N.Y. Rangers: John Davidson Back Where He Belongs

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

JOHN DAVIDSON HAS ENTERED THE BUILDING

New York Rangers: A Marriage Made in Blue Shirt Heaven

I like many fans found myself in a better place when after nearly two full decades of putting up with Glen Sather's crap he finally stepped down as general manager of the Rangers.  I was similarly pleased with the appointment of Jeff Gorton as his successor.  Even better was when both he and Sather together announced the club would be initiating a rebuild.

I've always believed Jeff Gorton to be his own man.  His resume previous to his employment with the Rangers stands on its own.  He partly helped build the Bruins into the team we know today.  As a member of Boston's front office for most of the 1990's and midway through the 2000's he gained practical experience in team building as assistant general manager.  As we've seen throughout these playoffs, Boston is still in the midst of an extended and very successful run.  I care not why Boston let him go, but felt all along the Rangers were fortunate to secure him when they did.  However, for as long as Sather remained every one's superior I remained forever leery of his existence influence over and above Jeff Gorton and his assumed autonomy moving forward.

Due to recent developments, I'm happy to announce that I no longer harbor suspicions regarding Glen Sather's role with the Rangers - not with John Davidson in the house.  J.D. is not coming back to the Garden if it means having Glen Sather looking over his shoulder, or worse, meddling.  Davidson  possesses a far stronger backbone than that.  He was his own man at St. Louis, and his own man at Columbus, and will continue being his own man as the Rangers lead man in charge.

Davidson also arrives at a rather opportune time.  Gorton has assembled a small army of prospects whom still require extensive evaluation.  He's also inheriting significant salary cap maneuverability, and is extremely well positioned heading into the June entry draft.

I'm copacetic with all of it.

All these decades later, watching a young goalie named John Davidson celebrating with his Rangers team mates after helping defeat the Islanders in the 1979 conference finals still feels like yesterday to me.  As an impressionable 11-year old at the time the memory of that game and that night remain  vivid as ever.  As a broadcaster, his game calls and analysis were brilliant, while his "Oh, Baby!" became the catchphrase for the next generation of fans.  Then he left to run hockey clubs.  Throughout his time as an executive with the St. Louis Blues then with the Columbus Blue Jackets I longed for him to be the Rangers chief executive.

Now we got him.

I couldn't be happier.

New York Rangers Secure Second Overall Pick in NHL Draft Lottery

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

2019 DRAFT LOTTERY

New York Rangers Secure Second Overall Pick

New York Rangers: Glen Sather Determined to Screw Us Till The Very End.

Glen Sather may have originally hired Jeff Gorton as a scout, then put him in charge of Player Development, and then promoted him to Assistant General Manager.  Throughout that time, however, Sather remained alpha figure in the room.  So whatever Sather wanted, Gorton made sure to it.

When Sather retired/fired himself as general manager in 2016, and appointed Jeff Gorton as his replacement, I've since questioned whether Gorton indeed has complete autonomy, or if President Sather is really still calling the shots.

Last February, Jeff Gorton stood at MSG's press room podium reading a prepared statement informing the media and fans of the Rangers plans for initiating a full rebuild.  In the background, and in the fine print of said statement one could sense Glen Sather thinking, "... yeah but we wanna compete at the same time."

i.e., doing things half-ass ... like last year's trade deadline in which they didn't nearly go far enough.  Or this year's trade deadline in which they didn't nearly go far enough.

Now Glen Sather recently announces he's retiring as club president and retreating to a more senior advisory role to owner James Dolan.  Notice the timing of it all: he didn't step aside prior to last year's deadline or this year's deadline; nor did he step aside prior to Tuesday's draft lottery.  He'll very likely still be around come the draft as well.  The question which begs asking, then, is when the hell is he going away?

Sather says we will be advising Jame Dolan with regards to his own replacement.  On a recent interview on sports talk radio, he said he prefers the next president not change the existing operating procedures and structure, and somewhat stressed that the next president of hockey operations follow Sather's parting instructions to the letter.

At least that's how I interpret what he says.

Please just go.

The Rangers finished the season with the sixth least points in the NHL.  By sheer luck of Tuesday's NHL lottery, the Blue Shirts move up with the second overall pick in the upcoming entry level draft.  The onus is now on the new/old/whatever administration to not screw up a golden opportunity.

I've said this before, but ponder the following again if you will ...

In 1994, the Rangers snapped what was then a 54-year championship drought.  The Stanley Cup itself was hoisted up in triumph by a legitimate first line center named Mark Messier.  Sadly, another 25-years have elapsed without winning another.  Not coincidentally, the team has likewise remained hopelessly in search of their next first line center ever since, and to no avail.

How do teams go about obtaining one of these so called first line centers?

In the Rangers case, they were fortunate enough in 1991 to trade for a 31-year old future Hall of Fame center from the Edmonton Oilers.  However, previous to Mark Messier fans need rewind all the way back to Phil Esposito - another Hall of Fame, first line, albeit aging center acquired by trade from the Boston Bruins - whom in 1979 led the club to the Stanley Cup finals, only to meet defeat against the dynastic Montreal Canadiens.

Otherwise, first line centers are drafted.  But unless you're selecting first or second overall - outside of the rare wunderkind slipping through the cracks - odds are you're not securing a legitimate two way first line threat.  In order to be in that position, a team must really, really, suck ... and not just for one season, but endure two and three seasons of complete and utter toilet worthy play.

Here are just a few examples:

• Between the years 2003 through 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins lost upwards of 65% of their games.  In 2004, they selected Evgeni Malkin with the second overall pick of the entry draft.  The very next year, Pittsburgh selected Sidney Crosby with the first overall pick of the entry draft.

