Grading Glen

This probably won’t be a popular post because of the end result. Seeing as camp isn’t far away and with the off-season all bar over (Marc Staal aside) I thought it would be worth grading everyone’s favourite hockey recluse, Glen Sather.

Good Glen

• Addressing needs: signing Alex Frolov and Marty Biron to address flaws on the team with low risk, low cap deals.
• Drafting to need; the 2010 draft featured size and players were picked by organisational need. Not every need was addressed in the draft but many were.
• Something for Nothing; Brashear’s cap headache was removed, and Todd White a potentially useful part was added. If White doesn’t pan out he doesn’t affect the cap like Brashear.
• Being pro active and getting Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan under contract quickly while making a play to get Chris Kreider under wraps. Sather seems to be backing up his word by trying to bring in the youth.
• Sensible deals for Prust and Christensen.

Bad Glen

• The Girardi deal; Dan Giardi got too much dollar, even if it bought into his UFA years. A bad season prior should not warrant a 100% pay rise regardless.
• Marc Staal; yes Glen, we appreciate there was a ‘chasm’ but the team’s best defenseman shouldn’t still be without contract. Sather’s consistent mishandling of RFA’s is baffling and unnecessary.
• Derek Boogaard’s contract. Hate the deal, not the player.

The Jury’s out Glen

• Eminger for Voros; another case of acquiring something for nothing, if Eminger plays well this is a good move but if rumour is true, adding Eminger meant missing out on solid bruiser Shane Morrisonn which counts as a negative.
• Did we really need to share an affiliate with the Flyers?
• If PA Parenteau becomes Matt Moulson II on long Island, consider it egg on face.
• Will much sought after Mats Zuccarello-Aasen be another Euro flop (see Ambuhl, Andreas) or the next free agent Euro to make an NHL impact?

And the Grade is?…

Players were allowed to leave, relationships were forged (welcome Greenville), and camps were held with the underlying theme of roster transformation. Competition seems legit and not a single move Sather has made this summer burns the team long term. If certain players do well (hello Frolov) they have the opportunity to become core parts of the Rangers going forward.

This has been Sather’s best off season for a very long time, perhaps ever as Rangers GM. There seems to be a plan in place and reasoning behind every move. Sather gets a B+ at the moment. This may have been higher had he already resolved Staal’s situation and paid less for Dan Girardi’s renewal. If Sather really does admit to the biggest mistake of his managerial career and banishes Redden in camp then Sather will have redeemed himself to a degree.

NHL Adjusts Tiebreaker Rules

Regardless of your personal feelings towards the shootout, it looks like it will be here to stay. It isn’t the best way to end a hockey game after 65 grueling minutes, but it is very fun to watch. We will never see continuous OT in the regular season, although I think that would draw more fans than the shootout because of “this shot can end the game” feeling every 30 seconds. However, the NHL is taking steps to reduce the influence the shootout has on the standings.

Over the weekend, the NHL ruled to adjust the rules for tiebreakers. Originally, the first tiebreaker was number of wins. This has now been changed to number of regulation/OT wins. The second tiebreaker will be overall wins. This gives more incentive for teams to win in regulation/OT, which should make the last 10 minutes before the shootout much more exciting. This doesn’t address the bigger issue of the three point games, but this is at least a step in the right direction.

What this does do, however, is make it more difficult for the casual fan to follow the standings. This will either add another column in the already crowded W/L records (W-Reg/OT W-L-OTL), or it will be available online somewhere. It is an interesting situation though, as this decision is clearly designed for the best interest of the NHL, but it actually may deter some casual fans from becoming hardcore fans. Regardless, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

On a more humorous note, for those following NHL players on Twitter, Cam Janssen of St. Louis and Krys Barch of Dallas have scheduled a fight via Twitter for their October 16th game. I wonder how soon before there’s a “Cam Janssen” rule, in which you cannot schedule fights via social media. I give it 10 hours after their October 16 fight.

Sunday Link Dump

It’s Sunday, here’s your link dump for today:

Nick Montemagno of Blueshirt Banter analyzes the Pension Plan Puppets situation, and the overall lack of respect given to most bloggers.

In reference to above, you should read this article at Pension Plan Puppets, who had their hard work blatantly ripped off by the Toronto Sun. To make matters worse, The Sun told them to “get over it” when confronted. It really just illustrates the general disrespect for bloggers, and that needs to change.

Patrick Hoffman at Kukla’s Korner looks at which Sean Avery will show up this season, and what it means for his future.

Scotty Hockey takes a look at other possible signings that James Dolan may make this year for the Rangers.

