk and give Mara the money we'd have given Roszival doesn't that work too?I personally prefer Mara over Roszival. At least Mara brings a physical presence to his game. I can't remember the last time Roszival even had a shot on goal, and his last game as a ranger is a game that had him take 3 real bad real blatent penalties.

[Jameson]

I'd also like to know what you and Jess and anyone else who's closer to the Rangers than we are feel about Thomas Pock's chances at actually playing with the Rangers next season and being part of the team the entire year, I feel like he got the short end of the stick this year and really didn't deserve to get sent down. He could also fill a similiar roll to what Strudwick played for us this season with his history of playing forward.

[Pavel]

Mara at 2.3m would be fine, but he'll get 3m+ grrr. Rozsival is simply AWFUL.

[Jameson]

Tom,
I think we've got stay at home defenseman in Fedor Tyutin and Dan Girardi. Maybe not so much in Tyutin but neither seem to get caught. If you have pairings that work well together a stay at home defenseman isn't necessary in my opinion, the days of a Beukeboom-Leetch type pairing working out are long gone, the new NHL is too fast for one defenseman to be constantly watching the other ones back. All 5 players have to be in the picture on offense and defense. On that note, I'd love to have a guy like Hal Gil or Mattias Norstrom come on board and partner up with the likes of Staal or Paul Mara, it would probably open up either one of their games offensively.

[And This One Will Last A Lifetime]

I believe I mentioned earlier that Malone might be one of the names that gets consideration if he hits UFA. At the time I thought it would help with size on the wings and at the same time weaken Pitt.

I had my initial doubts and thought he might be benefitting from the Kevin Stevens effect (and I'm not referring to the one that causes you to end up in motels in East St. Louis). Upon further examiniation his previous career high in goals was 22 before 27 this year. I'll even add on a goal or two because he missed 5 games this year...still playing with what will probably be the runner up for the Hart and a resurgent Sykora only netted him 5 more goals?

Maybe he's worth close to $4 million, but not the $5 million he's likely going to receive.

[Joe in DE]

Even in the twilight of Shanahan's career, he still scores 20+ a year. When we're a team that is lacking so much offense, getting rid of one of our top goal scorers doesn't sit well with me, especially when he has so many other upsides. This is all provided he'll resign for a reasonable rate.

[Greg L]

If someone mentions Orpik or Malone again.....im gonna Puke!! I do not see the Devil fans saying ..maybe we should sighn Avery!!?? Last time i looked WE WERE BEAT by Orpik and Malone ...yeah , i'd like 'em on my team so i can have Avery Kick the snot outta 'em!!! NO-WAY it too early to be wanting Penguin players or stuff like that...can the fan get charged for Tampering , while the players they want ..are still playing in the playoffss???

[JBytes]

"cwgatti | May 07, 2008 at 10:08 AM"

Cwgatti, are you OK? What does JJ have to do with Dubinsky's natural skills? Besides Gomez, who does a better job stick-handling the puck down the ice? Who on our team fights for and protects the puck along the boards better than Dubi? Yes, JJ might create a bit of space for him to chip in some of his goals, but the kid will be all right, with or without Jagr.

[And This One Will Last A Lifetime]

Greg L,

I understand the fresh sting of getting beat by them, but we did go out and get Drury and Gomez who had big hands in our playoff exits the previous two years.

[Greg L]

BTW .... DUBINSKY is the total package , its not because of Jagr either , does Jagr hold Dubinskys hand when dubi , rushes in the zone , holding the puck , positioning himself ,passing , shooting , scoring those goals in the playoffs???!! Jagr is so important to Dubinsky , Jagr has taught him loads and will continue to do so , unless Jagr is going to Washington (Nylander).Jagr is not going to Russia yet . Pride to be the highest scoring european ever to play in the NHL(he already is) ..with other young russians now in the NHL mix , Jagr needs a few more years to solidify his points , goals and assists..so even a healthy Ovechkin needs to play 15 straight years , injury free to beat him.

[Greg L]

Lifetime guy ...yes we did go out and get them ( Gomez and Drury)...but we waited until the end of the playoffs , and then signed them ,you can't say it was a lil uneasy to see Drury in the locker room agter he beet us just a few months ago...BUT he was signed , what can a fan do?...i have to accept him,, why? ...because he is now wearing a Ranger sweater , he plays for us . He and Gomez are welcomed to our familly , the day they pulled on that Jersey and drew for the number 23 .

[mike m]

What about Hutchinson down in HFD??? Offensively, he tore it up in HFD, anyone know how his D-game was? I would think if he didn't have to go through waivers, they would have called him up instead of trading for that useless toad Backman.

[Jameson]

I think you guys are all just assuming Shanahan wants to come back and play another year. In my eyes it looked as though Shanahan was a very tired, very sore, broken down old player. There's a reason he ended up taking shifts on the 4th line, and it was not to benefit the 4th line... I got the feeling from watching him play that he might be hanging them up. I'm surprised no one has brought this up or at least questioned if Shanny would in fact return or not or if he played his last game in game 5.

We didn't even think twice about it but we may have witnessed two 600 goal scorers play their last games in the NHL wearing a rangers sweater sunday.

[Pavel]

Hutchinson really turned his game around. From what I saw in Hartford (and during Carolina's cup run from watching random games that entire season), he's a good 5th or 6th. He's not a defensive liability as some would think. He was voted by his teammates in Hartford as Captain and he had a monster year. He's going to want NHL and nothing else, and he's earned it.

With that being said, imagine these pairings:
Redden - Staal
Tyutin - Girardi
Potter - Hutchinson/Backman

[Andrea]

Actually Jameson, there was at least one mention of that by Chris Drury! He was quoted as saying that while he wouldn't mention it to them, he was aware that it may be their last time on Garden ice. It's certainly been on my mind since the whispering started about Jagr not making his contract-extension-option hits (whatever they're called.)

