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 ... 

Not-So-Free Agents 2012

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 on Sunday 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.

Even with the names below, the best idea I believe for the Blueshirts is to stay out of the free agent insanity and let the kids play. Mercenaries, by and large, have not worked too well for this franchise - just look at some of the names included in the poll on the right. There are kids coming up, Sather should not block their development with hired guns. The one exception being Justin Schultz, as he is a prospect himself; he is not included on the list below of UFAs as he has no NHL experience. They REALLY should sign him.

Guys I Want On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Adam Burish C DAL 29 $1,150,000 - Not quite Steve Ott but still a quality, defensively conscientious pest.
Shane Doan R PHO 35 $4,550,000 - If Coyotes leave Phoenix he may leave the Coyotes; hell yes. He takes losing personally.
Paul Gaustad C NAS 30 $2,300,000 - Imagine Boyle, but good at things like faceoffs and fighting and remaining consistent.
Jiri Hudler L DET 28 $2,875,000 - Great secondary scoring as long as the rate is reasonable.
Jaromir Jagr R PHI 40 $3,300,000 - Still scoring after all these years so as long as he isn't captain I'm ok with it,
Daymond Langkow C PHO 35 $4,500,000 - At a pay cut he could help balance out the lines a bit with solid, simple play.
Travis Moen L MTL 30 $1,500,000 - Blood n' guts team guy with a Cup to his credit.
Dominic Moore C SAN 31 $1,100,000 - Don't forget aboot it, the former Ranger is capable.
Shane O'Brien D COL 28 $1,100,000 - Tough, loved by teammates. Dammit, re-signed.
Jed Ortmeyer R MIN 33 $585,000 - It's Jed, I mean, c'mon! Jed!
Zach Parise L NJD 27 $6,000,000 - He's kinda good. I guess. Maybe.
Taylor Pyatt L PHO 30 $1,000,000 - Goes to the front of the net, the Rangers need that.
Steve Sullivan L PIT 37 $1,500,000 - Heart and soul and a little bit of scoring.
Ryan Suter D NAS 27 $3,500,000 - There's a reason why there will be a bidding war for this blueliner.
Ray Whitney L PHO 40 $3,000,000 - Worship the Wizard.

Guys I Wouldn't Mind On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Bryan Allen D CAR 31 $2,900,000 - Decent shutdown guy blocks shots and kills penalties.
Sheldon Brookbank D ANA 31 $750,000 - Gritty, solid citizen.
Ryan Carter C NJD 28 $750,000 - If you can't beat him (or beat him up) ...
Brett Clark D TBL 35 $1,500,000 - Veteran shot blocker.
Jason Garrison D FLA 27 $675,000 - First half was great, will want too much moolah.
Hal Gill D NAS 37 $2,250,000 - Slow but tough.
Jochen Hecht C BUF 35 $3,525,000 - Quite capable when healthy.
Kristian Huselius L CLB 33 $4,750,000 - Could be Vinny Prospal 2.0 if he can avoid fluke injuries.
Zenon Konopka C OTT 31 $700,000 - Fights, wins faceoffs. Also takes bad penalties though.
Michael Leighton G PHI 31 $1,550,000 - Helped the Flyers get to the Cup Final before being dumped.
Antero Niittymaki G SAN 32 $2,000,000 - Hank's rival in Turin; might be seeking redemption as he's sucked since.
Sean O'Donnell D CHI 40 $850,000 - Plenty of experience but quite slow.
George Parros R ANA 32 $875,000 - Can you imagine that mustache in NY??!?
Dustin Penner L LAK 29 $4,250,000 - After that playoff performance, who can turn down pancakes?
Bryce Salvador D NJD 36 $2,900,000 - As with Carter, if you can't beat him ...
Sheldon Souray D DAL 35 $1,650,000 - That slap shot, wow. But besides that, what's left?
Lee Stempniak R CGY 29 $1,900,000 - Average, two-way winger. Meh.

