It's Only Avery Being Avery

Many Ranger fans are having this new feeling, something they have never felt before. It is the negative voice of Sean Avery. In his press conference in dallas today, Avery had this to say. "This is a better team that I'm coming to then the one i formerly played for." True or not, it certainly, but shockingly, has been taken as a low blow by most ranger fans. It's something we didn't expect to hear from our former favorite player. All he has ever talked about was how great the city was and how much he loved the team and the fans. Most might look at his comments and call him a phony. But wake up people, you know you all loved it everytime he said way worse things in the media. We all defended his words when he called Broduer a "big whiner" and when he then proceeded to knock him over. We all laughed when he made it necessary to put in the "Avery rule" and cheered when he scored on the same play. Antics like these are nothing new for him, and we all know it. You may say we got a taste of our own medicine. You may also say we had it coming when we(Sather) didn't offer him enough money to stay(Although it was way to much and I dont blame him). Either way, we all know we loved it when he talked, every day he played for us. We all begged him to stay because many thought of him as the heart and soul of our team. Now that he's off to a new city, he's playing to his new fanbase. One, that like us, hated him before he wore our jersey, and loved him when he was on the good guys.




He was even invited to throw out the first pitch for the Texas Rangers before their game with the New York Yankees(I'm guessing pure coincidence)on the same day as his press conference. He's being welcomed in his new surroundings, and he's enjoying himself. He's starting to lay the tracks of a bond with the fans, the same bond he had with all of us. It got us all excited when he went over the line, and the same applies to the fans of Dallas. Avery has moved on, and it's time for us all to do the same. No hard feelings Sean, and best of luck with the Dallas Stars.

Sundin Cloud Looms Over New York

There's a new Brett Favre on the block and his name is Mats Sundin. Only difference is that nobody talks about Sundin, while nobody stops talking about Brett Favre. While there havent been reports on where Sundin is exactly located, and what he is doing(ridiculous? Have you watched 5 minutes about Favre on ESPN?), it still remains a controversial issue among hockey fans. While there is much speculation on where Sundin will decide to go, or if he will return at all, the New York Rangers remain among the rumored 6 teams in the running. While many Ranger Fans are rushing to roll out the red carpet for the Sundin, many others, like myself, are praying Sather doesn't.




There isnt one person who thinks Sundin is a bad player. And short term, he might even be pretty good, and if we do wind up siging him, you bet I'll be there cheering for him and eating my words if he scored 40 goals and helps us win a cup. But one must look at what we must do to get Sundin on this roster before declaring that Glen Sather use his magic free agent powers to bring him in. One obstacle standing in our way is that little thing called the salary cap. According to www.Nhlnumbers.com, the rangers are sitting at 54.697 million. So just barely over 2 million in cap room. Even if Sundin would agree to that deal, the NHL wouldn't. So we might have to lose a few players. Some players named in the rumors(and by Ranger fans) are Petr Prucha, Blair Betts, and Ryan Callahan among others. People might say something like "Sundin is way better then all of those guys, why wouldnt you do that?" While yes, Sundin is a better player then those 3, one must look at the bigger picture. would you throw away 2 good young players with loads of potential and ability and one of the best defensive fowards in the game for one year of Mats Sundin? Everyone seems to want Prucha run out of town. I remember not so long ago, he was going to become an elite player in the league? So one bad season and we cast him aside? It is very possible to rebound. Remember when we signed Fluery? He had 15 goals his first year, but in his second, he was among the leading scorers in the NHL for most of the season. While that team did nothing that year, it still shows that onoe good season doesnt completely kill a player. If he has another bad year, we can easily just let him go. If we trade him, he might just as easily burn us in the future when he goes back to his old self and Sundin retired after one year. For years, Ranger fans complained every time we traded all of our youth to get veterans, everyone complained when we had a team of washed up players that wasn't getting any younger. Now, we have young talent, and everyone wants to get rid of it to get, can it be? MORE OLD PLAYERS ON THE DECLINE! Its one or the other people. Me, I'm sticking with the stay younger route, the better long term decision. People talk like this is a must win the cup year for us. Cup teams take loads of time to build, especially starting with the one line post lockout team we had that was predicted to finish last. This is going to be the 4th post lockout season. If we can win the cup this year, it would be great, and I am cheering them on all the way, but it is unfair to say that this is the year that they have to win it. There is no need to Stock up for a cup run that we are already capable of, by giving up our young talent. One last point. Say we trade Prucha and Callahan for picks and sign sundin and we are still under the cap. What is our lineup going to be? Im not selling our future for one year of this guy to play on the third line, and Gomez and Drury are both our top 2 centers. What happens to Dubinsky? Move him to wing? he's fine at center, why move him. I doubt Sundin will sign here if it means he has to change positions. So where does he fit in? If you have read my earlier post, you would see my possible lines, and see how each line has its own stlye. Putting Sundin in, a center, and taking out two important wingers leaves some holes. Its not worth giving away our future for one season. It's something none of us wanted before we had young talent, why do it now? Sundin, to anywhere but the Rangers. (e4)