The Shanny situation reminds me SO much of the last months of Messier: Will he stay or will he go? And all the hand-wringing and arguing over his merits, intangibles, etc.

[laurie]

Jameson, Pock is borderline NHL defenseman at best. He had a shot at the role of 7th defenseman this season, but started complaining about his lack of playing time a mere 5 games into the season, resulting in his banishment to Hartford, where he got the play to his hearts content.

Mike M, Hutch was good at both ends of the ice in Hartford, for the most part, and I agree that if it wasn't for re-entry waivers, he would have at least gotten a look this season. But he's a UFA and I'm not convinced A. the Rangers want to bring him back or B. he won't get better offers elsewhere even if they do.

[Tom]

all UFA's must go except for Jagr and Avery.
Orpick is a MUST...we need a banger on D...
Give Bobby S. a shot at the point on the PP...i know he's young but he had a great year in Junior! Keep with the youth Movement!!! Maybe we can hit lightning in a bottle 2 years in a row (staal)???

Backman has to go...you can see why JD got rid of him...

up front I love Betts heart but we need a little more productivity from our 4th line...they dont need to score a ton of goals but 3 or 4 just doesnt cut it...THEY HAD 13 POINTS COMBINED WHILE MATTIAS NORSTROM HAD THAT MANY POINTS IN DALLAS...Orr can stay for obvious reasons and he isnt that bad defensivly...

Bring in Malone he is a big guy with speed and can get to the front of the net he might even work well with Dubinksy and Jagr...also he and Avery signings would be in the same range as Hossa or Campbell...

I would package Prucha and Hollweg and get back maybe a prospect and draft picks...its obvious that Prucha is done here and Hollweg is just a hitter with no real other skills...good skater tries but we need more balance and its time to give the other kids a REAl shot!
Sign Freddie if he's cheap enough.

KEEP BRINING UP THE KIDS!!!

[oleosmirf]

for all of you guys who want Malone. Do not expect him to repeat those numbers here in NY. Hopefully Sather and co. wont be as desperate as some of the folks in here and fall victim to a weak UFA class. I would much rather see the Rangers miss the playoffs during a rebuilding year then see them waste millions of dollars on guys like Malone, Vrbata, Liles, Hossa and Orpik.

As long as Jagr is back and Hank is in top form the Rangers will make the playoffs and with some luck the Rangers could go far again. Once Jagr is resigned then we can speculate on what the team should look like but until then let's hope he is back in NY. Once that is done everything should fall into place...

On a side note is there any lists of the UFAs for the 09-10 season???

[stuart]

I agree with Tom.. very and Jagr should be back.. under no circumstances should straka, roszival, malik be back..

straka has been a OK player, good guy, etc, but he CANNOT finish and is a top 6 forward that is unacceptable..

Shanny I hope he retires but if he can be a 4th liner and get back to how he was playing ealry in a season that is OK but not preferd...

Of course Dawes and Sjustrom need to be resigned.

if they lose staka,shanny, roszi, malik, and mara they will save about $16 mill, if Jagr comes back for 2 yrs(max) then they have enough cash for 1 top forward(Hossa makes most sense) and 1 D man.. I go with the banger over the PP QB because They need toughness and I think Staaal or long term Sanguinetti can be the PP QB long term...

they need to be like Buffalo of last yr. 4 lines up and down, etc...

[Mr. Moose]

Mr. Moose Says:

If we have the 'same' core back, we will not make the playoffs. All the cracks showed against the Penguins and having a hybrid team (Jagr's Europeon style and the
Dump and Chase of Gomez and Drury), is poison.
Renney was out-coached again. He is a great guy, but a weak in-game adjustor.
Given the power play over the past two years, isn't Perry Pearn the most over-rated asst. coach in the NHL?
Jagr cannot stay as Captain. Did Modano play less enthusiastically when they passed the torch to the gritty Brendan Morrow; Many teams change Captains when it's obvious that the all-star is not a leader.
Bite the bullit and ew-tool with size and grit. It's not a Europeon thing (look at guys like Ovechkin, Malkin, Zetterburg and
Datysuk); they all play with grit. Jagr is a wonderful ballet dancer in a hip-hop league.
Cherapanov is small, soft and will never be a star in the NHL. If you watch him in
world competition, he disappears against the top teams. Anisimov is a wonderful player who should be up at the NHL level.
For the record, Hartford did el-foldo in the playoffs; how good are those players?
Sanguineti is not ready if his play in Hartford is any indicator.
We have too many small forwards and toothless d-men. Tyutin is very inconsistent and prone to make big mistakes. He can't hit the net and is out of position often; I love Girardi and Staal, but both were horrible against the Pens size and speed.
Hossa would be horrible as a Ranger. Playing with the Pens stars allows him time and space.
Bring back Shanny, name him Capt. Pace his ice time, but let him run the locker room.

[stuart]

also the czech mafia needs to end.. what I saw of reden this yr. was not good he is 30 yrs old and played very pporly.

malone and Orpik are products of there team don't get me wrong the yare good players but that is it.. Orpik on the Islanders he is nothing.. Malone on the fishies he scores 20 goals if he is lucky.

[Darren Langdon]

Jagr stays. Trade Dubinski? Are you smokin too much dubi?. Rozi was disappointing and I wouldn't keep him unless he takes a reasonable salary. Same with Mara, I like the way he played for the most part but he would need to take a pay cut. Backman needs to be cast aside and I guess Hollywood, though I like where his heart is, needs to go too. I guess Betts could be moved aside for one of the younger guys but claiming that he is useless to this team is preposterous. Malik should go, don't hate him like everyone else, but it is clear his time with the Rangers should be done.