Guys I Don't Want On The Rangers

Name Position/Age/2011-12 Salary - Cause

Arron Asham R PIT 34 $775,000 - Man do I hate this guy.
Adrian Aucoin D PHO 38 $2,000,000 - Oooold.
Alex Auld G OTT 31 $1,000,000 - Auuuld.
Jason Blake L ANA 38 $4,000,000 - Former Islander scum.
Brad Boyes R BUF 30 $4,000,000 - Was never worth that money, still isn't.
Andrew Brunette L CHI 38 $2,000,000 - Oooold and sloooooow.
Matt Carle D PHI 27 $3,437,500 - Will want too much money.
Scott Clemmensen G FLA 34 $1,200,000 - Capable but cheaper options are available.
Ty Conklin G DET 36 $750,000 - Conk can't block a beachball anymore.
Joe Corvo D BOS 35 $2,250,000 - Uh Oh Corvo, no.
Radek Dvorak R DAL 35 $1,500,000 - Oooold.
Dan Ellis G ANA 32 $1,500,000 - Don't need his problems.
Kurtis Foster D MIN 30 $1,800,000 - Not the same since the broken leg.
Nicklas Hagman L ANA 32 $3,000,000 - Waaay too much money for waaay too little.
Scott Hannan D CGY 33 $1,000,000 - Far past his prime.
Mike Knuble R WAS 39 $2,000,000 - Sadly far past his prime.
Andrei Kostitsyn R NAS 27 $3,250,000 - An enigmatic Russian scorer? Why I never.
Filip Kuba D OTT 35 $3,700,000 - Older, slower, probably will stay in Ottawa. Or should.
Pavel Kubina D PHI 35 $3,850,000 - Soft Czech defenseman, been there/done that.
Sami Lepisto D CHI 27 $750,000 - Not much more than a seventh defender.
Torrey Mitchell C SAN 27 $1,366,667 - Low-line grinder.
Scott Nichol C STL 37 $700,000 - Old low-line grinder.
Cory Sarich D CGY 33 $3,600,000 - Play has dropped off dramatically.
Alex Semin R WAS 28 $6,700,000 - Heartless, gutless, enigmatic.
Jaro Spacek D CAR 38 $3,833,333 - Injury-prone and old.
Brett Sutter L CAR 25 $525,000 - Darryl's kid hasn't made the leap yet.
Colin White D SAN 34 $1,000,000 - Remember when he was a Devil? Yeah, no.
Dennis Wideman D WAS 29 $3,937,500 - Too expensive for a 3-4 defenseman.

The Great Re-Opening

Since opening night is a day away, I look forward to getting a few questions of mine answered about the renovated Garden. Some are serious, some are sarcastic, but all are burning (like gonorrhea):

*Will Dolan dislocate his shoulder patting himself on the back?

*Just how many homeless people can you see from the new 'city views'??

*How many 'great new features' will be covered up by poorly painted sheetrock?

*Will ushers allow the real fans to lurk in the new seats to watch warmups? Or will our poorness stain the new fabric?

*Which will be sadder, the pre-game ceremony for Derek Boogaard or the power play?

*Will all Sean Avery shirts and jerseys be on sale? Will Torts be selling them himself, out on Seventh Ave?

*After fighting Orr, will Rupp go back to his usual job at the Museum of Natural History as part of the neanderthal exhibit?

*Given the prices, will they install a automated teller machine where you can take out a second mortgage on your house?

*Which will be higher? The attendance or the number of line combinations Tortorella tries?

*How will they ever top Ace Frehley??

Another Letter ...

The Rangers called season subscribers this afternoon to alert them that the below e-mail was coming. Essentially it says that things will be great for the people who will spend a lot of money and sit downstairs but for those folks upstairs, life will be very inconvenient.

Welcome back!

Now that the Rangers season is underway and we are close to the home opener at The Garden, we are thrilled to share with you some of the exciting new amenities you will find when you visit this season that are part of the first phase of the Arena's top-to-bottom three year historic Transformation. Before the puck drops on October 27th, I want to make sure that you have all the inside information regarding easy access to your seats and some of the newly transformed parts of the building. We are confident you are going to love what you see!

