Moving On

Hey guys this will be the last post here on RangersDanger.com.  Thank you to everyone that has read article on here check us out on Rant Sports and just goto the NHL team pages.

Thank You again,

The Coach

Miller Time

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the Blueshirts has agreed to terms with J.T. Miller.  The 6’1, 200-pound Ohio native was the 15th overall selection for the Rangers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Miller played in 48 games with the U.S. National Under-18 Team (USHL), registering 11 goals and 26 assists, along with 80 penalty minutes. He tied for third among all tournament skaters in points (13), fourth in assists (nine), sixth in goals (four), and seventh with a plus-eight rating.  He also was named the top USA player by tournament coaches.

In the 2011 Five Nations Tournament held in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, Miller notched one goal and five assists (tournament best) in four games.  The Four Nations Tournament in Sundsvall, Sweden, Miller chipped in with two goals and three assists in four games.

The 18 year-old Miller has tallied 26 goals and 42 assists, and 159 PIM in 95 career games with the USHL.  Miller stated on draft night about his play, “I’m a pretty competitive kid, I always want to compete and I’m pretty hard to play against, so I think that’s my best attribute.”

 

Callahan Inked For Three Years

Ryan Callahan by Keith Allison, on Flickr

Well fans your off-season is over as the Rangers sign Ryan Callahan to 3-year deal worth nearly $13 million. I had predicted around $3.75 million a year, this contract will give Cally around $4.3 million per year.

Now the debate begins as to who will be captain? I won’t go into that on here as you can check the last article.

The Blueshirts now have Marc Staal, Brandon Dubinsky, and Callahan locked up for a few years. Also, add Brad Richards and the Rangers look poised to be a playoff contender again this year.

Some grumblings from Rangers fans is the fact that Cally’s contract is only three-years. You need to take into consideration the fact Staal just signed a five-year deal last September and Dubi just signed a four-year deal. The Rangers do not want to have worry about having to re-sign those three in the same off-season.

Who Will Be Captain?

 

 

With Chris Drury no longer a Ranger, the question now is who will be captain? Let’s look at who I believe are the top three candidates to be the 27th captain on Broadway.

Ryan Callahan, drafted in 2004 by the Blueshirts, is what you look for in a new age captain he plays even strength, power play, and penalty kill. The Rochester, New York native has established himself as a fan favorite among Ranger fans.  Callahan had 23 goals and 25 assists last year playing in 62 games, he missed the playoffs after breaking his ankle blocking a Zdeno Chara slapshot.

Next up is Brandon Dubinsky, (my twin we we share the same birth day and year) drafted the same year as Callahan avoided arbitration with the Rangers and signed a four-year contract worth $16.8 million.  Dubi has never had less than 40 points in each of his four full years with the Blueshirts.  Also, the 6’1, 210lb Dubinsky is never one to shy away from physical play having 100 or more penalty minutes in two of those four years with the Rangers.

Maybe the Rangers go outside the United States and the C will go to newly signed Brad Richards.  Richards signed a nine-year contract worth $60 million to come to Broadway on July 2.  B-Rich won the Stanley Cup with John Tortorella and the Tampa Bay Lighting in the 04-05 season, and was named Conn Smythe.  Richards has tallied no less than 62 points when he has played at least 70 games in his career.  Richards brings much needed offensive to a team that struggled to score against the Washington Capitals last year in the first round of the playoffs.

I believe the new captain will end up being Brad Richards.  He brings leadership, scoring, and winning mentality to the Rangers organization, also it does not hurt that Tortorella was his coach back in Tampa Bay.

Tell me your thoughts on which of these three should be captain or maybe someone else I have not mentioned.

Eminger Re-Signs, Only Callahan Left

Steve Eminger re-signed with the Blueshirts on Monday, ensuring some veteran presence on the blue line.  Eminger, 27, played in 65 games last year for the Rangers tallying two goal and four assists, along with 22 penalty minutes.

Eminger was traded from the Ducks in exchange for forwards Aaron Voros and Ryan Hillier last July.  In his career Eminger has tallied 17 goals, 74 assists, and 323 PIM.

The new contract one-year, $800,000 will be a pay cut for Eminger who just completed a two-year, $2.25 million deal.  Eminger’s knowledge of the Rangers system, physical play, and ability to play either side was the main factors of his re-signing.  Eminger who has played for the Capitals, Flyers, Lightning, Panthers, and Ducks is the only Blueshirt defenseman that has played over 400 games in his career.

The Rangers with Michael Del Zotto, 21, Ryan McDonagh, 22, Michael Sauer, 23, Marc Staal, 24, and Tim Erixon (provided he makes the team), 20 at defense leaves Eminger and Dan Girardi, 27, as the only strong veteran presence on the blue line.  With the Rangers hoping Del Zotto can recover from a shaky sophomore campaign and that rookie Erixon can provide some contributions in his first year, Eminger could be shuffled up and down the line-up.

