Boyle Means Goodbye to Betts, Orr

With the recent acquisition of Brian Boyle from the LA Kings, for a 2010 3rd round pick, the Rangers acquired a very big center that can fight, and presumably skate. I say presumably because I really don’t know much on him. What I do know is that Boyle is 6’7 250 lbs, and is just a beast. He may have a little bit of an offensive touch to him, he put up decent numbers in the AHL for a fighter. This pickup also gives the Rangers their very own 2003 first round pick, so now they are not the only team in the NHL that didn’t have a 2003 first rounder play in the NHL.

With this trade, the Rangers are tipping their hand at their offseason plans. It is known that Fred Sjostrom was not qualified as an RFA, and that Colton Orr was not being pursued at the moment for next season. Boyle can replace Orr as the fighter, so no big deal there. As much as I love Orr, he is replaceable. Orr will get considerable interest from a lot of NHL teams, after making incredible improvements in his skating last season. What I don’t like here is that Boyle also replaces Blair Betts as the fourth line center. It’s tough to watch the best penalty killing unit in the NHL not get resigned, but I guess that’s hockey.

The more you think about it, the more you realize that there is no way Betts was going to be back next season. Superb on the kill he may be, but he has little offensive talent, and saw a dramatic decrease in playing time under the John Tortorella regime. It’s safe to assume that Betts wants more playing time, maybe even on a third line (or a team that rolls four lines….Edmonton).

I don’t know if a 4th line of (insert LW)-Boyle-Jordan Owens is an upgrade over Orr-Betts-Sjostrom. It depends on how effective the new guys are on the PK, and if they can actually net a few goals.

But, I guess it’s time to say goodbye to Colton Orr, Blair Betts, and Fred Sjostrom. And it’s also time to give a big thank you to Sjostrom and Betts, talking about a fantastic PK tandem.

Non-Draft Roundup

I’ll get to the draft round up tomorrow. I want to get some specifics on the players before I post about them.

As for the rest of the Ranger news:

• Sather made qualifying offers to most RFAs, but Fred Sjostrom was not included in that list. The notables included: Nikolai Zherdev, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, and Lauri Korpikoski. You can breathe a sigh of relief.
• It’s safe to assume that Jordan Owens will be given the opportunity to take Sjostrom’s place. It’s just all business with that decision.
• The Rangers traded a 3rd round pick in 2010 (supposed to be a thin draft) for C Brian Boyle. That pretty much spells the end for the Blair Betts era in New York. With both Sjostrom and Betts gone, there goes the best PK unit in the league.
• Boyle, 24, is an RFA, is 6’7 250 lbs (he’s a freaking beast), and you have to assume he has been qualified. He’s a tough guy, and if he plays a full season, can give you maybe 10-10-20 at his peak. He was solid defensively in the AHL last season.
• Paul Mara and Derek Morris won’t be back, Glen Sather is quoted saying that he has five defensemen knocking on the door (Sauer, Sangs, DZ, Potter, Gilroy). Expect one or two of them to make the team, and maybe a stay-at-home bruiser type signing.
• Nik Antropov won’t be back, his asking price is too much. This shouldn’t shock anyone.
• Colton Orr isn’t going to be resigned, so the entire 4th line will be different next year. This is old news, but I neglected to mention it until now.
• We should start hearing about accepted/rejected qualifying offers before July 1. It will be a fun few days before free agency begins.

Over the next few days, I’m going to research each of the picks and write little blurbs about them. Keep checking back.

Finals Thoughts and a Recap on a Season on the Brink

I allowed myself to decompress for 24-48 hours after the Rangers season officially ended to talk about what happened.  Much like a legendary player being asked to retire when he’s ousted from the playoffs, you have to sift through your emotions before you give an honest assessment of things.  100% agree with Dave that the better team won this series, but ironically, I thought the Rangers were the better team for the most part in Game 7.  The game itself was a microcosm of the the Blueshirts season and series:  strong to start, treading water in the middle, and plagued by an inability to score and create chances in the end.  This team truly gave their all in the final game though, and that makes the sting a bit more bearable.  Now that the smoke has cleared, it has become obvious to me (and hopefully all of you) that John Tortorella got the most out of a team that has seemingly zero offensive firepower, and the fact that he got them to claw all the way into the playoffs says a lot about the type of coach he can be for this franchise.

So now that the sting is starting to subside, lets take a look back on the highs and lows of this season, and what’s to come from the 89 games:

HIGHS

-The Blueshirts got off to a fantastic start, going 10-2-1 in the month of October and staking themselves to a huge early lead in the Eastern Conference

-Three players had their numbers retired: Harry Howell (3), Andy Bathgate (9), and Adam Graves (9)

-Tom Renney and his stale style of hockey were finally replaced by John Tortorella’s aggressive attack, making for a much more efficient and relatively exciting Rangers team to watch.

