Flyers making Sather look good

With the recent signing/extension of Nicklas Grossman the Philadelphia Flyers achieved three things. First of all they overpaid for a good but not elite defensive defenseman, secondly they gave themselves potential cap headaches this summer with the likes of Matt Carle, Jaromir Jagr and Jakub Voracek to re-sign (headaches could disappear depending on the Pronger situation) and finally they made Glen Sather once again look like an astute general manager.

Dan Girardi has played an All Star calibre season, has been an absolute rock on the blue line and is once again close to a 30 point season proving he is effective at both ends of the ice. With that all considered, comparing his deal to Grossman’s new deal of $3.5m, Sather managed to produce a bargain with the Girardi deal.

Girardi’s deal comes in at $3.25m for another couple of seasons and his deal in addition to Marc Staal’s (a very reasonable cap hit of $3.9m when health and form allow) are blue line reasons why Sather won’t struggle to reward the likes of Mike Del Zotto and Brandon Prust this summer.

Cap Geek list Dan Girardi as a comparable to Nicklas Grossman but really comparing Girardi to the Swede in anything other than price tag is doing Girardi a disservice. Girardi is a much more rounded player than Grossman. He out hits, out blocks and out scores Grossman and very few players in the entire league play the same minutes as Girardi. Who’s worth more? Girardi without question.

Next season including Pronger, the Flyers have over 20 million committed to their blue line – quite a chunk. The Rangers, without factoring in a raise for Del Zotto and adding another defenseman ‘only’ have approximately 10 million committed to their blue line. I know which blue line I would rather have right now. Keep up the good work this summer Mr Sather.

Minor addition, solid contribution

The title of the post; that’s how you can measure John Mitchell’s impact since coming to the Rangers at the tail end of last season. Not every player can be judged solely on points as Brian Boyle would surely agree.

Mitchell has come over to the Rangers and fits with how John Tortorella wants to play. He plays hard in the corners, uses his size to good effect while his work ethic and effort are unquestioned. However, Mitchell can use the puck effectively as well. In fact, 13 points in 45 games don’t do Mitchell justice even if they look better when considering his +14 rating.

Mitchell has been rewarded with powerplay time in recent games and while that’s perhaps more damning to other players – and the powerplay overall – as it is a reward for Mitchell, it suggests the coach has a high opinion of the big center. Mitchell has a good chance of being retained by the Rangers after this season because simply put he’s a low cost player that can contribute all over the ice. Getting cheap role players that can contribute is a critical aspect of a successful team in the cap era.

The Ontario native is another underrated addition by Glen Sather as the forward only cost a seventh round pick in this year’s draft and has made an impact for both the Whale and now, for the Rangers. Depth wins you hockey games and Mitchell is a solid bottom six role player for the Rangers who has surprised with hockey intelligence.

Mitchell played on poor Toronto clubs where he scored close to thirty points (or a 30+ point pace) and his junior and AHL careers point to some decent offensive ability. The Rangers have done in a good job in recent seasons of getting contributions from all over the roster and it is indeed one reason for their success this season.

When several of your bottom six forwards, role players, are all chipping in between 5-10 goals each respectively it eases the burden of expectation on the likes of Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan. With playoff opponents such as Boston, Pittsburgh and Jersey looming it will be critical to maintain a level of production from the ‘lesser lights’ on the roster. Players such as John Mitchell.

The affected few

The Rangers passed through the trade deadline with very little change but plenty of rumour. If you’re in the Larry Brooks camp you’ll have noted that Glen Sather offered half the organisation (comic exaggeration) for Rick Nash. If you’re tending to listen to Glen Sather’s rarely spoken word you’ll believe the reports regarding the Rick Nash proposal were exaggerated (sensationalizing by the press? Never!)

However for sake of argument let’s consider the players – and even pick – named by Brooks in the last offer and think about their futures with the Rangers in the short and mid term.