Eminger said to New York Daily News, “I’m thankful to the New York Rangers organization for re-signing me. I’m proud to be a part of this team, as I know they always have been and will continue to be committed to winning. I’m excited for this upcoming season and in doing my part to achieve success.”

Ryan Callahan, the only player on Broadway that is left un-signed, has until Thursday to sign with the Rangers or go to arbitration.  The team is hoping to sign Callahan and avoid arbitration, just as they did with Brandon Dubinsky.  Whether Callahan signs a deal or is awarded a one-year deal via arbitration the Rangers will have 48 hours to buyout any contracts to fit under the salary cap.  Look for Callahan to receive around $3.75 million or a year or possibly a little bit more than that.

With Brad Richards In New York, Is Atlantic Division The Best In Hockey?

Fans of the Blueshirts everywhere rejoiced when the Rangers won the bidding for former Dallas Stars center Brad Richards, beating out the likes of the LA Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 31-year-old’s services.

While the move alone didn’t make the Rangers a bona fide contender for the Stanley Cup, it made them that much more dangerous on offense, with that presence of Richards in the middle.

Add Richards as the playmaker on a potentially potent offense, a top notch goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist, and a few tweaks here and there, and this is a team that could make noise in the Eastern Conference.

They might not be at a Cup level yet, but the improvements they’ve made to this point in the offseason make them a much tougher team in the Atlantic division, which is shaping up to be the best in the NHL.

There wasn’t a runaway division that was head and shoulders above everyone else last year, but if one was going to pick the best division overall, it would probably be the Pacific division. It included four playoff teams, including the Sharks, Kings, Coyotes, and Ducks, and nearly included a fifth if the Dallas Stars had won on the final day of the regular season.

But the Coyotes have lost their star goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, as they sink into ownership woes, and the Stars have lost Richards, meaning the division shouldn’t be as strong in 2011-12.

That takes us to the Atlantic division. It featured two of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, along with these Rangers, who finished two points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes to grab that final playoff berth.

The Flyers’ recent success is well-documented, despite the questions that were raised with the moves of their GM Paul Holmgren, who dealt big names Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Kris Versteeg, mostly to make room for the contract of Bryzgalov. Even with those subtractions, they’re just a season removed from a Stanley Cup finals appearance.

Pittsburgh should be back to top form with the return of their two superstars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, both of which missed the majority of the season last year. Even without them, they still managed the no. 4 seed in the East, a scary sign for the rest of the East.

There’s also the New Jersey Devils, who overcame a horrid start, before going on a torrid run in the spring that saw them finish just a game under .500. With a full season anywhere near that level, and the return of a completely healthy Zach Parise, as long as he gets re-signed, we should see New jersey back in the top eight in the East.

Even the Islanders have shown signs of coming out of their recently miserable track record. Going the route of the Penguins and Blackhawks, the Isles have built up young talent with names like john Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and the acquisition of Michael Grabner. They might still be a few years off, but they’re not going to be an easy W on the schedule moving forward.

Top to bottom, the Atlantic division looks to be the best in the National Hockey League. Of course, we don’t know what types of teams are going to surprise in the way that a team like the Stars did last year, but from what we saw last year, the potential flashed by some of these teams in the East and the additions made by the teams this offseason show that this is a division that could have as many as four playoff teams this year, which, as of right now, looks like more than any other division will be able to manage.

For more Rant Sports hockey coverage, follow Randy on Twitter @RandallPnkFloyd

Rangers look to continue building with draft this weekend

With the NHL holding its annual Entry Draft tonight and Saturday, the New York Rangers will try to continue building a team that is on the rise in the Eastern Conference. The draft will be at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild. The Rangers have the 15th selection in the first round, the first spot that includes the picks of teams that made the playoffs.

This organization, although more than 80 years old, has come a long way in recent years. Back when the league didn’t have a salary cap, one could always rely on New York overpaying for a free agent and trading for big names while seeing their farm system dry out. A salary cap was installed after the 2004-05 lockout and things suddenly changed with this team.

Since teams were limited to the combined salaries of their players, it made it that more crucial to have young players that wouldn’t cost as much as a few free agent signings during the offseason. Scouts paid more attention to the talent pool and it has shown positive results. In the early 2000s, guys like Hugh Jessiman and Dan Blackburn were drafted really high by the Rangers, only to flameout due to skill and injury respectively. On the current roster, a good number of the guys are homegrown.

