Wabbit Season

No News Is GOOD NEWS

Which means I take the day off (which almost guarantees that the Rangers will do something)

No people that is not Mike Milbury and Pierre McGuire arguing over which one of the two is dumber. Elmaer Fudd deserves a better fate than that.

(Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny courtesy of Warner Bros)

Never Say Never

There are some serious disadvantages to being a New York Ranger fan living on the west coast. The biggest is of course the different time zones as well as the fear of missing out on something really important happening.

The first thing I do when I wake up is check my phone for messages but I have yet to learn how to change fonts so I have to start remembering to leave my glasses where I can reach them. So in looking at my messages I saw the words "Callahan" and "traded" which of course got me to do a time honored Ranger fan tradition; jumped to the wrong conclusion (this comes in handy later).

All I knew at the time was that Ryan Callahan and his agent had done one of the few things that a player should never do with Glen Sather. Demand something from him as in his heyday, that was an automatic "I will show you who is boss" trade to someplace Sather thought you would not like.

So as I sat down to the computer and this time having my glasses on it was a very strange day for emails. There were 4 different emails asking why people thought that (insert name here) was all that special and could not be traded.

My answer to all of them was there is no such thing as a player who could not be traded (disclaimer except those with no-trade or no-movement clauses) in today's world. With free agency and salary caps, the odds are slimmer that any player is going to be able to spend his entire career with the same team that drafted him.

Seriously we are kidding ourselves if we think that there is any player who for the right offer would not be traded. Brian Leetch did not want to be traded but Sather traded him.

Adam Graves was traded and nobody was happy about that but one day it is possible that Ranger fans will see "Henrik Lundqvist" and "traded" used in the same sentence. And given the glut of young promising defensemen that the Rangers have built up it is not impossible to see either Marc Staal or Dan Girardi traded.

Never say never is the best way to look at things as while we each have our own preferences as to which player is our favorites; that does not mean they too can not be traded.

One day I expect to see Brandon Dubinsky traded or leave the team as a free agent because in the end; the NHL is a business and like it or not your favorite player is an asset.

And on that day there will be those Ranger fans who will swear that because "So and So" was traded that it was the last time they will ever root for the Rangers. I think I have sworn that I have had it with the Rangers at least 5 times but here I am still a fan.

In the end, we root for the team not the individual player and yes there are going to be some very painful moments when you see someone you really rooted for no longer a Ranger.  My first was Eddie Giacomin and I can tell you if you have a player today who is as big a hero to you as Eddie was for me then it will be painful.

It is funny as I get accused at times of wanting to see the Rangers lose to improve their draft standing. Nope not going to happen as I had my "I hate the Rangers" moment when they waived Eddie and he came back as a Red Wing.

Like everyone else in the house that night I cheered not for the Red Wings but for Eddie. I tried to root for the Red Wings but it never lasted even with Eddie on the time. In time I was rooting for JD and the Rangers but Eddie even today remains my favorite all-time Ranger.

If they could waive Eddie, if they could let Messier walk as a free agent and if they could trade Leetch and Graves then sorry folks there is not a single player (Henrik Lundqvist included) who Glen Sather or whoever is the Ranger GM would not trade.

Nobody is "untouchable" and it is not a mean response but a unfortunate fact of life that the NHL is a business first, a game second.

Everybody Leap

It must have been a really slow day other than Brad Richards making his first appearance in New York for people to be making a big deal out of which uniform number a player will wear. As I said earlier, Ranger fans (heck any sports team fan) will jump to a conclusion about anything.

I did it when I thought Ryan Callahan was traded and today a lot of people did it because of all the uniform number swapping. It was kind of fun to watch even friends who I really like call the swap "the beginning of the end for Erik Christensen."

Not one person gave Christensen the benefit of the doubt when he said it did not matter what number he wore. It was gloom and doom for the late Erik Christensen's time as a Ranger.

Personally I won't cry if it was true as I really do not think much of Christensen as a player but people forget that Christensen is not afraid to say what is on his mind (ask Avery when EC threw him under the bus).

Here is an idea that I would like to toss out; is it possible that Christensen was trying to show Sather and Tortorella that he was a "team first" guy? Christensen knows that he will be fighting to keep his job with the Rangers so he has to do all these little things.

Before we sign his "Sorry to See you go" card; maybe we might want to wait until training camp starts.

Sometimes the internet era is as much a curse as it is a blessing as one can go from zero to hot rumor in no time. Ranger fans are used to the worse happening to them so it is nothing new to see them waving good bye to Christensen.

And we all will do it again down the road, as one has to wonder what will happen with the arbitration hearings.

That should be good for at least 2 leaps.

A Good Sign

If you are a New York Ranger fan seeing that the 4 eligible players filed for arbitration should be seen as a good sign. Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Brandon Dubinsky and Michael Sauer all filed before the 5 PM EDT deadline.

The biggest reason why this should be seen as good news is that it means no other team can present an offer sheet to any of these 4 insuring that unless the Rangers reject the award given to the player(s) that they will be in a Ranger uniform next season.

But there is more to this than just no offer sheets as the Rangers now also have the option to request that the contracts be for 2 years since this was a player's filing. Artem Anisimov is the only player who did not file because he was not eligible for arbitration this year.

