So, the roster is set, and mostly what I thought would happen happened, but then sometimes it didn't. The defensive cuts worked out exactly as expected: Allen, who outplayed the others, will get further play time in the AHL and be the most likely first call-up, while Falk beat out Bickel for the #7 spot.
Up front, only 5 cuts were made, not 6, as Hagelin will start the season on Injured Reserve (Callahan, who is recovering somewhat faster from the identical surgery on the same day, will not). I expected 4 of the cuts to be Fast, Hrivik, Lindberg, and Mashinter. 3 out of 4 ain't bad, but in a surprising move, Vigneualt kept Jesper Fast up with the big club. His other two cuts were Kreider and Powe, leaving Asham and Pyatt up to round out the roster.
If you've been paying attention, the starting goalie and defensemen should be obvious at this point (Lundqvist, McDonagh-Girardi, Staal-Del Zotto, Moore-Stralman), but the forward lines are something of a mystery. Some light was shed today when it was reported that Richards has been moved to the wing, skating at practice opposite Nash on a line centered by Stepan. This move makes sense to me: simplifying Richards's game might lead to good things for him offensively, and the Rangers, as my dad put it, "have 14 forwards, of whom 18 are centers," so this is a pretty solid shift. Behind that first line of Nash - Stepan - Richards, Vigneault seems to be keeping Pouliot - Brassard - Zuccarello together as a 2nd line.
Behind them, based on what we've seen at camp, it seems like Boyle will be the #3 center and Moore will be the #4 (with Miller, who is also a natural centerman, shifted to the wing). That leaves 4 wings to be taken up by any of: Asham, Dorsett, Fast, Miller, and Pyatt (given reports that Callahan, though active, will not be dressed on opening night). I don't imagine the Rangers leaving Fast in the lineup just to bench him (even if he outplayed others, wouldn't they rather develop him in Hartford, like Conor Allen?), so it seems most likely they'd try to use him on the third line, most likely along with J.T. Miller, who deserves more than 4th-line minutes. Behind Miller - Boyle - Fast, I would guess that Pyatt is the odd man out, in favor of a fourth line of Dorsett - Moore - Asham.
And so, here's my best opening night guess:
Nash - Stepan - Richards
Pouliot - Brassard - Zuccarello
Miller - Boyle - Fast
Dorsett - Moore - Asham
McDonagh - Girardi
Staal - Del Zotto
Moore - Stralman
Lundqvist
Biron
Healthy Scratches: Pyatt, Falk
Injured: Callahan
What do you think?
Monday, September 30, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Postulation in the space between
So, great preseason, yeah? 1-5, outscored 22-9? Whatever, it's the preseason; let's wait until next week, when we've been outscored 22-9 in the regular season, to be upset.
The Rangers will announce their final training camp cuts tomorrow, in anticipation of the deadline Monday at 3 PM, by which time they must be at or under 23. By all indications (again, based on the airtight reliability of Twitter), it sounds like they'll be cutting down enough to leave Callahan and Hagelin among the active players. Between that and the signing of Stepan (for almost exactly what the Rangers had been offering this whole time, by the way), Vigneault will have to make quite a few more cuts than I anticipated. 20 dress per night, and if Callahan and Hagelin are 2 more under the 23, that leaves room for only 1 more, likely a 7th defenseman. From the current 20 forwards and 9 defensemen, then, it sounds like Vigneault may cut as many as 6 up front and 2 on the blue line tomorrow. So, who?
It seems pretty likely that Boyle, Brassard, Moore, Nash, Pouliot, Richards, Stepan, and Zuccarello make the cut. Given the way Miller's played, including last night's team-wide Frozen Fury Failure, he's got to make the list as well. It's harder to be sure of this, but Dorsett's probably also looked good enough to stick around. That leaves 2 spots open for: Asham, Fast, Hrivik, Kreider, Lindberg, Mashinter, Powe, and Pyatt. Fast, Hrivik, Lindberg, and Mashinter almost certainly get cut, but it's hard to guess at the other two. Regardless, it seems like they're the two that would sit if Callahan and Hagelin came back immediately.
