This is the unanswered question regarding Brendan Shanahan’s bid to play a 22nd and final? season in the NHL. Shanahan will turn 40 on January 23, 2009.  What is behind his desire to continue to play? It can’t be the money. Shanahan has already stated he would take a much lower salary and play a reduced role if he is given the opportunity to come back and play next season for the Rangers. 

Initially, after the Rangers were eliminated from the playoffs by Pittsburgh, Shanny was adamant that he only wanted to play another season if it was with the New York Rangers. This week, TSN reports that Shanahan has opened up his search for a new team. While Shanahan said he is still hoping that Glen Sather will sign him for next season, he will now consider offers from other teams. This is causing much speculation and the rumor mongers are having a field day.

Thinking that Shanny might hang up his skates, some media outlets have reportedly made Brendan offers. Wouldn’t it be nice to see Brendan’s handsome face on your TV screen rather then Engblom, Jones, Olcyzk, Milbury or McGuire on Versus or NBC?  Brendan has the Irish gift of the gab and would certainly excel as a color commentator with his vast knowledge of hockey and sense of humour. Apparently, Brendan isn’t interested in working in front of the cameras yet.

Many would someday like to see Brendan become the Commissioner of the NHL. God knows it is more than time for Gary Bettman to go. A friend and blogging colleague shot down  my idea of “Brendan for Commissioner”  because Shanny isn’t a lawyer. I think that’s short sighted. Brendan can hire a team of great lawyers to help him. Having a respected and recognizable face to present the Stanley Cup every year would avoid the unpleasantness the fans have to endure in seeing Bettman booed off the ice at the end of every season.

Many Ranger fans feel that the concussion that resulted from Brendan’s collision with Mike Knuble in February of 2007 on the ice at Madison Square Garden started the downside of his storied career. Brendan was on a roll up until then. He had 29 goals. He was still hitting and he had even fought Donald Brashear. Brendan was still a power forward in every sense of the word. Last season Brendan looked slow and gun shy, both in hitting and shooting. Even though he scored a respectable 23 goals, he was not the same Shanny we saw the year before.

Brendan has had a charmed career. He has won three Stanley Cups. He won the Olympic Gold medal with Team Canada in 2002. He’s been an NHL All Star eight times. He was the founder and driving force behind the “Shanahan Summit” during the 2004 lockout that examined the state of the game and changed the rules to improve the game. His accolades go on and on.  Brendan is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Why does he still want to play hockey when he is clearly past his best?

There is only one reason I can think of as to why Brendan Shanahan wants to continue to play in the NHL. He has 650 goals. He is 19 goals shy of breaking Luc Robitaille’s record of 668 goals by a left wing.

Apparently, the powers that be in the NHL front office don’t think we do. This fact was made abundantly clear to me when I perused the freshly released NHL schedule and sadly found that The Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings would not be coming to Madison Square Garden this season.

I quickly checked the Islanders and Devils home schedules and found that they too had been passed over and weren’t going to see the Champs play in their buildings. In fact, the closest the Red Wings will come to New York is Washington, DC and Boston. It begs the question, what genius in the NHL Scheduling Office passes over the biggest media market in the free world? What empty suit on Sixth Avenue decided that the Rangers should play Dallas, Anaheim and Chicago twice and Detroit once (in Hockeytown).

If I am an executive at NBC, I am scratching my head and wondering how such incompetence in high places in the NHL continues to exist. After seeing their highest ratings in years for the Stanley Cup finals, the league has shot themselves in the foot again by failing to capitalize on selling a Rangers/Wings Sunday afternoon game to NBC for broadcast in February (when NFL Football is over).

All this considered, it is reasonable to understand why MSG didn’t want the league to interfere with their website and, thusly, the marketing of the New York Rangers. Say what you want about the Dolans but they know how to put on a show and to broadcast it. I wouldn’t want the NHL within a country mile of my team’s promotional agenda.

So, we have Gary Bettman and his ace staff on Sixth Avenue running this league into the ground, media wise. Maybe Gary and his staff should go work for the KHL. What does it matter if they don’t speak Russian? They speak English here and what they say and, more importantly, what they do is still a mystery to most hockey fans in North America.

Hey Gary, what are Ranger, Islander and Devils fans, chopped liver?

We learned today the Ryan Hollweg has been traded to Toronto for a 2009 fifth round draft pick. After taking the stupid boarding penalty which resulted in Pittsburgh’s game winning goal in game 3 of the EC Semifinals, many Ranger fans wanted Ryan run over by the team bus.

Ryan Hollweg may have hands of stone but his heart was true blue. Even though he was among the smallest in stature, he hit like a much bigger man. He stuck up for his teammates. He was the class clown and an endless source of amusement to his teammates. Ryan Hollweg worked hard as a fourth line grinder and checker. Yes, he was overzealous on occasion but he was a team player.

Good Luck to Ryan Hollweg.

Jason Strudwick was signed today by the Edmonton Oilers to a one year contract for an undisclosed amount. He is a decent 6/7th defenseman and quietly gets the job done. Jason can also play wing when needed. He was a good utility player in his 2+ seasons with the New York Rangers and always put out 100% effort.

That is the description of what Struddy brought to the Rangers on the ice. But Jason is more then the some of his parts. Off the ice and in the room, Jason Strudwick was the ultimate team player. Whether he walked Henrik Lundqvist’s dog when the team was on the road or mentored the younger players in the lockerroom or on the bench, Struddy always did it with a smile and a positive attitude.

He also took his positive attitude and his incandescent smile to the fans. Whether greeting fans or while involved in the many Ranger charity functions, Jason was a good ambassador for the team and for the game. I can attest to this because I was the beneficiary of his graciousness on several occassions.

