Getting Ridiculous

Im back folks! Sorry for the MIA status, I've just been very busy lately. Last nights game was a complete blowout. Its actually getting sad. Gaborik has got to watch his tail with Ovechkin now tying him in goals at 26. Lundqvist must get back to his Veniza trophy worthyness as well. The whole team needs a tune up. Torts had not much to say about the poor play..lets cross our fingers that they get their heads back tonight?

Ottowa Doesnt Want Heatley In Training Camp

According to Eklund, of hockeybuzz.com, so please, take this with a grain or two of salt. ;)

He says, the only option at this point would be for a trade to happen with the NY Rangers. I am somewhat tired of hearing abut Heatley and nothing happening, but if Sather can get Heatley, even if it means giving up Dubinsky, I say go for it. We could have a Stanley Cup team with 2 all-star 40-50 goal scorers in Heatley and Gaborik. [I bought a signed Gaborik NYR puck of ebay, really cool!]

The way the NY Rangers made it into the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2 years ago and put up a really good fight in the first round last year, pushing the Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin to 7 games, with NO REAL SCORING [NOONE SCORED 30 GOALS] really says something about a team. Its truly impressive. I guess you could say you have Lundqvist and our young talented defense to credit for that mostly, but how much can they really carry a team?

Gaborik alone with have a huge impact on the team this year, providing he stays healthy which he should. Id still like to see Brashear the goon traded ASAP...worst move the offseason by Sather hands down. Although his other actions impressed me.

Heatley Deal By Sunday? Dubinsky+Roszival+Del Zotto+Pick

A user a sportsnet posted this:

"We all hope this Heatley saga will end,right? Well good news ,I just talked to my guy on the inside and he said Dubinsky is close to signing a new deal and when this happens it will trigger a deal. Apparently it breaks down as follows:

To NYR:

Heatley
Smith(will be put on waivers by NY)

To Ottawa:

Dubinsky
Roszival
Del Zotto
1st 2010

The plan is to have this done by Sunday before the Canadian camp. The ball got rolling again by Heatley''s people. I am not a fan of the trade but at least there will be closure. "

http://forums.sportsnet.ca/thread.jspa?threadID=301834&tstart=0

is say do it

Rangers Sign Prospal + Bring back the captian.

Its official-the Rangers have added veteran center Vinny Prospal. The deal is a 1 year 1.1M contract. Supposedly Dubinsky will get a shot at the #1 center position, and if it doesn't work out they are going to bring in Prospal to fill that role. Mark Messier has been brought in as the "Special Assistant" Maybe Sather will finally retire and "The Captain" will take his place? I'd love to see it happen...

Update On Heatley-Movement This Weekend?

So the Wild and the Rangers are really the last 2 still hot on Heatley. The Wild would need to make a trade with the Blues first, in order to create cap space. The Rangers on the other hand, just out of the Zherdev arb. just shed about $3M in cap space. They will easily send $6M back to Ottowa. Suposedly the Rangers will still have to give up Dubinsky, but it might be wise to wait and really watch Murry get desperate, then maybe they wouldnt need to give up Dubinsky, a center, which the Rangers are very short on at the moment. I still think the trade for Brad Richards would be better, based on the fact that he is a center, and an amazing playmaker, among other top qualities. If this deal really goes through [Eklund of hockeybuzz.com is saying it will] we will have another 40-50 all star goal scorer, but even one less center, and still no "set up man".

I say Brad Richards is who we want before Heatley. Then bring in the rookie defensemen, and we will be set for the new 2009-2010 season to begin, as a Stanley Cup contender.

My lines:

1st line-Cally-Richards-Gaborik

2nd line-Avery-Drury-Kotalik

3rd Line-Higgins-Anisimov[or grachev]-Lisin

4th line-Brashear[Id rather voros]-Arnason-? Blank

staal-gilroy

girardi-heikkinen

redden-sanguinetti

lundqvist&valliquete

im still hoping to see Betts back, allthough our penalty kill still should hold up ok.

For once I can honestly give Sather a B+ or an A grade for this off season, based on the signings and trades so far, and the trade rumors above. Except the Brashear signing, all I would like to ask is WHY SATHER? He's a goon, a thug, and he will do nothing for the team except maybe "protect" our players, and get suspended. Anyway, the offseason isnt over yet, so SATHER DONT SCREW IT UP!

