Via Bob McKenzie, the Rangers have re-signed Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year deal worth $1.4M. I wasn’t sure if he would be coming back after the Mike Rupp signing, but I like it. Contract seems very fair, if not a little light for Fedotenko given some of the nonsense contracts that were given out today.
Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust are two very important pieces of the Rangers heading into next season. Reports suggest the team is also considering bringing back Fedotenko as well. Does that mean one of the most effective third lines in the entire league could be re-united when the Rangers hit the ice in Stockholm? It shouldn’t. Giving Fedotenko a new deal as a reward for a solid and surprising season is a good idea, giving him a two year deal is a bad idea. Giving him ice time ahead of the likes of Carl Hagelin is an even worse idea.
Michigan product Hagelin should make the team out of camp and he should be thrown on the third line (along with likely 3rd line candidates, Prust and Boyle) straight away. He should be put there, allowed to learn and make mistakes without the threat of demotion or diminishing ice time.
As harsh as it sounds, Hagelin is the future of this team, 32 year old Fedotenko is not. What Fedotenko should be next year is an affordable luxury; a useful player on the 4th line that can be moved up and down the line-up when necessary. The Rangers are deep enough to accommodate Hagelin on the third line and deep enough that they can tolerate any potential growing pains. Boyle and Prust are the type of team-first, hard working guys that could really help a guy like Hagelin develop on the fly.
Then there is the balance of the proposed line. Boyle has the size and ability to go straight to the net effectively. We have seen him score goals this past season by protecting the puck impressively and driving forward. Brandon Prust makes any defense stay honest and will hit everything that moves and forecheck with ferocity. What both of these players may lack is pure skill. Hagelin offers more skill, additional goal scoring ability and great skating and would really round out the line. Hagelin offers more of an offensive threat than Fedotenko would.
The best part of this is that it is a line that could stick together for some time. Boyle is only 26, Prust is 27 and the youngster would be Hagelin at just 22. It could be a line with good two-way ability and physicality and could become an effective third line. All three players have defensive ability and play the penalty kill. Concerned about the positions? Prust and Hagelin in particular appear to be flexible positionally so the fact both are listed as left wings should not pose an issue. Fedotenko was also listed as a left wing yet the trio of Fedotenko – Boyle – Prust thrived in 2010-11.
The Rangers have shown a willingness to blood youngsters in the past few seasons and that shouldn’t change next season. Ruslan Fedotenko has earned a new deal but he should not be a hurdle prospects like Hagelin should have to overcome. Hagelin should get the opportunity to make his Rangers debut in his home country and ideally on the third line. What all this discussion about the third line also highlights is the depth the Rangers boast. Players such as Sean Avery haven’t even entered the discussion for the third line, while Fedotenko would be best served on the fourth .
Should the Rangers sign Brad Richards then all of a sudden even Boyle seems destined for fourth line minutes as there is no way (following such a promising rookie year) that Derek Stepan drops that far and one has to imagine Anisimov is more likely a top 6 rather than a bottom 6 player at this point. Good problems facing the Rangers next season one of which is improving the third line.
As per Larry Brooks, the Rangers are in the process of negotiating a two year deal with LW Ruslan Fedotenko. Fedotenko, brought on for a professional tryout last season, made the team, and presented the Rangers with one of the best bargains in the NHL. For just $1 million, the Rangers got themselves a reliable grinding winger that found chemistry with Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle. That trio turned into the best fourth line in hockey, and graduated themselves to third line duties halfway through the season.
On paper, Fedotenko’s numbers were not impressive. After all, he only finished with ten goals and 25 points. However, his value to the Rangers isn’t measured in points. Fedotenko was clearly one of coach John Tortorella’s workhorses and most reliable wingers. Tenk played some of the most important even strength minutes, and was a fixture on the Rangers penalty kill. Fedotenko missed time with a sprained shoulder and appendix surgery. In that time he was out, the Rangers went just 5-10-1.
