No Re-Entry For Souray Unless Claim Is “Guaranteed”; Rangers Will Pass

As per Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Sheldon Souray is available to anyone who will claim him off re-entry waivers. Right now, the only team linked to Souray is the Rangers, and the Oilers will not put him on re-entry waivers unless he is guaranteed to be picked up b y another team. Apparently, Edmonton General Manager Steve Tambellini does not want the veteran defenseman around his young Oilers team at all, and will not consider a recall unless he is going to be claimed.

Although the Rangers were rumored to be interested in Souray, Mark Spector of Sportsnet writes that scouts left unimpressed with Souray. According to Spector, Souray was being routinely beat by the opposition in the AHL, and his speed was becoming a huge negative for the big defenseman:

“You want to like him,” said a source familiar with the Rangers activities over the weekend. “But you can’t deny what your eyes are seeing.”

I spoke with Greg Manning of Hershey Bears Hockey, who had some nice things to say about Souray. It looks like Souray is Hershey’s version of Wade Redden. He comes to play, he has not been a locker room cancer, and the team has not been negatively affected by his presence. According to Greg, Souray still has his big shot and physical presence, but probably couldn’t slide into a top-four defenseman role. He also comes with an injury concern, as he has only played 22 games this season.

Souray might have been an answer a few years ago, but he is clearly not the answer anymore. It’s sad too, because all Souray had to do was impress, and he was bound for New York as a second chance. So it looks like the Rangers dodged a bullet here, as Souray’s $2.7 million cap hit (from re-entry waivers) would have been an issue heading into an off-season with several key players hitting restricted free agency. The Rangers are going to have to look elsewhere for a solution to the powerplay woes. I’m still holding out for Bryan McCabe, depending on asking price of course.

Interest In Souray? Hopefully Not

Yesterday, news broke that the Rangers were very interested in Edmonton Oilers Hershey Bears defenseman Sheldon Souray. Prior to this season, Souray was told to “stay away” from the Oilers training camp and was loaned to the Bears, who are the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate. In his prime, Souray was the prototypical offensive defenseman, capable of scoring 20 goals, while also capable of finishing with a-25 rating.

One of the Rangers biggest needs right now is for a powerplay quarterback, and Souray would be just that. The problem lies with his inability to play defense. However, with the Rangers ability to play defense, some might think that this is a risk worth taking. Nothing against Souray, who is a tremendous teammate and would definitely add grit and size to the blue line, he is not what the Rangers need right now. The main reason for that is his salary.

Souray is a $5.4 million cap hit, which for this season wouldn’t necessarily be an issue. The fact that he is also due $5.4 million next season is the biggest area of contention for me when it comes to this rumor. GM Glen Sather has shown that he is not willing to absorb salary for next season without dumping some salary that is due for next season. Now, if these rumors are true, then Slats obviously knows something we don’t when it comes to the Rangers cap situation next year (perhaps regarding Drury, but that’s pure speculation on my part).

Souray’s $5.4 million cap hit, with Redden hitting the summer cap hit, really hampers the Rangers ability to target key free agents, particularly those of the restricted variety that have been so crucial to the success of the team this season. Hopefully, this is just Slats doing his homework, and just seeing if Souray, who finished with 13 points and an epic -19 rating in 37 games last season, can still compete at the NHL level. This is one of those rumors that you hope is false, but is probably true, and you hope there is an ace in the hole for the Rangers. The trade deadline is a month away, let’s hope the Rangers don’t get crippled for next year while making moves for this year.

Windsor Star: Rangers To Pass on Carl Hagelin?

According to Bob Duff of the Windsor Star, there is a chance that the Rangers could pass on signing 2007 sixth round pick Carl Hagelin. The Swedish winger, and co-captain of the Michigan Wolverines, has had an impressive college career with a line of 43-60-103 in 127 games throughout his first three seasons. This year, Hagelin is averaging a point a game (9-10-19) through the first 19 games of the season. According to Duff, via the elusive “anonymous scout”, the Rangers have no intentions of signing Hagelin:

Currently the property of the New York Rangers, who selected the 5-11, 176-pound left-winger from Sodertalje, Sweden with the 168th pick of the 2007 National Hockey League entry draft, word around the NHL is that the Rangers won’t be signing Hagelin, who would then become a free agent Aug. 15, 2011. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Detroit sign him,” said one NHL scout at Saturday’s game.

I find this incredibly hard to believe, considering Glen Sather has mentioned Hagelin by name when speaking about the current Ranger prospects. If the Rangers have no intention of signing him, then there is no reason why Sather would ever mention his name in an interview. Hagelin is one of the top Ranger prospects (top-10 currently), and has a legitimate shot at being a third line center on the Rangers in the future.

