3-1 Detroit In Third

Justin Abdelkader has just scored to give the Wings a more comfortable lead with 12 minutes to go in the game. Fleury has to have that shot and that mistake might have put the Pens out of reach.

The Pens are playing better in this game than they did in Game 1, but they still find themselves behind, despite Malkin giving them the early lead. For the Red Wings, Hossa created a great play to develop a goal on the powerplay, Detroit also scored off of the faceoff, and Abdelkader's just gave them the two goal lead.

So we will see if the Wings can hold on to win this and take a 2-0 series lead going to Pittsburgh.
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Brand New Hockey Forum

Hey Guys, I just wanted to let you know about a new hockey discussion forum that opened up. It is called Hockey Fever, and it is in the process of creating a great moderation crew, and a group of knowledgeable members. Hockey Fever is hoping that many members will join, therefore it can create a fantastic Hockey Environment. So take a swing by and join up HERE. Thanks!

By the way, I am a joined member as King Henrik.

Game 1: Wings 3 Pens 1 Final

Well that was the excitement that the NHL wanted present in Game 1, as this game was full of back and forth action all night long. Majority of the scoring chances were created on the fly and that controlled the tempo of the game. Also, I felt that the officiating was great because they let the two teams play and control the game, instead of letting penalties control the game.

Obviously this was a tight, low scoring affair, but it did not stop the up-tempo style being played by both teams, and for the most part, I felt the game was equally played. Starting with Detroit. The Wing's offense was not totally dominant tonight, but they got the job done, with some help from the back-boards. Two of the three goals came off of flukey bounces from the very lively boards in Detroit. The only goal scored from in front of the goal line was that of Justin Abdelkator, when he caught the puck and batted out of mid air past Fleury. But what really stood out for Detroit was there defense. The Red Wings were all over Crosby and Malkin, and constantly forced them to the outside. They were also backstopped by the stellar goaltending of Chris Osgood. From a Penguins standpoint, they played a decent game, and created many chances, but were unable to convert. I felt that their inability to score on the few powerplays they had really hurt them. Also, Fleury had no apparent luck tonight, and the Pens hope that will change in tomorrow's game, as they need Fleury to be good in order to win.

So game two will be played Sunday on NBC once again, and hopefully it will be just as action-packed as game one.
(Photo Courtesy of Getty Images)
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Wings 1 Pens 1 After First

Great action-packed period to kick off these Stanley Cup Finals! The refs are really letting these two teams play, and some huge hits have resulted from that. Besides the hitting, the flow of the game has been fantastic. North and South, up and down the ice the teams went, and some great chances were created on the fly by both teams.

Kind of an even period as the Wings got a flukey goal that went off the backboards and off of Fleury and in. The Pens got their goal from Ruslan Fedetenko scoring on a great play by Malkin and a bad rebound given up be Chris Osgood. Hopefully the terrific pace continues in the second.
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2009 Stanley Cup Finals Preview

The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals series will kick off in Detroit tonight, as the Red Wings will host the Penguins of Pittsburgh in Game One. Media Day was held in Detroit yesterday, as it was the previous year, but many of the players had the same mentality and that is to get the early lead in the series and to come out hard. Now obviously the hype is a bit higher than normal in this series as it will be a rematch from last year's finals. The Wings defending, and the Pens seeking revenge.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a big storyline in this match-up is Marian Hossa, and not just because he has been red hot as of late, but beacause he will now see the same match-up, but from a different perspective. Hossa played against the Wings in the finals last year while on the Penguins, and will now be going against the Penguins while in a Red Wing uniform. We will see if Hossa can get his hands on the Cup, or be shut out of it once again.

Now to look at the teams as a whole. The Red Wings and Penguins are both very threatening offensively, the Wings with Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Hossa, abd then the Pens with Crosby and Malkin. That is some list of players, as all are among the top 20 hockey players in the World. Now defensively I believe that Detroit has the advantage. The Wings have a lot of experience with Lidstrom and Chelios, who can be both offensive and defensive. The Penguins, on the the other hand, lay most of their defensive duties on the shoulders of Sergei Gonchar, who is better offensively than defensively. While looking at goaltending, you have the proven playoff contender Chris Osgood in goal for the Wings, and then you have the French-Canadian Marc-Andre Fleury in net for the Pens, and he has been stellar all throughout these playoffs.

All considered, this will be a great match-up and will contain a great level of excitement. But when you get down to it, I will say the Wings are the better team, and I predict they will win it all for the second consecutive year in Seven games. We will see if Pittsburgh can prove me wrong. Enjoy!

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Draft Combine Update

As you may know, the Draft Combine has been being held in Canada the last few days. In the combine, the Prospects perform several workout routines to test their physical status. The prospects then go to meet with any teams that they are asked to. General Managers and Scouts are at the combine to represent the teams.

As per a live combine blog on TSN, John Tavares was in great shape as was Victor Hedman. Although, Tavares did not participate in any upper body routines, creating a speculation that he has some sort of injury in the upper part of his body. As for Hedman, the kid is huge, being listed as 6'6.

Now looking at the combine from a Rangers standpoint. Blueshirt scout Mike Barnett is in attendance representing the Blueshirts. Prospect wise, Zack Kassian (best optipn for Rangers) lifted an impressive 16 bench lifts, one short of the overall best.
(Image Courtesy of TotalProsports.com)

Zherdev Rejects KHL

Reports from a Hockey Journalist that is currently in Russia are saying that Nikolai Zherdev has rejected an offer to play in the KHL next season. Zherdev continued to say that he would like to come back and play for the Rangers in the 2009-10 season.

The only way that Tortorella and the rest of the coaching staff would want Nik Zherdev back on this team is if he is going to show the effort that he did in the first half of the season. Nik was a clutch player in the months of October and November, and even in December but he then he then faded away. So in terms of contract, I wouldn't give him much of an increase in money, mainly because you are not sure what you are going to get out of him. So it is all up to Slats now, but I would go after the needed sniper before re-signing Zherdev.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

2009 Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

As promised, here is the schedule for the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals between the Pens and Wings. The series will open up on Saturday in Detroit, as the Red Wings have home ice advantage, just as last year.

•Saturday, May 30 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS
•Sunday, May 31 at Detroit, TBD-Evening NBC, CBC, RDS
•Tuesday, June 2 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm VERSUS, CBC, RDS
•Thursday, June 4 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm VERSUS, CBC, RDS
•*Saturday, June 6 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS
•*Tuesday, June 9 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS
•*Friday, June 12 at Detroit, 8:00 pm NBC, CBC, RDS

*if necessary

More later.....

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Wings/Pens to Play in Cup Finals

Darren Helm's overtime goal determined this year's Stanley Cup match-up, and yes' we will get a rematch of last year as Detroit and Pittsburgh will go head to head for the second straight year. One of the more interesting storylines heading into the series will be that Marian Hossa will see the matchup from the Detroit perspective, as he was on Pittsburgh last year. Will he get shutout of a second straight cup?

