Mathieu Dandenault Headed to Hartford

As per Steve Zipay’s twitter, Mathieu Dandenault is headed to Hartford on a tryout basis. Dandenault, 33, is a defenseman who played for the Montreal Canadiens for the last four seasons, putting up respectable numbers. Actually, he put up numbers comparable to a few high priced defensemen on the current Rangers roster. Dandenault was on a tryout with the Sharks this offseason, but was eventually released.

The Rangers lucked out with one team’s garbage, maybe this one can work out too. He only needs to be a seventh defenseman anyway.

Side note: I’m categorizing this under Signings for now. He didn’t sign yet, it’s just a tryout. I just couldn’t think of a category to put this under and didn’t want to create a new category.

Stick-tap to Mike Axisa for the heads up.

Update 5:25pm: As per Beyond The Blueshirts twitter, Dandenault signed a 25-game tryout contract.

Hunt for the Seventh Defenseman

With the way the Rangers defense folded last night, and the horribly inconsistent play of Michal Rozsival (and to a lesser extent, Dan Girardi), it has become abundantly clear that the Rangers will require a seventh defenseman to put some pressure on some of the guys who may have become too comfortable with their role on the team. Competition breeds improvement, even if he only plays one game a month.

Finding a defenseman that can not only accept playing a limited role, but can come out of the press box and deliver a decent game is a tough task. The defenseman will have to be a veteran who is used to that kind of treatment. The Rangers have $1.2 million (prorated) in cap space available for the seventh defenseman. But you would have to assume that GM Glen Sather would like to have some room at the trade deadline. So someone at the cap minimum would be preferable.

I was perusing the waiver wire today and saw something interesting. According to TSN, Devils defenseman Cory Murphy has been waived by the club. Murphy, 31, has been a career seventh defenseman, playing anywhere from 25-47 games during his NHL tenure (which began in 2007-2008, after spending six seasons in Europe). He also makes the NHL minimum $500,000 (on the NHL level of his two-way contract, $105,000 in the AHL).

Murphy definitely fills all the requirements of the proverbial seventh defenseman. He’s a veteran (meaning he has a lot of hockey experience), has experience playing in a limited role, and makes the minimum. He wouldn’t cost the Rangers anything, as he was waived. And, the cherry on top, he wouldn’t cost owner James Dolan much if he doesn’t succeed. They can bury him in the minors for 20% of his NHL salary if he isn’t claimed off waivers.

It Was Bound to Happen

For every big win (Toronto), there is a big loss (last night). The Rangers put up two quick goals against arguably the best team in the West, and everyone, myself included, thought this would be win #8 in a row. But then again, the Rangers weren’t playing Toronto, they were playing the San Jose Sharks. The team that boasts a first line of Joe Thornton between Devin Setogucci and Dany Heatley. Name one team that has a top three like that, other than the Penguins, the Caps, and the Wings. There’s a reason why those four are the elite in the league.

A lot is going to be made of this loss. The Rangers couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead. Steve Valliquette gave up a softie. The Rangers took too many penalties. Versus can’t broadcast a hockey game to save their lives (Victor Del Zotto? Thanks, Brian Engblom.)

Sure, the Rangers couldn’t hold the 2-0 lead, against the most potent offense in the West with roughly 50 minutes left in the game. Come on, did you really think this game would end 2-0? Or 3-0? Steve Valliquette gave up a softie? At least it wasn’t from 130 feet away against the Caps. Softie’s happen, and it’s not like removing that goal would have helped the Rangers, they still would have lost.

The only gripes are the penalties, and Versus. The Rangers took seven total penalties this game, and five were lazy stick penalties. Yes, penalties happen, but they happen too often for this Ranger team. If you give that many powerplay opportunities to the Sharks, they are going to convert. That’s what this team does. They convert.

This is just one loss in 8 games, and puts the Rangers at a modest 7-2 record. It doesn’t matter if you lose 7-2 or 2-1, a loss is a loss, and it counts the same in the standings. Be glad this was against a Western Conference team, so it doesn’t really mean much in the grand scheme of things in the race for the East.

As for Versus. Well, yea. I think I’ve been vocal about my dislike for their coverage. So has Stas.