Brandon Dubinsky

Dubinsky is considered the roster player Sather was ‘willing’ to move. It made sense. Struggling all season, with cap having to go back to Columbus in any Nash acquisition and still a talented player despite his subpar year, Dubinsky was highly likely to have been included.

What does this mean for Dubinsky? Essentially he has the remainder of the regular season games and the playoffs to save his Ranger career and even that may not be enough. He said he needs to play with a chip on his shoulder but mainly he needs to provide secondary offense. If the Rangers fall quickly in the playoffs they’ll likely look to add scoring from outside of the organisation so assume Dubinsky a candidate for change in the summer too. His audition (trial?) has begun.

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Musings: The Deadline Day Edition

Reasons to Trust Mr Sather: Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Ryan McDonagh, Mike Del Zotto, Mike Sauer. Thanks to Glen Sather and the Rangers scouting department this club has a wealth of depth on the blue line, with a fair bit in reserve. Note that top 5; all young and all have ability either side of the puck.

You may have noted the direction that first point was going in. Rick Nash. If the rumoured package for Nash does indeed include Dylan McIlrath you don’t let it break down because of his inclusion. I’m sure he’ll be a fine player but thanks to the depth discussed above, he’s a luxury the team can afford to move.

Christian Thomas in a Nash package as well? Also Fine. If Nash became a Ranger – and with Kreider deemed untouchable – not to mention Gaborik, Anisimov, Stepan and Callahan firmly entrenched in the top six (at present), Thomas becomes buried on the depth chart and like McIlrath is a luxury the team can afford to move. All thanks to quality drafting and patience in the organisation folks.

Assuming the Rangers current roster wants to show Sather, his staff and the coaching team no major changes are needed they’re sure going about it the wrong way aren’t they? Three poor games in a row, team wide poor decision making and once again an over reliance on shot blocking and a certain goaltender in net.

Dear Brandon Dubinsky, you must really like the thought of playing out your contract in Ohio. Hey, at least the rock and roll Hall of Fame is a short drive away. When the Rangers are trying to make the playoffs, at this rate you’ll be getting tickets to see Guns N Roses inducted. Buck your ideas up.

The Rangers made Marc-Andre Fleury look good the other night; far too much perimeter play. It’s one thing to get pucks on net but there really is no point if you’re not creating traffic, looking for rebounds and generally making a goalie’s night harder than Fleury’s.

Back to Deadline day thoughts: The Rangers do not need to address the defense. Even if Mike Sauer’s not particularly close to returning, the Rangers block shots, do a good job of allowing Lundqvist to see most shots and are better at moving bodies than most give them credit for. I’d rather use assets to upgrade the offense instead of trying to make a great unit even better.

I really want to know who has the final say on the powerplay. Tortorella? Obviously Allaire is in charge of the league’s best goaltending unit. Does Mike Sullivan assume responsibility? Is it shared amongst the coaching duo or do the ‘special assistants’ (guys like Messier) have a major influence? I know it’s hard to grumble too much given the team’s record but there is plenty of talent on the roster to at least have a top 15 powerplay unit. Maybe changes need to be made elsewhere. Maybe…

Gaborik has 4 goals in his last 20 games. He’s not finishing but he’s still playing well. He’s making plays, creating goals and getting assists. The lack of goal scoring may be because teams are zoning in on him now that goal scoring has begun to dry up elsewhere. Could a Nash-like addition free Gaborik up some more? Absolutely

Question Time

• Are you vehemently behind keeping Brandon Dubinsky and his 6 goals for 4.2m?
• Do you start Martin Biron against the Islanders or, given the team’s recent play, do you go ‘all-in’ to make sure you get a win (and go with the King)?
• Do you think the Rangers make a major addition before the deadline?
• Which of the top four defensemen on the current roster, not inc. Sauer due to injury, is the most expendable all things considered? (i.e. skill set, age, reliance, upside)
• Can the Rangers win multiple playoff rounds without adding more scoring?

