Sean Avery’s Days May Be Numbered

At today’s practice, Jesse Spector noted that Sean Avery was not skating with the first group, but with the second group on a line with Erik Christensen and Dale Weise.  The first group comprised what I can only assume will be the starting lineup on Day One:

Wojtek Wolski-Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky-Artem Anisimov-Ryan Callahan
Mike Rupp-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Ruslan Fedotenko-Brian Boyle-Brandon Prust

Avery is notably missing from these combinations, which was to be expected.  Naturally, you can assume that Avery will be the 13th forward, and will replace someone who is hurt or struggling.  But as for a regular spot in the lineup, there aren’t many, if any, candidates for Avery to replace.  The only person that Avery really has any business replacing is Zuccarello, and that’s only if he can’t seem to cut it with regular playing time.

While Avery may not find his way to the CT Whale –that seems reserved for Christensen, it seems that his days on Broadway are numbered.

Valentenko Among Those Cut

The Rangers have announced all of their cuts, and there may be a few surprises among these cuts.  The following players were sent to the CT Whale:

Forwards:  Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Tommy Grant, Jordan Hickmott, Tayler Jordan, Kale Kerbashian, Chad Kolarik, Chris McKelvie, Matt Rust, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, and Jason Wilson.

Defense: Lee Baldwin, Collin Bowman, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Jyri Niemi, Jared Nightingale, and Pavel Valentenko.

Goalies: Chad Johnson, Jason Missiaen and Cameron Talbot.

I am a bit surprised to see that Scott Stajcer is still with the club, although that may be because he hasn’t played in a preseason game yet. The Rangers said they will be taking three goalies with them to Europe, and as of now, it looks like Stajcer is that lucky guy to be going.

As for the skaters, seeing Valentenko cut so quickly may be a surprise to some, but not to me.  As some have said, he lacks the ability to make quick decisions, which hurt him in last night’s preseason game with the Devils.  He still had footspeed issues, but the inability to make quick decisions is ultimately the reason why he was sent back.  Tomas Kundratek was also cut, which is a bit disappointing as he was my dark horse to make the roster.

In addition to those sent to the Whale, the following players were returned to their respective CHL teams:

Forwards: Shane McColgan (Kelowna, WHL), J.T. Miller (Plymouth, OHL), Michael St. Croix (Edmonton, WHL), Christian Thomas (Oshawa, OHL), and Andrew Yogan (Peterborough, OHL).

Defense: Peter Ceresnak (Peterborough, OHL) and Samuel Noreau (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL).

The only player that really surprises me out of the CHL players cut is Miller.  Miller had a very strong Traverse City tournament, and an equally strong preseason. There had been whispers that he might have earned a trip to Europe and a longer look with Rangers brass, but those whispers are now officially untrue.

This leaves the Rangers with 35 players in camp (21 forwards, 11 defense, 3 goalies):

Forwards: Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, Ryan Bourque, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Andre Deveaux, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Marian Gaborik, Carl Hagelin, John Mitchell, Kris Newbury, Brandon Prust, Brad Richards, Mike Rupp, Derek Stepan, Andreas Thuresson, Dale Weise, Wojtek Wolski, Mats Zuccarello.

Defense: Brendan Bell, Stu Bickel, Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Tim Erixon, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Dylan McIlrath, Blake Parlett, Michael Sauer, Marc Staal.

Goalies: Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist, Scott Stajcer.

The organization said they will take six forward line (18), five defense pairings (10) and three goalies to Europe, so expect one more forward and one more defenseman to get cut after Monday afternoon’s game with the Flyers.

St. Croix First Official Cut, Rest To Come Later

Michael St. Croix, the Rangers 4th round pick in this year’s draft, appears to be the first official cut by the Rangers.  He recently tweeted that he is on his way back to Edmonton, where he will play in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings.  St. Croix did not appear in any “official” Rangers preseason games, but he did participate in the Rangers prospects game against the Devils yesterday afternoon.

The rest of the cuts are expected in the afternoon. There shouldn’t be many surprises, as most of these cuts will be CHL players returning to their teams.

