N.Y. Rangers: Glen Sather is Still in the Building

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Glen Sather spent wheel barrels of bad money on the likes of

Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Brad Richards, just to name a few.

But, there was no money for Ryan Callahan or Carl Hagelin...

NEW YORK RANGERS: Glen Sather didn't step aside soon enough.  Why can't he just leave, and hand off the team's remaining assets to Jeff Gorton already; please!

It's high time Glen Sather hastened his decision to step away from the office of general manager. Every day he further delays his decision is a detriment to the team and to the mental well being of Rangers fans.

If trading Carl Hagelin was indeed a cap move, (which is was), then who maxed out the cap in the first place?  Hagelin now joins Ryan Callahan as former Rangers Glen Sather couldn't afford.

That's irritating considering all the bad money he's thrown around.

I wasn't averse to trading Hagelin.  He never did maximize his potential here.  He's fast and young, and had opportunities under two different coaches with differing styles to get his game figured out.   He needed to become more than just a PK specialist, and didn't.  It seemed as if he wasn't scoring on a breakaway, his offensive game remained relatively inconsequential.

Fact is, the Rangers were in need of so much more from Hagelin, or in return from this trade, but walk away from this seemingly empty handed (outside of saving a few bucks).  I have a big problem when the player received in return isn't nearly as good, which is exactly what the Rangers are getting in Emerson Etem - a lesser player.  Suffice to say, Glen Sather far from maximized Hagelin's worth.

On another note, trading Hagelin is also an admission by the front office that the team needs to get bigger and tougher.

My same dissatisfaction applies for the trading of Cam Talbot.

Once again, I was not averse to trading Talbot.  The Rangers had a hot commodity.

Clearly, something needed to be done.  The Rangers went without a #1 and #2 pick in the 2013 draft, and were without a #1 pick last year.

I wonder who created that situation...

So, Sather traded Talbot to the Edmonton Oilers for the 57th, 79th, and 184th picks of the recent draft.  Very simply, Glen Sather got ripped off.  After reading around, the common sentiment is that Sather overplayed his hand, and blew it.

By his own semi-admission, it's time, then, for him to finally step down as general manager of the New York Rangers.

His tenure started horribly, and ended well.  That's fair, so let's leave it at that, because the next thing I'll say is the team just took a step backwards.


2015 Draft Selections:
#41 Ryan Gropp-W
#62 Robin Kovacs-W
#79 Sergey Zborovskiy-D
#89 Aleksi Saarela-C
#113 Brad Morrison-C
#119 Daniel Bernhardt-W
#184 Adam Huska-G



Mike

N.Y. Rangers: There's a Canadian Goalie in King Henrik's Court

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS: If Mike Ritcher needed The Messiah, what can Glen Sather possibly offer The King?

The Rangers season is over.  At least three generations of Rangers fans will pass the summer months wrestling through a full gambit of emotions, only to return in October still shaking their collective heads over what transpired, (or didn't) in Game Seven against Tampa.

Two years into a new system, the organization is once again at a crucible.

I agree with Coach Vigneault, and with the general consensus of the players: to use their words, I believe this team still has a championship core.

For how much longer is debatable.

The Rangers must nevertheless take stock after falling short in the 2012 conference finals against the Devils, in the 2013 semi finals against the Bruins, in last season's Stanley Cup finals against the Kings, and this year's conference finals against the Lightning.

Henrik Lundqvist

Placing blame on Henrik for any of the Rangers' failures is not only misguided, but ignorant as well.

We'd have to weed through the recurring defensive breakdowns in front of him, the team's ponderous neutral zone neutrality, their physical inhibitions in the offensive zone, and revisit the decision making process of a certain head coach before even contemplating pointing a finger at Lundqvist.

Since the salary cap era started in 2005, there's been a range of very good, to rather extraneous goalies that helped their teams win a Cup.  Count Cam Ward/Martin Gerber, Marc Andre Fleury, Chris Osgood/Dominik Hasek, Jean Sebastien Giguere/Ilya Bryzgalov among them.

In each of the Rangers last four post-season eliminations, Henrik Lundqvist was opposed by Martin Brodeur, Tuukka Rask, Jonathan Quick, and Ben Bishop - again, very good to pedestrian...

The other two goalies in this year's Final Four were Frederik Andersen of the Ducks, and Corey Crawford of the Blackhawks, whom merely add to the hodgepodge without enhancing it.

You can rank all those goalies any way you chose.  It makes no difference to me, because in my opinion Henrik Lundqvist has never been an issue.  Henrik was/is as good, if not better than any one of his contemporaries.

Maybe that's just partisan Rangers bluster on my part, or maybe not.  Regardless, my point remains.   The King can hang with anybody, and so I suggest we seek elsewhere to uncover why this team keeps falling short of the Cup.

