Is Sather all that bad?

John Grigg from The Hockey News blog has an interesting article today about the "upside" to having Glen Sather as Rangers' GM.

"The decisions his haters point to other than bad signings include a revolving door of coaches; the selection of Hugh Jessiman 12th overall in 2003 – the only first-rounder from that year who has yet to play an NHL game and those chosen later in Round 1 include 2010 Olympians Brent Seabrook, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Mike Richards and Corey Perry; and trading away fan favorites Adam Graves and Brian Leetch. 

But for all his perceived faults, you have to give Sather credit for at least one thing: he’s sly as a fox when it comes to divesting himself of bad contracts."

For the full article, click here

Despite the fact I'd like to see Sather on the first train out of New York, Grigg makes a point here.


Sather's biggest smoke-screen effort as GM was somehow convincing Montreal to take on Scott Gomez' bloated contract, giving us potential blue-line studs in Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko (in camp vying for spots), and parlaying the saved money into Marian Gaborik's new contract. Talk about pulling a rabbit out of a hat. 


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Podcast Episode 3: Red Wings @ Rangers 9/29/10

Apologies to not doing any podcast for the Rangers game on Sunday, I had some other engagements to attend to...

Here though for your audible delight is the latest podcast. Enjoy!

Podcast Episode 2: Thoughts on Wade Redden, NYR @ NJD 9/25/10 Game

Podcast for Devils vs. Ranger re-cap 9/23/10

Is Sean Avery on borrowed time?

Rick Carpinello from LoHud.com's Rangers Report has an intriguing article today about Sean Avery and his spot on the NY Rangers.

Given how bad he was last year, and how Tortorella might feel about him—not to mention some teammates, although he clearly is on the good side of some of the most important players—do you think he makes it?

Let’s do numbers first: Forwards coming back—Anisimov, Avery, Boyle, Callahan, Christensen, Drury, Dubinsky, Gaborik, Prospal, Prust. That’s 10. Of those, a minimum of eight will definitely be on the team Opening Night (minus one, Drury, who will probably be out injured, but should be back soon).  

Forwards brought in—Boogaard, Fedotenko (a Tortorella favorite on a tryout), Frolov, White, Zuccarello. Boogaard and Frolov are locks to make the team The others sure have a good shot. Prospects knocking on the door—Grachev, Stepan, possibly others.

I am just not sure where No. 16 fits, especially if Tortorella isn’t convinced that Avery had figured out where the line is, and how and when he can cross it. Because if he can’t play that way, then he’s surely expendable.

 After reading the article, I'm really dumbfounded for an answer. When on his game, Sean Avery is the spark to this team. But, more often than not last year, Avery was nowhere to be found. If someone steps up in camp and shows they can play gritty and be productive CONSISTENTLY game in and game out, then Sean Avery could be on the outs.


Good luck finding a home for him. 


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Drury breaks finger in scrimmage, Opens the door

Amidst the opening of training camp and the scrimmages that started over the weekend, we learned today that Captain "Clutch" Chris Drury suffered a broken finger this morning and will be out the next 4 weeks, missing the first handful (no pun intended) of regular season games.

Not the way Drury had hoped his season would start, as he's looked impressive in skating & conditioning drills. Plus, you got to have some serious chops & dedication to be putting your body in front of shots in scrimmages. But that's just the way Drury has always been; a warrior.

The intriguing question now is who steps up to fill the void left behind:

1) The Usuals: Guys already slated to be on the opening night roster such as Erik Christensen, Vinny Prospal, and Brian Boyle are more than capable of holding down the fort until Drury returns. In particular, Christensen could you use the extra boost as his career depends on it. The talented center has found a home on Broadway and would love to cement himself here for a few more seasons.

2) Derek Stepan: The Rangers 2008 2nd round pick has had quite a year, leading Team USA to just its 2nd ever gold medal in the 2010 IIHF U20 Championship, not to mention a stellar season at Wisconsin. Stepan has already turned some heads at training camp, centering a line featuring Marian Gaborik and newly acquired Alex Frolov that scored 4 points in the first scrimmage. Could this be the opening he needs to at least crack the opening night roster and, in turn, force a tough decision out of the Rangers brass?

3) Newcomers: Todd White could arguably need this opportunity for him to make the team. His 2.375 mil cap hit could be burdensome and easily sent down to Hartford to make space. While his two-way ability could be an asset, this training camp could me a make-or-break point not only in White's tenure with the Rangers, but his career as well.

4) A Dark Horse: Someone who flys under the radar but could step up big in Drury's brief absence is Artem Anisimov. He seemed to find his niche late last season and could translate that into increased production and ice-time this season. With the Rangers looking for more youth infused in the lineup, Anisimov's time to shine could be now.


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Marc Staal finally comes home, Reaction

Unless you live under a rock, you've already heard that the Rangers and RFA D Marc Staal have agreed to a new pact, a 5-year, super-saving number just under 20 million. This means the Rangers have committed nearly 14 million on a core duo of Staal and Dan Giardi for the next few seasons, with Del Zotto, Gilroy, Ryan McDonaugh, Dylan McIllrath, and others waiting in the wings. It's safe to say the Blueshirts are building a strong blueline for seasons to come.

There are 2 main things to take away from this contract:

1) This all but signals the end of Wade Redden's tenure as a New York Ranger. His burdening 6.5 million cap hit can, and by all indications, will be sent to the minors, where he can be the best Wolfpack player for the next few seasons. Unless other contracts are moved out (Rozival, Gilroy?) or some trade magic is worked, there's no feasable way to keep Redden on the team and keep the others. Rangers' fans won't shead a tear to see Redden go.

2) In the context of the contract, the Rangers made a spectacular deal. They forego some of Staal's prime free agency seasons, keep the cap hit under 4 million, and do not have a no-trade or no-movement clause attached to it. My fear was that, sensing they needed to make this deal before training camp and how others on the team make a fortune, Staal would be overpaid. Yet, his contract seems fair compared to his abilities right now, and when Staal blossoms over the next few seasons it'll become one of better deals ever consummated by Glen Sather. You have to give credit where it's due, and Sather has earned it here.

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Struck out swinging

So, my bid to speculate & correctly guess something failed a few days back. If you recall a previous post, I suggested the NY Islanders take a run at Antti Niemi to shore up their goaltender situation. Well, that ship has sailed, as Niemi has decided to take his talents to South California on a one-year, $2 million dollar deal.

It's an interesting move for San Jose. They already committed to Antero Nittymaki as their No. 1. However, when someone of the caliber as Niemi is available, it's tough to pass him up. Most likely, up-and-comer Thomas Greiss will play in the AHL and get the bulk of playing time. With this move, the Sharks enter their season with a formidable tandem in between the pipes.


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