Update on the RFAs

Quick update on the qualifying offers mentioned yesterday. The RFAs were all qualified at the minimum amount, so take 10% of their 2008-2009 salary, and that’s the qualifying offer for a one-year contract. It’s just a technicality. They have to be qualified to receive compensation if someone signs an offer sheet.

Non-Draft Roundup

I’ll get to the draft round up tomorrow. I want to get some specifics on the players before I post about them.

As for the rest of the Ranger news:

• Sather made qualifying offers to most RFAs, but Fred Sjostrom was not included in that list. The notables included: Nikolai Zherdev, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Lauri Korpikoski. You can breathe a sigh of relief.
• It’s safe to assume that Jordan Owens will be given the opportunity to take Sjostrom’s place. It’s just all business with that decision.
• The Rangers traded a 3rd round pick in 2010 (supposed to be a thin draft) for C Brian Boyle. That pretty much spells the end for the Blair Betts era in New York. With both Sjostrom and Betts gone, there goes the best PK unit in the league.
• Boyle, 24, is an RFA, is 6’7 250 lbs (he’s a freaking beast), and you have to assume he has been qualified. He’s a tough guy, and if he plays a full season, can give you maybe 10-10-20 at his peak. He was solid defensively in the AHL last season.
• Paul Mara and Derek Morris won’t be back, Glen Sather is quoted saying that he has five defensemen knocking on the door (Sauer, Sangs, DZ, Potter, Gilroy). Expect one or two of them to make the team, and maybe a stay-at-home bruiser type signing.
• Nik Antropov won’t be back, his asking price is too much. This shouldn’t shock anyone.
• Colton Orr isn’t going to be resigned, so the entire 4th line will be different next year. This is old news, but I neglected to mention it until now.
• We should start hearing about accepted/rejected qualifying offers before July 1. It will be a fun few days before free agency begins.

Over the next few days, I’m going to research each of the picks and write little blurbs about them. Keep checking back.

Quick Tidbits

Some little news and notes that I was unable to post yesterday, due to a power outage during that epic storm, and me scrambling to get my friend to DVR the draft:

• Salary cap went up to $56.8 million, after the players acted on their right to increase the cap by 5%
• The Flyers gave up too much for Pronger, but assuming they get under the cap, the move makes them a favorite in the Atlantic.
• JayBo to Calgary for Jordan Leopold and a 3rd round pick. That’s a lot for a few days of negotiating. If they sign him, Calgary will be even more of a force next year.
• I’m shocked Schroeder slipped all the way to 22. I thought for sure he was a top-15 pick
• I screamed bloody murder when Glennie was picked 8th. I was so pissed, but there’s not much you can do when he’s drafted that high. Dallas may have overdrafted, I thought they should have gone with Ellis. But I’m bitter.
• Taveras was the right pick to keep the Islanders on Long Island, but I think Hedman was the better pick from two standpoints. First, it’s rare that a defenseman of that caliber comes along. And second, the Islanders could have played it out differently, such as letting slip that they were going to take Hedman, and letting Tampa trade up, maybe getting another draft pick out of the deal.
• I don’t know much on Chris Krieder, I will have to do some research before I comment, but this is from TSN:
  

  Analysis: “He has dynamite speed. A lot of scouts say he might be the best prospect out of New England since Brian Leetch and that’s pretty big praise.” – Pierre McGuire

That’s it for now.

Update 10:45am: I’m going to be apartment hunting all day, so go to Blueshirt Banter for a live chat on the draft. Jim is still in Montreal, and managed to get an interview with Schoenfeld last night. You should go check it out.

Today’s the Day

Happy Draft Day!

There will be a flurry of rumors, picks, rumors, squabbling, rumors, bad TV timing, and more rumors. I will do my best to update BSB with any credible rumors, but I won’t be around mid-day (12-3), or anytime after 7pm, so I highly recommend you going over to Blueshirt Banter. Jim is in Montreal at the draft, and will be live blogging everything he hears.

In the mean time, enjoy this rumor:

The Boston Bruins are in pursuit of Tomas Kaberle and a top 10 pick in today’s draft.

Sources tell TSN the Bruins have offered restricted free agent forward Phil Kessel to Toronto in exchange for the Leaf defenceman and Toronto’s No. 7 pick in the draft.

That’s a steep price for Kessel. But can you really pass on a 22-year old winger with one of the best wrist shots in the league?

RIP Michael Jackson

An icon has passed.

RIP.