• My ire lies with the team's forwards, my issue is with the team's softness, and my specific problem with Game 7 was Coach's failure to properly adapt.  Therefore, I view elimination as a failure on the Rangers part, more than a Lightning victory.

However, the Cam Talbot led proletariat are getting restless, and making themselves heard.  They're enraged by Ben Bishop's two shutouts and three victories at MSG, which goes in hand with Henrik's perceived failure to defend their house.

I'm not in favor of trading Henrik Lundqvist.  In and of itself, retaining him is a no-brainer.  But if you allow yourself to expand your mind, there are reasons why dethroning The King actually makes sense:

• Cam Talbot becomes the starting goaltender.  Pondering a trade of Lundqvist is only possible with a quality goalie ready to step in.  Take an honest look at Cam's performance and potential, then revisit the record of several goalies who've played on recent Stanley Cup winning teams in order to justify such a downgrade.

• Time slows for no one.  The King is now 33-years old.  The Rangers can still sell high, and Glen Sather can still potentially plunder a team in exchange for Henrik's services.

• The Rangers potentially clear up considerable salary cap space - at least short term.  They need to come up with more money for Derek Stepan...again, figure out what to do with Carl Hagelin, invest money into the 3rd and 4th lines, etc., or, overspend on another front line scoring threat. They also need to address the 3rd defensive pairing.  You get the picture...

• Most importantly, if the Rangers trade Henrik to a really crappy team, perhaps they can obtain (or recoup?) a pair of #1 draft picks, or a comparable package of picks.  Trading for prospects shouldn't be ruled out either - Ryan McDonagh, after all, was acquired through a trade.   Any transaction involving Henrik, though, would need to be inspired by theft.  Anything less should prevent Sather from ever agreeing to such a deal.

During Henrik's time, the Rangers tried trading for potential premium forwards, and tried signing others as free agents.  To date, none provided a franchise lifting post-season performance the Rangers have lacked, but not for a lack of money.  By and large, most of Sather's big money acquisitions have just grossly underachieved.

So let's face it, Mark Messier aside, NHL history says the Rangers need to secure a franchise forward like most other NHL teams go about it; they need to draft one with a very (very) high selection, something the Rangers have long lacked.  Unless the Rangers plan on spending a few years in the cellar, drafting will remain relatively inconsequential and middle of the road.

The Rangers have not had a top five draft pick in this new century.  You have to refer back to 1999, when they used the 4th overall pick of the draft to select Pavel Brendel.  He still stands as the Rangers highest ever pick since they won the Stanley Cup in '94.  With the 9th overall pick of the same draft, they selected Jamie Lundmark - hardly franchise altering picks to say the least.

Since then, the highest the Rangers ever picked was 6th overall in the 2004 draft, when they selected goalie Al Montoya (just prior to King Henrik beginning his reign at MSG).

They did not have a #1 pick in the 2000 and 2002 entry drafts, although it was their great fortune to draft Henrik Lundqvist in 2000 with the 205th (7th round) overall selection.  More recently, they failed to own both a #1 and #2 selection in the 2013 draft, and lacked a #1 pick in last year's draft as well.

In the 12 years between 2001 and 2012, the Rangers averaged the 14th overall selection.  Here is a list of their hits, and mostly misses:

2000 - No #1
2001 - Dan Blackburn #10 overall
2002 - No #1
2003 - Hugh Jessiman #12
2004 - Al Montoya #6, Lauri Korpikoski #19
2005 - Marc Staal #12
2006 - Bob Sanguinette #21
2007 - Alexi Cherepanov #17
2008 - Michael Del Zotto #20
2009 - Chris Kreider #19
2010 - DYLAN McILRATH #10
2011 - J.T. Miller #15
2012 - Brady Skjei #28
2013 - No #1, No #2
2014 - No #1

That list is less a product of Glen Sather's scouting department, and has more to do with the Rangers consistently making the playoffs during the salary cap era starting with Tom Renney and through the present time.  Being good, but never good enough, commits you to a vicious cycle of mid-round and otherwise ordinary drafting, or worse (see 2012-2014).

This is not an endorsement to trade Henrik Lundqvist.  The most likely scenario is just the opposite; Glen Sather trades Cam Talbot.  In a perfect world, we keep both.  But, in the new NHL, smart sacrifices must be made for the sake of advancement of the team.

The Rangers have youth, they just happen to be on the team already.  Otherwise there's nothing coming over the horizon that remotely resembles an offensive hero.  Instead, they have Dylan McIlrath, a big tough blueliner whom Alain Vigneault seems to have little use for.

Sometimes you just have to step back, and rethink things.


