Next In Line ...

European-born defensemen to skate at least one game for the New York Rangers since Sergei Zubov was dealt to Pittsburgh in the summer of 1995 (along with Petr Nedved, for Luc Robitaille and Ulf Samuelsson):

• Ulf Samuelsson
• Alexander Karpotsev
• Mattias Norstrom 
• Maxim Galanov
• Ronnie Sundin
• Jan Mertzig
• Peter Popovic
• Stanislav Neckar
• Alexei Vasiliev
• Kim Johnsson
• Peter Smrek
• Vlad Malakhov
• Alexei Gusarov
• Tomas Kloucek
• Bert Robertsson
• Igor Ulanov
• Richard Lintner
• Ales Pisa
• Boris Mironov
• Darius Kasparaitis
• Thomas Pock
• Fedor Tyutin
• Karel Rachunek
• Michael Rozsival
• Marek Malik
• Sandis Ozolinsh
• Maxim Kondratiev
• Christian Backman
• Ivan Baranka
• Dmitri Kalinin
• Ilkka Heikkinen
• Anders Eriksson
• Anton Stralman
• and starting tonight ... Roman Hamrlik

What a soft, overwhelmingly disappointing bunch. The best of the blueliners - Norstrom, Johnsson and Tyutin - were all Ranger draft picks and were all traded well before their time ... like Zubov himself. Sad.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Washington Capitals

Well, well, well. Washington. Last but not least. My pal Poti. Yep. PotiPotiPotiPoti. PeanutButtaPotiTime. The man who "has the grit the team needs" was just rewarded with a two-year contract extension worth nearly three mil per season.

Yeah.

Tom Frickin' Poti.

Oh, and they have that Ovechkin guy too.

Familiar Foes: Captain Caveman is joined by Nick Backstrom, Alex Semin and Mike Green in Washington's packed arsenal of talent. Former Ranger Mike Knuble is still working in the trenches and the rest of DC's second stringers remain unchanged in Brooks Laich, Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann. It is expected that Semyon Varlamov will take over the starting goaltender position as the Caps let Three-Or-More walk. If you've forgotten, Varlamov is the kid who helped Washington bounce back and beat us in Tortorella's Folly (the first round of the playoffs two years back).

N00bz: Seeing as Washington blew a 3-1 series lead to Montreal due to the red-hot goaltending of Halak, the Caps went out and added a goon in DJ King. Yeah, that makes sense. Whatever. In that playoff series All-American Hero John Carlson turned a lot of heads and is expected to make the defense full time, as should another youngster - Karl Alzner.

Last Year: Thursday, October 8th 4-3 Ranger win; Tuesday, November 17th 4-2 Capital win; Thursday, February 4th 6-5 Capital win; and Saturday, March 6th 2-0 Capital win.

This Year: Tuesday, November 9th at MSG; Sunday, December 12th at MSG; Monday, January 24th in DC; and Friday, February 25th in DC.

What They Mean To Blue: POOOOTTTTTIIIIIIIII. And a bunch of losses. All four games last season were interesting affairs that were quite close but Washington rightly took three of four last season. They could very well replicate that feat again this season as long as Varly isn't atrocious. And if he is, his two backups Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby both have big NHL futures ahead of them.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Vancouver Canucks

The losers from 1994 just may be contenders in 2010. Vancouver reloaded and reorganized this summer in an effort to push them over the hump and into Cup contention. The biggest move has not been completed as the C was stripped from Roberto Luongo and has yet to find a new sweater. While Lou clearly was capable of dealing with the media crush that comes with a Canadian captaincy, his on-ice play suffered. Now that the responsibility stripped away, the hope is that his game will return to its near-Vezina form.

The Canucks lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual Cup winners but Lou allowed 19 goals in the four losses. I still maintain that the result had less to do with his quality of play and the absence of defensive stalwart Willie Mitchell but with Lou wearing the C, he was hung with the disappointment.

Familiar Foes: The Sedin twins still have that creepy telepathic thing going, leading the offense. They combined for 197 points last season despite Daniel missing 19 games. That is just ridiculous. Ryan Kesler finally began getting some of the credit due thanks to a solid Olympic showing and all-around dynamic play. Kesler and Alex Burrows both have the combination of skill and grit that teams - both real and fantasy - drool over. Former Ranger Mikael Samuelsson continues to quietly contribute - he had 30 goals last season - and the speedy Mason Raymond keeps on improving. Mitchell is gone but Kevin Bieksa was not traded (yet) and he and Shane O'Brien bring the toughness to the blueline that skill guys Christian Ehrhoff and Alex Edler lack. Poor Sami Salo is injured again.

N00bz: Even with Salo out and Mitchell in LA, the Vancouver blueline will be alright as they acquired Keith Ballard from Florida and Dan Hamhuis (from Nashville via Pittsburgh and Philadelphia). The Canucks gave our boy Manny Malhotra a big money deal and also brought in former Islander Raffi Torres. Cody Hodgson, Vancouver's top pick in 2008, supposedly is close to returning after dealing with injuries that limited him to just 13 OHL games last season. Once he debuts in the NHL, all of the top 10 picks from the '08 draft will have made the show (just in case you forgot, the Rangers picked MDZ at 20 in that draft).

Last Year: Tuesday, November 3rd 4-1 Vancouver win.

This Year: Thursday, January 13th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: The Rangers are often in their mid-winter slump in January but this season the month should provide a lot of points for the Blueshirts as they face few top tier teams and only one Atlantic opponent. Vancouver will be in town in the midst of a five game road trip and a rip of three games in four days - Isles on Tuesday, Rangers on Thursday and Caps on Friday of that week. Those factors should set up an easy win for the Rangers but, as we saw last November and I found out at the Olympics, Vancouver is still kinda bitter about the whole '94 thing so they are certain to step up their game in the building where they blew it.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Toronto Maple Leafs

Oh the truculence. Has there been a single article written about Toronto that hasn't used Brian Burke's catchword this year? While it has been used ad nauseum, it is the sentiment that the GM has built the team around. The Leafs will not score a lot of goals and they won't blow you away with their skill, but they will be tough to play against.

