Record Last Week (1/24-1/30): 0-2-1
2010-2011 Record: 29-22-4
Upcoming Schedule: 2/7 @DET, 2/11 @ATL, 2/13 vs. PIT
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 0-2-1 last week, making them losers of four straight dating back to the pre-All Star break loss to Florida. This is the first real “crisis” for the Rangers, as it is the first time they have lost four straight all year.
- Even though the Rangers have lost four in a row, there is a lot of good news, particularly on the injury front. First, on Monday of last week, news broke that Ryan Callahan and Vinny Prospal would return, and they did so in epic fashion, scoring goals in each of their respective returns. Then, Brandon Dubinsky shocked the Rangers world when he returned two weeks early from a stress fracture.
- Erik Christensen also made his return on Saturday, but it was in lieu of Chris Drury, who has played with a nagging knee injury for some time now.
- Ruslan Fedotenko, who was also supposed to be due back this week, had to have an emergency appendectomy, and he will be out another 3-4 weeks. Derek Boogaard is likely done for the season with his concussion symptoms.
- The Rangers have had scouts looking at Sheldon Souray. He is a possible trade target for the Rangers, but I would have to assume it would be as a last resort, as Souray’s cap hit of $5.4 million extends into next season as well.
- The Rangers have one of the best farm systems in the league currently. Chris looked at the prospects thus far, the pleasant surprises, and the relative disappointments. Prospects are going to have tough years, but it’s the end result that matters.
[poll id="34"]
Posted by: Dave, on 02-07-2011 at 7:15 am in Polls | Comments Off
Record Last Week (1/24-1/30): 1-1-0
2010-2011 Record: 29-20-3
Upcoming Schedule: 2/1 vs. PIT, 2/3 vs. NJD, 2/5 @MTL
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 1-1 last week, with an impressive win over Washington. As impressive as they looked in the win over Washington, they looked that bad in the loss to Florida. Yes, they lost on a fluke goal, but the Florida Panthers should not be giving the Rangers that much trouble.
- Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, and Derek Stepan took part in All-Star Weekend. Stepan participated in the skills competition, going 4-for-6 in the accuracy event. Lundqvist stopped 11 of 14 shots, including a Matt Duchene penalty shot, and Marc Staal finished with 1 SOG and a -2 rating.
- Matt Moulson re-upped with the Islanders in a deal that actually helps the Rangers. Moulson lowered market value a bit for players of his skill level, which include Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky. A couple hundred thousand dollars off their salaries means a lot in a salary cap world.
- Five players (Michael Del Zotto, Evgeny Grachev, Brodie Dupont, Chad Kolarik and Kris Newbury) were returned to Connecticut for the All Star break. It is very likely that some –Newbury– will be recalled for this week with the Rangers still decimated by injuries. On the bright side, Ryan Callahan is due back for Tuesday’s game against Pittsburgh.
- The King is having another stellar year, and will likely be in the Vezina discussion at the end of the year. Tim Thomas is the clear front runner, but Hank can steal the award away if Thomas’ fall in the Skills Competition affects his game.
- Ethan Werek returned from his wrist injury with a bang, getting a goal and two assists in his first game back.
[poll id="33"]
Posted by: Dave, on 01-31-2011 at 7:30 am in Polls | Comments Off
Record Last Week (1/17-1/23): 2-1-0
2010-2011 Record: 28-19-3
Upcoming Schedule: 1/24 @WAS, 1/25 vs. FLA
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 2-1 last week, including a dismantling of the Toronto Maple Leafs. When playing against teams that actually might make the playoffs, the Rangers had a poor showing in Carolina, and a much better showing in Atlanta. In this five game stretch leading into the All Star Break, I said the Rangers should be looking to get seven of a possible ten points. Right now, they have four.
- Add Brandon Dubinsky (stress fracture), Ruslan Fedotenko (shoulder strain), Dan Girardi (ribcage pull), and Brandon Prust (sore ankle, sore shoulder, sore hand, sore everything) to the list of Rangers who are hurt and will (Dubinsky, Fedotenko) or may (Girardi, Prust) miss time. To replace Dubinsky and Fedotenko, the Rangers called up Chad Kolarik and Brodie Dupont. To replace Girardi and Prust, the Rangers recalled Michael Del Zotto and Eveny Grachev. The Kolarik and Dupont call ups were because they were the only two left that deserved a shot. As for MDZ and Grachev, both were making strides with the Whale, but the decision to call them both up was questionable. It came down to the Rangers needing bodies. MDZ and Grachev were two of the only players left that didn’t need to clear waivers.