I will post any news as soon as they happen.

PS- Just bought 2 Artem Anisimov rookie cards off eBay!

- Kevin

Brad Richards Trade VERY CLOSE Includes Dubinsky!

bleacherreport.com is reporting that a deal between the new york rangers and the dallas stars is VERY close. It would be Dubinsky, Rozsival, and a prospect for Brad Richards and "another player yet to be named" His salary is $7.8M. They say the only reason dubinsky has not been signed yet is because they plan to package him in a deal. They have recieved confirmation from their sources that the deal is extremely close. Dubinsky is suposedly asking for more than Callahan recieved from arbitration, and this is why Sather has stopped talks with him and is planning this trade. LETS HOPE THIS DOESNT BACKFIRE AND DUBINSKY DOESNT DEVELOP INTO SOMETHING GREAT AS TORTS BELIEVES! This website was the first to report the Morris to Boston signing. We shall see how this pans out! Link HERE

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Trade Talks Starting To Heat Up With Heatley

This was a good article I though I'd post here.. original page here.

Rangers Back On The Chase For Heatley? Dubi Included?

From Eklund of hockeybuzz.com -

"Dubinsky to Ottawa possible for Heatley?

It is possible as rumors of the Rangers getting back into the Heatley saga pick up amazing amounts of steam."

Damn I say do it do it do it! It would make the Rangers almost a complete threat.

Zherdev Told To Take A Walk-Official

There had better be a good explaination for this. And unless a three way deal is performed, you can kiss the Heatley trade goodbye. Why not sign him, if not only to execute a trade with him included. But no, Sather goes and gives him away, and gets nothing in return. Very poor move in my opinion. I hope Sather can work something out that will give us better talent and future than Zherdev would have-either playing him or trading him for someone...

Stay Tuned For Zherdev News Today, Maybe A Trade?

The NY Rangers GM Glen Sather has until 12 noon today to decide whether or not to sign Zherdev to his $3.9M award. Most speculation today is pointing to a sign and trade with Zherdev, now that his market value is set in stone, it should be easier. I just hope Sather can aquire equal if not better talent in said deal. "

From sportingnews.com

"Newsday reports that an arbitrator awarded New York Rangers forward Nikolai Zherdev a $3.9 million contract on Sunday, $650,000 more than the team's $3.25 million qualifying offer that was tendered and rejected by the restricted free agent from Kiev.

The decision put the Rangers on the clock—48 hours (sometime today) to accept the deal or walk away, which would make Zherdev an unrestricted free agent. The 24-year-old Russian, who scored 23 goals last season, had asked for an arbitration award in the $4.5 million range.

According to Newsday, the Rangers are likely to sign Zherdev and try to trade him, which might be easier now that his market value has been set. Many question whether Zherdev could thrive under coach John Tortorella's attacking style, especially after he seemed to run out of gas late last season and in the playoffs."

3 Teams Involved In A Trade Bringing Heatley To NYR? Perhaps

According to Eklund of hockeybuzz.com,

"Does Zherdev Ruling + Oilers Blessing= Dany Heatley, the NY Ranger? Maybe." Zherdev awarded $3.9M, Oilers are interested, Ottowa GM Murray pressed against the wall even moreso. Eklund could be right, and I hope he is. I would love to see Heatley wearing Rangers blue. He is a league elite, who has proven more than once he can score 50 goals. Imagine the powerplay. With Gaborik, Heatley, Kotalik, and who knows else! Powerplay problem solved if this goes down. Scoring completely solved if this happens. [Gaborik's already here] I could care less about this guys personality, if he plays hard, and he wants to be here, hes going to score at least 4o goals. Here is the official report from hockeybuzz.com "I talked about it today on the podcast but it is worth repeating. With the Oilers giving the Rangers their blessing and the Zherdev ruling all but assuring the Rangers are out of nearly 4 million, I would not be surprised to see the Rangers back into the running for Heatley. And many of my sources agree. One just texted me, "Dubinsky is the key still, but now it is possible that a deal that would not include Dubinsky could indeed get it done." Back with more...we are picking up our new puppy this afternoon...the family is ecstatic! cheers, Ek"

Zherdev Awarded $3.9M

Zherdev has been awarded $3.9 Million Dollars. So, I would like to have him back, but if a better player is invloved in a trade deal I would be even happier.