Familiar Foes: The one-two punch of Sloppy Seconds - Dion Phaneuf and Mike Komisarek - anchor the Buds' blueline. They will be joined by Francois Beauchemin, Luke Schenn and Tomas Kaberle. Yes, you were inundated with Kaberle trade talk last year as well as last summer but the sound and the fury signified nothing as the Czech playmaker didn't go anywhere. In net will be the same tandem that ended last season, JS Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson. The offense will revolve again around the talent of Phil Kessel and an underwhelming cast of second-hand players. Tyler Bozak, Nik Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski will help out with some skill (not a whole lot) while our old pal Freddie Sjostrom adds defensive responsibility and Colton Orr adds on-ice accountability.

N00bz: Orr will be helped in the truculence department by Mike Brown, who was brought in this offseason from Anaheim. Bruek also acquired Crosby's buddy Colby Armstrong, Buffalo cast-off Clarke MacArthur and Cup winner Kris Versteeg. Luca Caputi came to the team in a deadline deal last season and is expected to play a big role, as is 2009 top draft pick Nazem Kadri.

Last Year: Monday, October 12th 7-2 Ranger win; Saturday, October 17th 4-1 Ranger win; Saturday, March 27th 3-2 Toronto OT win; and Wednesday, April 7th 5-1 Ranger win

This Year: Friday, October 15th at MSG; Thursday, October 21st in Toronto; Saturday, October 30th in Toronto; and Wednesday, January 19th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: With three early games, they will hopefully play their part in being steamrolled in yet another hot start by the Rangers. The Blueshirts came out of the gates quite well the last two seasons and having the hapless Leafs should certainly help make it three in a row. It will also be interesting to see the inevitable Orr vs Boogaard heavyweight battle. Orr basically ended Donald Brashear's Ranger career before it started - and we are forever indebted to him for it - so he will prove a litmus test for our new goon.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa team that will take on the NHL this season is far different than the one that ended the last campaign. New owner, new GM, new coach, even some new players. All that newness is certain to go through some growing pains but the pieces that are in place were hand selected and quite capable at filling their new positions. I mean, c'mon, Steve Yzerman is the new man in charge and Stevie Y can do no wrong in my book. Sure I was less than happy that his handiwork with Team Canada resulted in a USA loss in Vancouver but let's face it, the Americans just weren't as good. In just a few weeks of work, Stevie Y has all but ensured that Tampa is a far better team than last season - one that the Rangers will have to be quite wary of.

Familiar Foes: No matter how many times he was traded in the Montreal media, Vinny Lecavalier remains a member of the Lightning. Ryan Malone and Marty St Louis also remain, as do Tampa's top picks Steve Stamkos and Victor Hedman. Steve Downie Syndrome showed last season that he can retain a modicum of sanity and play a big part in the offense.

N00bz: Stevie Y was quite busy changing the culture and giving Guy Boucher the pieces he needs to improve the quad. First and foremost is Simon Gagne. If the former Flyer can keep the concussion symptoms at bay, he could play the triggerman on a new French Connection with Vinny and Marty. Pavel Kubina came back to feed the forwards and keep the heat off of new netminder Dan Ellis. No matter what problems Ellis has, stopping the puck hasn't been one and he should all but send incumbent Mike Smith out of town. Brett Clark was also added to help shore up a pretty thin defense. Up front familiar face Adam Hall will be joined by two other former Rangers - Dominic Moore and Mitch Fritz - and old foes Nate Thompson and Sean Bergenheim from the Islanders. The common thread running through the five former New Yorkers? Toughness. They will add the grit while the French folks and that Stamkos kid take care of the skill. Somewhere in between is Carter Ashton. Brent's boy is big - 6'3, 215 - and could make quite the impact in the NHL but with Stevie Y in charge, he is likely to head for the AHL for some seasoning (as Yzerman's old team did with most every prospect ever).

Last Year: Friday, November 27th 5-1 Tampa win; Tuesday, January 19th 8-2 Ranger win; Sunday, February 14th 5-2 Ranger win; and Friday, April 2nd 5-0 Ranger win

This Year: Wednesday, November 24th in Tampa; Thursday, December 23th at MSG; Saturday, January 1st in Tampa; and Sunday, February 27th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: The Bolts should be one of the teams taking on the Rangers for one of the lower playoff seeds. Seeing as the Blueshirts went 3-1 against them last time around - including that amazing 8-2 beating - this season should see them as a far more difficult opponent.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: St. Louis Blues

The other day I was talking about the huge mistake that it was letting Don Maloney go instead of installing him as GM in Sather's spot. Well, with the Blues come John Davidson. I mean, what can you say about JD? For some he was the big goalie who came oh-so-close to the Cup in 79 but to many of us he was the warm voice that taught us the game of hockey, night in and night out on MSG. And now he is teaching St. Louis to care again about their team. Long gone are the days of Hull and Oates but the new generation that JD built is slowly coming together. He has to be hoping that the kids he has accumulated are ready for prime time as this year's team will be without old stars Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk.

Familiar Foes: The Blues have built a core of players and have stuck with them. Olympians David Backes and Erik Johnson are the two most prominent faces but the rest of the names will ring a bell: Brad Boyes, Pat Berglund, Alex Steen, TJ Oshie, Cam Janssen, Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman and Carlo Colaiacovo. The Blues will be praying last season's 42 point performance by Boyes was an aberration after two straight seasons of improvement. Oshie is one of the most exciting young players to watch in the NHL but his production has yet to match his energy level. Jackman and Brewer, the two pillars of the defense, will attempt to get through a full season without injury.

