Marian Hossa is one ungrateful dude. After the Rangers tried their best (unsuccessfully) to mold his little brother into an NHL caliber player, Marian goes and signs with the Chicago Blackhawks. In his relentless quest to play for a contender, Hossa asked his agent to “show me the money”. Chicago did. If he never wins a Cup at least he can pad his IRA and live out his old age in comfort back in Stara.

And so, as Dany Heatley jerked the chain of the Senators and the other teams that would take on his headache, Glen Sather needed to bust a move on a pure goal scorer. After all, there’s fly fishing to be done and the quicker the free agent signings go, the faster Sather can slither into his hip waders. But I digress.

So Sather makes the other Marian an offer he can’t refuse and, viola, a big part of Sather’s job is done. Like everything Sather does, this signing could be minimal reward and maximum risk. After all, Glen’s giving Gaborik $250,000 more per year for the next five years then was committed to Gomez. Where’s the money going to come from to get a first pair defenseman? And while the length of the contract is not unmanageable, Gaborik has proven so far to made of glass. Glen’s a gambler. 

Notwithstanding what could turn out, barring injury, to be a decent signing, Sather defies our imagination and probably makes his worst signing so far as the Rangers GM. What in God’s name is Sather thinking, letting Colton Orr go and signing the filthiest goon of all time, Donald Brashear? I know the Rangers need a new player rep for Ice Hockey In Harlem now that Gomez is gone but this is ridiculous. I honestly think the Brashear signing is worse then Redden. Brashear will take more stupid penalties then Ryan Hollweg with about the same offensive upside as Hollweg.

I understand that with Pronger now in Philadelphia all the Atlantic Division teams had to up their enforcer quotient. I would have rolled the dice with a fan favorite like Orr rather then the most despised goon in the league. I guess Sather really isn’t going to resign Blair Betts now. How could he after what Brashear did in the playoffs? Brashear is more hated then Bobby Clarke, Dave Schultz and Ken “the Rat” Linesmen were in their day (curiously all Flyers). Donald Brashear is unworthy to wear the Ranger uniform

Surely more shoes are going to drop  as Free Agent Frenzy continues. But, in signing Brashear, one has to think a shoe was dropped on Sather’s head. It’s always one step forward and two steps back with the Glen Sather Side Show.

Posted under New York Rangers

The Rangers actually followed the advice I gave them after their last game  against the Caps. The defense, and some of the forwards , actually used their bodies and hit their opposition. They made the Caps pay to touch the puck.

Granted, the Caps played without two of their best players, Kozlov and Semin, thereby making them easier to play against. But, their number one player, Alexander Ovechkin, was stymied all night by Ranger defensemen Mara and Staal.  AO was indeed growing more frustrated as the game went on. Holding the league’s leading scorer scoreless in regulation is no easy feat.

Not only did the Rangers take the body, they actually took some shots. Fans around me in 409 were feeling a little fatigued from all the goal celebrations.  For a team that has only scored 4 goals in their last 4 games, 4 goals in regulation was a pleasant surprise. Too bad the jubilance didn’t last too long.

After each hard fought goal, we saw the Rangers get scored on by the Caps with equal alacrity. I guess you have to give something to get something. If the Rangers are going think and play more offensively, it might come at the cost of  their defense first play. 

It just irks me that the Rangers always seem to get scored on late in periods.  Their heads seem to go out of the game as periods come to an end. The Caps goal at the end of the first period was the result of  the failure of  Gomez  to pick up the check on Fehr who was behind him. The Rangers were lucky to get out of the period without getting scored on again.

The Rangers tied the score at 3-3 in the second. They then scored a fourth goal to take the lead. With one minute left to play in the period, three Rangers were chasing Nylander with the puck. No one was near Green as he came off the bench.  Nylander dishes to Green and he scores his second goal of the game with 58 seconds left in the period.  C redit where due,  it was a great shot by Green. That made two long shots that Henrik missed. Very un-Henrik like.

The Rangers held the Caps to six shots in the third period but they had only nine themselves. Ordinarily that stat would seem good. But  the Rangers had a full four minute powerplay in which they only managed to get one shot on goal. One shot.  Truly sad.

