Marc Staal happy about Rangers summer

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

"I'm excited about the guys we got," he said. "Redden's an All-Star, a great player, he'll really be good. I know Naslund from watching him when I was growing up [in Thunder Bay, Ontario]. He's got experience, he's been on the power play." Asked about the critics who believe Naslund, at 35, is no longer the force he once was, Staal said, "Maybe a change of scenery will be good for him."

Staal also was pleased with the return of defenseman Michal Rozsival. "I got pretty comfortable playing with him last year," Staal said, noting that he had no preference for a pairing with either Redden or Rozsival. "It's not up to me, but I want to play as much as I can, so I can probably get the minutes with either of those guys."

Read the entire article here.

We should set up a back and forth between Larry Brooks and Marc Staal debating the merits of each NYR off-season move. You can't tell me that wouldn't be a hoot!

Martin Rucinsky signs in Czech Republic

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

Martin Rucinsky, the Czech winger who played 136 games with the Rangers in three separate stints, has decided to return to play for Prague in the Extraliga, his new team reported.

Rucinsky, 37, was injured much of last season when he played for the Blues, scoring five goals and 11 assists.

Read the entire post from Blue Notes here.

Rucinsky is not the player he once was, and has chosen to finish his hockey career back home.

Rangers sign Greg Moore

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

Greg Moore, the 24-year-old right wing who scored 26 goals and added 40 assists for Hartford last season and was a restricted free agent, has signed with the Rangers. Moore, who was selected as an AHL All-Star, appeared in six games with the Rangers last season.

Read the short report here.

Moore is the 115th forward the Rangers have signed to compete for a fourth line role this off-season.

Larry Brooks questions Glen Sather

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

ALL right. Here are the questions. Some of them, at least.

A limited no-trade clause on top of $39M over six years to get Wade Redden to sign, a full no move on top of $8M over two years to get Markus Naslund to commit, and doesn't it seem as if the Rangers are back to where they were before the lockout, bribing overpriced free agents to come to New York?

If the Rangers didn't want to bring back Sean Avery, if he was such a destructive influence, why in the world did Glen Sather offer him a four-year contract for $12M?

What if Avery had come to the conclusion that $3M a year in New York was worth more to him than the $3.875M per for which he ultimately signed in Dallas?

Read the entire article here.

It seems that Brooks wasn't happy with Sather's off-season. I mean, he really wasn't happy with Sather's off-season.

Rangers don't appear to have any room for Shanahan

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

And what with people like Pat Rissmiller and Aaron Voros in at $1M per and Fred Sjostrom sitting with a qualifier of over $800,000 - management is trying to sign him to a two-year contract in the neighborhood of $650,000 per - the Rangers seem to have no room for Brendan Shanahan, regardless of what Glen Sather repeatedly has said about the winger remaining in the equation.

Read the short article here.

Shanahan obviously wants to play in NY, seeing as he hasn't negotiated with any other teams. But if the Rangers just don't have any room in their payroll, Shanny may have to look elsewhere for a contract. Vancouver is said to have interest and he would be a nice addition for that team.

Nigel Dawes re-signs with Rangers

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

He scored 14 goals in 61 games last season and could score 20-plus with more ice time, so restricted free agent winger Nigel Dawes and the Rangers have agreed to a one-year deal.

Read more from Blue Notes here.

Dawes is never the biggest skater on the ice, but he is a good skater, doesn't shy away from the physical play and has solid hands. He should get a chance at more ice-time next season, and will most likely set career-highs in all statistical categories.

Dan Fritsche re-signs with Rangers

From the NY Post:

The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Dan Fritsche.

Fritsche, 23, appeared in 69 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, registering 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points, along with 22 penalty minutes.

Read the short report here.

No surprise that these two sides didn't reach arbitration, as that would have been quite a way to start a relationship. That would be the same thing as bad-talking your two-week old girlfriend to her face and then expecting her to want see you again after.

Wondering if the Rangers could still be in the Sundin sweepstakes

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

And meanwhile, in the background, waits Mats Sundin, the veteran center. I'm puzzled about his reluctance to sign with Vancouver for $10 million a year, or Montreal. Today marks two full weeks since July 1. Why hasn't he gone for the gusto? I can't believe he's ready to retire or go back to the Leafs, but.... Can the Rangers possibly still be in the hunt?