Food for thought: Despite the roster purge of 2003-04 and given the way the Rangers entire organisation has developed in the past five years, is this potentially the most fundamentally-changing deadline day in the Sather era?

Without question, the Islanders game is huge Friday night for so many reasons. Above all (regardless of deadline day potential) the team needs to avoid any losing streaks getting out of hand. Especially given how the Devils and Pens have been playing.

Final Thought: Antoine Vermette. Steve Downie. Their trades have nothing to do with the Rangers? Wrong. Brandon Dubinsky is better than both players. He also has more upside. Yet Vermette essentially got shipped out for a 2^nd plus change while Downie got moved for a package that included a first round pick. When discussions about Nash come to a head Sather can point to these two players’ value in regard to Dubinsky and that could help establish a package for Nash – or any other significant trade. The Vermette and Downie deals have a massive knock on effect to the likes of Dubinsky. Any good GM will have taken note.

If Nash Arrives What Does It Say About the Franchise?

With the Blue Jackets and their dead man walking GM Scott Howson hoping – and actively seeking – an auction to develop for star winger Rick Nash, it’s still likely Nash ends up elsewhere than Madison Square Garden. That said, let’s play Devil’s advocate for a minute and assume the Rangers acquire the hugely talented (but overpaid) winger.

Naturally, this all depends on the package going back to Ohio (and subsequently, the demands of which are why Nash may end elsewhere) but it will be hard to overly criticise Sather and his team if they do choose to acquire Nash. Things this time around are so much different.

Simply put, if Nash becomes a Ranger it does not mean the Rangers have deviated from their franchise plan, their concept. It would not mean a return to the dark days of playoff-less hockey, of a dressing room full of aging mercenaries.

The Rangers, as constructed, are built for the long haul. They are built to a plan; they are young and have core pieces in place for the foreseeable future. Barring a serious regression in a number of players this should be a competitive team that can make a few playoff runs. With Lundqvist in net, the likes of Callahan, Gaborik, Richards, Stepan and Hagelin established up front and the hugely impressive defensive corps in place this team should be strong.

This isn’t Glen Sather going shopping to fill huge voids any more. He’s not simply throwing mud (AKA Dolan’s chequebook) at a wall and seeing what sticks. This is a team that is looking for additional pieces to build a champion. Any significant trades Sather makes (Nash included) wouldn’t see Sather use assets from a dwindling asset pool; this is not a franchise devoid of future talent. Far from it.

You may not agree with any of the packages mooted that get used to acquire a major talent like Nash. Indeed, fans may – usually – value prospects/players/picks more than the management do but either way you look at it, the franchise will have plenty left in the tank should they move assets to acquire a Nash like player.

What does this tell us? Don’t worry about the franchise because several assets are moved to acquire a big name player. Don’t worry about the cap and the necessity to sign players down the road. This team has a chance to do something very special this season and face facts, do something this franchise has done just four times in its history: win a cup. If the team won the cup with Nash it would still be a team built from within first and foremost. If a popular player and a prized prospect or two were the cost of a Stanley Cup (made in Manhattan) sign me up.

Cap mathematics come in to play in the summer, of course they do. However, over the next season or two plenty of cap comes off the roster that would allow for a player of Nash’s expense to be absorbed. Nash isn’t worth 7.8 million per year but that’s not the point here. If a player of his ability can be brought in and help the club win and the club still has enough prospects and financial flexibility to keep sustaining the roster after any such acquisition (it has by the way) that’s a good place to be in.

Sather has had a highly successful period since the lockout. It’s why he has earned some trust as we approach the deadline. This Rangers team is Rangers built and if they go out and buy some talent to aid a successful period be thankful that this deep-pocketed franchise has the ability to go out and do that. The franchise isn’t veering from the concept it has developed over the best part of a decade just because Rick Nash is in town.

Does Dolan Appearance Hint At Rangers Intentions?