Preseason Game 2: Bell Impresses Again, May Be That Dark Horse

Well, the Rangers won last night’s preseason game against the Devils 4-3, in a game that had a much better tempo and flow to it than their first tilt on Wednesday night. This game had good action, some good physicality, some drama, and some late heroics from unlikely sources, so let’s get into it:

• What is it with these “surprise” shots from the point that always beat Martin Brodeur? It happens all the time, and Brendan Bell victimized him this time around.
• Speaking of Bell, wow is he impressing. He might be that dark horse on the blue line that makes the cut. He has looked pretty good in both games, and it looks like he definitely earned his spot on the trip to Europe.
• Last Bell comment, if he continues to play like this, he might make losing Marc Staal a little bit easier to swallow. Sure, no one can replace Staal, but having someone step in and play solid hockey is the best case scenario for that.
• Michael Del Zotto looked better, but he still made some odd mistakes.  I was impressed with how he covered for Tim Erixon when he got beat though. He still makes some poor passes, and that needs work. One that really sums it up was in the third period when he was gaining the zone, he dished it off to Brian Boyle, but missed him by a foot. It’s tough to miss Brian Boyle’s reach by that much.
• Tim Erixon has made the team. Period.
• The top line of Brad Richards, Marian Gaborik, and Wojtek Wolski looked pretty good.  They seemed to click nicely, but it’s only been one game.
• The line of Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan, and Ruslan Fedotenko had a strong game.  There looks to be some chemistry there.
• Dale Weise and Kris Newbury both saw less than 10 minutes of ice time.  That can’t be good for them.  Weise had a strong game on Wednesday, but I barely noticed him tonight other than one big hit.
• That five forward powerplay is…interesting. I wonder if it’s going to be a defensive liability though? Richards and Callahan are defensively sound, but they don’t play that position. They went 1 for 6, but there was good puck control. Work in progress?
• Non-Rangers for a second: Jacob Josefson and Adam Larsson are going to be pretty good for the Devils…they hit the jackpot there.
• The refs let them play, which was nice to see, but the goalie interference was iffy (I thought Mike Sauer bumped him) and the interference on Gaborik was also iffy. Can’t have two iffy calls to end a game.
• For all the hype Pavel Valentenko received from the fan base, he looks like he needs another year in the AHL. It’s just one game, but he just looked a little lost, and the game looked a little too fast for him.

Preseason Game 2: Rangers vs. Devils

OPPONENT: New Jersey Devils

2010-2011 LEADING SCORER: Patrik Elias (21-41-62)

2010-2011 GOALIE: Fatty (2.45 GAA, .900 SV%)

RANGERS LINEUP:

Wojtek Wolski-Brad Richards-Marian Gaborik
Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan
Ruslan Fedotenko-Brian Boyle-Mats Zuccarello
Mike Rupp-Kris Newbury-Dale Weise

Brendan Bell, Michael Del Zotto, Tim Erixon, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Pavel Valentenko

Martin Biron
Chad Johnson

STATE OF THE BLUESHIRTS: The debut of the big guns. They will be watched closely.

CRAZY THOUGHT: The big guns light up Fatty.

OPPONENT’S BLOG: Fire & Ice

PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Devils 1

The game is on MSG tonight at 7pm. If it’s on the radio, it will either be on 1050AM or 970AM.

Staal May Not Accompany Rangers To Europe

More in the Marc Staal drama, it appears there is a chance that he will not accompany the team to Europe for their final four preseason games and first two regular season games.  Staal missed practice for a second straight day, although yesterday’s missed practice was due to a doctor’s appointment.

This is not good news for the Rangers, as Staal is the one skater they can ill afford to lose for an extended period of time.  He is an integral part of the Rangers defense, and also one of the more experienced members of a defensive core that can barely drink legally.  Concussions are evil, and the necessary precautions must be taken to preserve Staal’s long term health. If Staal misses serious time, it would be devastating.

I know I’m one to say back away from the ledge, but Staal missing the Euro-trip would be a good time to panic.  If that happens, it becomes Dan Girardi’s blue line.

Roster For Today’s Prospect Game

Per Bruce Berlet, who does a great job covering the CT Whale, the Rangers have announced their roster for the prospects game this afternoon against the Devils:

In a 1 p.m. prelim that is closed to the public, the Rangers’ prospects will play their Devils counterparts. The Rangers’ lineup is scheduled to consist of goalies Jason Missiaen and Scott Stajcer, defensemen Stu Bickel, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Dylan McIlrath, Jyri Niemi and Sam Noreau and forwards Ryan Bourque, J.T. Miller, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault, Jordan Hickmott, Shane McColgan, Matt Rust, Michael St. Croix, Scott Tanski, Kelsey Tessier, Christian Thomas, Jason Wilson and Andrew Yogan.