N00bz: They will be called upon to keep the crease clear for Jaro Halak, the biggest offseason acquisition by the Blues. And all it cost them was Lars Eller and Ian Schultz - two middling prospects. Halak has a safety net in Ty Conklin but he has a big beard to fill, coming in and taking Chris Mason's job. That St. Louis was able to take Montreal's playoff hero and not have to give up blue chip blueliner Alex Pietrangelo was a pleasant surprise and should be quite the boon if he can live up to half of the hype. TJ Hensick (Colorado) and Vlad Sobotka (Boston) were also added in the offseason but neither one will be called upon to star.

Last Year: Saturday, January 16th, 4-1 Blues win and Thursday, March 18th, a 4-3 Blues win.

This Year: Sunday, November 7th at MSG and Saturday, January 8th in St. Louis.

What They Mean To Blue: It is hard to say that they are a look at what we could have become with JD at the helm as the situation he stepped in to there was significantly different than the mess he walked away from here. But when you look at the four points the Rangers pissed away in two pathetic performances last season, you see two games where the Blues completely outworked the Blueshirts - something JD surely would not have allowed.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: San Jose Sharks

Alas, that nice Ranger connection we had with the Sharks is gone. Manny Malhotra used San Jose to revive his career and get a good-money gig with Vancouver this summer. Jed Ortmeyer (Jed!) got hurt last spring, underwent double hernia surgery, became a UFA and was not even invited back to Shark camp. Those heartless bastards.

Familiar Foes: The big three will be back - Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and speed racer Dany Heatley. Dan Boyle bounced right back from scoring on his own team during the playoffs and continues to quarterback their attack. Joe Pavelski rose to prominence during that futile playoff run and turned it into a big contract - whether he can keep it going will be key. Devin Setoguchi also has plenty to prove - he needs to show he can find consistency. Pickles Vlasic, Douglas Murray and deadline acquisition Nic Wallin will provide consistency on defense in front of a new netminder.

N00bz: That new netminder will be either Antti Niemi or Antero Niittymaki, San Jose's two biggest signings. You kinda feel bad for Niitty as he was all set to take the gig when Doug Wilson picked up Niemi after the Hawks let him go. Niitty was red hot last fall and was (stupidly) passed over by Team Finland, sending him back to earth; he will be pushed hard by the Cup-winning, younger Finn Niemi. Red Wings defenseman Andreas Lilja insanely spurned Detroit and is in Shark camp on a tryout - he will face some tough competition to break in from streaky offensive youngster Jason Demers and old reliable Kent Huskins. No one replaced bruiser Brad Staubitz but the tough Jamal Mayers was added to take Jed's job so he will stand up for his teammates while taking regular shifts alongside Scotty Nichol.

Last Year: Monday, October 19th 7-3 Sharks win.

This Year: Saturday, March 12th in San Jose.

What They Mean To Blue: Not too much. The Rangers play Anaheim three days prior, so they will have plenty of time to enjoy some fun in the sun before facing the Sharks. Even without Nabokov in net, San Jose should still compete in the West, meaning a loss by the Blueshirts won't be the shocking end of the world. No matter the result, after that game the farthest the Rangers will have to travel will be Pittsburgh.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Pittsburgh Penguins

DESTINY HAS A NEW HOME is the new catch phrase for the Penguins this season as they move from the antiquated Igloo to the Consol Energy Center. Yeah. Destiny. Being the NHL's darlings has nothing to do with it.

It is easy to abhor the Pens. Very, very easy. They have many loathable players, they have had significant success against the Rangers and they put us in the position of rooting for the damned French in the playoffs. They are on national tv all the time (four of our six games will be on Versus or NBC), they are getting a second Winter Classic and they make the Blueshirts look bad by being excessively friendly to their fans. Wah, wah, freakin' wah, I know, I know.

Those bandwagon Penguin fans always throw "you wish you had Crosby and our team" in our faces and they are - in general - wrong. We don't wish we had that crybaby, we don't wish we had that idiot Cooke or the rest of the clowns ... we wish we had their franchise. The franchise that cares. The franchise that understands that they should service the fans or at least work as partners. The franchise that adapts and changes with new challenges.

Familiar Foes: You know 'im, you hate 'im, you're inundated with 'im in eeeeeevery damned NHL promotion - Sidneyyyyyyyyyy Crosssssssssssssssssbbbyyyy. Boo. Cindy will have his usual runningmates around: Geno Malkin, Free Candy Orpik, DayGloSmile Fleury, Dammit Cookie, Eyebrows Dupuis, WangBang Letang, Shhhh Talbot, Mike F-ing Hat Trick Rupp, etc. Jordan Staal is still on the Pens but will miss the start of the season with an infection and Eric Godard is sure to miss plenty of games with "can't skate scratchitis."

N00bz: There is virtually no need for Godard anymore as they have Talbot, Rupp and new acquisition Arron Asham all capable of tussling while skating. It is hard to hate Asham as he clearly selects his teams to give the Rangers the most trouble, now having played for every other team in the Atlantic - gotta appreciate that kind of hatred. Others added by Pittsburgh also have a lot of experience against us: Paul Martin from the Devils and Mike Comrie of the Islanders (via Edmonton and Ottawa). Martin will be joined by shot blocker extraordinaire Zbynek Michalek on the blueline, where former Ranger Corey Potter may (doubtfully but hopefully) be given a shot.

Last Year: Friday, October 2nd 3-2 Penguins win; Saturday, November 28th 8-3 Penguins win; Monday, November 30th 5-2 Penguins win; Monday, January 25th 4-2 Penguins win; Friday, February 12th 3-2 Rangers overtime win; and Thursday, March 4th 5-4 Penguins overtime win.

