New In Blue 2013

The opening of free agency is in the rear view mirror and Glen Sather largely kept his wallet in his pants. Sure the lowering salary cap had a lot to do with that, as did the need to re-sign several main cogs in the machine, but it was still uncharacteristic of the cigar smoker. It was even stranger as Sather so recently replaced his bench boss with someone who has a significantly different philosophy than the last one.

So what did Glen do for Vigneault? He waived Darroll Powe and Arron Asham and replaced them with Dominic Moore and Benoit Pouliot. He let Steve Eminger and Matt Gilroy walk and traded for Justin Falk and signed Aaron Johnson. Not exactly major changes to a team that burned out too fast two years ago and flunked so badly last season that they got their coach canned. But they were changes nonetheless, so here's a (late) look at the new boys who'll wear blue:

Dominic Moore (@mooredom): Dom is pulling a Kovalev by coming back to the team that drafted him after a few seasons astray. Everyone remembers this commercial, and in the days since Moore dressed for eight other franchises before coming back to Broadway. He's been in such demand because he hustles and plays an honest game. The Hah-vad grad won't rack up the points - although he has it in him to do so - but he brings consistency to one of the two bottom six center positions. Vignault hasn't been big on rolling four lines but with Step, Brass and Richard$ all ahead of him on the depth chart, it's lookin' like Dom will battle Boyle to be the fourth line pivot. He hasn't played since his wife passed away after a battle with cancer so it will be interesting to see how fast he can find his form and if he still has it in him to skate at the breakneck NHL pace. Hopefully the Rangers do something with him/in his wife's memory for Hockey Fights Cancer - a charity that usually is featured in October, when the Rangers will be on the road.

Benoit Pouliot: Pouliot is a bottom six guy with great hands and a big body he rarely uses, he's like an older, North American version of Arty Anisimov. Inconsistent and prone to facepalm turnovers, the former teammate of Marc Staal in juniors is also capable of breathtaking goals. It is interesting to read post-season reviews of his for the last three seasons - 2010-11, '11-12 and '13 - and we're left to wonder what kind of player will show up this fall. Could he click with Brass and Nash and put up 25 goals? Could he end up waived to the Wolf Pack? Not even gonna wager a guess at this point.

Justin Falk (@juicerfalk): First off, there is another guy with virtually the same name - Justin Faulk - and this guy isn't him. Faulk is a possible franchise defenseman for Carolina, Falk is a quiet giant. The 24 year old is a big boy at 6-foot-5 and is capable in his own end but, frustratingly, is not especially physical. If/when the organization decides McIlrath is not ready for the show, Falk could be a decent No. 6 defender who will cover for Del Zaster's del zasters - Stralman certainly couldn't do it and you don't want John Moore to be ruined that way.

Aaron Johnson: Because the Blueshirts don't have enough former Blue Jackets on the roster, they brought in Johnson. The 30-year-old journeyman is also a former ISLANDER and a junior teammate of Richard$ in Rimouski. Hard to see if he was brought in to help re-ignite Richie, to be a good room guy as the No. 7 defender or just to bolster the blue line in Hartford. Maybe all three; we'll see.

Not-So-Free Agents 2013

The opening of free agency is a virtual holiday in Canada but here in New York, Glen Sather has turned it into a day to be dreaded like the arrival of inlaws. There is simply no way of telling what the cigar smoker will do today but I figured I would break down 60 impending UFAs in simple terms - guys I'd want, guys I wouldn't mind and guys I wouldn't want. All of the names are from Capgeek's Free Agent list. Sorry for the clutter, don't have the time to make it too pretty.

There are no goalies listed, as Sather seems convinced Biron's ability in the room outweighs his incompetence on the ice. Speaking of incompetence, I immediately ruled out former Islanders and a number of former Blueshirts - no Redden, Gomez, Dvorak, Woywitka, Halpern, Cullen, Jagr, Antropov, Prospal, Stanley Cup Champion Rozsival or Pooooooootttttttiiiiiii. None of the current Ranger UFAs are worth re-signing either - Clowe, Hamrlik, Eminger, or Gilroy. Clowe has some upside but a well-paid power forward who plays tough that has a concussion history? That's a dangerous wager.

Some guys that are older or have been bought out are included on the list, obviously with the hope that they'll take pay cuts ...

Guys I Want On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Iginla, Jarome R PIT 36 $7,000,000 - Iggy didn't mesh with Pittsburgh but that doesn't change the fact that he is everything you want in a hockey player.
Scuderi, Rob D LAK 34 $3,400,000 - The New York native is a solid soldier at the back end and a Cup winner.
Cleary, Danny L DET 34 $2,800,000 - Hard hat guy with a Cup on his resume who is willing to go to the net.
Ference, Andrew D BOS 34 $2,250,000 - Solid soldier at the back end and a Cup winner.
Brunner, Damien R DET 27 $1,350,000 - Virtually no idea of what defense is but so skilled at the offensive end of the ice.

Guys I Wouldn't Mind On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Alfredsson, Daniel RW OTT 40 $4,875,000 - Veteran Swede has won with Hank before ...
Morrow, Brenden L PIT 34 $4,100,000 - Like Iggy, didn't fit with Pittsburgh but still one gritty guy.
Roy, Derek C VAN 30 $4,000,000 - Former PPG guy has a lot to prove to AV after stumbling with Vancouver.
Lydman, Toni D ANA 35 $3,000,000 - Fine Finn knows how to play his position.
Schultz, Jeff D WAS 27 $2,750,000 - Cut that salary down a bit and Schultz is a capable big bodied defenseman.
Sullivan, Steve L NJD 38 $2,600,000 - Veteran might be willing to empty the tank for one last run.
Raymond, Mason L VAN 27 $2,275,000 - Speedy forward who has underwhelmed to date but AV knows him well.
Gill, Hal D NASH 38 $2,000,000 - Have you seen his twitter account? And he knows how to use his huge frame to clear the crease.
Larose, Chad R CAR 31 $1,700,000 - Coming off an awful year, could be primed for a rebound.
Bozak, Tyler C TOR 27 $1,500,000 - Not a first line center but wins faceoffs and has some offensive ability.
Nystrom, Eric L DAL 30 $1,400,000 - Consistent bottom-six performer, worth it despite his diabolic dad.
Stalberg, Viktor L CHI 27 $875,000 - Speedy and coming off a Cup.
Hendricks, Matt L WAS 32 $825,000 - Heart and grit.
Blum, Jonathon D NAS 24 $650,000 - Former first rounder can carry the puck and needs a change of scenery.
Kostka, Mike D TOR 27 $600,000 - Certainly not the top pairing defenseman Toronto had him as at times, but a good 5-6 ...

Guys I Don't Want On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Grabovski, Mikhail C TOR 29 $5,500,000 - Bad attitude.
Ribeiro, Mike C WAS 33 $5,000,000 - Overrated.
Connolly, Tim C TOR 32 $4,750,000 - Concussed.
Hainsey, Ron D WPG 32 $4,500,000 - Underwhelming.
Komisarek, Mike D TOR 31 $4,500,000 - Slow.
Kaberle, Tomas D MTL 35 $4,250,000 - Haha.
Bouchard, Pierre-Marc R MIN 29 $4,080,000 - Injury case.
Whitney, Ryan D EDM 30 $4,000,000 - One dimensional.
Horton, Nathan R BOS 28 $4,000,000 - Concussed.
Gilbert, Tom D MIN 30 $4,000,000 - Soured real fast in Minnesota.
Kuba, Filip D FLA 36 $4,000,000 - Hamrlik 2.
Zidlicky, Marek D NJD 36 $4,000,000 - Old.
Gagne, Simon L PHI 33 $3,500,000 - Concussed.
Lombardi, Matthew C ANA 31 $3,500,000 - Meh.
Ryder, Michael R MTL 33 $3,500,000 - Will want a raise.
MacArthur, Clarke L TOR 28 $3,250,000 - Inconsistent.
Penner, Dustin L LAK 30 $3,250,000 - Cup winner will cost too much.
Weiss, Stephen C FLA 30 $3,100,000 - Underwhelming.
Filppula, Valtteri L DET 29 $3,000,000 - Insanely wants a raise.
White, Ian D DET 29 $2,875,000 - No Lidstrom, no results.
Clarkson, David R NJD 29 $2,666,667 - Boneheaded minor leaguer.
Murray, Douglas D PIT 33 $2,500,000 - Sadly proved too slow.
Colaiacovo, Carlo D DET 30 $2,500,000 - Don't want to try to type that often.