The Rangers ratcheted up the entertainment value for that portion of the fan base that they continually bore. They earned two points for the fans who care about their position in the standings. Most importantly, they proved that they can win if they follow the game plan. Get shots on net and give and take hits to make plays.

Maybe  the threat of Avery coming back put the fear God (Glen) into them.  It’s amazing what can be done when most of the team shows  up.  Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy were each a +1 tonight. Woo-Hoo.

I hope the geniuses that run the NHL were watching tonight. The two bouts at the beginning of the game clearly illustrate why there is a need for fighting in hockey. When a gorilla like Brashear tries to set the tone before two minutes have gone by, your team needs to answer the bell. 

Colton Orr did just that. I gave the bout to Colton on points. We don’t have to play the Caps again in the regular season but we might see them in the playoffs. Hopefully a message was sent. Colton can take Brashear.

Voros was the clear winner of his fight  but most fans still wonder why he is out on the ice in the first place. He was a -2. He had one shot one goal and two hits. Spending 5 minutes in the box doesn’t show toughness nor is it an indication of value.

If  it’s all about putting pucks in the net, Voros should sit and Prucha should play.

Posted under New York Rangers

According to Steve Zipay’s blog today, rumor has it that if Mats Sundin doesn’t declare his intention to Ranger management by Tuesday, Brendan Shanahan will most assuredly be back for another year. He will more then like be Captain of the Rangers. He was the de facto Captain regardless of Jagr having worn the C. While the HockeyRodent may have cajoled his readers  “Don’t You Leadership Me” regarding the comeback of Brendan Shanahan, it seems (based on the leadership he brings), Shanny’s return is a fait accompli.

Some fans are wholeheartedly in favor of bringing back Brendan. They feel Shanny brings experience, skill and the leadership needed to move past the second round of the playoffs. They attribute Shanny’s lack of production in the second half of last season and in the playoffs to injury. When healthy last season Brendan did score 23 goals. With Jagr and Straka gone, Shanny’s goal scoring capability takes on more importance.

Others, considering Brendan’s age and slowness, are dead set against Shanny taking a roster spot away from up and coming youngsters like Prucha and Korpikoski at left wing. They feel there is no place for the future first ballot Hall of Famer on the Rangers anymore.  They want to move on with the youth movement and leave the leading to Drury, Gomez or Redden.

Where and how Tom Renney deploys Brendan is the key to Shanahan’s success. If Shanny is lightly used for the lionshare of the regular season, he should have something left for the playoff run and beyond. “If” he is lightly used. “If”. If Shanny is going to play, it shouldn’t be on the checking line with Betts and Orr. He’d be fried by November. If Renney reserves Shanny for the powerplay and shootouts and gives him the occasional game off, he’ll be in better shape and more effective in March.

There is a little wiggle room on the left side if the Rangers go with six defenseman. They look much more solid on D then last season so it’s possible they’ll go with six. They are overloaded at center and right wing. Gomez, Drury and Dubinsky are basically a lock at center. Betts is fighting with Anisimov and Fritsche for fourth spot. We may not see either Anisimov or Fritsche season. They’ll be headed to Hartford. That’s too bad. Anisimov looked so good in preseason last year. On the right side, Parenteau and Jamtin will probably stay in Hartford, leaving Moore and Orr to fight for the fourth spot.

Naslund Gomez Zherdev
Prucha Dubinsky Callahan
Shanahan Drury Sjostrom
Dawes Betts Orr

Orr and Sjostrom will have to stay up or clear waivers to come back. Of all the other forwards looking for the last spot, I would say Korpedo and Anisimov have the best shot. Korpikowski or Dawes can replace Shanny on third line and can be flipped with each other on the fourth line. Betts is really going to have to fight for his job. He is a good defensive fourth line center for face offs and penalty kill. Anisimov is a much more skilled player who can bring scoring to the fourth line. The question is, how is Anisimov defensively? Will he be as good as Blair on face offs? Will he block shots? I have no doubt of Artem’s desire but his effectiveness as a fourth line grinder and checker is what counts.

So, I’ve drawn my lines. Now let’s see how close I’ve come come October.

Posted under New York Rangers