If we were Glen Sather what we would do in the case of Callahan and Dubinsky is to offer them 3 year deals that put both players in the Marc Staal cap hit range of 3.95 million a year. To sweeten the pot what we would do is front load as much as possible given that the current CBA will expire after next season.

Given that the Rangers have 9 million in cap space with Redden's salary included they could with little trouble take a 4 million dollar hit for the duo. They get Redden's salary back once training camp begins and his salary is waived which is like having a 6 million dollar savings account.

For the players it is a smarter move to accept such a deal as this might be the last year where front loaded contracts are allowed. It is expected that in the next CBA that the NHL will be looking to do away with as many of the loopholes that this current CBA has in it.

Taking the money now also means if the players have to do another give back or go through another extended lockout that they will have received most of their money in advance. The Rangers from a PR standpoint would rather not see this go to arbitration given the club's claims of building around a homegrown foundation.

With Callahan at the least going to be wearing an "A" on his uniform; it will not look good for the Rangers to trample all over him at any arbitration hearing. Even worse would be how to explain why you have just trashed Callahan in arbitration then named him as the new Ranger captain.

And as much as we like Callahan and Dubinsky; they too have to realize that if they take this to arbitration they could wind up losing. Going to arbitration is a risky business as the kid gloves come off and sometimes serious damage can be done to the relationship between player and team.

According to Article 12.9 section G ii, the two parties are allowed to do the following in terms off evidence:

(A) the overall performance, including official statistics prepared by the League (both offensive and defensive), of the Player in the previous season or seasons;

(B) the number of games played by the Player, his injuries or illnesses during the preceding seasons;

(C) the length of service of the Player in the League and/or with the Club;

(D) the overall contribution of the Player to the competitive success or failure of his Club in the preceding season;

(E) any special qualities of leadership or public appeal not inconsistent with the fulfillment of his responsibilities as a playing member of his team;

(F) the overall performance in the previous season or seasons of any Player(s) who is alleged to be comparable to the party Player whose salary is in dispute; and

(G) The compensation of any Player(s) who is alleged to be comparable to the party Player, provided, however, that in applying this or any of the above subparagraphs, the Salary Arbitrator shall not consider a Player(s) to be comparable to the party Player unless a party to the arbitration has contended that the Player(s) is comparable; nor shall the Salary Arbitrator consider the compensation or performance of a Player(s) unless a party to the arbitration has contended that the Player(s) is comparable.

What is not allowed to be offered as evidence is covered in Article 12.9 iii:

(A) Any SPC the term of which began when the Player party to such SPC was not a Group 2 Player;

(B) Any SPC entered into by an Unrestricted Free Agent, including SPCs signed by Players after the Player's Club has exercised a walk-away right pursuant to Section 12.10;

(C) The SPC of any Player who is not being offered as a comparable Player to the party Player;

(D) Qualifying Offers made by the Club pursuant to Section 10.2(b);

(E) Any prior offers or history of negotiations between the Player and the Club;

(F) Testimonials, videotapes, newspaper columns, press game reports or similar materials;

(G) Any reference to actual or potential walk-away rights;

(H) Any award issued by a Salary Arbitrator as to which a Club exercised its walk-away rights pursuant to Section 12.10;

(I) The financial condition of the Club or the League;

(J) References to a Club's Upper or Lower Limit, or to the Players' Share;

(K) Any salary arbitration award issued in 2005-2006; or

(L) Any reference to any salary or other compensation information in any salary arbitration opinion that took place prior to the execution of this Agreement. If any salary arbitration opinion issued prior to the execution of this Agreement is cited as precedent, all references to any Player's Player Paragraph 1 Salary or other compensation information will be redacted.

In looking at the first part of what is allowed Dubinsky would have an edge when looking at how he has been for the most part healthy and his stats are shown an increase each year while he has been a Ranger.

It also does not hurt his cause that Dubinsky led the team in goals and overall points either. He can make the case that his value is increasing with each year as his production has improved too.

Ryan Callahan was second in goals and overall points but the team leader in power play goals and game winners. If the Rangers try to use missing 22 games against him then Callahan will be able to point out how he had career numbers despite missing so many games.

The Rangers can do more good here by taking care of Dubinsky and Callahan before arbitration. There are so many different ways they can use this to help the team's image about homegrown players; that is just good business to get a deal done as soon as possible.

In the cases of Brian Boyle and Michael Sauer; both players are coming off career years but the Rangers will be able to make a case that both players have not shown their numbers to be consistent over their careers.

We can see the Rangers winding up with the edge in these 2 cases so a good bet would be to expect both players to wind up in the 700-750K range which is still a nice raise. Both are smart players who will understand that they are not going to wind up with doubling their salaries off one good season.

The Front Office Pecking Order

Cameron Hope who has been the Ranger's Assistant General Manager for Hockey Administration has turned in his resignation. Hope's specialty was being the contract specialist for the Rangers as they adjusted to working with a salary cap.

He was also a nice guy to talk with at the drafts and at least to us he will be missed.

It is believed that current Assistant Director for Player Personnel Scott Gorton will be moved into Hope's spot. The question though is in the chain of command for the Rangers; is Gorton moving from Clark's main assistant to now his boss or is Clark seen as an equal to the Assistant GMs?