Handzus, Michal C CHI 36 $2,500,000 - Got his Cup, time to call it a career.
Aucoin, Adrian D CLB 39 $2,250,000 - Thought he had retired.
Zanon, Greg D COL 33 $2,250,000 - Nothing left but the beard.
Corvo, Joe D CAR 36 $2,000,000 - Uh oh.
Latendresse, Guillaume L OTT 26 $2,000,000 - Inconsistent.
Pardy, Adam D BUF 29 $2,000,000 - He made $2,000,000??
Cooke, Matt L PIT 34 $1,800,000 - Criminal.
Ponikarovsky, Alexei L NJD 33 $1,800,000 - Worse than Frolov.
O'Byrne, Ryan D TOR 28 $1,800,000 - Just, no.
Mueller, Peter R FLA 25 $1,725,000 - Great flow, nothing else.
Dupuis, Pascal R PIT 34 $1,500,000 - Fluke season will garner an insane raise.
Fistric, Mark D EDM 27 $1,475,000 - Physical, but not physical enough.
Gerbe, Nathan L BUF 25 $1,450,000 - Midget.
Comeau, Blake L CLB 27 $1,250,000 - Former Islander.
Steckel, David C ANA 31 $1,100,000 - Credit forever for injury Crosby, but nothing else.
Lapierre, Maxim C VAN 28 $1,000,000 - Fourth line penalty risk.
Hannan, Scott D SJS 34 $1,000,000 - Old, slow.

This is, of course, just my opinion so take it as it may. Last year I wanted Taylor Pyatt and didn't want Arron Asham. And look how both failed ... 

Halpern To Help

In 1926 the front office of the fledgling New York Rangers decided to market their goaltender Lorne Chabot as Lorn Chabotsky, in the hopes of appealing to the massive Jewish population of the city. Since then a few actual Jews have played on Broadway, including Hy Buller, '94 Black Ace Mike Hartman and Mathieu Schneider. And now Jeff Halpern will don a Blueshirt as well.

As with those guys, adding Halpern is no public relations gimmick. The recent Washington Capital fills the hole left by Blair Betts three years ago - a capable, consistent center who wins faceoffs, kills penalties and works his ass off. A former captain, Halpern will add some more veteran sense to the room and add another layer between Tortorella and the kids. He helps advance my Stockholm Syndrome theory, as he played for the egomaniacal dictator in Tampa in 2008.

This follows in the recent tradition of Glen Sather's signings - have one good addition, have one horrible addition. Well, after making the mistakes of Arron Asham and Micheal Haley, Sather has leveled the scales with Halpern and Taylor Pyatt. The only issue it presents is that the Blueshirts now have six fourth liners (if you include Haley as a NHLer, which he will hopefully never be again) and one first liner set to start next season. But the season is still a few months away so we just have to wait and see what Sather will do.

Disappointing Opening Day Of Free Agency

Wow, is that a redundant headline or what? I mean, every opening day of free agency of Glen Sather's term has been disappointing to some degree or another. As the saying goes Trader Sather is a genius, Signer Sather is a fool.

And that fool continued to trouble Ranger fans as he tinkered with the team's roster. While he can't be blamed for Brandon Prust's greed, he can be hung for his idea of a replacement: Arron Asham. As he did with Donald Brashear, Sather signed one of the most loathed members of the opposition (who is all but certain to disappoint). Check that, two of the most loathed members - he also added Islander Micheal Haley.

Given that Asham has be-Deviled, be-Flyered, be-Penguined, be-Islandered the Blueshirts in the past all we can hope is that he does the same dirty, infuriating things against everyone else.

The signs are not good, especially when compared to the man he is replacing. In his career Asham has played in MSG 27 times and racked up all of one goal, one assist and 33 PIM. Asham has not played a full 82 game campaign his entire career; despite his injuries Prust did the last two seasons. Prust had nine shorthanded points in his last 164 games; Asham has three in 756. Asham blocked 40 total shots over the last three years, Prust blocked 51 this season. HOWEVER, the one good quality they share is that their teammates respond when they fight. I've mentioned the Prust stat a few thousand times and the Pens went 6-1-1 last season when Asham dropped the gloves (and he won too, going 7-1 in those bouts).

As for Haley, he is no more than a minor league neanderthal. With the group of prospects hitting Hartford this fall, it will be Haley's job to protect them. He has a long record with a good number of victories so hopefully he will intimidate the other teams into giving the kids who have futures some room.

Sadly Jonathan Audy-Marchessault won't be among them. The mite-sized scorer earned himself a spot in the Ranger franchise, earned himself a spot in the AHL All Star Game and Sather let him get away. It would have been nice to see JAM get a real shot with the Rangers, but that unlikely with Torts so at least Columbus will use him.

Another guy who had no future with the Rangers was Chad Johnson. Dos Nueve never earned the organization's trust but our old pal Maloney saw something and picked him up for the Coyotes. Like Al Montoya, he can go try to ply his trade in the desert.

John Mitchell is headed to the mountains as Colorado handed him a two-year deal. Tortorella may have loved him but few others did as he made some glaring mistakes and added virtually no offense.

Following that thread, Stu Bickel was re-signed by the Rangers. Tortorella's scapegoat, Stu will be back for two more seasons - or roughly a half hour of ice time - under the head coach's reign.

Kris Newbury also decided to return, taking a two-year, two-way contract. Heard he was a good team guy with the Whale so that will be good for the future Blue.

The near future is certain to see more moves, whether they be signings or trades. Gabby will be out for a while and, given the type of surgery, may never be the player he was again. So there is a mighty Nash/Parise/Whoever-sized hole in the lineup. It will be interesting to see which side of Sather addresses it.

Same Story, Different Ending?

In the last 25 minutes I've re-written the lede to this post nine times as the reality of the news has sunk in. Glen Sather gave Brad Richards a nine-year, $58.5 million deal. A man raked over the coals for the folly of his big money contracts time and time again just handed another one out. Well, we knew Sather didn't care about public perception, so why would he change? You would hope that he would learn from his mistakes - and it had appeared that he was starting to - but the simple truth is that you can't teach old dogs new tricks.

Of course, growing a young team and winning multiple Stanley Cups was something Sather has done before but that was so long in the past and he is so old that he likely has forgotten that has even happened. Instead, the GM has fallen back on the modus operandi that has defined his time in New York: analyze what is wrong and throw money at the problem.

In 2007 the Rangers had a problem. Michael Nylander wanted a multi-year deal for a decent amount of money. The 35 year old had just averaged a point per game for two seasons as the pivot for the Blueshirts star sniper Jaromir Jagr but he was 35 years old. So instead Sather looked at the free agent class and signed Scott Gomez. He didn't look and realize that there was no way the two could possibly possess the puck at the same time all the time. But he wanted a center, Gomez was out there and he signed him to a ridiculous deal. It didn't work out and Sather cut ties with Jagr. Then Sather cut ties with Gomez. Hamstrung by other insane signings, Sather was forced to embark on a youth movement. Times were tough but they were moving in the right direction. Except, his star sniper needed a center.