The series will kick off on Saturday on NBC, and I will be postibg the full schedule on here sometime Thursday.
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Rangers Ink Andres Ambuhl

According to Blue Notes, the Rangers have added 25-year-old Swiss forward Andres Ambuhl. The 5-10, 190 pounder played in 5o games with HC Davos of the National League A in Switzerland, and posted 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points. These stats tied him for first place in scoring on the team, and and fourth in goals scored.

This is the second European player the Rangers have signed in this offseason so far, as defenseman Heikkinen was added just over a week ago. Anyway, reports say that other NHL teams were looking into Ambuhl, but he ultimately went with the Rangers, where he will get a shot at making the Hartford Wolfpack.

(Photo courtesy of Keystone Images)

Rangers Agree on Contract With Del Zotto

The New York Rangers announced today that they have signed their 2008 first round draft pick, Michael Del Zotto to a three year contract with the team. The eighteen year-old registered 63 points with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League this season, and is showing very hopeful signs of becoming a great offensive defenseman. This is most likely the main reason the Rangers decided to sign the youngster to a contract, as they have just made their strong defensive future even deeper. Due to his age, Mike is too young to play on Wolf Pack, so it is either Juniors or the Rangers, most likely Juniors for now.

We probably won't see him in a Rangers jersey for a year or two, but the 6-0, 195-pound d-man will further grow and develop in the juniors, just as many other future Rangers did, such as Sanguinetti and Potter. Del Zotto could potentially be the "quarterback" of the Rangers powerplay that they seek in future years. Rangers fans should be very excited about this kid, because the organization is ecstatic.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Renney Back in Business

Various sources have reported that Tom Renney will assist head coach Pat Quinn of the Edmonton Oilers next season. Both were hired by Edmonton, as former coach, Craig MacTavish was fired at the season's conclusion. The Oilers have been in a struggle for many consecutive seasons now, and it is about time a change was made to get the organization jump-started.

Congratulations to Tom on getting the job, as he was a great coach here, and will be part of a great coaching staff led by Quinn. Not to sure if Pat likes to play defensive hockey as Renney does, but I guess we will see the team's new style once the new season begins in October.

A Look Into the Coming Months

Happy Memorial Day! We are now approaching the time when all of the rumors start coming out about moves teams will make in the offseason, and we also are approaching the very busy months of June and July, in which the Stanley Cup Playoffs are completed, and the NHL offseason officially begins. Being so, I have just decided to post up all of the dates that are of importance in the coming months.

- May 25-30: NHL Draft Combine in Toronto
- June 16: Last Possible Day for Stanley Cup Final
- June 18: NHL Awards Night in Las Vegas
- June 26-27: NHL Entry Draft in Montreal
- July 1: Free Agency signing period begins
- July 5: Deadline for Player-Elected Salary Arbitration
- July 6: Deadline for Club-Elected Salary Arbitration
- July 10: Deadline for Eligible Players to elect Group 5 Free Agency
- July 20-August 1: Salary arbitration hearings held
- August 6: Deadline for salary arbitration decisions to be rendered

I will be posting this schedule on the sidebar in the coming days, and I suggest that you mark 'em down on your calendar as well.:) Calendar courtesy of TSN.

Rangers Looking at Mike Knuble?

There has been some talking brewing in the last day or two about the Rangers going after Mike Knuble during this summer. The 36 year-old scored 27 goals for the Flyers in the 2008-09 season, and despite his age, still shows that he has the ability to go to the net strong, and most of all, score goals.

Now, Mike would probably fit into Tortorella's system being that he is a player that crashes the net, and would probably fit well into our third line. But obviously his age is a major concern, as he will be 37 on July 4th of this year, and the Rangers are looking to get young talent on this team, but being that he is the age he is, Sather could get him at a cheaper price. The Flyers were paying Knuble 2.8 million this year, so maybe the Rangers can get him for like 2.25 or 2.5 per year. Now that is a price I would except him at, and wouldn't mind if he played well on the third line. He will add some goals to this team's dormant offense, and will be doing it at a cheap price, but again, there is always the chance of his age getting the best of him.

(Photo courtesy of AP Photo)

Wings 6 Hawks 1 Final

A disappointing game for the Hawks as they showed nothing(see prior posts) and as a result, will face elimination in Game 5 in Detroit on Wednesday. Red Wings just dominated the game today, and controlled the flow all throughout. Wings get the chance to go the Cup for the second straight year on Wednesday, and Pens get the same opportunity on Tuesday. Could we see a rematch of last year's finals? Looks like it!
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Wings 5 Hawks 1 After 2

Hawks obviously not looking to good through 2 periods in Chicago. Detroit dominating offensively with 3 goals in the second from Hossa, Filpula, and Zetterberg. Hossa is really skating well today, and his 2 goals show it. From a Hawks standpoint, they are really disappointing their home fans after the OT win the other night. So most likely Detroit will hold onto to win this one and take a 3-1 series lead.
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Wings 2 Hawks 0 After 1

Wings have the lead through one at the United Center, as Marian Hossa scored shorthanded in the first ten minutes and Johan Franzen added to that by scoring with under a minute left. The Hawks have to get things going here, because their game has no luster. The offense is dormant, besides a frenzy in front of the net towards the end of the period, which led to a turnover and a goal against. Christobal Huet let up a dreadful goal to Franzen at the end there, as it just floated over his shoulder. - As for the Wings, they have to keep doing what they did in the first. Solid defense, created chances offensively, and controlled the tempo. We will see if they can keep this constant, even if the Hawks come out hard in the second.
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Trade Speculation: Rangers and Leafs

A rumor came out of TSN today, as hockey insider Darren Dreger reported that Glen Sather has laid out an offer to the Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager, Brian Burke. The offer supposedly looks like this:

To Rangers:

Tomas Kaberle

7th Overall Pick in 2009 Draft

Anton Stralman

To Leafs:

Wade Redden

Marc Staal

Brandon Dubinsky

I know your first thought was alarming being that Staal's name was involved in that trade, but you must take several things into consideration before you automatically say NO to this deal. First of all, we get rid of the disgusting Redden contract, you gain Tomas Kaberle, who is much better than Redden, and is only paid 4.25 million. Now yes, we would lose Marc Staal, and yes he will develop into an ALL-Star, BUT, we would gain that 7th overall pick, which could very well replace Staal, maybe even get us someone better. We would lose Dubinsky and get Stralman, who is decent, but not as valuable as Dubi.

Now that I laid the deal out or you, this is what we could potentially do after that. First we could draft a star destined d-man such as Cowen with the seventh overall, than we could trade our second pick in the first round for a player that is on a team with cap troubles. And finally we would have a great amount of Cap Space to cash in during free agency, like maybe getting Hossa or someone.