In either case, the Ranger's front office is a much better place with the addition of Gorton who was an Assistant GM and then the GM for the Boston Bruins. Sather has a good rep as a trader but Gorton has proven himself to be almost a diamond thief when it comes to making trades.

What we would like to see the Rangers do is have Gorton take over the player personnel part of Jim Schoenfeld's duties to allow Schoenfeld to concentrate on running the CT Whale. Schoenfeld's current title looks like this on the Ranger website:

Assistant General Manager, Player Personnel, Assistant Coach and General Manager, Hartford Wolf Pack; Assistant Coach

Maybe it is just us but it is a tad too much to have one guy doing.

The question is now is Glen Sather setting the stage for when he wants to turn over the GM's position to someone and which person would get it. Nothing against Mark Messier who is doing a very good job scouting but when you look at the rest of the Ranger staff then Messier is still a novice.

It is a legit cause for concern that if Messier is elevated to GM over Schoenfeld, Clark or Gorton that the Rangers could lose one or more of this team. Schoenfeld has paid more than his fair share of dues and deserves to be the next Ranger GM.

And since we are talking about Ranger staff while we understand that John Tortorella does not want another coach on the bench but given all the youth on the Ranger blueline, would it not be a good move to hire Brian Leetch as a consultant to work with the defensemen?

He does not have to be on the bench, he already lives in the New York area so why are the Rangers not using Leetch where he can do the most good? No offense Mike Sullivan but if I am a kid defender and I have a Brian Leetch offering me instruction then you know I will be listening to a guy who has not 1 but 2 Norris Trophies.

Leetch is a great guy and he clearly deserves his #2 up in the rafters but on TV, Leetch looks so uncomfortable and almost lost. Why he is not being used to teach the defensemen almost boggles the mind.

We have see the effect that both Mark Messier and Adam Graves have when they visit the prospects so why not put a Ranger legend to work where he can best help the Rangers?  Leetch can work both in New York and Hartford and the Rangers would be that much better for it.

It does not hurt to ask.

(NY Ranger logo courtesy of the New York Rangers)

24th With A Bullet

Thank You Thank You Thank You

When I got the word that Prospect Park had a record month I have to admit I was not expecting it to be like this:

Hi and congratulations!

I am Florian from Wikio and your blog The Prospect Park progressed well in Wikio’s Top Blogs Ranking. So you are in the top 30 for next month’s ranking in your category.

Wikio is an information portal with a search engine that looks up press websites and blogs. At the start of each month we release a blog ranking on our site www.wikio.com

What I was not expecting to see was who listed was in their hockey category

1	Kukla's Korner
2	On the Forecheck
3	Japers' Rink
4	The Hockey Writers
5	Hockey's Future
6	Red Light District
7	Nucks Misconduct
8	Raw Charge
9	The Blueshirts Blog
10	Canucks Hockey Blog
11	Western College Hockey Blog
12	Slap Shot
13	PensBurgh
14	Preds On The Glass
15	Canes Country
16	On the Wings
17	Illegal Curve
18	Die By The Blade
19	On Frozen Blog
20	Mile High Hockey
21	Five For Howling
22	Section 303
23	St. Louis Game Time
24	The Prospect Park
25	Hockey From the Cheap Seats
26	mc79hockey.com
27	Greatest Hockey Legends.com
28	Goon's World
29	USCHO
30	Faceoff Factor

Ranking made by Wikio

To be included in this list of some of the very best hockey blogs is an honor that I really am blown away by. But I am not here without some serious support.

When I say that the Prospect Park is not the work of just one person that it is a team effort of people who love hockey it is not just a saying. Over the years and even today so many people work hard to make sure that the information you read here is timely.

Excuse me but I need to say Thank you to

Paul Krotz (CHL/OHL), Karl Janhnke (QMJHL), Corey Flett (WHL), Dino, Brendan and John of the New York Rangers Media Relations, Kimber of the New York Islanders Media Relations, Jim, Eddie and the folks of Blueshirt Banter Radio, Neate Sager and his team of BuzzingtheNet, Bruce Berlet (CT Whale), Gregg Drinnan of Taking Note, The people of the CCHA, WCHA and Hockey East, Ray Schmidt of Greenville.

The unsung heroes who go above and beyond like Marnel of Moose Jaw, Aaron Bell who's CHL/OHL images appear here, Brent of Owen Sound, Matthew of CapGeek, Matt of Michigan, Tim of Boston College, Adam of WMU, Graham, Andy, Todd and the folks of the Portland Winterhawks.

Kevin, John, and Dan of the Blueshirt Bulletin, Andrew Gross and Jesse Spector, Yardbarker, the folks who supply me with images like Melody, Dennis and Katherine, and the teams that make up the 3 CHL leagues.

My peers in the blogging world like Kevin, Michael, Hockey Fights, Margret, Eric, Nathan and those you see listed on my blog rolls, Eddie, Ray, Erica and those who always pass the word on this place.

My Facebook and twitter friends,and those who I beg forgiveness if I do not mention here but this is why I have the information I get. Thank you to the people who never get noticed like the ushers, off-ice personnel and the people who check IDs at the entrances.

And this may sound strange but yes thank you to those of you who don't like me as you force me to work harder. Never going to please everyone but I do read your criticisms because it reminds me that I am very far from perfect and never will be.