Game 9: Rangers vs. Sharks

The San Jose Sharks visit MSG tonight to take on our beloved Blueshirts. The Sharks, boasting a top line of Dany Heatley-Joe Thornton-Devin Setogucci, are again the favorites to win the Western Conference. That top line is probably the best in the league, and it will be a true test of the red-hot Rangers. This seven game win streak has been extremely impressive, but they haven’t faced a team like the Sharks in this run. The Sharks can score from anywhere with anyone, and their defensive corps is one of the best at generating offense. Well, any team boasting Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, and Marc Edouard-Pickle Vlasic would be good at generating offense.

The Rangers, on the other hand, have probably the most underrated top line in Vinny Prospal-Brandon Dubinsky-Marian Gaborik, which has put up 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in just 8 games. Ranger fans knew what Gaborik was, and how well Dubinsky was going to play if inserted next to the star winger, but some are still shocked by what Prospal has been able to do. I’m not. Jeremy has praised this as one of the best acquisitions of the summer. The Rangers defensive corps also generates some offense –#1 in the league in goals with 9– and 19-year old Michael Del Zotto leading the way with 8 points (3 G, 5 A).

The Rangers have been getting goals from everywhere, and only four skaters have been left off the scoreboard (Christopher Higgins, Michal Rozsival, Donald Brashear, Aaron Voros). Considering one of those wingers is a guaranteed scratch, that’s pretty darn good.

The struggling Higgins is going to be dropped to the third line today, with Sean Avery moving up to the wing alongside Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan. The rest of the lines look the same:

Vinny Prospal-Brandon Dubinsky-Marian Gaborik
Sean Avery-Chris Drury-Ryan Callahan
Christopher Higgins-Artem Anisimov-Ales Kotalik
Donald Brashear-Brian Boyle-Enver Lisin/Aaron Voros.
Wade Redden-Matt Gilroy
Michael Del Zotto-Michal Rozsival
Marc Staal-Dan Girardi

Steve Valliquette is getting the start tonight. It’s a rather surprising move, but I guess the logic is that the upcoming games against the Eastern Conference teams is more important than one against the Sharks.

The game is on Versus tonight (ugh). So be prepared for no replays and Doc Emerick. Use this thread to discuss the game. We are hoping to get some more good conversation going, especially with what is expected to be a high scoring affair. Let’s see if we can break our record set for the game against the Leaves.

Until the game starts, you can go discuss the Yankee game, as they are up 1-0 on a Derek Jeter homerun.

Game 8: Rangers vs Leaves

The Rangers travel to Toronto to take on the lowly Leafs, who are still looking for their first win. Lundqvist should be in goal, and Brashear should rejoin the lineup. All other lines and D pairings look the same.

This has the makings of a trap game. Rangers are hot, Leafs need a win. Rangers did beat up on them last week.

Use this as your open thread. Watch the game, discuss and have fun. Let’s get a lot of comments!

( That’s not a typo in the title. As Dave pointed out, Toronto has spelled “Leafs” wrong for years. Should be “Leaves”. Hence the change in name)

Lovin’ Vaclav

When the Rangers signed Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal, it was thought of as an afterthought by some (although credit to Dave, who called it a steal). I was in the “afterthought” category. Yeah, he’s a good player, but he’s getting old, and there has to be a reason he was bought out by the Lighting. Well, I was wrong. Vinny has been an absolute steal. He’s the first line winger, who has brought a lot to the power play as well.

So far, he has 10 points in 7 games. 3 goals, 7 assists. Not bad for an afterthought singing. I don’t think Prospal will repeat his 2005-06 season, when he tallied 80 points. But, he might come close. Playing with Gaborik, playing with an improved power play unit, he has the chance to put up monster numbers. Think 25-35-60. If the Rangers continue this roll, you can count Vinny as one of the reasons why. We hate on Glen Sather a lot. Some of it is deserved. Some of it is not. This was one of his BEST signings, and it came cheap. Way to go, Slats.

Curbing Our Enthusiasm

The Rangers have won six straight. 12 points out of a possible 14. Pretty good. The power play is improved. The defense seems stronger. The offense is scoring. Hank is Hank. All is well in Ranger land.

Except it’s not. You see, we tend to as fans, get over excited. It’s natural. I’ve had friends tell me: “We Want the Cup!” And while it’s not out of the realm of possibility, we’re still a long way from thinking about that. There is plenty of reason to be excited. But, we must be realistic.