As I mentioned yesterday, a lot of these guys will be returned to their respective CHL clubs after the game.  Out of the guys that would have to go to the CHL if cut, I think J.T. Miller and Dylan McIlrath might stick around a little bit longer and make the trip to Europe.  The Rangers will carry six forward lines (18), five defense pairings (10), and three goalies while in Europe, which means 31 players will be making the trip.

Of course, that number may have been upped to 33 after John Tortorella was quoted that two players played their way on to the Europe roster, so we might get to 33 players.  The game isn’t open to the public unfortunately, so stick to Twitter and follow the beat writers for updates.

Roster For Tomorrow Night Released

Per Jim Cerny, the Rangers have released tomorrow night’s roster for the preseason game against the Devils:

Goalies: Martin Biron, Chad Johnson

Defensemen: Brendan Bell, Michael Del Zotto, Tim Erixon, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Pavel Valentenko

Forwards: Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Marian Gaborik, Carl Hagelin, Kris Newbury, Brad Richards, Mike Rupp, Derek Stepan, Dale Weise, Wojtek Wolski, Mats Zuccarello

I’m personaly looking forward to seeing Wolski-Richards-Gaborik as a line, because we all know that’s going to happen.  We’ve heard that Wolski has been tearing it up, so now we get a chance to witness it.  Also, Weise and Bell getting another game could be proof that they both impressed last night, and the coaches want another look at them.  Del Zotto is likely getting another shot to prove that he just had an off game last night.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that anyone on this roster will not be cut after the game.  It’s a safe bet that if you don’t see someone on this roster, then they are a candidate to be cut tomorrow or Saturday.

Prust’s Tricky Situation

Despite a great season last time around, when Brandon Prust became an integral (albeit surprising) Ranger there could be some difficulty finding an ideal spot for Prust on this year’s team. Prust is obviously going to make the side; after all he became a dangerous penalty killer last season as well as a fearless competitor. However, his role this year is somewhat complicated by the fact he still hasn’t been cleared for physical contact and won’t be until the Rangers hit Europe – meaning the gritty winger won’t have had an ideal pre-season whatsoever.

His line mates from last season – primarily Brian Boyle and Ruslan Fedotenko – will have a full camp under their belts with different line mates as well as accumulating plenty of ice time. The Rangers have a lot of wingers desperate to make the team out of camp including physical winger Dale Weise, speedy Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello. One of those, if not more, may head to Europe because of injuries persisting on the roster to players such as Prust.

So what if a Hagelin or Weise finds great chemistry in the bottom six, especially with Prust’s former line? Again, to repeat, Prust isn’t going anywhere. His play last year built up a lot of credit and he’s a great find for the Rangers but he may be moved around the roster if chemistry is built up in his absence. Not an ideal scenario for the fan favourite.

Rangers Lose In OT In Preseason Opener

Well, the Rangers dropped the preseason opener to a Fatty-less Devils, who still had a majority of their NHL roster playing tonight.  As for the Rangers, well, it looked sloppy, but all signs point to the ice being a mess, which may account for a few miscues.  Ice should never be an issue, as the Devils dealt with it too, so a loss is a loss.  I think I’m going to try a bullet point review for all games, so let me know what you think of this instead of the usual game summary types.

• Cam Talbot played his tail off during his time. He made great saves, and it wasn’t really his fault on the OT winner, it was just a bad giveaway.
• That turnover was the result of a bad pass from Steve Eminger that was fumbled by Dale Weise. It happens. No use crying over spilled preseason milk.
• Dale Weise did have a good game though, scoring a goal and dropping the gloves as well. I have pretty much written him off for the preseason, but more games like this and he may just crack that roster.
• John Tortorella said that Sean Avery was part of a line that was most impressive this game. That’s funny, because I didn’t see Avery after the first period.
• Dylan McIlrath had some early jitters, but settled down as the game went on. Being paired with Traverse City partner Tim Erixon likely helped.
• Ryan Bourque continued his strong play.
• Erik Christensen continued his “WTF am I doing here” play.  He’s gone. You heard it here first. No, seriously, you did. I said it last year.
• Michael Del Zotto…oh boy. This spot is yours to lose and you’re doing a good job losing it. You must be better. Stop forcing passes, just make the simple play that comes naturally.
• In the Bourque vs. Hagelin battle, Bourque took round one. Carl Hagelin is fast, but he didn’t do much else.