Brandon Sutter Nails Alexei Cherepanov

This looks like a case of retaliation. You might notice that Cherepanov and Sutter had some contact at the beginning of the clip that could have pissed off Sutter.

Cherepanov and Anisimov Injured

Presently, there is a tournament going on called the "Super Series" in which NHL prospects from Canada and Russia are facing off. Unfortunately, there have been several injuries to Russian players during the tournament.

Alexei Cherepanov was ousted from the series after receiving and elbow in the head from Brandon Sutter. He was not doing well after the game and may have a serious concussion.

Artem Anisimov has left the game today with a knee injury after what was described as the dreaded "knee-on-knee" hit. Considering that Anisimov was leaving for America after the series to get ready for Rangers training camp, a serious knee injury would be a big disappointment for Artem and the Rangers organization. I'll keep you posted.

Belfour to Sweden; Aubin to L.A. Kings

It looks like the only goalies left on the market are Curtis Joseph, Sean Burke, and Robert Esche. As mentioned in yesterday's article, if the Rangers are serious about signing a backup goaltender for Henrik Lundqvist, it would be better if it happened soon due to the dwindling options.

Updated: Aubin signed for 525K a season. That gives you an idea of how little it would take to sign a goaltender.

Poll Results: Backup Goalie

For those of you who might have missed it a couple weeks ago, I wrote an article about the available backup goalies on the market right now. Here it is... http://blue-review.blogspot.com/2007/08/available-backup-goalies.html. I used the article as a starting off point for the most recent poll on what backup goalie that YOU would want the Rangers organization to sign. The results where as follows:

Ed Belfour (0%)
Curtis Joseph (25%)
Robert Esche (50%)
Sean Burke (12%)
Stick with Valiquette (12%)

*Note that there were two goalies in the article I wrote, Alex Auld and JS Aubin, that weren't included in the poll. Auld was not included because he signed with Pheonix recently. And Aubin has never been a full season starter for any team and therefore he is most likely the weakest of the group.
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The results of the poll were quite logical to me for many reasons. First, I expected Robert Esche to get the most votes (50%), because he is the youngest goalie, he has been the Olympic goaltender for the USA, and he is quite familiar to Rangers fans. As a member of the Flyer's organization, he put up several impressive perfomances against the Rangers over the years. Not to mention the fact that he won't take a whole lot of money to sign.

It was clear why Ed Belfour got zero votes. The organization just can't spend that kind of money on a backup goaltender, given their salary cap restraints. Hence why that rookie bonus will be the reason why you probably won't see Al Montoya this year as Lundqvist's backup. Not to mention the fact that Belfour wants to be a starter.

One out of every four of you thought that CuJo would be a good option. Although I am a fan of Joseph, I have a feeling that his agent would use his stoic career as a reason to drive up his salary demands. I also think he wants to go to a team where he would play the most and obviously this would not be that place. I wouldn't rule him out, but I would say that his signing is unlikely.

Sean Burke garnered 12% of the reader vote. My opinion of Burke at this point in his career is that he is a journeyman backup goaltender. He is a decent option for the blueshirts, but he is not a spring chicken. Optimists would say that he is experienced... pessimists would say that he should have retired years ago.

The remaining percentage (12%) voted to let Steve Valiquette handle the role of backup to King Henrik. I am guessing that readers who voted for this option, probably don't want any more salary added to the team's already bloated payroll. I respect the opinions of those readers, but I do believe that Sather is trying to win the Cup while Jagr is still around and you CANNOT have Steve Valiquette as your backup goaltender in that scenario. Although goalies have a less chance of getting injured compared to fowards and defenseman, it happens nonetheless. Rangers fans should be extra sensitive to this considering what has happend to Mike Richter and Dan Blackburn over the last decade (or so). If the team is serious in their Cup run, they need someone that the team can trust behind Lundqvist. As noted above, there are several options out there right now that would be feasible. Most of us just wish that Sather would sign one of them soon, before they become unavailable.

By the way, I agree with the majority of the readers and believe that Robert Esche would be the most ideal signing for the Rangers organization.