Seeing that supposed stud Chris Kreider has no confidence in himself or would rather party in college for another year or whatever, Sather needed someone to be the first line center and Richards was the best one available.

Over the last three seasons Richards played 208 games and collected 216 points as the first line center on the Dallas Stars. He looked great and he made Loui Eriksson into an All Star but, it must be said, Dallas didn't make the playoffs any of those three seasons. As Sean Avery found out, Dallas is not New York. But, in this case, this is a good thing: the Rangers have a far better back end then the Stars and are deeper up front.

When Gomez arrived he came to a team caught between styles - some lines played north-south, others played east-west. He was expected to share the puck with Jagr and, with a shrug and that damned smirk, he didn't put the effort in to adapt his game. Marian Gaborik is more Eriksson then he is Jagr and that should allow Richards to play his own high-tempo style without making major modifications.

The contract that he received is ridiculous but, let's face it, that doesn't matter. At 31 already, Richards will not play all nine years - the length of the deal is there to lower the annual cap hit. The Rangers have shed Drury and will bury Redden again so there is room for Richards this coming season. And if the experiment goes the way of Gomez, the upcoming expiration of the CBA should allow Sather to correct the mistake before it drags the franchise down.

Now it must be said that we don't know exactly who's idea signing Brad Richards was; it might not have been Sather's. With the NBA locking out their players this week Jimmy Dolan may have pulled the Rangers back out of his toybox and decided to play with them again - rumours yesterday had him talking to Richards to further seduce him to the dark side renovated Garden. John Tortorella may have pushed very hard for Richards, given their successful history and how frustrated he was with the Slovakian slacker Gaborik last season.

No matter who made the ultimate call, the simple fact is that the Rangers threw patience and the rebuild to the wind. The timetable has been pushed up - Dolan wants a winning team to justify the prices of the renovated Garden and who knows what is happening with the Knicks. There is little room for mistakes this coming hockey season, the Rangers not only have to make the playoffs, they will be expected to win a round or two. And they surely will be expected to win the Cup within the next three years before Gabby and Hank's current contracts finish. The Ranger brass believes that Brad Richards is the man who can make that happen. Let's pray they're right.

Mike F-ing Rupp!

Maybe it is best that Brad Richards has weighed his options and is taking his time making his decision for next season. Because, you know, rash impulses are not always correct impulses.

When the news broke that the Rangers decided to put their line in the lake of free agents and fished out Mike Rupp, I felt that it was ... uh ... not good:

@ScottyHockey Rupp? Ewwwwww.

@ScottyHockey The guy scores one hat trick & Sather signs him. Awful.

@ScottyHockey So angry.

@ScottyHockey Mike Rupp played for the Danbury Trashers of the UHL & was the perfect fit: he was garbage. What next? Sather adds Jarkko Ruutu for 5 years?

@ScottyHockey Can't Glen Sather go one July 1st without making a signing purely to piss off Ranger fans?

@ScottyHockey Tryin to hard to not hate this signing but not doing well. Won a Cup, skates 10 min a game, scored that hat trick. But he's MIKE F-ING RUPP!

@ScottyHockey Rupp had better spend serious time with Barb this summer because he won't keep up with Prust & Boyle if he skates the way he did last year.

@ScottyHockey Nice Rupp, you enjoy ticking off the Ranger fans. I'm sure you will continue to do it.

Now that last one was in response something Rupp said to the guys at TSN. You can hear it here. He said, "You get the opportunity as an opponent to go in there (MSG) and try to tick off as many fans as you can and you like to do that cause those fans are so good and so crazy."

And piss off fans at the Garden he has. Over the years Rupp has been a burr in the Rangers' saddle with his checking, his fighting and, yes, his scoring. His hat trick was one of the lowlights of my Garden-going experiences in the last ... well, the last ever. As a Ranger fan, that was humiliating. Well, now it is up to Rupp to make other teams' fans feel humiliated.

He comes in making almost twice what Brandon Prust makes ($1.5 million vs. 800k) and will be expected to put in at least the same amount of effort. Rupp needs to take some of the fighting off of Prust's fists, play good physical hockey in all three zones, win some faceoffs and teach the kids what it's like to win a Stanley Cup. It is the very last part that takes some of the sting out of having one of the Garden villains of the last decade come in and don a Blueshirt. The young core of Rangers need to keep growing and they need to learn how to win. Trading for someone like Bryan McCabe didn't do either; adding a guy like Mike Rupp should facilitate both. So, as you can see, in the last few hours my stance has changed on the newest Ranger addition.

Let's hope that over the next three years Rupp doesn't change it back.

Not So Free Agents

With so much going on, I figured it would be best to do one big wrap of the day's bigger signings, with quick looks at most of them:

Colby Armstrong to Toronto, 3 years, $9M: Leafs keep following Burke's plan, adding truculence. And Colby has leadership and some offensive skills. Good deal.

Matt Cullen to Minnesota, 3 years, $10.5M: Wild fans can expect a listless, uninterested, overpaid center who will decide to show up only when not feeling so homesick for Carolina that he calls into their broadcasts lamenting leaving Raleigh.

Dan Ellis to Tampa Bay, 2 years, $3M: Ellis will battle Mike Smith for starting time and hopefully that will make both better. Stevie Y is looking as smart off the ice as he was on it, adding Ellis and re-signing little Marty St. Louis. Tampa will be a lot better next season.

Kurtis Foster to Edmonton, 2 years, $3.6M: Big slap shot to go with good puck skills and some toughness, Sheldon Souray's replacement is younger, stronger and healthier. Good addition for Tom Renney's team.

Sergei Gonchar to Ottawa, 3 years, $16.5M: Gonchar keeps the same 5.5 salary he made with Pittsburgh and brings his sublime offensive skills to a team that desperately needs them. He is the Wade Redden replacement that they needed years ago and should hugely improve their power play with Spezza and Alfredsson.

Dan Hamhuis to Vancouver, 6 years, $27M: Canucks overpay for an overrated defender but after watching Luongo go swimming after rebounds last spring, they had to do something.

Olli Jokinen to Calgary, 2 years, $6M: Hahaha!! And I thought Sather would come through for Olli and we would all be left scratching our heads. Instead it is the poor Flames fans. Poor, poor Flames fans.

Toni Lydman to Anaheim, 3 years, $9M: Solid and steady Finn will help add stability to a blueline rocked by the loss of Niedermayer. Add in Saku Koivu re-upping, and the odds of Teemu coming through another season just jumped up.

Manny Malhotra to Vancouver, 3 years, $7.5M: Big money deal for our former top draft pick, Manny will be a rock in the middle for the Canucks. He can contribute on both sides of the ice and is stellar in the faceoff circle. That being said, a third liner making more than two mil a year is a lot ... but the Rangers pay theirs over seven so whatever ...

Chris Mason to Atlanta 2 years, $3.7M: Just in case Pavelic isn't ready, the Thrashers add a good goalie who can easily start 60 games and steal more than a few of them.

Paul Martin to Pittsburgh, 5 years, $25M: Amazing that Martin left Newark for just a 500k raise but how can you blame him? Martin gets a legitimate chance at a Stanley Cup run with the Pens. Pittsburgh doesn't replace Gonchar's offense but Martin helps in all three zones, not just the front two.

Zbynek Michalek to Pittsburgh, 5 years, $20M: When you consider the Pens added Martin too, this signing is HUGE. Michalek gets a massive raise from the 1.5 million he made last season but he is well worth the money, especially at just 26 years old.

Antero Niittymaki to San Jose, 2 years, $4M: It woulda been great to see the two 2006 Olympic gold medal game goaltenders holding court in New York but two mil a season for a backup is a bit much. San Jose was desperate to get someone in there and they got a guy who comes cheaper than the top flight but is capable of top flight goaltender. Sometimes.