This Year: Monday, November 15th in Pittsburgh; Monday, November 29th @ MSG; Wednesday, December 15th in Pittsburgh; Tuesday, February 1st @ MSG; Sunday, February 13th @ MSG; Sunday, March 20th in Pittsburgh.

What They Mean To Blue: As you can see, the Pens easily represented the difference between making the playoffs and not making it last season - especially when they blew a 4-3 third period lead in that late March overtime loss. Going 1-4-1 against a division rival, even one as admittedly skilled as Cindy's side, is unacceptable.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Phoenix Coyotes

Don Maloney has cobbled together quite the intriguing team out in the desert and, for his efforts, was the recipient of the first NHL General Manager of the Year Award back in June. It took him just three years after leaving the Rangers to take the job and be recognized as the top GM in the league; meanwhile fans organize Fire Sather rallies here in New York.

But we've come not to bury Glen but to celebrate Don. His team won 50 games last season and made it to the playoffs, where they lost in a thrilling seven-game series. Don has done it with a mish-mash of low-cost castoffs from other teams around the league - his first crop of self-drafted Coyotes will compete for spots this season in Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, Brett MacLean, Viktor Tikhonov and maybe even Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Turris and Boedker both saw action two seasons back but Jack Adams winner Dave Tippett rightly sent them back to the farm for more development. This season should see them getting decent shots at making the roster.

Familiar Foes: They will have to work for it as the backbone of the 50 win team still remains. Shane Doan leads a group of young snipers that really stepped up last season - Lee Stempniak, Wojktek Wolski, Radim Vrbata. Taylor Pyatt, Scottie Upshall and Vernon Fiddler keep up the physical, two-way grind side of play up front. In the back, JovoCop, former Islander Adrian Aucoin and former Ranger Derek Morris make up the ancient anchor of the defensive corps. Kurt Sauer, Keith Yandle and Sami Lepisto fill out the unit but will be pushed by 2009 top pick Ekman-Larsson, who is simply a stud. Sauer, like his brother Mike here in NY, has battled injuries (he missed all but one game last season) and has plenty to prove. The crease is pretty much closed with Ilya Bryzgalov starting and former Rangers Jason Labarbera and Al Montoya left to pick up the scraps. They are two of six Blueshirts on the Coyotes depth chart: Morris, Petr Prucha, Lauri Korpikoski and Ryan Hollweg (so that's where he went...) are the others. Holly isn't likely to make the NHL as there are plenty of grinders and BizNasty (Paul Bissonnette) holds down the enforcer gig.

N00bz: Maloney went out and signed The Wizard this summer, Ray Whitney. Whitney is the Energizer Bunny of the NHL, he just keeps going and going ... he was the second-ever draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, selected 23rd overall in 1991. He has played 1,072 regular season games and racked up 869 points, 58 of which came last season (which would have tied Vinny Prospal for second on the Rangers). Other summer signings were Eric Belanger and Andrew Ebbett. If Belanger can put the controversy with Washington behind him, his two-way skills should really help solidify the third line. Ebbett played (poorly) for three different NHL teams last season but two years ago racked up 32 points (24 assists) in 48 games for the Quack Attack. If he can recapture those puck distribution skills, he will join Turris and Martin Hanzal in the battle for for second-line center duties.

Last Year: Monday, October 26th 5-2 Ranger win; and Saturday, january 30th 3-2 Phoenix victory.

This Year: Thursday, December 16th @ MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: Aside from a heavy sigh when you realize Maloney could/should/would have taken the helm of the Rangers, not too much. The Blueshirts play the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Versus the night before; the Coyotes are also playing that night but they will be at the Rock so their travel (and emotional letdown) will be minimal.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Philadelphia Flyers

You know, there may come a time where the last-game-of-the-season shootout loss that killed our playoff hopes will be a good thing. The loss put the Rangers in the 10 spot at the draft where they selected Dylan McIlrath, who may very well grow up to be a star on Broadway (like I and others have predicted). Sure he may well have still been on the board later in the round but ya never know and a first-round heartbreaking loss in the playoffs compared to a crease-clearing stud ... well, I take the kid and the possibility of a Cup down the line.

Hey, when you lose in that fashion, you have to take what you can get. We can also look at it as the Flyers had to band together to beat us and the brotherhood carried them to the Cup Finals. That good feeling and $2.25 will get you on the subway (for now). But at least they lost in the Finals. Nyeh nyeh.

Familiar Foes: The core of the Flyers will return - Briere, Carter, Hartnell, Richards, Pronger, Timonen. Claude Giroux, Dirtbag Dan Carcillo, Ian Laperriere, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle ... just anming them makes me grimace in anger. For some reason, Michael Leighton will also be back in net, despite him handing Pat Kane the Cup-winning goal.

N00bz: At the Finals everyone talked about how Philly was at a disadvantage because of their third defensive pairing so they went right out and got a new third defensive pairing - Sean O'Donnell and Andrej Meszaros. Up front there will definitely be two new Flyers, former Rangers Jody Shelley and Nik Zherdev. It is an interesting two-some as Shelley has all the heart and desire Zherdev doesn't possess while Zherdev has the speed and skill that Shelley could only dream of. Ville Leino was quite quiet through much of the regular season but starred in the playoffs so Philadelphia will be praying he can keep it going this fall, if only to replace the scoring provided by the departed Simon Gagne.

Last Year: Saturday, December 19th 2-1 Rangers win; Wednesday, December 30th 6-0 Flyers win; Thursday, January 21st 2-0 Flyers win; Sunday, March 14th 3-1 Ranger win; Friday, April 9th 4-3 Ranger win; and Sunday, April 11th 2-1 Flyer shootout victory.