• While not a center, Alex Ovechkin was the player selected first overall ahead of Malkin in the 2004 entry draft.  But in order to get themselves in that position, the Washington Capitals in 2003-2004 lost 64% of their games.

• The Chicago Blackhawks are no different.  Jonathan Toews is an example of a top center being selected third overall in the 2006 entry draft.  The very next year, winger Patrick Kane was the first overall selection of the 2007 entry draft.  However, being in position to draft either player, much less both, required the Blackhawks enduring back-to-back seasons of 60% futility.

• Locally speaking, this is how the Islanders got their hands on their former center John Tavares, and how the Devils were able to draft center Nico Hischier.  BTW, the Devils lucked out yet again by securing the first overall pick ahead of the Rangers.

Historically speaking, the Rangers have never allowed themselves to sink to such depths.  That explains the Rangers decades long lack of elite skill up the middle.  There's been just one instance within my lifetime in which the (1984-1985) Rangers lost 62% of their games.  The previous time occurred the year before I was born.  Between the years 1964 through 1966, they lost on average 64% of their games. After which Emile "the cat" Francis would draft the Rangers back into playoff contention and into the 1972 Stanley Cup finals.

The Rangers caught a break this year.  A number two overall pick should be icing on the cake considering the handsome clutch of draft picks amassed by Gorton over the last two trading periods.

Scuttlebutt says the Rangers will likely zero in on Finnish phenom Kaapo Kakko, who plays wing, not center.

N.Y. Rangers: The Jeff Gorton Purge Continues

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

New York Rangers: Mats Zuccarello traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for two conditional draft picks.

Traded in the midst of his ninth season with the Rangers, Mats Zuccarello has always been considered one of off-Broadway's brightest stars, and will forever remain a fan favorite.

An extremely smart player both with and without the puck, he had a knack for being everywhere his line mates needed him to be.  Also never one to shy away from physical play or steer clear of the dirtier portions of ice, Mats continually demonstrated himself to be an explosive player in a small package.  And for the last five-plus seasons he has easily been one of the team's top forwards, and often times their best.

And there's the rub ...

Taking account of Rangers personnel over the last seven years is to know Mats Zuccarello should never have been the team's top scorer; not with the likes of Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, Ryan Callahan, Brad Richards, Keith Yandle, Kevin Hayse, J.T. Miller, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, etc., populating the roster.  Yet between 2013 and 2018, Mats Zuccarello did just that, leading the team in scoring four out of five seasons with an average of 56-points - an indictment against the players, if I may, with whom through the years Zuccarello has been surrounded with, including the man who assembled them together, Glen Sather, whose cap-consuming win now business model inevitably proved ruinous.  This is why the Rangers find themselves in this present condition of tearing it down and rebuilding from the ground up.

I liked MatsZucs as much as the next fan.  But if it's change that you seek, well then things must get worse before getting better.  As such, many of life's best decisions usually start out being the most unpopular ones.  So touche to Jeff Gorton for picking up where he left off last year insofar as trading away players of value for draft picks and prospects; the more, the merrier.  My only gripe is that Gorton has still not gone far enough (last year included). 

But there's still time to jettison more players before Monday's deadline.

N.Y. Rangers: Teen Night Draft Party

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

New York Rangers: Jeff Gorton Drafts Boy Band of Eighteen Year Olds.

With the ninth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Rangers did not select defenseman Oliver Wahlstrom, nor did they select defenseman Noah Dobson.  Both were taken by the Islanders at eleven and twelve overall, respectively.

I'm sure it wasn't until after laughing out loud that new Isles GM Lou Lamoriello scooped them up with haste.

Instead, with their first selection Jeff Gorton and the Rangers (er .. Glen Sather) opted for Vitali Kravtsov, an 18-year old left-hand shooting right wing.  To say I'm disappointed with this selection is an understatement.  This smallish right winger wreaks of Glen Sather ... again!  Kravtsov is listed at 6'2" and 170lbs., and presently plays in the KHL - a league that doesn't hit, doesn't fight, and plays on Olympic size rinks.

On NHL ice, the game closes in on them, and they wind up getting pushed off the puck.

Likewise with regards to Nils Lundkvist, Olaf Lindbom, and Simon Kjellberg all from Sweden, the Swiss born Nico Gross, and Lauri Pajuniemi from Finland.

By no means am I trying to be disparaging.  I just had something else in mind - kind of like what Lou Lamoriello had in mind.

Otherwise, Jeff Gorton drafted five defensemen with his first seven selections and six overall:

• K'andre Miller - 6'3", 204lbs.
• Nils Lundkvist - 5'11, 180lbs.
• Jacob Ragnarsson - 6'0", 176lbs.
• Joey Keane - 6'0", 184lbs.
• Nico Gross - 6'1", 185lbs.
• Simon Kjellberg - 6'3", 190lbs.

Together, they average 6'1", 184lbs.  If you average all nine position players (because for some ponderous reason the Rangers wasted a draft pick on a goalie when they already have two highly touted prospects in their system) they still only average 6'1", 183lbs.

Smurfs!

I don't get it.  Didn't Gorton watch the playoff final four?  Didn't he help draft the Boston Bruins as we know them today?

Unless Glen Sather is indeed involved, I just don't get it.

Then again, who knows ... I'm not familiar with these kids.  My hockey buddy says K'Andre Miller is pretty tough, and at least his size checks out.

Can't say the same for right wing selections Lauri Pajuniemi and Riley Hughes, who average 178lbs. soaking wet.