In totality, this would be a great deal for us, and we would benefit in many ways. Yes, it would be sad to Staalsy go, but as I said, we could easily replace him in the draft. All of that said, this is just a rumor, and has not been confirmed by the Rangers or the Leafs.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Pens 3 Canes 1 After 1

A big explosion from the Penguins in the end of the period helped to propel them to the 3-1 lead that they will take into the intermission. Before the two goals were scored at the end of the period, the Penguins were in control, but not dominating just yet. Each team got goals to make it a 1-1 game for most of the first(Malkin and Cullen with the goals), but then Sidney Crosby deflected a saucer pass from Bill Guerin passed Cam Ward, and then red hot Evgeni Malking followed that up by capitalizing on a fortunate bounce off of the ref, and took it to the net and beat Ward low.

Malkin and Crosby continue to impress, and I said in the earlier post, if both of them are rolling, the Pens are in the top three scariest team in the league. As for the Canes, Tim Gleason takes the fault for both of Malkin's goals due to turnovers, and the offense will need to get going if they want to get back in this game.

Analysis: The Conference Finals

Detroit Red Wings/Chicago Blackhawks
(Wings lead series 2-1)

The young and improved Chicago Blackhawks came up with a huge win last night to keep themselves from falling three games to none against the Red Wings. Patrick Sharp's Overtime goal has cut the Red Wings series lead to two games to one, and has made this a series. The Red Wings took both games at home to begin the Western Conference Finals, dominating Game 1 with a 5-2 win, and following that up with an overtime win in Game 2 Wednesday night. And then obviously the Hawks striked back with the OT win last night, and possibly saved themselves from being eliminated.

Coming into this series, one could say that the Red Wings are the favorites in ths series, as they have more overall skill, and after game one that opinion was kept constant and more began to believe. But the Blackhawks had different ideas, taking the Wings to OT in both of the last two games, and have improved much since the first game. A big part of that is that Chicago's top players have showed up when they were most needed. For instance, Jonathan Toews, captain of the Hawks, responded to the Game beating with a big two goal game in game two. Yes, it might not have been enough to win, but he at least carried his team to overtime. As for game 3, it was Hawks' assistant Captain, Patrick Sharp, with the two goal night, one of which was the game winner that came 1:52 into overtime. If the Hawks can continue to have big performances from their top players like Toews, Kane, Sharp, Keith and more, it is very possible that the can upset the well favored wings in this series.

From the Red Wing's standpoint, they are also a team that gets the most out of their top performers at crucial times, but the thing is, they have almost a whole team of top players. The first two lines are stacked and produce night in and night out, and if the offense have an off-night, the defense steps in can produce the scoring, lead by captain, Nik Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski. Going back to the offense, the Red Wings have two of the most talented players in the league up front, in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. When these two guys are going, almost anything is possible for this team. And then of course the Wings have veteran goaltender Chris Osgood in goal, who has his ups and downs, but has proven himself to be a true playoff contender, and is doing in once again this year. If the Red Wings can get their offense playing at the top pf their game, we may be in for more games like game one of the conference finals.

My Prediction: Hawks in Seven
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Pittsburgh Penguins/Carolina Hurricanes

(Penguins lead series 2-0)

In the Eastern Conference, the Carolina Hurricanes have allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins to take a two game series lead, and will have to come up with a big effort in tonight's game, as they will be on home ice in Raleigh. The Penguins played a close game with the Canes in game 1, as they came out on top 3-2. Game 2 was a bit of a different story, as the Pens came out and dominated the Canes with a 7-4 win, lead by Evgeni Malkin.

The Penguins have scary offensive talent and it as shown all through the playoffs. In the previous series against the Capitals, Crosby was doing a majority of the scoring, and Malkin was being criticized for being dormant in most games. Well, Evgeni has been anything but dormant through two games in this series, as he has four goals in the first two. Evgeni single handily took the game into his hands in Game 2, scoring a hat-trick and leading the offense, especially late in second and third periods. And then of course they have that guy Sidney Crosby who can net goals...a lot of goals. Crosby is among the top scoring leaders in this year's playoffs, and his game has been very consistent. In net, the Pens have Marc-Andre Fleury who has been absolutely amazing for the all post-season long.

As for the Canes, I feel like tonight's game can very well determine how long they will last against the Pens in this series. In order to turn this series around, the Hurricanes will need the production from top players like Eric Staal, Joe Corvo, and Cam Ward. Each of which are a huge part of this team, and for the most part, have been hot in the playoffs. Especially Eric Staal, who has carried Paul Maurice's Hurricanes on his back numerous times. Carolina will also need contribution from younger players such as Jussi Jokinen, who has seven goals in these playoffs, and has been on his game as of late. Back-stopping the Canes in net is goaltender Cam Ward, who besides last game, has been marvelous for the Canes, and has been a major reason why they are in these Conference Finals against the Penguins.

My Prediction: Penguins in Six
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(Photos Courtesy of Reuters Pictures)

Daily News Looks at Ranger Rivals

The Daily News did a segment today on the most hated athletes by the fans of New York. There are five players listed, in which are hated by the Ranger faithful, and their descriptions of why the players are hated are pretty accurate. Here they are:

1)Martin Brodeur: Any goalie that sets the all-time wins mark and backstops his team to three Stanley Cups deserves respect from Rangers fans. Any goalie, that is, except Martin Brodeur. They know his statistics are artificially inflated playing behind a team that perfected the defensive trap - and ruined hockey in the process. They know all about the line in his autobiography where he wrote, "I hate the Rangers." They remember his refusal to shake Ranger Sean Avery's hand at the end of a 2008 playoff series - a classless act, no matter how bush league Avery plays during the game. All-time winningest goalie? More like all-time whiniest.

2)Denis Potvin: It took a split second for Islanders defenseman Denis Potvin to achieve immortality with Rangers fans. Thirty years ago this past February, Potvin skated into Ulf Nilsson, shattering the Swedish forward's ankle - and effectively ending the Ranger star's career. Ever since, Ranger fans have been unleashing ubiquitous "Potvin Sucks!" chants at every game at Madison Square Garden.

"I was at Yankee Stadium when the Marlins played in the World Series and heard that chant," Potvin, now an analyst for the Florida Panthers, recently whined to the
Miami Herald. "I crunched down into my seat. I couldn't believe it. It happens
everywhere in New York." Yeah, you better crouch!

3)Dave Schultz: Nicknamed "The Hammer", no player tormented the Rangers - and their fans - in the mid-1970s more than David Schultz, the biggest bully on the
Broad Street Bullies championship teams. In fact, the Rangers suffered a franchise nadir at the hands - literally - of the Flyer goon during the 1973-74 semifinals between the two teams. In Game 7, Schultz pounded the stuffing out of the Rangers' Dale Rolfe, whose teammates stood idly by. The embarrassment branded the Rangers as the softest team in hockey for a decade.