In the back, obviously, Del Zotto, Girardi, McDonagh, Moore, and Staal are starters, and unfortunately, so is Stralman (though he's been outplayed by others). So, the 7th D spot is left to one of Allen, Bickel, and Falk. To me, Allen has clearly outplayed the other two, but he's also the 23-year-old who would benefit from regular play time in Hartford. Personally, I'd give him the 6th spot in Stralman's stead and see what happened, but that's unlikely, and it seems like a waste to have Allen on the NHL squad to sit on the bench every night - much like Cam Talbot, who outplayed Biron in camp, but who was ultimately sent down to the Wolfpack to get regular play. Discounting Allen, Falk should get the #7 spot over Bickel.
That's all I've got. Tomorrow, we'll see why I'm an idiot. Bye!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The cuts are in
I was right, except for where I was wrong! First of all, they went ahead and cut Cam Talbot. That's not really surprising: it was always going to happen by next week, no matter how he or Biron played, because he needs the playing time to improve and can't be seated on an NHL bench all season. I just expected him to get a game or half sometime this week first. Whatever. On the blue line, Vigneault assigned exactly the expected four to Hartford: Johnson, Hughes, McIlrath, and Syvret. Again, no surprises.
Up front, though, the cuts were a little bit unexpected. The staff sent Haley, Kantor, and Yogan to the Wolfpack, as I (and many others) thought. They left Brandon Mashinter up with the big club, which I did not see coming (I would have expected Haley to stay up before him), but which you will recall I have no problems with. Because of the face-punching.
The one surprising move was their ninth and final cut: Danny Kristo. Not that I'm ready to make a case that Kristo is NHL-ready: he's a kid who needs more playing time before he's responsible enough to play in the league. It's just weird that he got sent down while others of his ilk (like Hrivik) and below his ilk (Lindberg, about whom I really must be missing something) stayed up. Ultimately, cuts have to be made, and this was probably a smart one, but it's surprising that it came in this round.
So, who's left? 30 players:
Forwards (19)
Aaron Asham, Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard, Ryan Callahan, Derek Dorsett, Jesper Fast, Carl Hagelin, Marek Hrivik, Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Mashinter, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore, Rick Nash, Benoit Pouliot, Darroll Powe, Taylor Pyatt, Brad Richards, Mats Zuccarello
Defensemen (9)
Conor Allen, Stu Bickel, Michael Del Zotto, Justin Falk, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, John Moore, Marc Staal, Anton Stralman
Goalies (2)
Marty Biron, Henrik Lundqvist
Obviously, the goalies are set. Vigneault has said he intends to carry four defensive pairs on opening night, so that leaves only one cut to be made on the blue line: surely it will be either Allen or Bickel, and the other seven should still be around next Thursday night.
To get down to the maximum 23-man roster, that leaves room for 13 forwards. Of the 19 still on the list right now, Callahan and Hagelin will likely start the season inactive, which leaves 17 people to fill those 13 spots. So, in addition to Allen or Bickel, the Rangers must cut (at minimum) four more forwards before opening night. Obviously, nothing is sure - Boyle, Dorsett, Kreider, Moore, and Pouliot could all be on the bubble as well - but I have to imagine that those 4 cuts would most likely come from among 8 dudes: Asham, Fast, Hrivik, Lindberg, Mashinter, Miller, Powe, and Pyatt.
Next stop: Vancouver. Any storylines anyone can think of for that game?
Up front, though, the cuts were a little bit unexpected. The staff sent Haley, Kantor, and Yogan to the Wolfpack, as I (and many others) thought. They left Brandon Mashinter up with the big club, which I did not see coming (I would have expected Haley to stay up before him), but which you will recall I have no problems with. Because of the face-punching.
The one surprising move was their ninth and final cut: Danny Kristo. Not that I'm ready to make a case that Kristo is NHL-ready: he's a kid who needs more playing time before he's responsible enough to play in the league. It's just weird that he got sent down while others of his ilk (like Hrivik) and below his ilk (Lindberg, about whom I really must be missing something) stayed up. Ultimately, cuts have to be made, and this was probably a smart one, but it's surprising that it came in this round.