Needless to say, I'm not the least bit satisfied with this draft.  The Rangers still don't have a top line center or even a prospective one.

I want to be wrong about Jeff Gorton's decisions.

But we shall see.

N.Y. Rangers: Draft Will Confirm Who's Really In Charge

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Talking Tough Is One Thing; 

Drafting Tough Is Another

New York Rangers: David Quinn Named New Head Coach.

I'm not going to pretend I know anything about David Quinn, because I don't.

Nor do I care ...

I'm more concerned with the upcoming June entry draft.  Because if Jeff Gorton selects another bunch of Smurfs, then David Quinn is going to coach Smurfs.  If Jeff Gorton selects a bunch of gargoyles, then David Quinn will coach gargoyles.  If he drafts big tough two-way players with requisite speed, then Quinn will coach such players in a relative manner.

I will simply say Quinn sports a fine resume, and that I welcome a new start with a fresh face.

He becomes the 20th head coach I remember well.  I came to learn of Emil "the cat" Francis only after the famed coach's run with the Rangers ended.  The very first head coach I care to recall is Jean-Guy Talbot, whom otherwise left no real lasting impression upon me.

Fred Shero was head coach when Ron Greschner and the Rangers advanced by the hated New York Islanders en route to the 1978-1979 Stanley Cup finals.  He only lasted two seasons behind the bench (blame Barry Beck), but is worthy of an honorable mention.

Herb Brooks brought his authoritarian style - not to mention his Olympic gold medal - to Madison Square Garden in 1981 and becomes the first head coach I genuinely rallied behind.  Developing a bunch of college kids into TEAM USA and defeating the mighty Russians in 1980 earned Brooks a ton of respect.  Not unexpectedly, though, his taskmaster tactics wore thin with established NHL veterans and would be replaced by the same person he himself succeeded as head coach, i.e., Craig Patrick.

Seemingly out of nowhere, in steps Ted Sator whom astonishingly takes the original cast of off-Broadway Smurfs all the way to the conference finals.  Just as quickly, though, he also steps through and disappears beyond the Eighth Avenue steam pipes.

Fast forward ... Roger Neilson is the first Rangers head coach to win the President's Trophy.  However, like Mark Messier I couldn't stand the guy nor his system.  The Rangers clearly were in need of a major kick in the posterior, and Mike Keenan was the absolute right guy to administer just that.  But because Rangers head coaches traditionally have the lifespan of a fruit fly, Keenan left after just one (Stanley Cup) season.

Rangers fans were for the most part behind his successor, Colin Campbell.  It's just that general manager Neil Smith started making some ponderously awful trades for sake of prolonging an increasingly futile run for another Cup.

Enter the Glen Sather era ...

His body of work spanning 2000-2004 on its own should have qualified as a fire-able offense.  Unfortunately in the eyes and mind of James Dolan, the omniscient Sather can do no wrong.

John Tortorella's arrival finally marks the first time Sather starts taking seriously actual NHL level player development.  I believe now as I did back then that Tortorella slammed the brakes on Sather's impatience regarding young inexperienced players and prospects.  I'm convinced Torts did indeed hold sway over Sather, by effectively taking charge of an emerging group of players (drafted by Jeff Gorton), letting them develop together, and giving them a sorely needed identity.  If left to his own device, Glen Sather very likely would have traded many eventual endearing players, away.

However, due to his already obnoxious and increasingly erratic behavior, Torts absolutely earned his dismissal.

Shame ... (Rick Nash really let him (us) down).

Tortorella is then replaced with the diametrically opposite Alian Vigneault, whom I wanted fired the minute he was hired.  If the Canadiens didn't want him, and the Vancouver Canucks fired him in an effort to increase toughness, then I certainly didn't want Vigneault coaching the Rangers.  Let's be clear - he took Tortorella's team to the Stanley Cup finals.  But that team then underwent considerable changes to better suit Vigneault's style, of which Glen Sather was all in.  And where did that get Tex's Rangers?

Hence the genesis of today's condition.

Rewind back to the organization's statement announcing a change in direction.  My untrained ears heard Jeff Gorton wanting to gut this pig.  But I also heard Glen Sather in the background whining about wanting to rebuild while staying competitive at the same time (which we know is complete garbage nonsense).  I think Jeff Gorton recognized this as well, and may have gone so far as calling out Sather over his repeated attempts at tomfoolery (as I suspect Tortorella once did).

While serving as both assistant and interim general manager for Boston, Gorton played a large role in building up the Bruins as we know them today.  Yet, he was dismissed from Boston and hired by Sather with haste to replace Don Maloney (whom accepted the general manager's position with the Phoenix Coyotes) as head of scouting and development.  Gorton, therefore, has been a front row witness to Sather's follies for the past twelve years.  And at this juncture in his career I believe he can get an NHL job anywhere there's a need for a qualified general manager.

Therefore, why wouldn't Gorton issue Sather an ultimatum, i.e., either the rebuild goes according to his plan, or he seeks employment elsewhere.  After thinking the situation through, my fantastical scenario says Sather gave Gorton his blessings to proceed forward.

And, he did ...

• February 20: Nick Holden remarkably traded to Boston in exchange for defender Rob O'Gara and Boston's third round pick 2018 draft.  I wouldn't have given the NYR three pucks and a roll of tape ... but that's just me.  Rob O'Gara is 24-years old, 6'4" 215 lbs.

• February 23: Michael Grabner traded to rival New Jersey Devils in exchange for defender Yegor Rykov and Newark's second round pick 2018 draft.  Yegor Rykov is 20-years old, 6'1" 205 lbs.