James Dolan has been a rare visitor to the Rangers, at least publicly. After the Nashville victory he spoke to the Rangers media for the first time in almost seven years. The owner of the team spoke openly and enthusiastically about Glen Sather (who has done a tremendous job since the lockout on the whole) and the fact that he saw the Rangers close to a Stanley Cup.

Glen and I made a pact, I actually gave him something which I won’t reveal what it is. I said you can’t give it back to me until we win the Stanley Cup. And I think I’m pretty close to getting that thing back.

Dolan appeared to speak quite openly about the emphasis on development, youth and the turnaround in the organisational approach over the past seven years. It may have surprised many how much Dolan may seem to know about his team.

Dolan’s comment about the Cup will likely spark rumours of how aggressive the Rangers will be in positioning themselves for a cup run so assume any significant player coming on the market will be linked with the Rangers. Don’t forget, for all his shortfalls Dolan has always been willing to spend money on the team when Sather identified a need. Obviously that hasn’t always been a good thing as, for all the Gaborik’s and Biron’s there has been the Redden’s and Brashear’s.

Dolan is very much a Knicks fan first and foremost. Anyone watching the Knicks over the years has seen Dolan get actively involved, too much so in fact. Rangers fans haven’t had that aspect of his ownership to deal with. Truth is, his daily involvement probably won’t change but for the first time in well over a decade Dolan sees a possible championship team in New York and that may mean he puts pressure on Sather and co. to go out and acquire pieces for a run.

Coach Tortorella was (as usual) disapproving of championship talk straight after Dolan’s surprise flirt with the media. However it will be interesting to see if there is any change in how the Rangers go about their business over the next few weeks leading up to the deadline. Could the Dolan conference appearance be a watershed moment in the season?

Half Way There Report Card: The General Manager

For several years now I have been a pro Sather, Rangers fan. He has caused a lot of damage in his tenure, failed to bring the club back to relevance for far too long and doesn’t help his own appeal with his almost recluse like behaviour. That said, Sather has turned around this franchise since the lock-out with savvy signings, good appointments, excellent organisational drafting and along with the coaching staff, going with the youth. Let’s get to his grade for the year…

Let’s begin Sather’s grade back in the summer. He brought in Brad Richards on an excellent cap hit taking advantage of a loop hole in the CBA that other GM’s have used. That the length of the contract therefore was excessive was an unfortunate necessity. Still, Richards was the right addition to this team at the right time.

Mike Rupp however received too much dollar and term in my opinion, even though he appears to be a solid addition to the close knit team and will go down in Rangers folk lore for the Winter Classic. Sather also brought back Steve Eminger which was also a solid move, especially given the injuries and the lack of a truly ready replacement in the minors.

Then there is the next potential robbery in Sather’s recent history. Tim Erixon was acquired from Calgary for some picks and Roman Horak. While Horak has had some initial impact with the Flames, Sather managed to prize Calgary’s best prospect off them for a kid that had little chance in NY (because of depth) and effectively got two first round talents this summer at the draft. Erixon has seen Rangers ice already and has made a solid start in Connecticut.

During the season Sather has made minor moves that have paid off handsomely. While his hand was forced somewhat, the additions of Jeff Woywitka and Anton Stralman have been fine depth moves and helped the team cope with a huge amount of man power lost on the blue line. In terms of Stralman Sather got a good deal at 900k pro rated.

If I was to nitpick at Sather I would ask him why Erik Christensen still remains with the club, however I suspect this has more to do with the coach wanting him here than Sather’s failure to deal with the deadweight.

Contract negotiations over the summer saw guys like Callahan and Anisimov get paid and Dubinsky get paid too much, but Sather still made sure the young core is intact. Also, Sather and Tortorella clearly are on the same page with this team’s direction and such inter-organisational harmony isn’t something this club has always had. Look at the results.