Throughout the 2011-12 Season you will experience some amazing enhancements to the building including:

*New Lower Bowl seating area with more comfortable seats and great sightlines
*Expanded Madison Concourse (6th floor) with city views
*Enhanced concession stands, more restrooms and additional retail locations (Note: additional features will continue to debut throughout the 2011-12 season)
*New 1879 and Delta Sky360° Club areas offering exclusive dining options and private entry to seat locations
*New food offerings on the 8th and 10th floor concourses (Note: additional features will continue to debut throughout the 2011-12 season)
*New West Balcony seating located above the West End of the Upper Bowl
*Additional details about what’s new and more importantly, how to get to your seats, is listed below. So you have more time to familiarize yourself with the transformed areas of The Garden, doors will open at 5:30pm prior to the home opener on October 27th when your New York Rangers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. This provides an additional 30 minutes of access to the arena for all of our guests.

What's New?

The Seating Configuration
Even if your seat is located in an area of the building that has not been transformed, it is likely that there is a new way to get there. There will be pockets of the arena that are transformed to the point where on initial glance, you may need assistance or guidance to find your way. Rest assured that there will be plenty of staff on hand to assist you as you explore the new building. Here are some important changes worth noting prior to your arrival:

The Madison Concourse (6th floor) will provide an enhanced experience including city views and new and improved menu offerings but it will also be a space that is quite different as compared to the 6th floor concourse last season.

For this season, the 7th floor will not wrap completely around The Garden meaning that access from the North side of the 7th floor to South side of the 7th floor and vice versa is only available by using the Madison Concourse (6th floor). The 7th floor provides access to 200 Level locations and 300 Level locations that are on the North and South sides of the building.

For this season, the 8th floor will wrap completely around The Garden but will only provide access to the East and West sections of the 300 Level. Access to the 8th floor is available through both Towers A and D.

Listed below is our recommendation on how to access your seats based on your location. In addition to the directions to your seats, we have listed the locations and launch dates for specific food offerings and merchandise locations.

Based on your seats in Section 329, we recommend that you take the following path:

300 Level North and South Seats

All 300 Level seat locations on the North and South ends of the building are accessible from the 7th floor concourse. For this season, the 7th floor will not wrap completely around The Garden meaning that access from the North side of the 7th floor to the South side of the 7th floor (and vice versa) is only available by using the Madison Concourse (6th floor). As a result, for those locations on the North side of the building (Sections 328 - 341), Tower D is the only access point. Should you attempt entry at Tower A, your ticket will not scan and you will be redirected to Tower D. For those locations on the south side of the building (Sections 303 - 316), Tower A is the only access point. Should you attempt entry at Tower D, your ticket will not scan and you will be redirected to Tower A.

Food & Beverage Offerings
In addition to an expanded Madison Concourse, increased restrooms and viewing areas on the 8th and 10th floors, some of the biggest names in New York food will be creating exclusive, world-class culinary options for The World's Most Famous Arena. As part of The MSG Signature Collection, you will see a number of new menu offerings that will become available throughout the season.

In late November, two sensational offerings will be available on the Madison Concourse (6th floor).

*The Sausage Boss, by Chef Andrew Carmellini (available in three locations).
*Daily Burger, by restaurateur Drew Nieporent (available in two locations).
*In mid-December, you will find additional offerings available throughout the arena.
*Simply Chicken, by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten on the 6th and 8th floors.
*Lobster Shrimp Roll by Aquagrill (chef Jeremy Marshall) on the 6th, 8th and 10th floors.

Other notable offerings that will become available during the early parts of the season are:

*Carnegie Deli
*Hill Country Barbecue
*16 Handles Frozen Yogurt
*Kosher offerings from Carlos & Gabby's
*Additional Garden Markets
*Stand Healthy (allergy free and gluten free offerings)
*Merchandise Locations

In October, you will be able to purchase Rangers gear in the Mall prior to entering the Box Office and in the arena where you will find four locations on the Madison Concourse (6th floor). Additional locations will open throughout the season.

Musings on MSG's Renovation

Friend of the blog Patrick Hoffman wrote an article for TheGoodPoint.com and he asked me a six-pack of questions about the on-going Garden renovations. While some of my answers made his final article, I figured I would post the full monty here for your perusal.

1) Why do you think Madison Square Garden decided to do these renovations?

The short answer is because James Dolan is a businessman who likes to make money. The long answer is because Dolan was shortsighted and shot down the west-side Jets stadium. Once he did that, he slammed the door shut on Bloomberg and the rest of the NYC politicos and thus couldn't set up any kind of tax breaks or financial assistance for a new MSG. Without being able to build a new building, Dolan had to find other ways to raise long-term profits and a full renovation was the next-best thing. The old layout only had so much space for sushi bars and other trappings of the rich, corporate elite that Dolan hopes to attract more of. Yes, regular people enjoy sushi too, but not at hockey games.