4)Bobby Clarke: When Philadelphia Flyers captain Bobby Clarke retired in 1984 after 15 seasons and three MVP awards, Ranger fans thought they were finally free from watching him hurt their team. They were wrong. Clarke immediately becomes general manager of his old team - and while he could no longer hurt the Blueshirts directly with his trademark slashes, he could build the team in his Broad Street Bullies image. He did just that for an overrated two-decade run in which he never got his team a championship...and they say voodoo dolls don't work.

5)Billy Smith: The Islanders goalie great may be in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but Rangers fans believe there should be an "*" by his name. Actually make that a "**@%$*$#@^!" Aside from taking cheap shots with his stick at opposing players who drifted anywhere near his crease, "Battling Billy" refused to shake hands with the other team during the traditional handshakes at the end of a series if the Islanders lost. Sure he has 305 victories, but he also notched a whopping 489 penalty minutes -an NHL record for a goalie.

Well they were pretty spot on with these guys. All players are not liked by the fans here, despite the way these players have excelled in their careers in the NHL. Now, most of the players listed can be considered rivals from "back in the day", but obviously the fan hatred continues to live on, and I am sure in a few years from now, there will be a new top five list of players hated by Blueshirt fans.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Just Another Eklund Rumor.....

has been put out onto the Internet. I know it is just Eklund, so this doesn't mean a whole lot, but it is a rumor, and that is what the NHL Offseason is all about, right? Anyway, here is the list of major free agents, and the teams(in order) that it is believed they would most likely end up on:

1)Marian Hossa (Still Playing)
2)Jay Bouwmeester (Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Philadelphia)
3)The Sedins (Colorado, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver)
4)Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim, New Jersey)
5)Marian Gaborik (Los Angeles, NYR)
6)Martin Havlat (Still Playing)
7)Mike Cammalleri (Buffalo, Carolina, Montreal, Ottawa)
8)Mike Komisarek (Colorado, New Jersey, NYI, Montreal)
9)Mattias Ohlund (Buffalo, New Jersey, Toronto, Washington)
10)Brian Gionta (Anaheim, Ottawa, Vancouver)
11)Mike Knuble (Anaheim, Boston, Philadelphia)
12)Eric Cole (Still Playing)
13)Johnny Oduya (Anaheim, Edmonton, NYI, New Jersey, San Jose)
14)Francois Beauchemin (Anaheim, New Jersey, NYI, Montreal)
15)Alex Tanguay (Colorado, New Jersey, NYI)
16)Derek Morris (Buffalo, NYR, Ottawa)
17)Jordan Leopold (Calgary, Phoenix)
18)Mikael Samuelsson (Still Playing)
19)Mats Sundin (NYR, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver)
20)Alexei Kovalev (Los Angeles, Montreal, Pittsburgh)

As you can see, the New York Rangers appear 3 times on the list. The Blueshirts are second on Gaborik's list, second on Morris's list, and first on Sundin's. Again, this is just a rumor, but it is good to know that players like Gaborik want to play here in New York, and very interesting that Sundin, after rejecting the Rangers' offer this past season, would want to come to here for the next season. If you want to see the full post and the free agent rumor chart, just click on Eklund's name(above).

(Photo courtesy of Reuters Images)

So Far, So Good

Well I have been very impressed with all of the votes we have been getting in the poll. I appreciate the activity and your input. So far, the votes have been as follows:

-Kovalchuk 71%
-Other 14%
-Hossa 9%
-Gaborik 4%

I thank you guys for contributing your input, and for those of you who are yet to vote, please do so on the sidebar to your right. Thanks again!

Rangers Sign Ilka Heikkinen

It has been reported that the Rangers have signed defenseman Ilka Heikkinen from the SM-liiga. Ilka is 6 foot 3, 190 pounds, and turns 25 in November. Scouts say that he has been one of the top offensive defensemen in the SM-liiga for a few years now.......I am not sure what this means, as I do not know the player all that well, but if he is as good as some scouts say, Heikkinen could become a part of the Ranger blueline eventually.

Aves Just Loves to Have Fun

The New York Post's Page Six reported today that Rangers' forward, Sean Avery, was among many people to attend the re-opening of the well publicized strip club, Scores on West 28th street. According to sources, Avery spent some time with a "Busty Brazilian" who followed him into the parking lot, where she gave him her phone number.

Aside from that, Aves also hosted the Grand Opening of his new Bar and Grill, Warren 77. Henrik Lundqvist was also at the event, as it benefited the Garden of Dreams.

(Image courtesy of AP Photos)

Zherdev Probably Won't Return

As I posted yesterday, a Russian website is reporting that former Rangers forward, Nik Zherdev, is heavily considering playing in Russia. This may be do to Zherdev's collapse in the second half 0f the season, or he could just want to play back in his home land. In my opinion, there was a lot of pressure on the team and players towards the end of the season, and don't think Zherdev could handle it. He is young, only played for Columbus before the Rangers, which does not have nearly as big as a reputation/fan base as New York, and Nik didn't have much experience. When all of those factors added up, it was shown in his game that he was unable to handle the pressure.

In the first few months of the season, I had hope in Zherdev, as did many fans. He was proving himself by being on of the best players on the team on certain nights, and had many memorable goals(tied game against Pittsburgh), and was scoring at a somewhat consecutive rate. Then when wins mattered most, and fans started getting on the team, particularly after the All-Star break, Nik became invisible. He was just not himself, and the coaching staff noticed it. When Renney was coach, he tried benching Zherdev to get him jump-started, and that didn't work. Then Torts came in, Zherdev was benched for two periods again to send a message to him, no response. Zherdev just didn't have the same mentality as he did in the first few months in the season.

Once John Tortorella came in, Zherdev's game only got worse, and laziness that was a factor in Columbus, was being shown in New York. Nik was turning the puck over constantly, not back-checking, and most of all, not scoring.

We all know very well that it is Tort's way or the highway, and that is why I don't think Nik will be back with Rangers next season. Whether he goes to play in Russia, or is moved to another team in the NHL, Zherdev will most likely not be back here, and assistant GM, Jim Schoenfeld made that clear saying that if Zherdev does not want to give it all he's got in New York, they will happily find him a new home.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Zherdev to KHL?

Blue Notes is reporting that Nikolai Zherdev is heavily considering joining the KHL for next season. This has not been confirmed just yet, but I will make a follow up post to this one if more information leaks out.

BTW, I apologize for the inactiveness over the past few days. I have been tied up recently, but should be back on schedule starting this weekend. So I promise to be more active in the coming days, thanks.....

Pens 6 Caps 2 Final (Caps Eliminated)

Well the Pittsburgh Penguins will once again move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. Lead by Captain Sidney Crosby, the Penguins just flat out dominated the Capitals in Game Seven tonight. Crosby got the offense started with a rebound goal in the first, and then the Pens went on to score five more goals on the dreadful Capitals defense.