• February 25: Rich Nash traded to Boston in exchange for three players (Ryan Spooner, Matt Belesky, and prospect defender Ryan Lindgren), plus the Bruins first round pick 2018 draft, and their seventh round pick 2019 draft.  Ryan Lindgren is 20-years old, a stocky 5'11" 203 lbs.

• February 26: Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller traded to Tampa Bay Lighting in exchange for forward Vladislav Namestnikov, prospects Libor Hajek and Brett Howden, the Bolts first round pick 2018 draft, and a conditional second round pick 2019 draft.  Defenseman Libor Hajek is 20-years old, 6'2" 196 lbs.  Centerman Brett Howden is 19-years old, 6'2" 193 lbs.

The 2018 NHL entry draft is less than thirty days away.

With an eye towards the future, Jeff Gorton spoke of becoming a more physical team.

With his mind on the present, David Quinn spoke of being a physical team.

Fine.

Now we find out who's really in charge.

Talking crunch is one thing; drafting crunch is another.  If it turns out being the latter, then Gorton is calling the shots.  If it turns out being the former, then we know Sather is still firmly in charge.

N.Y. Rangers: General Manager Jeff Gorton Orders An Off-Broadway Recast

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

CONSTRUCTION ZONE: BEWARE OF FALLING BLUESHIRTS

New York Rangers: Does Jeff Gorton really have this much autonomy, or is this just another day at the office for Darth Sather?

The last time these Rangers offered any glimmer of hope for being a playoff contender came back on New Year's day.  They have achieved just four regulation time victories since then.

(As of Tuesday morning they've won two more).

And so, Glen Sather and Jeff Gorton released a statement earlier this week saying, "We will be focused on adding young, competitive players that combine speed, skill, and character.  This may mean we lose some familiar faces ...." - blah, blah, blah - "commitment"  - blah - "building the foundation for our next Stanley Cup contender." 

Blah, blah, blah ...

We heard similar things the day they hired Alain Vigneault.

That being said, are we being led to believe this was Jeff Gorton's idea, and that Glen Sather signed off on it?

I would like to think so.  I would like to believe Jeff Gorton has autonomy.

But I doubt it.

Glen Sather has been part of the Rangers decision making process since 2000, where as Jeff Gorton has been general manager for only 32 months (under Glen Sather).  Meanwhile, Jim Dolan makes it crystal clear that Sather is here for as long as he chooses to be.

Now put all John Tortorella's antics aside for a moment and let's objectively consider his impact on the team during his four seasons as head coach.

Do the Rangers retain a majority of the club's young, upcoming talent, then actually exercise the required level of patience needed for developing a core group from which to build around had it not been for the influence I strongly believe John Tortorella exerted over Glen Sather?  I think not.  I believe John Tortorella indeed convinced Sather into suspending his otherwise nonsensical wheeling and dealing, and made him finally commit to a grassroots rebuild.

And they did - Tortorella and Sather; Sather and Tortorella.

And Tortorella gave this otherwise unknown group of youngsters a sorely needed identity.  They not only became one of the league's elite defensive teams, physically speaking, they quite literally threw down the gauntlet.  In the absence of an elite scorer at his disposal, that's all Torts had to work with.

Marian Gaborik wasn't willing to play in the grittier portions of the ice.  After which, Sather was never able to piece that situation together as Brad Richards and a few others resulted in epic fails.

Even Rick Nash was perhaps acquired one year too late.  I admit that I wanted him badly.  At the time, I thought Nash was the exact kind of player this team needed.  Unfortunately, he failed to provide Tortorella with playoff pop during their only post-season together - which not incidentally has remained Nash's Achilles heel throughout his years playing off-Broadway.  In 73 playoff games with the Rangers, Nash has produced just 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points.

Moving forward, Alain Vigneault merely advanced what was essentially John Tortorella's team into the Stanley Cup finals.  To be fair, playing the L.A. Kings that season was like running into a buzz saw.  The Kings were that good; very talented.  They were big, physical, tough!

Just ask the Devils.

Which brings me to my next point.

Sandwiched around John Tortorella's tenure are former coach Tom Renny and present head coach Alain Vigneault.  With each coach, the conversation invariably turns to speed and skill.  Sather, Renney, and Vigneault, clearly seem to have have more in common with each other, than either of them have with Torts.  And that's why I believe Tortorella in fact influenced Sather to the extent I do.

When I think Tom Renny, I think back to a Season Lost and the NHL Lockout.  I think about the institution of a salary cap and how that forced Glen Sather away from his usual wanton spending on aging, fractured, dysfunctional players of former renown, and made him focus more on actual player development, team building, and overall management.

One can not talk about Tom Renny and Glen Sather in the same sentence, though, without including Don Maloney, the former Rangers VP of player personnel from 1996 through 2007, whom served for seven seasons under Glen Sather.  And when I think back on Don Maloney, I can't help but recall Smurfish players such as Petr Prucha.

Yeah, I went there.

In 2007, Don Maloney moved on to became general manager of the Phoenix Coyotes.  Sather replaced him with Jeff Gorton.

Name me the beefcake drafted by either Don Maloney or Jeff Gorton.

I'll wait ...

BRB ...

And so I ask what makes the combination of Maloney, Renny, and Prucha, any different from Gorton, Alain Vigneault, and Mats Zuccarello, all these years later?  And, no, I'm not comparing Prucha to MatsZucs.  That would be silly.  But like I've said many times, when MatsZucs is your leading scorer four out of the last five seasons - with this roster of players - you have a major problem on your hands.

But my overall point here revolves around Glen Sather.