2) When you first heard that the Garden would be undergoing renovations, what was your reaction? Why?

I was less than pleased, because I saw a dark future in it - a future where hardcore fans and children can't afford to go to games. A future where the Garden is as intimidating as the Air Canada Center in Toronto (which is not intimidating at all). A future where the team goes back to it's mercenary ways where they overpay for names to keep bringing in corporate clients. I was part of a focus group the Garden held with other season ticket holders. The third-party gentleman that they brought in to conduct the group asked a battery of questions, all along the line of 'what would make it alright for them to take your seat away and give you a worse one?' The answer, unanimously, was nothing. The fellow recommended an exclusive entrance to the building, some exclusive concession stands or minor discounts on said concessions. He was completely unable to grasp the concept that hardcore Ranger fans don't care about the accommodations or intermission entertainment options, they care about watching the game.

3) How do you think these renovations will end up benefiting Ranger fans at the game?

The renovations will make everything shinier and make it easier for fans to empty their wallet. There won't be any more limited view seats and there should be less congestion in the concourses during intermissions. There should be more of an impetus for Sather to build a winning team to justify the huge increases in cost but, looking at Toronto again, that won't necessarily be the case.

4) Do you think that their could be any negatives with these renovations? If so, what are they?

See my answer to number two. The Garden will be another vanilla building, albeit one even more full of tourists and businessmen endlessly talking on Blackberries while ignoring the action. Being a Ranger fan becomes more difficult the more they try to make going to games a luxury. In this day and age, what lower or even middle class families can afford to spend hundreds of dollars to go to a game? How many kids will ever get a chance to sit down low and see and feel the speed and power of live hockey, and thus become hooked on it? As great of a hockey city as New York is, the sport is not ingrained in people the way baseball and basketball is. Hockey is a big niche but a niche just the same. When you charge $60, 70 for nosebleeds, how many of the blue collar fans will bring the wife and kids to several games a season? Not many. They will sit at home and watch it on television, where it becomes just another program - like Jersey Shore or American Idol (and with Joe Micheletti doing analysis, just as obnoxious). It is just another case of eroding your long-term fanbase in exchange for a short-term money grab.

5) As someone who attends the Garden to watch hockey, how do you think the renovations will enhance your viewing experience?

Enhance my experience? Not at all. They may add some convenience as there will be less crowds to fight through towards the increased number of bathrooms and concessions. As a Garden regular after the lockout (when I finally had the money to be), I rarely had problems with the crowds. Like many of the other season ticket folks, I learned the best ways, means and timing to get everything I wanted. And, it must be said that those wants are not many outside of seeing the game. A pregame pretzel, maybe a beer and a stop at the bathroom (after said beer). In fact, the renovations will actually detract from the viewing experience as there will be less hardcore fans to commiserate with, less fans to make noise with and less chance I will be able to afford to go in the future.

6) Any other thoughts you'd like to share regarding the renovations and how it relates to the Rangers?

Dolan and O'Neil and the rest of the Garden brass are doing what they need to do to increase revenues and help maintain the building's standing as the self-proclaimed World's Most Famous Arena. I understand that. But, in doing so, the characteristics that have helped make the place one of the most intimidating, interesting and unique in all of the world are being stripped away. The building is stepping further from the gritty Garden and more towards personality-free corporate cleanliness. It is not entirely unlike Disney taking over Times Square and making it 'safe': it is business- and tourist-friendly but it has no personality.

Renovation Update

Madison Square Garden's atrocious transformation/money grab is continuing and starting to infringe on the public parts of the Garden. The team just sent out an update with what will be closed during tomorrow's game:

Renovation Update

From the Rangers today:

"Please Pardon Our Appearance" as we transform The World's Most Famous Arena into the world's most state-of-the-art arena.

Hi,

It's time for some hockey! We couldn't be more excited as we enter the 2010-11 New York Rangers season and celebrate our 85th Anniversary! The tradition, passion and loyalty that defines the blueshirt faithful begins with you! There is tremendous excitement surrounding the upcoming season which promises to be an unforgettable experience for the entire Rangers family. We thank you for being a valued season subscriber and look forward to sharing many exciting moments with you at The Garden this season!