Also, we here at Blue Seat Blogs are going to be looking for guest bloggers for the weeks leading up to training camp. Shoot me or Jurgenno an email (Jeremy is moving, so he’s unavailable for the time being) if you’re interested.

THN: Rangers To Finish 13th

As Jeremy touched on Thursday, The Hockey News picked the Rangers to finish 13th in the Eastern Conference next season. Their reasoning is, well, flawed at best:

Why: Missing the playoffs on the last day of the regular season must still be stinging the Rangers and it won’t help we’ve slotted them in at unlucky No. 13 for 2010-11. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is about the only reason the Rangers are still afloat and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes Marian Gaborik will make it through another season untouched by injury.

This is at best lazy journalism. I do not call myself a journalist, but I at least perform research before writing posts to this blog. Yes, if Gaborik or Henrik Lundqvist suffer a significant injury, the Rangers will falter next season. That is a fact. However, ranking the Rangers that low based on a “what-if” scenario is just irresponsible and lazy. As I mentioned in the comments of Jeremy’s musings; what if Sidney Crosby is driving down a highway with Evgeny Malkin in his car, and he gets into an accident with Martin Brodeur, with Zach Parise in his car, and the accident causes a car driven by Mike Richards, with Jeff Carter and Chris Pronger as passengers, to veer off the road and hit a pole?

You see, I can make a “what-if” scenario too.

But let’s be honest, the Rangers are clearly the 4th best team in the Atlantic Division, which at best puts them as the #6 seed in the playoffs, should they qualify. It is safe to assume the top three teams in the Atlantic qualify for the playoffs, along with the division winners from the Southeast and Northeast Divisions. After those top five teams, the rest of the Eastern Conference, save for the Florida Panthers and New York Islanders (who will likely finish 14-15), is a big toss up. Any team can suffer a significant injury, which will cause them to drop in the standings. The Toronto Maple Leafs, although greatly improved, will likely finish out of the playoffs, as will the Carolina Hurricanes. Where they finish is still up for debate.

Barring injuries, it is safe to assume the Rangers will finish ahead of those four teams. The Atlanta Thrashers are better, but may suffer in net, with Ondrej Pavelec and Chris Mason in goal. The Ottawa Senators are also very shaky in net, as Pascal Leclaire will have to regain form to make the Sens a competitor. I’d rather have a potential injury concern who played 70 games last year over a question mark in net any day, so it is likely the Rangers will finish ahead of these two teams as well.

At this point, the Rangers are one of three teams battling for the final two playoff spots, along with the vastly improved Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Montreal Canadiens. At this point, those two spots are up for grabs to which ever teams wants those spots the most. Last year, the Rangers started hot, faltered for the middle 60 games of the season, and finished hot. For the Rangers to make the playoffs, they will obviously need to remain healthy, but they will need something more than that. They will need one word that has plagued this team since the lockout. One word that we have been looking for since 1994. That word: CONSISTENCY.

Training Camp Hot Seats

Less than a month to go before Camp. Who is in danger of missing out? Which players need a strong camp to make the club and fight their way up the depth charts? For the first time in several seasons the Rangers go into training camp with a lot of competition for places. How many places are really up for grabs remains to be seen but there are a few spots seemingly up for grabs.  On Tuesday we considered the Sean Avery scenario however Avery is not alone in needing a good camp. For varying reasons, here are a few more guys under pressure.

Brian Boyle; Boyle may be one of the more frustrating Rangers of recent times. A massive body that was very good at the AHL level for Manchester and who had a good college career, Boyle simply hasn’t done it at the NHL level. Doesn’t play physical given his size and hasn’t finished well when the opportunities have been there. He’ll start the camp without a spot and needing to win one back. It’s hard to see how he fits into the equation at present. His NHL career is in jeopardy so it’d be nice to see some desire and passion in camp.  

Dane Byers; The talented Byers could be a useful player for the Rangers if only he could stick and stay healthy. Having been repeatedly overlooked it’s hard to imagine he’ll get another chance if he doesn’t make the team this time around. Good size, aggression and decent scoring ability are all facets of Byers’ game and in theory he’d make an ideal bottom six player. With the signings of Prust and Boogaard, the presence of Boyle and the threat of Weise it’s looking cluttered in the bottom 6. If another year in the AHL beckons, surely it’s either a trade or a change of scenery after his current 1 year deal expires.

Erik Christensen; Yes, EC has a new 2 year deal in his pocket. However, a deal that pays less than 1m annually is easy to move (or rid) and Christensen has by no means secured anything at this stage. Flashed his tantalizing skill set enough last year to equally impress and frustrate the coaching staff (‘why couldn’t he do it more’…) but his spot will be under threat if Anisimov wins a top 6 spot and Prospal, Dubinsky and Todd White battle for the other centre spot. That’s without mentioning X factors such as Ethan Werek and Derek Stepan who come to camp with little pressure. It’s hard to imagine Christensen thriving enough lower down the order, to stick. Top 6 or bust?