We can’t expect the Rangers to keep up this pace. We can’t expect them to ride this wave throughout the year. Doing so would be foolish.We can, however, get excited. We can gloat about Marion Gaborik, or talk with pride about Michael Del Zotto. But, we can’t expect to win the Cup, not after 7 games.

This isn’t meant to be a downer. We have every reason to be excited. We just have to be realistic.

Game 7: Rangers vs Kings

The hot Rangers take on the Kings in  this 7 PM matchup at the Garden. The Kings are an early surprise, and have won 4 straight. The Rangers might be hotter, as they have 5 straight, and have won the last two in dominating fashion.

The Rangers lineup will be the same, except for Donald Brashear, who is out with “soreness”. Aaron Voros will take his spot on the fourth line.

The Kings are led by Anze Kopitar, who is off to a blazing start, with 10 points already. The Kings goalie is Johnathan Quick, but Carp says that we’ll see backup Erik Ersberg tonight. They have a lot of offensive weapons, and the addition of Rob Scuderi on the blueline has been huge.

This will be a good matchup. Both teams are the surprises of the early going. This will be a nice test for both teams. Treat this as your open thread. Watch the game, discuss, have fun. We had over 80 comments last game, which is amazing. Let’s get more tonight.

Rangers Number 1 in TSN Power Rankings

Surprise! The first TSN power rankings came out, and our Rangers are number one. Here’s what they had to say about the Blueshirts:

A tremendous start for Marian Gaborik, who has nine points and a plus-7 rating in five games but, just as importantly, rookie defencemen Michael Del Zotto and Matt Gilroy aren’t looking out of place, which upgrades the blueline corps.

It’s good to see the “experts” giving the Rangers the respect they deserve. I’ve always thought there was some strange media bias against the Rangers. After all, most of them picked them to be a disaster this year. That could still happen, but so far, so very good.

Are the Rangers the best team in the NHL? No. But they are playing like the best team in hockey. And that’s very exciting.

Finding Kotalik Ice Time

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Ales Kotalik will be an important member of the 2009-10 New York Rangers. Not only does he have a booming shot on the power play, he’s shown strong defensive responsibilities, and a nose for the net. So far, he has 3 goals and 2 assists,  and he’s done that while spending two games on the fourth line. Which brings me to my next question: How do the Rangers find ice time for Kotalik?

The first two lines are set in stone: Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik, and Higgins-Drury-Callahan. Both have created plenty of scoring chances, and have been the top two lines on the ice in most games. The third and fourth line is where things start to get tricky. When Sean Avery returned, he was placed on the third line, with Artem Anisimov and Enver Lisin. Kotalik was moved to the fourth line, and Aaron Voros was moved to the bench. The problem is, Kotalik is not a fourth liner. Hell, for 3 million a year, he’s probably not a 3rd liner either. The Rangers, I believe, have to find Kotalik more time. But, how do they do it?

The easiest scenario is moving Enver Lisin to the fourth line. His speed would be a welcome addition. And although Dave thinks otherwise, I think Lisin has been very impressive in the offensive zone thus far. Defensively, he’s a work in progress, which is why I think a fourth line assignment wouldn’t be good for him. Lisin needs to be with other offensively talented guys to succeed. Playing with Boyle and Brashear is probably not the answer.

You could also bench Lisin, and bring back Aaron Voros. A line of Brashear-Boyle-Voros is intriguing, and they played well the first couple of games together. But by benching Lisin, you risk stunting his development. If you send him down to Hartford to play regularly, you risk the chance of him bolting for the KHL. It’s a no-win situation.

The final scenario is putting Avery on the fourth line. His goal scoring would be a nice addition to the hard working fourth line, and something about Brashear and Avery on the ice at the same time gets me excited. But, Avery is not a fourth line player. He’s a legitimate top 6 forward.

This is a good problem to have. I can’t remember the last time the Rangers had too many guys who could provide offense. I’m not sure what the coaching staff will do. There are a lot of variables, but I can’t see Kotalik staying on the fourth line all year. You could switch Lisin and Kotalik depending on matchups. That might be the way to go, but then you risk chemistry. It’s a tough call, but one I’m glad the Rangers have. So what do you think? How can the Rangers best find Kotalik ice time?