Mike

N.Y. Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist, Seizing a Legacy

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Tex's Rangers Set All-Time Franchise Record

with 53 Victories and 113 Points

(53-22-7; 113 Points)

*

President's Trophy Winners

Metropolitan Division Champions

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

With Saturday's victory over the Capitals in the regular season finale, the Rangers punctuated the finest regular season in franchise history.  Their 53rd victory and 113th point surpassed the club mark set by the 1993-1994 Stanley Cup winners.  They captured their third ever President's Trophy.

Blueshirts Enter Playoffs With Best Goalie Tandem In NHL.  But, Only One Can Play.

It was perhaps fitting that Can Talbot was able to win the President's Trophy clincher after his exceptional work in net during Henrik's absence.  Talbot started 23 of 25 games missed by Lundqvist, and posted a stellar 16-4-3 record, with 3 shutouts.

The Rangers finished with 53 victories this season and Talbot owned 21 of them, with perhaps last Tuesday's win being his biggest.   For the season, Talbot was 21-9-4 with a .926 SV% and a 2.21 GAA, which qualified for the league's 4th best mark.

It's somewhat of a shame he won't continue playing into the second season.  But, this is after all Henrik Lundqvist's team.

Despite injury, Henrik won 30 games for the 9th time in his career while only making 45 starts, and lost the fewest games since his rookie season.  He posted a 30-13-3 record this season with a .923 SV% and 2.26 GAA.  Lundqvist made 7 starts upon his return from injury, and posted a 5-2 record.

Henrik and Talbot both registered 5 shutouts each.

Lundqvist, 33, has taken the Rangers to a pair of Eastern Conference finals, and one Stanley Cup series.   In 92 post-season starts, however, the King owns a sub-.500 43-48 record, but with a consistent 2.24 SV% and a .922 GAA.

Many are curious as to whether Cam Talbot can fair better, but are unlikely to find out.  Henrik Lundqvist did tweak his knee against the Capitals during Saturday's season finale, but remained in the game and finished seemingly unhindered.

As we head into the playoffs, the naysayers will be out in full force pointing out Henrik's post-season record, and voicing their desire to see Talbot between the pipes.  Of course, the other side of the puck is that he is healthy, rested, and has sufficiently shaken off the rust after missing 25 games.

Henrik Lundqvist must now get the Rangers back into the Finals, and by finally winning a Stanley Cup, seize his legacy.



Mike

The Rivalry: Rangers vs. Islanders - V

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  and  BROOKLYN'S FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB

The Rivalry - V

SHOWDOWN

Metropolitan Division

1) N.Y. Islanders  43-21-4; 90 points

2) N.Y. Rangers    40-17-7; 87 points

Islanders lead series 3-1

I - NYI 6; NYR 3

II - NYI 3; NYR 0

III - NYI 4; NYR 1

IV - NYR 6; NYI 5

V - TONIGHT

The Ice of March

New York Rangers

vs.

New York Islanders

from

Uniondale Ice House

Although Long Island's comeback effort against the Maple Leafs prevented this game from being a showdown for first place, Tuesday night's game should no less epic.  The Uniondale Ice House hasn't rocked like this in decades.  A March Rangers/Islanders showdown with very meaningful implications is finally back on the schedule.  The Rivalry is on again!

The Islanders escaped Toronto and bring a 3 point lead over the Rangers into this evening's game.

Long Island has achieved things this season not accomplished since their Cup years.  They have risen to every challenge, answered every call, handled every top competitor, responded accordingly when called for, and have otherwise been one of the consistently dominant teams of the conference - just ask the Leafs...

However, I feel all the pressure entering Tuesday night's clash is on them.  Thing is, the Rangers have three/four games in hand, and the Islanders know it.  Including Tuesday, the Isles have 14 games remaining, while the Rangers have 18 games left in the regular season.

The Islanders have been somewhat pressing recently to sustain their position atop the division.  It certainly seemed that way again when they trailed Toronto by a 3-1 margin in the 3rd period.  But, the resilient Isles scored twice more (3x in the 3rd period) to send the game into overtime.  John Tavares then won it with a power play goal.

Nick Leddy left the game with an injury, and might be a game time decision on Tuesday.

The Isles improved to 2-2 in March, and are 11-5-3 since February 3rd.

But here comes the competition.

Tex's Rangers are surging, and have drawn within striking distance of the division and conference leaders with a 12-2-3 record since February 2nd.

Entering Tuesday's game, Cam Talbot started 15 of the Rangers previous 16 games in Henrik Lundqvist's absence.  On Sunday, he posted his second shutout in his last 6 games; a 1-0 effort against the Flames, and a 1-0 overtime gem against the Blackhawks on Sunday.  Overall, he's made 24 starts this season, and now owns a 14-6-4 record, with a .921 SV% and a 2.33 GAA.

In the meantime, Henrik Lundqvist will surely have some rust to work off upon his return, but he will be well rested for a playoff run.