I am here today because of Dubi Silverstein who is never ever going to get his proper due for changing the way coverage of Ranger prospects is today but in 2004 he did. It was Dubi's vision who opened this door for me. In turn it was people like Gordie Clark, Tom Renney, and the best teacher one could ever ask for in the late EJ McGuire who took the time to talk to me.

There are those who sit in the stands every night trying to find the next NHL player and without them there is no NHL or any other league. Scouts are the least appreciated people in hockey but in my book they work harder than anyone else.

My wife Colleen who has put up with this madness and shakes her head a lot when I am talking about some kid. She only gets to attend 2 games a year if she is lucky but does not complain when I live on the computer.

Then the most important people of them; all those we call prospects as they are who chase that dream of becoming NHL players. They are so young when they start but every year they remind me that the biggest challenge comes from the heart.

And it comes from my heart when I say Thank you to all of you who read this.

Sanity Clause

This has been one strange off-season and if you are a New York Ranger fan it is made even stranger when it is not the Rangers making all of the questionable moves.

Really you have to like what has happened with the Ranger so far. They started by moving Ethan Werek for Oscar Lindberg, they gave up some offense to get back a better overall 2 way center who down the road will be their key face off center.

Then giving up Roman Horak and 2 second round picks, they wind up with Tim Erixon who was the 23rd pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Erixon adds that much more to the Ranger's biggest strengths which is their blueline.

The draft saw the Rangers address their needs by adding 3 pretty good centers, a heart and soul player but it is their 6th round pick that could pay off big as Peter Ceresnak is another big body for the blueline.

Ceresnak's biggest flaw is in his skating but better it be skating which is a lot easier to fix than decision making or stone hands. Still a 6th round pick is a worthwhile gamble.

It sounds cold and even cruel but buying out Chris Drury is improving the team by subtracting that huge salary of his. The NHL is like all sports which is "what have you done for me lately?"

If you want to look at it as Drury for Brad Richards then it makes the Drury move that much easier to accept as Drury may still have the heart but his body is betraying him at age 34.

Yes I dislike the length of the Brad Richards contract, I dislike any contract which has a no movement clause to it but the deed is now done so complaining about it is a waste of time. For Richard's sake as well as the Rangers, one has to hope that this move does work out because if does not then heaven help the Rangers and their fans.

Adding in Mike Rupp as the replacement for Derek Boogaard is another move that is hard not to accept since it is an upgrade over Boogaard. Yes I know speaking ill of the deceased is not cool but let us all be honest here.

Nobody wanted Boogaard's contract to begin with and his passing silenced the calls for Boogaard to be dumped. Saying this may not be politically correct but it is the truth, Boogaard was not an asset to the Rangers.

When healthy Boogaard was a non-factor who had lost the confidence of his coach. Rupp despite being 3 years older gives the Rangers a player who can do more than just fight.

Sorry if it bugs you but reality is cruel at times and Boogaard was going to have a very hard time finding ice time had he been able to come back. Rupp is an upgrade who takes the burden of being the team enforcer off Brandon Prust.

That alone is worth the price for Rupp as Prust is a middleweight not a heavyweight and Prust proved he was also a legit player not just a guy who drops his gloves. Now the Rangers can get more out of him than seeing him fight.

Toss in the return of Rusian Fedotenko for another year means the Rangers do not have to rush Carl Hagelin to the NHL. Fedotenko if you look at it is the ideal role player who will allow John Tortorella flexibility in the case of injuries or slumps.

The summer will be perfect once Glen Sather gets all the RFAs signed but it is hard not to be concerned that once training camp comes and Sather dumps some salary to the AHL that he saves it rather than spends it.

If Sather can stash some money away to be used at the trading deadline or even better in case the salary cap shrinks then the Rangers will be in a much better position for tomorrow.

Sather is no fool as he knows that Richards is going to force him to make sure they do more than compete for the 8th seed. For the most part Sather enjoyed support of many a Ranger fan in going after Richards but that support will disappear in a heartbeat if the Rangers finish lower than 6th.

Thankfully Sather got some unexpected help from several of his fellow GMs not only in the Atlantic division but the Eastern conference as well. Who spiked the kool-aid as the whisper line has veteran hockey people scratching their heads at some of the moves in the last 3 days.

The Philadelphia Flyers reacted to being swept by Boston by trading off their captain as well as their leading goal scorer. Yes the Flyers got some young promising talent in return but you do not take 59 goals out of your lineup and not feel it.

If people want to talk about overpaying then first look at what the Flyers paid for Ilya Bryzgalov; 9 years 51 million for a goalie that really when he shows up is at best the 5th rated goalie in the Atlantic Division.

Other than wins Bryzgalov does not come close to Henrik Lundqvist but the Flyers think that goaltending was the reason they got swept. Keep thinking that fellas as come crunch time Bryzgalov will fare no better than what you had last year.

And seriously turning the team over to 37 year old Chris Pronger for leadership is really not going to make life in the Flyer locker room any better than it was with Mike Richards as the leader. Doubt anyone who is a Ranger fan is going to shed any tears when the Flyers wake up and find themselves fighting it out for last place.