Sather’s overall grade will be decided by the deadline. If this team looks like it will be in contention down the stretch it will be interesting to see whether Sather is aggressive in adding pieces for a run and what he has to give up to do so. So far, Sather has had a good year (again) and his grade gets a hike because of his Winter Classic guarantee. Keep up the good work Glen. No more Wade Redden’s please. A-

Was All The Redden Heartache Worth It?

Given all the criticism, cap difficulties and roster management issues that were among the fallout from that horrible Redden deal; were they all worth it if Glen Sather and the Rangers finally learned their lessons?

We’ve discussed many times over the past couple of years how Sather has actually performed admirably since the summer of Wade. Since that summer, Redden has provided the organisation with a highly praised mentor down on the farm – an unexpected bonus and certainly not the desired effect of his signing.

However what is most obvious since the day the Rangers signed an even then fading Redden is the absence of any further crazy deals. Yes, Boogaard’s deal was a little generous but at the time he was an organisational need. Yes, Mike Rupp’s may be a year too long (wait to see how that plays out first) and yes, Brad Richards’ deal is one of crazy length but the Rangers got the best free agent for a great cap hit, took advantage of CBA loop holes and paid less than other teams offered because the player wanted to come to New York.

The point here is that after all the (justified) media and fan mocking of the Rangers for the Redden deal the club has focussed on integrating youth into the line-up and kept on adding prospect depth to the franchise. The club has resisted any obscene acquisitions and has cut away veterans if their play didn’t deserve retention. Maybe Wade Redden’s deal gave the Rangers two things; a great mentor in the minors and a financial conscience? Who’d have thought it?

Musings: Busy Rangers Week Edition

It’s Thursday and that mean’s Musings. Following up on a pretty busy week in Ranger land, let’s get things going.

Ryan Callahan: New York Rangers captain. Sounds good doesn’t it? In another example of the organisation simply doing the right thing (they’ve been doing it for a while now) the Rangers have a home grown leader and one that is immensely easy to root for.

The most annoying part of Traverse City? I haven’t watched a single second of any game. I can’t get MSG coverage in the UK and for some odd reason highlight packages appear impossible to find. Anyone have any access to some?

Having said all that I have obviously followed the scores, the coverage on the blogs and have been impressed with what I have read. I love the fact this franchise of ours is blessed with serious talent and it’s now being seen in Rangers red, white and blue.

Christian Thomas – as good as advertised?

Tim Erixon I: is a great pick-up and is another example of the great work (in recent seasons) of Glen Sather. Yes, Mr Sather has a long way to go before being loved and it might take a Cup win in NY for him to get some fan-love but there’s no denying Sather has done well recently. Erixon Jr is further testament to the great foundation being set in New York.

Tim Erixon II: You just read the name of the Rangers rookie of the year 2011-2012.

Let’s play guess: How many players from the Traverse City roster do you all think will represent the Rangers this season? I think 3 will make their Rangers’ debuts this season with a possible fourth, dependant on how he starts his season with the Whale. The fourth? Blake Parlett. The three I’m confident of? Bourque, Hagelin and obviously Erixon.

Hate to say I told you so: I talked up Ryan Bourque a few weeks ago as a prospect that could sneak on to the Rangers roster despite not garnering the same attention as others. Well, he’s done nothing but impress thus far, going on reports. Another middle of the draft steal for NYR?

The Rangers kick off their regular season in 3 weeks and 1 day. Stockholm here we come!

2nd place is not bad. You have to learn how to lose as well as how to win. That may sound like I am rolling off clichés but it is a fact. The Rangers lost 5-2 in last night’s final game against Buffalo but it’s still a productive tournament for the Rangers who now know a lot more about many of their prospects. Bear in mind that the Sabres also had a lot of players dressed in the game that will be pro’s this season, including a few players that already played AHL last year. Indeed, one of their scorers had a 40 point AHL season last season.

Many, many positives to take but it’s tough to hear Andrew Yogan has injured his arm again. He was starting to cement his status as a solid prospect after recovering from his injury last season. Fingers crossed it won’t keep him out nearly as long this year.