Preseason Tickets

For those of you that want to go to some preseason games, tickets go on sale this Monday. Click the link for more information.

http://newyorkrangers.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=2985

Although preseason games can be a snore due to the lack of actual star players in the lineups, I often enjoy them because it is one of the rare times I get to see the prospects play. I am looking forward to seeing Marc Staal on the ice again and I hope he makes the team.

Ghost Town

I must say, the Peca situation definitely filled up the dead time that usually occurs during the last half of the summer. Now that the organization passed on Peca and he signed in Columbus, it seems that all is quiet on the Rangers front. I would not expect to see any more non-goalie free agent signings, as evident by the organization's insistance that they will give their young kids a chance. I am starting to question whether the team really is going to sign a goalie or actually stick with the unproven Steve Valiquette in net. I strongly believe that the team needs a proven goalie behind King Henrik that the team will have confidence in. The poll has been showing some interesting results thus far.

Rangers Don't Offer Peca Contract

John Dellapina of Daily News just reported on his blog that Don Meehan, Peca's agent, has just confirmed (per telephone interview) that the Rangers have decided NOT to offer a contract to his client. A Rangers spokesman added that the decision was made, because the organization wanted "to give our young guys a chance (at the vacant 3rd line center position)."

Although I do believe that Peca would have helped the team, I am quite impressed by the organizations continued commitment to its youth. Whether this means that a center like Dubinsky or Anisimov makes the team to fill that center spot or whether another winger like Dawes or Pyatt makes the team with Straka centering the third line, we won't know until training camp.

Prospect Article

NHL.com has a well-written article on the top New York Rangers prospects, with a lot of commentary by the team's Director of Player Personnel Gordie Clark. It is worth the read.

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=336074

Quick Update on Straka

Apparently, the reason for Martin Straka's surgery is a slightly torn meniscus. The surgery is minor and he will be ready for the season.

Rangers Add Goaltender

Don't get too excited by the headline. Similar to the three free agents that the Rangers did not sign by the August 15th deadline (http://blue-review.blogspot.com/2007/08/news-tidbit.html), the Los Angeles Kings did not sign 24 year old goalie propect Matt Zaba either. Today the Rangers took one of those three remaining professional contracts (out of 50) and signed Zaba to one year deal to increase their goaltending depth. There is a good story here (http://www.gazette.com/sports/zaba_26211___article.html/rangers_hockey.html) that talks about how he is expected to compete for a job with the Hartford Wolfpack or the Charlette Checkers. There is also a profile about him at hockeysfuture (http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect/matt_zaba), but I can't say it gets you too excited about this kid.

Folks, once again I find it very interesting that the Rangers organization is loading up on young goaltenders (drafting Lafleur and now signing Zaba). The Montoya trade watch is still on...

Straka Has Surgery (Peca/Sather Humor)

Several Czech sources have said that Martin Straka has undergone knee surgery. The only injury I was aware of was Straka's shoulder, so this is quite an interesting story. The sources claim that he will be ready for training camp, so it must have a been a minor procedure.

I wonder if some other teams are going to start calling Peca while Sather is vacationing? At least Glen is relaxing. We wouldn't want him to go a month without a vacation.

News Tidbit

For those of you that like to know everything or might know something about one of these players, Rangers prospects Ken Roche, Dylan Reese, and Darin Olver are no longer part of the organization. All three players had to be signed by August 15th of this year or they would become unrestricted free agents. Roche was drafted in the third round of the 2003 draft, Reese was drafted in the seventh round of the same draft, and Olver was selected in the second round of the 2004 draft. The NHL institutes a 50 contract limit on all franchises and the Rangers currently have 47 professional contracts. The organization obviously concluded that none of the three players had enough potential to take up another one of those limited contracts.

No Peca news to report.

Poll Results (and Peca Update)

My original intention of the poll was to see how many people would feel that we need an experienced player to fill the third role position or whether it would be a better idea just to go with youth. The results were pretty much split down the middle.

