The Rangers have recalled defenseman Steve Eminger from the Connecticut Whale of the AHL. Eminger was initially sent to CT on a conditioning stint, but the injury to Michael Del Zotto prompted the recall in case MDZ can’t go on Saturday.
In four games with the Whale, Eminger notched a goal and a -3 rating. He has played just four games with the Rangers this season.
The Connecticut Whale have announced that they have recalled goalie Scott Stajcer from the Greenville Road Warriors, the Rangers ECHL affiliate. Stajcer was assigned to Greenville in late October, and went 8-4-3 with a 2.72 GAA and a .918 SV%. Stajcer was the Rangers fifth round pick in 2009.
It was only a matter of time before we heard the bad news on Darroll Powe, who took a nasty fall yesterday after a collision with Matt Hendricks. Powe has been placed on IR (note: not LTIR) and the Rangers have recalled Brandon Mashinter from Connecticut to replace him on the roster.
It will be interesting to see how coach John Tortorella deploys Mashinter –likely on the fourth line in place of Powe– while also handling Chris Kreider, who is still with the club. Many assumed Kreider would get out of the press box, but that may not be the case.
Chris Kreider’s stay in Connecticut was relatively short, at least for the time being, as he was recalled by the Rangers. From several accounts, Rick Nash appears to be sick –as he had to bail on the season subscriber forum last night– so Kreider will be replacing him in the lineup if need be.
Kreider played in last night’s 4-1 win for the Whale, finishing with a shot on goal, a -1 rating, and 2 PIMs.
Renaud Lavoie is reporting that the Rangers have signed goalie Cam Talbot to a two-year contract extension tonight. Talbot is 18-19-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .918 SV% with the CT Whale this season, where he has played since 2009. The signing indicates the Rangers have seen a (very) small glimmer of hope that Talbot could be the heir to the throne, but the organization still needs to acquire a legitimate goalie prospect.
The most interesting thing about the news: in year one Talbot will make $550k on a two-way deal, but in 2014-2015, Talbot will get $575k on a one-way NHL contract. That happens to be the year after Marty Biron’s contract expires. That doesn’t necessarily mean Talbot is earmarked for Biron’s job, it wouldn’t be too difficult to deal a cheap goalie if it came to that (although it’s still a good bet Biron will be gone after his current deal ends).
This also probably doesn’t speak well toward Scott Stajcer’s future with the franchise.
Per Katie Strang, Chris Kreider has been sent down to the Connecticut Whale. She claims that the organization doesn’t want him sitting in the press box. Looks like J.T. Miller will stay with the big club and see a year burned off his ELC.
In a bit of a surprising move, the Rangers have returned forward Brandon Mashinter to the Whale, per Dan Rosen. It’s surprising because Mashinter was just recalled yesterday. Guess that means the “Stu Bickel as a forward” experiment is still ongoing for tonight’s game at least. Unless of course Chris Kreider is good to go.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
Today we are going to take a deeper look at the Rangers recent moves. Though the team played better in Tampa the other night, the bottom six hasn’t been very consistent and clearly Torts and Sather thought a change was needed. Below we’ve put together a qualitative analysis, or as Dave likes to call it – the eye test. If there’s an interest in the quantitative/advanced stats-type stuff. Let us know. Dave can whip that together.
Rangers trade C/LW Mike Rupp for C/LW Darroll Powe & RW Nick Palmieri
What the Rangers lose – Size, fights, veteran leadership
I was one of the few advocates of having a guy like Mike Rupp in the lineup. Most people who didn’t play organized hockey growing up have a hard time evaluating 4th line guys, so I get the disconnect some fans had with his presence in the lineup. For me, Rupp was exactly what you need from a 4th line role player.
Rupper was a leader in the locker room, as evidenced by Torts constantly seeking Rupp’s input at key times (shown in 24/7). He stood up for his teammates (remember Tomas Kopecky sucker punching MDZ last year? Rupp was the first guy in). He also played well in a limited role during the playoffs, bringing a good forecheck and puck management.
In the second big move of the day, the Rangers have called up forwards J.T. Miller and Brandon Mashinter from the CT Whale, and returned Benn Ferriero to the AHL. Despite impressing in his debut, Ferriero saw reduced time on the ice, and with the acquisition of Darroll Powe, the writing may have been on the wall for the forward. This won’t be his last trip to the NHL.
In eight games with the Whale, Mashinter has a line of 3-4-7 and has been one of the best forwards on the ice. Miller, the Rangers prized prospect, has a line of 8-12-20 in 37 games, and has really picked up his game since his slow start to the season.
Per Bob McKenzie, the Rangers have sent Mike Rupp to Minnesota for Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri. Rupp, who was signed last year to a three-year, $1.5m per year deal, was used sparingly in Torts’ system, but was a very useful locker room addition. In 24/7, it was evidenced that Torts leaned on Rupp in the locker room. That said, if you’re not going to use a $1.5 million player on the ice, locker room presence only goes so far.
As for the return, Powe will head straight to the Rangers, likely replacing Rupp (for $500,000 cheaper) in the lineup. Powe is significantly smaller than Rupp, but is right up there in the strength category and a much better skater. Powe has been leaned upon by Minnesota in defensive situations.
Palmieri will head to the Whale, where they are in desperate need of forwards.
