To all those participating, the BSB fantasy hockey draft will begin in one hour. Please make sure you are present.
Also, I’m aware there was a game today, but I really haven’t had time to write a post, I’ll write one tomorrow.
A reminder to all those playing, the BSB fantasy hockey league draft is tomorrow at 8pm.
The Rangers have cut the roster from 54 on the first day of training camp to 23, and most of those cuts were easy decisions to make. With one game left in the preseason, and a deadline of October 1 to be under the cap, the Rangers face a very interesting problem when it comes to Enver Lisin.
Lisin, acquired from Phoenix in exchange for Lauri Korpikoski, has had a very good preseason. He is tied for the team lead in goals, netting three goals in the six games so far, which puts him fourth in points. He is also third on the team in SOG, with 13. He sits at a -1, which isn’t good, but it’s not the end of the world either. We have seen the kid fly down the ice, his skating ability is unquestioned, and he has simply played his way on to the roster this preseason. The problem, is that so did Artem Anisimov (although it was his job to lose), and that creates a very full top three lines.
There are two solutions to this, and neither one is all that appealing. The first one, is keeping Lisin with the team, and stick him on the fourth line with Boyle and one of Brashear/Voros. In a John Tortorella system, the fourth line gets two shifts a period, if that. Do you think Lisin will benefit from playing five minutes a game? Will Lisin see powerplay time if he is on the fourth line? Will his play suffer because he is playing with offensively challenged linemates? These are questions that Torts needs to consider when making this decision. The upside to this solution, is that in case of an injury, the Rangers have a substitute in place without having to go to Hartford and play the waiver game.
The other solution is less appealing, as it would involve sending Lisin down to Hartford, where he would get regular playing time, probably with Evgeny Grachev and P.A. Parenteau, on the first line. There are a few problems with this scenario. First, he would have to clear waivers, and he is likely not to. Second, to be called up, he would have to pass through re-entry waivers, which again, he is likely not. Third, and probably the most serious, is that if he gets sent to Hartford, will he bolt for Russia? Do you expect the KHL to recognize his contract with the Rangers?
In my humble opinion, which means a lot as a blogger living in my mother’s basement, is that the Rangers simply need to keep him around and play him on the fourth line and the powerplay. This will get him roughly 10 minutes a game, which can be enough to keep him happy for now. He is also in the lineup in case of a mid-game injury, game misconduct, or if Sean Avery’s antics get the better of him. This is, in all likelihood, their best bet, and what Tortorella is planning on doing with the young winger.
This is a good problem to have, as you can never have too much depth on a roster. One thing is for certain though, Enver Lisin has played his way on to this team, and deserves a fair shot to get regular playing time.
With training camp and preseason coming to a close, we are left with what looks to be the final version of the Rangers roster. In my initial 2009-2010 Rangers outlook, I had initially pegged one of Bobby Sanguinetti, Corey Potter, or Michael Sauer to be the seventh defenseman. My how things have changed.
Sauer was one of the first cuts in the preseason, his stay-at-home style doesn’t fit into the John Tortorella system. Expect him to get traded. Bobby Sanguinetti came into camp out of shape and really struggled to work back from that. He was the most recent cut, and there are rumors that the Rangers don’t have faith in him, and are shopping him around. Corey Potter seems to be the most logical choice at this moment to get a call up int he event of an injury, but he was part of the second round of cuts, before Sanguinetti was cut.
On the other side of the coin, you have Alexei Semenov. Semenov, invited to camp on a tryout, without a contract, came to camp in great shape, and has simply played his way on to the Ranger roster. Credit needs to go to the big defenseman, as he outplayed the aforementioned defensemen, and wrestled the starting job away from Sanguinetti (it was his to lose). You also have Michael Del Zotto, who at just 19, impressed everyone from the coach to the fans. He has given us a glimpse of what a powerplay quarterback can do. He has played so well that he forced the Rangers into giving him another look during the regular season. He now has nine more games to show he belongs, or else be returned to the OHL for the season.
Moving on to the forwards, fans expected Evgeny Grachev to play well in camp, considering his performance last year in the OHL. While he has played extremely well in the preseason, he will benefit from a year in Hartford, so expect him to be the final forward cut before the season starts. If he lights up that league, he will be one of the first call ups during the season.
A pleasant surprise was the newly acquired Enver Lisin, who came over from Hamilton Phoenix for Lauri Korpikosi. Lisin also has played his way into consideration for the roster, and leaves coach John Tortorella with an interesting issue. Lisin belongs on the top three lines, there’s no doubt about that. But, the top three lines seem to be set at the moment. The dilemma: do you put Lisin on the fourth line, getting five minutes a game, or send him to Hartford for regular shifts, at the risk that he bolts for Russia? More on this in another post.