So, who's left? 30 players:
Forwards (19)
Aaron Asham, Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard, Ryan Callahan, Derek Dorsett, Jesper Fast, Carl Hagelin, Marek Hrivik, Chris Kreider, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Mashinter, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore, Rick Nash, Benoit Pouliot, Darroll Powe, Taylor Pyatt, Brad Richards, Mats Zuccarello
Defensemen (9)
Conor Allen, Stu Bickel, Michael Del Zotto, Justin Falk, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, John Moore, Marc Staal, Anton Stralman
Goalies (2)
Marty Biron, Henrik Lundqvist
Obviously, the goalies are set. Vigneault has said he intends to carry four defensive pairs on opening night, so that leaves only one cut to be made on the blue line: surely it will be either Allen or Bickel, and the other seven should still be around next Thursday night.
To get down to the maximum 23-man roster, that leaves room for 13 forwards. Of the 19 still on the list right now, Callahan and Hagelin will likely start the season inactive, which leaves 17 people to fill those 13 spots. So, in addition to Allen or Bickel, the Rangers must cut (at minimum) four more forwards before opening night. Obviously, nothing is sure - Boyle, Dorsett, Kreider, Moore, and Pouliot could all be on the bubble as well - but I have to imagine that those 4 cuts would most likely come from among 8 dudes: Asham, Fast, Hrivik, Lindberg, Mashinter, Miller, Powe, and Pyatt.
Next stop: Vancouver. Any storylines anyone can think of for that game?
Disappointment in Cal Gary and Oil Country
Live professional games are blacked out when you order MSG from out of town, even preseason ones, so the discerning Pittsburgh-based Ranger fan is left with no choice but to stay up for the encore showings for his preseason fix. When the game is a 9:00 puck drop to begin with, that means watching the game starting at 12:30 AM. Plus, the listing got fucked last night, so I missed the first and last 10 minutes. So forgive me if my impressions are completely off-base, but here they are anyway!
The two overarching takeaways seem to be: those young forwards are really fast, and we made a lot of defensive mistakes. That is absolutely the right summary. It is also largely uninteresting, because it describes basically every 18-year-old hockey player trying to play at the NHL level ever. So, while I too was impressed by speed and disappointed by defensive lapses, I'm trying not to get too worked up over either.
Here's what I think I learned:
-- I may have been right when I said I like Jesper Fast. He had another impressive offensive game, and I'd like to continue to see more of him in the Blueshirt. Vigneault presumably even liked him enough Monday night that the coach ended up switching him with Kreider, and so he had a chance with Richards and Nash, which was fun. Speaking of lines that may or may not exist in the coach's head, the Pouliot-Brassard-Zuccarello line appears to remain a thing, at least for now.
-- I may have been wrong when I said I like Justin Falk. Obviously, Monday's 1-game sample is no bigger than than the previous Monday's was, but he was a step behind in it. Does this mean he's worse than Stralman? Or penalty magnet Stu Bickel? Who can say?
-- I now have something to say about Marek Hrivik: Hooray Marek Hrivik! Dude's been hanging out with Danny Kristo, and it's been quick and delightful. You know that feeling you get whenever you watch the Oilers play these days? Like, you know they aren't actually a big deal, and that none of this holds up, but you can't help getting excited? That's how it is to watch these two. It's starting to look like Hrivik, Kristo, Fast, and Pouliot should top the list of forwards you've never heard of who might still be around next week.
-- Relatedly, I'm just missing the Oscar Lindberg boat for some reason. He centered that duo last night, and he seems to be on the coach's short(er) list, but he hasn't stood out for me at all.
-- This part sucks. Arron Asham has actually had a pretty good camp. Understand: this does not make him any less of a codpiece, and it would be far easier to root for a Ranger team without him than with him. But, he's been fast, strong on the puck, making the right passes, and responsibly position. I'm sad about it, because if he'd looked this week like he looked last season, I wouldn't still be faced with a reasonable possibility of rooting for a team that employs Arron Asham. Other people this is bad news for: Micheal Haley.
-- Meanwhile, while I'm not inherently opposed to Vigneault's experimentation among forward positions, either I've found center Darroll Powe to be significantly less effective than winger Darroll Powe, or I'm remembering winger Darroll Powe as being better than he was. Brandon Mashinter hasn't looked any better, but he's not supposed to, and he did punch Cam Janssen's face a lot last week, so for some reason I just have more positive feelings about him.