Straka can still light it up and Shanny can still be play a huge role on the following conditions -- Straka agrees not only to a pay cut but also some type of brainwashing to get him to be the offensive player he could be and he'll make Jagr more comfortable -- I just think he had a very off year. Shanny not so much but I could see him taking a pay cut and diminished role and that would be just fine with me (I think Sather was the one who overpaid him last year when he was willing to take a cut). I think he probably serves the team in ways that none of us can relate to so at a discount i keep him -- a healthier Shanny can still help.

As for FAs -- please please please don't buy into the hype about Campbell and please do not overpay for Redden - I think he is aperfect candidate for Big Name, Big Contract, Big Disappointment on Broadway -- just a gut feeling. Orpik and Commodore are the mashers we need and hopefully at a cheaper price. I would then try to make a trade (yes, sacrifice some picks or assets) for a top offensive D-man. Still leaves the problem of a power forward -- Malone looks great but he will be expensive and I could see him not producing on team that doesn't have the same makeup as Pitt.

All in all I just hope most of us are wrong about the moves that will be made. Yeah, Sather didn't do jack at the trade deadline but at least he didn't sell the farm for an impact player that would now be leaving -- there wasn't a single player available that would have made enough of an impact to get us to the Cup this year. There doesn't need to be major changes and I don't see why keeping most of the roster intact guarantees another early exit next year -- if you were watching there were plenty of times this could have gone in our favor -- yes, we do need some tweaking but no reason to sound the alarm

[stevek]

The question is do we really want the same team next year??
They will be a year older, and maybe a year wiser, but as you can see from the 30yr and over age group, their production has decreased, and I don't see it getting any better. You can blame Renney's system, but at the end of the day alot of these guys are not finishers...I still have flashbacks to the open nets missed by Dawns, Straka, etc in the playoffs...and it looked like all the defencemen can't put a shot on goal and when they do they score...
It would be nice to be able to trade with Tampa for its first round pick so they can draft Stamkos, who has the potential to be a very high scorer and finisher in the NHL. The Rangers do have the prospects to pull off this trade. But if not, I think Avery, Jagr and Straka (because I think they come as a packaged, you have to give Jagr a friendly environment with someone his own age and homeland)should be the only ones to be resigned.

[Dubi]

baals -- "What has Rozsvial done to deserve $4-6 million?" -- Well, first of all, I didn't say it would take $4-6 million to re-sign Rozsival, I said it would take that much to fill his spot, Rozsival at the low end of the scale, or someone like Redden at the higher end. But beyond that, if you want to understand what is going to happen and why, you have to take a step back and look at things from the point of view of the decision makers and not from your own subjective point of view. The trend has been obvious for several years now -- defensemen like Rozsival are getting $4-5 million a year. GMs are, unfortunately, not consulting with Ranger fans on whom they like and don't like when making those decisions.

Pavel, not only is your math off by $4 million, you've also underestimated how much the Rangers are already committed for next year by nearly the same amount. So you're $7 mil over the cap without having re-signed Dawes and Sjo for at least $1.5 mil. It would help if you read what I wrote so that you'd already know what the situation is. Of course, if you offered Jagr no more than $5 mil, then you'd save yourself $5 mil of your overage, because it's going to take more than that to re-sign him. And why on earth you'd want to give $4 mil to a guy who could score no more than 27 goals and 51 points playing on a line with Crosby is beyond me.

Tom -- Malik is a UFA, we can't trade him. Backman is untradeable -- no one (other than Slats) will pay 2.3 million for a healthy scratch on D. Buying him out is not an option since that results in a cap hit, but waiving him like we did Kasparaitis gets his salary out from under the cap. For those who asked about Hutchinson, he is a UFA and is 99% likely to sign elsewhere. Pock was included in my cap calculation since he is under contract -- I figured either he will be the 7th D or someone else will be brought in at the same salary level. Pock and Hutch are not guys that inspire confidence in Renney, which is why I wouldn't expect to see them in New York next season.

Jameson -- If we let Rozsival walk, we don't have to give Mara that money, because he won't command that much. Mara was a third-pair D who was even a scratch. He never showed an ability to overcome his problems with consistency as a Ranger. We cannot entrust 25 minutes a game to him as #1 D. I think he did well enough in the playoffs to warrant a return in the $1.5 million range -- but if someone is going to offer him more, the he will go elsewhere.

I know Hollweg is not popular right now with some fans (though he remains popular with others), but he is a popular guy in the locker room -- again, last I looked, GMs aren't checking in with fans for advice. You need a banger in the regular season -- he is under contract right now, so he's on the depth chart unless and until he is traded or waived. I expect him to be challenged by Gratton in training camp, and I expect Soryal to challenge for that role a year from now, but at the moment, Hollweg is the guy who fills that role, and the occasional bad penalty is the price a team has to pay.

Darren, maybe you ought to check what you're smoking, as I never said anything about trading Dubinsky.

[Jameson]

Tom,
the 4th line isn't going to produce any offense with Colton Orr in the lineup. It's the cost of having that kind of muscle in the lineup. If Betts had Sjostrom and another winger that had some offensive firepower you'd see that line produce more offense. The reason it put together 13 points combined is because most of the year Betts' wingers were Hollweg and Orr, with a mix of Greg Moore in there a few times. And then Sjostrom came in, but that was fairly late in the season. But with Orr and/or Hollweg in the lineup on that line, it will not produce much scoring. Period. And I don't think it's a problem. The first three lines should produce plenty of points with the kind of offensive depth we have.

[oleosmirf]

dubi

i dont think he was talking about you he was talking about smoking the dubi as in marijuana

but anyways how does the RFA process exactly work b/c there are some good players available (Green, Bouwmeester, Perry, Erat, Bernier, Svatos, Meszaros, Vermette, Wolski, A. Kostitsyn, Filppula, Suter, Wideman etc.