Per Brooks, it looks like the two sides are working towards a good price for Fedotenko’s services. It is clear that Tenk will get a raise from his $1 million, but how much of a raise is the issue. Personally, I think a $1.5 million annual salary for Fedotenko would make him a good fit. In the end, he’s still a third line player for this team.
As the offseason for our Rangers progresses, we are going to take looks at the pending free agents (and some players still under contract) and see how the Rangers may deal with them this coming summer. I am starting this series off with Ruslan Fedotenko because in the beginning of the season, I made a bet with a Penguins fan that he would get to 15 goals. He did not, thus I lost the bet. As part of the bet, I had to agree to admit that I lost the bet.
When the Rangers signed Ruslan Fedotenko to a professional tryout in September, many looked at it as an afterthought. Sure, he would push the kids a bit, maybe be a decent spare part, but he surely wouldn’t contribute much. Then, following his tremendous preseason –one where he outplayed Dane Byers, Dale Weise, and Mats Zuccarello– he was signed to a one-year deal worth $1 million. Fedotenko earned that contract.
After signing with the Blueshirts, Fedotenko had a relatively slow start to the season, netting just a goal and four helpers in October. His November was highlighted with a five point (2-3-5) in three game effort, but it was his play without the puck, specifically with Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust that stole the show. Fedotenko just meshed with the two grinders, and their chemistry made them the most dangerous fourth line in the game. In fact, their play was so good, they were –as a unit– moved up to the third line. Their consistency and great play was one of the only constants for a team that was absolutely ravaged by injuries in the winter months.
As the Rangers looked to get in to the playoffs down the stretch and now in the playoffs, some of the Rangers best players have been their oldest. These were players deemed not good enough for other teams, even players that didn’t have a team. Ruslan Fedotenko –a try out in camp don’t forget– may have summed up the Rangers work ethos with his spectacular defensive play earlier in this playoff series against the Caps, while Vinny Prospal continues to log big minutes and score important goals. The Rangers should look to bring back both players. Both players –albeit in different ways– lead by example for the Rangers. If it’s not Prospal’s enthusiasm and offense, it’s Fedotenko’s work rate and hunger. Even as the Rangers mature next season these are two players that the younger roster players can still learn from.
Then there’s the forgotten man in New York this year, Michael Del Zotto. A poor start to the season (certainly in comparison to his rookie year) culminated with demotion and injury to cap a miserable 2nd year as a pro for the skilled defenseman. However barring a spectacular trade offer, Del Zotto will be a Ranger next year – they clearly still value the talented blueliner. On top of the likely return of Del Zotto is the news (rumour?) that the Rangers are considering offering a new deal to Matt Gilroy. Add all this up and do the math – there are a lot of familiar faces that should or could be returning next year.
The one position that will likely see a major change is the top line center. With Brad Richards permanently linked to the Rangers, they appear to have their answer in the Dallas pivot. But beyond Richards there may be little change on the horizon. That’s not a bad thing, as the free agent market (beyond Richards and goaltending – certainly not a need) is very weak and most of the Rangers prospects would benefit from another year of seasoning. Bringing back this year’s club with Richards as an upgrade is still a very good, competitive (and still young and developing) team. Bringing back Prospal and Fedotenko as the veteran presence every team needs is the right thing to do. Many doubted Prospal’s ability to recover from his long injury but he’s proven (and is still doing so) that there is still a lot left in that overly tanned body of his. Fedotenko is low maintenance and would be cheap – as well as building a team with the right players the finances need to add up and both veterans should fit in to the financial plan.
Obviously there are a few maturing prospects that could make the team (Weise, Grachev, Valentenko) and several others, maybe getting looks in camp (Thomas, Bourque) that will excite and lead calls for another shot of youth next season but Rangers fans shouldn’t be disappointed if next year’s club looks similar to this year’s. A developing team shouldn’t be rushed and this year’s team is showing Rangers fans that there’s a lot to like and a lot to get excited about already adorning red, white and blue.