Michael Peca - 43%
Brandon Dubinsky - 43%
Martin Straka - 8%
Artem Anisimov - 4%

I did not expect Anisimov to get many votes, because fans how never seen a glimpse of him playing in a live game, so he was more of an unknown. I would expect that Artem needs a year in Hartford to adjust to the North American game. In the prospect camp a couple months ago, many of the defensive prospects manhandled him a bit, because he is not used to that up and in your face game that North American hockey brings to the table.

I was a bit surprised by the low vote total for Straka. He has played center many times for the Rangers, either centering Jagr's line or centering Shanny and Avery on the second line. I am not sure if the lack of votes is because people don't see him as a two-way player (offensive and defensive-minded) or if they assume he will play left wing on the top line with Jagr and Gomez/Drury. I suppose it also could be because he struggled mightily for the second half of the year with the shoulder injury. But don't forget that he carried the team on his stick the first half of the season, scoring many timely goals when Jagr was physically unable. Hopefully Straka has rehabbed his injury throughout the summer and can get back to his scoring ways.

There was an early string of votes for Brandon Dubinsky, who I expected to cleanly win the voting. Ranger fans got to see his speed and skill on the ice last year when Straka was out, so he definitely is a player that can help this organization. I think that many fans would hope that Sather decided to fill the empty third line center role by going within the organization and reaching down to Hartford for help. This not only would save the team some salary cap space, but it would give another Hartford kid a shot, something that has been quite successful (Girardi, Callahan, etc.) for the organization as of late. Although this could still happen, but I believe that the organization would prefer to have an experienced, gritty two-way forward centering that line, considering that the wings are most likely going to be younger, less experienced players such as Prucha and Callahan.

That brings us to Michael Peca. According to the NY Daily News, as of 10 pm last night, Peca's agent said that Sather has not gotten back to him yet. This was Peca's response:

"They're doing their due diligence on this, as they should," he said. "It really isn't time-sensitive for them," he said. "It is a little bit more time-sensitive for me because of my kids and schooling."

You can see that Peca understands why the process is taking so long, but the clearest thing is that he wants to be a Ranger. And that is why I believe that Peca got so many votes in the poll, simply that he wants to be here. Fans remember how many stories there were about players that the Rangers just bought off the free agent market, but really were only here for the money. That usually would scare off fans from voting for Peca, especially considering his injury history. But it is clear that Peca wants badly to sign here, just like Gomez and Drury did, which is music to everyone's ears. In general, I do believe that the organization has locked in on Peca as the ideal center for the third line. This would give Renney the option of playing the third line against the other team's best line, giving the top two scoring lines better line matchups in games. Peca is also a suberb penalty killer and a real instigater/irritant (a la Avery) on the ice, qualities that are both great fits for this team. We will just have to wait and see what happens.

Peca Close?

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2007/08/15/2007-08-15_peca_rangers_nearing_a_deal.html

Although TSN, the NY Post, and NY Newsday are all running stories of Peca's imminent signing, it looks like John Dellapina at the NY Daily News got the biggest scoop. Apparently Michael Peca has already met the Rangers training staff for a physical, as well as chatted with Ranger's brass about this role on the team.

"I think it went as well as can be expected," Peca said of a two-day visit that included tests on the right leg that was fractured and surgically repaired last December and conversations with team officials, including assistant GM Jim Schoenfeld.

Peca also had some candid comments about his interest in playing for the Rangers, his contract, and the state of his surgically repaired leg.

"How can one not want to play there?" the former Islanders captain said. "Obviously, over the last few years they've added some players that can contribute to a pretty good squad. I think anybody on the outside would look at that situation and hope there's a fit."

Peca's edgy, defense-first game seems to fit on a Rangers roster suddenly loaded with talent at center. "It does," he said. "And I know I'm not going to hurt them as far as the salary cap."

Peca is similarly confident that his leg, broken in a collision with Chicago's Jim Vandermeer last Dec. 22, is sufficiently healed. "It's a non-issue," he said. "I've been skating for the better part of 2-1/2 months now. My speed and anything I can do on the ice is where I want it."

Peca's agent Don Meehan acknowledged his client's presence at the Rangers facility and added more about contract negotiations.

"I sense they've made the decision that they'd like to have him," agent Don Meehan said. "The first steps were the physical and discussions with the coaches, which he had.