The Capitals did not have close to the amount of energy that I expected from them tonight, and their game was just lack-luster tonight. The defense was out of position A LOT throughout the course of this game, and that resulted in the pulling of Simeon Varlamov after 4 goals given up. Now, the offense was no better, as they only were able to produce 2 goals, and one of which was an empty netter by AO on a Fleury mistake behind the net.

So this series is concluded, but the main thing to look back at when thinking of the seven game battle, is obviously the math-up between Ovechkin and Crosby. Well, Crosby came out on top, but,OV and Crosby tied in goals scored. The two had an emotional talk on the hand shake line at the conclusion of this game.

The Penguins opponent in the Conference finals will be determined by the result of Game Seven between the Hurricanes and Bruins Thursday Night.

Pens 5 Caps 1 After 2

Just as they did in the first, the Penguins came out and dominated the second period of this game as well. Three goals scored in this second have given the Pens a four goal lead going into the third, and it is well deserved. The Penguins are out-positioning the Caps constantly, and have left them looking ridiculous. The offense just keeps pounding the weak Caps D, and Varlamov was replaced by Jose Theodore because of this.

The first major mistake made by Pittsburgh cost them, as Alex Ovechkin capitalized on an empty net, when Fleury coughed up the puck behind the net. Many mistakes are being made by the Caps, though. They are terrible in front of Theodore, and were in front of Varlamov as well. The defense looks terrible, and the offense is not working to its ability. And Semin has been just dreadful.

Come back after the third for analysis on the complete game.....

Pens 2 Caps 0 After 1

The Penguins dominated period one of this Game Seven tonight, as they take a two goal lead into the second. Crosby scored his eleventh of the playoffs and enforcer Adams followed that up with a goal eight seconds later. The penguins offense was on fire in that period, and it would be more than just 2-0 if it weren't for Simeon Varlamov.

As for the Caps, they did not have a good first period on home ice. They have holes in their defense, didn't get a whole lot going offensively, and do not have the energy that I expected coming into this game. But I would not count OV and the Caps out just yet, as it is probable that they will have an answer in the coming periods.

Come back after the second and third for more of my analysis on the game......

8 Million???

Well, I stumbled upon some disturbing facts while on some Rangers' message boards today. So, if you want to be happy and not feel the urge to vomit, I stress that you do not continue reading this post. Here it goes.

First off, here is the rundown of Wade Redden's contract over the remaining five years he is locked up as a Ranger:

2009/10- $8,000,000
2010/11- $6,500,000
2011/12- $6,500,000
2012/13- $5,000,000
2013/14- $5,000,000

That first number is disturbing isn't it? So Wade Redden, the same Wade Redden that was booed every time he touched the puck at one point in the season, will be making a total of eight million dollars next season. If that doesn't make you sick, than take a look at other players in the league that will be making around 8 million next season as well:

Crosby
Malkin
Ovechkin
Lecavalier
Heatley
Spezza
Briere
Gomez
Drury
Redden

Overall, there are 10 players in the NHL making 8 million or more next season. We have three of them, and the only defensemen on the list, so that means that Wade Redden will be the highest paid d-man in the NHL next season.

*Special thanks to the guys at Hf Boards for the facts, and to Bounty, for supplying me with the paper towels to clean up the vomit*

Caps/Pens Game 6

Well, I hope you all are watching this. Some game this is. Crosby ties it with under five minutes to go in third. This has been the most loose game of the series, as the Caps and Pens have exchanged goals back and forth here in Game 6.
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What a crazy and frantic end to the third, should be an eventful Overtime.
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Steckel forces Game 7 in Overtime. Game Seven will be electric. Also, Ovechkin with a bit of a show-boatish gesture to the crowd, he needs to grow up.

Possible Ranger: Marian Hossa

Here is post three of my "Possible Ranger" series, and in this edition, we will focus on Detroit Right Wing Marian Hossa. Who is yet another option for Glen Sather in the offseason.

Marian Hossa, 30, was drafted 12th Overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. In his rookie year, Marian played in only seven games with the Senators and put up one point in those few games. After only playing seven games in his rookie year, Hossa got a better taste of NHL action in his sophomore year, when he played 60 out of 82 games. In those 60 games, Hossa scored 15 goals and 15 assists for a total of 30 points. After that second year, Marian's career really took off, and he was playing close to every game in the season.

In 1999-00, his third consecutive year with the Senators, Hossa started to display his skill, when he was 29-27-56 during that season. From here, Marian played four more seasons with the Senators, and his best year in Ottawa, by far, was in 2002-03, when the skilled forward scored a career high 45 goals and added 35 assists, which adds up to 80 points.

After the lockout, Hossa signed with the Atlanta Thrashers, where he would play for 2 3/4 more years. In that first season following the lockout, Marian put up 53 points, a career high at the time. That career high was soon to be broken, as in the following year, 2006-07, Hossa had his best year of his career so far, as he posted 100 points, scoring 43 goals and 57 assists.

Following the 2006-07 season, Hossa would make multiple jumps to different teams in the league. During the Trade Deadline in 2007-08, Hossa was the biggest player to be traded, when he was moved to Pittsburgh along with Pascal Dupuis. He played in the playoffs that year with the Pens, and of course, ended the Rangers' season that year in OT of game 6. Anyway, after being defeated by the Red Wings in the finals, Hossa would then sign with the team that eliminated him, during the free agency period last summer. That team, the Detroit Red Wings, where he played this season, and is currently in the playoffs with.

So as you can see, the eleven year veteran has had an extremely bright career, and has excelled in many areas of the game. Marian's skills sent him to the NHL All-Star Game five times in his career. Hossa has also seen the post-season nine times, but is yet to win a Cup. Although, he has a very good chance of breaking that drought this year in Detroit.

For the second straight year, Marian Hossa will be among the top free agents this July, and has become another option for Rangers General Manager, Glen Sather. Fans in New York would be thrilled to have Hossa here in New York, but Sather will have his work cut out for him with this guy, mainly because Hossa has been looking to be on a cup contender for a while now, and I don't know that this roster shows signs of that just yet, but if he wins the cup this year, he may be willing to come tho the Blueshirts. You just never know.

The next post in the "Possible Ranger" series will be all about Mike Cammelleri of the Calgary Flames.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Hossa Post to Come

My "Possible Ranger" series will continue, as we will be taking a look at Detroit forward, Marian Hossa on Sunday Morning. So be sure to stop by on Mother's Day to read the third post of the series..

Zherdev Breaks Hand at World Tournament

The official site of the Russian Hockey Federation reported today that forward Nikolai Zherdev has broken his left hand while playing in the World Championships in Bern. Nik and the Russians were playing against team USA last Saturday, and that is when it seemed as if he injured the hand.

This past week Zherdev played in two more games in the tourney, despite the injury, and has not been participating fully in practices. Nik was spotted several times with his hand wrapped in a bag of ice.

These are all of the details that have been announced so far.