The Rangers were terribly weak at center then; the Rangers are no less weak at center today.  They were getting pushed off the puck after the lockout; theyret still getting pushed off the puck just as easily today.
Their forwards never could score that one clutch goal for Henrik Lundqvist before; they haven't been able to score that one key goal for Henrik Lundqvist ever.

And therein lie the Rangers two constants since 2005: Henrik Lundqvist and Glen Sather.

Who do you suppose I hold more responsible for the Rangers inability to hoist the Stanley Cup?

Therefore, say what you will about John Tortorella.  He certainly earned his dismissal.  But, for a short time he was able to leash Glen Sather long enough to allow the Rangers to grow into a young competitive team.  Moreover, Torts demanded his team protect Henrik Lundqvist at all costs.  The Rangers have since devolved under Glen Sather minions Jeff Gorton and Alain Vigneault, whom criminally allows Henrik Lundqvist, and his team to be beaten, battered, and bruised.

I want to know whether the front office is actually tearing this down to the ground and starting over from scratch, or, if they're simply blowing smoke up our posteriors.  Are they retooling on the fly, or are they merely aiming to alleviate themselves of three or four players in exchange for a clutch of younger, unproven, less costlier speed guys?  Because nowhere in the Rangers press release did I read the word rebuilding.  Towards that end, anything less would be a colossal mistake.

I'm already on record saying, gut it.

I'd be agreeable with retaining Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Brady Skjei, and maybe .. maybe, J.T. Miller.  Everyone else can and should be moved out with haste.  And I do mean everyone.

Personally, I am not interested in recouping bodies, per se.  Top rated prospects are one thing, but I want draft picks.  And perhaps the only Rangers player capable of securing a worth while number one pick is obviously Henrik Lundqvist.  Otherwise, the market among interested teams will set the price for players like Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, Marc Staal, Michael Grabner, Mats Zuccarello, et al.

But what the Rangers need most are draft picks; many draft picks.  Between 2013 and 2016, the Rangers did not own a number one draft pick because they were all traded away.  And then the front office wonders why they find themselves in last place of the Metropolitan Division.

If Gorton and Sather are really committed to rebuilding, then the Rangers need to completely hit rock bottom.  That's something this organization has never been willing to do.  In order to maximize the odds of selecting premier talent in the draft an organization must be smart, yes, but also willing to pay the ultimate price in the standings first.  In my lifetime, the Rangers have only ever fallen below a .400 winning percentage once, and only twice since the 1965-66 season - a year before I was born.

Look around the league.  Teams which draft elite franchise players do so only after first suffering through years of gut-wrenching futility.  And by that I mean losing 65% of regular season games.  That's what happened with Pittsburgh whom wound up drafting Sidney Crosby and Ivgeni Malkin.  That's how Washington was able to draft Alex Ovechkin, and how Chicago was able to draft Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

The Islanders and John Tavares ... the list goes on.

Even after decades of mismanagement, the Toronto Maple Leafs have passed by the Rangers under the stewardship of Lou Lamoriello and Mike Babcock.

Speaking of old Lou, look no further than the New Jersey Devils.  The team that defeated Tortorella's Rangers in the 2010-2011 conference finals has since committed to rebuilding, stripped it down, and have now passed by the Rangers as well.  The Devils have earned 62-points as of this post, and are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings with less than thirty games to play.

However, they're in this position because they paid their dues in the standings first, then followed up with effective drafting.  Last year New Jersey won the draft lottery, and with the first overall pick of the 2017 entry draft, selected center Nico Hischier.  He presently has nine goals and 22-assists for 31-points.  That's more points than any Rangers center not named J.T. Miller.

The Rangers, meanwhile, presently reside in last place of the Metropolitan Division, and eleventh place in the conference.  Their (then) 57-points are the tenth least in the NHL.  Said another way, they are a bottom third team.

They have only won five division titles over the last fifty years.  That means they qualify for the post-season as a mid to lower seed more often than not.  That sort of consistent mediocrity, again, no doubt hampers their drafting, as they're usually stuck with mid to low round selections in any given year.

So, how low are the Rangers willing to go with this?

If I had my way, I'd be spending the next two weeks ensuring the Rangers become the worst team in North America.  Then right after the trade deadline, kindly show Alain Vigneault the door.

Then again, why wait?


*Updated, Tuesday morning.

N.Y. Rangers: Far From a Happy New Year

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Bring on the Bruins;

Not like things can get any worse.

New York Rangers: What a Sad State of Affairs ...

So how do the Rangers follow up Saturday's embarrassing display at Nashville?  With another lame loss against the Stars at Dallas.

That makes ten losses in their last fifteen games.  Said another way, they've lost twice as many games as they've won since New Year's Day.  And I'm not talking overtime losses, or the shoot-out variety - at least there are potential points to be earned for such losses.

The Rangers lost these ten games outright - no points.  Moreover,  they got outscored over those ten losses by an alarming 16-46 margin.  That translates into 1.6 goals for, and 4.6  goals against - a full three goal disparity.

I reject the notion injury is solely to blame.  Then how does one explain their poor play back in October?

Let's not be naive about this situation.  The Rangers have been suffering the same recycling deficiencies and inefficiencies long before injuries to Chris Krieider, Kevin Hayes, Jimmy Vesey, Marc Staal, Kevin Shattenkirk, or anyone else who has missed time this season.

I've been saying this ever since Alain Vigneault arrived off-Broadway, and at this point, there's only so many times I can repeat myself: the Rangers are too small, and are one of the league's weakest teams up the middle.  They play with an embarrassing and woeful lack of physicality.  Teams, therefore, know taking liberties against the Rangers comes free of repercussions (aside from NHL discipline, that is).