The Devils are well the Devils as other than the insanity known as the Ilya Kovalchuk contract, the Devils still have not found a coach but Marty Brodeur is 39 and the slippage in his game is starting to show.

The Devils have themselves in a big hole thanks to the Kovalchuk deal and as pretty as a second half that they had in 2010-11; they will not be able to repeat it.

That Lou Lamoriello had to file for arbitration just to be able to keep Zach Parise is a drastic change from the days when he got players to take lower salaries to remain as a Devils.

Odds are that the Devils will hire a coach who will be fired before the end of March no matter what their record is. Maybe it is time for the Devils ownership to start thinking that maybe it is more than their starting goalie who should be thinking about retiring.

The Penguins remain the top dogs in the Atlantic Division as they were good despite losing both Crosby and Malkin to injuries. They lost Maxime Talbot which honestly was not a big deal but the bigger blow they got is more psychological than anything else.

One would think the world was coming to an end that Jagr choose the Flyers over the Penguins. Think the Penguin fans should be more worried about the Crosby concussion than what a 900 year old Jagr is going to do.

That leaves the Islanders and to be fair, if you are a younger free agent you really should consider these guys. They are getting an unfair rap because Evgeni Nabokov and Christian Erhrhoff did not want any part of them.

Truth be told going after both players were mistakes to begin with as moves like adding a Marty Reasoner is what they should be doing. They have a very good young core foundation on the Island and it will not surprise us in any way that both Nino Niederreiter and Kirill Kabanov are on the opening night roster.

But the rest of the NHL has lost their minds as yes Buffalo has a new owner who wanted to show he could spend money. Have him call us when he learns how to spend it wisely because he overpaid for every single transaction the Sabres made.

Welcome to the NHL Terry Pegula but sometimes your best moves are the ones where you leave your Visa Card at home. Florida had to go on a spending spree just to make the base minimum of the CBA but seriously guys 16 million to 35 year old Ed Jovanovski and trading for Brian Campbell's contract?

When Gary Bettman blames the players for why he is once again locking them out in 2012 point at the Florida Panthers, the Buffalo Sabres, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Columbus Bluejackets and ask where was their common sense in the summer of 2011?

To think that Ranger fans were worried about what Glen Sather was going to do on July 1st. Compared to most of the NHL, Sather looked like he was clipping coupons to save money.

Glen Sather as the responsible General Manager sounds very scary after all this time but here is to hoping we all feel as good about the franchise on July 1, 2012.

(Glen Sather courtesy of the New York Rangers)

Max Them Out

Well Brad Richards is a New York Ranger and it does not matter whether you like the deal or not right now. The deal is done so now it is only time that will reveal to us whether this was a good deal or not.

One thing is for sure as now the Rangers have seriously increased the expectations on the franchise. Contending for the 8th seed is now no longer acceptable. This team now has to do what the franchise has not done since 1997 and that is get out of the first round, get out of the second round and contend for the conference title.

Anything less and things will get really ugly in the Ranger Universe. But despite adding Richards one thing has not changed. That is the need for fans, media and team to exhibit patience.

Brad Richards yes is a high quality player but that does not mean the moment he steps on the ice all will be better. The team still has to discover their identity and that is not going to happen overnight.

It will take time, it will take patience and it is going to take effort from everyone not to panic at the first sign of trouble. Richards whether he likes it or not is going to find out that his every move is going to be dissected and argued over.

The first real question to ask now is how best to use Richards as this "Richards will fix Gaborik" theory is not working for us mainly because Richards should be judged on his own play not whether or not he can make Marian Gaborik effective again. There is only one person who can fix Marian Gaborik and that is Gaborik himself.

Too many excuses have been made for Gaborik and truth be told none of them really have merit. "He can not play Tortorella's grind it out style" is the one used the most and it is the one that also has the least validity to it.

Gaborik came to the Rangers from the Minnesota Wild where he was coached for 8 years by Jacques Lemaire. Under Lemaire, the Wild played the "trap" which is more of a killer for a sniper than what Tortorella used last season.

Yet Gaborik was able to average around 30 goals a season in his 8 years with the Wild and the "trap". Yes Richards will start off as the center for Gaborik but it would be an even bigger surprise if the duo finish the season on the same line.

After all we are talking about John Tortorella, the coach who changes his line combos more often then he does his socks. And no matter how we look at it, Gaborik just does not fit with Richards and what gets the most out of Richards.

Neither do we start with Brandon Dubinsky on Richard's left side either in part because that breaks Dubinsky away from Callahan. The duo has built up a chemistry together over the years that both players benefit from being on the same line together.

No instead of Dubinsky, try Derek Stepan there first as Stepan scored 21 goals playing all over the lineup as a rookie so imagine what Stepan could do with a playmaker? Going back to his time at Wisconsin, Stepan was always more effective playing along the left side boards than he was in the middle.

Not to mention what better way to teach Stepan how to be a first line center then by playing him with one. And really if Gaborik can not find a way to score with 2 playmakers on the same line then he is a lost cause.

It also puts Dubinsky in the more comfortable spot of the second line as Artem Anisimov still is not selling us as his being the second line center. Dubinsky is still better at taking face offs than Anisimov so keeping those 2 together with Callahan makes the most sense at least to start the season.