In 2000, before the Rangers started realizing the true purpose of the draft, they found a diamond in the rough in Henrik Lundqvist, a Swedish goaltender. He was picked 205th overall and has been one of the best netminders in the league over the past six years. Forward Brandon Dubinsky was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft and although a headache at times, is an effective player with a lot of heart. Ryan Callahan was drafted two rounds later and could be the new captain once Chris Drury gets his sorry behind out of town. Those three draftees have been the core of the young guns, but it’s getting better!

Forwards Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan made big impacts this year and managed to stay healthy while most of their fellow comrades fell. Drafted in 2006 and 2008 respectively, they each saw huge strides of improvement, one from a rookie (Stepan) and one from a player that was only 22 during the year. One of the top defensive pairs in the game were also drafted and retained by the Blueshirts over this renaissance period. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi have been rocks on the blue-line and their solid play is so important for a team that struggles to find consistency on offense. Michael Sauer elevated his play about ten notches last year and Michael Del Zotto is still young enough to fight off adversity.

They also have more players waiting in the wings that Rangers fans should learn since they’ll be skating on The Garden ice soon enough. Chris Kreider, Ryan Bourque, Christian Thomas, and Carl Hagelin are all forwards that can strike at any time. I had the pleasure of watching Hagelin for four years at the University of Michigan. The swift Swede can do it all and will be a fan favorite once he’s in the NHL.

So when the Rangers pick tonight, I’d love to see them pick a defenseman that can move the puck and be a threat offensively. Last year, they passed up on Cam Fowler (who I thought was the third best player in the draft) for tough guy Dylan McIlrath. This time around, I hope they could get Ryan Murphy, who dominated the Ontario Hockey League last season. He led all OHL defensemen with 26 goals and was second with 79 points.

No matter who the Rangers select, it won’t take away all the positive strides the organization has made recently. They are forming a team the right way, by developing their own players and bringing them up together. The recent Stanley Cup victories by Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Chicago show that you don’t need big time free agent signings to reach the top. Never have I thought I’d say this in my life, but kudos to general manager Glen Sather and his assistants.

What Philly trades mean for the New York Rangers

It’s never uncommon to see teams trade players prior to the NHL Entry Draft, which happens to be tomorrow night. What is rare is for a team, specifically a contending team, to deal not one, but two of its best players. The Philadelphia Flyers traded both Mike Richards and Jeff Carter within an hour, scratching some heads across the hockey world. The New York Rangers and their fans should be loving what’s going on in Philly right now.

Carter and Richards were considered centerpieces to a team that was to contend for the next decade. Carter has 11 years left on his contract that provides a $5.3M cap hit while Richards, the team captain, has 9 years remaining that has a cap hit of $5.75M. So why in the world are both players out of town?

Carter was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Jacob Voracek, the 8th overall pick, and a 3rd round selection. Richards was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings for top prospect Brayden Schenn, gritty forward Wayne Simmonds, and a 2nd round choice. These moves look like they are cap-clearing deals, but the Flyers GM, Paul Holmgren, is denying that.

Both centers gave the Rangers fits during their time with the Flyers. Richards was a big, physical player that can outmuscle defensemen and play well both ways, while Carter had world-class skill with the puck. They were huge reasons why Philadelphia defeated New York four times during the regular season last year. Now, they’ll only have to face them twice a year at the most (because the Rangers aren’t making the Stanley Cup Finals).

With these moves, does that make the Blueshirts a division favorite alongside the Pittsburgh Penguins? Logic dictating a team getting rid of its top two forwards for players with potential down the road may eliminate the Flyers from a tough division title, but I’m sure they’ll get a taste of the playoffs once more. The Rangers are on the road back and played well despite playing almost every rookie in their system. Richards being gone gives Brandon Dubinsky one less person to bark at, resulting in a penalty because he has a gripe with an opposing player.

Now, what the Flyers are getting back are two very skillful players and a grinder that will drive people nuts. Schenn is the younger brother of Luke Schenn (Toronto), but plays forward. His playmaking ability will eventually make him a force for years to come. Voracek has underachieved during his time in the NHL, but like former Ranger and current Flyer Nikolai Zherdev, has all the potential in the world. It’s not if these guys will develop into stars, but when. Simmonds isn’t an offensive threat, but he scores big goals, plays physical, and brings a positive energy to the bench. I’m not so sure Philly lost that deal with LA.

For the other teams involved, the Kings and Jackets get quality players, both 26 years old, but if they fall off talent-wise, they are locked in for a long time. With Los Angeles getting Richards and his big contract, does that leave enough room to sign defenseman Drew Doughty to a long-term deal? Does Columbus make the playoffs for only the second time because they now have a star alongside Rick Nash?

That’s what’s so great about hockey, especially during the offseason. There are always trades like this right before the draft and the July 1st free agency period, so there’s going to be something going on, even if no games are played. The deals create a domino effect that pulls in almost every team and they’ll be plenty of trades during the draft as well. There’s no doubt the Rangers benefit from these two trades, but will they find a way to avoid disappointing their fans yet again?