Scheduled Maintenance

Just to give you a heads-up, the Rangers Tribune will be undergoing some maintenance tonight, so there is a possibility that the site might be down for short periods of time. Everything will be working fine tomorrow.

Thanks for your understanding as it is greatly appreciated by The Rangers Tribune.

Possible Ranger: Marian Gaborik

Here is post two of my "Possible Ranger" series. In my last post, I focused on Ilya Kovalchuk(see "Featured Posts" on sidebar). In this post, I will be zooming in on the the past, present, and future of Minnesota forward Marian Gaborik.

Marian Gaborik, 27, was drafted third overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. In his rookie year, young Marian played 71 games with the Wild, and posted 18 goals and 18 assists for a total of 36 points. In the following season, Gaborik had a much better season, as he scored 30 goals, almost double of first season total, and 37 assists, which adds up to 67 points. In 2002-03, Gaborik performed around the same as his second season, going 30-35-65, in 81 games played.

After the 2002-03 season, injuries became a major factor in Gabby's career, as the skilled forward played only 272 games in his next five seasons in the NHL. That is an average of 54 games per season, not good. Now although he played so few games, he was still able to put up numbers when he was in. His ability to score really showed in the 2007-08 season, when Marian scored 42 goals and 41 assists for 83 points in 77 games played. Because of this, Gaborik was sent to the All-Star game for the second time in his career. Now Marian's worst season would probably be his most recent, 2008-09, and not because of low numbers. It is mainly because he played only 17 games due to hip surgery. When Gaborik was in the line-up for the Wild, he was effective, scoring 13 goals in those 17 games.

In totality, Marian Gaborik is a very gifted player, but unfortunately his career has been plagued by injuries. Gabby has been a dynamic player when healthy for the Wild, as he has proven himself by posting top of the league numbers when he played close to full seasons. There is a good chance that the Wild will lose the star Right Wing in the upcoming offseason though, as he is an unrestricted free agent. This is why Gaborik has been included in the "Possible Ranger" series.

After the Rangers season ended in late April, there has been consistent talk of Glen Sather looking deeply into Gaborik this offseason. There are mixed emotions with this one as we know he has proven himself to be a star in this league, but that has only been when he has been healthy, which has not been common in the last five seasons. If Gaborik were to be healthy, I would take him in a heartbeat, but knowing that he is so prone to injury, it makes the situation iffy. And this is what makes the job of General Manager so difficult. Signing a big time player to a long contract for a lot of money, can be related to a box of chocolates, because you never know....you know the saying. All humor aside, Gaborik, if healthy, would make a huge impact on this team offensively, specifically in the goal scoring department, but he does not deserve 7 million plus to sit on the sideline for 80% of the season.

The next post in this series will focus on another Marian...Marian Hossa.
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Interesting Trade Proposal

Here is an interesting trade proposal I came upon on one of the Rangers' fan forums today, Just thought I would share it with you, as there was not much excitement in the hockey world today so far.

NYR Gives Up:
-rights to Zherdev
-Dan Girardi
-3rd Round Pick

FLA Gives Up:
-rights to Booth
-Nick Boynton

We would gain a decent LW to play with Gomez, and would be getting rid of the slacking Zherdev. It is your call, Would you accept?

Highlight post on Gaborik to come on Friday Afternoon...

Possible Ranger: Ilya Kovalchuk

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I will be making a post every day covering a different player that the Rangers will possibly make a move for in the upcoming offseason. I will kick off the series of posts tonight, starting with Ilya Kovalchuk.

Ilya Kovalchuk, 26, was drafted into the NHL by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2001 Entry Draft, and was the first overall pick. No time was wasted by the Thrashers, as they brought Ilya into the league immediately after being drafted. Since then, Kovalchuk has played seven consecutive seasons in the NHL, all with Atlanta.

Now to get into the statistics. Ilya had a great rookie year in 2001-02, as he posted 29 goals and 22 assists, totaling for 51 points. He has only improved since that first season. In Ilya's second season in the NHL, Kovalchuk went 38-29-67 in 2002-03, and 41-46-87 in 2003-04. The 2003-04 was even more special of a year than the others, being that Kovalchuk won the Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy, an annual award given to the National Hockey League's top goal scorer by the NHL Board of Governors. The 2005-06 season was Ilya's personal best season stat wise. He scored a career high 52 goals that year, and added 46 assists to that, which combines for a total of 98 points, also a career high for Kovy. The trend continued in his latest three seasons, as he earned 76 pts in 06-07, 87 pts in 07-08, and 91 pts in 08-09. These magnificent career numbers have sent Ilya to the NHL All-Star Game three times in 2004, 2008, and 2009.

So Ilya Kovalchuk has obviously had a spectacular career in the NHL so far, but has only reached the playoffs one time in his career, and the post-season is the time when All-Stars like Kovalchuk shine. The one year he did make it, he was swept by our beloved Rangers in the first round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals. Ilya recorded just one goal and one assist in that series. Anyway, this is the reason why Kovalchuk would want to leave the Thrashers. Atlanta does not seem like they are going to be a playoff team anytime soon. A player of Kovalchuk's caliber is not a player that should see the post-season only once in his career.

This is where the Rangers come into play. The Rangers are looking to gain a big time goal scorer in the upcoming season. They have only one real dominant player on the team in Henrik Lundqvist, and in order to go deep in the playoffs, the skill needs to be spread throughout several areas, not just one. The Blueshirts are probably also looking to get rid of one of the over-payed underachievers on the team, such as Rozsival. All of this is possible if the Gen Sather and the Rangers were to make a move for Ilya Kovalchuk this summer. Ilya brings a big offensive package and is a very dynamic player, something this team lacks majorly.

The one problem is the question of: What would Atlanta want in return? Well they would probably want one of the team's one young stars, Dubinsky or Staal for example, and I do not know if Slats is ready to get rid of those players just yet, as both have a great amount of potential.

This is one of many options for the Rangers' brass to consider this summer. It would most likely be one of the two top options in my opinion, but I am not the General Manager of the team. I will be discussing the other players the Rangers can go after in the coming days.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Is Trading Up In the Draft an Option?

Will this be considered by the Rangers' front office? With a little over a month until the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, I would imagine that this option will be talked over in the meeting next week(see post below). The Rangers can have a draft position from anywhere between 15 and 25 depending on the results in the playoffs. Anyway, this move would probably benefit the Rangers in numerous ways.

- First off, it could obviously gain the Rangers a great player for the future, such as Evander Kane, Matt Duchene, Jordan Schroeder, etc.

-It would also potentially get rid of some cap, which the Blueshirts are desperate for at the moment.

So for now, we will have to wait and see what happens between now and Draft Weekend, which will be on June 26 and 27 in Monteal. Also, as of now, the Rangers best option would probably be Kassian.

Sather and Co. Will Meet in California

It was reported today on NHL Live, that Glen Sather and the rest of the front office for the Rangers, and possibly the coach(es), will be meeting in California next week. This meeting will be for discussion purposes, mainly about players, contracts, prospects, and free agents, etc.