Sean O’Donnell to Philadelphia, 1 year, $1M: Big, tough, smart and experienced, O'Donnell is a big addition for the Bullies. They make a huge improvement over Bartulis and Krajicek with O'Donnell and Andrej Meszaros.

Henrik Tallinder to New Jersey, 4 years, $13.5M: Another steady defender, Tallinder should quietly fit in and fill a third or fourth defenseman roll there.

Alex Tanguay to Calgary, 1 year, $1.7M: Tanguay took a 800k pay cut to go back to Calgary where he will reunite with Jarome Iginla and hopefully re-ignite his career.

Jody Shelley to Philadelphia, 3 years, $3.3M: What can you say? Philly adds class and toughness, perhaps even improving on Arron Asham, who is likely to sign elsewhere.

Ray Whitney to Phoenix, 2 years, $6M: The Wizard has serious skills, even at his age. He may take some ice time away from Prucha but he also may help Pru become a better player. The Yotes can certainly hope ...

Anton Volchenkov to New Jersey, 6 years, $25.5 M: Anton, meet Avery. Avery, meet Anton. Strong shot blocker should become close 'friends' with Sean this coming season.

Scotty's Early Look At The UFAs

The opening of free agency on Thursday is a virtual holiday in Canada but here in New York, Glen Sather has turned it into a day to be dreaded like the arrival of inlaws. There is simply no way of telling what the cigar smoker will do but I figured I would break down the impending UFAs in simple terms - guys I'd want, guys I wouldn't mind and guys I wouldn't want - without too much discussion of salary. In the days coming there will be a similar breakdown of RFAs and possible trade targets.

But we begin with the unrestricted guys; I left out some vets who will either re-sign with their teams or retire as well as many AHLers/nobodies but I think I covered the UFA market pretty well. All of the names were from Capgeek's UFA Finder when I started this a few weeks back (and promptly forgot about it). I added a short explanation beside each player, with a longer reasoning for the guys I would sign as GM. Sorry if it looks a bit jumbled, there is a lot there. It is (obviously) in alphabetical order.

Guys I Want On The Rangers
Steve Begin - Boyle is terrible; Begin would be a great replacement should none of the kids be fit to step into that fourth line spot. He is the kind of guy who would run through a wall for a teammate and is tough all over the ice.

Dan Ellis - Ellis was dealt to Montreal, well, his rights were. Wouldn't riding shotgun for Hank be more preferable to being under the microscope, even behind Jesus Price?

Anders Eriksson - Eriksson proved Leaf fans wrong by showing he is still capable of solid, steady play. He was a fantastic fill-in at the end of the year and would be a good stop-gap should McDonagh decide to head back to school.

Kurtis Foster - He's big, he's pretty tough and that slap shot of his is just so tempting a tool to add to the arsenal and he would be so much cheaper than Sheldon Souray.

Paul Martin - An exception to my No Devil rule, Martin is worth taking because he can eat up minutes, move the puck and play smart hockey. A younger, better version of the Bruce Driver we had ...

Zbynek Michalek - Shot-blocker extraordinaire would be cheaper alternative to Volchenkov. And it would be nice to finally get something worthwhile back from Don Maloney.

Willie Mitchell - If not for his concussion, I truly believe Vancouver would have beaten Chicago. Mitchell is one of the best defensive defensemen in the league and, if his head is ok, would be worth outbidding the Canucks for his services.

Antero Niittymaki - Seeing as the team is ready to crush Chad DosNueve's confidence and bring in a vet instead, the Finn absolutely dominates at times. Even when Finland lost to Hank and Sweden back in '06, Nitty was outstanding. I fully believe that the Finns underachieved in Vancouver because they didn't start him.

Jody Shelley - Grizzled, tough vet is a legitimate enforcer who proved he can play a little. He took steps towards leadership at the end of the season and has been called a great team guy everywhere he has gone.

Anton Volchenkov - Possibly the best shot-blocking defenseman in the league, Volchenkov can hit a little too and would provide some relief to Hank. But only if the cost is not Redden-esque ...

Ray Whitney - The wizard is old but still has the hands that has made him one of the most underrated players of the last decade. Seeing as Grachev isn't likely to be ready for full-time NHL work, Whitney would be the best solution to come in and add instant offense while we wait for the big Russian.

Guys I Wouldn't Mind On The Rangers
Colby Armstrong - Great team guy but not enough offense.
Alex Auld - Did well in short stay, can he handle more?
Eric Belanger - Old-time hockey player - took out his own tooth on the bench! - and is good at faceoffs.
Adam Burish - Already have Sean Avery.
Erik Christensen - Just worked to get a job for next season and then spurned the team when they wanted to give him one. Shmuck.
Mark Eaton - Not flashy but solid when healthy.
Andrew Ebbett - Shown great assist skills with Ducks, disappointed with Wild.
Ruslan Fedotenko - Always tough against us ...
Alexander Frolov - Offensive talent but at what cost?
Sergei Gonchar - Old but so very, very good.
Johan Hedberg - Mooooooose would get lit up from time to time in Atlanta.
Jeff Halpern - Nice Jewish boy but a low-liner.
Shane Hnidy - Gritty defender but slow and no offense.
Zenon Konopka - NHL fight king and a top faceoff guy but I want Shelley more.
Saku Koivu - Cancer survivor sees the ice so well; how much is left in the tank?
Slava Kozlov - Shootout specialist always lights up the Rangers.
Andreas Lilja - When healthy he's solid.
Michael Leighton - Look at what happened in Philly.
Matt Lombardi - Skilled center, but Christy may be cheaper to keep.
Toni Lydman - Quiet Finn loves metal and plays solid D but was hurt last year.
Manny Malhotra - Former top pick turned dependable third liner - would replace Drury well, haha.
Jay McKee - Former shot-blocker extraordinaire might still have some skill.
Glen Metropolit - Hard worker but a low-liner.
Dominic Moore - Eh, forget aboot it.
Owen Nolan - Oldie but goodie; tough as nails.
Sean O'Donnell - Oldie but goodie; tough as nails.
Jed Ortmeyer - Jed!
P.A. Parenteau - Loved the shootouts, underwhelmed by regulation play.
Corey Potter - The Rangers invested so much time in him already, why not give him a real shot?
Ruslan Salei - Belarussian stalwart is getting old.
Henrik Tallinder - Swedish Olympian not flashy but solid and friend of Hank.
Shawn Thornton - Love the toughness but hope to have Prust and Shelley.
Stephane Veilleux - Great penalty killing fourth liner, but no room for him.
Mike Weaver - Quiet but good, smart defenseman.