As you know, Madison Square Garden is currently undergoing a comprehensive, top-to-bottom Transformation that will dramatically enhance the experience for all of our guests. We are well on our way, as you will soon see, on a project that will continue until the 2013-14 season to transform The World's Most Famous Arena into the world's most state-of-the-art arena. Over the past several months construction workers have been working around the clock completing the necessary structural work to prepare for the massive changes ahead. Some of this work will continue throughout the season. We are taking all possible steps to minimize disruptions to fans, however this will mean some changes this season to your Rangers experience.

Over the next couple months there will be construction related activity in the North and South Concierge areas of The Garden. As a result, please note the following:

*The Play-by-Play Restaurant has now been permanently closed

*The Club Bar & Grill will be temporarily closed during the pre-season (reopening in early October)

*The escalators and Terrace level outside the club will also be temporarily closed

Until further notice, we ask that all Subscribers and guests with Club Level seating enter The Garden through the main box office lobby. Also, as a reminder, when fully operational, only those Subscribers and guests who have purchased Club Level Seats and/or Suites have access to the North and South Concierge entrances.

We will continue to provide ongoing updates throughout the Transformation process. There will also be additional staff on site throughout the course of the Transformation to assist with any questions and help direct you around areas that may be temporarily out of service. If you have any questions, please call your Dedicated Account Executive or the Season Subscriptions Department at 212-465-6050. For answers to many frequently asked questions, please visit us online.

Sincerely,

Scott O'Neil
President, Madison Square Garden Sports

Well that is annoying, I used to go down by the Play-by-Play to pick up the free copies of the night's rosters. Hopefully they relocate them somewhere accessible ...

Your 85th Anniversary Logo

On the left is the season ticket books with a cardboard band around it with the embossed logo. On the right an oversized empty shopping bag they issued with the booklet for no apparent reason. Then again, as @CP2Devil said on twitter maybe the "Bag is for all the booze you'll need to get through the season." I would concur if it was an environmentally-friendly reusable bag, but instead it is paper. Like the Rangers often do, they wasted money designing and printing future landfill. Money that would be better spent towards ... well, anything.

With no word otherwise, I would guess that the massive logo on the paper bag will be re-purposed into a patch for this season. The round one on the booklet band would be more intricate, and thus more of a pain to stitch. We shall certainly see!

First The Staal Talk And Now This?

"A lot of teams were asking about our kids. There were deals to be made there, they wanted our kids; we stayed steady, we need to continue doing that. It’s not like we want to be in last place, but when you have kids in lineup - and I think we need to have more - there’s gonna be some bumps in the road. ” -- John Tortorella to Steve Zipay today

Wow, talk about lowering expectations.

This comes two days after Sather said the team was a "chasm" apart from Marc Staal on the Blueshirts' best defenseman's new deal. And it comes just weeks after the team demanded season subscribers put at least their first payment in for next season's tickets - something they did with a letter 'written' by Glen Sather saying that their goal was "bringing the Stanley Cup back to New York." So we've gone from winning it all to possibly finishing in last place. Amazing how things turn after they start taking our money.

You know, usually, they wait to give us this kind of nonsensical rhetoric until right before the regular season - look up Torts' talk about accountability last preseason - but this kind of talk leads me to believe that we will find ourselves quite disappointed when free agency opens on Thursday at noon. The funny thing is that Tortorella's words today were what we have been craving for over a decade. But it just kills me when the organization talks out of both sides of their mouth. Either we're in it to win it or we're setting up for a hopefully bright future. You can't have it both ways, it doesn't work and we don't believe you.

The "we need to have more" young players part from today's quote from the coach comes across as completely ridiculous. Last season Torts benched Matt Gilroy to start Anders Eriksson during last season's stretch run, limited Enver Lisin's minutes all season long and never gave anyone from Hartford a real chance on Broadway. Where in that do you find any evidence of a dedication to youth? He was forced to stick with MDZ and his deficiencies when the team PR machine jumped into high gear after his hot start.

But beyond that bit of hypocrisy, the thought of any young player learning how to become a professional from John Tortorella - the man who did this and this and, of course, this - is absolutely frightening.