Then, finally our discussion regarding a contract. "I don't expect we'd have a major issue in that regard. I thought the first two steps were more significant."

On a side note... what a fantastic job by John Dellapina in getting the entire story. I don't think there are any more questions to ask anyone, except the Rangers themselves and they always deny everything.

Interesting Development

Yesterday, the Pheonix Coyotes signed 26 year old goaltender Alex Auld. You might remember Auld from my 8/9 article (http://blue-review.blogspot.com/2007/08/available-backup-goalies.html) where he was listed as one of the possible backup goalies available in the free agent market. On the surface, this might appear as a meaningless signing to some, but this might end up having an effect on the Rangers if my theory in yesterday's article (http://blue-review.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-own-theory.html) had any truth to it. The signing of Auld gives the Yotes a young goaltender that might have a promising future in their organization, based on Auld's fairly impressive performance in 05-06 as Vancouver's starting goalie. At the very most, this could have a profound negative effect on the Yote's possible interest in Montoya. And at the very least, this takes one less goaltender off the market to back up King Henrik. Either way, I am standing firmly on the belief that Sather has to be shopping Montoya and his monster rookie bonus at a time when his value is as good as its going to get.

My Own Theory

This is 100% speculation on my part, but I feel like a there might be a fairly significant trade coming. I am not one that tends to spread trade rumors or spin conspiracy theories, but it seems to me that the 'stars seem to be aligning' for some type of trade... most likely involving Gretzky's (and Maloney's) Pheonix Coyotes. Here is why:

• First, I feel that there is no better time than now to trade Al Montoya. He has played extremely will at the AHL level and showed why he was selected 6th overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft. Not only do the Rangers not want to pay a huge rookie bonus to a backup goaltender in the future, but Maloney knows how good this kid could be and that he is ready for the NHL. Plus, the Coyotes do not have any top end goalie prospects in their system and have recently signed David Aebischer to start for them. He cannot be their long term answer in net.
• Second, I am thinking that there is a reason why the Rangers are stalling in their process of signing (or not signing) Michael Peca. I firmly believe that Sather wants Peca as their third center, but it is not that easy. I think that Sather IS looking for an upgrade at backup goaltender and he IS looking at a possible trade with Pheonix (or maybe someone else). All of this makes a complex situation with the cap, which makes it quite difficult to dedicate cap money to a checking center Sather might want, but might have to let go due to financial constraints.
• Lastly, I think Sather knows that the team's defense is not good enough to go all the way. He probably has been searching for an elite defenseman, something that this team hasn't had since Brian Leetch. The problem is... he needs to find a team that actually doesn't mind dealing an elite defenseman, which most teams would want to keep. You need to find a team that is rebuilding and willing to shed the large contract that an elite defenseman is most likely earning. Right now there is no better match than the Pheonix Coyotes. They presently have three defenseman, Ed Jovanowski, Derek Morris, and Nick Boyton, who all have larger contracts than they should have and are signed until at least the 08-09 season. Since Jovo is the most elite of the three, I would expect him to be the target.

If there are negotiations going on right now between these clubs, it won't be an easy trade to complete. There are just way too many variables involved. First, the Rangers have a serious cap problem and they would have to unload salary to bring in a contract as hefty as (lets say) Jovo's. Second, the Yotes are presently below the salary cap minimum of 34.3 million... with only approximately 30 million in contracts for next year. So basically, the Yotes would want/need just as much money back as they are dumping. It is quite an odd cap scenario indeed. Lastly, the next variable has to do with the fact that the Yotes are clearly the team working from a power position here, not Sather. The Yotes could just keep Jovo, sign a couple free agents to get over the cap, and play out the season without an issue. Sather is the one that needs to pay (in prospects, assets, etc) to get Maloney to not only trade Jovo, but take larger (and probably unwanted) contracts off of the Ranger's hands. I could only assume that those contracts would have to be Malik, Mara, and possibly (but not likely) Kasparitis. That means parting with more than must just their #1 prospect in Montoya, but possibly more prospects/draft picks. If these negotiations are indeed ongoing, it would take an awful lot to get it done, but I believe both sides are in a position of want here. The Rangers want an elite defenseman (Jovo) and the Coyotes need a future in goal (Montoya). And as long as that is true, their is a possibility, although rather small because of the unique scenarios involved, that this deal could get completed.