So obviously there will be many talks about who should be re-signed, what kind of players they will need to improve the dormant offense, and what free agents they should consider making offers to. In my opinion, some players that Sather should take deep looks at are Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Mike Cammelleri. All of which are free agents except Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is still under contract with the Atlanta Thrashers, but is being put on the trading block by Thrashers GM, Don Waddell.

Trading Rozsival is also something that should be considered. He is taking up cap room and is under achieving. Among the over-payed underachievers, Rozsival is the most likely to be traded. This move will open up much needed cap space and get us a decent player in return.

Starting tonight, everyday I will make a post featuring one of the players that I listed above. All of which will probably be talked about in the upcoming meeting. I will discuss their career, strengths, weaknesses, and what it would take to get them on this team. So stop by for those posts everyday, starting later tonight.

Phoenix Files Bankruptcy

It was just reported on VS that the Phoenix Coyotes have filed bankruptcy. The team was obviously struggling in Phoenix, as the hockey fan-base out there is not too large, and it has showed. The Coyotes are in the middle of a rebuild, so have not been producing exciting playoff teams just yet.

Not many details have been released on the matter, but we know that they are looking to sell the team and want to have it sold by mid-June so they can be included in the 2009-10 NHL Schedule. It was reported on TSN that the owner of Blackberry, Jim Balsillie, has put in an offer of $212.5 million for the team, and would want to move them to the Ontario area.

Who Gets the "A"?

Just a quick thought.....Who gets the the title of Alternate Captain of the New York Rangers now that Naslund has retired. Usually it goes to the next best veteran on the team, but in all honesty, I believe that it should go to Brandon Dubinsky.

Dubi shows leadership qualities in everything he does. The kid plays with a lot of emotion and passion, and that is where you find your best players and leaders these days, ones with love for the game. Brandon has heart and I know that other teammate's will want to follow him when he displays that fire power.

Even away from the ice, Dubinsky expresses his ability to lead, mostly in his interviews. He is very "business like" and appropriate in his meetings with the media. He seems to know how to handle different situations when asked about them.

One last thing is his dedication to the team. Dubinsky is the kind of guy that would take a bullet for you, you see it every night on the ice. He constantly stands up for teammate's, will do everything in his power to try and win the game, and is always communicating with the team.

These are all essential qualities of a leader, so there is no question that Dubi should get the "A" over someone like mute Redden. The only way I can see someone else being the Alternate Captain is if a player is brought to this team in the offseason, that has the same qualities as Dubinsky but has more experience in the league. Otherwise, my vote goes to Dubi.

ECSF: Capitals/Penguins Game Two

Sure was an exciting game Saturday afternoon, as the Capitals came out on top in that one. I will be following Game 2 of this series on here tonight, so stop by frequently as I will be updating with analysis often.

Scoring:
PIT: Crosby, S. (PPG, 06:38 in 1st)
WSH: Ovechkin, A. (02:18 in 2nd)
PIT: Crosby, S. (10:57 in 2nd)
WSH: Steckel, D. (15:49 in 2nd)
WSH: Ovechkin, A. (PPG, 12:53 in 3rd)
WSH: Ovechkin, A. (15:22 in 3rd)
PIT: Crosby, S. (PPG, 19:29 in 3rd)

Notes: (Most Recent on Bottom)

-Ovechkin has been robbed of two prime scoring chances by Marc-Andre Fleury in this game thus far.

-When asked about his team taking penalties, Boudreau said that they are being stupid, obviously being very honest. Fleury has been great so far.

-Action in this game has been fantastic. Both teams are flying and there are scrums after every play. Great game!

-Penguins have a huge opportunity to gain two goal lead with 5 on 3 here. Boudrea is extremely mad with his team's play.

-WOW! What saves by Varlamov robbing both Crosby and Gonchar on the powerplay.

-Intensity and Emotion were extremely high in the first stanza of this one. Ovechkin looks steamed so watch for him to come out hard in the second. Pens lead 1-0 after first.

-Huge block by Eaton there, saved it from being a tied game. Careless play by Pitt.

-Guess Who? Ovechkin ties it at One. Great speed by Federov and nice play to get it to the open Ovy who buried the one-timer.

-Powerplay for the Caps here.

-Great puck movement by the Caps on the powerplay.

-Prime opportunities for teams so far in this period. Goaltending has been stellar on both ends of the ice.

-Big saves by both Fleury and Varlamov. Both are really impressive in this game. Hopefully the high pace action will be a constant throughout the rest of the game.

-Bylsma tells Versus that he feels that the Pens have settled things down a bit here, and they have to get the offensive pressure going.

-Lucky bounce right to Sid the Kid, who was hovering the goal. Crosby bangs in his second of the night, 2-1 Pens leading.

-Big save by Varlamov there, he is stealing this game.

-A wide open Steckel buries the loose puck in front of Fleury. Tie game 2-2.

-Powerplay Caps. Ovechkin took a dive.

-End of period 2. Great action. Caps and Pens both need to tighten it up a bit in their own zones. 2-2

-Pens aren't getting shots on this powerplay to start the period.

-Ovechkin having some words with Fleury after the play there.

-Pens are dominating here. Malkin is very quiet tonight, game 2 as well.

-Odd man rushes on both ends, but goaltending continues to be superior.

-Big saves by Fleury!

-Powerplay coming to the Pens here, 9:11 left in third. Urcina takes two runs at Malkin.

-Ovechkin rips a one-timer into the net once again in this game. 4 on 4 goal, Caps lead 3-2.

-4:50 left in third, Caps lead on OV's goal. Boy, did that place erupt when he scored that goal. This will be a great finish.

-Ovechkin rips a wrister past Fleury to comlete his first postseason Hat-trick. Hats still pouring onto the ice.

-Pens get another powerplay at the end of the game. Could they pull it off?

-Crosby bats puck into the net for hat-trick. 30 sconds, Pitt down by one.

-Caps take 2 game series lead with win tonight. Crosby and Ovechkin were both amazing in this game, as were both goaltenders. Malkin, on the other hand, has been invisible in the series thus far. Great game tonight, and this will be one exciting finish to the series! Thanks for tuning in!

Hockey Reading Thursday

If anyone would like, there will be a discussion on Hockey Books this coming Thursday Night in Brooklyn. For information on the matter, please visit: http://www.gelfmagazine.com/gelflog/archives/may_7_gelfs_varsity_letters_hockey_night.php.

I will be posting during the Caps/Pens game tonight so come on over tonight at Gametime(7pm).

My Prediction for the Cup...

is the Detroit Red Wings. These guys are stacked in talent, and there is no doubt that they have the ability to go all the way for a second straight year. Now, Ken Holland deserves some credit here, as he has built a powerhouse with these Red Wings and still managed to keep himself under the Salary Cap. Not an easy task in today's NHL with the cap lowering and all, but he has managed to build stacked playoff teams for the past few years.