This Year: Thursday, November 4th in Philly; Saturday, December 18th in Philly; Sunday, January 16th @ MSG; Sunday, February 20th @ MSG; Sunday, March 6th @ MSG; and Sunday, April 3rd in Philly.

What They Mean To Blue: A crushing defeat in the Finals could do one of two things 1-make a team hungrier or 2-make the team fall apart. If anyone can recover from losing, Pete Laviolette can ... after all, he coached the Islanders. The Flyers will again be a dangerous team, even with no goaltending for the umpteenth season.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Ottawa Senators

Oh, Senators. Folks say a rose by another other name smells just as sweet but whether you (correctly) call them the Kanata Sens or the more PR friendly Ottawa Sens, they still stink. Old stars, underachieving stars, foot soldiers who think they're stars because they marry stars, overachieving kids and a head-shaking goaltending platoon ... not a very good situation there. And yet they made the playoffs. Ain't that something?

Ottawa used an insane 13-1 run just ahead of the Olympics last winter to position themselves in the postseason before bowing out in six games to the Pens. That they took them to six games was no small wonder considering they couldn't settle on a starting goaltender. Brian Elliott looked like the man with 29 regular season wins but went 1-3-1 with one no-decision in his last six games. Pascal Leclair kept up his injury-prone ways but came in for Elliott and nearly saved the series against the Pens. Add in young Swedish stud Robin Lehner and Mike "I'm only related to Mmmaaarrrtttyyy when facing the Rangers" Brodeur this season and you have some fantasy-league frustrations. And seriously, how can you root for a team that can't help your fantasy team?

Familiar Foes: Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson and Alex Kovalev are all back - with Alfredsson and Kovy are both coming off surgery ... as are Milan Michalek, Chris Campoli and Filip Kuba. Kuba, btw, may have to go under the knife again as he just got hurt in camp. Nick Foligno might actually choose this year to break out and become better than his father ever was but that is a sizable 'might'. The two professional pain in the asses Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Neil somehow have not worn out their welcomes in Ottawa (they actually love them there! ugh!) and big Matt Carkner is becoming a folk hero with his pugilistic ways, even if it means he gets his ass handed to him by Colton Orr with some regularity.

N00bz: Kuba's absence would really hurt if the Sens hadn't signed Sergei Gonchar. So they may have lost the series against the Pens but they took one of their best assets. Ottawa can slot Gonchar alongside Chris Phillips and have one helluva first-line pairing on defense. Aside from Sergei, the Senators were pretty quiet on the free agent front but they did take Corey Locke away from the Rangers. As I ranted here throughout last season, I don't think the mighty mite got a fair shake and can add some scoring in the right NHL situation.

Last Year: Saturday, October 3rd 5-2 Ranger win; Saturday, November 14th 2-1 Ranger shootout win; Thursday, January 14th 2-0 Senators win; Tuesday, March 2nd 4-1 Ranger win

This Year: Friday, October 1st at MSG and Saturday, October 2nd in Ottawa preseason. Sunday, December 5th at MSG; Thursday, December 9th in Ottawa; Friday, March 4th in Ottawa; and Thursday, March 24th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: Hopefully they will mean one less team that will challenge the Rangers for a playoff spot but I doubt that. Probably the biggest impact the Senators will have are in those last two preseason games - they can hone the Rangers' edge heading into the season or they can grind it down and send the Blueshirts stumbling into the season. If Torts can't build line combinations and chemistry it could very well be the latter. Fingers crossed.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: New York Islanders

My loathing for the Islanders knows no bounds so I will try to temper my blind hatred enough to actually provide a reasonable preview of them for you guys. It will be tough ... so very, very tough; just remember I did this the next time you guys get mad at me.

Familiar Foes: Rick DiPietro. Hahahaha. Just like last season, they think he is healthy enough to play and this time he may very well be able to play on Columbus Day. Anything beyond that, well, don't place any bets. That being said, even if DP does go down we've seen how Dwayne Roloson can singlehandedly keep the clowns competitive. Doug Weight - the Rangers second round pick in 1990 - returns to keep the C warm while John Tavares keeps learning the ropes. Trent Hunter and Jon Sim are somehow still in the NHL, even if their long-time runningmate Richard Park has headed overseas. Speaking of wingmen, Matt Moulson will be back attempting to show he wasn't a one-year wonder and Josh Bailey is going to try to start fulfilling his potential. Meanwhile, Mark Streit continues to be a slap in the face to Glen Sather. Yeah, goin' with Wade Redden was a muuuuuuuch better idea.

N00bz: Streit will be joined on the blueline by three new faces this fall - James Wisniewski, Milan Jurcina and Mark Eaton. It is hard to laugh at Snow's selections as the three vets can stabilize the back end. Up front Snow added PA Parenteau and Zenon Konopka. On one hand, you have to be happy that PA is going to get that fair NHL shot he has worked so hard to get but on the other hand, he is now the enemy so screw 'em. Konopka kills me as he is the first respectable enforcer the Isles have had since Mick Vukota (not that Mick was that respectable but whatever).

Last Year: Wednesday, October 28th 3-1 Isles; Wednesday, December 16th 2-1 Isles; Thursday, December 17th 5-2 Ranger win; Saturday, December 26th 3-2 OT Isles; Wednesday, March 24th 5-0 Rangers; Tuesday, March 30th 4-3 Ranger win.

This Year: Monday, October 10th at the Mausoleum; Thursday, December 2nd at the Mausoleum; Friday, December 3rd at the Garden; Monday, December 27th at the Garden; Tuesday, March 15th at the Garden; and Thursday, March 31st at the Mausoleum.