Marc Staal Hit

Keeping with the subject of recent posts, lets take a look at why the Rangers are so high on Marc Staal. I am really hoping this kid makes the big club this year.

Artem Anisimov clip

Next year should be quite interesting with both Anisimov and Cherepanov in the fold. You never really know whether players will actually pan out, but they sure do look like the real deal.

Peca wants Rangers

Peca's agent, Don Meehan, told the Daily News last night that he has been talking to only the Rangers in recent weeks regarding a deal for the two-time Selke Trophy winner. And Meehan said he expected Rangers GM Glen Sather to inform him today whether the club wanted to slot in Peca, 33, as the checking center behind free-agent prizes Scott Gomez and Chris Drury.
"I'm talking to Glen," Meehan said. "If you ask me, I'd say the chances are 50-50 that he'll sign with the Rangers. Michael is extremely interested in them. And we're not really talking to anybody else." At the NHL Players Association's annual charity golf tournament outside Toronto on Wednesday, Peca told the Canadian Press that he believed he'd mesh nicely with the Rangers' retooled roster. "I think there's been some interest," said Peca, the former Islanders captain who played last season with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. "That would be a great fit. Is it going to happen? I'm not 100% sure. We'll see what happens."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/2007/08/10/2007-08-10_exisle_peca_looks_for_blueshirts_fit.html

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***ZEN***
Peca definitely has gas left in his tank and he would definitely help the Rangers because he has a lot of grit and he can score. Can you imagine Peca and Avery on the same line? Other teams would be driven out of their minds. It definitely would be fun to watch. On the other hand, this would be the ideal situation for the team to let a younger player (Dubinsky, Aminisov, etc.) come up and earn that job (at third line center). Especially considering how close the team is to the cap. There are a couple things that puzzle me about this situation. Where on Earth is Toronto in this negotiation? I thought they were going hardcore for resigning Peca. And... is there going to be another trade that will make more wiggle room under the cap? Why don't we wait and see what happens today (according to Peca's agent) first.

Available Backup Goalies

The following are unrestricted free agents that could backup King Henrik in goal:

Ed Belfour (42 years old) - He appeared in 58 games for the Florida Panthers last year. He had a 27-17 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .911 save %. He will take the most money to sign out of the six because of the stellar numbers he had as a starter last year, despite his age. If Sather is serious of about backing up Henrik, then this would be the way to go. The problem is that there are still a couple teams that might want him as a starter, which means he would sign for more money in that scenario.

Curtis Joseph (40 years old) - He appeared in 55 games for the Pheonix Coyotes last year. He had a 18-31 record with a 3.19 GAA and .903 save %. CuJo's numbers were not as impressive as a starter last year, because the the team struggled badly. He wouldn't take as much money as Belfour to sign, but he was a starter last year and his agent will use that to drive up his price tag.

Sean Burke (40 years old) - He appeared in 23 games for the LA Kings last year. He had a 6-10 record with a 3.11 GAA and .910 save %. At this point in his career, Burke is a journeyman backup. He split time with Cloutier and Garon last year. He has a pretty good save % and would sign at a reasonable price because of his age.

J-S Aubin (30 years old) - He appeared in 20 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs last year. He had a 3-5 record with a 3.43 GAA and .890 save %. Aubin backed up Raycroft last year, but the trade that brought Toskala in means that Aubin won't be signed. This might change if Raycroft is traded soon, but Aubin didn't play that well last year. It wouldn't take too much of the cap to sign Aubin.

Robert Esche (29 years old) - He appeared in 18 games for the Philadelphia Flyers last year. He had a 5-9 record with a 4.33 GAA and .886 save %. After the team resigned Niittymaki, to backup their new #1 Biron, it meant the end of Esche's career as a Flyer. His numbers last year are pretty bad, but so was the team. After his numbers last season, he should come cheaply.