Just a point on the Callahan captaincy: am I being cynical but do you think the Rangers held off stating the obvious because awarding Cally the captaincy before his new deal would have given him much more financial negotiating power? A bargaining chip like a captaincy is worth a lot if you ask me. Timing of the announcement was thought about a lot, clearly.

I have to say I agree with Jess Rubenstein over JT Miller. I think Miller will benefit from a bigger schedule in the OHL than playing half the amount of games in college. While North Dakota is well known for it’s hockey program Miller clearly will benefit from game after game after game.

I am unbelievably excited to see the Rangers in Stockholm next month. Not just because I’ll be there at the games (an obvious reason for the excitement) but because of the way this franchise approaches games whether it be the kids or the big boys stepping on to the ice. The work rate and the effort the team gives game in-game out is intoxicating. It’s hard not to love the way this team plays hockey.

I’m going to finish today’s Musings with a prediction. The Rangers play two games in Stockholm and I’m saying now, they come back to New York 2-0. They play two good teams but I really fancy the Rangers to win both games. Thoughts?

2011 Offseason: Sather’s Best?

There were many question marks for the Rangers that were pushed to the front of fans’ minds when they were eliminated from the playoffs in April.  Would the Rangers sign all of their key RFAs? Would the Rangers address the gaping hole at top-six center? Would that gaping hole be fixed by Brad Richards? Would they be able to fill holes on the bottom defense pairing? Would any of these contracts be a hindrance to the cap?  Well, three months later, we have answers to all these questions.  And you know what, the general feeling is that the Rangers passed this year’s offseason exam with flying colors.

Starting with the RFAs –assuming Ryan Callahan is signed to a deal, the Rangers signed every key RFA they had to sign.  But to be honest, signing them was pretty much expected, although some of us were waiting on bated breath for official word.  The difficult part was managing to get all RFAs signed to deals that fit under the salary cap.  When all is said and done, the Rangers will have spent approximately $12.5 million on their five RFAs (assuming Callahan comes in at $4.5 million).  That comes to an average of $2.5 million for those five players.  Not too shabby.

Next was Brad Richards. Everyone knew he was Broadway bound.  But what surprised us all was the cap hit of the finalized deal.  The Rangers got their man, their top line center, for a cap hit of $6.667 million, the 25th highest cap hit in the league.  Richards scored 77 points last season, good for 10th in the league, while missing 10 games with an injury.  If you put those numbers into a full 82 game season, that calculates out to 87 points and just outside the top five in scoring.

To make room for Richards, the Rangers made a very difficult decision to buy out captain Chris Drury.  The decision gave the organization an extra $3.3 million in cap space to work with, which was essential in getting Richards under contract.  All in all, the Rangers essentially replaced Chris Drury with Brad Richards.  Also, not too shabby.

Mike Rupp was a questionable signing at the time, but he gives the Rangers much needed grit on the bottom six forwards.  More importantly, he will take some of the enforcing duties away from Brandon Prust.  Rupp may have received a little more money than most would have liked, but he’s not a cap killer.   In addition to Rupp, the Rangers added (re-added) Ruslan Fedotenko and Steve Eminger to round out the roster.

Perhaps the biggest thing that separates this year from all the other years Glen Sather has been at the helm is that there really wasn’t a signing that made you say “what the…?”.  The signing that resulted in a big facepalm never materialized; although we were really close when rumors of the Rangers pursuing Andrew Brunnette surfaced on July 1.

Haters will always hate, and will point to Brad Richards as another “Sather payday”.  However, the difference between this signing and the signings of past is that this filled a hole in the Rangers roster.  The signings of past were attempts to build the roster, which is completely different from filling holes.  The roster has been built, holes have been filled.  The Rangers are still in great salary cap standing, and will end up with a little more than $1 million in wiggle room at the start of the season.

A core of young players, veterans filling holes, cap space, balanced roster.  When was the last time you were able to say that about the Rangers?