- To make room on the roster for the new call ups, Dale Weise was returned to CT. Weise looked a little out of place during his time with the Rangers. It is clear he needs a little more time in the AHL before he can be counted on as a full time player.
- Although Weise looked a little out of place, Kris Newbury does not look out of place at all. Newbury was acquired at last year’s trade deadline in a minor league deal for Jordan Owens.
- The Rangers may open next season in Europe. The Blueshirts opened the 2008 season in Europe as well, when the Rangers faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague. The location for next season’s games is unknown, but if the Rangers go, they are looking into playing an exhibition game with a KHL club.
- The CT Whale have had a fairly interesting season thus far. They started off terribly, but have slowly climbed back into the playoff race. Considering most of the Whale roster now plays for the Rangers, that’s an impressive feat.
- As for the Rangers prospects not playing professionally, they have had their fair share of injuries as well. On the Prospect Stats page, three prospects are currently out with injuries, and that doesn’t even include Andrew Yogan, who hasn’t played a game this year. It also doesn’t include the other injuries the prospects have had to deal with, including injuries to Dylan McIlrath and Dan Maggio. It seems the injury gods were mean to everything Rangers this year.
[poll id="32"]
Record Last Week (1/10-1/16): 1-3-0
2010-2011 Record: 26-18-3
Upcoming Schedule: 1/19 vs. TOR, 1/20 @CAR 1/22 @ATL
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 1-3-0 last week, but that record looks a lot worse than it really is. The one win came against the NHL best Vancouver Canucks, and was an impressive win at that. The three losses were at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens (2) and the Philadelphia Flyers. Both teams have owned the Rangers this season, but that is nothing to get worried about. Many will panic after this week, but NHL teams lose games and go on slumps. It’s a part of the process.
- As a direct result of the Alex Frolov injury, the Rangers acquired Wojtek Wolski in exchange for Michal Rozsival. The Wolski acquisition means many things, providing flexibility among the forwards and giving the Rangers additional cap space, but at the price of leaving the Rangers with an inexperienced defense.
- Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal were selected as All-Stars this season. Derek Stepan will also participate in the rookie skills competition. Major snub goes to Brandon Dubinsky, who has been the Rangers best forward this season.
- The Wolski acquisition may have also made Erik Christensen a spare part for the Rangers. Once he returns from injury, we will see how the coaching staff plans on utilizing the young winger.
- On the injury front Ryan Callahan expects to return after the All-Star break. The same goes for Erik Christensen and Vinny Prospal. Derek Boogaard is still having concussion symptoms, and will remain on LTIR until those clear up.
- With the trade deadline approaching, the Rangers are in position to make a few moves to solidify the roster. However, they can solidify the forwards without making any moves whatsoever. It’s times like these the Rangers must exercise patients, as this does not appear to be their year to make a run. Next year though, all bets are off.
[poll id="31"]
Posted by: Dave, on 01-17-2011 at 7:30 am in Polls | Comments Off
Record Last Week (1/3-1/9): 3-0-0
2010-2011 Record: 25-15-3
Upcoming Schedule: 1/11 vs. MTL, 1/13 cs. VAN, 1/15 @MTL, 1/16 vs. PHI
Big news from last week:
- After a lack luster week the previous week, the Rangers went a perfect 3-0-0 this past week. The Rangers beat two teams vying for playoff spots in the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues, and one of the best teams in the league in the Dallas Stars. The Rangers also did so in impressive fashion, with gritty performances, solid defense, and overall great play during the week. After that off-week, it looks like the Rangers have found the game they lost.
- Alex Frolov tore his ACL in Saturday night’s game against St. Louis, and is out for the year. The Rangers recalled Kris Newbury to replace the injured Alex Frolov. With Newbury on the roster, the Rangers now have four players currently with the roster who started in the AHL.