Alex Auld (26 years old) - He appeared in 27 games for the Florida Panthers last year. He had a 7-13 record with a 3.34 GAA and .899 save %. Auld was the starter for Vancouver in 2005 and put up pretty good numbers, but his tenure in Florida did not work out as well. His age makes him an intriguing option, but sometimes I think that I would rather have a more experienced goalie to backup King Henrik. His age will inflate his price tag, but his numbers last year won't allow it to go too high.
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***ZEN***
I find it difficult to have an opinion about who to sign, because goalies are so inconsistent year-to-year. Belfour would be ideal, but I don't think we have enough cap space "comfortability" to get that done unless Ed realizes he has a chance at the Cup again. CuJo seems to still have gas in the tank and makes an interesting option. Considering the signings of American-born Gomez and Drury, I could definitely see Esche wanting to come here and being a good fit. Signing Auld to more than a one year deal would also be an option assuming that Montoya is a goner, which I think HAS to happen at some point.

A Look at Alexei Cherepanov.

Another slow day. I saw this video of the Ranger's first round draft choice on YouTube. Only time will tell if he is the real deal, but he looks pretty damn good.

Why we overpaid for Gomez and Drury...

Chris Drury

06-07: Buffalo, 77 games, 37 goals, 32 assists, 69 points, +1
05-06: Buffalo, 81 games, 30 goals, 37 assists, 67 points, +11
03-04: Buffalo, 76 games, 18 goals, 35 assists, 53 points, +8
02-03: Calgary, 80 games, 23 goals, 30 assists, 53 points, -9
01-02: Colorado, 82 games, 21 goals, 25 assists, 46 points, +1
00-01: Colorado, 71 games, 24 goals, 41 assists, 65 points, +6
99-00: Colorado, 82 games, 20 goals, 47 assists, 67 points, +8
98-99: Colorado, 79 games, 20 goals, 24 assists, 44 points, +9

It is safe to say that Drury is as consistent as you can get as an NHL player, especially considering that this is his 4th NHL team in nine seasons. It is also clear that he is a playmaker and has increased his goal scoring ability over his career. His consistent positive plus-minus (besides his one season in Calgary) also shows that he is a solid two-way centerman who can take care of things in this own end. He appears to be the ideal #2 centerman who can check the other team's top offensive line.
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Scott Gomez

06-07: NJ, 72 games, 13 goals, 47 assists, 60 points, +7
05-06: NJ, 82 games, 33 goals, 51 assists, 84 points, +8
03-04: NJ, 80 games, 14 goals, 56 assists, 70 points, +18
02-03: NJ, 80 games, 13 goals, 42 assists, 55 points, +17
01-02: NJ, 76 games, 10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points, -1
00-01: NJ, 76 games, 14 goals, 49 assists, 63 points, -4
99-00: NJ, 82 games, 19 goals, 51 assists, 70 points, +14

To me, Gomez is a completely different story. His point totals are very inconsistent year-to-year and he has only scored more then 19 goals once (33 in 05-06). It appears that Sather signed this guy to be the team's #1 center with Jagr on his wing, yet Gomez has only showed first line scoring ability in one season of his career (once again, 05-06). His plus-minus is definitely impressive, but I would expect that considering that the Devils have been trapping their opponents to death for a very long time. But, to be honest, has Gomez every played with a player the caliber of Jagr? Clearly he hasn't. So, although Gomez appears to be a #2 centerman stats-wise, we won't know until he actually plays with Jagr, whether he will succeed.
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So basically, Sather gave out two very long 7+ million dollar contracts that are basically ironclad due to no movement/trade clauses (or a variation of)... to two players that appear to be second-line centerman. So lets talk about why Sather did this. Much like what I talked about in the salary cap post, (http://blue-review.blogspot.com/2007/08/rangers-cap-situation.html) this team is only one year away from having quite a makeover. The team's main core of players, Jagr (option year), Shanny, Straka, Avery, and almost the entire defense, are all most likely going to be free agents next year. Even if a few important players sign up for just one more Cup run, that will only push off the inevitable... this team will go from Jagr's team to starting all over again with youth. And that is why Sather signed Gomez (age 27) and Drury (age 30). It meant that we now are set up the middle (at center) for the next 5+ years, which is pretty much the most important position other than goaltender (which we also happen to be set at with Henrik). Did Sather have to overpay to do it? Yeah. Should he have overpaid? We will find out.