[Pavel]

The RFA process works as follows. If it's July 1st, and you're an RFA, you can entertain ANY offer. If you sign it, your original team MUST match the offer if they want to keep you.. but there's a catch.

Take Green for example. If he's offered more than 4m, and the Caps don't match, then we have to forfeit draft picks. The more you pay, the more you forfeit.

Anything over 4.5m is something like 4 first rounders.

[laurie]

For the record, Hartford did el-foldo in the playoffs; how good are those players?

Keep in mind they went down to the team that's currently got the best team in the AHL at the brink of elimination, thanks in large part due to the play of NHL goaltender Alex Auld.

[oleosmirf]

well unless they can pry away green or bouwmeester for only 1 1st rounder i dont think anyone else is worth going after...

[Pavel]

Bouwmeester is probably the only RFA worth the risk, IMO.

[joeymole]

oh freak, we should be discussing rangers in next round of playoffs instead of speculating ("guessing") about next year's team. how frustrating is this?!? and how bad will it be to watch pens vs. philly, two teams truly hated by me. and nice of the nhl to friggin' spread playoffs over time, why hasn't the next round started yet??!

anyway, two major problems with this team were the powerplay and the defense (turnovers). first off, rangers in need of a new powerplay coach. nothing creative done, no solution found all year, and it all came home to roost in the playoffs vs. pens. secondly, make moves to bring 2 new defensemen. adios to malik, mara and (i hope) backman. it seems to me that it's defensively that the rangers need the most help and should be the focus of this summer's signings. no, don't have specific names, need time to review the field. funny those references to the football giants went bye-bye. why? because rangers didn't have the defense prowess and will to sack the pens when needed.

offensively, thinking jagr will return for the right money and for the nhl opening in prague. maybe a 1-year contract, final chance for a cup with rangers? can rangers find him someone else to play with besides straka, and let marty go?? think that would be a wise move. and would not be surprised if prucha, hollweg, and betts were also gone. top 3 lines will pretty much stay the same with the exception of shanny. does he stay or go. probably wants to stay with rangers to finish his career. (my hope is shanny stays, is named captain, and scores 30 goals with 30 assists!)

final thought; the 4th line has tried to be the shutdown line this past year but if right moves are made on defense then 4th line role should change. it could remain 'high energy' but with a scoring threat. betts and hollweg can't provide both scoring and checking threat. this is where some offensive deals/moves could be made?

[Darren Langdon]

Oleo, thank you for clearing that up for me and while I have no qualms with partaking in a little dubi, the dubi here was not the focus of my point -- I was referencing a comment I saw saying that if JJ goes then we should trade Dubinski for something big but I think this is exactly the kind of trade a lot of stuff pull our hair out over. I understand where it is coming from but I think that kid will develop into an Ox -- compared to how green he looked at the beginning of the season even under Jagr's wing -- he looked like he really came into his own by the end and I think we need to hang on to guys like him, Girardi, and Callahan without question.

[Three Chord Monte]

Mr. Moose is a hockey genius, but he likes Shanny too much. I agree with Moose but Shanny must go. Shanny would be great to have if we could count on him playing a year younger instead of a year older.

The chemistry on this team is okay. Loose Jagr and company and viola! Instant karma. Nirvana is just a couple of d-men away.

Youth and speed, my friends. Youth and speed.

[Darren Langdon]

I love Shanny with the C especially at a discount and limited ice time (which he seems to suggest he would be open to) -- he doesn't want to go out with this past season -- he rehabs completely, takes the pay cut, takes the C spotlight and give JJ an A and I think it will be worth it. I still think his presence will make up for his lack of offensive production but who knows - he could surprise all of us. I love Prucha and still don't understand what has happened with him but he seems to have fallen from grace so maybe he could be big trade bait though I'd hate to see him go.

[oleosmirf]

three cord monte

if Jagr goes we have 0 scoring threats from the wing. Many of you are forgetting that without Jagr this is not a playoff team. I'm sorry but Gomez and Drury are not good enough to carry a team and replacing Jagr with Hossa is only a step in the wrong direction...

[Mark W.]

How easily people forget that Jagr, for all his struggles, was still the team's LEADING SCORER. 71 pts is tough to replace, not to mention keeping the other team occupied with him. We're in trouble if he dosn't come back.

P.S. Isn't it nice to not be talking about officiating for once? Though if we were, we'd probably still be playing, so maybe not.

[Effigy of the Forgotten]

Rosy is not worth 4+ million. Our defense is rather soft, especially with Backman in the picture. How in the world this guy is getting 3+ million is a f@cking joke. His play in the defensive end is terrible.

Onto my next problem: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH TICKET PRICES !!!!

Boston and Detroit had playoff tickets as low as TEN DOLLARS ! Its downright ridiculous. Not only that, but if you are a partial ticket holder, you are FORCED to pay full price to buy 1 exibition game. That pretty much takes any money you save and throws it out the window.

[Pavel]

Oh, I would love to see Jagr come back. It's impossible to bounce back after losing your top point guys.. just look at this years' Buffalo.. Briere/Drury/Zubrus accounted for 164 points. This team has enough trouble with offense, and filling the void with our 3rd liners is not enough.

[Jess]

Mr Moose

Sorry but you are so off base here with your predictions.

If we have the 'same' core back, we will not make the playoffs. All the cracks showed against the Penguins and having a hybrid team (Jagr's Europeon style and the Dump and Chase of Gomez and Drury), is poison.

Then explain how Jagr was the leading scorer in the playoffs until the Rangers were eliminated? Explain how perhaps the best overall line for the Rangers was Drury/Cally/Dawes?

Renney was out-coached again. He is a great guy, but a weak in-game adjustor.

No he was not and that is the typical weak argument that people try to come up with. Was Renney out coached when Drury got cut, when an offsided led to a goal?

People expected Sutter to out coach Renney, it never happened.