Jaroslav Halak will be making his 49th start of the season.  He set the Islanders goalie record earlier this season, and is presently 3rd in the NHL with 34 victories.  Thanks in part to the NHL's 3rd ranked offense, Halak owns a 34-13-1 record, but with a less stellar .911 SV% which ranks 26th among goalies with 30+ starts, and a 2.48 GAA which similarly ranks 22nd.

The Islanders indeed own the NHL's 3rd most potent offense.  John Tavares has done his best to minimize the loss of line mate Kyle Okposo.  Tavares now leads the NHL with 72 points, and is 4th with 33 goals.  The power play is a very respectable 11th in the league.

However, despite off-season upgrades, defense, with particular emphasis on the penalty kill, continue to haunt Garth Snow, Coach Capuano, and the Islanders.  They are 23rd in goals against, and a woeful 29th on the penalty kill.

Leading up to the trade deadline, the Islanders acquired goalie Michal Neuvirth and defenseman Mark Louis

The Rangers boast the NHL's 4th most potent offense, and the 12th best power play (both just a tick behind the Isles).  Within the conference, their +43 point differential is second only to Tampa.  With 38 goals, Rick Nash is 2nd only to Alex Ovechkin.

Defensively, the numbers suggest there is no comparison between teams.  The Rangers are the NHL's 3rd most stingiest team, and they rate 9th on the penalty kill.

Although the results remain to be seen, Glen Sather might have pulled off a pair of savvy trades in acquiring forward James Sheppard, and defenseman Keith Yandle.

Derick Brassard continues to have the best season of his career.  He scored the game winning goal against the Blackhawks Sunday.  In 61 games played he now has 14 goals and has established career highs with 37 assists and 51 points - both of which lead the team.  Last season, he scored a career high 18 goals in 81 games.

Mike

N.Y. Rangers: Glen Sather Earns Assist At Trade Deadline

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

39-17-7 (85 points)

2nd place Metro Division

4th place Eastern Conference

#3 Conference Scoring

#2 Conference Defense

NEW YORK RANGERS: Glen Sather Earns Two Points For Making Savvy Trades At Deadline.

Hello, Killjoy here again...

Had I written immediately after the Rangers defeated the Predators, this narrative might have sounded very differently.  But I didn't.

At the time, the Rangers beat a team that lost their previous 2 games.  Nashville has now lost 5 in a row, and were outscored 19-10 over that stretch.  Taking it further, the Predators are 2-7 in their last 9 games, and not only did they lose to the Rangers, they fell to the Devils and Islanders as well.

That's another way of saying the western conference Predators appeared more fearsome from afar, because the team that recently visited the metropolitan area looked and played like pussycats.   They're obviously in the midst of a poor spell.

Trending?  The Rangers also failed to follow up two key victories in a proper manner.  They left a point on the ice against the Canucks after defeating the Islanders, and left another point on the ice against the Red Wings after the Predators.

It's hard to pooh-pooh a quick taste of first place though.  With 3 games in hand and one game left against Long Island, Tex's Rangers have the Islanders fixed in their cross hairs.

They'll proceed forward surprisingly well refortified too.

While I anticipated a quiet trading period for the Rangers thinking Glen Sather generally handicapped himself with his overall salary cap management, he somehow still managed a day worthy of appreciation.

The Rangers acquired offensive defenseman Keith Yandle, along with Chris Summers and a 2016 #4 pick from Phoenix in return for prospect Anthony Duclair, defenseman John Moore, a 2015 #2 pick and a 2016 #1 pick.

Even Killjoy is very high on this trade.

John Moore in particular was becoming a liability, and failed to mesh with Kevin Hayes or Dan Boyle to form an effective third line.  Thus the addition of Yandle corrects a major malfunction - the third defensive pair.  This now gives the Rangers three very solid reliable lines, potentially improves the power play, and perhaps the overall offensive contribution from the blueliners as well.

The money works too.  Keith Yandle will not be an unrestricted free agent until the 2016-17 season, and Phoenix is absorbing half of his salary cap hit.

Of course, it's always nice to have motivated sellers like the Coyotes to deal with.  Nevertheless, this is a good trade for both teams.  Phoenix is going full-blown rebuild and secured themselves a top prospect to move forward with.  The Rangers were arguably a defenseman and a big center away from being true Eastern Conference favorites, and were in position to move such a touted prospect as Duclair to facilitate such improvements.

In a separate trade, the Rangers also acquired James Sheppard and Carl Klingberg for Lee Stempniak.

Klingberg is an inexperienced 24-year old winger taken early in the 2nd round of the 2009 entry draft.  The hook, and someone I think can be a real sleeper is center James Sheppard.  He was the 9th overall selection of the 2006 entry draft taken by Minnesota.  He's 26-years old, and listed at 6'1" and 215 pounds.  He'll fit nicely on the 4th line, and provide much needed size.  However, the knock on him is that he does not use said size effectively.  He better learn quick - he's in the Eastern Conference now.  But, I would certainly agree he's an improvement over Stempniak in both size and potential contribution.