At least two things would have to happen: the Rangers would have to shed around $3 million plus in salary (Purely for math's sake, let's say Petr Prucha ($1.6), Betts ($615,000) and Paul Mara ($1.95 million) or Dmitri Kalinin ($2.1 million) or Patrick Rissmiller ($1 mil) and Sundin would have to accept far, far less, perhaps $5 million. And then the Rangers would need another defenseman.

Read the entire entry here.

I just don't see Sundin going to NY but Rangers fans can dare to dream.

Shanahan has only spoken with Rangers

From Canwest News Service:

A U.S. report that unrestricted free agent Brendan Shanahan was offered and rejected a one-year, $2 million US deal from the Vancouver Canucks is inaccurate, according to his agent."

I can tell you that I've never been approached or had any discussions with Vancouver regarding Brendan," said Rick Curran, who added that San Jose and Montreal are not in the mix either. "We've only been having discussions with one team and that's the New York Rangers.

Read the entire report here.

The Rangers sure haven't been in a rush to re-sign Shanahan, but all along he has stated his desire to return to Broadway and finish his career there. Whether he would consider a substantial offer from another team is the big question.

Hollweg traded to Maple Leafs

From John Dellapina of the New York Daily News:

The Rangers have traded forward Ryan Hollweg to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers now have a total of eight draft picks in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft...

Read the entire report here.

Hollweg is a tough player, who causes a stir in the offensive zone with his aggressive play. He will fill the enforcer role played by Wade Belak last season. That said, I don't understand why the Leafs would give up a draft pick for an enforcer when they could have signed one for free after July 1st.

Alexei Cherepanov to Stay in Russia for One More Year

New York Rangers 2007 First-Rounder Alexei Cherepanov will remain in Russia for one more season, according to his agent Sergei Paremuzov.

According to Cherepanov’s Russian agent, Sergei Paremuzov, the Rangers’ No. 1 draft choice in 2007 will be staying with Avangard Omsk this year, his second with the high-ranking Siberian club. And although Paremuzov says that Cherepanov wants to play in the NHL, he also says that the 19-year-old will benefit from another year with the Hawks, where he will learn from the newly signed ex-Ranger Jaromir Jagr.

I don't see a problem with this. The Rangers could likely use the scoring help up front, but rushing the young player could be a risky move.

Strudwick signs with Oilers

From Copper & Blue:

Strudwick is from Edmonton originally, and brings size (6'4", 225lbs) and pugilistic ability to the table (10 majors, only 4 minors last season). He hits and blocks shots and brings no offense whatsoever.

Right now, I'd peg this signing as a Matt Greene replacement, and Strudwick should have no difficulty whatsoever filling in against the 4th line filler of the league. By all accounts he's a character guy. Still, there's some upside to this trade. The Oilers have acquired this sort of player in the past, the utility forward/defender with little offense, and it usually goes one of two ways: Scott Ferguson, or Steve Staios. It seems much more probable that Strudwick's performance as an Oiler mirrors the first, but it isn't impossible that it mirrors the latter.

Read the entire post from Copper & Blue here.

This is hardly a significant signing by the Oilers. Strudwick has been brought aboard to merely provide depth on defense. If he is given the opportunity to provide something more, then the Oilers will probably be golfing come April.

Straka signs one-year deal with Czech team

From TSN:

Martin Straka signed a one-year contract Thursday with his former Czech club.
Straka, who played for the New York Rangers the last three seasons after joining the NHL in 1992, will also take the post of manager-general for HC Lasselsberger Plzen, the club said on its website.

Read the entire article here.

This has been rumored for a while now and the announcement just makes all the rumors official. Straka played some of the best hockey of his career over the last few seasons with the Rangers and is still a very productive NHL forward. Nonetheless, he has decided he wants to return to his native Czech Republic.

Jagr's decision to head to Russia was not easy

From Pierre Lebrun of the Canadian Press:

"It wasn't an easy decision," the star winger told The Canadian Press in a
phone interview Friday. "It was the toughest decision in my life, hockey-wise.
...

"It was a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be," he added. "No
question about it. I hate making changes."

Read the entire article here.

Jagr admits in this piece that he was asking for a three-year deal. With the new CBA holding teams accountable for +35 age signings, Jagr was not going to get that kind of term in the NHL. Nonetheless, his talents will certainly be missed by all hockey fans, as he was arguably one of the most exciting players to watch over the past twenty years.

Michael Barnett Joins the Rangers

Friend of Gretzky and former Phoenix GM Michael Barnett has joined the New York Rangers as a senior advisor to Glen Sather.