Given the power play over the past two years, isn't Perry Pearn the most over-rated asst. coach in the NHL?

No because he does a lot more than just the PP.

Jagr cannot stay as Captain. Did Modano play less enthusiastically when they passed the torch to the gritty Brendan Morrow; Many teams change Captains when it's obvious that the all-star is not a leader.
Bite the bullit and ew-tool with size and grit. It's not a Europeon thing (look at guys like Ovechkin, Malkin, Zetterburg and
Datysuk); they all play with grit. Jagr is a wonderful ballet dancer in a hip-hop league.

Are you sure you watched the playoffs or are even a Ranger fan?

Cherapanov is small, soft and will never be a star in the NHL. If you watch him in world competition, he disappears against the top teams.

Now I know you do not know what you are talking about.

Anisimov is a wonderful player who should be up at the NHL level.

Now I am sure you are picking stuff out of the hat. Anisimov needs at least another half season in Hartford while building up his body. He is way too skinny for the NHL.

For the record, Hartford did el-foldo in the playoffs; how good are those players?

Hmm who to believe Laurie who has a proven track record or someone who posts once in a while. Sorry in credibility you lose.

Sanguineti is not ready if his play in Hartford is any indicator.

SANGUINETTI (please not your misspelling of his name) is just 20 so it is no shock that he needs time in the AHL.

We have too many small forwards and toothless d-men. Tyutin is very inconsistent and prone to make big mistakes. He can't hit the net and is out of position often; I love Girardi and Staal, but both were horrible against the Pens size and speed.

Please those same small forwards played well enough to get them into the second round. Cmon which forwards had game winners? Thank you

Bring back Shanny, name him Capt. Pace his ice time, but let him run the locker room.

Uh you want to resign the guy who was so slow in the playoffs that he got dropped in lines? Sure resign a guy who is going to be 40 and you vented about toothless?

I am sorry but if the Rangers followed your plan it would turn them into the New York Islanders.

You do not take into account that any of the younger players just might improve next season based upon the lessons they learned as rookies?

You act as if the Rangers have next to nothing to build upon which is not the case.

Thanks for stopping by Mike Milbury.

Jameson

I for one think Pock is not going to be back. I think he angered Renney with his venting in the media and signed his exile paperwork.

ALL

Shanny as a part time player but full time captain is a waste of money.

You want your captain to be one of your key leaders both on and off the ice. Sorry if you want Shanny to be a coach then let him retire and offer him a job.

[jason]

Jess,
True about Shanny but if Jagr doesn't return. Who do you give the C to? I'd think Drury would be the favorite but who else? Gomez?

[i]

nice to read what everybody would like to see happen. But the question is what does Renney want and what will Sather do? The rest is fantasy.

[i]

if the NYR don't resign Avery, he'll be pitching the fishstinks and the dirt devils, so he can stay in NYC.

[TonyM]

Just received the new issue of The Hockey News. On the cover they have Sean Avery with drawn devil horns. Big write up about his peskiness etc. But also how there are a number of teams that want him. and how he is looking for $ 4 mil a year for 5 years.
Sean wants to stay in NY. I predict he will stay in NY , but with the NY Islanders. . I believe Snow will pay him that as he needs to bring back the Isles fan base.
Then we will criticize Sather even more as he could have signed Sean a year ago at $ 3 mil a year for 3 to 4 years.

[paularensburg]

"One shift at a time"

"One period at a time"

Is that how the Rangers played with the season on the line? Almost 15 minutes w/o a SOG in game 5 period 2; zero hits for the entire period! 1 for 4 on the PP and I'm not talking goals but shots! Total tank at the Garden in game 3! Much less success on the pk v. both NJ and Pitt! And people think Renney Pearn and Pelino are sufficient? All season, shifts/periods/games were just mailed in w/o coaching being able to do a thing. How'd we all like that western swing?

I don't believe in any "conspiracy" between the league and the refs, but if there were one maybe it didn't have to do with small market v. big. Maybe it was just aesthetics that drove the prejudice against the NYR. Who could blame them? Ask any neutral fan of the game if they'd rather see the artless and undisciplined Rangers against Philly?

[paularensburg]

Quite the stones on a guy who can't operate html and who misspells during an attack on somebody's misspelling.

[BLAZE]

Does anyone know if tomorrow's first game of the qualification round of World Championship will be televised in the states? Game starts @ 8:15 PM.

[BLAZE]

Does anyone know of a site where to read World Championship box scores?

[max]

I hope that people are not overlooking the lessons from how the NY Giants handled the offseason last year. They did not jump into a weak free agent market signing people because they were available and might fill a need at a too high price. Too many people seem to be calling for the Rangers to do just that. To me the only free agent from another team that might indeed be worth a premium contract is Hossa. Sather should be extremely weary of the rest of the riff-raff that is available. Remember this is a league with a fixed cap, you cannot go over it like in the NBA. It would be a big mistake to sign people to bad contracts that would have a long term effect on the salary cap. I'd personally be willing to take a small step back, even if it means missing the playoffs, to have longer-term cap flexibility. There is nothing wrong with making small improvements while waiting for the kids to develop. The ultimate goal is to win the cup, not to make the playoffs every year. Before you call for this free agent or that free agent to be signed, ask yourself if this is a player who long term will help the Rangers win the cup.

[Puluche]

Can't believe some people want Rosival back... especially for the $ he is going to command. Please...

Nice posts by passionate Ranger fans. Some are out of whack though. Look forward to next year. However, I'm hoping for a much different look to the team, especially on D. That's all. Gotta root for my depleted Yanks now. Long summer... Hope the west wins the Cup.

[wwwc9]

Re: Backman.

What''d the rangers give up for him? 4th round pick? Anyone feel we were swindled by JD for him?

Who recommended him? Who scouted him?