Zherdev's Abritration Hearing

Is going on right now - he is participating through a telephone call from Russia. After the hearing the judge has 48 hours to make a decision, and the Rangers have 48 hours following that to either accept or allow him to become a free agent. Rumors are saying he is looking for around $4.5M

The Rangers should give him another chance definatley, he is very skilled, but not for that price. I think anything under $4M would be fair if he plays with 100% effort every game. Zherdev is believed to have gained more skill during the off season.

Stan Fischler's Talk With Coach Torterella

Torterella addresses everything from his expectations from Gaborik to his wish list. All credits of this article go to Stan Fischler, MSG, etc. View the original here.

A Talk with Torts

The Maven interviews the Rangers' coach

Posted on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 6:45 PM
by: Stan Fischler

Tagged as: John Tortorella , NHL , New York Rangers , Rangers Analysis

By any stretch of the imagination, John Tortorella has been an incomplete Ranger; a work in progress, so to speak.

How could it be otherwise?

The Blueshirts' coach missed 61 games of the 2008-09 season before replacing Tom Renney.

Translated, it means that he coached a mere 21 regular season contests and only — sadly! — seven playoff games.

If The Maven were sitting in a British pub, I would say, "Johnny Boy, we hardly knew ye!" However, I'm in Manhattan so I'll just say, "Let's talk."

But before we do, let's say that all of us are only now just getting to know the New Englander. (Actually, I consider Torts a Brooklynite with a Boston accent.)

Little by little, John's modus operandi is emerging after finishing last season with a 12-7-2 mark and a playoff berth.

We know that the 51-year-old Bostonian is the polar opposite of Renney, both personality and style-wise.

Torts practices no-nonsense, tough love, a la Mike Keenan, the last Rangers Stanley Cup-winning coach. He calls a spade a spade, often a lot louder than a player might like to hear.

He wears his emotions on his sleeve, jacket pocket and — as referees might attest — on his brow as well.

As both a baseball and hockey historian, I call John a "Latter-Day Leo Durocher."

And that's my highest compliment since I grew up following the bombastic-yet-lovable Leo (The Lip), who managed both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants. (By the way, Durocher also was a brash New Englander, from Springfield, Mass.)

In The Big Apple we love brash but — as Torts knows full well — "chutzpah" (brazenness) is not enough.

The Faithful want wins. With that in mind, The Maven believes that Tortorella's mere presence will guarantee a 10 percent Rangers improvement right off the season's first slapshot.

But enough of me, let's hear what The Coach has to say about some salient issues which I raised in our conversation:

• THE TORTORELLA STYLE: "We're going to play with tempo; an attack-type style. Defense starts when you don't have the puck. We'll have an intense forechecking system and every player will be held accountable. I believe so strongly in the team concept. Players will get time through merit and they will need to understand what 'merit' is right away. One thing is certain; no organization takes care of its players as well as the Rangers. That goes for the practice facility to the way we fly; everything about it. We take away every crutch from the players. We've got a new coaching staff and it's going to be a wide-open camp. We'll give guys who had been stuck in the minors, a chance to step up here. My eyes will be open and I'll be objective."

• BLENDING UP-TEMPO WITH DEFENSE: "When I coached the Lightning, we played a real aggressive style. Having said that, a club doesn't win unless it's sound defensively. We don't want to spend time in our zone; but we won't trap.We have good, young defensemen in Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. They are the foundation of our defense, but I'd like both of them to add some bite to their game. And by that I don't mean running people into the boards, but a little nastiness. Marc needs the kind of bite his brother, Eric, has in Carolina. Wade Redden is going to play well and so will Michal Rozsival. They'll both be in better shape. Plus, we have some good kids coming up."

• EXPECTATIONS FROM MARIAN GABORIK: "He's one of the most dynamic game-breakers in the league and he can be that for us. And let's not forget, he played for Jacques Lemaire, one of the best coaches in the game, and that means that Marian also can play well away from the puck. He taught Marian and Marian also can kill penalties. I believe that top players should play a lot and he will be. Right now, it looks like either Chris Drury orBrandon Dubinsky will be his center. I know a lot of people have mentioned Gaborik's injuries from the past, but he says he's healthy and we checked him out."