If I had to take a guess, this is an example of someone who either covers the Red Wings or is a Red Wings fan (based on his other stories), who also likes Hagelin’s game. Since the Rangers haven’t signed him yet, it could “make sense” that the Rangers “have no plans” to sign him. Since he plays in Michigan already, why not just throw out the Red Wings as a potential suitor? I would take this article with a grain of salt. Glen Sather’s word about the prospects means more in the long run than a Detroit writer for the Windsor Star.

Looking At The Michael Del Zotto Rumors

When news broke that the Rangers inquired about Fedor Tyutin, the rumor mill became very active. Now that news has broken that the Columbus Blue Jackets inquired about Michael Del Zotto, the rumor-mongering exploded. But let’s take a step back for a moment. Both inquiries came when the respective player was a healthy scratch from the lineup. Nothing (that we know of) came from these inquiries. It’s a safe assumption that these inquiries were just tire kicking, and general managers doing their jobs.

But let’s look at the theoretical MDZ trade. First, analyzing what exactly MDZ brings to a lineup. He is a young puck moving defenseman who had a very productive rookie season. Although he is struggling offensively this year, especially on the power play, his defense has been a huge improvement from his -20 rating last season. He has seen his share of criticism this year, with only some of it –the healthy scratch with homework–earned. The fans are unfairly giving him the Tom Poti treatment, which is utterly ridiculous. However, despite that, he is excelling at the defensive portion of his position, and considering he is a defenseman, that’s probably the best route to take. The offense will come, especially considering his skill, once he works out the kinks in his game and gets more adjusted to the defensive aspect of his position.

It would take an awful lot to pry MDZ from the Rangers’ grasp, and probably a severe overpayment. If he were to be traded to Columbus, there are likely a few players that are marked as “untouchable”, such as Derek Brassard and Rick Nash. It is likely that Tyutin would be one of the people coming back. But Tyutin is just a start in a package that would land MDZ in Columbus. Tyutin, as we know, is a left-handed defenseman who plays a physical game. He has been playing in some very defensive systems with Tom Renney and Ken Hitchcock throughout the years, but has been struggling in new head coach Scott Arniel’s system. So much so that he has been a healthy scratch for a few games this year.

Read more after the jump

Rumor Roundup: Richards, Tyutin

One of the things I love about hockey is the business behind the game, and the management of an organization. So when these rumors come out, I generally read them, and wonder if they actually make some sort of logical sense from a Rangers standpoint. There are two main rumors we have been hearing about lately. The first is an oldie, one that dates back at least two years in Brad Richards. The other one is relatively new one which stems from a Larry Brooks article which looks to be taken completely out of context by many around the interweb.

Starting with the new Tyutin rumor, because it’s fun to talk about the new one, Brooks states that the Rangers may have some interest:

The Rangers may have interest in re-acquiring Tyutin, a left-hand shot (who played the right side) with one more year at $2,843,750 remaining on his contract.

There is some logic here, in that the Rangers need a lefty defenseman on the third pairing. Columbus also has five lefty defensemen, Tyutin included, and just two righties. So from that standpoint, it makes sense for both teams to begin talking. But unfortunately, that is where the logic ends. Tyutin has been a healthy scratch from the Blue Jackets blue line for a few games this year, a blue line that really isn’t all that formidable after Rostislav Klesla and Marc Methot. Mike Commodore is struggling, and Jan Hejda is Jan Hejda. So if Tyutin can’t crack that lineup, why would he crack the Rangers lineup? Sure, I’d swap Steve Eminger (and his 0.2 GVT) for Fedor Tyutin (and his 0.5 GVT), maybe throw in a spare forward (not Alex Frolov, who seems to be playing better), but that’s as far as I’d go. Tyutin has the GVT edge, but Eminger has the hits and blocks edge (and by a significant margin too). However, considering the chemistry of this team, and the fact that Eminger is a blue-collar guy, does it make sense to give him up for someone who may not mesh with the club? There’s (minimal) logic for a deal like this, so let’s toss this in the “kicking the tires” category.

Back to this Brad Richards rumor, which has been the subject of many of my Twitter rants, this one makes tons of sense for the Rangers from a “win-now” perspective. If the Rangers are going to compete this season, they need a top line center, and Brad Richards is just that. However, looking at this from a Dallas perspective, unless the package blows them away, why would they trade him when they are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture? He is their leading scorer, one of their leaders, and plays a significant role on their team. They are hurting financially, but playoff ticket sales trump that of savings from dumping Richards (which isn’t much, because they will need to take some salary back).