[BLAZE]

someone e-mailed me a pretty cool link. the NHL has new uniforms for the referees starting next season.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/PrairieDog/NewRefereeJersey.jpg

[Leo]

Mara should go, Redden must come.

[Steve]

After having read todays comments several thoughts come to mind. If Jagr wants to comeback Sather should accomodate him. Backman is simply horrible and should be sent to the first taker!
What the Rangers really need is simply some grit
and defensemen who can actualy hit the net with a shot. Finally for the life of me I cannot understand what system they use for the powerplay.
It is simply beyond the pale how weak it was. For some reason all the players from Jagr all the way down the list have no powerplay skills most of all
quickness and accuracy. They really need to look at the Penguins powerplay because they are able to move the puck quickly and have the dmen chase the puck until their toungues are hanging out. In conclusion some players who hit well enough give up after the softies follow with a weak shift. A
checked player can't shoot, pass or move to a more advantagous position. Learn how to hit and do it on a constant basis. This season the Rangers did very little on constant basis.

[ant]

: Effigy of the Forgotten

You are forced to buy ALL PRESEASON GAMES NUT JUST 1

[ant]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I hate this font

[the poster formerly known as John]

Is Backman really that bad? He showed some flashes of offensive talent, especially on the power play, and after a few shaky games, he started playing more physical. I think I actually saw him clearing the crease during the playoffs.

I don't want to see Commodore as a Ranger unless it's as a third pairing guy. He's slower than Malik and takes more bad penalties.

[i]

BLAZE all the refs have them in their home closet since the beginning of April.....

Former John do you think Backman is worth $3.4 mil? JD did a nice salary dump, and Sather was happy to catch it. That was one heck of a deadline move to get this TEAM to the finals. He got less than what he'll pay for. He's pretty good at wasting jimmyboy's unearned money that his daddy gives him to play with.

[Mark W.]

Blaze

If you go to myp2p.eu you can usually find the Worlds, download sopcast and TVU. or try channelsurfing.net

ihwc.net usually has box scores too.

[Mark W.]

on myp2p.eu, click on icehockey at the top to see the schedule

[Mark W.]

Norway just beat Germany, it's USA vs Germany tomorrow night and Norway's win puts Slovakia out, wow.

[Jess]

Sorry Folks was posting between classes and missed the coding (except Ant who I wanted to torture LOL)

Jason

I disagree with Dubi as I do believe that Jagr is going to return. Playing in the first NHL game ever in front of his fellow countryman I believe means more to him than any of us realize.

When the Rangers play in Bern, when they play in the Czech Republic those games will be a part of history and for Jagr there is no price tag that can be placed on it.

We Americans sometimes take things for granted and maybe those games in Europe do not mean anything except perhaps a inconvenience for watching but can you imagine what it is going to mean for Jagr and any other Czech?

Jagr will be back as a Ranger as I also think that Jagr being a proud man also wants to leave the NHL on a higher note than he did this season.

On the off chance that Jagr does not return, to be honest I do not like some of the choices the Rangers have. Being the captain of the Rangers is a position always under the microscope.

It is more than being a team leader as you are also basically a team spokesman to the media. Drury is terrible talking to the media and Gomez the other choice speaks in cliches (ask Dubi what it is like to interview either).

Staal is too young as is Dubinsky and Callahan. I wish Girardi was older as I would rather have him than Drury or Gomez.

I think Gomez is the lesser of 2 evils which to me is an even greater reason to want Jagr back

[Jess]

Leo

I would rather pass on Redden as I do not think he is going to be worth the investment. He was paid 6.5 million and for that amount the Rangers could add 2 solid defenders

[Jess]

Pul

Can't believe some people want Rosival back... especially for the $ he is going to command. Please...

For me the last straw was the 6 PIMs against the Pens as it reminded me of how many times I got nervous every single time the Rangers were on defense and there was Rozsival.

On defense, Rozsival makes me miss Poti.

[that guy...]

We are all forgetting about the following RFA's and UFA's that could be of some help
RFA's
Defensemen

Wideman, Dennis 24 D - after seeing him play, he has alot of talent the Rangers could use
Byfuglien, Dustin 22 D - has highly promising offensive promise
Wisniewski, James 23 D - don't know much about but have heard nice things
Pitkanen, Joni 23 D - let down in EDM could just need a change in scenery
Bouwmeester, Jay 23 D - great d-man that will probably no go anywhere
Suter, Ryan 22 D - don't know much about but have heard nice things
Weber, Shea 21 D - don't know much about but have heard nice things
Meszaros, Andrej 21 D - good puck movement with a nice shot and a nice hit
Ehrhoff, Christian 24 D - quiet in playoffs but still talented
Green, Mike 21 D - enough said

RFA's
offense

Paille, Dan 23 L - good offnsive up-side i think he could turn into a could two-way forward
Ladd, Andrew 21 L - why Carolina let him go...i'll never know
Wolski, Wojtek 21 L - has a knack for finding the back of the net
Kostitsyn, Andrei 22 L - probably will not go anywhere
Hossa, Marcel 25 L - just kidding (seeing if everyone was paying attention)
Perry, Corey 22 R - i know he has been mentioned but definitely worth mentioning again (avery-drury-perry :-)
Chistov, Stanislav 24 R - don't know much about but have heard nice things
Kobasew, Chuck 25 R - good offensive upside- didn't take many penalties this season either
Bernier, Steve 22 R - could have gotten him for Avery, thankfully not but is on his way to becoming an elite NHLer
Svatos, Marek 25 R - a personal favorite

UFA's
Defense

Tarnstrom, Dick 32 D - Rangers were looking at him at the trade dealine and instead got backman (we were screwed)
Mezei, Branislav 26 D - great D-man for Florida