- Michael Del Zotto, who has been struggling all year, was sent to the CT Whale. Ryan McDonagh was called up to replace MDZ, but eventually wound up replacing the injured Michal Rozsival.
- One of those four players, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, has been proving that he belongs in the NHL, with two game winners (one in a shootout, one in overtime) this week. MZA was a hot topic this summer, and the Erik Christensen injury has really given him an opportunity to prove he belongs. However, with all the injuries and the call ups, the Rangers are nowhere near full strength right now.
- We hit the halfway point in the season, and I gave out my opinion on the grades for the Rangers. Maybe I was a bit too nice, but that’s because I am very happy with the state of the Rangers this year. They have been great to watch this year, and hopefully should be great to watch in the playoffs too.
- Chris looked at MZA and how long he might be up in the NHL. Considering the way he’s been playing, I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon. He may have made Erik Christensen obsolete.
- The World Junior Championship ended this week, with Russia taking the gold after scoring five straight on Canada to win 5-3. The USA took the bronze after beating Sweden in the bronze medal game. Ranger prospects Chris Kreider, Ryan Bourque, and Jesper Fasth all had strong tournaments. Roman Horak has a relatively weak tournament with the Czech Republic.
- Evgeny Grachev is starting to show signs of life in the AHL. He has had several strong games in a row, and looks to be putting it all together. Many may say finally, but let’s remember the kid is 20 years old. He has time to develop. It’s a good sign he is putting it all together this year.
[poll id="30"]
Record Last Week (12/27-1/2): 2-1-1
2010-2011 Record: 22-15-3
Upcoming Schedule: 1/5 vs. CAR, 1/7 @DAL, 1/8 @STL
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers got five points out of a possible eight last week, which isn’t too shabby. The week featured a convincing win over the lowly Islanders, a win over the Devils that Henrik Lundqvist stole for the Rangers, and a lackluster showing in Florida where the Rangers stole a point in Tampa Bay before eventually losing in overtime before getting shutout in Miami. Over the course of the season, taking five points out of eight will get you into the playoffs, so there’s really not much to complain about.
- Erik Christensen is now out 4-6 weeks with a sprained knee suffered in the win over the Devils. Dale Weise will get an extended stay in New York while the Rangers deal with a myriad of injuries to several key players.
- Todd White was finally sent to Connecticut after a half-season where he barely played with the Rangers. White was initially kept over Tim Kennedy in the beginning of the season because he provided a veteran presence with the potential for some offense. He never cracked the lineup on a consistent basis, and has reported to the Whale. White, much like Redden, is a consummate professional and should serve as a great mentor for some of the young forwards.
- As mentioned above, Wade Redden has been a great mentor to the kids in Connecticut. There is a lot of irrational hatred towards Redden, who is a great person and has taken his demotion in stride. Redden was a top NHL defender for a decade before his game disappeared. He has a lot to teach the kids, and they are listening.
- Michael Del Zotto had been a consistent healthy scratch last week, before finally playing in last night’s loss to the Panthers. MDZ is struggling mightily this season, mostly stemming from his insane desire to make 100 foot passes instead of making the easy play. As long as he keeps it simple, MDZ will stay in the lineup. Homerun passes are the hockey equivalent of betting the hard-ways in craps.
- The World Junior Championship is underway, with the USA (Chris Kreider, Ryan Bourque) facing Canada in the semi-finals tonight. Sweden (Jesper Fasth) faces off against Russia in the other semi-final game. In the consolation round, the Czech Republic (Roman Horak) faces Slovakia on Tuesday to see who got the better hockey players since Czechoslovakia was split up*.
*-Not really.
- Since changing their moniker from the Hartford Wolfpack to the Connecticut Whale, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate has won 12 of 16 games and climbed into second place in their division. Evgeny Grachev is starting to show his skill, and may be beginning to have that breakout performance many fans expected. This recent surge has coincided with two things: coach Ken Gernander placing Grachev on the penalty kill (which the young forward admits helps him stay focused on the game), and the additions of veterans Jason Williams and Todd White to the CT roster.