With one last preseason game this weekend in Washington, look for the Rangers to give Grachev, Del Zotto, and Lisin more playing time to let them prove they belong on the NHL level.
What a difference a week makes. Last week at this time, the Rangers were 0-3 in preseason and everyone was panicking. After yesterday’s 3-2 win over Washington, the Rangers have won three straight and now sit at .500. More importantly, they are scoring goals, and creating offense.
I personally did not catch the game, I was at work for a long, long time, but I watched the highlights, which naturally gives me reason to analyze the entire game based on the five goals they showed on TSN.ca. Much talk will be made of Marian Gaborik’s two goals, including one shortie, but the play of the game goes to Brandon Dubinsky, who powered through one hit, and got laid out seconds later, but was able to dish the puck to Christopher Higgins, who buried the game winner with just over a minute to go. Well, at least that’s what it looked like in the highlights.
I noticed that Henrik Lundqvist got beat high glove again, granted it was on a shot by Alex Semin. Not a big deal, it’s preseason after all.
And just a reminder to those participating, the BSB fantasy hockey draft is this Sunday at 8pm.
With Bobby Sanguinetti cut, tonight’s roster will be pretty close to what we will be seeing on October 2 in Pittsburgh. Marc Staal is out of the lineup tonight with some groin tightness, so the roster for tonightis as follows, as per Andrew Gross
Christopher Higgins-Vinny Prospal-Marian Gaborik
Enver Lisin-Brandon Dubinsky-Ryan Callahan
Evgeny Grachev-Chris Drury-Ales Kotalik
Donald Brashear-Artem Anisimov-Aaron Voros
Alexei Semenov-Matt Gilroy
Wade Redden-Michal Rozsival
Michael Del Zotto-Dan Girardi
Henrik Lundqvist likely to play the full game.
The Rangers are currently 2-3 in the postseason, but have played considerably better in the past few games.
As per Tarik El-Bashir, the Caps roster isn’t set yet, but a few notes:
* Doesn’t look like Chris Bourque is going to skate today (or play tonight). Tough break for a guy fighting for a spot.
* Judging from the players still on the ice, doesn’t look like Michael Nylander is playing tonight, either.
* Looks like Jose Theodore will start in goal tonight at MSG. Could be backed up by Michal Neuvirth.
* The combos weren’t obvious from this morning’s practice, but it’s POSSIBLE the top two lines will be 8-19-28, 21-20-17.
Game time is 7pm. Enjoy.
Defenseman, and former first round pick, Bobby Sanguinetti has been reassigned to Hartford, leaving seven defensemen left on the Rangers roster. Sanguinetti, suffice it to say, was a major disappointment this preseason. He did not come to camp in shape, despite coach John Tortorella’s warnings. He was so out of shape that he was not on any roster for the double header against New Jersey. This is a monumental step backwards for the defenseman, who has fallen behind Michael Del Zotto and Corey Potter in the depth chart.
This move ensures that Alexei Semenov will make the team, probably as the seventh defenseman, as the player who will give one of the albatross twins (Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival) a night off should their terrible play continue into the regular season. Expect him to sign a deal around $750,000 for the season.
This move also means that Michael Del Zotto has played well enough to earn himself an extended stay in New York, for at least the first nine games of the season. Junior players are allowed to play nine games in the NHL before their NHL contract kicks in. If Del Zotto performs, you can expect the Rangers to keep him around.
Assuming the $750,000 salary for Semenov, and that Evgeny Grachev spends the season in Hartford, the Rangers are right up on the cap, as Del Zotto’s cap hit is over $1 million due to bonuses. This includes a spare forward and spare defenseman:
There will be one more cut, probably Grachev, before the roster is complete. Opening night is one week away.
Just a reminder to those playing, the BSB fantasy hockey draft will be this Sunday at 8pm. If you cannot make it, please set your rankings now. Don’t forget, a small prize goes to the winner of the league in April.
Good luck.
Some funny item’s I’ve come across lately:
Michael (Great Neck, NY)
What do you expect to see from Artem Anisimov this year?
Pierre
(4:44 PM)very little English
All of this is true. I swear.
It is time to retire the old poll on the right. The majority of people thought that the 2009 Hall of Fame class (Yzerman, Hull, Leetch, Robitaille) was better than the 2007 class (Messier, Stevens, MacInnis, Francis). There was no wrong answer in that poll, but it’s interesting to see people’s opinions. Personally, I think the 2007 classes numbers were skewed because Stevens was not a scorer.
On to the new poll: With the season a week away, and all of the offseason and preseason talk about Marian Gaborik’s groin and fragility, the question is, how many games will he play? It’s a legitimate concern amongst Ranger fans, and it’s the reason why all the “experts” expect the Rangers to finish in the bottom 10 of the league this year. No one expects him to play a full season.
The poll is on the right. Let’s see how optimistic (or pessimistic) everyone is.