Absolutely Superb Draft Analysis

First, thanks to Mike Axisa from River Ave. Blues for forwarding this to me. One of the authors at Pension Plan Puppets did a fantastic draft review from 1994-2009. You can read the post here. The review itself is in spreadsheet form, and the link is on the page. This sheet has everything: draft history, percent of players selected at a position to play in the NHL, percent of players to make it to the NHL by draft year and position (and both), each slot in the draft and who was drafted there, this list goes on. It is just absurdly good.

Some highlights from this post:

• Detroit really is NOT that good at drafting, but lucked out with Zetterberg and Datsyuk.
• Drafting is not only an inexact science, but it is damn near impossible to project.
• 10% of players drafted between 1996-2006 have played 200 NHL games. 10%!
• As hard as it is to draft a skater, it’s harder to draft a goalie.
• As for the Rangers, they suck at drafting. I mean it’s atrocious. In players drafted between 1996-2006, the Rangers rank 26th in players that have played over 200 games in the NHL, 27th in total games played per drafted player, and 30th (DEAD LAST) in average points per player drafted.

Those are just a few of the highlights from the post and spreadsheet. You should really go and look at it.

Dreger: Rangers Trying to Move Gomez

As per Darren Dreger’s Live Chat on TSN:

Ray in Philadelphia, PA: There seems to be a lot of talk coming out of the Rangers camp in terms of trades. What’s going on there?

Darren Dreger: Ray, the Rangers are trying to trade for Dany Heatley and at the same time are trying to move Scott Gomez. I don’t see Ottawa swapping contract for contract as Gomez hasn’t lived up to New York’s expectations. Sather will trade almost anyone with the exception of his younger players.

I guess you can consider that a sigh of relief, that he doesn’t want to trade his young guns. This also makes it tough to believe that Dubinsky is part of a package for Heatley.

Take it for what it is.

Gilroy nominated for 2009 ESPY Award

Former BU All-American Captain and current Rangers prospect Matt Gilroy has been nominated for the 2009 ESPY Award for Best Male College Athlete.  The Long Island native lifted BU to the 2009 National Championship, winning the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s top college ice-hockey player along the way.  On April 17th, just 6 days after winning the title, Gilroy signed a 2-year $3.5 million contract with the Rangers.  His fellow nominees include Sam Bradford of Oklahoma (football), Blake Griffin of Oklahoma (basketball), Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State (baseball), and Tim Tebow of Florida (football).

That’s some incredibly elite company for a college hockey player, a student-athlete who doesn’t get any attention whatsoever.  When you consider that Bradford won the Heisman, Griffin will be the #1 pick in the NBA draft tonight, Strasburg was the #1 pick in the MLB draft and is “one of the greatest pitching prospects ever”, and Tebow has been baptized Superman and all that is holy by half the press, its a pretty impressive feat.  Say what you want about the ESPYs (i.e. total popularity contest), but its one of the few events that bridges sports, whether its high school, college, pro, olympic, extreme…whatever.  So to be included in one of the categories is a pretty nice honor.  Chances of him winning are basically zero, due to the reasons previously stated, but a special honor nonetheless.

Rumor Posting/Winter Classic (Update: Rumors a Plenty)

With all the rumors being circulated around the news wires, I think it is necessary to discuss the validity of certain rumors. Everyone is guilty of believing made up rumors, even if you know it isn’t possible for them to happen. For this reason, I only post rumors from credible sources. Credible sources include Spector’s Hockey and TFP (links off to the right), the Toronto Globe and Mail, and other news outlets. I will never, ever, post a rumor from Eklund, or HTR. Ever.

In other news, it’s a Boston/Philly matchup in the 2010 Winter Classic.

Update 12:30pm: There are rumors a plenty right now, involving JayBo and Ryan Clowe. I guess SJ is shopping Clowe, I hope that Sather is at least picking up the phone.

Dreger: Rangers in Top Three for Heatley

As per Blueshirt Banter, Darren Dreger has reported that the Rangers are one of three teams (Sharks and Oilers) in the final running for Heatley. This is the second rumor we have heard about the Rangers closing in on Heatley. Again, the players rumored to be involved:

The players involved are Heatley(contract plus $4 mil bonus) to the Rangers for possibly Dubinsky, Stepan(on top line at Univ. of Wisconsin as a freshman),Voros(they like the “Neil Type”),and Rozsival.

There has to be a draft pick or two going each way to make this work. The salaries going each way work (Voros – $1 million, Rozsi – $5 million, Dubi – roughly $2 million after he resigns). Personally, I would prefer Zherdev goes to Ottawa in lieu of Dubinsky, I have grown rather attached to Dubinsky, but to get that go-to sniper, I wouldn’t exactly say no to this deal. It’s a bitter-sweet deal, but a good one nonetheless.