Guys I Don't Want On The Rangers
Max Afinigenov - Enigmatic Russian.
Evgeny Artyukhin - Oversized, undertalented.
Arron Asham - Dirtbag.
Adrian Aucoin - Former Islander.
Marc-Andre Bergeron - One-dimensional.
Martin Biron - Best days behind him.
Nick Boynton - Slow.
Kyle Calder - Moments few and far between.
Carlo Colaiacovo - Ask a Leafs fan.
Mike Comrie - Hilary Duff.
Craig Conroy - Old.
Joe Corvo - "Oh No!" Corvo.
Matt Cullen - Been there, done that.
Pavol Demitra - Old and injury prone, even if he was buds with Gaborik in Minnie.
Matt Ellis - Depth guy with no upside.
Ray Emery - Goon goalie.
Garnet Exelby - Headhunter.
Dan Hamhuis - Overrated.
Matt Hendricks - Meh.
Chris Higgins - At least he tried.
Andy Hilbert - Islander.
Hugh Jessiman - Ugh.
Aaron Johnson - Mediocre.
Kim Johnsson - Old.
Olli Jokinen - Flyers Stanley Cup Finalists.
Randy Jones - Not the same since the hit.
Milan Jurcina - Really? No.
Paul Kariya - Old.
Ilya Kovalchuk - No defense, lotsa money.
Lukas Krajicek - No vision.
Pavel Kubina - Overrated.
Patrick Lalime - Ask a Sabre fan.
Robert Lang - Old.
Brett Lebda - Spotty.
Manny Legace - Watch out for those carpets.
Jere Lehtinen - Old and injury-prone.
Jordan Leopold - Clueless.
Jamie Lundmark - Sorry.
John Madden - Old Devil.
Adam Mair - Thug.
Paul Mara - Miss the beard, not the player.
Chris Mason - Love the beard, don't need a starter.
Jamal Mayers - Good team guy, but little else.
Freddy Meyer - Islander.
Brian McGrattan - Goon.
Freddie Modin - Inconsistent.
Derek Morris - Overrated and overpaid.
Brendan Morison - This isn't Vancouver '03.
Shaone Morrisonn - Meh.
Mike Mottau - Devil.
Evgeni Nabokov - Choke job.
Eric Nystrom - Hate his dad.
Richard Park - Islander.
Matt Pettinger - Have enough third-line guys.
Fernando Pisani - Our players have asthma, not colitis.
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Look at what he didn't do with Crosby.
Brian Pothier - Never the same since Lucic hit.
Andrew Raycroft - Ask a Leafs fan.
Miro Satan - Belongs in Jersey.
Matt Schneider - Too old for a second tour.
Christoph Schubert - Former Olympian was on waiver wire.
Jon Sim - Islander.
Martin Skoula - Other options for veteran 7th D.
Lee Stempniak - Phoenix aside, not particularly good.
Jason Strudwick - As a coach maybe.
Andy Sutton - Not an expert.
Marek Svatos - Enigmatic.
Petr Sykora - Couldn't keep a job in offense-starved Minnesota.
Alex Tanguay - Declined last three seasons.
Jose Theodore - Three-Or-More.
Raffi Torres - Did nothing for Buffalo.
Vesa Toskala - Ask a Leafs fan.
Marty Turco - Not a backup; hates Avery.
Mike Van Ryn - Injury-prone.
Scott Walker - Lost a step.
Aaron Ward - Scum.
Kyle Wellwood - Tubby Too-Slow.
Jason Williams - Injury-prone.
Brad Winchester - Already have Prust.
Stephane Yelle - Old.

Byers Is Coming Back

Dane Byers, an RFA, is a RFA no more as he re-signed with the Rangers this afternoon. It is a good thing since most everyone has him penciled in the opening night lineup. Playing with Hartford, he missed most of last season with injury but made it back in time for the playoffs. If he shows up to camp in shape and works hard, his big league roster spot is almost a sure thing this fall.

Byers is a big kid who is not afraid of working in the trenches. He will go to the front of the net and battle for position; we should love him in the Garden. There is a lot of potential there and his upside is as second-line power forward. But in the short term, At the least, Byers will be a solid checking line grinder while he gets some NHL experience under his belt. I'm definitely looking forward to watching him.

Well, Isn't This Interesting?

Chris Drury's old Buffalo teammate Ales Kotalik, now formerly of the Edmonton Oilers, was just signed by the Rangers. The Ranger beat bloggers don't have it up yet but it is on the front of the team's homepage. More info will follow and I will have more comment later but for right now, I am left wondering if the former Sabre is coming in as an addition to the roster or as a replacement for Nik Zherdev ... We will certainly see ...

Filling Laundry

Glen Sather made a few signings since I posted last, with the highest profile being Colorado Avalanche forward Tyler Arnason. I will not be making a card for him. You know your general manager made a mistake when the mainstream media outlet that covers the player's former team had this to write about his departure:

Relief is finally here, Avs fans. No more startling, sweat-soaked leaps from the pillow at 3 a.m., following visions of Tyler Arnason playing for your team.
No longer will you have to pound the table after seeing Arnie get the puck taken off his stick, then watching him casually skate back to the bench with that “who cares?” look on his face.

No longer will you have to pull your hair after seeing Arnie misfire on another shot, or have it easily blocked and taken the other way, Arnie a full three strides behind in pursuit.

No longer will you have to look at an Avalanche payroll list and see Arnie making more money than guys like Lappy. No longer will you have to see Arnie shy away from making any contact with an opponent, which if he’d done so might have resulted in the Avalanche having the puck.

It’s all over. Arnie is, appropriately enough, a New York Ranger - the team that never saw an over-the-hill, overpaid Avs player they didn’t like.

Bon voyage, Arnie.

Or should it be: bon bon voyage?

When looking at Colorado's pending free agents at the end of the season, the awesome Aves blogger Jibble Scibbits had this to say about re-signing Arnason:

Tyler Arnason : In a word: No. In 41 words: If he takes the Ice in a unipron next season there will be protests in the streets of Denver that will make the streets of Tehran look desolate, and make the LA Lakers championship riot look like a hippy peace march.

Verdict No, No 1,000 times No.

Nice signing Glen! At least Sather had the smarts to make it a two way deal so Arnason could be buried in the minors. Arny has no place on an NHL roster anymore but should fit well alongside Pat Rissmiller in Hartford.

Speaking of the Pack, Sather also re-signed P.A. Parenteau, and added Corey Locke and Chris Chappell. Parenteau hopefully got himself a two-way deal where he isn't stuck in waiver hell like last season. He is a solid scorer who was a first team AHL All Star. Seeing as the Rangers need help scoring and that Parenteau has worked his ass off for the franchise, hopefully he will get a fair shot at making the roster. Locke is an under-sized AHL scorer who will likely never sniff the bigs but Chappell just might. Chappell is a big boy - 6'4, 209 - who improved his point total each of the last four seasons in the OHL. Last year he racked up 38 goals and 38 assists in 68 regular season games and eight points in eight playoff games for Saginaw. Jess from Prospect Park has surely seen him so I will wait for him to weigh in but it looks to me like a good signing.

Slow Afternoon

Kovalchuk persuaded Borat to join him in Atlanta, Kovalev decided to leave the negotiations with the Habs (hopefully not for a third tour with us) and Rob Scuderi went to Los Angeles. I'm headin' out for the evenin' but I did up another card ... are you guys digging them? Should I keep doing them? Lemme know in the comments. And, while you are at it, who do YOU think will be first line center next season? Dubi?

A Cynical Summer Night

It's Monday night, the temperature is way too warm for me so I figured I would go to my happy place and think about hockey. Yay. What better way than to take a pre-Wednesday look at the 2009-10 New York Ranger roster? This is based on what-seems-to-be the certainties that Antropov, Betts, Sjostrom, Orr, Mara and Morris are all gone for good. I will be around for much of Wednesday and will bring my usual commentary, but I must offer a warning - I don't see Sather doing too much. There simply isn't the money or the talent out there worth wasting what cap space there is. That space will be worth so much more come the trade deadline and next season's free agent crop. So, without a big trade or signing, here's the roster as I see it:

Offense
Drury-Gomez-Zherdev
Avery-Dubinsky-Callahan
Byers-Anisimov-Korpikoski
Voros-Boyle-Owens/Ambuhl

Defense
Staal-Girardi
Redden-Rozsival
Gilroy/Potter/Sauer-Heikkinen/Sanguinetti/Del Zotto

Goal
Hank
Valley

Looks grim, huh? I mean, it's nice that a half dozen or so new youngsters will get spots but this team looks like one in transition - maybe by the time the MSG renovations are done in 2012, it will have some firepower and be one helluva a team to watch (the building blocks are there). For now, notsomuch.

I was having a chat with Mr. X of the Blue Seats who laid Tortorella's plan out thusly: "As was his M.O. in Tampa,the extra players have no roles and the high end players will eat every available minute." I happen to agree with him, no matter what Mr. U.S. Assistant Coach claims in the press. If he didn't say the kids would get a look, they wouldn't work hard. If he didn't say they had just as much opportunity as the vets, then us season ticket holders would be outraged and not re-up. When the shined up p.r. drivel loses it's luster, it is almost certain that we will see the desperate coach go back to his old ways and means. That means, with the roster as is, we can look forward to another season where Gomez gets 24+ minutes to circle incessantly before going offsides. Wade Redden eating up power play minutes and giving up shorthanded goals. Hank being ran with no repercussions. Few goals and fewer fans in the seats.