Read more »

Thoughts And Musings

Hello all. Let’s dive right in.

-I don’t like these proposed rule changes. Although 2-on-2 hockey would be exciting, it would just be weird. I say to keep it the way it is.

-I know he has absolutely no leverage, and it will probably play out like the Dubinsky situation last season, but let’s get Marc Staal signed. He’s our best defenseman. We need him.

-I’ve said this before, but I don’t believe Wade Redden will be in Hartford until he’s actually wearing a Wolfpack sweater. Then I’ll believe it.

-If Redden does go to Hartford, it opens up the number 6. I’ve always liked that as a number. Good, solid number. Maybe McDonagh will take it?

-What do y’all think the odds are of Stepan making the team? 30%? More?

-Same question for Grachev. 70% Lower?

-Annoyance interlude: I was at the bank today, just to do a quick deposit. I was offered cookies and coffee. While I appreciate the gesture, what were the odds of me accepting? Since there was no line the deposit was going to take 2 minutes, probably less. I wasn’t going to be able to finish a cookie in that time, much less coffee. If there was a line, I’d maybe take them up on their offer. But, she offered it to me as she was depositing the money. Just didn’t make sense. But, deposit lady, if you are reading, I do appreciate the offer.

-The Hockey News came out with which teams won’t make the playoffs. The Rangers are among them. They have them finishing 13th in the East. Their reasoning:

Why: Missing the playoffs on the last day of the regular season must still be stinging the Rangers and it won’t help we’ve slotted them in at unlucky No. 13 for 2010-11. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is about the only reason the Rangers are still afloat and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes Marian Gaborik will make it through another season untouched by injury.

Yes, if Gaborik gets hurt, the Rangers are screwed. But is that an analysis? Finding anyone who believes Gaborik won’t get hurt is not a reason why they won’t make the playoffs. If Sidney Crosby gets hurt, are the Penguins making the playoffs? Probably not. What about Ovechkin? Ryan Miller? It’s not an analysis. It’s lazy. I can respect that they don’t think the Ranger will make the playoffs, but at least tell me why. Tell me that the scoring depth isn’t enough, or the defense corp is too young. But saying that they don’t believe Gaborik will stay healthy? Please.

-Personally, I think the Rangers are going to make the playoffs. They’ll sneak in as the 7th or 8th seed, but they’ll be there. Nothing like playoff hockey at the Garden.

-Speaking of nothing like playoff hockey, the one playoff hockey like game at home last year (the one against Philly, the last home game) was awesome. One of the top 5 games I’ve been to. Crowd was electric.

-Every time I think about the Rangers, I think about the need for Sean Avery to produce. Both as a pest and as a scorer. We know he can score. He just didn’t do it much last year. They are a better team when he’s playing well. I think Torts has to let go of the leash.

-Another annoyance interlude: A nail salon opened up in the my town (more on my town later). Nothing wrong with that. Except, it’s right across the street from THE OTHER NAIL SALON!! Literally, right across the street. What’s the point of that? I mean, when they were thinking of opening up a nail salon, did they not realize there is one across the street? Or the fact that there’s another one a few blocks away?And another one a few more blocks away. There’s 4 in my very small town.  You only need one nail salon in a town. 4 in a county. 16 in a state. There’s two in one of the neighboring towns, 3 in the other. I just don’t get it. Isn’t one enough? Maybe it’s me, but a nail salon is a nail salon. You just need one. They all do the same thing.

-I do need a new jersey. I have a Drury, but it’s a bit outdated. Who should I get?

-Frolov will score at least 25 goals. You read it here first. Or second. But I think first.

-Callahan will score 25 goals.

-Dubi will score 28

-Boogaard will score zero.

-Personal interlude: So, I’m moving to Allentown, PA a week from today. New job. Excited. But, as I adjust to a new job, new place, new city, new life, etc, I’m taking a little hiatus from BSB. It won’t be too long. I’ll be back mid-to-late September. Knowing how I operate, I need to focus wholly on adjusting, or I won’t. It’s life. Can’t do much about it. But, I will miss the site. It’s great posting here, with a great community. Don’t miss me too much.