Who is Andrew Hutchinson?

Some people have been asking me about this guy and it has been slow in the news department the last couple days, so here is what I know about him.

• Age: 27 years old
• Height: 6 foot 2 inches
• Weight: 205 pounds
• Shoots: Right-Handed
• Drafted in the second round of the 1999 draft by the Nashville Predators.
• Played at Michigan State in CCHA for 4 years, collecting 19 goals and 78 points in 160 games. In his second year, he won the award for "Best Defensive Defenseman" and was also was named to a couple All-Star/Tournament teams.
• He started the 02-03 season playing for Toledo of the ECHL. After scoring 2 goals, 7 points, and earning a plus/minus of +8 in 10 games, he was called up to Milwaukee of the AHL. For the remaining 63 games of that season, he scored 9 goals, 16 points, and had plus-minus of -10. Four of the goals were on the power play.
• He made his NHL debut with the Predators in 03-04, scoring 4 goals, 8 points, and had a plus-minus of +1 in 18 sporadic games. He spent the remaining 46 games with Milwaukee of the AHL, scoring 12 goals (4 PP), 24 points, and had a plus-minus of +7.
• That summer, Nashville traded Hutchinson to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a third round pick.
• He played the entire 04-05 season in Milwaukee, scoring 10 goals (4 PP), 45 points, and had a plus-minus of +1 in 76 games.
• In 05-06, Hutchinson finally caught on with the Hurricanes, but his career since then has been riddled with injuries. In the 36 games he did play that season, he scored 3 goals (2 PP), 11 points, and had a plus-minus of -2. In 06-07, he scored 3 goals (2 PP), 14 points, and had a plus-minus of 0 in the 41 games he was healthy.
• From what I have read further about this guy, his most appropriate assignment would be the quarterback of a power play. Carolina had a glut of defenseman (much like we do now) and could afford to let him go, considering he was either the 7th or 8th on the depth chart. There were games where he actually played as the 7th defenseman just so he could be used as the power play quarterback. That means one of two things. The Canes had a six defenseman that were really good or Hutchinson has some issues with the defensive part of his game. I am thinking that the latter is most likely the answer to that question. I am not sure what the Rangers defense will look like when training camp starts, but I am sure that Hutchinson will be given the chance to contribute, considering the team doesn't really have a natural power play QB.

Goaltending Concerns

I know there has been a lot of talk about acquiring a solid D-man and signing a third line center, but one of the positions that cannot be overlooked is Henrik Lundqvist's backup in goal. Although it is very nice that Steve Valiquette makes so little money, he is just not the guy this team wants backing up Lundqvist. He just does not have enough NHL experience. If Sather is serious about making a strong Cup run this year, he has to find another goaltender that the team will feel confident with, if called upon to rest Lundqvist or (knock on wood) if an injury occurs.

You might ask, "Why not Al Montoya?"
- I would love for this to happen, but it won't. The problem is that Montoya has a $1 million dollar base salary and a whopping rookie bonus of 2.5 million dollars that the team can absolutely not have on their cap number. This is actually why I believe that Montoya will be part of a major deal at some point this summer (or year). You cannot pay a guy that much money if you already have your starter (Lundqvist) for the conceivable future.

You might ask, "Won't a goaltender be expensive to obtain?"
-At one point, there were a lot of teams that didn't have a starting goalie and teams were getting a ransom for them. Presently, pretty much all the teams have already obtained some type of quality starter over the last several months, so the market for goalies has pretty much dried up, with the exception of a random team here or there. It should be fairly cheap to acquire and pay a backup goalie.

My hunch is that Sather has been and will be working the phone lines for the next month, trying to acquire a quality defensemen and a backup goaltender. I am not as sure about the third line center position, as that is the only spot that can be reasonably filled by someone (Straka, a prospect, etc.) already in the organization. Lets hope he can find Lundqvist a crease mate.

