The lack of depth on defense could be an issue
Heading into this season, the Rangers are one of the favorites to not only take the division and conference crowns, but to possibly bring the Stanley Cup back to New York. Playing in such a condensed season, the Rangers are not only going to have to be good, they are going to have to be lucky as well. There are a multitude of things that could easily derail this powerhouse.
Injuries
You could say this about the other 29 teams in the league, too, but there’s no denying that a significant injury to Henrik Lundqvist (knock on wood) or several other crucial Blueshirts could ruin the season in a hurry. Considering not everyone is in peak shape, it’s certainly possible that we could see a few major injuries in the first weeks of the season that change the landscape of the playoff race.
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Barton Silverman/The New York Times
The Ottawa Senators nabbed the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference last season with 92 points in 82 games. That works out to an average of 1.12 points per contest, which equates to roughly 53 points in a lockout-shortened 48-game season.
In 2010-2011, 93 points was enough to grant the Blueshirts the final playoff spot, which is on pace with the Sens last season. In 2009-2010, 88 points sealed the deal, which is a little off the 1.12 mark set by the Rangers and Sens in previous years. Using this math, we can assume that the mid 50s is a reasonable target to earn a playoff spot again this year.
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Along with 10,791 other hockey fans, I was in attendance at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall last night as Team Richards defeated Team Hartnell 10-6 in “Operation Hat Trick.”
The Sandy relief event, organized by ex-Flyer Todd Fedoruk, featured nine members of the New York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards, Brian Boyle, Taylor Pyatt, Arron Asham, Jeff Halpern, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Steve Eminger.
They were joined by several of the sport’s biggest stars including Steven Stamkos, Martin Brodeur, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry.
The game had a similar feel to a traditional All-Star game, but instead of being hijacked by offense, this game was dominated by Lundqvist.
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In an extremely generous gesture that will also appeal to the fans, Brad Richards and Scott Hartnell have co-organized “Operation Hat Trick,” a Sandy relief game featuring some of the NHL’s top players.
Next Saturday at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, Richards, who has been actively helping the effort on Staten Island, and Hartnell will lead squads that include NHL stars: Bobby Ryan, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Dan Carcillo, James van Riemsdyk, Justin Williams, Simon Gagne, Ville Leino, Ryan Callahan, Steve Eminger, Jeff Halpern, Brian Boyle, Jody Shelley and James Neal.
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Oscar Lindberg could replace Brian Boyle, but where will other prospects fit in?
We’ve spent a lot of time discussing the hot starts by Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast, and their futures raises an interesting question for the Blueshirts.
Along with Lindberg and Fast, the Rangers have a number of potential NHL players one rung away from the big show in Hartford including J.T. Miller, Kyle Jean, Marek Hrivik, Andrew Yogan, Christian Thomas and Ryan Bourque. Not far behind them is Michael St. Croix.
It’s not that the Blueshirts have a ton of veteran forwards inked to long-term deals; only Rick Nash and Brad Richards are signed beyond next season.
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How will this lockout affect the future?
How will the lockout affect the game’s future?
The other night on Twitter I posed this 3-point question:
- How betrayed/disrespect do you feel by the NHL and NHLPA?
- How much does that really matter to your interest?
- Bottom line: will it really stop you from spending money on tickets?
Plenty of Rangers fans are outraged and insist this latest work stoppage is an unforgivable foul. I suspect that some of the fan base has really been turned off, but not a big enough part to make any difference; the Garden will still fill up.
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The Rangers benefited from being patient and allowing Brad Richards to hit free agency.
Think back to the 2011 trade deadline. The New York Rangers were not yet regarded as an elite team; in fact, they were fighting for a playoff berth, a fight that lasted until the final day of the regular season.
Glen Sather had engaged in trade talks with Dallas GM Joe Nieuwendyk regarding soon-to-be free agent Brad Richards. Sather could have had the coveted center, provided he was willing to part with Marc Staal, Derek Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky, the ransom demanded by Nieuwendyk according to Larry Brooks.*
Sather showed restraint, kept his young pieces and watched as the Blueshirts were dispatched by the Washington Capitals in five games. Richards quickly signed with the Blueshirts on July 2nd.
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The lockout is now real and some New York Rangers have begun to make commitments to other teams for the 2012 season.
Already Rick Nash has inked a deal with HC Davos to reunite with Ranger hater Joe Thornton, where they both played in the last lockout.
The Fourth Period also reports that Carl Hagelin is in talks with Sodertalje SK of the Swedish Div II League.
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Snap reactions to NHL 13
, which I finally got to try out on Thursday night.
1. The video introduction by Claude Giroux about the new skating system was hilarious. Giroux was totally disinterested, but it’s actually a really effective explanation of the revamped skating.
2. Derek Stepan scored my first goal in NHL 13. Just saying, I think he has more goals in him this season.
3. Man they nailed Stu Bickel’s style of play.
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By now you’ve read a million of these, but here’s another post lamenting the looming lockout.
A friend posted this yesterday in response to the anti-lockout video by the great Janne Makkonen that’s been going around the hockey community:
“That just got me ridiculously excited for a hockey season that may not happen. But that was a great video.”
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