Glen Sather still wasn't done.  Although odd, his initial effort to trade Mats Zuccarello instead wound up becoming a 3-year contract extension for the small forward.  I'm not sure I agree with resigning MatsZucs, but I seem to be in the minority.

The Rangers have now played 15 games and earned 21 points in Henrik Lundqvist's absence.  Cam Talbot has started 14 of those, and thus far posted a 9-2-3 record, which includes a shutout over the Flames.  The Rangers have averaged 3.3 goals for him, while Talbot has limited the opposition to 2.6 goals per game.



Mike

Rangers vs. Islanders, The Rivalry - IV: NYR looking to snap NYI recent dominance

From the desks of:

RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS  and  BROOKLYN'S FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB

The Rivalry - IV

Islanders lead series 3-0

I - NYI 6; NYR 3

II - NYI 3; NYR 0

III - NYI 4; NYR 1

IV - TONIGHT

MONDAY NIGHT HOCKEY

New York Rangers

vs.

New York Islanders

from

Long Island Ice House

The magic/tragic number has been three: In three games this season, the Islanders have recorded three wins over the Rangers, all by 3-goal margins of victory.

Goalie Jaroslav Halak (t-2nd) trails Nashville's Pekka Rinne by two victories for the league lead.

He is one victory away from tying the Islanders single-season record of 32-wins set by Billy Smith in 1981-82, and tied by Chris Osgood in 2001-02.

The Isles are 6-4 in their last 10 games without Kyle Okposo.  They are riding a 4-game win streak entering tonight's game in Long Island.  However, they experienced a pair of big conference losses to the Bruins, and one loss each against the Red Wings and Panthers.

For the moment, the Isles own a 2-point lead over the Pens in the Metro Division, and 4-points over the Rangers.  They trail the Habs and Lightning for the conference lead by a point.

  

Long Island is second in scoring behind the Lightning in the conference, and 4th in the NHL, but the PK is now ranked 30th in the NHL, and their overall defense is 22nd.

Despite Okposo's absence, he still leads the team with 30 assists.  The Islanders have 8 players with double digit goals.

Due to the recent combined play of Kevin Hayes, Mats Zuccarello, Carl Hagelin, and Chris Kreider, the Rangers now have 7 players with double digit goals.  With only 65 SOG, Kevin Hayes (15.4%) is second behind Rick Nash (17.2%) in scoring percentage.

The Rangers sport the NHL's 3rd rated offense, and the 4th ranked defense.  Their PP is 9th, and the PK is 13th.

The Blueshirts are 3-0 during their current road trip that ends tonight in Long Island.  Since Henrik Lundqvist went down, back up goalie Cam Talbot is 4-1-1 in his absence.  Talbot has appeared in 17 games and made 15 starts this season.  He owns an 8-5 record, with a .918 Sv%, and a 2.35 GAA.

Since these teams last met, the Rangers have posted a 9-3-1 record, with losses to top teams such as the Isles, Habs, Predators, and Stars.  They enter tonight's game winners of three in a row with victories over discombobulated Toronto, last place Colorado, and even worse Phoenix (sorry, that's just the way I see it).  However, they posted a very strong, physical victory over Boston on Feb. 4th.

Rick Nash's 33 goals are second behind league leader Alex Ovechkin's 35 goals.  He leads the Rangers with 206 shots on goal, while the next closes players is Carl Hagelin with 126 SOG.

Derick Brassard, 27, is in the midst of his best season ever.  His career year came in 2010-11 with Columbus, when he scored 17 goals, with 30 assists, for 47 points, but posted a -11 for the season.   This year, he is up to 13 goals, and has tied his career high of 30 assists.  He is a +10 so far this season, and is second on the team with 43 points.  He leads the team with 11 PP assists.

The Rangers are sandwiched between the Red Wings and Caps for the Eastern Conference 6th seed.   

They also have games in hand versus both the Islanders and the Caps.

The Rangers last game against the Coyotes was Alain Vigneault's 500th career victory, ranking him 20th on the all-time list.

Mike

N.Y. Rangers: Defeat Penguins With Finest Effort Of Young Season

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Tuesday Night Final

Penguins  0

Rangers   5

Henrik Lundqvist - 53rd career shutout

Rick Nash - scored NHL leading 12th goal

NEW YORK RANGERS: After a team meeting, Blueshirts put forth finest effort of young season.  Now what?

On the heels of a team meeting following lackluster losses to the Oilers and Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers turned in their best performance of the season Tuesday night against the Metropolitan Division's top team.

The Penguins entered the game as the division's top scoring team, and its stingiest.  But on this night, that mattered little, as Henrik Lunqvist posted his 3rd shutout of the season, and the 53rd of his career, in the Rangers impressive 5-0 victory over Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden.