But in the back of our mind, Dubinsky, Callahan and Richards as a line also really appeals to us a whole lot. Richards playing playmaker for Dubinsky and Callahan is going to create a lot of offensive opportunities for all 3 as the trio have no problem playing a power game or if needed a finesse game.

All three are not afraid to mix it up but we can see these three as more alike then any other trio on the Rangers. Expect to see this line at some point of the season and if Tortorella gives it a chance then this will be the eventual first line.

The third line looks like Fedotenko/Boyle/Prust as they were the Ranger's best line defensively but when you can get 44 goals out of this trio then put them back together. Boyle should repeat his 20 goals from last season but if Prust can remain healthy then there is no reason why he can not put up at least 15.

Fedotenko may start the season on the left side but before the season is over that job will belong to Carl Hagelin. Nothing against Fedotenko but Hagelin is the future. Fedotenko will best help the Rangers by being able to move in and out of spots in the lineup.

The fourth line is going to be the most interesting one to sort out as the only player who one can say for sure will be in the lineup (or on the roster) is going to be Mike Rupp. The biggest question facing the Rangers is which of the following players to keep.

Sean Avery is in the last year of his contract but his biggest problem is finding the right balance to have Tortorella's confidence. The Avery of last season looked really lost because it always seemed that Avery played questioning his own self.

It is also hard to picture Avery being able to handle being a fourth liner again and the lack of minutes that go along with it. And to be fair to Avery, all this "Avery can not play for any other team" does not work.

Ulfie Samuelsson made a career of getting people to hate him but if he was your teammate you loved him. There is also this other thing as well which is for all Avery has done; it has been 95% verbal. If you can point out a time when Avery was guilty of a cheap shot then please show us the play.

Avery's biggest issue is he does not know when to shut up on the ice or in the locker room. And give Avery some credit too as he has been able to stay in the NHL for almost 10 years.

Annoying yes, self absorbed a very good possibility, a master of self-promotion no doubt about it. But when you take all the other stuff out of the picture then you can get an effective hockey player who can kill penalties and chip in some offense.

But in the end, unless John Tortorella has had a change of heart then it is really hard to see Avery regaining Tortorella's confidence. Still if we had to pick between Avery and Erik Christensen then Avery wins hands down.

Avery will drive a coach nuts with his antics but you will never have to wonder if Avery is going to show up as he will. That is the main reason we would keep Avery over Christensen.

If the NHL had designated shootout role then Christensen would have a place in the lineup but other than being a shoot out specialist, Christensen is very good at being inconsistent and invisible.

It is like Erik Christensen has a shelf life of 2 seasons with a team before wearing out his welcome. His low salary helps keep him a Ranger but Christensen's time as a Ranger is coming to an end so why not move him while you can?

Mats Zuccarello has a problem which is while there is no questioning his creativity, his hands, his decision making and his on-ice vision are all excellent. He is deadly in open space but his main problem is that he can not seem to earn the confidence of John Tortorella which is strange to say the least.

Tortorella coached Martin St. Louis who is no giant at 5'8 but Zuccarello has not been able to overcome the "size" issue with Tortorella. Sure we are not going to send Zuccarrello to cover Zdeno Charra but the Hobbit's offensive skills are badly needed by the offensively challenged Rangers.

Zuccarello has to be on the Ranger roster even if it as a power play specialist because how many players on the Rangers in 2010-11 set up goals by 11 different Rangers? This one is on Tortorella because it is his job to get the most out of his players using them in roles that max out their skills while hiding their weaknesses.

And maybe because we have a strange sense of humor putting 5'7 Zuccarello out there with 6'5 Mike Rupp appeals to us. That leaves 1 spot in the lineup open one of which it is hard not to picture Carl Hagelin getting one of them.

If you want a John Tortorella prototype player then that is Hagelin. A very skilled forechecker who's defensive skills are already NHL ready but his offense fits in with what Tortorella is trying to do.

Hagelin's ability to hit the pass on the tape while rushing up ice puts the pressure on the defense. If Tortorella is ever going to start transitioning the Rangers to the "Safe is Death" offense then Hagelin will be a part of it thanks to his skating and passing.

Hagelin is going to earn his playing time first on the penalty kill then filling in everywhere in the lineup. Hagelin was Michigan's leading scorer last season but it was his ability to play both a finesse and physical which makes him so valuable.

Hagelin ideally is a left wing but can play the other two forward positions if need be. After watching Hagelin go at it with Derek Stepan for 2 years; it is going to be very interesting to see them play as teammates.

If Tortorella gets to carry two extra forwards then the battle will be among these players.

Wojtek Wolski somehow is going to survive to make it to training camp but not if we had a say in the matter. There is no question that Wolski has the talent and skills to play in the NHL.

The problem is that there is no reason why Wolski was a 12 goal scorer last season (combined NYR/PHO). Wolski should be putting up no less than 25 goals a season but now on his 3rd team in the last 2 seasons is not good for the resume.

12 goals and 3.8 million cap hit should equal either buyout or exile to the AHL. Nothing angers us more than seeing a player who has real NHL talent not use it.

We see a Zuccarello who at 5'7 throw his body at people even though he will just bounce off them. It is like a cruel joke that Zuccarello is just 5'7 and Wolski is 6'3 since you give Zuccarello Wolski's height and you have a superstar.