The New York Rangers had good news at practice today involving a trio of their walking wounded. Marc Staal and Ruslan Fedotenko were able to participate fully in practice and both are possible additions to the lineup tomorrow against Minnesota. Marian Gaborik was also able to skate and practice today for the first time since last Friday and says he has been feeling better the past few days.
Per Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants the decisions on Staal and Fedotenko will be made tomorrow morning while coach John Tortorella has already ruled Gaborik out of the lineup. If Staal returns it would be a huge boost to the defensive core and would likely mean Steve Eminger would be back in the press box as the healthy scratch, but Matt Gilroy could also be a possibility. Staal has not played since February 22nd against Carolina due to the knee injury he sustained on his first shift of the game. Staal attempted to practice on Monday in hopes of playing against Buffalo, but had a setback and missed last night’s game. The fact that he made it through the full practice today is a good sign, but with three games in four nights they could wait an extra day to bring him back if there is any concern in the morning.
With Fedotenko all signs point to him being back in the lineup tomorrow as he recovers from aggravating his previous shoulder injury in his first game back last week. The addition of Feds to the lineup is very important to the way the team forechecks and the aggression they play with. Those things are contagious and the Rangers have really gotten away from them for long stretches of games lately and hopefully watching Fedotenko do it will rub off on the rest of the club.
Where Marian Gaborik is concerned the cautious approach is the best approach. That he was able to participate in practice is a great sign, but the real test will be tonight/tomorrow to see how his head responds to the work. If he is able to avoid the problems he had when he tried skating last week it will be another step in the process to him returning, though I would still not expect him back in the lineup in the immediate future.
Brandon Prust also took a maintenance day to let all his ailments rest a little before the team plays three in four nights.
For quotes from the players be sure to check out Ranger Rants where Andrew Gross does a great job as always.
For those expecting concrete news to come out of today’s New York Rangers practice you will be sadly disappointed as the day had more of a dump it deep in the zone and wait until tomorrow to see if they can chase it down feel to it. There are updates for Ruslan Fedotenko, Marc Staal and Marian Gaborik to sift through though.
In the good news department, Ruslan Fedotenko took part in practice again today, this time with some contact and battling. Signs point to a return in the very near future, with it being possible for tomorrow night against Washington, but they will not know that for sure until tomorrow morning according to Tortorella. During practice he skated along with Avery, Newbury and Prust. Getting Fedotenko back would be a huge lift for the club as they are only 5-8-1 since he sprained his shoulder on January 19th and then had his recovery sidetracked by an emergency appendectomy. If people did not appreciate how important Fedotenko was to the forecheck while he was in there they certainly are aware of it now.
In other positive news, Jesse Spector of the Daily News reports that Marian Gaborik is said to be feeling better, but that coach Tortorella was unsure if he was symptom free. The team ran some blood work on Gaborik to see if there was any deficiencies in the results, but the coach was not sure what they were looking for and the results had not come back yet to his knowledge.
Now that you have been built up with good news it is time for the potentially bad news of the day. Marc Staal, who twisted his knee Tuesday against Carolina, sat out practice today, and is said to be having soreness in the knee. The main complaint though according to Jim Cerny, is about a lack of strength that he feels in the knee. Staal will test it out tomorrow morning to see if he can go, but Andrew Gross labeled him as “iffy” for tomorrow’s contest against Ovechkin at the Capitals.
No doubt that missing Staal in the lineup would be a huge loss for the defense core, but it might be better to sit him for a game than push him back when he is not ready to go and risk prolonging the issue.
There were a couple of playful stories relayed out by the beat writers that involved Marc Staal today. The first was how he was getting flak from the guys in the locker room, especially Martin Biron, for not practicing today. The other was about Staal refuses to call his mother right now and is keeping communication strictly text based while she “cools down.”
Jesse Spector passes along these quotes:
“I have not talked to my mom about it yet,” Marc said. “She’s given me a few text messages, but I haven’t spoken too her on the phone. Not until I let her calm down. That’s probably the worst conversation out of the (family).”
