Room For Optimism – Part II
Earlier today I put together reasons why I felt you could be optimistic about the upcoming Rangers season. In Part I, I applied a critical viewpoint to each of the teams in the Eastern Conference and highlighted questions that could be raised about almost every team. That’s not to say all those questions will remain unanswered, […]
Did Steve Tell You That Perchance?
The Rangers prospects kick the Rangers preseason off today with their first game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Traverse City. The rest of the team will gather for official training camp next Friday. One of those who’ll go into camp looking to impress is Steve Eminger, acquired over the Summer in exchange for Aaron Voros. Player […]
And Then There Were 22
It comes as no real surprise that the Rangers have elected to send Evgeny Grachev down to Hartford. The 19 year old showed moments of promise in his pre-season stint with the team, even scoring a goal in yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the Capitals, but ultimately he also showed he needs a little time to adjust. The […]
Should They Stay, Or Should They Go
With just one more pre-season game to go, their remain a handful of decisions to be made. Do they offer veteran defender Alexei Semenov a contract? Do they keep Michael Del Zotto and his $1M plus contract on the roster? And who out of Aaron Voros, Brian Boyle and Evgeny Grachev do they keep for opening night? Throw in the injury to Sean […]
Grass Isn’t Always Greener
As of March 3rd, 2009, the Rangers sat in eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, six points out of home ice advantage for at least one round, and just one point ahead of the ninth placed Hurricanes. With just eighteen games remaining, the Rangers are not focused on building momentum for the playoffs, but are […]
Meeting The Deadline
This year promises to be quieter than most for many teams, but despite the Rangers seemingly impossible position with the Salary Cap, there’s still some room to maneuver. Glen Sather made his first move yesterday by reacquiring Sean Avery off of re-entry waivers, something that is almost certainly going to have some impact on the team. He also cleared […]
Oh Grate
Many sportsmen who have come to New York have struggled to live up to their previous success. The bright lights and distractions, the added pressure and the increased media attention, have helped derail many a career. For Sean Avery though, it appears the opposite is true. After being traded first from Detroit and then Los Angeles after […]
Pluses and Minuses
With the Rangers just a couple of weeks away from the NHL trade deadline (March 4th), the players in the organization no longer just have to worry whether they’ll be dressing in Broadway Blue, but whether the new man behind the bench will make them be successful, or perhaps send their careers the wrong way. […]
Home Cooking
Before the lockout, the Rangers were known mostly for one thing: failure. Seven years of playoff futility was highlighted by a stream of aging, high priced veterans, who for the most part failed to perform in the bright spotlight of Broadway. Four and a half years on, and the Rangers have moved on with three […]
Hank and Team Defense Carrying the Team
by Mark Owens Only three NHL defensemen have a worse plus/minus than Dmitri Kalinin. At -10, Kalinin leads the team in this category. He also seems to bring the worst out of whichever defenseman he is paired with. Aside from Sunday’s team-wide malfunction, is it any surprise that Michal Rozsival‘s play improved immensely once he was reunited […]