Preseason Game 1: Rangers vs. Devils (In Albany)

OPPONENT: New Jersey Devils

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

2010-2011 GOALIE: Fatty, but he’s not in net tonight.

RANGERS LINEUP:

Brandon Dubinsky-Artem Anisimov-Dale Weise
Sean Avery-John Mitchell-J.T. Miller
Carl Hagelin-Erik Christensen-Christian Thomas
Ryan Bourque-Shane McColgan-Andre Deveaux

Dan Girardi-Brendan Bell
Michael Del Zotto-Steve Eminger
Tim Erixon-Dylan McIlrath

Henrik Lundqvist
Cameron Talbot

STATE OF THE BLUESHIRTS: New York Rangers hockey is back.  It’s about time too.

CRAZY THOUGHT: Avery gets a Gordie Howe Hat Trick

OPPONENT’S BLOG: Fire & Ice

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Devils 2

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

The Obligatory Paul Mara Post

With one single article, Katie Strang of ESPN New York sent all of New York into a frenzy.  Per his agent, the Rangers “might” be looking at Paul Mara as a veteran defenseman.  One simple sentence, and every single Ranger fan was questioning the health of Marc Staal. I have to admit, it was kind of funny to witness on Twitter.

Yes, the Staal concussion is a concern, but it is not a big concern yet, and it is not something the Rangers would really be planning around at this stage, especially because Staal partook in practice yesterday. He is not going to scrimmage or play in preseason games for a week or so, but he is at least on the ice and taking part in Camp Torts.  Reading between the lines here, I don’t think a Mara signing would be because of Staal’s injury.

In fact, I think it would be an insurance policy against Tim Erixon and/or Michael Del Zotto. Del Zotto has been having a relatively rough camp, per the beat writers.  Erixon has been looking very smooth, but he’s still a kid, and nothing is guaranteed.  For the sake of this post, let’s assume one isn’t ready, and none of the kids are ready to assume a full time role. That thrusts Steve Eminger, who is having a strong camp, into a regular defenseman role.

All of a sudden, the Rangers are without a seventh defenseman. That gives them little flexibility in case of an injury, especially because in this scenario, the other kids further down on the depth chart aren’t ready.  Insert a veteran presence as a seventh defenseman in Mara to serve as the seventh guy.

Remember, the roster on October 1 is never the roster on April 1. It may not even be the roster on January 1 either. Last year is a perfect example. With a rash of injuries, the Rangers were forced to promote Mike Sauer to top-four duties, and call up the most ready of the AHL defensemen in Ryan McDonagh. Both exceeded expectations, so they traded Michal Rozsival.

Of course, that is one scenario, and no two scenarios are the same. In this case, since Mara is demanding a NHL contract, it is unlikely that he signs with the Rangers.  That’s a very good thing, since Mara is unfortunately a shell of his former self, and it mostly has to do with his skating.  He simply can’t keep up anymore, and it’s the reason why he went unsigned this offseason.  He can’t skate, he can’t pivot, and he just gets burned by faster skaters now. The beard is glorious, but the feet are not. If anything, I would be bet that his agent is name dropping to boost his value.

Could Staal Mean Dylan?

With all the hullaballoo (love that word) surrounding Marc Staal’s physical condition, it’s worth pointing out once again the impressive depth the Rangers have at the defense position. Yes, I can hear the replies now of ‘none of them are Marc Staal’. Certainly true, at least at this stage of their careers they are not. However, what is worth noting is that there may not be a franchise in the league right now that could bear the brunt of missing their best blue liner better the Rangers can.

Obviously if Staal misses game time long term it puts a huge dent in the 2011-12 plans of the Rangers. I’d argue that he is just as important as a Gaborik, more important than a Dubinsky, and not far behind the level of importance Lundqvist has on this team. However, the Rangers have a stack of defensemen on the bubble of making the big club (sooner rather than later) that could fill in at least short term, even if it was in a reduced capacity.

Dave pointed out the other day how Pavel Valentenko may be on the roster and not in the AHL due to his contract status. Indeed Valentenko has the physical game and aggressiveness to keep the Rangers blueline nasty and with an appropriate physicality. You have the much discussed, even more anticipated Tim Erixon looking impressive each day, and the potential offensive whiz of Mike Del Zotto still around. Great potential, great depth.