Sather told Newsday that "I thought [Redden] played very well in the playoffs. When we signed all these guys, everybody was excited about them, you guys included." I'm sorry, I don't think I know a single person who was excited about signing Redden. I know plenty of folks who were pumped for Drury and Gomez but, at the same time, I wasn't one of them and I know a good number of others who agreed. But if Sather thinks that Redden and company are worth playing, you can be sure that his coach will play them. Being fired sucks.

Now, all of this could change - Sather could shock the world, blow up the roster, get some big-name bodies that are worth the jersey he puts on them and Tortorella may shock us all and be true to his word. We could see big budget players getting the minuscule minutes they deserve and accountability for folks not named Avery and all of that other heart-warming rhetoric Torts has spewed. But, call me a cynic, but I just have a hard time buying any of it.

Back In Blue?

Petr Sykora back on the Rangers? Why not?

Sykora thinks that it is time to part with the Pens and, while he is being wooed by the KHL, perhaps Broadway wouldn't be so bad. Sykora made a nice guest appearance here the second half of the first year out of the lockout and had 31 points in 40 games. Last season he scored 46 in 76 but fell out of favour with Dan Bylsma and played just seven playoff games.

He is getting older and a little slower - he is turning 33 this fall - but he is still a solid sniper, especially on the power play where he scored 19 of those 46 points. Sykora could prove to be a cost effective replacement to Markus Naslund. He scored the same amount of points as the Swede but made just $2.5 mill and certainly cannot expect a raise. Perhaps he could provide a veteran presence to help guide, shape and motivate Zherdev, since it seems like we will be stuck with the enigmatic Russian phenom.

The only question I have is would he be able to play in Tortorella's up-tempo attack system or will he be relegated to the press box like he was in the Pens Cup run?

What do you think?

Four Free Agents Worth The Fight

We all know the big names out there - Gaborik, the Sedins, Bouwmeester, etc. - but there are some others that are coming out of contract that could certainly help the Rangers. The hitch? The players have ties to their markets and might not be so willing to bounce to Broadway. Glancing at the list, I saw four guys I think that the Rangers should look at:

1- Steve Sullivan, Nashville: Let's get this right out of the way, no matter how well he says he is, Sullivan is an injury risk. He missed basically two seasons of hockey due to back problems and is beholden to Nashville for their patience in letting him take his time to make a comeback. He is also 34 and undersized at 5'9. However, he is a gritty hard worker who puts points on the board. He can score timely goals and kill penalties while setting a good example for teammates - basically a better version of the Chris Drury we had last season and he was only paid $3.2m. At his age and with his history, he should be willing to take a big pay cut while getting an incentive-laden deal.

2- Johnny Oduya, NJ: Sure the Rangers are deepest at defense, but you can't pass up the opportunity when a well-rounded player like him becomes available. Just 27 years old, the Swede is solid in all situations being smart in his own zone and a smooth puck mover. He made just $600k and even with a deserved raise should still be a bargain. And just think about how great it would be to take such a valuable asset away from the Devils! Poor Lou, it would be sweet justice for letting us take Gomez away (more on him later).

3- Chad LaRose, Carolina: A rough and tumble power winger who is unafraid to shoot or go to the tough areas to make plays, LaRose can't fight but shows a never-say-die attitude out on the ice. He is entering his prime at 27 and made $875k last year. He had just 31 points in 81 regular season games but stepped up his level of play in the postseason and collected 11 in 18. Canes fans call this guy the Chuck Norris of hockey and let's face it, that's pretty damn awesome.

4- Mikael Samuelsson, Detroit: This offseason will see just how greedy the former Ranger is. Because of the cap situation in Detroit, Samuelsson could very well be left on the outside looking in if he is hoping to double his $1.2m salary. But it is Detroit and most folks would be foolish to leave the best franchise in North American professional sports. At 32, the winger may have reached his peak as a secondary scorer but he is quite capable on the power play, something no Ranger was last season.

And while I am just throwing stuff out there, how is this for a trade proposal: Rangers trade Scott Gomez and one of their second round draft picks to either Colorado or Atlanta for their first round pick (third or fourth overall). Since Joe Sakic may just retire, his $6 mil will come off the Aves' books so they would be able to handle Gomez's contract and he could slide in behind Paul Stastny as the second line center he has always been with speedy wingers like Svatos or Wolski to work with. Bleacher Report had a post pitching Drury to be dealt back to Denver in a blockbuster with Bobby Sanguinetti for the pick and Milan Hejduk but I can't see Dru fitting in under the new regime, Bobby being traded or Hejduk willing to come to NY. In Atlanta Gomez would give Kovalchuk the puck distributor he has been missing since Savvy went to Boston.

As for the Rangers, they would get the game-breaking talent player they need so badly. If its the three spot, then stud center Matt Duchene would be the pick. Duchene has played with Future Blue Bobby and Evgeny Grachev and THN calls him "one of the best two-way prospects outside the NHL." If a deal with Atlanta goes through, the Rangers could grab Luke Schenn's brother Brayden, who can score and has his sibling's toughness. THN said scouts liken him to Mike Richards, and you all remember just how good Mike Richards is.

Stalk Or Let Him Walk?

The Rangers have a slew of free agents-to-be come July 1st. Puck Central did his look at them last week and I figured I would throw my $.02 in on which players Glen Sather should Stalk and which he needs to decide to Let Him Walk.

First off, Valley has already apparently signed an extension for next season already to remain as the backup goaltender. As he will make the same salary - $725k - this isn't a bad deal. He went 5-5-2 with four bad games - early season losses to Toronto (the five goal blitzkrieg), Ottawa and the 10-2 Dallas disaster and the shootout loss/Ilya Kovalchuk show in Atlanta. They say he is good in the room and he clearly shows up to work so I guess it is a good thing. Still, you have to wonder a little about the future as this shows that Benoit Allaire didn't feel either Miika Wiikman and Matt Zaba were ready despite both putting up solid seasons in the AHL (.920 save percentage for Zaba in 41 games? Wow.).

Taking the goaltender out of the equation, NHLNumbers still has 14 players heading to free agency, half of which are restricted. NHLSCAP has even more but seeing as they have a deal with Hockey Buzz, I don't trust them. So let's take a quick alphabetical gander at the guys we know are out - there aren't a whole lotta surprises:

Nik Antropov: He's big, he can score and he seems to care. At the same time, he doesn't hit and he has been hurt in the past. If the price tag is $4 mil or less a year (he made $2.15 this year), I say Stalk.

Joe Barnes: Forget about him? He is one of the guys we got back for sending Matt Cullen back to Carolina. He suffered a major knee injury last season and a major concussion this season but beyond his inclusion on Charlotte's IR, I can't find any news on him. His cap hit was all of $17,000; he won't be missed - Let Him Walk.

Mark Bell: The big Bell came over late and did well in Hartford at the end of the regular season - collecting 14 points in 18 games. Then he managed just one goal in five playoff games (missing one with injury). He made $2.5 mil on his last deal which is way more then he will get this time. Unless he was 18 ways of wonderful with the Pack kids, Let Him Walk no matter how little he will take to return.

Blair Betts: My opinion of Bettsy is well known - he is my favourite player. The best penalty killer, the calm and composed Betts rarely takes penalties and is one of the best in the biz in killing them off. He made 615k this season and deserves a raise - at least above Voros money (a cool mil). While I don't think Sather will give it to him and will let him go (just because that's my luck), I definitely think he should be Stalked into staying.