Rick Nash scored his league leading 12th goal of the season.  Martin St. Louis also scored, and now has 4 goals in his last 5 games.

In all, five different Rangers scored to bring the team total up to 44 goals this season.   That's still 11   goals fewer than Pittsburgh.  And despite allowing 5 goals, the Penguins have still given up the fewest goals in the conference.

For the moment, the true measure of the Rangers will be how they perform against the Pens, Lightning, Canadiens, and Bruins (presently the top 4 teams in the conference, with each exceeding 20-points thus far this season).  Therefore, the Rangers are now 1-1 (lost to Habs) against the conference's top contenders.

After hosting Colorado this Thursday, the Rangers will be in Pittsburgh for a Saturday rematch, and   then come home on Monday to host Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, and the Atlantic Division leading Tampa Bay Lightning (who lead the conference in goals scored).

We'll reassess the Blueshirts then, because how much this game weighs in their future endeavors remains to be seen, lest we forget why they entered Tuesday's game languishing in the second division.

Chief among the reasons are that for the second straight season under Alain Vigneault, the Rangers are still searching for an identity.  The newest Rangers have been particularly quiet, and as usual, the team continues to demonstrate a lack of physicality.  Blame Glen Sather.  I do.

Of course, injuries have also been a monkey wrench in the spokes as well.  Just when they got Derek Stepan back, they lost their Captain, Ryan McDonagh.

Regardless, their overall defensive play this season has not been what we've come to expect from the Rangers.  They now have 44 goals for, but 46 goals against (the 4th most in their conference).

The Rangers also actually scored on the power play Tuesday.  But, let's face it, Alain Vigneault was brought here in large part to improve the power play, and to date, he hasn't.  Through 15 games this season, Tuesday's PP goal was only their 5th of the season, and only the 4th game in which they've actually scored on the power play.  Their 13.2% PP mark ranks 24th in the league.

In fact, despite winning the Eastern Conference title last season, the Rangers scored fewer even-strength, and PP goals last season than they did the previous season under John Tortorella.

And while I'm at it, what's wrong with Cam Talbot?  He's only started 4 games, but they were four bad games.  Now that Henrik Lundqvist is on the other side of 30-years old, the King will need proper rest.  Having confidence in Talbot is paramount towards that end.

All that said, there's no taking away Tuesday night's fine performance from the Rangers.



Mike

N.Y. Rangers: Mixed Results In Canada

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

They Better Bring Their Backbones To Vancouver With Them

NEW YORK RANGERS: This Is No Time For Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde.

In a game the Blueshirts could ill afford to lose, they blew it.

The Blueshirts found themselves down 2-0 in the opening period of last Friday's game against the Flames - a team in the Western Conference second division, the 13th seed if you must.  Brian Boyle's 4th line provided the Rangers best scoring chances, but to no avail.  The Rangers went into the 1st intermission behind by a pair.

The diligent work put in by the Rangers 4th line paid off in the 2nd period however, as Brian Boyle got the Rangers on the board early in the 2nd period.  Then in the blink of an eye, the Rangers tied the game 51-seconds later at 2-2, on a Rafael Diaz shot, and a series of well directed deflections.

The Rangers kept momentum on their side, and went on to score their third goal in the span of 3:27, as Brad Richards put the Rangers ahead by a 3-2 score.

But before the second period was through, the Rangers squandered their one goal lead.  Calgary answered back with another pair of goals to reassert control.  And that's all there was.  The Rangers were singed by the burning flames of defeat - their five game winning streak snapped. Two desperately needed points lost to a sub .500 team.

After a week receiving praise and exaltation from the home crowd, Henrik had nothing short of a bad opening game on the road.  He faced 28 shots, allowing four to get by - some rather ponderously.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs to earn their 85th and 86th points of the season, tying the Rangers.

*    *    *    *

Early Sunday afternoon, the Boston Bruins lent the Rangers a helping hand by defeating the Flyers 4-3 in Philadelphia, decided by shootout.  So, heading into the evening, the Rangers desperately needed to capitalize on Philly's misfortune.

A well played game against the Edmonton Oilers would propel the Rangers into the Eastern Conference 5th seed, and give them sole possession of 2nd place over Philly in the Metropolitan Division as well.

With 61 points, the Oilers entered the evening's game dead last in the Western Conference.  Timely scheduling right?  That's what I said of the Calgary Flames, who, with 69 points, are second to last in the Western Conference.

Mats Zuccarello gave the Blueshirts a 1-0 lead late in the first period, and the Rangers steamrolled the Oliers from then on, to the tune of a 5-0 final score.  Cam Talbot was between the pipes, and earned the shutout.

Two more points in the books.