Here’s the wild card in the Staal situation: don’t rule out the Rangers keeping Dylan McIlrath with the club if Staal were to miss some regular season time. It serves a few purposes. The Rangers get a full look at the big kid in ‘real’ NHL action. It gives him invaluable experience and could be done in the bottom pairing with another player moving up. Steve Eminger played admirably in a bigger role for a period last year, so it’s not daunting to think he could be needed to do it again this season even if it isn’t ideal.

Back to Dylan McIlrath. A lot of people may think he’s not NHL ready and he probably isn’t. He wasn’t a dominating presence at Traverse City and he’s not been a name flying off the tongue in camp either. However, when considering this potential opportunity to fill-in for Staal remember John Tortorella’s recent comments about infusing yet more talent in to the line up and further developing the youth. Giving McIlrath a 6-7 game look to begin the year does both. Hey, you may send him back to junior after a spell in NY, but take a look at what you have in the kid. We’ll get some more insight in to McIlrath’s readiness in today’s pre-season opener.

So how about Blake Parlett and Tomas Kundratek? Brendan Bell? Staal’s ‘injury’ scare is unfortunate, potentially crippling if it lingered, but if anything it should act as a carrot to the rest of the defensemen in camp that aren’t assured of a roster spot. In an odd way, the Staal situation could act as a great motivator to the rest and really crank up the competition. Players are playing for an NHL job, even if it’s short term. Once they’re there it’s a chance to stick with the team.

Given that I’m a risk taker, but at the same time an optimist, if the unfortunate scenario of Staal missing game time occurred, I’d give McIlrath a shot while taking a veteran such as Bell to Europe as well. You have the safety blanket of Bell being around but the opportunity to unleash what is (hopefully) a big part of the team’s future in McIlrath. Nothing ventured, nothing gained right?

Thoughts on Rangers (Impressive) First Pre Season Roster

All the beat writers have announced the Rangers roster for the pre-season opener in Albany tomorrow against the basically bankrupt Devils. If you haven’t already seen it, here it is:

Goal: Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Talbot

Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Brendan Bell, Steve Eminger, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath

Forwards: Sean Avery, Brandon Dubinsky, Dale Weise, Andre Deveaux, John Mitchell, Erik Christensen, Artem Anisimov, J.T. Miller, Christian Thomas, Ryan Bourque, Shane McColgan, Carl Hagelin

My first impression is one of excitement. The team going head to head with the Devils tomorrow has a ton of young talent on show with Christian Thomas, Carl Hagelin, JT Miller, Ryan Bourque and Tim Erixon. However, the young talent can relax because they’ll be playing in front of Henrik Lundqvist (at least to begin with) while there is also plenty of NHL experience among the skaters with Dan Girardi, Brandon Dubinsky, Sean Avery and Artem Anisimov leading the way for the veterans.

It’s when looking at the ‘veterans’ where it gets most exciting as even the veterans in this line-up (Bell, Eminger and Mitchell withstanding, to an extent) are some of the young Rangers core emphasising just how young and talented the Rangers franchise is from top to bottom.

Line’s would be hard to gauge and probably isn’t worth over analysing at this stage because the majority of the roster haven’t played together before. Dubinsky and Anisimov for example may be teamed together as they have been previously but may be split to provide some veteran leadership for some of the kids. Regardless though, there’s a ton of exciting possibilities to look forward to for tomorrow’s game.

A few players to watch: Watch out for Carl Hagelin and his skating ability while the clock really starts ticking for players such as Dale Weise, Sean Avery, Erik Christensen and Brendan Bell even though it ticks in different ways for each player. Weise and Christensen in particular are playing for their immediate NHL futures.

Quick note; as Andrew Gross acknowledges in his blog the first cuts from camp will be made after the Friday pre-season game in Newark, against the Devils once again. 

Good News For Staal/Sauer; Ranger Nation Backs Away From Cliff

There has been much publicity regarding the injuries for Marc Staal (concussion) and Mike Sauer (right knee tendinitis).  Today, there was good news all around, as Staal, who sat out yesterday, participated in practice and drills.  He was held out of scrimmages, but that’s to be expected.  As for Sauer, he participated in a delayed Camp Torts, which he missed because of the injury.