What They Mean To Blue: The bratty brother we never wanted always goes above and beyond to make us look bad. And sadly they do, pretty often. The Isles always step up their game when facing the Rangers and many times the Rangers don't respond in kind. But then again, the games against them are the best efforts we will get from Chris Drury all season long and the only times that Potvin Sucks can appropriately be whistled ...

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: New Jersey Devils

As chagrined as I am by it, the Devils have surpassed the Islanders as the Rangers' biggest rival. They aren't the Stanley Cup caliber team they were a few years back but they are still far better than the orange-and-blue clowns in Uniondale and a worthy adversary.

Familiar Foes: Let's face it, Mmmmaaaaaaaarrrrrtttyyyyyy leads a franchise full of familiar foes. Elias, Parise, Zubrus, Clarkson, blah blah hate them all. And the Ilya Kovalchuk contract odyssey/idiocy ended with the one-way Russian back at the Rock. Like anyone else would be that desperate for someone to bring in fans to give him that much money.

N00bz: Two of the most important n00bz aren't really n00bz at all: John MacLean behind the bench and Jason Arnott under center. Johnny Mac is a company man so his coaching philosophy shouldn't wander far from status quo. Arnott brings a big body who can put up a point per game when his teammates aren't injuring him in their celebrations. Lou bolstered the blueline with Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder and signed Johan Hedberg to bring Fatso his donuts.

Last Year: Monday, October 5th 3-2 Ranger win; October 22nd 4-2 Devil win; Tuesday, January 12th 1-0 shootout loss; Saturday, February 6th 3-1 Ranger win; Wednesday, March 10th 6-3 Devils win; Thursday, March 25th 4-3 Ranger shootout win.

This Year: Thursday, September 23rd at MSG and Saturday, September 25th in Newark preseason. Sunday, October 24th at MSG; Friday, November 5th in Newark; Wednesday, December 29th in Newark; Thursday, February 3rd at MSG; Friday, February 18th in Newark; Saturday, April 9th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: Three more Ranger home games? A louder crowd? Last season Tortorella sent a message to the team in the very first game by calling timeout and tearing them new orifices after they went behind early. Of course, the message was forgotten by Christmas, so what can he pull this time around that will stick? I don't know but I think we will certainly find out ...

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Nashville Predators

Ah, Nashville. Another Western Conference opponent we have rarely seen, and one we really didn't get to see last year as one of the 'great blizzards' swept through New York City and kept thousands of True Blue away from the Garden back in February. The Preds are also the one team that many people who do the name-all-the-NHL-teams tests often forget. It is easy to overlook the epitome of mediocrity in the NHL - they have an unassuming coach, a simple system and no superstars. Barry Trotz has yet to win a Jack Adams Award but he does deserve it for getting so much out of so little year after year.

Familiar Foes: No Jason Arnott anymore but a lot of the foot soldiers still remain - Steve Sullivan, David Legwand, JP Dumon, Martin Erat, Francis Bouillon, etc. The closest thing to stars they have are defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter and goaltender Pekka Rinne. A big, technically solid Finn, Rinne may actually buck the Nashville trend of upstart goaltenders promptly losing their jobs to their backups. Patric Hornqvist came out of nowhere to save fantasy teams around the world last year with a 30 goal season but who knows if he will be able to avoid the sophomore slump. The big albino Wade Belak and the little annoying eskimo Jordin Tootoo are still providing the sandpaper in the Music City - setting up nice matchups for Boogaard and Avery/Cally. Colin Wilson - Carey's kid - scored a goal in the one game in the Garden last year and should be better in an injury-free season.

N00bz: When Arnott jumped ship David Poile picked up Matt Lombardi to replace him. Lombardi has never scored more than 20 goals before (in Calgary or Phoenix) but never was called upon to be the man like he is now. The Preds will hope Trots can bring out his best, same with former Ranger Jamie Lundmark and the lesser Kostitsyn, Sergei.

Last Year: Wednesday, February 10th, a 2-1 Nashville win.

This Year: Saturday, November 27th in Nashville.

What They Mean To Blue: A gut check. The game against the Predators comes at the back end of a stretch of six games in nine days, five of which are on the road, four are in a pair of back-to-backs - this one being the night after a Panther game.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Montreal Canadiens

There is nothing quite like facing Les Habitants, no matter how far they have fallen from the dynasty that they once were. The Bell Centre is, by far, the best place not in New York City to see a hockey game. Their fans are hardcore and it is utterly infuriating seeing them invade the Garden. But it does make for a better atmosphere in the building so no complaints there.

The only thing worth complaining about is how the Rangers can't seem to put forth an even effort against the Habs over the course of a season. From the 1979 Cup Finals to the horrible 6-5 loss in Montreal two seasons back to the two-goal lead blown in the first match last season to the January see-saw of going from a 6-2 win to a 6-0 loss in a span of six days, the Rangers simply let the Canadiens flip the switch. Unacceptable.

Familiar Foes: The mighty munchkins of Gionta, Gomez and playoff hero Cammalleri should still provide a large chunk of the Canadiens offense. Tomas Plekanec was re-signed and the Habs decided to keep Andrei Kostitsyn (while letting his brother go to Nashville). Andrei Markov will be back in bleu, blanc et rouge by the time the Canadiens take on the Rangers this season.

N00bz: As Markov heals, P.K. Subban will get plenty of ice time to prove that his superb playoff performance was not a fluke. Speaking of flukes, Carey Price is back in the Montreal crease so the Habs added Alex Auld to back him up. Personally I think that there will be another netminder by the end of 2010 (Jose Theodore?) but we will have to see. Seeing as they sent Halak packing, John Davidson only sent back a pair of mediocre prospects and one should make the Montreal roster - Lars Eller. But seeing as Eller couldn't make the bad Blues, he shouldn't threaten the Rangers too much. Benoit Pouliot came over late last year for Guillaume Latendresse and flourished - if he can keep it going he be a big threat for the Rangers.