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Rangers Special Teams Part 2 Power Play

All season long, assistant coach, and power play coach, Perry Pearn was bashed for the failure of the Rangers to convert on the power play. While many people wanted him gone, it only seems fitting that he run in, I mean, look at his initials. PP, Perry Pearn. Get it? Anyway, this year might be a make or break year for Perry, who needs to get the power play running if the rangers want to win a cup. Its no coincidence that Detroit and Pittsburgh, the two conference champs, were both ranked among the top 5 in the power play. The Rangers on the other hand, were 22nd. With the players that have left this offseason, one might think that the power play is doomed. While yes, it is impossible to replace the overall talent that you lose with the departures of Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, and what will likely be Brendan Shanahan, the team is not doomed. While this might seem like it is to much to overcome, the Rangers PP, and Perry Pearn's job, can still be saved.



Jaromir Jagr was the go to guy on the Rangers PP. There wasnt a set play that wouldn't be run through jagr. As bad as that may be, it also can be a good thing. To lose a player that completely runs everything, and has the talent to do it, is huge. It's key for the rangers this year, to have someone else to run the plays through. A lot of people bashed the Rangers power play, and the players on it, for cycling everything through Jagr. The problem wasn't that he was starting the play, but that he was also expected to finish it. Rozsival in particular, wouldn't shoot(and its a shame because he has a good shot) because he felt that Jagr should always get the puck. He still somehow managed 13 goals last year. Now imagine him running things from the point, or getting set up instead of feeding it to Jaromir like he always would. He has the ability, along with Wade Redden, to QB a power play that has the talent(just like last year) to be among the best in the league. With Redden and Rozsival on the same point, it will keep the opponents PK on their toes. You might look at my analysis of the PK and say, "why would you balance the PK with Betts and Rissmiller on different lines, but put Rozsival and Redden on the same unit?" Well, the Answer is simple. We dont want the PP to last the full two minutes. The PK on the other hand, has to. If we can score early in the PP, we wont have to use anyone else, and we'd keep our lines fresh. In the likely event that most of the time, it will make it to the second unit, I (or hopefully, Tom Renney)have full confidence that any of our defenseman can play the PP. Dan Girardi scored 10 goals last year, 5 of which came on the power play. Staal has shown he knows how to shoot the puck, and should asume more offensive responsibility this season. Paul Mara has a very underrated shot.



It's a heavy shot that finds the net. He only scored one goal this past season, but with some time on the power play, those numbers could go up. He also had 16 assists, 6 of which came on the power play. He might not score many goals with the increased power play time, but he is capable of setting up his teammates. Dmitri Kalinin is also capable of scoring. He didnt play much on 07-08, but in seasons before that, he was a very good offensive defenseman, tallying 19 goals and 62 assists in the 3 previous seasons.

Of course, it's not only the pointmen who make a PP. Most of the time, it's the fowards that make or break the man advantage. A good center, like Scott Gomez, is key.



With the departure of Jagr to Omsk, this team has to be carried by someone. The Jagr era is over, and it's time for the Scott Gomez era to begin. While he probobly will not be named captain, he is the guy to lead this team towards a brighter future. He is our marquee player, and what i suspect will be our top line center. With that responsibility, he will also be the puck carrier for the power play. He is one of the best playmaking center's in the league, and he will need to keep that up to keep this team going. He has the ability to set up anyone on the ice. He's a very fast, and smooth skater who will make his teammates better, and if he really needs to, he'll score aswell. He played very well in the playoffs, and his expirience and his skill are vital to this teams cup chances.

The other center, the highly paid Chris Drury, is also key. Most people saw him as a bad signing, and thought we overpaid for him. Overpayment is a theme in this new NHL to the point where being overpaid isnt even being overpaid anymore. Drury didn't produce as much as many hoped, but i wouldn't call it a failure. He still has the ability to change games, and he has earned his nickname, Cpt. Clutch. While people were complaining about the signing, Drury still put up an impressive 25 goals and 33 assists. His hockey smarts, along with his leadership qualities could put him in charge of the second unit.