Sauer seems to be progressing nicely, as the Rangers organization would not make him participate in such a workout if his knee was not close to 100%.  Camp Torts is difficult enough as is, without having to deal with tendinitis on a knee that has troubled Sauer in the past.  Expect him to be back up to speed sooner rather than later.

For Staal, the word is still “cautious”.  He still has some post-concussion issues, but they are mainly limited to headaches.  It seems that the more intense the workout, the more intense the headache. That makes sense. The good news is that he is not suffering from any other symptoms like dizziness, nausea, or ringing in the ears.

Having both back in the fold before the season starts is critical to the team’s success. Rushing them, however, is not. It’s good to see that the Rangers are treating these injuries with caution. Let’s all stop panicking about them and a potential signing of Paul Mara (more on that tomorrow), and just wait until it’s October before we panic, ok?

Staal’s Concussion A Concern; Sitting Out Is Not

The Rangers are doing the right thing with Marc Staal.  A concussion is an evil bigot, and it is a pain to truly know when you are ready to get back in the action again.  With Staal, who is one the Rangers single most valuable skaters, the Rangers decided to err on the side of caution, which is the only choice they could make that would not endanger Staal’s health and possibly the Rangers season.

A long term injury to Staal could be devastating to the Rangers. While we don’t know for sure how serious this is, we do know that having him sit out keeps him out of harms way.  The fact that he missed all of yesterday’s skate, on the other hand, is a big cause for concern.  Staal has been cleared for contact, but his “fluid” issues make the red flags jump up from all around.

So, what do the Rangers do from here? Well, they do what they have been doing, which is be cautious, and monitor him 24/7. Concussions can get nasty (see: Crosby, Cindy), and the Rangers can ill afford to have one of their most experienced defensemen, and their best defenseman, go down long term.

What should we as fans do? Well, take a step back from the ledge for starters.  Remember, he has been cleared to play and been cleared for contact.  Of course, that can change at any moment, but as of the penning of this post (6pm, 9/19), all we know is that he had a concussion, has been cleared to play, was held back for precautionary reasons, and has some fluids.

I have to be honest here, we need to stop referring to things as “fluid issues”. It just sounds wrong, and to be blunt, I feel weird typing the word fluid this many times in one post.

Fluid.

Valentenko’s Waiver Status May Force Rangers Hand

Editor’s Note: This post was written last night at around 7:30pm, before the NY Post and Larry Brooks article was published. This is not an attempt to rip off Brooks, it is just coincidental timing.

Pavel Valentenko is no longer exempt from waivers.  Even though he is still on his entry level deal without playing a single NHL game, he signed his contract when he was 19 (2007), and thus has been signed for four years (details here), which eliminates his waiver eligibility.  This will be a determining factor in who makes the team out of camp.  It will not be THE determining factor –the level of play will be– but it will definitely be on the minds of the coaching staff once the decisions need to be made.

Don’t think it will play into their decision? Then look no further than Mike Sauer, who was in an almost identical situation last year. Of course, Sauer helped himself by having a solid camp, but his camp was much like Tenk’s camp last season.  Assuming Tenk can improve upon his camp from last year, which all signs point to him being able to do so, then his waiver status may make him impossible to cut.

Sauer made the team because of his strong camp, but the decision to keep him over someone like Valentenko or Ryan McDonagh was because of his waiver status. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility to have one of Michael Del Zotto or Tim Erixon, the two front runners for the open spots on the blue line, to start the season in the AHL because their waiver clocks have not expired yet.

If the decision with Sauer last season shows us anything, it is that the organization will take waiver status into account if certain players are “dead even” in camp. Right now the spots are Del Zotto’s and Erixon’s to lose. If Tenk is sent to the AHL, it is highly unlikely he will pass through waivers if called up. If Tenk goes to the Whale, he’s there for the year. Considering the presence of Wade Redden, that might not be a bad thing either.

What A Focussed Sean Avery Means

A successful Sean Avery makes the Rangers much deeper and it’s possibly in everyone’s interest that it happens. That sentence is a fact and believe it or not it’s probably in the prospect’s vying with Avery’s interest too. Why? Competition breeds performance and Avery is a competitor. It’s hard to imagine Avery will give up his roster spot without a fight.