Looking at what it would cost to acquire Richards, I think it’s best comparable to the Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk deals as a start. Remember, Dallas isn’t looking to deal him right now since they are winning. The general package for Hossa/Kovalchuk was a young roster player, a top prospect, a first round draft pick, and some salary pieces here and there to make it work. From the Rangers perspective, you’re starting with a package of Artem Anisimov/Michael Del Zotto, Evgeny Grachev/Ryan McDonagh, a first round pick, and probably some combination of Matt Gilroy, Erik Christensen, and maybe another piece (for salary purposes) for Richards plus a few spare parts to round out the dollar figures.

But let’s remember that Dallas isn’t looking to deal Richards while in the middle of a playoff hunt unless they get players back that help right away. So that probably means adding one of Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Marc Staal, or Dan Girardi to the deal, with the pieces coming back from Dallas being slightly more valuable. Of course, that’s a significant overpayment for someone who is going to be a free agent at the end of the year.

These rumors are exactly what they are: rumors. The Richards deal, although it makes sense short term, is not consistent with the Rangers moves of the past five years (post-lockout). Big trades that sacrifice core youth have not been Glen Sather’s style recently. If I had to pick a rumor to believe from this, I would believe the Tyutin rumor because it’s more in tune with Sather’s specialty of late: low risk deals that address a need without sacrificing core youth. I don’t think Tyutin is the answer, but I’m not the general manager either.

Tortorella and Sather At Odds?

As per Jesse Spector, it looks like Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella is not agreeing with some of the decisions made by General Manager Glen Sather. Spector states that by reading between the lines of Tortorella’s diplomatic responses to the media, it gives the general impression that the coach and general manager are not really seeing eye-to-eye on many roster moves. These moves include the demotion of Tim Kennedy, and the decision not to call up any bodies from Hartford in the wake of the number of injuries sustained with the Rangers.

I have suggested that Tortorella has not fully agreed with many of Sather’s moves in the past, particularly those decisions regarding Wade Redden. This goes way back to the decisions to sign players like Donald Brashear, trade for players like Derek Morris, and decisions not to carry extra forwards or defensemen. While Tortorella has not been candid about his disagreements with Sather, it appears that he is started to grow frustrated with his lack of control over the team he puts on the ice.

As per Spector, when asked about the lack of reinforcements from Hartford after last Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs that saw Chris Drury and Marian Gaborik go down long term with injuries, Tortorella said simply “It’s not my call”. Tortorella had a very similar answer for the media when asked about Tim Kennedy’s demotion to the AHL. Tortorella had more words when it came to the decision to send both Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko to the minors as part of the final cuts:

“When Glen asked me, it’s just based on hockey,” Tortorella said when the final cuts were made. “They played very well at certain times, and at certain times, they struggled….We feel they have a chance to be part of the core – it’s just that they need to go down there and go through the process a bit. It’s a hard position, defense.”

Clearly there’s logic there that I agree with. When it became clear that Matt Gilroy and Steve Eminger were locks for the roster, it made logical sense to send both McDonagh and Valentenko to the minors, as neither had to clear waivers, whereas Michael Sauer did. But now the Rangers roster is flawed, and the third pairing is essentially useless without a left handed shot (of which both McDonagh and Valentenko are). This is a situation that no one is really sure how the Rangers are going to solve.

If Tortorella and Sather really are at odds, then it is something that is not unique to this season alone. Disagreements like this generally do not appear out of thin air, they grow over time. With Spector reporting about this issue this season, it is likely that these disagreements have been going on since Tortorella arrived. No coach/general manager relationship is perfect, but with Sather cemented in place with what seems to be a lifetime deal, this is a battle that Tortorella simply cannot win.

Souray Unlikely and Stajcer ‘Goalie of the Week’

The Rangers were somewhat fortunate today as Tim Kennedy (and his bargain contract) and Todd White both cleared waivers. The Rangers now have the luxury of assigning either player to Hartford within the next 30 days at no risk of losing them. Both players will stay with the club for the time being and each player’s future with the Rangers is possibly closely linked to Vinny Prospal’s health. How long will Prospal be out? That is a very difficult question right now.

Only two players around the league were placed on waivers today which was somewhat surprising. Nathan Paetsch in Florida and epic disappointment, Toronto’s Matt Lashoff (once a top prospect) were the two put on waivers. A name missing from today (and yesterdays) list? Sheldon Souray. Souray hasn’t been placed on re-entry waivers so anyone who may get him in a trade (by 3pm eastern, today) will be on the hook for his full contract. Unless he comes up on re-entry waivers later in the season, for the time being you have to assume this rules the Rangers out of any Souray stakes. The Rangers simply can’t afford to be on the hook for 5.4m for the next 2 years. 2.7m would have been manageable (yet still not ideal) although in my humble opinion there’s nothing wrong with keeping cap space. If it has to be spent there are better places to spend it. Also, it may be better to let the team play a few games and see where the team is heading before spending the cap space. With the benefit of a few regular season games it may be that the defense is solid and more rugged than last year’s, while the team may need more offense.