So far, we have lost some key wingers. Jagr, Straka, Shanahan, and Avery(the screen he put on broduer is illegal now, but I'd love him in front of the net every game)are all gone, but there is always a bright side to things. Petr Prucha lost almost all of his ice time last year. He found himself in a slump that he couldnt get out of, and would not see any more time back on the power play. But a new season brings a fresh new start for the young foward, who scored 52 goals in his first 2 seasons. With some more ice time, and hopefully a fast start, Prucha's confidence will soar and he could again, become one of our best fowards.

With the addition of Nikolai Zherdev and Markus Naslund, we are sure to see some new faces on the power play. But I wont keep you in suspense. Instead of breaking down every player, I'll give you my predictions for the lines that Tom Renney will use.

PP#1

Prucha-Gomez-Zherdev

Rozsival-Redden

That unit can be gold for the Rangers. There is some great power coming from the point with 2 very good offensive defenseman. Gomez is our top center, and he should be there, setting up 2 talented goal scorers. Prucha didnt do much last year, but it wasnt long ago that after 22 goals we were all disapointed, so we know that there is talent there. Playing with some actual ice time will help Prucha(who only makes 1.6mil per year) get back to his old self. Zherdev is a very talented goal scorer who can also set up his teammates. Hopefully a new start in New York City will motivate him more then Ohio could.

PP#2
Naslund-Drury-Dawes

Girardi-Mara/Staal

I list three defenseman here, because I think both Mara and Staal are capable of playing on the power play. Both have shown some pretty good shots, and Girardi has shown some great offsensive potential. Even when Girardi was called up for the first time in the middle of the 06-07 season, he showed potential was there, even without scoring a goal. He is confident with the puck, will shoot, and he will get the puck on net. It's not the best shot ever, but its accurate, and a lot can happen from the point if you just get the puck to the net. At foward, there are some good finishers. At the start of the season, he didnt even make the team, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Nigel Dawes was called up. He was seen as a pure goal scorer, but he has shown the talent to put up assists, and has made some very good plays to set up his linemates. He's another year older, and more confident then ever. Expect a big year, with some power play time for Nigel Dawes. With Drury, as I mentioned before, you have the clutch goal. Late in the game, down by one and on the power play, I can't think of many other players that you'd want on the ice. Naslund is also a very good finisher. He put up 25 goals in vancouver, were the offensive strategy calls for players to never shoot the puck. Playing in a more open system should give Naslund some real good numbers this year.


AROUND THE NHL UPDATE:
TSN reports that the San Jose Sharks have re-signed foward Ryan Clowe to a one year, $1.6 million deal. Clowe played just 15 games this season because of a knee injury. He posted 3 goals and 5 assists. In the playoffs, he added 5 goals and 4 assists. If Ryan stays healthy, this can be a bargain of a signing. Clowe has tons of potential, and he would be making more right now had he not been hurt.

Thank you very much for reading my analysis of the Rangers special teams. Leave your comments and stay tuned for more posts. Be sure to check out the links in my sidebar as well.

Rangers Special Teams Key For 08-09 Part 1

One positive note from last season was the team's penalty kill. Best PK% in the eastern conference, and 6th in the league overall, the rangers PK was one of their strengths. That was, untill the second round of the playoffs, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Key goals were scored on the power play for the penguins, and was a major part in the Rangers early exit, in just 5 games. Their PK, at just 79.2%, somehow was ranked 9th out of the 16 playoff teams. This year, the Rangers will look to improve their PK, and become more consistent. While Straka and Shanahan both were playing on the PK at one point(it was Straka who got hurt after blocking 2 shots from Chara when Henrik Lundqvist robbed Savard), players like Gomez and Drury started to be seen more on the PK. That wont last for long though. While those players did well on the PK, its not their job, and they need to be saved for the PP and 5 on 5. I can see Drury staying on the PK, but Gomez should only be killing penalties in extreme circumstances. Instead, the PK will again be headlined by the amazing PK ability of Blair Betts.





He is a center who will throw himself in from of shots, and isnt afraid of what will happen when he does. He's pretty good on faceoffs and he does his job well. Expect him to be kept around for a while (Tom Renney coached him world juniors oh so long ago)and remain a fixture on the PK. The addition of Rissmiller will not only add a little bit of offense to the 4th line, but will also give the team another good PKer.