-- Aaron Johnson has not gotten any better since last week, paired last night with the Invisible Tommy Hughes. I wouldn't blink if both were cut today. Conor Allen, on the other hand, actually made some nice plays opposite Marc Staal. Although, maybe that's just the effect of being opposite Marc Staal. In the best news of all, against all odds, Marc Staal appears to be Marc Staal again.
-- None of Dylan McIlrath, Danny Syvret, Michael Kantor, and Andrew Yogan got the chance to suit up in either of these two games, after all had uninspiring showings last Tuesday. With only two preseason games left and a 39-man roster still to be whittled down, I can't imagine the Rangers holding onto spots for any of these guys (although my imagination may be lacking).
-- It was nice to see J.T. Miller finally get some action after starting camp with an injury. He looked all right, but it's hard to judge either way after just the one game. So this is me, spending three sentences to say "I don't really know what to think about J.T. Miller right now."
Is that everyone? I hope that's everyone. With the final two games of the preseason tomorrow night and Friday night, I expect more roster cuts today, though it's hard to say how many (Twitter, the ultimate source for such things, seems somewhat split on this issue right now). I guess, looking at what I've just written, that the obvious cuts are something like: Haley, Kantor, Mashinter, Yogan, Johnson, Hughes, McIlrath, and Syvret. That's 4 forwards and 4 D-men, bringing us to 19 and 9. If I were in charge, it looks like I'd also cut Powe and Lindberg (and probably Bickel, whom I left off of that list because we don't need to go down to 8 defensemen yet and because my father likes him).
So, those were my impressions. I guess we'll see later today how closely they line up with the coaching staff's.
The two overarching takeaways seem to be: those young forwards are really fast, and we made a lot of defensive mistakes. That is absolutely the right summary. It is also largely uninteresting, because it describes basically every 18-year-old hockey player trying to play at the NHL level ever. So, while I too was impressed by speed and disappointed by defensive lapses, I'm trying not to get too worked up over either.
Here's what I think I learned:
-- I may have been right when I said I like Jesper Fast. He had another impressive offensive game, and I'd like to continue to see more of him in the Blueshirt. Vigneault presumably even liked him enough Monday night that the coach ended up switching him with Kreider, and so he had a chance with Richards and Nash, which was fun. Speaking of lines that may or may not exist in the coach's head, the Pouliot-Brassard-Zuccarello line appears to remain a thing, at least for now.
-- I may have been wrong when I said I like Justin Falk. Obviously, Monday's 1-game sample is no bigger than than the previous Monday's was, but he was a step behind in it. Does this mean he's worse than Stralman? Or penalty magnet Stu Bickel? Who can say?
-- I now have something to say about Marek Hrivik: Hooray Marek Hrivik! Dude's been hanging out with Danny Kristo, and it's been quick and delightful. You know that feeling you get whenever you watch the Oilers play these days? Like, you know they aren't actually a big deal, and that none of this holds up, but you can't help getting excited? That's how it is to watch these two. It's starting to look like Hrivik, Kristo, Fast, and Pouliot should top the list of forwards you've never heard of who might still be around next week.
-- Relatedly, I'm just missing the Oscar Lindberg boat for some reason. He centered that duo last night, and he seems to be on the coach's short(er) list, but he hasn't stood out for me at all.
-- This part sucks. Arron Asham has actually had a pretty good camp. Understand: this does not make him any less of a codpiece, and it would be far easier to root for a Ranger team without him than with him. But, he's been fast, strong on the puck, making the right passes, and responsibly position. I'm sad about it, because if he'd looked this week like he looked last season, I wouldn't still be faced with a reasonable possibility of rooting for a team that employs Arron Asham. Other people this is bad news for: Micheal Haley.
-- Meanwhile, while I'm not inherently opposed to Vigneault's experimentation among forward positions, either I've found center Darroll Powe to be significantly less effective than winger Darroll Powe, or I'm remembering winger Darroll Powe as being better than he was. Brandon Mashinter hasn't looked any better, but he's not supposed to, and he did punch Cam Janssen's face a lot last week, so for some reason I just have more positive feelings about him.