Last Year: Saturday, October 24th 5-4 OT Habs win; Sunday, January 17th6-2 Ranger win; Saturday, January 23rd 6-0 Habs win; and Tuesday, March 16th 3-1 Habs win.

This Year: Tuesday, January 11th @ MSG; Saturday, January 15th in Montreal; Saturday, February 5th in Montreal; and Friday, March 18th @ MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: A rival for 85 years, there is no other team outside of the Atlantic Division who brings the kind of passion to MSG like the Habs do. Hopefully this season will see the Rangers finally keep the pressure on rather than being satisfied with momentary success.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Minnesota Wild

After missing last year's lone tilt at the Power Station (Xcel Energy Center) with an injury, Marian Gaborik should hopefully make his Minnesota return in late November. And he won't be alone as Wild folk hero Derek Boogaard will hopefully not have played himself out of the lineup by then. Hopefully.

Familiar Foes: The two Finns, Mikko Koivu and the other Nik Backstrom, still lead the Wild. They will be helping for a little help this season as the team looks to bounce back into the playoffs. That assistance should come from Martin Havlat, who should be over his new-contract hangover, and a healthy Brent Burns. Nick Schultz continues to be one of the NHLs best defensive defensemen and he is joined by Greg Zanon, one of the best shot-blockers. Feisty winger Cal Clutterbuck was one of just two players (Dustin Brown) to have more hits than Ryan Callahan last season. And it is easy to overlook Andrew Brunette but the player who was too slow for the NHL 15 years ago in Washington has had himself quite the career and should easily pass 1,000 games this season (he enters at 950, with 660 points).

N00bz: Guillaume Latendresse headed to Minnesota in one of the most even trades I've ever seen (from Montreal for Benoit Pouliot) and immediately took to his new surroundings. If he can keep it going he will be quite dangerous. Scumbag mercenary Matt Cullen decided to take the Wilds' money this season, perhaps he will actually show up and play for them. The Wild also took on former Devils and Hawks Cup-winner John Madden as well as San Jose's Brad Staubitz, who will take on the Boogeyman's old fight load. Jarod Palmer and Casey Wellman both helped beat up the baby Rangers in Traverse City and both should make this season's roster.

Last Year: Friday, October 30th, a 3-2 Wild win.

This Year: Saturday, November 20th in Minnesota and Thursday, March 3rd at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: The first game will be another gut check for the Rangers - will they step up for their teammates to make sure their 'homecoming' is a successful one. The second will be another stretch-run necessity.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Los Angeles Kings

As another unfortunate spin of the NHL scheduling wheel, Alex Frolov will face his former team just once this coming season and it will be in New York. While the L.A. fans won't be able to give him any kind of reception, at least that means that we will get to see one of the most exciting young teams in the league. Los Angeles seemed to feel they were just a superstar scorer away from Stanley and went hard after Kovalchuk. That sales pitch failed and it lost them Frolov in the process. Their loss is (hopefully) our gain. But even without the one-way Russian, the Kings are still pointed towards the top with a fantastic core of young players and a few wiley vets.

Familiar Foes: Ahn-Jayyyyyyy! Anze Kopitar keeps getting better and better, bringing the skill while Dustin Brown wears the C and brings the grit. Ryan Smyth will look to have a healthy campaign and Wayne Simmonds still hasn't found the ceiling of his capabilities. Sloppy Seconds Jarrett Stoll and former Flyers Justin Williams and Michal Handzus also wear the purple, black and silver. St. Anthony's finest hockey player Rob Scuderi came to the Kings last year and helped solidify a defensive core long on talent but short on experience. Team USA's Jack Johnson and Matt Greene are both quite capable and then the Kings have that Drew Doughty kid, who's name will soon be synonymous with Norris.

N00bz: As if Doughty needed any more support, Los Angeles added Willie Mitchell (a Scotty Hockey favourite) this summer. Blue chippers Tom Hickey and Colten Teubert should both push for the final spot on the defense while hopefully another young stud, Andrei Loktionov can push for a position up front. As if Jon Quick wasn't good enough racking up 39 wins in 72 games last season, he will have tough competition from Jon Bernier this fall. Aside from the aforementioned Big Willie signing, the Kings were only able to grab consolation prize Alexei Ponikarovsky in the fight for left wing talent.

Last Year: Wednesday, October 14th 4-2 Ranger win and Tuesday, February 2nd 2-1 Kings win.

This Year: Thursday, February 17th @ MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: A look at what the Rangers may have been like had they foregone the Drury/Gomez free agent route as Jagr's NY career began to come to a close. And a good late-winter test at the start of the inevitable push for the playoffs.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Florida Panthers

I have always pulled for the Panthers a little bit since they took the Beezer from us (via Vancouver) and thus have a tinge of sadness for how badly they stink. But only a tinge; these guys get to live and play in Florida when it isn't stiflingly humid and hurricane season. Plus, playing down in the Sunbelt means playing with no pressure as the rest of the NHL doesn't care about them. The Rangers often use their F-L-A road trips as holiday vacations and this year is no exception as they will be there on Thanksgiving and New Years. Hopefully they are able to celebrate and still skate away with two points over a team that has been building/rebuilding since their inception.

Familiar Foes: Tomas Vokoun alone makes the Panthers a competitive team. Bryan McCabe now wears their C while Cory Stillman and former Ranger Radek Dvorak are still quietly collecting NHL paychecks in the sun. Nathan Horton is gone but the Ranger-killer Stephen Weiss is still in Sunrise and David Booth should be mostly recovered from his horrible head aches from last season. This may finally be the year that long-time Panther prospects Michal Repik, Shawn Matthias (seen getting the 'business' from Rozy) and Michael Frolik show they are busts. May.