There is not one good reason why Wolski is even mentioned as no better than a 4th liner but Wolski needs to ask the person he sees in the mirror why is that?

Dale Weise had 10 games with the Rangers last season and he gives Tortorella an extra option of a physical player to mesh with Rupp. Weise though has to show that in the NHL he is more than a big body or he is going to run out of chances with the Rangers.

John Mitchell is an interesting player as he has Jim Schoenfeld's support which means more than people may think. Mitchell is a natural center which helps his cause but like Weise has to show that he is more than just an AHL player.

Chad Kolarik is the dark horse but during his brief time with the Rangers, not only held his own but we thought he deserved a longer look. Not flashy, not overpowering but hard working despite being just 5'11.

Kolarik though is like Weise and Mitchell as he too has to overcome being a good AHL player to stick with the Rangers. Yet of those listed, only Kolarik seems to realize that the clock is ticking on chances to be an NHL player.

The defense is a totally different story as really the Top 4 are set in Staal, Girardi. McDonagh and Sauer. The door is wide open for Tim Erixon and Michael Del Zotto but for both to make the Rangers then changes will have to happen to protect Del Zotto's weak defense as well as Erixon's adjustment to the North American style.

Glen Sather for reasons he keeps to himself will not carry a 7th defenseman and in doing so is hanging Tortorella out to dry. The excuse is Hartford is not far will not work when the Rangers are on the west coast and someone gets injured in the pre-game warmups.

If we have to say more than Henrik Lundqvist and Marty Biron in goal then cmon what are you a Toronto Maple Leaf GM talking trade with the Boston Bruins?

(Richards courtesy of Media.NHL.com)

Insanity And The NHL

July 1 has come and gone but for fans of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders then the countdown to the next labor stoppage has begun. It was expected that because of the lack of big name free agents that there was going to be some inflated contracts offered.

But the contracts that have been handed out on the opening day of free agency border on the insane. Velle Leino goes from 800,000 to 4.5 million, Joel Ward doubles his salary from 1.5 to 3 million, Andy Green from 735,000 to 3 million and people are upset with Sather for giving Micheal Rupp a 3 year 4.5 million contract.

Considering some of the dumb contracts, it is hard to believe but Sather at least on Friday used coupons to sign Rupp and Rusian Fedotenko. Both player signings addressed need and at a value price.

First Rupp is going to replace the late Derek Boogaard but not wishing to disrespect the late Boogaard; this is an upgrade for the Rangers as they add a heavyweight enforcer who can play as well.

Yes he doubled his salary but he winds up 100,000 cheaper than what Boogaard would have earned but more importantly is his addition relieves Brandon Prust of the enforcer role. As much as we all love Prustie, we are only kidding ourselves that he is a true enforcer.

Prust is a middleweight who while he has no fear of anyone; it was easy to see by the end of the season that he was playing through several injuries. Prust established himself as a solid defensive player/energy guy so if Rupp takes even half the fights away from Prust then it is a very good move.

Now have to admit to some head-scratching as to why people are upset that the Rangers resigned Rusian Fedotenko for another season? Yes he got a 400,000 dollar raise but when in the lineup he was effective and when paired with Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust made up one of the Ranger lines that fans could always count on to show up.

Bringing him back for another season also means that the 2 way forward can mentor Carl Hagelin as the 2 play a very similar game. And really if you want to look at this with a microscope then you will find that Fedotenko can be used in a variety of roles up and down the lineup.

The Islanders to their credit replaced Doug Weight with Marty Reasoner and it is hard to dislike this move either. With Weight retired then adding Reasoner's veteran presence in both lineup and locker room was a good idea.

Reasoner will be a good 3rd or 4th line center who will help the expected to be young Islanders this season. No he is not going to score a ton of goals but if he repeats his 14 goals (4 game winners) of last season with the Florida Panthers then he will be worth the money.

And the Islander also signed their 2010 3rd round pick Kirill Kabanov to his entry level contract. Kabanov deserves this contract for turning not only his life but his game around.

Yes he is going to have people still expecting him to fail but not us as we saw enough of him to know that he grew up. Already living on Long Island with his mother so he can work out; Kabanov is going to surprise a lot of people.

But of course the story of the day remains Brad Richards who was the subject of so many rumors that we wonder if even he knows which ones are closer to the truth. Puck Daddy has the day broken down the best.

If even half these rumors are even 50% correct then Richards and his agent Pat Morris are so full of XXXX that even a blind man can see through it.

Really guys the team that can offer you the most money but also the best chance at winning? And the Final Four are the Rangers, Kings, Maple Leafs and the Flame so who are you kidding?

You want solid ownership which right off the back should eliminate the Kings who every other year go from claiming monstrous money losses to the team being up for sale. Yes the Kings are young and do have a legit shot of making some noise in the NHL playoffs over the next couple of years but they also lack the solid ownership you desire.

The Maple Leafs excuse me but I need to stop for a second while I am laughing so hard that I am going to fall out of my chair. Anyone who thinks the Maple Leafs are seen as Cup Contender please report for drug testing as you just exhibited the kind of behavior that is seen as reasonable cause for a drug test.

Psst Brad the last time the Maple Leafs even made the playoffs was the 2003-04 season which I think you kind of remember well since that was your Cup year. Richards was not even born the last time the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in 1967.