Ryan Callahan: The winner of the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, Cally was the best player on the team from wire to wire. He made $600k and is a RFA so a three, four year deal at $3 million wouldn't be terrible - especially considering his durability and upside. Stalk.

Brandon Dubinsky: Now, Dubi has an even bigger upside but struggled through a rollercoaster of a sophomore season. He may just be capable of being a Ranger captain down the line, but if he wants a long term deal for stupid money, you have to see if anyone will sign him to an offer sheet. As he hasn't played four NHL seasons, he can't go to arbitration and he was a WHL Tom Renney favourite. Should Renney get installed as Edmonton's coach, perhaps they will try to poach him. Still, if he will accept a reasonable deal, I say Stalk.

Lauri Korpikoski: The Korpedo had some good moments this season. He also had some bad ones as he was plagued with rookie mistakes and a coach who couldn't decide where or how to use him (Renney). As an RFA, he is entitled to a qualifying offer of 105% of his $984k and getting another season to see how he progresses may be worth the extra bucks. Stalk.

Paul Mara: The lumberjack has professed his love for NY and made just under $2 million. Seeing as he was the steadiest defenseman this season, he is certainly worth bring back but not for much more than what he was making. Considering he saw second unit power play time and we know how the special team fared, he might not be a big target for other teams so getting him for a discount may be possible. Stalk, with an eye on letting him walk if he doesn't flourish in NHL season No. 2.

Derek Morris: Seeing as Mike Sauer and Corey Potter proved jut as capable as playing as Morris did, the overpriced veteran can be shown the door. Had he come in and scored a dozen power play goals with that shot that they claimed he still had and hit everything that moved, I would say try to get him at a half price from his $3.95 mil salary but he didn't so see ya ... Let Him Walk.

Colton Orr: While us fans loved having one of the best bruisers in the business, the head coach clearly didn't trust him and benched him in the playoffs. Seeing what happened without him, you have to hope that even the obstinate Tortorella was able to learn a lesson and will insist Sather bring him back. Stalk.

Corey Potter: Tom Renney didn't trust him but Renney was a fool. Poised with the puck, Potter did well with his limited time and, as an RFA, certainly should be qualified to give him a chance to challenge for a spot on the Blueshirt blueline this fall. Stalk.

Pat Rissmiller: The former Shark didn't do anything for the Rangers but was a regular top line player on the farm. If he can find another team to give him one more kick at the NHL can, you have to say Let Him Walk.

Freddie Sjostrom: Just 25 years old, Sjoey hasn't found his scoring touch but his relentlessness and defensive acumen are certainly there. A restricted free agent who has been in the league for a while, he can go to arbitration. That should be avoided but knowing Sather it won't and the curmudgeon of a GM will point out his dearth of offense. Still, the affable Swede was solid on the ice and tight with Hank off of it so you gotta say Stalk.

Nik Zherdev: Another candidate for arbitration, if the Rangers don't take Zherdev there I would be shocked. Making $2.5 million now and ending up one of the leading scorers on a team that could hardly put the puck in the net, Z's agent could make a good case for a raise. While many of you guys appear to be entranced with his talent and youth (as seen in the comments of my report card), I have no patience for players with no heart and no fortitude. Let Him Walk.

NHLSCAP has five other free agents (all down on the farm) in Vlad Denisov, Dane Byers, Greg Moore, Matt Zaba and Pierre Parenteau with PA being the only UFA. If another team will give Moore a chance to make their NHL roster, let him go. I believe Denisov got a three year entry level contract before last season but could be wrong; he is a mediocre AHL guy so I would Let Him Walk if not. Byers, Zaba and Parenteau all should be Stalked - Byers has a huge upside and could become a Torts favourite, Zaba broke out when Wiikman was hurt and Parenteau can score. The Rangers need to make sure that if they are going to re-sign him they need to make sure he won't have to go through waivers to be called up (duh) - he would have been a nice addition to spark the Ranger offense during the midwinter doldrums.

Coming soon: a look at some free agents to be who might be worth checking out.

Yes Glen, It Is Time For A Change

Well, now that Glen Sather has managed to shove the blame for his failings upon someone else yet again, I figured it might be good to look at just what he has done. Sather was officially hired by the Rangers June 1st, 2000. Let's take a look at some of his more memorable works - both good and bad - using Outside The Garden's transaction listings ...

July 1st, 2000 - Signed Vladimir Malakhov for four years for $14 million

June 24th, 2001 - Traded Adam Graves to San Jose for Mikael Samuelsson

August 20th, 2001 - Traded Jan Hlavac, Kim Johnsson, Pavel Brendl and 2003 3rd Round Pick to Philadelphia for Eric Lindros

March 18th, 2002 - Traded Igor Ulanov, Filip Novak, 2002 1st Round Pick, 2002 2nd Round Pick and 2003 4th Round Pick to Florida for Pavel Bure and 2002 2nd Round Pick

March 19th, 2002 - Traded Mike York and 2002 4th Round Pick to Edmonton for Tom Poti and Rem Murray

June 26th, 2002 - Traded Theo Fleury to San Jose for a 2002 6th Round Pick

July 1st, 2002 - Signed Bobby Holik for five years for $45 million

July 2nd, 2002 - Signed Darius Kasparaitus for six years for $25.5 million

December 12th, 2002 - Traded Tomas Kloucek, Rem Murray and Marek Zidlicky to Nashville for Mike Dunham

January 8th, 2003 - Traded 2004 4th Round Pick to Chicago for Boris Mironov

February 10th, 2003 - Traded Samuelsson, Joel Bouchard, Rico Fata, Richard Lintner and cash to Pittsburgh for Alexei Kovalev, Dan Lacouture, Janne Laukkanen and Mike Wilson

March 11th, 2003 - Traded Radek Dvorak and Cory Cross to Edmonton for Anson Carter and Ales Pisa

August 14th, 2003 - Re-signed Tom Poti for two years at $5.9 million

September 3rd, 2003 - Signed Boris Mironov for one year at $1,925,000

January 23rd, 2004 - Traded Anson Carter to Washington for Jaromir Jagr and cash

March 2nd, 2004 - Traded Alexei Kovalev to Montreal for Josef Balej and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 3rd, 2004 - Traded Briant Leetch and a Conditional Draft Pick to Toronto for Maxim Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen, a 2004 1st Round Pick and a 2005 2nd Round Pick

March 3rd, 2004 - Traded Petr Nedved and Jussi Markkanen to Edmonton for Dwight Helminen, Stephen Valiquette and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 6th, 2004 - Traded Chris Simon and Conditional 2004 7th Round Draft Pick to Calgary for Jamie McLenna, Blair Betts and Greg Moore

March 8th, 2004 - Traded Matt Barnaby and a 2004 3rd Round Pick to Colorado for Chris McAllister, David Liffiton and a 2004 2nd Round Pick

March 8th, 2004 - Traded Vladimir Makarov to Philadelphia for Rick Kozak and a 2005 2nd Round Draft Pick

March 9th, 2004 - Traded Martin Rucinsky to Vancouver Canucks for R J Umberger and Martin Grenier

March 9th, 2004 - Traded Greg de Vries to Ottawa for Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux

August 10th, 2004 - Signed Michael Nylander for three years for $8.9 million

July 29th, 2005 - Paid out Bobby Holik

August 2nd, 2005 - Signed Marek Malik for three years for $7.5 million

August 2nd, 2005 - Signed Martin Straka for one year for $3 million

October 7th, 2005 - Traded Jozef Balej to Vancouver with conditional pick for Fedor Fedorov

January 8th, 2006 - Traded Maxim Kondratiev for Petr Sykora and 2007 4th round pick