-- Aaron Johnson has not gotten any better since last week, paired last night with the Invisible Tommy Hughes. I wouldn't blink if both were cut today. Conor Allen, on the other hand, actually made some nice plays opposite Marc Staal. Although, maybe that's just the effect of being opposite Marc Staal. In the best news of all, against all odds, Marc Staal appears to be Marc Staal again.
-- None of Dylan McIlrath, Danny Syvret, Michael Kantor, and Andrew Yogan got the chance to suit up in either of these two games, after all had uninspiring showings last Tuesday. With only two preseason games left and a 39-man roster still to be whittled down, I can't imagine the Rangers holding onto spots for any of these guys (although my imagination may be lacking).
-- It was nice to see J.T. Miller finally get some action after starting camp with an injury. He looked all right, but it's hard to judge either way after just the one game. So this is me, spending three sentences to say "I don't really know what to think about J.T. Miller right now."
Is that everyone? I hope that's everyone. With the final two games of the preseason tomorrow night and Friday night, I expect more roster cuts today, though it's hard to say how many (Twitter, the ultimate source for such things, seems somewhat split on this issue right now). I guess, looking at what I've just written, that the obvious cuts are something like: Haley, Kantor, Mashinter, Yogan, Johnson, Hughes, McIlrath, and Syvret. That's 4 forwards and 4 D-men, bringing us to 19 and 9. If I were in charge, it looks like I'd also cut Powe and Lindberg (and probably Bickel, whom I left off of that list because we don't need to go down to 8 defensemen yet and because my father likes him).
So, those were my impressions. I guess we'll see later today how closely they line up with the coaching staff's.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Wild Speculation!
You know what I missed most about sports blogging, you guys? No, it wasn't the steady paycheck nor the inherent respect that comes with the position, but good guesses. No, it was the wild speculation! You see, when actual hockey is happening, it's easy to stay entertained by hockey, because there is hockey. But when shit like a week of training camp in Banff, Alberta between preseason games happens, what is an obsessive fan to do?
I'll tell you: blog irresponsibly about what the fantasy Rangers in my head might look like in a few weeks, when there is actual hockey! Now is arguably the perfect time to be a fan, in one's imagination: we've already got enough specific information about the squad to imagine what the lineup might look like, but we've yet to experience any of the inevitable disappointment that comes with watching the actual team play actual games. Hooray! Let's go Rangers!
Vigneault has said that he ultimately wants to carry 8 defensemen on the roster, because he feels like they're more versatile (it's easier for them to fill in for forwards than vice versa), which gives us an idea of the ultimate opening night roster size: 12 forwards, 8 blue liners, and 2 goalies. The netminders are easy: barring catastrophe, Talbot needs the playing opportunity afforded by the starting position on the Wolfpack, leaving Biron to back up Lundqvist.
On D, it's starting to look like the opening night top 6 are pretty much set. The coach has said that he likes McDonagh with Girardi, Staal with Del Zotto, and Stralman with Moore. I'd like to see Falk paired with Moore instead, but like so many of his predecessors, Alain Vigneault stubbornly refuses to call me for advice. That basically leaves Bickel, Falk, Johnson, Allen, Hughes, McIlrath, and Syrvet competing for the 2 spots in the "extra" pair. I'd be disappointed and surprised if one of those didn't go to Falk, but I imagine the other is legitimately up for grabs.
Up front, conventional wisdom is that the top line is shaping up to be Richards centering Nash and Kreider. Score one for conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom also expects a line of Brassard between Pouliot and Zuccarello. I'm not as convinced of Pouliot as conventional wisdom is, but we're blogging irresponsibly, so let's go with it. With the "missing persons" line (Stepan between Callahan and Hagelin) likely to be back within the first month, that leaves us two lines to totally fabricate: the "4th line" (which would be promoted to 3rd in the beginning of the season) and the "5th line" (which would be cut once the missing persons line returns).
It seems pretty clear that Boyle and Moore are the two centers who round out those lines, and it's likely they'll also include Pyatt and Dorsett. That leaves 11 forwards vying for those last 2 opening night wings. Haley, Lindberg, and Miller are all natural centermen, and Asham's a fuck, which brings us down to 7 legitimate candidates for those two spots: Powe, Fast, Hrivik, Kantor, Kristo, Mashinter, and Yogan. Based solely on his play last week, I'd really like to see Fast get a chance with one of them. Meanwhile, to split the lines, let's say that Pyatt and Dorsett are the "4th line" wings, and that Boyle vs. Moore is a legitimate competition to center those two.