Look no further than the Nashville Predators game.  At the very least, Alain Vigneault should have been ejected for littering the ice with sticks, pucks, water bottles, gloves, clipboards, rolls of tape, and anything else he could have gotten his hands on.

Throw a shoe at the ref ... something!!

But in response to Nashville's dirty deeds levied upon Marc Staal and Jimmy Vesey, Vigneault did nothing.

That goes back to something else I've said many times - Alain Vigneault's system gets players hurt.

Nothing ...

On Monday, he watched Henrik face another 41-shots against the Stars at Dallas.  But, again, I refuse to put all that on playing shorthanded.  That's simply called not taking the body and protecting the ice between the dots.

I don't need someone making $8.5 million to ensure my goalie is being protected.  Just someone who makes the opposition think twice about their intentions, and isn't afraid to knock rambunctious forwards off the puck, or on their ass.

Just saying ...

The Rangers have 29 games left in the regular season.  They're in last place of the Metropolitan Division, and presently three points out of the playoff picture.

As a great football coach once said, "You are what your record says you are."  That means the Rangers (25-23-5) are presently a sub par team.

I'll take that a step further and say they're the ninth worst team in the NHL.

The trade deadline is fast approaching.  Jeff Gorton already asked Rick Nash to submit a list of teams for which he'd approve a trade.

That sounds promising, but moving him should only be scratching the surface.  Jeff Gorton better be hot on the phone with other GMs looking to reduce this pedestrian population we call the New York Rangers.

And can we finally fire Glen Sather?

Please?

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: Tampa Bay Lightning Reduce MSG Ice to a Puddle

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESH WITH THE GREATS

It's Over Johnny!

2014-2015

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Eastern Conference Finals

Lightning Win Series 4-3

I - NYR 2; TBL 1

II - TBL 6; NYR 2

III - TBL 6; NYR 5

IV - NYR 5; TBL 1

V - TBL 2; NYR 0

VI - NYR 7; TBL 3

VII - TBL 2; NYR 0

NEW YORK RANGERS: That makes one small Stanley Cup in the last 21-years, and one giant Stanley Cup Championship in the last 75-years.

Sorry.....

Mike couldn't make it today.  He's kinda tied up at the moment (with duct tape and rope in the closet).

He looks kinda stupid bound in his blue Ron Greschner #4 jersey if I may say so myself.

Doesn't he remember the Rangers lost the Cup as a child in '79 to the Canadiens?

Doesn't he realize the Rangers sold their souls to the devil in return for a double-overtime victory over New Jersey in Game Seven of the '94 Eastern Conference Finals, and then for the opportunity to hoist the Cup in Game Seven fashion at MSG a round later?

You thought he got rid of me, didn't you?

Pffft!

Fools!

I shouted out who killed the Kennedy's, when after all it was you and me.

Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name....!

KILLJOY'S REVENGE:

> > > > > > > > > > > > >  ?  > > > > >  ?  > > > > STOP.

DETOUR!  No royal road for you!  

Not that they wanted to go there anyway...

Killjoy here, and if you've ever experienced one of my occasional Trolley hijackings, then you know Alain Vigneault has no friend in me.

For my opening face-off, I offer you this: his former team, the Vancouver Canucks were soft like Charmin.

At first glance, the Rangers are going home because they failed to score in Game Seven at home.   But, drill just an inch deep into the fragile ice of Madison Square Garden for a core sample that reveals the New York Rangers season ended last night because they couldn't find it within themselves to push around a smaller team.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were faster, more consistent, more explosive, and defensively better than Alain Vigneault's team.  In essence, the Bolts beat the (new and improved) Rangers at their own game.  The one advantage I was sure they held was in being bigger, stronger, and tougher, like the Rangers used to be, because, they still seemed capable of resorting to that style when necessary.

...or so I thought, or, just not last year versus the Kings, or last night in Game Seven.

The Rangers seemingly exhausted their allotted physical time in three previous victories this series, as they were unable to dip into the well one last time.

DETOUR: Head West Young Man!

Once upon a time, Tex's Rangers would have ground Tampa down to a fine powder.  However, that type of play has largely been phased out along Broadway and headed west (see Anaheim and Chicago).  Nowadays, the Rangers can only muster a supreme physical effort ever so infrequently.

The Rangers season is over because the smaller sized Tampa Bay Lightning laid the bigger hits and more meaningful hits (just ask Chris Kreider and Ryan McDonagh), and because Tampa was flat out tougher in the neutral zone, and more stout in front of Ben Bishop.

Both head coaches had their adaptability challenged, and were required to dramatically change styles in order to even make Game Seven possible.  But, where Coach Cooper resorted to what worked for Tampa, particularly in Game Five at MSG, Alain Vigneault ponderously strayed from what worked in games One, Four, and Six - just as he had in games Two and Five.

In other words, take your 3rd career President's Trophy, and get out of the way so the NHL can present the Prince of Wales Trophy to the Tampa Bay Lightning - Eastern Conference Champions.

Misguided as it may be, for the rest of Summer and even through the start of next season, unfortunately, the talk will inevitably focus on King Henrik's failure to stop Tampa.

Why don't we just blame Henrik for making 23 saves, but for not heading up ice with the puck and scoring goals too?

Note to Rangers forwards: You can't win if you do not score goals.  I think that's an official NHL rule.

The final score was not -  Lightning 2; Lundqvist 0.

No my friends - this was not an isolated incident either.  Game 7 made it two shutouts, three losses, and just 6 overall Rangers goals scored in 4 games played at Madison Square Garden.