Artem Anisimov Signs

Russian prospect Artem Anisimov has signed a professional contract with the New York Rangers. The 19 year-old center looked good alongside first round pick Alexei Cherepanov at the prospect camp. Anisimov was the Ranger's second round pick in the 2006 NHL draft. There is an outside chance that this kid can fill the Ranger's vacant third line center position, if the team does not decide to sign a free agent to do so.

http://www.nyrangers.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=2978

Ranger's Cap Situation

Now that all restricted free agents are finally signed, lets take a look at how the Rangers are shaping up in reference to the salary cap.

I. The team presently has 12 forwards (assuming Callahan sticks with the team again):

1. Gomez - 7,357,143
2. Drury - 7,050,000
3. Jagr - 4,940,000
4. Straka - 3,300,000
5. Shanahan - 2,500,000 (Brendan has 2.8 million in bonuses that can count towards next year's cap. Unless something drastic changes, the team will most likely do that.)
6. Avery - 1,900,000
7. Prucha - 1,600,000
8. Hossa - 780,000
9. Betts - 615,000
10. Callahan - 575,000
11. Orr - 537,500
12. Hollweg - 512,500

Total = 31,667,143

II. The team presently has 8 defenseman (assuming Girardi sticks with the team again and Kasparitis is let go):

1. Mara - 3,000,000
2. Malik - 2,500,000
3. Rozsival - 2,100,000
4. Tyutin - 987,500
5. Girardi - 750,000
6. Pock - 667,500
7. Strudwick - 500,000
8. Hutchinson - 475,000

Total = 10,980,000

III. The team looks to be keeping 2 goalies.

1. Lundqvist - 4,250,000
2. Valiquette - 617,500

Total = 4,867,500

If you add up all the salaries, we are looking at a cap total of $47,514,643. The league wide salary cap is presently hovering at $50,300,300, so the Rangers are actually looking pretty good for all of the big free agent signings over the past month. That makes wiggle room under the cap of $2,785,357.

Lets look at some other important topics involved with this. Although I don't believe that the team will include Shanny's bonuses (which he has to meet unless he gets injured) in this year's cap, it does fit almost perfectly. I can also see the argument of why you wouldn't want to go into next year already 2.8 million down. But, the team has almost their entire defense as free agents next year and it is highly unlikely that we will see Straka, Shanny himself, or even Jagr (he has an option) for that matter back. Don't forget about Avery being unrestricted after how the arbitration meetings went either. What I am getting at is that a lot of that salary will be replaced by younger players who don't make as much money, so next year will be a better fit.

It is also important to note that the team has a hole at the third line center position (isn't that Cullen trade looking good for cap now?) that needs to be filled. It might be filled by Straka, but other younger players like Brandon Dubinsky (633,333) might fit the bill. There are also a couple free agents out there that would fit nicely if they took anywhere from 1.0 - 1.5 millions to sign. There have been many rumors about Michael Peca wanting a contract in that range for only one year, so that would be a nice fit, but leave even smaller breathing room under the cap.

The last important topic is the possibility of Marc Staal (826,667) making the team out of training camp. I am thinking that if this starts to look like a real possibility, it will be even more likely that Sather will be looking for a trade considering that the team will then have 9 defenseman counting against the cap. I also think that both Mara's and Malik's salaries are glaring at the top of that salary list and Sather probably thinks the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised if one or both is moved (assuming they can be) at some point to create more flexibility under the cap.

Of course, this entire article could be for nothing if Sather looks to trade for another high profile player, most likely a defenseman. It would take quite a strategic deal to bring on a higher salary player and not have issues with the salary cap.

Avery's Award

The decision has just come in that the arbitrator awarded Avery 1.9 million for the upcoming season. Sather has 48 hours to accept the decision or walk away from the contract and make Avery a free agent.

I have just got confirmation that Sather has accepted the contract. Here are some well-placed comments. "We are pleased to have Sean under contract and are looking forward to him returning with the same passion and enthusiasm he brought to our team last year," stated Sather. "He is a terrific competitor, who we expect to play a significant role in a successful season."

http://newyorkrangers.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=2977