Now it is time for me to say a heartfelt farewell to Struddy. Jason is going back to his hometown to play with the Oilers. This has to be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for him. He’ll be around his family and hopefully he can settle down and raise his own family now.

Jason Strudwick embodied the phrase “Be A Ranger”. I am sure this is not the last we will hear from Struddy. He’ll make a fine coach and maybe he’ll come back to the Rangers organization someday.

mhurley with Jason Strudwick #34 - Skate with the Rangers at Bryant Park November 2005
[img] 

Today is the first day New York Ranger fans are waking up to a world without Jaromir Jagr. After three plus seasons of seeing “The Jaromir Jagr Show”, we learned yesterday that Glen Sather couldn’t wait any longer for Jagr to make up his mind. Sather had the opportunity to sign Markus Naslund for two years for the same amount of money Jagr wanted for one. I can’t blame Sather for moving on.

Some fans out there may perceive the signing of Nasland as a sign of Sather disrespecting Jagr. I don’t think anything could be further from the truth. Jagr and his agent were playing possum. Sather had to make a business decision in the best interest of the team. We are now hearing that Jagr has signed with Avangard Omsk but the amount has not been disclosed. Going to the RSL seems to have been his plan all along. What did Jagr think Sather was going to do, mortgage the team and it’s future by paying Jagr $8 million dollars a season for two more years?  

If Jagr has signed with Omsk, it begs the question as to whether Jagr may have diliberately failed to make the contract triggers that could have kept him with the Rangers. Perhaps testing the waters and looking for the highest bidder either here or abroad was his intention all along. If this is the case, then I would say Jagr has been the disingenous one. We will never know.

No matter. What’s done is done and I for one am not unhappy with what has transpired so far. By signing Redden, Nasland, and Talinin in particular, Sather has filled some holes while still allowing the youth movement to continue. He has not mortgaged the future and still has space to maneuver later in the season if need be.

After three semi-successful seasons with Jaromir Jagr as leader, this new team now truly belongs to Tom Renney and his coaching staff. It is truly Independence Day for them. Much is expected from those to whom much has been given. Like Michael Rozsival, Renney and the coaching staff will now have their feet to the fire to produce now that the Jagr reign is over.

Thanks and good luck to Jaromir Jagr and Marty Straka. Of all players who are leaving, I think I will miss Stracena the most. Marty was the Walter Tkaczuk of post-lockout Rangers.

Happy 4th of July to everyone.

“I say high, you say low.
You say why and I say I don’t know, oh no.
You say goodbye and I say hello”

-Hello, Goodbye, The Beatles

Free Agency day is at once the best of times and the worst of times. It’s a time when we say hello to new faces and goodbye to others.  Everyone has their opinion. Some players and fans are happy. Others are not.

Overall, two days in, I think the Rangers are holding their own. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for Glen Sather in this capped environment. The highest bidder usually wins in most circumstances. Once the bar is set on the price for a particular type of player, there is precious little time to reevaluate the other players left and to determine how best to fill in your gaps. Some folks like to complain about Sather fishing, smoking cigars and eating ice cream cones but at this time of year, I’m sure he earns his keep.

Wade Redden wasn’t even on my radar. I would not have thought he would leave Ottawa after spending 11 seasons there. I would have thought Sather would have targeted a younger player as well. It was rumoured that the Rangers were going after Campbell. Campbell went for a ridiculous amount of money for eight years. Redden is the puckmoving powerplay quarterback the Rangers so desperately need. He has experience. Sather addressed his most pressing need with the best deal for the best player available. $6 million dollars for six years may seem high and long to some. After all, Redden is 31. But, Redden’s deal pales in comparison to Rozsivals.

Heaven help you Michal Rozsival if you do not live up to this contract. If you thought the treatment Malik got was bad, the Garden Faithful will crucify you. You will become the new whipping boy if you don’t produce. Considering Rozsival’s physical state and hometown status, you would think he’d have come a little cheaper. I guess Sather knew he had to give up Tyutin to get Zherdev. Keeping Rozsival makes sense. 

I think most people could see the handwriting on the wall for Sean Avery.  Yes, indeed, Sean will be cutting a swathe through the Southern Belles in Big D with his new boss, Big B. Tony Romo better get a chastity belt for Jessica Simpson because Avery is coming to Dallas and he does blondes.  Brett Hull has a bigger ego then Avery. Let’s see how long this honeymoon will last. At least Sean had the decency to sign with a Western Conference team. I am sure there are many Ranger fans out there who want Sather’s head on a platter for losing “Vogue Boy”. If these fans didn’t see this coming, they are blind.

You don’t cross Glen Sather. Avery cast the die when he bucked Sather by going to arbitration last summer. Then, like it or not, his circus act performance during the playoffs made the Rangers a laughing stock and caused the creation of the “Avery Rule”. Without Shanny to reign in this loose cannon, Avery would have just created more problems then he is worth. Four years at $3.87 million was too much for Glen to  gamble on the “Avery Effect”.

Finally, we learned today that we lost one Russian for another. As much as I hate to see Tyutin go, hockey is a business. There is little room for sentiment. Tyutin was homegrown and one of the original post lockout kids that we all came to love three seasons ago. He showed such promise. Many say his development stalled and they might be right. Still, it is sad to see him go. God speed Fedor. You were a good Ranger.

Tyutin and Backman for Zherdev and Fritsche is a good trade. Zherdev has skill and speed and should compliment Gomez well. He should be exciting to watch. Will he take the place of the fiery Avery or, dare I say it, Jaromir Jagr? That remains to be seen…

Hello Zherdev, Redden, Fritsche, Rissmiller  and Voros.

Goodbye Avery, Backman and Tyutin.

Stay tuned for the next episode of “As the Free Agent Turns”.