Incidentally, we can now do some clearer cap math. Let's assume that the missing persons line is back and that we were right about all our wild assumptions here. Then, given the least expensive variation (Syrvet as the 8th D; Moore at center), the Rangers' cap total without Stepan would be $59,102,500. The most expensive variation (Allen as the 8th D; Boyle at center) ups that to $60,990,000. This year's cap is $64.3 million, leaving the Rangers somewhere between $3.3 million and $5.2 million to sign Stepan and leave room to maneuver throughout the season. With the Rangers reportedly offering Stepan $3 million while he asks for 3.5, it sounds like best case, we'll have just over $2 million of wiggle room this season, and worst case, we'll be right up against the cap.
Of course, that's all based on lineups I completely invented, so none of it really means anything. But that's what you get when the team is at training camp in Banff.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Childhood tales
When young Derek Stepan was skating for prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, I bet he dreamed of being a professional hockey player one day, don't you? And when his success there moved him on to college as a Wisconsin Badger, don't you think he dreamed of being drafted one day soon? Maybe for his hometown Minnesota Wild, or maybe even an Original Six franchise, like the nearby Chicago Blackhawks. Maybe he even hoped, against the odds, to be picked up by the Original Six team that once drafted his father, Brad Stepan. Do you think he imagined what it would be like to compete against other 20-year-olds, to try to crack the lineup of the 80-year-old franchise and play professional hockey under the jumbotron in the world's most famous arena?
And then he was, like his father before him, drafted by the New York Rangers. He finally had his opportunity to be an NHL center, playing the game at the highest level. And he performed well at camp, and he had his chance to really play - all his life, I bet, had led up to that moment in a way. Do you think he talked to his family and friends about it? Do you think he said stuff like "all my dreams are coming true" or "this is what I've always wanted"? Do you think he said "I hope I can do everything I can to get this team to lift the Stanley Cup"? Or maybe just "this is an opportunity for me to be the best I can possibly be at the thing I love most"?
Do you think that, at any point, any of that was followed up with "unless my team is having salary cap issues, but my agent thinks I can squeeze an extra few hundred thousand bucks a year out of them - then I'm staying home no matter what"?
At what point do you become the kind of person who, when offered 3 million dollars a year for the next 2 years to play hockey at the NHL level on the team you've had so much success with, says "I won't take a penny less than 3.5 million" and just cold refuses to report? The kind of person who believes, so strongly, that he deserves three and a half million dollars a year that he would rather just stay home and forsake the NHL, his team, and his own personal development than accept three million and play?
And what's the endgame? Root against the Rangers for a while? Hope they're so bad that management decides that it needs you; that the extra half a million against the cap is worth it? That they come running back and apologize to you, paying you more despite their need to re-sign actual unrestricted free agents like Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, and Henrik Lundqvist less than one year from now? Walk back into the locker room as your new teammates' savior? And what do you do if the Rangers find success without you? Return sheepishly in mid-October to a room full of Rangers and coaches who wonder why you thought this holdout was worth you spending the next month or two half a step behind, catching up to a new system that everyone else started working on in early September?
What is in your head, child, as you watch on MSG as the coaches help develop offensive talent in players like Kreider and Fast, Brassard and Pouliot? Because unless it's "I do not need that coaching help or that team chemistry as much as I need an extra 500K on top of my 3 million dollar offer," then you are not acting in accordance with your brain. Nut up, sign a piece of paper, and get on a plane to Banff full of contrition, you goddamn dingleberry.
And then he was, like his father before him, drafted by the New York Rangers. He finally had his opportunity to be an NHL center, playing the game at the highest level. And he performed well at camp, and he had his chance to really play - all his life, I bet, had led up to that moment in a way. Do you think he talked to his family and friends about it? Do you think he said stuff like "all my dreams are coming true" or "this is what I've always wanted"? Do you think he said "I hope I can do everything I can to get this team to lift the Stanley Cup"? Or maybe just "this is an opportunity for me to be the best I can possibly be at the thing I love most"?