NHL Tinkering With Rules

During this year’s NHL Research and Development camp, the NHL will be testing out roughly a dozen proposed rule changes. Of the proposed rule changes, some are designed to increase action, others are designed to increase player safety. Some are good ideas, and some are just stupid. Let’s break it down:

The Good:

• Hybrid icing: Icing will be called instantly when the puck crosses the goal line, unless there is a race for the puck. If the attacker is the clear winner of the race for the puck, then no icing is called. If the defender is the clear winner, icing will be called before touch up. This is a good compromise for both sides of the argument, as it still keeps the race for the puck as an integral part of the game, without endangering player safety.
• Verification goal line: This adds another goal line behind the current goal line, presumably to give goal judges a clearly defined line of when the puck will officially cross the initial goal line. This should lead to less lengthy replays, and hopefully less missed goals.
• Wider blue lines: I like this because it should lead to less offsides, less whistles, and hopefully a continued flow of the game. For some reason, the NHL seems to think that fans want more goals. Sure, that’s nice, but less whistles and more flow is better.

Continue Reading

The Problem with Sean Avery

People keep saying Wade Redden needs to be in Hartford, that the Rangers don’t have a plan B if he plays well. There are concerns that Redden could be a bad influence on the kids in the A if he does go there. Well, there’s another player that maybe the Rangers haven’t accounted for and that’s Sean Avery. The Grate One has never seemed to click with Tortorella; left wing seems crowded with Prospal, Frolov and Dubinsky all competition at the spot and then there’s Avery’s infamous personality.

It needs to be repeated that Avery can be a very effective player for the Rangers. It could be said that Avery needs to be effective for this year’s club to be a playoff team. The problem is, where will he play? Avery needs minutes. Tortorella banished him to the 4th line once before and he was ineffective. Avery is best when he’s on the 2nd line making a nuisance of himself, going to the corners and being pro active. A line featuring Avery and Callahan on the flanks makes for a nice two-way, forechecking compliment to the Gaborik/Frolov line. Will it get a chance? Time will tell.

Avery needs to make the team or surely he won’t be in New York. Regardless of Redden’s cap hit going to Connecticut it’s hard to see how the Rangers can afford Avery’s cap hit to linger if he isn’t playing. It’s also hard to imagine they want his personality to linger if he’s not playing but right now there really doesn’t seem an opening for him. This is an issue that potentially won’t go away until either Avery plays on opening night or he’s moved (an unlikely scenario). The Coach keeps insisting he sees Dubinsky at wing, Frolov wasn’t brought in to be anything less than a primetime scorer and Prospal won’t be outside the top six (regardless whether that be at center or wing) so really it seems Avery is being tabbed, at best, for a 3rd line job however there seems to be an awful lot of players competing for spots on that line. If Avery doesn’t play do we really see him making his way to Hartford? It’s not a good scenario for any party involved.

Sean Avery and everything that he is, is a distraction. When it’s to the opposition it’s a good thing and the Rangers are better for it but if he doesn’t play, doesn’t play well and often he will become a distraction to the Rangers, and the NY media. It would be an unwelcome distraction.

The Importance of Marty Biron

On July 1st, the Rangers made perhaps their best signing in years. Yeah, Marian Gaborik has been terrific. And signings like Marty Straka and Michael Nylander a few years back were golden. But Marty Biron brings something that the Rangers haven’t had in a while: A backup goalie

We all know Henrik Lundqvist is one of the top 5 goalies in the world. It’s the reason we’re competitive every single year.  As long as he’s healthy, the Rangers will be in the hunt. But, without a competent backup the past few years, Henrik has had to shoulder the load all by himself. Since 2007: 72 games, 70 games, 73 games. It’s a lot.

The reason he’s had to play so much is because the guy behind him hasn’t been capable of winning games consistently. That changes with Marty Biron.

The 33 year older veteran has had a pretty good career. Even playing with the horrible Islanders last year, Biron put up a 3.27 GAA. On a pretty good Philly team the year before, a 2.76 GAA. The guy can play.

Even though Steve Valliquette was a good guy, he wasn’t the best goalie. A long time starter, Biron can get hot over a stretch of games. Or, he can come in and give Hank a rest.

Marty Biron is not the best goalie in the world. But, he’s an important Ranger. Giving Henrik 15-20 games off will keep him fresh for the stretch run. A fresh Henrik is a good thing for the Rangers. With a lot of young talent around him, Henrik can carry this team to the playoffs. He’ll get an assist from Marty Biron.

Sunday Link Dump

It’s Sunday, so here’s another link dump for you all:

Joe Fortunato at Blueshirt Banter analyzes the cost of Ilya Kovalchuk, and if that cost is worth it to the Rangers.

Greg Caggiano looks at if and where the youth fits into this year’s roster.

The Hockey Suit takes a look at Marc Staal’s contract negotiations, and comparable contracts from around the league.

Patrick Hoffman is polling Ranger fans on their feelings for next season. You should make sure to contribute.

Good news for Verizon users, the iPhone will be offered for Verizon customers in January.