• DRURY AND THE CAPTAINCY: "Chris will be the captain. I've already had talks with him — he's a quiet guy — and we're still getting to know each other. As for the alternate captains, I haven't decided on anyone yet."

• IMPORTANCE OF SEAN AVERY: "I didn't realize how good a skater he is. That's most impressive. The biggest thing about Sean is that he needs to be a big part of the club. He has to believe that he can be a good player. My responsibility is to show that we believe in him as a player. Sean and I have stayed close during the summer and he knows how I feel. If he crosses the line, he won't play. He's certainly made strides; I can even put him on the power play. As far as my benching him during the playoffs, I wouldn't change my position if I had to do it over again. Remember, he took one penalty in Game Five against Washington and then a second that could have cost us the game. After that we had a great conversation, but in Game Six he tippy-toed around the ice. After that I told him I want him right on the edge. Yet he can't do stupid stuff and cross the line. Otherwise, I'll have to reel him in. I don't want him to tippy-toe — just don't cross the line!"

• THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A RANGER SHOULD KNOW COMING TO CAMP: "We've already put it in two letters sent out to them — conditioning. They'd better be in top shape because the first two days are going to be grueling. The style we play means that the guys will have to be in great skating shape. What worried me last season is that a lot of players tired as the first (playoff) round went on."

• IMPROVING THE POWER PLAY: "The biggest thing we need is to have someone to settle it down. We need a quarterback just to have poise and not make a bad play; a turnover. One of our biggest weaknesses was a lack of poise and our building can be tough. Redden has to be one of the guys who can settle it down and Rozsival as well."

• CHRIS HIGGINS' VALUE: "He can give me goals off the wing and I hope thatAles Kotalik can as well. Chris will fit into our forechecking system and I can use his speed. I see him as a 'utility guy,' who can kill penalties, can skate and score. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in camp."

• RYAN CALLAHAN: "He was a pleasant surprise. He gave us good minutes in a lot of situations; did everything we asked; a lot. But he's not a real big guy and he can't do it all alone. That's why we'll need others to step up and do some of the things Ryan did last season."

• HIS WISH LIST: "I'd like to get a number one center and I know that Glen (Sather) is always looking around. Meanwhile, Dubinsky has the potential to be a really good player as he matures."

• HENRIK LUNDQVIST AND STEVE VALIQUETTE: "Hank plays too much and I don't expect him to play as much as last season. He's a great goalie, but he has to understand what it takes to win in the playoffs; we have to win in the playoffs. He's got to be fresher in the playoffs. He has to win rounds. Hank was great at the start of the Washington series when we needed him. Later he was tired. As for Valiquette, he's a good back-up who understands his role."

• TORTS' FAVORITE THING ABOUT NEW YORK: "The other day I told my wife that I still can't believe that I'm preparing to run a camp for a team in New York City. I love the people, the building, the pressure of it all. It's the NEW YORK RANGERS; AN ORIGINAL SIX TEAM IN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST VENUE. For me, coaching this team is a privilege!"

The Oilers Officially Give Up On Heatley

Edmonton announced today that they are no longer interested in heatley saying "enough is enough" "we tried and now its time to move on"

wow-now the Sens GM Murray, who has been called things such as greedy and worse, is in a predicament.

Sather better jump on it quick!

The Forth Period Reporting The Sharks Shopping Marleau and Cheechoo

The Forth Period website is reporting the Sharks are shopping Marleau and Cheechoo. Who thinks we should make a move for Marleau? In my opinion he is that truely skilled number 1 center we need. Lets make a trade for him Sather, and then after a few minor adjustments this team will really come out of the gate strong. Finally a Stanley Cup contender. We will see what happens. Im counting on you Sather!

Zubov With The KHL-Official

Yep, its on tsn.ca. One less rumor to consider now...Where's Danny boy??

Update: Zubov Likely KHL Bound

BeyondTheBlueshirts is reporting Zubov is close to signing a deal to play in the KHL next season.

Oh well we didnt really need him anyway allthough it would have been nice. Another spot opens up to a young defensemen trying to make the team.

"According to Sport Express, former New York Ranger Sergei Zubov, who’s spent the last dozen years playing in the Lone Star State with the Dallas Stars, is close to signing with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. The paper reports that the 39-year old defenseman has received interest from nine NHL clubs and several teams in Russia, and has even considered retirement, but could now be days away from signing with SKA and head coach Barry Smith. If true, Zubov would join another former Ranger, Darius Kasparitis, on patrol on the St. Petersburg blueline."