The Blueshirts and Bolts remained scoreless through the initial 40:00 minutes of Game Seven.  Then at 1:54 of the 3rd, Tampa's Alex Killorn finally broke the ice.  Did Henrik give up a cheap goal - a backhand shot that slithered through his pads and barely slid across the goal line, or, did Dominic Moore get badly beaten by Killorn in the slot?

That's debatable.

At 12:04 of the 3rd, Henrik made an absolutely ridiculous save to keep it a 1-0 game.  Then, for the next 2:00 minutes Ben Bishop performed some brilliant net-minding of his own, but wasn't terribly disrupted by any converging traffic.

At the 8:43 mark, Palat put the nail into Tex's Rangers coffin.  The winning play was arguably born of a bad pinch, although most will pin that one on Lundqvist for failing to stop a straight forward shot to his glove side.

Do it then.

Truth of the matter is the Rangers failed to score.  The bulls failed to rummage through Tampa's china shop...., again.  Ben Bishop pitched his second shutout of the series, this time in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, because the Rangers could not muster the energy, desire, and/or fortitude to overcome Tampa's net presence.

That's easier to digest when it's five-on-five hockey, but the reality is Alain Vigneault was brought here to improve the power play and we're still waiting.

Still flawed after all these years - The Rangers ranked 21st on the man-advantage during the regular season.  Overall against Tampa, the Rangers went 7 for 24, but only 1 for 9 in the final 3 games of the series, and were scoreless in two PP opportunities in Game Seven.

It doesn't stop there.  After pulling Henrik Lundqvist down 2-0 with 3:34 still left in regulation, six Rangers skaters remained ineffective and down right pathetic against Tampa's five.

Look, Alain Vigneault is a good guy, and a good coach.  But he had trouble getting Montreal and Vancouver over the top, and is experiencing the same kind of trouble here on 8th Avenue.  To that I say, once is an isolated event, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a trend.

However, AV was merely Glen Sather's on-ice agent in application.  The wholesale change in style and philosophy was born of Glen Sather, whom is a finalist for Executive of the Year.

Some will argue Henrik Lundqvist's hefty contract in the salary cap era prevents Glen Sather from upgrading the offense.   But then, who signed him to that money?


For my next trick, I'll undress several forwards for their underwhelming performances.....




Mike
KILLJOY!

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

N.Y. Rangers: Off-Broadway Rocked While It Lasted

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS: That Was Still The Most Fun We've Had In The Last 20 Years.

I watched all the games, but was too busy to load many thoughts aboard the Trolley...  Just as well, because I was short on words.  I mean, outside of obvious and nitpick issues, this was a difficult series to reconcile.

The Kings played very well, and lost Game Four.  The Rangers played very well (for the most part) and lost three games in overtime.  What a tough way to go down.

I refuse to put anything on Henrik Lundqvist because the Rangers did little to clear traffic in front of the net. They continued to let L.A.Kings loiter, and it cost them dearly.  At the other end, Jonathan Quick was insanely good when it mattered.  The Rangers created more than their fair share of high quality chances, but Quick rose to the occasion each time.  In hindsight, it still hard to say if a productive power play and/or Rick Nash could have changed much.

You might say we're still getting adjusted to Alain Vigneault and what his style has meant/means to the Rangers.  After a rough start, we eventually enjoyed a fine season, and locally the Rangers were clearly the rage of Spring.  Off-Broadway was rockin'.

Now what?

Two conference championship series and one Stanley Cup appearance in the last three years ensures only Glen Sather decides when he leaves office.  That said, several personnel decisions must be made.

A troublesome summer lies ahead.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Rangers: Glen Sather Decommissions Captain Callahan

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS: I Think Glen Sather Could Have Paid Ryan Callahan, But Ultimately Soured On The Very Popular Captain, And Salivated Over Martin St. Louis.

Later this month, Knicks fans are going to protest team owner, James Dolan, in front of Madison Square Garden.  I say Rangers fans should additionally rise up, don their jerseys, join them, and make the recent uprisings in Ukraine look like a frat party.

Woe to all of us.  But, at least for Garden hockey fans, Glen Sather (in name, because no one ever sees him) is the buffer between us and ownership.  Knicks fans do not have such luck or separation.  When it comes to the Garden's basketball team, the owner has become very hands-on, and attends every home game.  With the Rangers, Dolan hired Sather, then left the building.  But I honestly could not tell you how much better off the Blueshirt Brotherhood is because of it.

Glen Sather has to be one of the most unaccountable team executives during my lifetime as a New York sports fan.  In a bit of irony, former Knicks GM's Al Bianci and Isiah Thomas are also on my short list.  Not coincidentally, two of these men were hired by James Dolan.

Now, the ol' spineless silver back, Sather has stuck again.  After failing to reach a contract agreement with Ryan Callahan, the GM traded the now former Rangers captain to the Tampa Bay Lightning, in exchange for 38-year old sniper/forward Martin St. Louis.

Simply put, I'm pissed off as all hell, and yes, it's purely emotional.  With respect to sports, favorite teams, and athletes, the older you get, the more jaded fan you potentially become.  When the more impressionable days of our youth are long gone, it gets harder to draw up a list of favorite players.  There is less interest in doing so, than say, a 10-year old might invest.  By the time you reach my age, you've been completely polluted by the business side of sports, and all the varied nuances of the modern athlete.

Ryan Callahan was an exception.  He was a joy to root for.  Sports still brings out the kid in all of us.  Even today, sometimes a player comes along that you can't help but welcome into your private circle.  Sometimes a player comes along and leaves a lasting impression on even the most cynical older fan - one who makes you root like a kid again.  Currently, maybe Derek Jeter, David Wright, or Eli Manning makes your list.  But, Ryan Callahan was most certainly on my short list of home team dudes - "my guys" as Bill Parcells used to say.  It's an increasingly harder club to get into.