Do you think that, at any point, any of that was followed up with "unless my team is having salary cap issues, but my agent thinks I can squeeze an extra few hundred thousand bucks a year out of them - then I'm staying home no matter what"?
At what point do you become the kind of person who, when offered 3 million dollars a year for the next 2 years to play hockey at the NHL level on the team you've had so much success with, says "I won't take a penny less than 3.5 million" and just cold refuses to report? The kind of person who believes, so strongly, that he deserves three and a half million dollars a year that he would rather just stay home and forsake the NHL, his team, and his own personal development than accept three million and play?
And what's the endgame? Root against the Rangers for a while? Hope they're so bad that management decides that it needs you; that the extra half a million against the cap is worth it? That they come running back and apologize to you, paying you more despite their need to re-sign actual unrestricted free agents like Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, and Henrik Lundqvist less than one year from now? Walk back into the locker room as your new teammates' savior? And what do you do if the Rangers find success without you? Return sheepishly in mid-October to a room full of Rangers and coaches who wonder why you thought this holdout was worth you spending the next month or two half a step behind, catching up to a new system that everyone else started working on in early September?
What is in your head, child, as you watch on MSG as the coaches help develop offensive talent in players like Kreider and Fast, Brassard and Pouliot? Because unless it's "I do not need that coaching help or that team chemistry as much as I need an extra 500K on top of my 3 million dollar offer," then you are not acting in accordance with your brain. Nut up, sign a piece of paper, and get on a plane to Banff full of contrition, you goddamn dingleberry.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
More roster cuts
Before leaving for their West Coast pre-season road trip, Vigneault was expected to make a few more cuts today, and he did. The Rangers cut a modest 6 players this morning. Here's who:
Goalie Johan Hedberg, who really was apparently only brought in on a tryout in case Biron's mysterious late reporting turned out to be a Thing. It did not, and Moose never saw a second of preseason game time before being cut this morning. Yikes. Hedberg is now released into the world of unrestricted free agency; the rest of these guys will be sent back to Hartford.
Forwards Josh Nicholls and Michael St. Croix, who are on two-way contracts with the Rangers and the Wolfpack, and defenseman Brendon Nash, who is signed with only the Wolfpack. These guys didn't get dressed for either of this week's games, so there's not much to say about them. Such is the life of a prospect.
Forward Ryan Bourque, whom I noted yesterday looked disappointing in Monday night's contest against Some Of The Devils. Vigneault's staff seems to agree. Next camp, he'll be 23 and drafted 5 years earlier. Anyone else starting to think that the hype was really all based on his last name?
Forward Shawn O'Donnell, who is signed only with the Wolfpack. I still have nothing to say about Shawn O'Donnell.
Interestingly, in cutting Hedberg, Nash, and O'Donnell, the Rangers got rid of everyone left on the list who does not have some sort of contract (1-way or 2-way) with them (Derek Stepan notwithstanding). Also, in cutting Hedberg, Nash, Nicholls, and St. Croix, they rid themselves of almost everyone who had not yet played a preseason game. Excepting Stepan and the injured two (Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin), that list is now down to two: J.T. Miller, who is healthy now but wasn't at the time of the preseason games, and defenseman Tommy Hughes, the lone healthy scratch through both games who is still on the camp list. Good for you, Tommy!
For those of you keeping score, the cuts should bring us down to 40, but the Rangers' current camp roster actually only bears 39 names: it is missing Derek Stepan's entirely. This is a notable change: the Blueshirts United article about the last round of cuts specifically said the list was down to 46, which would have included Stepan. The latest article refers to 6 but says that the list is now down to 39, which would not. Now, this doesn't mean that Stepan won't be a Ranger - it's hard to imagine him actually holding out for too long after the season starts (for reference, P.K. Subban's holdout last season lasted 4 Canadiens regular season games), and it's hard to imagine any GM actually writing an offer sheet (ever, for some reason). It's largely just yet another sign that negotiations are still not going well. And no matter the details or the outcome, the longer it lasts, the worse it is for both Stepan and the Rangers.