[poll id="29"]
Record Last Week (12/20-12/26): 0-0-1
2010-2011 Record: 20-14-2
Upcoming Schedule: 12/27 vs. NYI, 12/29 @NJ, 1/1 @TB, 1/2 @FLA
Big news from last week:
- Due to the Christmas break, the Rangers only had one game last week, a shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers played very well in the game, and it went to a very lengthy shootout. However, it was just one of those games that the Rangers lost. It is what it is. A very good positive came from the loss, as Mats Zuccarello-Aasen was very impressive in his NHL debut, and earned another call up for tonight’s game against the Islanders.
- Derek Stepan is having a great rookie season. And even though he may not be a true Calder candidate, he deserves some recognition for his play this year. He is third on the team in scoring (10-10-20), and tied for third on the team in goals. To say that he has been a pleasant surprise would be an understatement. There is always the chance that he hits the proverbial NCAA wall, as most college players do in their first professional season, but Stepan is used to roughly 60 games per season (NCAA + Wold Juniors), so it may not affect him as much. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking though.
- There have been some troubling Michael Del Zotto trade rumors that surfaced last week. When he was a healthy scratch, Columbus General Manager Scott Howson kicked the tires on his availability. Many fans have been giving MDZ a big ball of hate this season, and it really is uncalled for. Let’s all back away from the edge a little bit, the kid is 20 and is playing better defense, his primary position, this season. Let him learn folks.
- Derek Boogaard was shut down this week with what appears to be concussion symptoms stemming from his fight with Matt Carkner early in December. Concussions are a tricky thing, so the Rangers will need to take their time with their enforcer.
- Despite being left off Canada’s World Junior’s roster, Rangers 2010 second round pick Christian Thomas is getting some serious recognition for his play this year. He has been having a phenomenal season thus far, and looks to be another one of those second round steals by the Rangers.
- After a very slow start, the Connecticut Whale are starting to win some games. It may have been triggered by the trades of captain Dane Byers, and disgruntled defenseman Nigel Williams. But the offense is starting to show up. Interesting to note that whichever defenseman is paired with Wade Redden seems to get much better. Just sayin.
[poll id="28"]
Posted by: Dave, on 12-27-2010 at 7:15 am in Polls | Comments Off
Record Last Week (12/13-12/19): 2-1-0
2010-2011 Record: 20-14-1
Upcoming Schedule: 12/23 vs. TB
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 2-1 last week, with two very hard fought victories against the Penguins and Coyotes. The loss was to the best team in the NHL (Flyers), where the Rangers looked terrible. Considering their previous three wins were against the Caps, Pens, and Yotes, the loss to Philly is one of those “allowable” losses. Hopefully they follow up that poor showing with a good showing at home on Thursday.
- The Rangers saw the return of Chris Drury overshadowed by the loss of Ryan Callahan to a broken hand. The Callahan loss is a big loss, as he has one of the best Ranger skaters this season. His injury is a product of the Rangers prowess for blocking shots. Shot blocking is a doue edged sword, and this time it hurt the Rangers. Callahan will be out for six to eight weeks.
- Dale Weise was called up for the Flyers game and had a relatively good performance. He had a goal waved off, and fared well in his fight. As expected, he was sent down immediately after the game. The Whale have a pair of games before the Rangers play their game against the Lightning on Thursday, so it makes sense to have Weise play a few more games.
- This was a week of rumors. The first rumor is one we’ve been hearing about regarding Brad Richards. The other is one started by Larry Brooks regarding the Rangers interest in Fedor Tyutin. There was another rumor regarding the Blue Jackets interest in Michael Del Zotto, but it’s safe to say that Glen Sather won’t be trading away the core youth for veterans.
- The Rangers prospects playing in the CHL leagues are doing well. However, Scott Stajcer, who started the season off with his best Henrik Lundqvist impression, has cooled off considerably. He is showing that he is actually human. A few of the prospects are battling injuries, but nothing appears to be too serious.
- The call up order in Connecticut seems to be set. It appears that Dale Weise will be getting the call for any bottom six openings, as he was on Saturday. If I had to make a guess, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen will be the call up for any top-six openings.
[poll id="27"]
Posted by: Dave, on 12-20-2010 at 10:03 am in Polls | Comments Off
Record Last Week (11/29-12/5): 2-1-0
2010-2011 Record: 18-13-1
Upcoming Schedule: 12/15 @PIT, 12/16 vs. PHO, 12/18 @PHI
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 2-1 last week, ending with a complete dismantling of the Washington Capitals. This domination came on the heels of two weeks of mediocre hockey, where the Rangers looked bad but still managed to win their fair share of games. That was not the case last night, as the Rangers showed that they can skate with the big boys.