It makes me weep for our future, both this coming season and beyond.

My apologies to Jim Cerny for using him in the Demotivators photoshop but the look on his face while Sather was talking during the draft interview was utterly priceless.

In Case You Didn't See Them

2010-11 New York Ranger Ticket Prices:

Garden Renovation Update

May 6, 2010

We wanted to share with you some exciting news on the upcoming renovation of the "World's Most Famous Arena." As you know, we are planning a dramatic transformation of Madison Square Garden that will take place in phases. The building will be transformed into a state-of-the-art facility that lives up to its iconic stature, while preserving The Garden's great history and distinctive architecture.

The ultimate goal of the renovation is to dramatically enhance the experience for all of our guests, reinforcing The Garden's place as the leading sports and entertainment venue in the world. Some of the many significant upgrades will include: a brand new 7th Avenue entrance, significantly wider concourses, several new first-class food and entertainment amenities, improved sightlines, more comfortable seating, a dynamic new scoreboard, new suites, clubs and hospitality areas, and views of the city from several areas of the building.

At the conclusion of the Knicks and Rangers 2010-11 seasons, The Garden will be closed for three consecutive summers to complete work on this project. The Arena will be open for the Knicks and Rangers seasons each year, along with our roster of world-class events during this timeframe. While there will be construction-related activity ongoing during the seasons, including work on the concourses, certain suites, concessions and restrooms, we are taking all possible steps to minimize disruption to fans. Below is a description of The Garden transformation phases that are planned to be completed over the next three summers (some areas will debut during the Knicks and Rangers seasons):

2011-12 Season

*Lower Bowl seating area with larger, more comfortable seats
*Expanded Lower Concourse with city views, enhanced concession stands featuring Coca-Cola products, more restrooms and additional retail locations
*20 new Event Level Suites offering a sophisticated atmosphere and the best seats in the house
*New Delta SKY360 Event Level Club offering exclusive dining options and views of athletes entering and exiting the locker room area

2012-13 Season
*Upper Bowl seating area with larger, more comfortable seats and significantly improved sightlines
*Expanded Upper Concourse with city views, enhanced concession stands featuring Coca-Cola products, more restrooms and additional retail locations
*58 new Lower Level Suites that are larger and half the distance to the court/ice with bowl seating
*New all-inclusive Super Club with seating in the arena and exclusive club space available for corporations and individuals looking to entertain at Knicks and Rangers games

2013-14 Season
*New 7th Avenue Entrance featuring interactive kiosks, retail locations and a broadcast area
*Two spectacular new Bridges that will be suspended above the court/ice for a one-of-a-kind view of the action
*New 10th floor Party Decks offering a selection of new food and beverage options and a unique social gathering space with direct views into the arena bowl
*New state-of-the-art GardenVision center-hung scoreboard
*18 completely remodeled 9th floor Suites

We are dedicated to providing you, our most loyal customers, with a transformed Garden that will meet your greatest expectations for the "World's Most Famous Arena." We hope that you share our excitement for the new Madison Square Garden and the role it will play in creating defining moments and great traditions for New Yorkers and fans around the world. This transformation is important to New York given that The Garden, much like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and Central Park, is part of the fabric of New York. We are pleased that our construction manager, Turner Construction, has advised us that the renovation will involve more than 2.6 million man hours of union labor, the equivalent of at least 1,300 full-time equivalent jobs, and will create as many as 3,700 union construction jobs.

Moving forward we will offer you a host of resources, including regular communications, informational events and interactive online tools regarding the highly anticipated renovation of The Garden to ensure that you are fully informed as progress continues. If you go to MSG.com/transformation, select renderings of the transformed Garden are available to view.

Thank you for your support and commitment to the New York Rangers, we look forward to seeing you at The Garden in the fall.

Sincerely,

Hank Ratner
President & CEO
Madison Square Garden

Quick analysis: Garden brass doesn't realize that the best way to maximize revenues is to improve the performance of the teams that are the main attraction. Those teams are the main attraction, NOT the building they play in - no matter how much you tout how famous it is. Most fans would come down to watch the Rangers play in a barn or the Knicks play in a cage - location doesn't matter, the team does. Typical corporate thinking by them, missing the big picture as always.