I predict the Bruins will make it to the finals for the East, but the Red Wings will prove themselves Champs in Six games. Would be a great series though, Osgood vs Thomas.

What are your predictions? If you'd like, reply with who you think will win the 2009 Stanley Cup.

Naslund Retiring

Larry Brooks at the New York Post has reported that Markus Naslund will retire from the NHL. Naslund, 35, has not officially announced it yet, but it seems like that will come soon. Now, this would benefit the Rangers, in that they would save some cap space and have more money to work with when free agency comes in July. The exact cap hit is 4 million, so that would be the amount the Blueshirts would save.

Naslund played 16 years in the National Hockey League, and during that time, has played for only three different teams(Penguins, Canucks, and Rangers). Markus was a standout player in his years with Vancouver, but it has become evident that Nazzy is past his prime, and he realizes that.

More Later.....

08-09 Rangers Season Report Card

Grade “A”:

Ryan Callahan- Cally was the best Ranger this season behind Lundqvist. He brought energy to the game night in and night out, and scored a a career high, 22 goals. Ryan is a huge part of the Rangers' future.

Marc Staal- Staalsy continues to excel in this league, and it really showed this season. Marc took his physicality to another level this season, and was probably the best defenseman for the Blueshirts.

Henrik Lundqvist- Hank obviously did not have his best season for the Rangers, but there is no question that we would not have made the playoffs without him. If Henrik can build up his glove hand a bit, he will be unstoppable in all areas, not just down low.


Blair Betts- Bettsy is one of the premier fourth line centers in this league. He will give you his 100% effort every game, and was one of the main reasons that we had the #1 penalty kill in the league.



Grade “B”:

Dan Girardi- Danny G had a solid season defensively for the Rangers. He may have not put up numbers in points that were expected by him, but he made up for it with his smarts in the defensive zone. This got the recognition of John Tortorella, therefore Dan was moved up to the top pairing with Marc Staal.

Nik Antropov- I felt that by gaining Antropov at the deadline, it really help this team in its push to the playoffs. The Blueshirts needed more offensive pressure, so Antropov was a great addition at the time, and was a positive factor during his time with New York. Antro's backchecking efforts were incredible too.

Paul Mara- Pauly Mara is a Blue Collar, hard working defensemen that you can't help from liking. His physicality played a big part in his success as a defenseman, and all of his effort pays off. Paul was not only effective through his play, but is a great vocal presence on and off the ice as well.

Sean Avery- For the quarter of the season that Aves was here, he was a large factor on this team. Sean was very effective offensively, which is why he played on the top line, and played an all around solid game when he was focused. Looking forward to seeing Aves next season.

Fred Sjostrom- Much like Betts, you can expect a complete effort from Freddy Sjo every night. He executes his job of being a role player very well, and also uses his speed abilities to create scoring chances and produce a stellar forecheck. Another reason why the penalty kill was so good.

Grade “C”:

Markus Naslund- Nazzy is obviously not the player he used to be in Vancouver, but he had somewhat of a decent year. He finished among the top of the list of this team's goals scorers, but there were many stretches in the season where Naslund could not be found for games at a time. If he would have been a bit more consistent, he would have had a much better year. I will say that he was one of our top performers in the playoffs.

Lauri Korpikoski- Korpedo had an average rookie year, not a great one. Only scoring six times in 68 games. I felt that Lauri was going to be more of an offensive presence coming into the season. This kid has a bit more talent than he advertised this season, and hopefully Torts can build up his confidence and get him to show the talent next season. Although, Korpedo was great on the penalty kill for the Rangers.

Brandon Dubinsky- Dubi did not have the year that he would have liked, only netting 13 goals, but this kid has heart and passion and it is exposed in his game. Brandon has a lot of will power and confidence and I am sure that with some work with Torts in training camp, Dubi will be a top player on this team. We saw hints of it in this year's playoffs.

Colton Orr- Orrsy is without a doubt, the Rangers best fighter, actually he is one of the top heavyweights in the league, but that isn't always totally helpful for a team. Colton was good for momentum swings and getting the crowd into the game, but with the new rules being put into place regarding unnecessary fight, I don't know how valuable this guy will be in the future.

Nik Zherdev- Nikki Z had a stellar first half to the season, as he was scoring some clutch goals when nobody else was. But as we all now, Nik's game slowly faded after the All-Star break. Nik went through long stretches without goals, and had a terrible playoffs. Nik is too emotional of a player, and went into sort of a depressed shell. I have the feeling that he will not be back for next season, as he and John Tortorella did not mesh well.

Derek Morris- Derek, I felt, was a good addition to this team at the deadline, as he is a solid defenseman, but he did not help us on the powerplay as expected. Morris had his off nights, but overall, he was a decent addition this team.

Steve Valiquette- Vally is one of the better back-up goaltenders in this league, and was, for the most part, great for the Rangers this season. He had his off games (Dallas 10-2), and the game where we gave up the lead to Atlanta, but they weren't totally his fault. The bottomline is that I am happy to have Vally back on the team to back-up Hank.

Grade “D”:

Chris Drury- Captain Clutch was far from being anything near clutch this season. Considering the money he is paid, and the responsibility he receives by being Captain, you need him to put up above average numbers. Well he didn't, and you would hope he will be better next year. Chris was invisible in times of need, and that is not what a Captain gets paid for.

Scott Gomez- Much like Drury, Gomer is paid way too much for what he brings to the table. Everyone is expecting better numbers from Gomez next year, as they were below par in 08-09. He contributed nothing to the powerplay either.

Aaron Voros- Voros was the top scorer on this team to start the season, and then reality came, and he became a third line/fourth line grinder, that didn’t even play that much towards the end of the season.

Michael Rozsival- Rozsival is another player that underachieved this season. He is supposed to be one of the top defensemen on this team…well the numbers do not show it. I would him to be shown the door in this upcoming offseason.

Wade Redden- Reds got off to a great start with 2 goals in 3 games in the month of October, and then didn’t score another until like late February/early March. Wade will always be overpaid in my eyes, but there is always room for improvement, and that room needs to be taken advantage off this offseason, because he HAS to be better.

Naslund to Retire?

I am following a rumor that Rangers forward Markus Naslund is planning to retire in this off-season. If this were to happen, it would potentially free up four million dollars in cap space, allowing the Rangers more money to work with when free agency rolls around. But I stress that this is ONLY a Rumor, and has not been confirmed just yet. I will be sure to post it here if this rumor is confirmed.

More to Come.....

Valiquette Under Contract (UPDATE)

It has been reported by several sources that Stephen Valiquette is under contract. Details have not yet been released on the matter, but I will post them here as soon as I get word.
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Update: (2:45PM) It is now confirmed that Valiquette has re-signed with the Rangers for next season at $725,000.

More Later.....