Finally in the never ending trade rumor saga of close but not done there is another rumor about how Bryan McCabe could be on his way to New York shortly. This one is passed along by Miami Herald sportswriter George Richards on his blog, On Frozen Pond, who says that the deal is close to being finalized. Like with all rumors they are just that until it is actually done. McCabe still has not waived his no-movement clause and he was on the team flight to Atlanta this afternoon, which does not preclude the deal from happening, but might eliminate a little of the immanency.
In some rather startling news, Peter Botte is reporting that injured winger Ruslan Fedotenko is having his appendix removed today. His original time table was to return sometime next week, but with this appendectomy (which I am assuming is an emergency appendectomy) he will be out for 3-4 weeks. It is unlikely he will return before the trade deadline now. Hope the surgery goes well.
As I relayed earlier, Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi were both back at practice as expected and both will play tomorrow against the Penguins.
Following the good news of Brandon Dubinsky, Erik Christensen and Vinny Prospal all taking part in a full practice there is even more positive news for the three of them in terms of return dates or at least timetables.
The only one certain at the moment is Vinny Prospal. Vinny is a definitely for Thursday and is apparently only being held until then so that he can get in two more full practices for conditioning purposes. It is still completely unclear what, if anything, can be expected of Prospal considering his age, the injury and the fact he has not played a game in 10 months. All of that said, I still expect Prospal to get a shot to play with Gaborik immediately, whether at center or on the wing.
Brandon Dubinsky was back on skates today for the first time since he was taken out of the lineup with a stress fracture in his leg. Dubinsky took part in hard conditioning skate, rest, and then full practice and was said to be feeling good. He would rule himself out for tomorrow’s game and that it would depend on how the leg responds in the morning. Jesse Spector tweeted John Tortorella having similar thoughts on Dubinsky in not ruling him out and that if he is pain free he will likely play.
In terms of Christensen and Fedotenko, Darren Dreger tweeted that EC could be back by Saturday and that Fedotenko could be ready within 10 days.
Amazing how all of these guys could be getting healthy basically all at once. This is great news for the team and the depth of the club, but also means that roster decisions will need to be made both in terms of lines and who plays/sits.
To remind everyone, here are the lines from earlier
Avery-Anisimov-Gaborik
Wolski-Stepan-Callahan
Zuccarello-Boyle-Prust
Grachev-Newbury-Drury
My thoughts on these lines can be found in that same article linked at the top.
If Dubinsky plays these lines will likely change with Avery being the obvious candidate to move down to the fourth line and Grachev sits out. There could be other shuffling going on with the top three lines depending on if coach Tortorella wants to put Callahan and Dubinsky back together or even reunite the full line of Dubinsky, Anisimov and Callahan.
The only other lineup spot that is not sure is on defense as coach Tortorella would not rule out playing Michael Del Zotto tomorrow despite the fact that Dan Girardi will play. This would mean someone else would sit, but there will be more on that tomorrow.
Last night, MSG announced during the Rangers 7-0 drubbing of the Leafs that Chad Kolarik had been called up to replace the injured Brandon Dubinsky. Kolarik has 13 goals and 23 points in 26 games since being acquired for Dane Byers earlier in the season. Kolarik, 24, was a 7th round pick in 2004, and has played in just two NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets last season.
During last night’s game, Ruslan Fedotenko took a hit from Mike Komisarek and suffered a sprained shoulder. He will be out 2-4 weeks. The Rangers recalled Brodie Dupont to replace Fedotenko. Dupont, 23, was a 3rd round pick by the Rangers in 2005, and has been in the Rangers system for the past three seasons. This year, DUpont has eight goals, 20 points, and 54 PIMs in 40 games. Dupont generally averages 40 points per season with 100+ PIMs.
Kolarik has an offensive touch to his game, which will be needed with Dubinsky, the Rangers leading scorer, out for a while. Dupont fits more of the bottom-six forward mold, with added toughness. With Dale Weise, Kris Newbury, and Mats Zuccarello-Aasen already on the roster, the Rangers now have five forwards who started the season in Hartford on the roster. All those years of minimal injuries have caught up with the Rangers. Consider this to be regression to the injury mean.