That's pretty much the extent of any rant I might want to deliver.  I'm just very sorry to see Ryan Callahan go, and Glen Sather stay.  Woe to all of us indeed.

The GM wound up trading three draft picks leading up to Wednesday's deadline.  Two draft picks accompanied Ryan Callahan to Tampa, while Sather sent another to Vancouver for a defenseman.  The lost draft picks my very well become inconsequential matters, but at this rate, Sather is making them quickly disappear.  A pick is still a pick.  I guess less picks only makes Gordie Clark's off-season research that much easier to tackle.  The Rangers will be without a #1 pick in 2015, and are now minus two picks in the 2014 draft.  Back in 2013, Sather traded his 2014 #6 pick in the Justin Falk deal, but previously picked up Minnesota's #6 pick in the Gaborik trade.

While Ryan Callahan may have been stiff on his end regarding negotiations, I feel the GM and Callahan were too close not to reach a deal.  So, I put the failure to sign Callahan squarely on Sather, and point at his complete and utter mismanagement of the now nine-year old salary cap system.

At the same time, I do not believe Callahan was deserving of such a large contract.  Without securing an additional player, a pure scorer that is, inking Callahan to such a deal would have been nothing short of prohibitive.  And truth be told, his offensive output just did not warrant such a pact.  Goals are what the Rangers need most, and Callahan was finding the net far too infrequently.  Sure he was one of my favorite players, but you know - money changes everything.

Sather actually commented this afternoon, saying if this deal hadn't come together, that he had a second trade option in hand.  That may be so, or not.  There is a strong sense Sather simply soured on Callahan, and salivated at the chance to secure Martin St. Louis' scoring potential.

Despite his advancing age, Martin is still an elite scorer, and one hell of a hockey player.  For this year and next, the Rangers will be getting a genuine goal scorer who can create his own opportunities.  They will benefit from having him.  I'm sure Brad Richards is happy.

Beyond that, the Rangers will get nothing, similarly as if they would have let Callahan walk away as a free agent.

On that note, I'll end this here, as the Toronto Maple Leafs just scored in overtime, to defeat the Rangers by a 3-2 final........

More soon.




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: Cheap Shots Taken At Glen Sather's New Team Keep Finding Their Mark

From the desk of:  RAISE GRESCHNER WITH THE GREATS

NEW YORK RANGERS: The Opposition Offering Glen Sather's Softies No Quarter, As Still Yet Another Member Of The Blueshirts Receives An Unanswered Elbow to The Head.

The hits just keep on coming, don't they?

There is still Rick Nash to account for, who has not played since the third game of the season.  He  remains out of action, recovering from a concussion caused by a first period elbow to the back of the head way back on October 8th, administered by San Jose Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart.

If Derek Stepan suffered what was then characterized as an inadvertent hit to the head by the Washington Capitals Troy Brouwer, then Anaheim Ducks Bryan Allen's high elbow to Stepan's head was certainly and blatantly more obvious.  Both incidences happened well away from the puck and went unacknowledged by the men in stripes.

Most recently on November 7th, Taylor Pyatt took an elbow to the head from the Columbus Blue Jackets Fedor Tyutin.  Pyatt soon left the game, did not return, and was scratched from Sunday's game against the Panthers with a concussion.

All these incidences continue to occur free of retaliation from the Rangers.  For as long as they do, I will continue to note and remind everyone in protest, of each infraction committed against Rangers players that lack a proper response.

I've already repeated myself two or three times since first writing the following:

• Last February, within a seven game stretch, Boston's Milan Lucic boarded Rick Nash, Ottawa's Chris Neil viciously boarded Brad Richards, then Montreal's Max Pacioretty  took yet another  run, boarding Ryan McDonagh.  At no time did any Rangers player stick up for their team mate - not one; no response.  Shortly after those three incidents, the Canadiens crashed Marty Biron, which again, inspired no response from the Rangers.

• I'll also say this again and again and again.  Two season ago, after the Rangers defeated the Sharks in San Jose early in the season, Joe Thornton called the Blue Shirts the softest team he ever played.  The Rangers then went on to lead the entire NHL in fighting majors.  They didn't stop there.  They also led the league in fighting within the first five minutes of a game!  That's what you call setting the tone(!) and sending a league wide message that the Rangers aren't putting up with any crap.  It doesn't take rocket science to figure out physical teams want to exert their dominance somewhere between early in the game and right away.  And so, that's eerily within the same first five-minute time frame San Jose's Brad Stuart took his run at Rick Nash this season.

Is it a coincidence Rick Nash received his concussion against the Sharks?  Most likely, but still inexcusable.

This is a partial consequence of Glen Sather's dismantling, and retransformation of the team that went to the Eastern Conference finals two seasons ago.  With no current toughness to speak of, cheap shots keep finding their marks and costing the Rangers dearly.

They've managed to outlast injuries to Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan, and despite their increased lack of physicality, the Rangers continue to turn their early season woes around.  With Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers, the Rangers now own a 9-8 record, and have broken the .500 mark for the first time this season.  They have gone 7-2 in their last nine games to recover from a 2-6 start.

The Rangers have also upped their offensive output, averaging 3.4 goals in their last 7 games, scoring 24 times.  They've scored four or more goals in four of their last five games.  With a goal against the Panther, Brad Richards now has six goals this season.

The goals and wins are coming, but something still does not compute.




Mike.BTB