March 9th, 2006 - Traded 2006 3rd Round Pick to Anaheim for Sandis Ozolinsh

July 1st, 2006 - Signed Matt Cullen for four years for $11.2 million

July 3rd, 2006 - Signed Aaron Ward for two years for $5.5 million

July 9th, 2006 - Signed Brendan Shanahan for one year for $4 million

February 5th, 2007 - Traded Jan Marek, Marc-Andre Cliche and Jason Ward for Sean Avery and John Seymour

July 1st, 2007 - Signed Scott Gomez for seven years for $51.5 million

July 1st, 2007 - Signed Chris Drury for five years for $35.25 million

July 17th, 2007 - Traded Matt Cullen to Carolina for Andrew Hutchinson, Joe Barnes and a 2008 3rd Round Pick

February 26th, 2008 - Traded Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Phoenix for Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton and David LeNeveu

February 26th, 2008 - Traded 6th Round pick to St. Louis for Christian Backman

July 1st, 2008 - Signed Aaron Voros for three years for $3 million

July 1st, 2008 - Signed Wade Redden for six years for $39 million

July 2nd, 2008 - Traded Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman to Columbus for Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche

Tom Renney came in just prior to the lockout to finish off a terrible season, and then guided the franchise through the "new" NHL and into the playoffs three straight years. If/when John Tortorella fails to bring in a even playoff team this year he will be let off the hook. But no Cup by 2012? Let's hope that Sather is the one to take the fall then ...

An Open Letter To Those Players At Camp

Hello, and welcome to the New York Rangers,

There are some things you need to know before you get the 2008-2009 NHL season started as a member of the Broadway Blueshirts. I will attempt to lay them out for you to make your transition to New York easier. If you keep these in mind, your stay will be an enjoyable and, hopefully, productive one. Best of luck.

1- First and foremost, being a Ranger requires respect. Respect for your teammates. Respect for the jersey. Respect for the fans. Respect the Rangers. Everything else on this list falls under this dictum. Respect. It sounds simple, but it's not. It's a complete way of being that will require hard work but the payoff is virtually limitless.

2 - I mentioned hard work. That is what is expected of you. Anything less - let up for just one moment of one shift - and the results would be disastrous. During that lapse a goal may be scored against the Rangers, or it may not. Either way, someone will notice. The Rangers are the most scrutinized NHL team not in Canada, both by the media and by the fans. You do not want to let up in this town. At the same time, even if things aren't going your way - go without scoring for games at a time, whatever - if you are visibly working hard you will given a pass. You may look around at the fans by the ice and see the nice clothes, the Blackberries and the models, but this is a blue collar fanbase that expects and appreciates hard work.

3 - Meet the fans, greet the fans. They are your best asset on the ice, better than any newfangled composite stick or heated skateblade. You may have played in the Garden in the past, you may have not. But you have never felt anything like it when you have 18,200 people getting your back, helping you up, pushing you forward. At the same time, that 18,200 can be merciless. This goes back to No. 2, if you don't show maximum effort, you will face the ire of the fans and trust me, you won't like it.

4 - Do anything but sit back and watch when the Islanders, Devils or Flyers are in town. Those are the times to be proactive. Very proactive. There is no faster way to the hearts of the fans than through the franchise's biggest rivals. In this day and age of free agency (which may have brought you here), rivalries are harder to cling to for players - you may have friends on the other team - but they are grossly important to the fans. Go out to dinner with them, go on vacation with them, whatever - from the second that puck drops, you had better be out for blood. Players come and go but that jersey that you pull on has been around for a long time and that means something. Pulling on that jersey comes with the baggage of hatred for wrongs past. It may sound petty, but it is a part of life. And, if you use it right - through the aforementioned hard work - then it is a very, very good thing.

5 - On February 3rd Adam Graves' No. 9 will be raised to the rafters. Pay attention. Pay attention not just to the testimonials and not just to the sheer adoration that will thunder through the Garden. Pay attention to Adam Graves. You will not find a better role model in your search for what it means to be a Ranger. Words cannot do him justice, just watch and listen.

6 - Always, ALWAYS have your teammate's back. There is nothing worse than seeing a player get hit in a vulnerable position without retribution. That especially goes for your goaltender.

7 - Give not to temptation. New York never closes and there is fun to be had no matter what your vice may be. But if you give in to it, then you are breaking No. 1 on this list. There is a time and place for everything, and while you wear that jersey the time is not right for nefarious activities.

8 - Spend some time reading up on the past. The more you read about the 82 year history of the franchise, the more you will understand just how important No. 1 on this list is. A lot of people have put their blood, sweat and tears into building the Rangers and the least you can do is know who they were.

9 - Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Honesty is the best policy. Silly, right? Not at all. When speaking to the media or to the press, one of the worse things you can do is speak in benign cliches. There is no such thing as 110%. You can only take things one game, or one day, at a time. And you don't always get the bounces. We know that; tell us how, tell us why. You can't be afraid to show your personality, because that is who you are.

10 - Don't believe the hype. Because of the payroll, because of the market and because of the ever-positive preseason expectations, there is going to be people saying that you will win the Cup. Don't let it get to your head. Things can go south, and quickly with the tough teams on the schedule throughout the first month of the season. Work hard, listen to the coaches and play your game to the best of your ability.

This list may seem daunting, but you will be pulling on a Blueshirt and these are the things that come with the jersey.

Let's Go Rangers.

-Scotty Hockey

I Can't Think Of A Whitty Title

What rhymes with Nigel?? I thought of using Dawes Does, but that's just lame. The Rangers re-signing Nigel Dawes isn't necessarily lame, but it is a gamble. Are the Rangers going to get the stocky little scorer with good hands or the diminutive winger who disappeared when they needed goals most?

Dawes certainly paid his dues by returning to Hartford without complaint to start last season and he showed flashes of stardom, but he also disappeared for eight games in the playoffs. The Rangers were suffering without scoring and Dawes was nowhere to be found, often allowing himself to be forced out to the perimeter where he was useless.

Newsday says that Dawes' deal is just for one season, which is good. This season will be make or break for his career and having to play for a new deal should provide the motivation to be all that he can be, or so we can only hope.

Peering Into The Crystal Puck

With one day of free agency down, I figured I would take a look at the lines for next season based on the players that the Rangers have now. (It appears Blueshirt Bulletin did this as well, so you can check out Dubi's take.) I'm not big on numbers, but as near as I can figure there is about seven, eight million dollars left under the salary cap so maybe there is more help on the way ... there certainly had better be.

Offense:
Nigel Dawes - Scott Gomez - Petr Prucha
Lauri Korpikoski - Chris Drury - Ryan Callahan
Aaron Voros - Brandon Dubinsky - Freddie Sjostrom
Patrick Rissmiller - Blair Betts - Colton Orr/Ryan Hollweg

Defense:
Wade Redden - Michal Roszival
Dan Girardi - Fedor Tyutin
Marc Staal - Christian Backman

Goaltender:
Henrik Lundqvist
Steve Valiquette

Mind you, this is purely based on the first day of free agency but somehow, to me, that doesn't look like a team that will win the Stanley Cup. Hell, that barely looks like a team that will make the playoffs. Tensions ran high all year as the Rangers struggled to score goals, and it looks like next season will be no different. The Rangers didn't have many wingers that could score and now they have even less. The Rangers didn't have a defenseman capable of clearing the crease, and they still don't.

The Islanders got better by adding a low-cost, puck-moving defenseman in Mark Streit and the Devils certainly improved by signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik while retaining Jay Pandolfo. The Rangers have appeared to let go of their heart as well as their top scorer, doomed their top prospect to less ice time and locked up over $11 million in two defensemen who had troubles in their own zones last season.

For all of that ranting, the Rangers still did more to improve their team than both the Flyers and the Penguins so there is some solace in that. Also, it is possible that Rozy and Redden could bounce back from their recent disappointing play but more often than not, players who just got cushy contracts aren't quite motivated. We will just have to wait until October to see ...