Following on from today’s Prospect Watch post… Congratulations to Scott Stajcer who was today named the CHL’s ‘goalie of the week’. It’s good to see Scott Stajcer start the season so well in Owen Sound.  The young goalie needs a good season – to remain relevant and to kick on – and a 1.00 GAA and a 3-0-0 record to kick off his season is a great reaction to a so-so camp. The Rangers are high on Stajcer and given the disappointment in their goalie development in recent years (Antoine Lafleur, Al Montoya anyone?) it would be good to see the Rangers bring along another goalie. If Stajcer can develop well he’ll have a good chance to get serious playing time in Hartford in two years time and get the opportunity to showcase his talent there, for the big league. With Marty Biron’s deal up in two years and Chad Johnson likely in NY or another organisation by then, Stajcer does indeed have an opportunity to progress within the organisation – it’s up to him to take it.

Rangers Interested In Souray? Doubtful.

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal is reporting that Rangers scout Doug Risebrough has been scouting the Oilers for the past four games. Naturally, Jim has speculated that the Rangers are interested in Sheldon Souray, who does not have a place in Edmonton any more:

The New York Rangers are likely interested in Souray after dumping Wade Redden’s $6.5-million salary, and not just because Doug Risebrough, their pro scout, has seen the Oilers play four straight games.

The part that doesn’t make sense is that if the Rangers are watching the Oilers for four straight preseason games, games in which Souray has not played, where is the connection between Souray and the Rangers? The Rangers can’t be scouting Souray, he’s not on the ice. Plus, unless the Rangers trade some salary to the Oilers (Todd White comes to mind), then the Rangers can’t fit Souray under the cap at the current moment. It is tough to believe that the Rangers are interested in an oft-injured and past his prime defenseman who simply can’t play defense anymore. What is easier to believe is that the Rangers are interested in someone else on the Oilers roster, someone who has played in preseason games.

The logic here is also very flawed. The Rangers waived Redden, so clearly they need another veteran defenseman, right? If anything, the Rangers have proved to us this preseason that they don’t need another defenseman. They have three kids ready to play in the NHL in Ryan McDonagh, Mike Sauer, Pavel Valentenko to a lesser extent. Why bring on an aging, over priced defenseman? If the Rangers want to keep someone who clears bodies in the crease and has a booming shot, they would keep Valentenko, who is almost $5 million cheaper. They waived Redden because they needed cap space, but yet they are going to take on another $5.4 million contract? It just doesn’t add up.

Naturally, there is going to be the discussion of trading Michal Rozsival straight up for Souray. Souray and his 0.5 GVT, straight up for Rozsival and his 5.6 GVT. Souray and his inability to play defense, straight up for Rozsival and his pretty good defensive play (4.2 DGVT). In fact, Souray’s offensive value is the single most overrated stat in hockey. His OGVT is 0.9, which is less than Rozival’s at 1.4. Not to mention that Souray’s cap hit is $400,000 more than Rozsival’s, and the annual salary is $2 million more over the remaining two years. Again, the logic just doesn’t make sense. The only logical explanation is that the Rangers are simply interested in someone else, and not Souray.

Rangers & Marc Staal Close To Contract?

As per Marc Brophy, via Sportsnet.ca, the Rangers and restricted free agent Marc Staal are closing in on a deal. The “saga” has dragged out all summer, and has been the biggest concern amongst Ranger fans. General Manager Glen Sather has been relatively outspoken on the negotiations, saying that the difference was “a chasm” and that the Rangers would match any potential offer sheet presented to the young, star defenseman. Staal is clearly the Rangers best defenseman, and it would serve them well to have him signed when camp opens next week.

There aren’t many details in the Brophy article, but it’s safe to assume Staal will be at least the third highest paid defenseman on the team (Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival). Hopefully there will be an official signing announcement soon.

Update: Andrew Gross is reporting that a second source has confirmed talks. Nothing is imminent, but this is good news.

Rumor: Ruslan Fedotenko to be Invited to Camp?

In relatively surprising news, it is being rumored, via Andy Strickland, that Ruslan Fedotenko could be invited to the Rangers training camp on a try-out basis. Fedotenko and coach John Tortorella have a history together, as Fedotenko won a Cup for Torts with Tampa Bay in 2004. If Fedotenko does come to camp, the Rangers will have 12 C and/or LW in camp, not including Mats Zuccarello-Aasen. Those 12 (or 13) players would be vying for a maximum of nine roster spots. If these rumors of Fedotenko being extended an invite are true, then one would have to assume a trade is coming with one of the incumbents. There are too many players for too few spots on the roster.