That leaves 2 more regular spots for fowards. I would imagine that players like Sjostrom, Callahan, Dubinsky or Fritsche would all be considered for ice time. That leaves 2 questions that need to be answered. First, would you play Betts and Rissmiller on the same unit, or split them up? Second, which defenseman will play on the PK? The first answer should be a simple one, and it is to split up Betts and Rissmiller. Yes, that would be one very good PK unit if they were together, but it would also leave some holes in the second unit. I'd rather have a lot more balanced PK, and with them split up, it would guarantee that we have atleast one real good defensive foward on the PK. The second question is a bit more complex. There are 4 spots for defenseman on the 2 PK units and it's hard to find 2 players to leave off. Staal and Girardi might be guaranteed spots on the PK, but can Redden play well enough defensively, or is he going to strictly be an offensive, puck moving guy? Can Rozsival go back to his old form, and be more responsible defensively? Can Mara earn a spot on any special teams unit, let alone the PK? Will Kalinin rebound after his bad year last year? We'll get our answers when the season starts. But since thats going to take a while, I better start making predictions about the lineup.

PK#1
Betts-Fritsche

Staal-Girardi

This unit gives some good defensive play all around, and those fowards might be able to chip in a shorthanded goal or two this year. look for a unit like this to be conservative, but still forecheck and possibly chip a couple of goals in. Staal and Girardi are both very capable of keeping players away from the net, and are both positionally sound, and they have already shown they can play in those kind of situations. Staal knows how to be in the right spot to make the right play, and Girardi has been a big suprise and has been very impressive, especially for an undrafted free agent signing.

PK#1
Rissmiller-Callahan

Rozsival-Redden

This unit might be a bit more aggressive. Callahan is a good forechecker, and we saw him score a shorthanded goal in the playoffs last year. With Rissmiller, they will definetly be able to rush up, and forecheck a bit, without risking a lot. Both players are responsible defensively and wouldnt join the rush unless they knew it was appropriate. Rozsival wasnt as good defensively last year, but we have seen what he's capable of. A new year and a new contract might get him back to his old form.


Thank you for reading my breakdown of the special teams, an look out for part 2, when i will deal with the Power Play. Leave your comments, and feedback is very appreciated.

Preseason schedule

The rangers recently released their schedule for their preseason games and as expected, some games will be played in europe. The preseason kicks off on september 20, in Ottawa for some reason. It starts with a home and home with the senators, with the second half in new york on september 22. The very next day they fly off to Tampa Bay to face off with the Lighting. on the 24th, they come to new jersey before they play another game with tampa, this time at home on the 25th, to make it 4games in 4 nights. It's safe to expect some players to be kept around longer then necessary. They get the 26th off (from games atleast) before they finish up their american preseason schedule at home against the devils. With that they head off to Switzerland to play SC Bern on the 30th, and russian team Magnitogorsk on the 1st.
that means the usual 3 home games, but 2 more preseason games then usual.While the 2 games in europe make sense, the overall schedule makes no sense at all, and I will explain why.

-Jet lag
They will fly to ottawa and back, then to tampa and back before flying out to europe to play 4 games, when only 2 of which actually mean something.

-Teams
Ottawa? Have we ever played them in a preseason game. Tampa Bay? Dont remember ever playing them in the preseason either. Maybe traveling by plane once in the preseason is fine. But to make flights to 3 different places, one of which is in another continent, for nothing more then preseason games is ridiculous. I want to go to preseason games to get to see some rivals play. I usually go to all the preseason games against the islanders, devils, flyers and bruins.





There would always be a game at the garden against boston, ever year, and i would always go with my father. I remember some hotshot rookie on boston throwing a big hit on Mark Messier. Mark didnt take to kindly do it, and when nobody else was looking, and i mean nobody else but me and my father who told me to watch him, he proceeded to elbow this boston bruin hopeful right in the chin, knocking him out cold. The brawl that ensued showed some of the beauty in the preseason games.

-Players at a Disadvantage
Every young player, with a real shot of making the club or not, is there to learn as much as possible about the league, without being put in a spot that has a lot of consequences for their mistakes. What better spot to learn the intensity and beauty of the rangers vs. islanders or rangers vs. flyers rivary? Its a rivalry that only gets intensified every preseason game when two rookies in camp are trying to make a big impression by knocking the hell out of eachother. In the 2000-2001 season, defenseman (and half lunatic) Dale Purinton earned a spot out of camp, by going out against the rival teams and showing that he would stand up for his teammates, whatever the cost.




Without facing the islanders or flyers or bruins this year, prospects have less of a chance to prove their worth.