TUESDAY NIGHT

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

Vancouver Canucks

from

Way Westward In The Great White North

As of Monday night, the Rangers needed 4-points in order to tie, and supplant the Tampa Bay Lightning as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference, and gain a home ice advantage.

Next on the Rangers docket - Coach Vigneault's old stomping grounds, Vancouver, where the Rangers can expect nothing short of a war against their former coach, and a desperate Canucks team attempting to qualify for the playoffs.

The month of March is now done.  The time for growing of the beards has arrived.  The onset of April signals the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup will begin shortly.  Before then, six more games remain in the Rangers regular season.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers: Potential Core Casualties

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

2014 STADIUM CLASSIC

Wednesday Night Final:

New York Rangers   2

New York Islanders  1

Friday Night Final at the Garden

New York Islanders   1

New York Rangers    4

New York Rangers:  The Captain Now At The Core Of The GM's Latest Folly.

Does anyone foresee a visit to the Stanley Cup Finals this year?  A friend of mine, who's hockey opinion I respect very much, believes it more than possible.  He noted scoring is up, the power play is functional, and that Alain Vigneault's system is finally sinking in.  He also believes the acquisition of another physical defenseman and a 20-goal type scorer at the trade deadline, could be enough to propel the Rangers, at least into the conference finals.

With all sarcasm intended - is that all?

Flat out - I do not share his optimism.  One of the reasons why I was such a staunch supporter of John Tortorella was because he altered Sather's way of operating.  Tort's affect on the GM, and the results on the ice spoke for themselves.  I understand why Torts no longer coaches off-Broadway, but without him, I'm afraid the organization has once again lost its philosophical discipline and long range focus.

At the heart of the matter, is Glen Sather's continued (decade long) mismanagement, and deconstruction of a team (and spirit) that went to the conference finals two seasons ago.

Trading Michael Dell Zotto for Kevin Klein was actually a good move.  Del Zotto earned the ire of two different coaches, so there was justified cause.  He started out so promisingly, but then devolved as a defenseman.

Want to trade someone?  Trade Marc Staal while we still can.  You heard me right.

If you know me, I tend to lash out more when the team is doing well.  On that note, the Rangers are 10-5 in the new year.  I've been relatively silent since Christmas, but no more.  My mid-winter break is over, and I'm pissed.  So let's get on with this.

I would have traded Henrik Lundqvist...!  Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi are now tentatively on the trading block because the team can not afford to fit them (or anyone else for that matter) under the cap.  After Rick Nash, Brad Richards, and now Lundqvist, there's little room left to sign or retain depth and quality.

On Lundqvist - how dare I even suggest trading The King?  The short reason is, I'm tired of being a .500 team in perpetuity.  As long as the Rangers continue to operate like a .500 team, the longer they will draft in the middle of the pack.  It is that simple.  Mediocrity breeds more mediocrity.  Prior to signing Lundqvist to a long term deal, the number of teams that would have lined-up with offers would have been considerable. Especially in hockey, with a top selection, the odds of drafting a franchise player increase exponentially. Trading Lundqvist would have potentially netted the Rangers two high draft picks.  Believe me, the only reason such a notion even crossed my mind had/has nothing to do with Henrik's off-season thus far.  This had everything to do with the play of Cam Talbot.  Now that Glen Sather made Lundqvist the highest paid goalie in the NHL, this possibility is all but squashed.  The King's new contract practically makes him immovable.

Free agents to be Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi are the first potential casualties.  The latest word is the club wants Ryan Callahan's matter resolved by the start of the Olympics, which means by Thursday.

If you remember, John Tortorella initially identified Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Brandon Dubinsky, and of course, Henrik Lundqvist as his core.

Two seasons ago are fast becoming "the good old days"....  So, f_*k it - humor me Glen Sather.  Trade them all..!

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers: Le Blueshirts House de Horrors

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

 

TONIGHT

 

NEW YORK RANGERS

vs.

Les Habitants de Montreal

FROM

The Great White North

NEW YORK RANGERS: The Feeling-Out Process Between Coach Vigneault and the Blueshirts Is Growing More Curious.

Last season, the Rangers got shut out twice in Montreal.   In fact, the Rangers have been outscored 14-1 in their last four meetings there, and haven't gained a victory in Montreal in four seasons.  The good news is, the Rangers have scored 28 regulation time goals in the last ten games, and limited themselves to 18 goals against.  Additionally, the Habs are currently trending downward, having lost six times in their last ten games, while the Rangers are 7-3 over the same stretch.

The Rangers however, recently had their momentum interrupted by the New Jersey Devils.  Coach Vigneault issued a harsh criticism of Henrik Lundqvist's last effort.  The King outwardly accepted and even agreed with Coach's assessment.  On the heels of Tuesday's loss, Cam Talbot is expected to start between the pipes this evening - a curious situation.  It is also worth mentioning again, Henrik Lundqvist is still without a contract extension, and is perhaps more accustomed to John Tortorella's unwavering protectionism with regard to Henrik's ups and downs - or not.  The Rangers goalie insists there is nothing there.

