Rumors are flying that the NHL has decided that the Rangers will meet the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 Winter Classic.  The game will be played on January 2nd at Citizens Bank Park.

The Classic will be pushed back a day so that the NHL can avoid going up against the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, which are scheduled to play the Washington Redskins on January 1st.

An official announcement likely won’t come for another month, but this has been speculated for some time and yesterday things really heated up.  In the morning, TSN’s Darren Dreger, who’s always in the loop, said that the Flyers were “the leading candidate for next year’s Winter Classic.”

As the night wore on, the game was confirmed by Phillyburbs.com, and subsequently by at least one NHL source.

Obviously, nothing’s set in stone until the NHL makes an official announcement, but based on months of speculation and yesterday’s reports from very reliable sources, this seems like it’s close to a done deal. 

The Rangers are the lone remaining US-based Original Six franchise that hadn’t played in the Winter Classic.  Philadelphia visited Boston in the game two years ago.

You’d have to assume that the Rangers and Flyers have both agreed to participate in filming for HBO’s hit show “24/7” if they’ve been approved by the league.  Many had thought that Coach John Tortorella wouldn’t allow access to HBO’s cameras, but he may have been pressured from above.  That will be must see TV for Rangers fans and hockey fans alike.

- Yesterday, the Rangers signed last year’s fifth-round pick, Jason Wilson, 21, to an entry level deal.  Wilson joins Carl Hagelin, Roman Horak, Ryan Bourque, and Dylan McIlrath as prospects signed by the Rangers so far this offseason.  Wilson posted 18 goals and 25 assists last year with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL.  He’s likely to join the Connecticut Whale next year where he may replace Whale veterans like Dale Weise.  Wilson says he tries to mold his game after Brandon Prust, which is music to the Rangers’ ears.

- One more note about the Oscar Lindberg/Ethan Werek trade a week ago.  Anders Hedberg, the Rangers’ head European scout, believes that Lindberg still has plenty of room for growth and will stay in Sweden for at least another year and maybe two.  More from Hedberg: "(Lindberg) is a very solid player and his hockey sense is very good. His positioning on the ice---at both ends of the ice---is very good, so he knows the game and has very good hockey sense. He is not a finesse player really, but his hands are good, his skating stride is good---which is a really important part of becoming a good player. He can play in the middle or on the side, too. And he's not fully developed yet. There's more to come."

- The New York Islanders inked Michael Grabner to a five-year deal today.  No doubt, Grabner and other free agents will be more likely to sign with the team now that the Islanders have some long-term stability in the form of a new arena.

- If you’re in the mood to be depressed, Damien Cox writes that we’re probably in for another lockout after next season.