Playoff Ticket Plans

Seeing as Mmmmaaaarrrtttyyyy has such trouble beating Hank, the Devils found a new way to beat the Rangers ... through the front office:

The Blueshirts' ownership has demanded that season ticketholders pay for all four games of a series right off the bat and prefers you they for all four games of all four potential series. As we are not getting home ice, that is guaranteed money back and as we will quite possibly will not play in the postseason at all, there would be a full refund. In mid-summer they will either give the cash back for games not played or put the money towards next season's tickets.

Meanwhile, across the river, the Devils are offering up a new program:

Hello Devils' Fan,

The New Jersey Devils are offering a brand new option to get you in on the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoff action! For the first time ever, we are introducing the “Pay as We Play” program.

Benefits of this unbelievable program include:
- Tickets to all Stanley Cup Playoff home games
- Only pay for games as they are confirmed to be taking place (So for right now, only pay for Games 1 and 2)
- $150 or $100 Food and Beverage Credit (based on seat location) for every 2 seats purchased
- Guaranteed same seats throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs (including the Stanley Cup Finals)

Tickets are available starting at just $40 per game in the upper level and $90 per game in the lower level.

New Jersey Devils
Prudential Center
165 Mulberry Street
Newark, NJ 07102
973.757.6200
973.757.6370 (fax)
New Jersey Devils Hockey
Stanley Cup Champions 1995, 2000, 2003

It is such a shame that a) they are the Devils and b) they play in Newark because that is a great deal.

Sign Of The Times Or Sign Of Desperation??

Dear Scotty,

We hope you are enjoying your summer. As you have no doubt seen, things have been busy with the Blueshirts this off-season. We are thrilled to have you back for the 2009-10 NY Rangers hockey season and look forward to seeing you at The Garden in September.

As a Rangers Season Subscriber, we would like to extend this special opportunity to purchase additional season tickets before we reach out to our waitlist of over 2,500 members in the coming weeks.

As always, all potential seating assignments are subject to ticket availability and a maximum of 4 seats may be held per account.

If you have any further questions about additional subscription seats, or anything else related to your season subscription account, please feel free to contact your Rangers Account Representative.

Sincerely,

Howard Jacobs
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Ticket Sales
Madison Square Garden, Sports

There are a few things here worth pointing out:

1- That waitlist had numbered around 4,000 the last time I heard about it.

2- They say there is a max of four seats per account but guys on HFBoards who have four have also been asked if they want to add more.

3- A buddy of mine, Matt, had complained about his tickets seeing as he was screwed last season by the addition of the handicap sections and they gave him a free upgrade closer to center ice (in the 300s) and several other freebies after he threatened to cancel.

4- For them to send something like this, just how many season ticket holders have given up and said screw it with the economy and the roster being in utter disarray? Usually they just have a box to check on the re-up form (which they made us fill out and put in a payment prior to the opening of free agency). But a follow up, just in case, a coupla months later?

The last thing I want to do is buy more seats. If anything, I want them to take the damned preseason games off my package. It is always impossible to find people willing to come to those games and even less likely that they will help me recoup my cost. A buddy of mine has started selling off a large portion of his package on StubHub and is running into the same obstacle. The Toronto Maple Leafs - the epitome of NHL greed - give out free tickets to a preseason game, why can't the Rangers? Nah, instead they will try to get more blood from the rock that is us diehard fans. For shame - both them for doing it, and us for being that rock.

The Center Conundrum

Regular reader and blue seater Silvio from section 407 and many others of you out there have been speculating as to what Sather will do to fill the center slot that the MexiCan't left.

I'm not so sure he should do anything.

As good as Marian Gaborik is, he has to get the puck to be able to score the 40 or so goals we expect from him (should he stay healthy). Honestly, I think the players we have can help with that - there is no need to spend any more money. Now, I know that Sather will likely do it anyway (he always does) but I don't think the Rangers really need to pick up a pivot - especially one from such a weak market as there is now. Silvio suggested Mike Comrie, Steve Zipay has pitched Saku Koivu and I have even read several pleas for Brendan Morrison.