Is there further evidence the (media) protectionism is over?  You bet there is.  Not that long ago, J.T. Miller and Derek Dorsett got a taste.

Amid rumors and trade speculation, Michael Del Zotto may be a healthy scratch for tonight's game.  It would mark the second time he's been listed as a healthy scratch this season.

Former coach John Tortorella may have gotten the best from Del Zotto we fans will ever see.  Because at current, Zotto is an undisciplined, unrepentant plague of turnovers upon the ice, who otherwise still routinely makes bad decisions with the puck.  The fleeting flashes of brilliance he used to demonstrate, have been reduced to very infrequent flickers of competence amid fading minutes.  If you think I'm being too harsh, then consider he just pissed off his second coach in the only organization he's known.  Coach Vigneault is in no way pleased with Del Zotto's play.  Thus, the defenseman is facing time, in what appears to be the first real usage of the new regime's doghouse.

What can the Rangers potentially expect in return for Del Zotto, a former #1 draft choice, who perhaps would benefit from a change of scenery?  Before pondering any return for the beleaguered defenseman, I say we sweeten the deal and include Mats Zuccarello in a package.

Yeah, I went there.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers: Spanning The Globe For Six Points

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS: The Blueshirst Are Coming!  The Blueshirts Are Coming!  Battered and Bruised, Tex's Rangers Are Finally Coming Home.

A comeback overtime victory over Detroit should come with its just rewards.  Now I'm forced to be fair-minded, and at least afford the Rangers the opportunity of playing a few games at home.

After going into Newark and Philadelphia, and allowing both teams at least one day of wellness at our expense, I was beginning to wonder if we were the Broadway Blueshirts or the American Red Cross.  How ironic I thought considering we weren't allowed to know what ails Henrik Lundqvist, who has been hurt since the Los Angeles Kings game!  And speaking of the King, their is still no contract extension in place.

Outside of another loss, I guess what we got in Philly was a style much more familiar to Rangers fans.  Brandon Mashinter threw haymakers with Wayne Simmonds.  Derek Dorsett and Zac Rinaldo scrapped as well.  A misconduct penalty and a bunch of misconduct minutes highlighted the Rangers night.  Typical Rangers/Flyers, but did it make you feel any better?  I felt marginally better that they at least displayed a backbone, and that Brad Richards scored again.  Almost all his goals have come on horrible angles.  But what ever works for him works for me, as long as he continues to be productive.

Cam Talbot had himself one hell of an NHL debut.  He faced 27 shots and stopped 25 pucks.  His overall performance versus the Flyers was considerably better than the game's final outcome indicates.  For this one game at least, it was a shame the Rangers forward lines suffer from a scoring disability, as Thursday night was no different.

Then the Rangers arrived in Hockeytown last night for the ninth and final game of this road trip through hell.  Cam Talbot faced another 34 shots, and turned away 32 in three regulation periods.  Detroit did not have a shot on goal during the overtime session.  That makes 71 shots faced and four goals allowed, for a .941 save percentage.  That's a good debut by any standard.

If John Tortorella had a dog house for rogue Blueshirts, I'm still not sure what Alain Vigneault's method of madness is yet.  He did publically put Mats Zuccarello (a healthy scratch against Philly) and Derick Brassard on notice though, and has aimed a few choice words through the media at certain unnamed players along the short haul so far.  He just did it with calm in his voice.  Torts was more explanatory with his actions.  As we know, he shared nothing with the media and went through great lengths to not criticize his players publically.  You knew who was riddled with mistakes and who was in trouble when they suddenly disappeared from the ice.

Both Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard responded quickly to Coach Vigneault's chiding.  In fact, three Rangers forwards scored their first goals of the season against Detroit.  Benoit Pouliot, who also has also received an early low grade from Coach scored the Rangers first goal.  MattZooks scored the game tying goal, and Derek Brassard scored the winner in overtime.

The Rangers managed six out eighteen points to start the season.  Okay.  They will have that many more home games to come.  With only fifteen goals to date, the Rangers are currently the least scoring team in the NHL, twenty-five goals behind the Eastern Conference leading Maple Leafs, and twenty-eight goals behind NHL leader San Jose.

Defensively at least, they seem to have plugged-up some leaks.  They have allowed thirty-three goals against, but the rest of the conference is starting to catch up.  Even the two eastern division leaders, Toronto and Pittsburgh, have allowed thirty and twenty-eight goals respectively.

Next stop - Madison Square Garden, with $1 billion dollars of renovations finally complete.  Oh, and by the way, I'm sick and tired of the ticket increases!



Mike.BTB