N00bz: Dave Tallon took over the team and immediately started bringing in a mix of players to build a new foundation for the franchise. He had to give up blueline stalwart Keith Ballard but got back the tough Steve Bernier and super-skilled Michael Grabner. Dennis Wideman came in the Horton trade to replace Ballard, and Florida added another Bruin in big Byron Bitz. Apparently Florida wasn't happy with former Ranger-property Steve MacIntyre as their tough guy so they signed Andrew Peters to help the feisty Mike Duco out with the police actions. Speaking of former Rangers, Chris "at least he tries" Higgins was also brought in; hopefully Smithtown can get his game back down there - I always pull for the local kids (as long as they aren't Islanders). The most underrated move made by Tallon may be the signing of Mike Weaver. Weaver is a steady defenseman who should help solidify the blueline while providing a good example to youngsters Keaton Ellerby, Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson.

Last Year: Saturday, Nov. 21st3-2 Panthers win; Wednesday, November 25th 2-1 Ranger shootout win; Wednesday, December 23rd 4-1 Ranger win; and Saturday, April 3rd 4-1 Ranger win.

This Year: Friday, November 26th in Florida; Sunday, January 2nd in Florida; Tuesday, January 25th @ MSG; Tuesday, March 22nd @ MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: The Rangers have historically struggled with younger, hungrier teams but even with all of the changes made, there shouldn't be much struggle this season - all of those new pieces need time to grow together. The Blueshirts got six out of eight points from them last season and anything less would be a disappointment this time around.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Edmonton Oilers

The other franchise that Glen Sather screwed up will play their annual game against the Rangers in November, their first visit to New York since November of 2008 - a shootout loss. In that recap I wrote, "Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden are the biggest waste of money since the pet rock. Neither one has been remotely competent in the Rangers zone." Oh how little things change ...

Familiar Foes: Tom Renney is now officially the head coach and he will lead a young team into the Garden. No matter how hard they tried to trade them, Sheldon Souray and Andrew Cogliano are still Oilers. They are just two of the few veterans on the Edmonton roster nowadays. Shawn Horcoff keeps playing out his contract, Sam Gagner was inexplicably extended and Ales Hemsky is coming off injury. Dustin Penner was one of the few bright lights of last season, showing incredible hands of a player with his size. Huggy bear Zack Stortini is the defender of the franchise while our old friend Jason Strudwick is the extra voice in the locker room. Nik Khabibulin is still on their roster but good ole Twitchy is as good as gone after he gets out of jail.

N00bz: Jeff Deslauriers and Devan Dubnyk have taken over the crease but neither one has really shown the capability to pull away and be a NHL starter - Deslauriers did it last season but most Oiler fans don't see him as the starter to lead the team into the future. That future is bright as the Oilers should start to reap the benefits of failure. Taylor Hall, Magnus Paajarvi and Jordan Eberle are all set to step into the lineup and they are studs. Other youngsters worth watching will be Theo Peckham, Linus Omark, Liam Reddox and Ryan O'Marra. Not surprisingly, Edmonton was quiet in the free agent market. They added Martin Gerber for some goaltending insurance and made a stellar signing in Kurtis Foster.

Last Year: Thursday, November 5th, 4-2 Ranger win.

This Year: Sunday, November 14th at MSG.

What They Mean To Blue: One of just two or three 'easy' games in a busy November. It is a 12:30pm Sunday afternoon game that will surely see the Garden full of kids - on the ice in the Oilers themselves and off it in those children dragged by dad as part of a fun day in the big city. Plus, in Hall, the Rangers can see what they missed out on by making that futile late season surge at the playoffs.

Peepin' Foes Preview Edition: Detroit Red Wings

Ah, one of our fine Original Six foes. Detroit has set the bar of success in the NHL over the last 15 years - one the Rangers are so far below they can hardly see it. The Red Wings have an owner who cares, a GM who is a genius and a head coach who puts them in a position to win. Can you imagine? No, I can't either.

Familiar Foes: One of the oldest teams in the NHL, the Wings have a lot of guys who have been around for a while: Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Franzen, Holmstrom, Kronwall, Draper, Maltby, Rafalski, Stuart, Bertuzzi, Cleary, Osgood ... just look at all that talent, it really is unfair. Although, it should be said that Ozzy has lost his starting job to Jimmy Howard - the bridesmaid of the Detroit goaltenders who finally became the bride last season.

N00bz: Ken Holland decided to tweak his roster by adding a few veteran pieces instead of plugging in more of their capable kids. But those veteran pieces are nothing to frown on: future Hall of Famer Mike Modano and Olympian Ruslan Salei were signed and greedy former Wing Jiri Hudler was allowed to come back from his Russian vacation. Those additions and the extensions of some of the other long-time Detroit landmarks means that blue chip prospects Joakim Andersson, Tomas Tatar, Jakub Kindl, Brendan Smith, Daniel Larsson and Thomas McCollum will all have to wait their turn ... it really is an embarrassment of riches in the rusting city on the Detroit River.

Last Year: Sunday, December 6th, 3-1 Ranger loss.

This Year: Sunday, Sept 26th in Detroit & Wednesday, Sept 29th @ MSG in the preseason; Monday, February 7th in Detroit.

What They Mean To Blue: The Rangers play the middle two of their six preseason games against the Wings to it should be make or break for the borderline Blueshirts - ya figure the first two games will see everyone get a shot and the last two will be Tortorella throwing darts at a board to find line combinations/chemistry. The one regular season matchup will be a Monday night Versus game, which makes it pretty much meaningless and hard to watch but far more listenable than the usual MSG faire as it will be without Micheletti. (Yep, still grindin' that ax.)