An on-form Avery can be moved around the line up to create favourable match-ups. We know what he can bring this team when he’s on his game (the sand paper, the hustle, the added skill) but it’s the fact he can play effectively on any kind of line whether it be a scoring or checking one that makes him especially useful.

The fact he enters this year’s camp playing for both his immediate and long term future (if there’s even one to play for) should be a good thing. It should act as motivation for Avery and he’s better when there’s a carrot being dangled and this carrot is no Vogue intern-ship. If day one is anything to go by (though in all honesty it’s far, far too early to draw any kind of picture of how camp will go) then Avery’s impressive performance bodes well.

Imagine a fourth line of Avery – Boyle – Prust or even Avery – Christensen – Rupp. There are a million combinations that you could list as a potential fourth line and having guys like Avery and Rupp that far down the line-up highlight the potential depth the Rangers could have. Avery against most team’s fourth lines represents a mismatch in favour of the Rangers – providing he’s focussed and makes the team. How Avery goes through training camp is definitely a subplot to watch.

A Camp For Dale Weise’s Future

Dale Weise has been the subject of many heated debates in Rangerland.  Some, like myself, believe that he is a fourth line guy that, since he has never made the team out of camp, has not earned a spot on the roster.  Others believe that he has never been given the opportunity to make the roster out of camp.  There are others that believe he can be a decent second line player (that group is a group I like to call insane).  The one thing we can agree on is that Weise is playing for his Rangers future this preseason.

The 2008 fourth round pick (#111 overall) has spent three seasons with the Rangers organization, but played just ten games at the NHL level.  He has not scored an NHL point, but he did showcase toughness and a willingness to do the dirty work.  But the thing is, the Rangers have a lot of players in the organization that fit that mold, and most of those guys simply have more offensive skill than Weise.  Guys like Ryan Bourque, Carl Hagelin, and Mats Zuccarello, if they wind up making the Rangers, will wind up as third line players.  It’s not a slight against, them, but will they unseat anyone on the top-six? I doubt it.

Since Weise has less offensive skill than those guys, he fits on the fourth line.  Again, this is not a slight against him, I’m just reading between the lines of where he fits.  Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle seem to be slated for fourth line duties this season, with Mike Rupp filling in the last spot on that line (side note: PBR line…awesome).  With players like Erik Christensen and Sean Avery in camp, one of who (Avery) cannot be waived, Weise’s only real chance to make the roster is to unseat Christensen as the “13th forward”.

To do so, he is going to have to outplay not only Christensen, but Zuccarello, Hagelin, and Bourque.  That’s a lot of pressure for a kid who may not have the offensive tools to out duel all four of them in camp.  If Weise is going to make the roster this year, he is going to need to do what he does best (grind it out), but add to his game and chip in offensively.

Even moving ahead to next year, things look bleak for Weise and the Rangers.  Sure, Avery, Christensen, and Ruslan Fedotenko will all be off the books.  But then you have to look at Hagelin and Bourque again, who will have a year in the AHL under their belts.  If Zuccarello is back, then he’s another candidate.  Let’s also not forget about Christian Thomas, who is going to be fighting for a spot on this year’s and next year’s club.

There just simply isn’t room for Weise unless he makes room for himself.  Much like Dane Byers, his window with the Rangers is closing fast.

Training Camp Injury Updates

Artem Anisimov and Mike Sauer are the two “regulars” who did not participate in the first day of Camp Torts this morning due to their own injuries.  Sauer tweaked his knee this summer, and it’s the same knee that has limited his action in the past.  The Rangers have announced that it is tendinitis, and it is something that will need to be monitored. Side note: I don’t get the spelling of tendinitis. It’s a tendon, but it’s tendinitis.  Where did the rogue ‘I’ come from?

As for Anisimov, there is great news on his front, as the MRI on his knee came back negative.  Anisimov was held out today because of a red flag during his physical, but the negative MRI means he will be back tomorrow.

Marian Gaborik was not at camp today, as he was attending the funeral services of Pavol Demitra.  Blake Parlett was also held out of camp today, with a knee injury he suffered at the Traverse City tournament.

Some roster updates: Randy McNaught was not invited to camp, but Matt Rust was (contrary to the post below), as were Chris McKelvie and Scott Tanski.