-The Rangers re-acquired Sean Avery off waivers from the Dallas Stars, adding the edge that the team needed down the stretch.

-Henrik Lundqvist gave no doubt to the fact that he is easily one of the top 3 goalies in the world today

-After falling out of the playoff picture in late February/early March, the Rangers made a remarkable turn around, headlined by John Tortorella’s coaching, to finish 7th in the Eastern Conference standings.  The team had several key wins down the stretch to jump into the playoffs.

-Nik Antropov and Derek Morris were acquired via trade at the deadline, and provided some size and stability to their respective positions.

-The combination of Blair Betts and Frederik Sjostrom (throw Hank in there if you’d like) emerged as the best penalty killing unit in the NHL.

-While maybe not necessarily a high, Markus Naslund provided exactly what was expected of him: a 20-25 goal season and consistency up front.

LOWS

-The start of 2009 brough no joy to the Rangers, as they started to collapse under the Tom Renney regime.  The low-point was highlighted by a 10-2 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Stars, and ultimately would signify the end of the Renney era.

-The tragic death of top-tier prospect Alexei Cherapanov cast a shadow over the Rangers future.

-Nikolai Zherdev’s did not provide the 30+ goal output that many believed it would, and the youngster crumbled in his first post-season

-The offseason acquistion of Wade Redden was nothing but a complete disaster.

- Michael Roszival’s absurd contract extension (mainly its length) is beginning to rear its ugly head, and the combination of Redden and Roszival’s salaries and contract length will plague this franchise for years to come.

-The power-play never amounted to anything, under both coaches, and has been the most pressing issue since the lockout ended.

-An inability to provide consistent offense or any offensive threat whatsoever doomed this team as the season progressed

-Leading 3-1 in their opening round playoff series, the Blueshirts fell apart when it mattered most, a series headlined by the suspension of John Tortorella for Game 6

-Versus continues to cover the NHL

WHATS TO COME

-Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Lauri Korpikoski, Sean Avery, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi will be the core of this team under the John Tortorella regime.  The new coach must also find the right players for his style of play, as it became obvious that the current group cannot provide the type of play Tortorella would like to play.

-Blair Betts, Frederik Sjostrom, Colton Orr, and Nik Antropov MUST be re-signed.  Betts and Sjostrom combine to be the best PK tandem and 4th line in the league.  Orr is the best fighter in the NHL, and you still need at least one of them on your team.  Antropov provides much needed size and scoring touch going forward.

-Markus Naslund, with only one-year remaining, should be dealt somewhere.  The aging forward, once considered the best two-way player in the NHL, did not thrive in Tortorella’s system.

-Time for Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to finally step up and take the reigns as the elder statesmen on this team.  The honeymoon is over boys.

-Say goodbye to Paul Mara (regretably), Nik Zherdev, and Derek Morris.  In addition, Sather must find a way to part ways with either Redden or Roszival, either through a buy-out or trade.

-Its time for the Rangers projects and farm system to step-up and become elite players in the league.  This includes players currently on the team (who have now played in enough tight playoff series) and players in their farm system (who up until this point have done nothing but be talked about).  History shows that free-agent/trade acquisitions don’t do it for this team, and the home-grown talent must finally rise to the top.

-If they are going to keep him for the next 3 seasons, the organization must get on the league’s case about the officiating bias towards Sean Avery.  While he is no saint, the abuse this guy takes on a nightly basis is absolutely absurd.  Game 7 was just an example.  Generally speaking, the officiating around the league in general must change, as these ticky-tack calls are making even the most die-hard hockey fan’s head spin.

-While no fault falls on him, Henrik Lundqvist must find a way to be better than spectacular come playoff time.  I’m talking god-like, all the time.  If you want to know what I’m looking for, see Giguere for the Ducks and Khabibulin for the Lightning.

-The power-play can no longer be the Achilles heel of this team.  Either through someone currently on the team stepping up or by acquiring someone via free agency or trade that can FINALLY do it themselves, the Rangers must learn to capitalize on the opportunities provided.

-Whatever the makeup of this team comes to be, they have to find a way to be consistently good all season long.  The continuous ebb and flow of the Rangers the past few seasons has come back to haunt them in the playoffs, as the lack of home-ice advantage has made things very difficult.