UFA's
Offense

Huselius, Kristian 28 L - put up great numbers in CGY would be nice to see what he could do here
Hagman, Niklas 27 L - not a bad season at all in DAL
Simon, Chris 35 L - (again to see if you are paying attention)
Pandolfo, Jay 32 L - I know i know but you saw the year he had for the Debbies
Ruutu, Jarkko 31 L - he's just as nuts as Avery so put the two on the same line and see how things work (hope they don't fight each other) - * i know Avery is a left wing but i slightly remember him playing RW at some point
Rolston, Brian 34 R - with 59 points this season he must have been doing somehting right in MIN

their u have it pick it apart if you must

[Alan]

laurie-the goalie in portland is an nhl goalie, but it is jean-sebastien aubin, not alex auld. aubin if im not mistaken is the other goalie in the ad shown 9,000 a night on vs with ryan miller telling you mama jokes.

i saw a handful of games in hartford this year (hoped to see more in the playoffs but...) and hutch was not impressive in the games i saw. pock was the best player on the ice in all the games. jessiman i think will turn out to be a player. he has great soft hands but needs a better finishing touch. korpi was the buzzsaw we saw in game 5 (donnie finally got one right!). i liked sauer's commitment to D but the game was a little too fast for him at that level. bourret cherry-picks on almost every shift i saw.

funny thing was every game i was at they lost, and this was coming off of streaks of 10 some odd games without a loss a few times over the season. it must have been me.

to reiterate what i've said a few times since game 5, no jagr, no straka, no shanny, no rozey, no hollweg. maybe no tyutin. we need a clean break from the past few years. otherwise it's gonna start looking like messier redux with jags and i couldn't bear that.

the more i think about malone, you guys are probably right about him being on the right team at the right time for him, probably won't have as much success being one of the top guys. i like hossa, tho, and think he'll be fine with dubi and maybe cally on the other wing.

huselius i think is a ufa who can score and might work as an option with gomer. soft? a bit. but he's been successful out west the past few years. maybe sjostrom or sean or even korpi on the other wing.

dru, dawes and sjostrom and/or avery. and betts (if we have to) with who's ever left over! keep orr.

[laurie]

Alan, you're absolutely correct, it's Aubin, not Auld in Portland. Total brain freeze there. Or maybe I was just trying to repress the memories of his play against the Pack after Anaheim brought him in at the trade deadline.

Oh, and if Pock was the best player on the ice whenever you saw them, it's no wonder they lost all the time. ;)

[Mark W.]

Above comment

What. The. F.

btw if anyone is interested in watching Team USA, remember that they are in Nova Scotia and they are an hour ahead of us. Their 8:15 local start against germnay tomorrow is 7:15 EDT. Go to myp2p.eu and they should have it available in some language (I watched them play Canada on some Danish channel)

[CraigZ]

Before I go to bed let me just state for the record that Redden is being run out of Ottawa. Why... Nordstrom is playing in Sweden next year and anyhow he's 58 years old. If I packaghe anyone in a trade it's Tyutin. Never progressed as far as he should have and certainly can't hit the net with his shot. That's the part I can't understand. From the blue line you don't worry about picking corners...you just put it in front and hope for the best. Oh well...Z

[ThisYearsModel]

I would hope that Rozsival is allowed to walk. Same for Mara. I would entertain the signing of Branislav Mezei. I would stay far away from Wade Redden. I also like JM Liles and Orpik. If we are to get forward help, it will probably need to be via a trade.

[Scott Smith]

this is definitely the weakest UFA class i can remember

[CraigZ]

Max...You have the best post tonight...except the part about the yankees...Let's go Mets.. I can't wait till it get close to 7/1.... this site will be on fire...Oleo... sometimes you are so very wrong and sometimes you are so very right...how do you do that???Z

[ThisYearsModel]

I have a feeling that Avery will suit up for someone other than the Rangers next season. Someone will offer him More $. He will follow the $. Don't blame him. Slats should have signed him during the season.

[oleosmirf]

z

haha i change my mind alot but just b/c i say somethings that arent popular doesnt mean i'm wrong

anyways max reiterated my point. I hear a lot of ppl throwing names out like Malone and Hossa. Sorry I'm not throwing out that kind of money to complementary players when a guy like Lecavalier is a UFA in 09-10.

There is one UFA who I think would be a perfect fit for Jagr and would instantly improve our team in all aspects of the game, Mats Sundin. I know we have 3 centers already but Drury can move back to the LW and fill that void nicely. Although Sundin should only be had for a 1 year deal of course as he is getting up there in age.

Then with around 21 million to spend signing Jagr with bonuses, Sundin, Dawes, Sjostrom, Vally and Avery then start rebuilding the defense through the additions of Hainsey and K. Sauer and the reductions of Backman and Prucha...

[paulinflorida]

On the offensive side, it all revolves around Jagr. The last three years the team pretty much was built around him and if he signs with the Rangers I believe the same logic will apply. I don't like the idea of Straka staying if Jaromir stays...it's time for a change eventhough Jagr might have something to say about that. Rangers management shouldn't have their hands tied by Jagr in determining if he stays we have got to sign Straka. Resigning Avery should be a no brainer for Sather...come on.. how could you not...he is the spark plug of the team. I can't see Prucha being the player he was in his rookie season, he is a spunky player but I think we have seen the best of him and needs to be moved as well a Hollweig. We need a tough guy to keep things in line and Orr would be the only one left (Hollweig out to pasture) for that role, so replacing him with a player that can dish it out and maybe score some goals on the fourth line would help. If Jagr doesn't sign then there is some real re-tooling to be done which may not be very pretty as that is a major hole to fill. As much as one has to love what Shanahan brings to the team, it may be time for him to move on. On defense, Rozy is an adequate defensemen but at what price...he shouldn't become one of the highest paid defensemen in the league. Eventhough Mara is another adequate defensemen, he probably needs to move on and the Rangers focus on a PP quarterback that can hit the net with a shot which Mara can't...between Mara and Tyutin I can't count how many times they hit the glass instead of the net. Backman is a bust and not worth the money and poor old Malik probably has played his last game as a Ranger. Going to be an interesting off season.....I don't think the Rangers can 'stand pat' and expect to win the Cup.............

[Bones]

Getting Sundin should be a consideration as he played fabulously this past season and is yearning to win a Cup. He's still got a lot of gas in the tank and Drury could indeed move to the wing. UFA D who might be considered and are ubder the radar include Hale in Calgary and Steve McCarthy in Atlanta.

[adam]

Oleo-I like where your head is at..I think Sundin would be a great fit for Jagr. He'll get to the net, score some goals and help in the lockeroom, even if only for 1-2 seasons. Drury on the LW would be a better fit. How about these potential lines:

Dawes-Sundin-Jagr
Drury-Gomez-Callahan
Korpikovski-Dubinsky-Avery
Byers-Betts-Sjostrom

I dont think full scale changes are needed up front. I think our lack of goal scoring was mostly a product of the system Renney had them playing, if he's back, he's got to lesson the noose, and not wait for the other team to take it to us. Lets just bring back Jagr, sign Sundin and then use the other 10 or so million on two excellent defenders, one offensive, and one that will whoop up anyone who decides to plant themselves in front of Lundqvist. Why overspend on a forward like a Malone who wont live up to expectations. If you are going to drop 5 or 6 mill on a player, it needs to be a guarantee, something like a Drury or Gomez. To me, Sundin is a guarantee, even at this point.

Also, I know they are young, but I'm not happy at all with Girardi or Tyuton. I think they both were very sloppy in the playoffs, way too many turnovers and didn't play physical enough in front of their net. I know they are young, but I expect more from Tyuton at this point. He needs to step it up next year and start playing the way Kasperitis used to play. Tyuton has no offensive ability, so start playing with a nasty streak. Maybe a free agent addition who plays a mean game can spread the knowledge to Tyuton, Girardi and even Staal.

[oleosmirf]

Adam

the only problems I have with your lines is Dawes and Callahan havent proven to be top 6 forwards yet but one of them might have to play there at least until the deadline. Also has Avery ever played RW before???

Drury-Sundin-Jagr
Avery-Gomez-Callahan
Dawes-Dubinsky-Sjostrom
Korpikoski/Byers-Betts-Jessiman/Orr

Staal-Commodore
Tyutin-Girardi
Hainsey-Potter/Baranka

I changed my mind on Sauer. I looked at his stats and he hasnt played more than 55 games in a season since his rookie year in 02-03. Although he might be a good pickup as a 6th/7th d-man if Potter or Baranka isnt ready.

Commodore is a physical right-handed defenseman that can put the puck in the net more often than your average stay at home d-man plus he shouldn't cost more than 2.5 million. Other options (jason smith, steve montador, keith carney etc.)

[adam]

Oleo-That would work also, but I'm a believer in getting 1 young player with upside on a line with two established veterans. It would only open up ice for Dawes and Callahan to have the likes of Sundin, Jagr, Gomez and Drury with them. I understand we haven't seen these guys as top 6 forwards, but do you doubt they could do it? Dawes is an amazing passer and has a wicked shot, Callahan is a beast and works the boards and drives to the net hard. They need ice time, PP time, and to work with top players like the above 4. They will score, almost by default on the lines I listed.

As for d, I like Commodore, but I really like Jason Smith. he is the type of dman we need that could help the younger guys step it up defensively a level, something Tyuton and Girardi need at this point.

[oleosmirf]

adam

I would want Drury on a line with Sundin and Jagr. Drury can park himself in the slot and get the goals he couldnt get last season. Drury is at his best when he is a complimentary player (just look at his numbers with Sakic and on the offensive machine in Buffalo). His best attribute is wasted playing with lower scoring players.

I find Dawes to be too inconsistant for my liking. He disappears for long spurts but he does have the talent to be a top line guy he just needs to get it all together and I think playing him on the 3rd line is best for the team at least for now...

[njaco1215]

I dont see the need to get another center. we already have our top 3 centers. pushing Drury to a wing makes no sense to me when he is the teams best faceoff man. i would like to see something along the lines of

Avery-Dubinsky-Jagr
Erat/Huselius-Gomez-Callahan
Dawes-Drury-Sjostrom
Korpikoski/Byers-Betts/Prucha-Gratton/Orr

Staal-Liles/Bouwmeester
Tyutin-Girardi
Hainsey-Potter/Baranka
7thd-Strudwick

a decent pickup of a winger off of ufa or trade for the 2nd line and a move for a decent dman would help. aslong as we dont go for another over the hill star.Prucha may be enough chec to make JJ alil happy. let some of the young guys fight it out to crack the 4th line and the 3rd d pairing. I think Struds is a cheap, dependable, tho slow 7th dman. but his mentoring of the younger guys make be worth more then anything anthoer 7th could do

[Godot]

Oleo, Dawes was a rookie--I expected that. Let's see how he grows into his role. Ditto Staal, Dubi, and Callahan.

What we see here is a team that is grooming itself for both long term and short term success. Keep Jagr around, he's proven himself a terrific mentor to young players, and he still has his game. Imagine him with Dubinsky for a full season, both of them knowing each other, and with a better opposite wing than Marcel Hossa for half the season. Look out! (and all you people complaining about Jagr's numbers, consider how the lines changed for him early on)

G

godot

yes i know Dawes was a rookie and he will only get better but i personally dont think hes ready for top ice time yet. Same goes for Callahan. Dubinsky on the other hand has earned top ice time and if Sundin doesnt come to NY then I have no problem with him centering Jagr. I also project Staal to be the Rangers #1 defenseman next season and if his offensive game ever develops then I expect him to be a perrenial all-star.

njaco

We dont need a center but besides Rols