Stan Fischler On Kessel, Heatley, Young D-Men...

This guy is great. Between him, Sam Rosen, and Al Trautwig, watching the Rangers play is just a fantastic experience in my opinion. They are all very kind, informative personalities. Anyway, heres a response of his posted today.

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The Maven Responds (7/27)

New blood headed to Rangers?

Posted on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 12:30 PM
by: Stan Fischler

Tagged as: NHL , New York Rangers , The Maven Responds

Nick: Hey Stan, with the Bruins signing Derek Morris and getting really close to the the cap, what do you think the chances are that they will leave Phil Kessel out there on the market. Also, do you think Glen Sather is exploring all options to try and bring Kessel to New York in any way possible (trade, RFA signing, etc.)?

The Maven Responds: Dear Nick – My sense is that the Bruins will try to keep Kessel ON THEIR TERMS; ergo cheaper than Kessel's camp would like. Of course, it is possible for Sather to trade for Kessel, but it comes down to what demands Boston would impose for a deal. Sather, like all general managers, always explores all options to improve the team.

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Bill: While the Rangers have a lot of young, potential talent on the blueline, how often and successful has a team started a season with two or possibly three defensemen with no previous NHL experience?

The Maven Responds: Dear Bill – During the 1946-47 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs boasted three rookie defensemen; Gus Mortson, Jim Thomson and Bill Barilko. They won the Stanley Cup in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951 with that core. Barilko scored the Cup-winning overtime goal against Montreal in 1951.

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Kyle: Hey Stan! Just wondering if there is any chance of Dany Heatley donning the Rangers sweater next season? Thanks Maven! All the best, Kyle.

The Maven Responds: Dear Kyle – There IS a chance that the Rangers will get Heatley, but it is a very, very, very remote one. Ottawa's GM Bryan Murray is backed into a corner now. He would have trouble bringing Heatley back to the Senators, but few teams want him and Heatley does not want Edmonton; unless all else fails. Should Murray bring his asking price way, way down, Glen Sather might be tempted to go for Dany. It remains a long-shot.

Sincerely,
The Maven

Rangers Add Another Young Defensemen-What Does Sather Have Up His Sleeve??

20 yr old 6' 2'' 200 lbs stay at home defenseman playing in Saskatoon. Plus 27 rating last season. Yet another young defensemen? Now I'm sure Sather has something good cooking for us in New York...

Rangers agree to terms with blueliner Klassen

Former WHL player was plus-27 with Saskatoon last season

New York Rangers

Jul 27, 2009, 1:54 PM EDT

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Sam Klassen.

Sam Klassen

Klassen, 20, skated in 72 games with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season, registering two goals and 18 assists for 20 points, along with 92 penalty minutes. He established career-highs in games played, goals and plus-minus rating (plus-27). Klassen ranked fourth among team defensemen in assists and fifth in points. He also finished fourth on the club with 92 penalty minutes, while his plus-27 rating ranked seventh on the Blades.

The Watrous, Saskatchewan native recorded a season-high, three-game assist streak from November 22 against Brandon to November 30 at Prince George, collecting six assists over the span. Klassen tied his career-high for most assists in a game with three assists in the final game of the streak. In addition, he recorded one assist and 10 penalty minutes in seven postseason contests with Saskatoon.

The 6-2, 200-pounder has skated in 182 career WHL games with Saskatoon, registering four goals and 47 assists for 51 points, along with 247 penalty minutes.

In 2007-08, Klassen established career-highs in assists (24), points (25) and penalty minutes (103). He also had a stretch of seven assists in eight games from November 13 against Brandon to November 30 at Lethbridge, and recorded a career-high, four-game assist streak (six assists) from February 20 vs. Prince Albert to February 26 against Lethbridge during the 2007-08 season.

Klassen made his WHL debut with Saskatoon on December 16, 2006 against Swift Current, and collected his first WHL point with an assist on the game-winning goal in the final minutes of regulation on December 30, 2006 vs. Regina. Prior to joining Saskatoon during the 2006-07 season, Klassen recorded 11 points (two goals and nine assists) and 74 penalty minutes in 32 games with the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).