-Fans Suffer
How great is it to get into the hockey mood again at preseason rivalry games. It gets you back in the right mindset, and ready for hockey season. More away fans go to the games because its easier to get tickets. You may get cheap tickets on stubhub, you may buy from a scalper for half price, hell you might get them for free, but there will always be visiting fans from the other local teams, trying to invade MSG. Its fun to argue with islander fans about hockey and why we are a superior team, without worrying about the result to much. But how many Tampa Bay fans will be at MSG? How many Ottawa fans will be there? I wouldn't imagine to many.
It's also great to expose the game to new fans with more games against rivals. The NHL is already cutting back on those games this year, so why do it even more? The New York Rangers have done a disservice to the fanbase with this preseason.

Best Ranger Moments From 07-08

As the offseason drags on, i am forced to dream about the colder days when hockey actually existed in the eyes of the sports world (sort of) and i wasn't forced to hear about Brett Favre's retirement situation, or Manny Ramirez being himself(thank god the red sucks traded him), and how every baseball "expert" tells me that if you hit the ball, it's good. Suffering from hockey withdrawl is tough. At times, you may find yourself watching highlights on youtube, or playing NHL 08 and feeling like its the real thing. If you get desperate, you might even watch a full episode of MSG, NY hoping to hear them mention the rangers. No matter what you do to replace watching hockey in the summer, its a tough wait for the preseason. While staring at a computer screen watching ranger highlights on youtube, i began to wonder, what were my favorite moments from the past season? Best hit? Best goal? Best save? Since nothing is happening in hockey at all today, i figured i would share some of my favorite moments of 07-08.

Best Hit
There are a few nominees to consider. Tyutin's big hit against tampa. Avery crushing Kaberle. Avery crushing Paetsch then setting up jagr. Dubinsky making Colin White looking like a fool twice in one shift in game 2 against new jersey. All good plays, but I must say it was Colton Orr knocking out Matt Cullen with a huge hit. Cullen was a good ranger during the 06-07 season. One of my favorite players, and a good team guy that everyone seemed to like. But in his second return to the garden since the trade, and the same game as the avery hit on Kaberle (Fratisek, not Thomas), Matt had his head down coming into the zone. Not a good idea. Weather or not Scott Stevens was on the ice, you will get crushed when you do it. KOlton (yes KOlton)layed a very hard, but clean hit, that left Cullen on the ice, motionless for a second. A scary moment yes, but a great hit, that for some reason was called for an interference penalty. Kudos to Colton Orr for being so good at hitting and fighting, and here's to hoping he proves me wrong and gets a spot to consistantly play on this team.

Best Goal
Because of my hate for Martin Broduer, i feel like I have to pick one against him. Callahan's shorthanded goal (Broduer's mistake) or any goal Avery scored against him. But one goal i loved watching was Marc Staal's first NHL goal. What a great shot on a great play from Shanahan. It was a perfectly placed shot and I think it gave us a glimpse of the future with Staal and what his future potential is.

Best Save
Henrik Lundqvist robbed a boston player twice this season. As amazing of a save as it was against Marc Savard, when he robbed Glen Metropolit at home, after an amazing move and pass from Phil Kessel, it was a huge momentum boost, that led to a 1-0 win in a shootout. if Lundqvist lets that in, we lose. Ironically, the day he robbed savard had the same result, 1-0 in a shootout, but the rangers lost that game.





Thank you for reading today's post. Feel free to leave comments, share your thoughts on what i wrote, or share your own favorite moments.

Around The NHL UPDATE
In my last post i said that terms of vermette's contract were not yet disclosed. According to Yahoo sports, it's a 2 year deal at 5.2 million(2.6 per). I think i should compare every signing to Jeff Finger, because it makes everything look like a bargain. Vermette will surely cash in big time after those 2 years.

Around The NHL

Since i wont be around today, and nothing has happened today in the world of the New York Rangers, ill give a quick recap of some of the news around the NHL
-Stamkos signs with tampa for 875k per year, 3 years (entry level conract) but up to 8.55 million in performance bonuses. I thought they were trying to keep some of the rookie contracts in check. guess not

-Sens re-up Antoine Vermette. Terms were not disclosed. COME ON OTTAWA! DONT KEEP ME IN SUSPENSE! I MUST KNOW HIS SALARY!

- RFA Jay Bouwmeester signs one year deal (and his last contract with florida) before he becomes a UFA who wants to leave florida. good luck getting good prospects for him at the deadline.

-Oilers promote Lowe to president (Anaheim GM Brian Burke would be first lady had they not recently gotten a quite harsh divorce)and hire former vancouver assistant GM Steve Tambellini, father of islander foward Jeff Tambellini.

Thats some of the news around the league. This is a quick little blog. im in a rush and wont be in all day but expect better updates as the week goes on