A Rangers fan’s dilemma

When the puck drops in Vancouver tonight for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, it will be the start of a championship for either the Canucks or Bruins. New York Rangers fans across this great planet should have an easy time cheering for Vancouver, considering the long history the Bruins and Rangers have had as rival Original Six teams. Hold that thought for a moment.

I’ve been cheering for Vancouver to win the series and hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup since they eliminated the Nashville Predators in the 2nd round (my third preferred team to win it). Now after much controversy from the team north of the border, I’m not so sure now. Does a lifelong Rangers fan and native New Yorker even think about cheering for a team in Boston to win a championship? Do I want to continue hearing the (mostly) obnoxious fan base, saying Beantown is the best sports city?

A part of me really wants to see the Bruins win and it’s not because of this whole United States v. Canada rivalry. Canucks winger Alex Burrows bit a Boston player in the first game. Aaron Rome delivered a dirty, crushing hit to Nathan Horton in Game 3. And to make matters worse, a Canucks fan thought it would be funny to hang a teddy bear on a hockey stick, wearing Horton’s jersey. Not to mention that Raffi Torres should have been suspended in the Blackhawks series for another classless hit. Is this a team I want to cheer for?

What about their goalie, Roberto Luongo, who’s known for falling apart in the playoffs, criticizing the way Bruins goalie Tim Thomas plays. Thomas is well on his way to his 2nd Vezina Trophy for the league’s most valuable goaltender and bested Luongo in Game 6 after those harsh words. In fact, Luongo allowed 3 goals and was pulled halfway through the first period, finishing with an embarrassing 15 goals allowed in 2+ games on the road. Rangers fans may also be bitter towards Chris Higgins, who was a disaster with the Blueshirts, but is playing well for Vancouver.

The Bruins to me were the team to beat once they traded for Tomas Kaberle. Now the former Leafs blue-liner hasn’t been good, but the Bs play as a team and pick each other up. Certainly, the Rangers should sit in front of their television sets tonight and take notes. There are a lot of likable characters on that team, one of them being defenseman Zdeno Chara. If you recall, he ended Ryan Callahan‘s season with a slapshot breaking Cally’s ankle, but he’s one of the good guys of the game in an odd way. You wouldn’t expect it from the biggest guy in the league, but he’s a gentle giant that deserves to get a championship.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter to me who wins tonight. Either way, I won’t like the team that wins, so it’s just a matter of how much I could tolerate. There are reasons for each side why cheering for/against the two teams would be the best. Boston saw former Michigan defensemen Steve Kampfer and Matt Hunwick play for them this year, while Vancouver has former Buckeye Ryan Kesler. That certainly helps the Bs in this case, but we’ll see what happens. I just hope I don’t go to hockey hell for even considering cheering for the Bruins tonight.

Former Rangers bust Higgins one win away from Stanley Cup

When the New York Rangers acquired Chris Higgins in a Summer 2009 trade, the team got a player that scored at least 22 goals for three straight years before an off 2008-09 campaign. The move didn’t work out and a couple of stops later, he’s on the verge of hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Vancouver Canucks. His team defeated the Boston Bruins tonight by a 1-0 score to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series.

A Long Island native, Higgins got to play for one of his hometown teams and really spoiled his opportunity. He was brought in with defenseman prospect Ryan McDonagh and another blue-liner to dump the contract of Scott Gomez. It just so happened that in this stretch of three years, every acquisition the team made, failed. This includes signing Wade Redden, Chris Drury, and extending the contract of Michal Rozsival. He didn’t even last the season and was traded to the Calgary Flames for Olli Jokinen, another bust. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the thrown-in player to matchup salary caps was Brandon Prust.

Higgins isn’t a big part of the offense, as it’s dominated by the Sedin twins and Alex Burrows, but he is making an impact. He averages about three hits per game and had 4 goals and 4 assists in the 22 games. The reason why he was booted out of New York (besides his underachieving offensive input) was his inability to play defense. He was used sometimes at the point on the power-play and was often beat for short-handed markers by the opposition.

To be honest, it tares me up inside when a player that was a complete bust for the Rangers, helps another team go deep into the playoffs. Vancouver has never won a Stanley Cup before and the 3 game-winning goals by Higgins is a huge reason why the Canucks are one win away from reaching the promised land.

So if Vancouver does indeed finish the job on Monday night, I’m sure Higgins will get a lot of thanks from his fellow teammates. The entire nation of Canada has been waiting for a Cup since 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens won it all. Goalie Roberto Luongo overcame a 12-goal barrage and losing his home crowd to bring the ‘Nucks one step closer to their ultimate goal. Somewhere, Rangers GM Glen Sather is saying “I told you so!” in regards to Mr. Higgins.

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