Whew.  I’m sure there are plenty of things here that plenty of you agree/disagree with.  I’m pretty sure there are plenty of things that I missed and will think about later.  It was a crazy season for so many reasons, and to try to cover it all would take weeks and months.  I’d like to hear about what you all have to say about the Rangers season, and what you think should/shouldn’t happen as the organization moves forward.  Either way, this has been a very enjoyable experience, and I’m looking forward to adding thoughts and insight to a team I love so much.

Game 63: Rangers vs. Florida

Update 9:30pm: With the regulation loss, and Buffalo/Carolina each getting at least a point, the Rangers have dropped to 7th place in the East (8th if Buffalo wins), just 2 points ahead of Carolina.

If there was ever a crucial game for the Rangers, this would be it. The Rangers sit 2 points ahead of Florida for 6th in the conference, but Florida has 2 games in hand. They also sit just 1, I’ll even spell it out for you, ONE, point out of 9th place.

They need this game, no if, ands, or buts about it. Not only do they need this win, but they need it in regulation. Buffalo (#8) faces Carolina (#9) tonight as well. Should the Rangers lose, and Buffalo wins, the Rangers drop to the #8 seed. If Carolina wins, the Rangers drop to the #7 seed. I’m not going to run all the scenarios, but I hope this illustrates the urgency behind this game.

The Panthers website is reporting that Vokoun will be a game time decision tonight. Not like that matters, Craig Anderson is a very capable backup, and has given the Rangers some problems in net.

More later.

Update 6:15pm: Now that the game gets nearer, I’ll move this up to the first post on the page, ahead of the Whitney/Kunitz trade.

None of the beat reporters have lines up, and it looks like Torts isn’t going to disclose that information until game time.

My guess is that he will be using the same lines as last night, maybe inserting Mark Bell somewhere.

Tomas Vokoun has an inner ear infection, and it looks like Craig Anderson will get the start tonight.

Update 6:35pm: Reitz/Sjostrom out, Mara/Voros in.

Update 7:10pm: They aren’t even going to review that? Well, I guess if Torts isn’t arguing, it’s no goal.

Update 7:14pm: Well, the Rangers have been generating some good chances early on, including that no goal by Dubinsky. Let’s see if they keep this up.

Update 7:17pm: What a save by Hank. Wow.

Update 7:22pm: That’s what happens when you drive to the net. Nice play by Callahan to get the puck out of the zone, nice pass by Kalinin to Gomez, nice job by Naslund to get the loose puck into the net. 1-0 Rangers. Naslund from Gomez and Kalinin.

Update 7:30pm: So that’s what Glen Sather looks like…

Update 7:36pm: Denis Potvin is in the house, on the 30th anniversary of his hit on Nilsson.

Update 7:39pm: The Rangers are getting a lot of good shots on net. Craig Anderson is standing on his head.

Update 7:43pm: Phantom call on Rozsival to end the period. 1-0, end of 1.

Update 8:03pm: Even the penalty is more aggressive under this new system. They are certainly much more fun to watch.

Update 8:04pm: Wow. Craig Anderson just made an absurd save. He is single-handedly keeping the Panthers in this game.

Update 8:20pm: The PP will take some time to get used to the adjustments. Micheletti said it best, it’s not natural yet to rotate around. It will take time.

Update 8:30pm: Lift the puck please. That’s twice.

Update 8:35pm: Hit the net please. Disregard, deflected by Anderson.

Update 8:54pm: Dubinsky and Staal are the ice time leaders for forwards/defense through 2 periods. Good to know Torts trusts the sophomores.

Update 8:59pm: Nice passing play on the PP, nice save by Anderson. I think the Rangers would need a 5-on-2 to score a goal though.

Update 9:03pm: Oh come on Gomez. How do you not bury that? It was an empty net and the puck was on your stick. What the hell man?

Update 9:07pm: The Rangers are looking real tired right now.

Update 9:09pm: Ouch. Zednik just took a slap shot off the neck. This man and his neck, he’s just unlucky.

Update 9:10pm: Oh man, it was a McCabe shot too. That has to hurt.

Update 9:12pm: Crap. Booth slides it through Hank’s legs. Hank wants that one back. 1-1. Booth from Weiss and Ballard.

Update 9:16pm: Someone blew an assignment. Horton was left wide open. 2-1 Panthers. Horton from Zednik and McCabe. The Rangers need a goal, and they probably won’t get it.

Update 9:21pm: It was Gomez that blew the assignment. So he couldn’t score and blew that assignment. That’s a 2 goal swing courtesy of one player.

Update 9:22pm: And the FIRE SATHER chant rains down from the heavens (the Blue Seats).

Update 9:30pm: Another Ranger loss. This one in regulation. I’ll put the updated standings at the top of the post.