- Tim Kennedy was given permission to seek a trade by Glen Sather. Kennedy did not make the team out of camp because Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko simply outplayed him. he also was not doing much offensively in Connecticut, so this is no real loss for the Rangers. Kennedy was a low risk option for the Rangers, and it did not pay off. Hopefully he catches on somewhere else. He won’t fetch much of a return though.
- Michael Del Zotto, who has been struggling this season, was a healthy scratch before the game against Ottawa on Thursday. Sometimes watching from above helps the young players grow in the NHL, and the kid took it in stride. Meanwhile, some are hinting that Artem Anisimov –who has been struggling of late– could be the next to get a game as a healthy scratch. It’s up for debate, but it does help to watch from above sometimes.
- Derek Boogaard was hurt in the game against Ottawa, and has been out for the past two games. Boogaard injured his right shoulder, and it appears pretty serious. He was sent back to New York prior to the Columbus game for further evaluation, and he could be out for a little while.
- A few Rangers prospects were named to Team USA for the World Junior Championships this week. Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque will be back this year as the USA looks to defend its title. Of course, Derek Stepan will not be joining them, as he is with the big club.
- The Connecticut Whale are looking like they are starting to turn a corner, getting points in all four games this week. Although the Whale are having team issues, the prospects expected to make an impact on the Rangers roster in the future are starting to show signs of life. Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko, Dale Weise, and Tomas Kundratek have been the Whale’s most consistent performers of late. chad Kolarik, acquired for Dane Byers, has also been a shot in the arm for the Whale.
[poll id="26"]
Record Last Week (11/29-12/5): 2-2-0
2010-2011 Record: 16-12-1
Upcoming Schedule: 12/9 @OTT, 12/11 @CBJ, 12/12 vs. WAS
Big news from last week:
- The Rangers went 2-2 last week, but were really lucky to come away with those two wins. They appeared sluggish in all four games this week, and it showed in the losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa. Luckily for the Rangers, they also faced the Islanders twice last week, and despite a poor performance in the second game, still came away with a sweep in the home-and-home. The Rangers had a very tough November schedule, but managed to go 9-7 while playing 16 games in just 30 days.
- Despite the fact that the Rangers hovered around .500 for the first two months of the season, finishing two games above .500 in both months, there are many positives to be seen from their overall play this season. Sure, there are also negatives, but I don’t believe in focusing solely on those negatives every day. This is clearly a young team that is rebuilding. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
- Chris Drury, who has been out for pretty much the entire season with a broken finger, will be a little delayed in his return. Drury has resumed skating with the team, and has no trouble passing the puck, but gripping his stick for a shot is still a weakness. For those criticizing Drury’s captaincy because “it’s just a finger”, you break your finger and try to play hockey. Let’s see how well that goes for you. Fingers are fickle things, and sometimes they take more time to heal than others. The team is still in good standing in the Eastern Conference, so there’s no need to rush the captain back.
- The biggest news of the week was the Sidney Crosby slew foot of Ryan Callahan. This sparked a big debate on Twitter and many blogs about if this was indeed a slew foot. Everyone has their varying opinions on it, but it appeared to be a blatant slew foot in my opinion. Of course, the play wasn’t reviewed by the league, so conspiracy theorists unite!
- The Connecticut Whale are finally starting to show signs of life. After an abysmal start to the year, the Whale traded locker room cancer Nigel Williams, and captain Dane Byers (at his request) in exchange for Stu Bickel and Chad Kolarik respectively. Kolarik has been a point-per-game player since his arrival, even if it was sad to see Byers go. Williams’ absence is addition by subtraction really.
- Christian Thomas continues to impress everyone with his breakout season in the OHL. He was a notable snub for Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior Championships. In fact, no Ranger prospect was selected for the team, which is a little bit curious if you ask me. Thomas and Ethan Werek were certainly on the list of surprise omissions.
[poll id="25"]
Posted by: Dave, on 12-06-2010 at 7:30 am in Polls | Comments Off