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that Mike Barnett has been added to the hockey club’s personnel as Senior Advisor to the President and General Manager and Director of U.S. Amateur Scouting. In his role, Barnett will work closely with Sather, and Assistant General Managers Jim Schoenfeld and Cameron Hope, on player transactions and player personnel, as well as oversee the team’s amateur scouting operations in the United States.

Though he couldn't sustain any kind of success in Phoenix, Barnett nevertheless has a good track record and has filled the Coyotes stable with good young prospects. He should be a valuable addition to the Rangers' front office.

Who should captain the Rangers?

From Steve Zipay of Newsday:

Counting backward: Jagr, Messier, Leetch, Kisio, Greschner, Beck, Tkachuk, Dave Maloney, Espo, Park, Hadfield and all the way to the first, Bill Cook in 1926-27.

Who's next?

My money's on Chris Drury.

It's all but certain Brendan Shanahan won't be back, and personally, a "C" for Brendan would have been purely ceremonial at this final stage in his career. Going forward, the Rangers should have a captain in command for more than a year.

Read the entire entry here.

I agree with Zipay. Drury is the logical choice to captain the Rangers for the foreseeable future. He has the experience and leadership skills necessary to shoulder such an important role on the team.

Looking at the 2008/09 Rangers

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

There will be a gust of fresh air next season but it's impossible to immediately judge what the wind blew in this week. Wade Redden had a bad year in a deteriorating environment in Ottawa and Markus Naslund had a disappointing season in Vancouver. The Rangers, who gave Redden a six-year deal at $6.5M per and Naslund a two-year deal at $4M per, are heavily invested in the theory that a change of scenery will revitalize careers that went stale.

And who knows about Nikolai Zherdev, about as unpredictable as they come? Will Zherdev shine in the spotlight or will he melt? Will New York ignite him or overwhelm him after knowing only Columbus? Will he be an all-for-one, one-for-all guy here, and if not, will the Rangers have the presence in the room to correct or cope with that?

Read more from Brooks here.

This is the beauty of sports. No one knows how these three players will respond to the pressures and change of environment that New York will present. Nonetheless, the Rangers management obviously felt that the team, as it was constructed last season, was not good enough to make it to the Finals.

Gillis wasn't comfortable courting Naslund

From Matthew Sekeras of the Globe & Mail:

They say friends know when to say "when," and besides being the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, Mike Gillis is also Markus Naslund's former agent and his friend.

That Naslund's 12-year relationship with the NHL team had to end this week was evident to all, a divorce where even the kids agree it's for the best. Gillis knew it, Naslund knew it, and the fans knew it. And so, the Canucks' captain, career leading scorer, and arguably the franchise's best player, leaves for the bright lights of Manhattan with an air of inevitability.

"I don't feel comfortable with it because I like Markus so much and I wish it was different," Gillis said yesterday. "It's unfortunate. Markus is a really good friend of mine."

Read the entire article here.

This had to be an awkward situation for both sides. However, it seems both sides were content with the outcome and will maintain a close friendship.

Is Jagr deciding between Edmonton and Russia?

From Larry Brooks of the NY Post:

The future is uncertain for Jagr, who said that he would like to play five more years. He has an offer from Russia. He may have a multi-year offer coming to him from Edmonton.

"People think that it's better to have a lot of choices, but sometimes having one choice is best because you can't make the wrong one," Jagr said. "I don't know what I'm going to do now, but I'll make that choice when it's time.

Read the entire article here.

Brooks pays Jagr the respect he deserves in this article. The Czech winger was integral in turning the Rangers around from a pretender to a contender.

As for his future, if Jagr were to guarantee he'd play more than one season in the NHL, then I'd have no problem offering him a two-year deal if I were the Oilers.

Rangers add Nalsund and Kalinin

FROM TSN:

Markus Naslund is off the available list for free agents, as the Swedish winger has signed a 2-year contract with the New York Rangers. New York has also inked defencemen Dmitri Kalinin to a one-year deal.

Here is the link to the story.

Naslund will be a nice addition playing alongside Scott Gomez. While he is not the player he once was, he is still capable of scoring 30+ goals while playing on a line with one of the top 5 set-up men in the entire league. This also likely means that Jagr is out of the running, but you never know.

Kalinin is a solid second or third pairing defenceman on the Rangers. He certainly will sufficiently replace Backman. He is a solid puck-mover, not overly physical but has good size.