But now it seems that it is a battle of who loves you the most, Jay Feaster who was your general manager on that cup team or John Tortorella who was the coach. Feaster is the newly named GM of the Calgary Flame and remember he is the guy who traded you to Dallas.

The Flames can not even get their first round draft picks to sign with them (Hi my name is Tim Erixon) and have missed the playoffs the last 2 years. The only way that Richards can be seen as signing with the Flames would be more like a 12 year 96 million dollar offer.

It is not ego or arrogance that says that Richards is going to sign with the Rangers but in the end it will be the Rangers who will come the closet to meeting both of Richard's demands. They may be disliked but the Dolans remain the most stable of the 4 supposed final teams and with the young core it is an honest belief that the Rangers will become contenders within the next 2 years even without Richards.

Too bad the NHL will most likely be going through another lockout because of July 1 2011 and here is what is the most ironic part of the Brad Richard's sweepstakes. The Kings and Flames owners were 2 of Gary Bettman's biggest supporters during the lockout.

So when after the end of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Finals when Gary Bettman is demanding that the NHLPA do what he can not do (save the owners and GMs from their own foolish behaviors) then expect yet another lockout.

But that is next year as now the bigger question directed towards those who swear that the Rangers must have Brad Richards at any cost; are you still willing to pay the cost? Is Brad Richards worth taking on yet another bad contract for?

Can you guarantee that in the next CBA that the NHL owners who have to be saved from their own insanity will allow for buyouts? The only means of stopping these poorly thought out contracts is by closing the loopholes that allow them.

And now since we are talking insanity then after Friday using Capgeek's charts taking into account the allowed 10% summer overage (Thanks for the reminder Pat) and then subtracting the qualifying offers that the Rangers made to 9 players on the Ranger/Whale roster, adding in both John Mitchell's and Tim Erixon's contract then as of 12:01 AM PDT the Rangers have 10,611,208 in open cap space (to the best of our understanding of the CBA and CapGeek).

DISCLAIMER

Now I will be the first to acknowledge that I am neither cap specialist, contract lawyer, player agent or armed with anything more than my copy of the CBA and my trusty calculator here. Which means I could be 100% wrong and what follows next BUT to the best of my understanding this is what COULD HAPPEN.

Yes you can sign Brad Richards to a contract that has a 7 million dollar cap hit to it but then you are now in trouble as you are now down to just 3,611,208 and now you have to worry about 5 PM EDT on Tuesday July 5th.

That is the deadline for Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky to file for arbitration and those hearings would be taking place in either late July or early August which will be way before the Rangers will be able to rid themselves of Wade Redden's cap hit. It would be foolish of the two players to not file for arbitration to protect themselves with the only real weapon they have.

The CBA states that only 2 players per year are allowed to file for arbitration in a year but in the Ranger's case; they also are the ones who will wind up with the most.

If the Rangers were to go to arbitration with Callahan then based on the past then a fair guess would be that he will go from 2.4 million to at least 3.2. Dubinsky will show up just under 3 million and the Rangers either left one walk or trade off someone else.

Which leads us to the next problem.

If I am an NHL GM and I see the Rangers in the cap shape they are in then guess what I am going to do? I will target Brad Boyle and Michael Sauer as low cost everyday players who I can get for a song.

I would look at Boyle's qualifying offer of 605,000 and play a game of chicken with Glen Sather as I would offer Boyle 1.2 million. Sather either matches it or he loses Boyle for a 3rd round pick (which is what Sather paid for him in the first place)

Or I go to Michael Sauer and I see a Top 4 defender making all of 550,000 and once again I would double it (in real life I would only be able to use this trick once since the CBA states that the draft pick has to be the team's own) to 1.1 million. Sauer would also only return a 3rd but he was a 2nd round pick.

As much as we like Sauer; losing him would not hurt as much as losing Boyle would given the glut of defenders the Rangers have in the system. Boyle though would be a problem as you are losing 6'7 250 of defense who also had a career high 21 goals.

Again this is not a Anti-Richards issue but anger at poor cap management by the Rangers who really should have dumped Wojtek Wolski's 3.8 million cap hit when they did Chris Drury's.

This is anger that the Rangers could have signed either Callahan or Dubinksy way before now as a sign of that commitment to the youthful core.

Please do not mistake this as thinking or saying that either Callahan or Dubinsky are equal or better than Richards. What this is about is filling 1 hole (Richards) at the cost of creating as few as 1 but as many as 4 holes in the Ranger lineup.

This goes back to the Ranger's history of trying to fill 1 hole by opening up another one. All it does is keep the franchise treading water.

We will supposedly hear the coronation, I mean the announcement as to which team Richards has deemed worthy of his services sometime later today.

I for one plan on being as far from a computer on Saturday as I possibly can to spare myself the agony (OK I have some major yardwork to do) of the reaction of the Richards event. But replacing me tomorrow will be Lebron James and Dwayne Wade who are experts on coronations.

As much as people may not like this but in the long run the Rangers just might win by losing out on the Richards sweepstakes. I trust a Sather trade more than I do a Sather free agent signing.


(Richards, Rupp, Reasoner, Fedotenko courtesy of NHL.Media, Kabanov courtesy of Lewiston Maineaics)