While a name like Robert Lang intrigues me, I think the team can certainly go into the season with Dubi-Dru-Anisimov-Boyle down the middle. Why sign an over-the-hill, overpriced name those mentioned above when next summer Olli Jokinen, Marc Savard, Pat Marleau, Adam Burish, Andrew Ebbett and Ryan Shannon all become available?

Sather and Tortorella have repeated constantly that the kids will get chances in camp so why not give Dubi the chance to seize the No. 1 center position? He looked pretty damn good as a rookie with Jaromir Jagr, perhaps he can find the same chemistry with Gabby. I certainly hope so ...

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.

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.

Damn Dolan

Arrived in Pittsburgh to get a text from a friend and an e-mail from the team with bad news. Garden ticket prices have gone up again. Granted, it was completely expected, but still. After the hardest season to be a fan since the lockout, prices continue to skyrocket well above what they were prior to the work stoppage - when we were supposed to get relief as owners got cost certainty. Yet again, they lied. Yet again, we the fans get screwed. I don't have the actual prices, I will amend this post with them when I get a chance. To make you feel better, below is the farce of a letter from Glen Sather trying to justify the raise with how wonderful the team is ... I wonder if you subtract the remainder of Redden's contract, would it offset the increase?

Rangers Subscribers,

Five years ago, we made it our priority to build the New York Rangers team for long-term success by developing a core foundation of young players and adding key veterans as our youngsters matured. Our philosophy remains steadfast, and this past season, six young players whose NHL careers began here in New York played major roles in taking us to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

Although we were not satisfied with this past season's results, we believe we are on the right track. We continue to focus on the development of players and are excited about several talented prospects in our system. At the same time, we still have work to do as we strive toward our ultimate goal — to compete for the Stanley Cup each and every season.

Under the direction of our new Head Coach, John Tortorella, you will see a retooled Rangers team in 2009-10 that will feature a system that emphasizes aggressive forechecking and puck possession. This up-tempo approach has made John an accomplished winner in the NHL, earning a Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year and delivering a Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay in 2004.

The key objective for this off-season is to complement our strong defensive play and league-leading penalty-kill with more goal-scoring, stemming from this aggressive system. We are determined to add players who make significant contributions in 2009-10, enabling us to dictate the pace of the game on a regular basis.

With an All-Star goaltender, and a mix of accomplished veterans and hungry youngsters, we expect to make our fans especially proud this season. Your loyalty and enthusiasm has always made The Garden a very intimidating place for visiting teams, and you will see a team whose style of play makes it even tougher.

We remain humbled and thankful for your energetic support and look forward to seeing you at The Garden for a great season of Rangers hockey.

Sincerely,

Glen Sather, President and General Manager, New York Rangers

Fourth Line Forecast

In recent years it seems like the fourth line guys are the ones who are quickest to endear themselves to the fans here in New York. From the HMO line (Hollweg, Moore and Ortmeyer) to the SOBs that started this season (Sjostrom, Orr and Betts), these guys work the hardest and battle in the trenches - exactly the qualities that the Garden Faithful appreciate.

Well, it appears that we may have a whole new unit to embrace this fall. The SOBs are all unrestricted free agents and Glen Sather and John Tortorella certainly don't watch the same games we do. Sather is easily star struck and will do anything to fit more ridiculous contracts under the cap. And, of course, he would move into a slightly-better position to do that with NHL minimum contracts filling the fourth line. Every penny counts in this day and age and why not cut off something that isn't going to be used much, given Tortorella's preference in rolling three lines instead of four.

The bad news for us SOB lovers is that first piece to make the changeover is now in place as Jordan Owens was signed today. The good news is that Mitch Beck of Howlings was really impressed with this guy in Hartford this season. As Mitch wrote, Owens is "less expensive alternative and is likely to get a hard look for [Sjostrom's] job in next season's training camp." Seeing as the current top three centers aren't headed anywhere, Artem Anisimov should get a good look for the fourth line center position and the off wing can easily be filled by Voros, who Torts seemed to prefer over someone who could actually skate and fight and positively contribute to the team.

It is sad to see but just a simple fact of life as one of the Faithful: the Garden will do their damnedest to make us miserable. They trade away our heroes (Graves, Leetch) and raise prices (even though they pay around $13 million less in salary now than they did pre-lockout). And yet we keep coming back.

Dammit.

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.

That's More Like It ...

Wednesday's Garden giveaway: