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.

Rangers Outlast Jets – Recap

Excuse the briefness of the recap today guys, Dave had the audacity to be out on his birthday and none of us could see the entire game from the beginning so here’s just a few thoughts from yours truly from what I did see.

The importance of discipline? The Rangers were not good in the first period but those penalties really did turn the tide and momentum all in the Jets way and that was exhibit A for why this team has to stay disciplined going forward.

That said, the penalty kill had an immediate opportunity to atone for the night in Minnesota and did so remarkably well. Consider the Penalty kill back on its game.

We’ve almost run out of superlatives for Ryan McDonagh yet it’s scary to think he has only recently passed 100 career NHL games. In his first full year he has a 30 point season which is evidence he has great ability both ends of the ice. If he carries this rate of development up he may be Sather’s best acquisition as Rangers GM and there have been many good ones.

Why should you be excited about this team? It was the second of back to backs, the momentum was all against them against a team strong at home and they were two down middle of the second. It clearly didn’t faze them. They found a way to win. They showed desire. If this team can continue to have this kind of back bone it bodes so well for the future.

Ryan Callahan is the best captain in the NHL. If he’s not the best, then there are very few that can match him. He literally does (and did) it all for the Rangers. He deserves a 30 goal season merely for the added recognition it will give him and his offensive ability.

Brad Richards is truly buzzing on the puck lately. His confidence level is off the charts and is actively taking people on with the puck and creating space and opportunities all the time; great timing with the playoffs looming.

The powerplay looked good against the Jets. The second goal was a result of great movement and puck retention. The Jets looked exhausted before the puck broke to Stepan who has an underrated shot that he should use more.

Michael Del Zotto has 38 points in 72 games, as a 21 year old. I’ll say no more. If you follow me on Twitter you know my feelings on the haters and whiners.

Dubinsky is running out of time isn’t he? If he hasn’t already.

Final Thought:

The Jets had their moments and the Rangers struggle to handle guys like Evander Kane while Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little give the Jets some legitimate offensive potential but whether it was the Rangers conditioning, their superior depth or their greater desire, they deserved to win this game. It was a character building game and keeps the Pens at arm’s length. A great win on the end of a back to back.

Three Stars:

• Ryan Callahan (who else?)
• Brian Boyle (two way threat when he wants to be)
• Mike Del Zotto (a difference maker)

Next Up: Montreal at home, a very winnable game for your Rangers. 

Musings: Is there a captain that means more to his team than Ryan Callahan?

It’s been a while since I’ve written the musings here. This is generally Chris’ post, but he’s currently “indisposed.” So I’ve taken them over. Feel free to use your own interpretation of “indisposed” and make fun of Chris in the comments.

The Captain

How about that Ryan Callahan eh? He does everything for the Rangers. It is clear why he is the heart and soul of the team, and why he was named captain at the beginning of this season. There are very few captains in the NHL that mean as much to their team than Cally does to the Rangers. In fact, I can only think of a few: Jonathan Toews, Jarome Iginla, Dustin Brown, and Shane Doan.

Hot Richards

Brad Richards sure has been something of late. With last night’s goal, the alternate captain has 15 points in the month of March (6-9-15), a span of 12 games. He has the most points in the month of March than any other player, and is getting back on track to clear 60 points. When the Rangers signed Richards, expectations were that he would clear 60 points most seasons, and have a few seasons clearing 70 points. Considering the effect he’s had on Michael Del Zotto’s turn around, I’ll take 60 points and leadership/bettering others over 70 points any day.

Rough stretch for Del Zotto

Speaking of Del Zotto, he hasn’t looked the same since that hip injury. Maybe he’s just favoring it a bit, or maybe he’s just hitting a slump. But that lateral pass on the powerplay last night was last year’s version of Del Zotto, not this year’s version. The kid still has a lot of learning and growing to do, but mark my words, every mistake he makes he will learn from. Patience.

Sauer

The Rangers definitely miss Mike Sauer, but not as much as you might think. Tim Erixon and Stu Bickel have filled in very well for the injured defenseman, and while both have a lot to learn still, they are making the loss of Sauer easier to manage. Bickel and Sauer play extremely similar games, so it’s like he was never injured in the first place…except for that stint where Steve Eminger and Anton Stralman comprised the bottom pairing.

Stralman gets a bad rap

One quick note about Stralman: Boy he gets a bad rap here. The guy came in as an UFA signed in the beginning of the season, and had to work his tail off to even get into the lineup. When injuries started to mount, he played top four minutes and helped Del Zotto along in his development. Once players like Bickel started to emerge, and Stralman started to slump, he started getting blame for a lot of things. He filled in well, and was a great signing to help deal with injuries.

So long Fedotenko

Ruslan Fedotenko may be one of the more under appreciated signings Glen Sather has made in the past few years. Last year Feds was magnificent while playing on a line with Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust, forming one of the most formidable shut down checking lines in hockey. This year, the magic just wasn’t there. It wasn’t so much that he appeared to lose a step, it was that others played better, thus passed him on the depth chart. The emergence of Mats Zuccarello was the final nail in the coffin for Feds.

Quick questions:

• Has Bickel’s emergence made Sauer expendable in the right deal?
• Would you trade Sauer and Brandon Dubinsky for Bobby Ryan at the draft?
• Which team scares you more in the playoffs: the Penguins, Flyers, Bruins, or Caps?
• Over/under 60 points for Cally this year?
• Over/under 30 goals for Richards?
• Over/under 40 points for Del Zotto?

Is Ryan McDonagh the Rangers best defenseman?

With Dan Girardi tiring in the last few games (not a criticism) and Marc Staal clearly still struggling for consistency following his return, has Ryan McDonagh emerged as the Rangers best defenseman?

It’s a valid question and perhaps just another way of heaping praise on McDonagh for the way he has developed since his call up midway in to last year. A lot of people don’t pay much attention to the plus/minus statistic but even the biggest critic of that stat has to acknowledge McDonagh’s impressive +39 over his first 112 NHL games. That’s more than just being on the ice at the right time.

McDonagh is still learning and he’s still making mistakes; he’s not perfect. The way James Neal picked his pocket in the Pens game a few games ago shows that he’s certainly not perfect but he has progressed at an incredible rate.

The offensive side of McDonagh’s game has developed the most, visibly. However that is because he has such a solid foundation defensively that it allows him to get involved more at the other end. His positional play is exceptional and he takes the body with regularity. Given the style McDonagh plays he doesn’t take a huge amount of penalties and he fits in Tortorella’s system perfectly.

McDonagh has become a minute muncher. He’s playing a shade under 25 a game and while unfortunate for Marc Staal, the absence of Staal has been a blessing in disguise for McDonagh’s development. Nobody could have foreseen this rate of progress and it probably wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for a Staal brother collision last season.

It’s hard not to be excited about the Rangers future given how the club is being built the ‘right way’ (from the goal out). There’s an embarrassment of riches developing in front of Henrik Lundqvist. Staal, Girardi, McDonagh and Del Zotto highlight a corps that still has Mike Sauer as well as Tim Erixon and Dylan McIlrath in the wings. There’s not another club in the entire league (outside of Nashville) that can boast that kind of pipeline on the blue line. And we said all this without finding a way to thank Bob Gainey again. Oops.

So, is McD the Rangers best defenseman right now? It’s hard to argue against him. When healthy, a valid case can be made for Del Zotto with the way his game has developed this year but either way the Rangers are sitting pretty with a 21 and 22 year old leading the charge to the post season.

Not just numbers

You always have to overpay for talent in free agency regardless of the talent bought, but especially for elite talent. With that simple hockey assumption out the way let us discuss Brad Richards and his arrival on the Rangers. His numbers are important (obviously), but he’s not just about the stat line and should not be judged as such.

With a little luck and some extended form (and anyone who has watched the Rangers recently shouldn’t discount such a run of form) Richards could still flirt with a 70 point season. NO, it isn’t the heady 90 point years he’d recently put up with the Stars, but look back at how many players hit the 70 plateau the last few years – not many. Twenty four players broke 70 points last year, 30 the season before and roughly the same amount in 08-09. It’s not a mark that many reach. I’ll wager Richards puts up a few 70+ seasons as a Ranger.

That said, Brad Richards is beginning to do what he’s, in part, been paid to do – peak at the right time. His best play as a Ranger is coming now, as the Rangers look to win the conference. It’s coming at the tail end of the regular season as we head in to the playoffs, it’s coming as the pressure from behind has never been more intense this season.

Richards is playing exactly as the free agent packaging avertised. He’s carrying the puck with confidence, distributing it intelligently, displaying his wicked wrist shot and using it with frequency. Oh, and anyone doubting his big moment ability may have overlooked his 8 game winning goals which, just happens to be tied for second in the league. Again, statistics can be twisted to cater for a writer’s argument just as I have done to an extent here.

Richards is not all about the numbers. When the Rangers acquired the veteran they also bought a winning attitude. They bought experience and an ability to play under immense pressure – such as the big lights of Broadway (almost a point/game at home). They bought a player to show the other Rangers how to win when it mattered. Carl Hagelin’s interview during the Canes game was telling, as was Richards’ comments reference Hagelin afterwards.

Apparently Hagelin is making plays he’d never thought of making recently – since forming a line with Richards coincidentally. While Hagelin is a quick learner Richards is a quality and willing teacher – crucial on this team and shown also in the huge development Del Zotto has undergone this year.

Richards has made this team more skilled, deeper down the middle, given the team an additional veteran leader and has naturally added to the team’s offensive production – crucial against the likes of Thursday’s opponents. Also, think about this: you think it’s a coincidence that the first year of Richards being in NY is the first time since dinosaurs roamed the earth that the Rangers are challenging for the President’s trophy?

It’s fair to argue, as some will, that the Richards deal will only be a true success with either a Cup (several would be nice) or extended playoff runs littered throughout the almost decade long deal. Hey, free agency is an overpayment. That said, Richards is having a good first year on Broadway, he’s making a positive impact – so let’s not nitpick that he’s just a one-time All Star hey? Richards’ is here to stay and that’s a good thing. So far Richie can only be judged as a success whether you’re judging numbers or not.

Rangers Beat Bruins: Recap

Game day started well for the Rangers as Michael Del Zotto and Ruslan Fedotenko were both restored to the line-up to face the Bruins in the nationally televised matinee. Following that good news was a dandy of a match between two quality clubs. The Rangers were outplayed for two periods but stuck with it, refused to buckle and have a certain goaltender from Sweden in net. The Rangers won 4-3 on the back of Lundqvist, an ability to respond to adversity and being the proud owners of a quality penalty kill. 12 point lead on Boston? That will do nicely. On to the notes.

First Period

• The Rangers started the game on fire; forcing numerous turnovers by the Bruins thanks to a relentless fore-check, their ability to win battles and because they were engaged physically. The Rangers looked to get to the net and that willingness would soon be rewarded.
• The Rangers beginning could be summed up by one player: Brandon Dubinsky. He was clearly motivated, drew a penalty on Zdeno Chara because he looked to take the big Bruin on physically and crashed the net which helped with the Rangers second goal.
• The good and the bad of Anton Stralman: Stralman scored the first Rangers goal (even though it looked to come off Fedotenko) following a rare turnover from Chara. After good pressure by the Rangers and a timely pinch by Stralman he threw the puck on net and beat a screened Thomas. Bad Stralman? Poor decision to toss the puck up the middle on the Bruins goal (hockey basics – down the boards when clearing), the turnover occurred right in front of Lundqvist and Pouliot scored on a quick shot which Lundqvist had no chance on.
• The Rangers second goal was hockey 101. Hagelin’s speed allowed him to get the puck, Dubinsky’s willingness to crash the net caused havoc in front and Hagelin simply getting the puck on net resulted in the puck being deflected past Thomas.
• It was a fast and furious first period for the most part with three fights. Despite the three fights it wasn’t a nasty game at this point. That said, if you offer the Rangers a trade-off of Lucic and Prust going off the ice for five they’d take it every time. Despite that, Prust shouldn’t be going at it with the much bigger, stronger Lucic.
• Following the Boston timeout, goal and subsequent Lucic fight, the Bruins clearly carried the play for several minutes and had serious momentum. They dominated along the boards, had the Rangers penned in for long periods and peppered a very busy Lundqvist.
• The Bruins were willing to shoot from everywhere during the first. Lots of point shots, lots of traffic in front and a simple ‘get it to the net’ attitude. Lundqvist – who had no chance on the Bruins goal – had to be very sharp, particularly in the middle of the period.
• You want development? Del Zotto was shown on the bench listening to advice from Staal. Clearly the kid is listening, willing to take on advice. A few minutes later Del Zotto made a great read and pinch to keep the puck in the Bruins zone (a rare occurrence as the period progressed). Del Zotto, all season, has shown improved decision making ability.
• Hockey rarity: thanks to a Brian Rolston slap shot on the Bruins PP late in the first, the period ended early and the time was tacked on to the second allowing MSG staff to fix a broken pane of glass. 2:53 was left in the period when the teams went to the intermission.

The Latest on Rick Nash

12:47pm: Via Mark Spector, talks between the Rangers and Blue Jackets regarding Rick Nash have “advanced.” The reported package includes one of Ryan McDonagh or Michael Del Zotto, a prospect (apparently Tim Erixon), and a first round pick. The Rangers believe this offer gives them the edge over the Maple Leafs, and I would sure hope it would. That’s a serious haul.

As Dave said on Twitter, any deal bringing Nash to New York would have to involve Brandon Dubinsky going elsewhere for salary purposes. Columbus apparently doesn’t want him, which complicated things. It’s worth noting that Wojtek Wolski was not placed on waivers today according to Bob McKenzie, so his rather pricey salary will still count against the cap on Monday, trade deadline day.

I’m of the belief that the Rangers should look for an upgrade over the Stu Bickel/Steve Eminger/Jeff Woywitka trio, not subtract potentially two defensemen. We’ve seen the d-men get beat with speed quite a bit lately, and I don’t think that’s an accident. Dan Girardi, McDonagh, and MDZ have logged a ton of ice time this season, so adding another guy to soak up some minutes down the stretch makes sense. Anyway, I’ll update this post with any Nash-related rumors throughout the day.

Update (2:24pm): Per David Pagnotta, the Blue Jackets badly want Derek Stepan but will settle for Carl Hagelin. He mentions a package of Dubinsky, Stepan/Hagelin, Chris Kreider, plus a pick (not necessarily a first rounder), though it’s unclear if that’s on the table or if he’s speculating. Meanwhile, Larry Brooks hears that there’s nothing to the MDZ talk, but Erixon is in play. After the Wolski trade, the Rangers can add close to $11 million in cap hits at the deadline according to CapGeek. The money’s there if they want to do something big, or even two something bigs.

Rangers in unique spot with five top-four defensemen

Defensive depth in the NHL is tough to come by. In the offseason, the best defensemen get the mega millions. At the trade deadline, defensemen always cost the most. In the new skilled NHL, getting just two defensemen who are capable of playing top-four minutes regularly is tough. The Rangers have five such players. Of those five, three are already capable of playing top-two minutes. This folks, is depth at its finest.

Perhaps the Marc Staal concussion was a blessing in disguise. With the injury, Ryan McDonagh was forced into top-two duties, and Michael Del Zotto was forced into top-four duties. Not only have both excelled in the short term, they have proven themselves worthy of staying in those roles. The evidence is in the defense pairings, with Staal playing on the third pairing since his return.

Such depth allows the coaching staff to be creative in how to deploy the pairings, and how to fill out that last defensive spot. The top-five in Staal, McDonagh, Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, and Mike Sauer (although injured) are capable of playing in all three zones. Should the Rangers look to add a powerplay specialist like Marc-Andre Bergeron (just spit-balling here, not advocating for his acquisition), then the burden would fall on the other five to compensate for Bergeron’s lack of actual defense.

The Bergeron case is just a hypothetical, but it does illustrate a point that the Rangers have tremendous flexibility when it comes to filling the hole of sixth defenseman. Right now the Rangers have survived with a rotating door of Steve Eminger, Stu Bickel, and Jeff Woywitka, not exactly much to look at, but at least they have been serviceable.

Traditionally, teams are built from the net out. This means that proper teams are built starting with a goaltender, then the defense, and finally with depth down the middle at center. The Rangers have built themselves a solid club with their defensive depth, and may just be a perennial Cup contender for years to come.

Rangers/Blue Jackets recap

The Rangers avoided the dreaded “trap” game tonight, beating the last-place Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime at the Garden.  This one had a little bit of everything; beautiful passing plays, some good saves, refereeing controversy and a Rick Nash goal.  Let’s get to the bullets…

• What I was looking for in a rebound from the Chicago game was a defensively responsible performance, while getting back to a hard forechecking, physical offensive zone style.  The Blueshirts delivered tonight.  They played a little tentative offensively, but were tremendous on defense (save for two defensive zone face-offs) and played a physical game, winning battles and creating pressure.
• The forecheck was much better tonight.  They forced Columbus to make mistakes in their own end, creating sustained pressure and turnovers.
• Some beautiful passing on Richard’s goal and Stepan’s game winner, :22 seconds into OT.  Michael Del Zotto made fantastic passes on both goals.
• Artem Anisimov played one hell of a game, as did Brad Richards.
• For those who missed it, Michael Del Zotto made a tremendous move around a Blue Jacket defender and slid the puck past Steve Mason as the second period came to a close.  The MSG jumbo-tron clock had the puck crossing the line with .01 seconds remaining.  The referees subsequently waived if off, claiming the “official” clock read 0.00.  A picture was shown during the broadcast showing the puck still not across the line with 0.00 on the clock.  Goal disallowed.
• Torts can claim it was the right call all he wants, but someone screwed up.  How in the world is the NHL’s official time clock not synced to the Garden clock?  It’s pure insanity to me that there could be a discrepancy between the two when there is so much on the line.  If the Rangers had lost in overtime, they would have been robbed of a point.
• The Rangers carried play for most of the game, out-shooting Columbus 35-23 and giving Hank a relatively easy night.
• Two defensive zone draw losses lead to both Columbus goals.
• The Power Play looked like crap yet again.  That 5-on-3 was painful to watch.
• Did I mention how well Del Zotto played?
• The much-maligned Steve Mason played well tonight, excusing some ugly rebounds.  I still see a ton of talent in the kid, I just think he needs a change of scenery badly.
• Hank played a solid game, though I have a feeling he might want Nash’s goal back.  He didn’t have a ton of heavy lifting to do, save for one beauty on Jeff Carter in the final minutes of the 3^rd.
• That makes 8 straight wins following a loss dating back to mid-December.
• Now, I know I’m poking the bear here, but from a purely salary cap standpoint, if you were to think of Nash as a replacement for Gaborik (he would have to be resigned at age 32) does that change the analysis at all?  If Nash were a free agent right now, would you advise Sather to give him 6/47 and then save money by letting Gaborik walk in 2014?
• I admit it, I miss Vinny Prospal a little…

Off tomorrow, followed by a tough divisional match-up in Pittsburgh Tuesday night.

Rangers/Flyers Recap

After a couple of days off, the Rangers took to the ice at the Garden for a pre-Superbowl matinee and threw the Flyers a well deserved 5-2 beating.  This was a tremendous game with a ton of talking points for analysis, but I’ll try to be brief.  Onto the bullets…

• Overall, the Rangers played an incredibly solid game today.  They minimized mistakes, took advantage of some soft goals by Ilya Bryzgalov and played a hard-nosed, physical game.
• The offense was once again lead by Marian Gaborik.  He finished with a goal and an assist, a +3 and 8 shots on goal.  He was flying from the opening face-off and being reunited with Derek Stepan (2a, +3) and Artem Anisimov (1g, 2a, +3) yielded significant results.
• Speaking of Anisimov, that tip was an absolute beauty off Girardi’s point shot.
• Michael Del Zotto (Zaster?) continues to get stronger as the season progresses.  He is seeing open ice and making strong decisions when to join the rush.  His hockey sense has gone through the roof this season and it’s showing on both sides of the puck.
• The Rangers got some timely secondary scoring with Fedotenko, Dubinsky and Del Zotto chipping in goals.  Hopefully Dubinsky’s game will continue to improve and take some of the pressure off Glen Sather to make a move for a top-6 forward at the deadline.
• The PP continued to be ineffective, but there were plenty of signs of improvement in this game.  They began to force the puck toward the net from the points, which took some of the pressure off the wingers down low.  There were several lateral chances between the forwards as it forced the Flyer’s PK unit to operate a little higher in the D-zone.  10 PP shots on goal is a step in the right direction.
• On the other side of the coin, six penalties is way too many to take even in a physical game like this one.  While Stu Bickel had a solid overall game, the interference and boarding penalties are going to keep Tort’s from trusting him with more ice time.  It was great to see him standing up and taking some of the fighting responsibilities off Prust and Rupp.
• I continue to be impressed every game by Ryan McDonagh.  He is such a heady player and makes defending the top lines from every team look routine.  Once Staal rounds back into form (he looked much better again today) the Rangers will have an embarrassment of riches in the top-4.  Although they still lack the big bomb from the point, you have a puck mover (DZ) and three shut-down defenders who can chip in on offense more than occasionally.
• I don’t know who has less business being on an NHL roster, Sestito or Rinaldo…
• Another pedestrian performance by Brad Richards today.  He needs to step it up, and quickly.
• The Rangers blocked an absurd amount of shots again today.  They had 25 blocks to the Flyer’s 10.
• What else is left to say about Henrik Lundqvist’s play?  He only had 21 saves (mostly because of the 25 blocks), but man does that guy come up big when the team needs it the most.  Looks like he learned his lesson on Giroux (same move as the Winter Classic goal) with only a few minutes left.
• Ilya Bryzgalov did not fair so well this afternoon.  His game was pretty much a microcosm of his entire season.  He had some tremendous saves, but was done in by three soft goals.  His save % in this game was .892, for the season, .899.
• This team continues to find a way to win all types of games.  These intense, physical tilts are the best way to prepare for playoff hockey, and this team is making it clear they are going to be extremely difficult matchup to draw come April.

Off tomorrow and another big division game against the Devils on Tuesday at the Garden.

Everyone be safe tonight and enjoy the other big game!