The remaining 39 (discounting Stepan, as the Rangers' list has now done) break down as 23 forwards, 13 defensemen, and 3 goalies. Because it is now convenient to do so, I'll go ahead and recompile them from my previous two posts.
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (14): Arron Asham ($1m), Brian Boyle ($1.7m), Derick Brassard ($3.2m), Ryan Callahan** ($4.275m), Derek Dorsett ($1,633,333), Carl Hagelin** ($2.25m), Micheal Haley ($600,000), Dominic Moore ($1m), Rick Nash ($7.8m), Benoit Pouliot ($1.3m), Darroll Powe ($1,066,667), Taylor Pyatt ($1.55m), Brad Richards ($6,666,667), Mats Zuccarello ($1.15m)
Defensemen (8): Stu Bickel ($750,000), Michael Del Zotto ($2.55m), Justin Falk ($975,000), Dan Girardi ($3.325m), Aaron Johnson ($600,000), Ryan McDonagh ($4.7m), Marc Staal ($3.975m), Anton Stralman ($1.7m)
Goalies (2): Martin Biron ($1.3m), Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m)
(** = Injured, likely to be inactive on opening night)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (9): Jesper Fast ($900,000), Marek Hrivik ($685,000), Michael Kantor ($583,333), Chris Kreider ($1.325m), Danny Kristo ($1.3m), Oscar Lindberg ($760,000), Brandon Mashinter ($605,000), J.T. Miller** ($1,244,167), Andrew Yogan ($800,000)
Defensemen (5): Conor Allen ($1.775m), Tommy Hughes** ($608,333), Dylan McIlrath ($1.295), John Moore ($965,000), Danny Syrvet ($587,500)
Goalies (1): Cam Talbot ($562,500)
(** = Has not yet played in a game this preseason)
Those are the 39 players that will continue camp out west and eventually be trimmed down to an opening night roster. Since two will likely start the season on the injured reserve list, and therefore inactive, the minimum number of cuts the Rangers need to make is only 14, to get down to the 23-person limit. But I'd expect a few more than that before the puck drops October 3, since Callahan and Hagelin will likely return before November, Stepan might decide he wants to be a professional hockey player after all, and 23 is kind of a lot anyway. Meanwhile, until next week, if we're lucky, maybe MSG will televise more of training camp?
Goalie Johan Hedberg, who really was apparently only brought in on a tryout in case Biron's mysterious late reporting turned out to be a Thing. It did not, and Moose never saw a second of preseason game time before being cut this morning. Yikes. Hedberg is now released into the world of unrestricted free agency; the rest of these guys will be sent back to Hartford.
Forwards Josh Nicholls and Michael St. Croix, who are on two-way contracts with the Rangers and the Wolfpack, and defenseman Brendon Nash, who is signed with only the Wolfpack. These guys didn't get dressed for either of this week's games, so there's not much to say about them. Such is the life of a prospect.
Forward Ryan Bourque, whom I noted yesterday looked disappointing in Monday night's contest against Some Of The Devils. Vigneault's staff seems to agree. Next camp, he'll be 23 and drafted 5 years earlier. Anyone else starting to think that the hype was really all based on his last name?
Forward Shawn O'Donnell, who is signed only with the Wolfpack. I still have nothing to say about Shawn O'Donnell.
Interestingly, in cutting Hedberg, Nash, and O'Donnell, the Rangers got rid of everyone left on the list who does not have some sort of contract (1-way or 2-way) with them (Derek Stepan notwithstanding). Also, in cutting Hedberg, Nash, Nicholls, and St. Croix, they rid themselves of almost everyone who had not yet played a preseason game. Excepting Stepan and the injured two (Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin), that list is now down to two: J.T. Miller, who is healthy now but wasn't at the time of the preseason games, and defenseman Tommy Hughes, the lone healthy scratch through both games who is still on the camp list. Good for you, Tommy!
For those of you keeping score, the cuts should bring us down to 40, but the Rangers' current camp roster actually only bears 39 names: it is missing Derek Stepan's entirely. This is a notable change: the Blueshirts United article about the last round of cuts specifically said the list was down to 46, which would have included Stepan. The latest article refers to 6 but says that the list is now down to 39, which would not. Now, this doesn't mean that Stepan won't be a Ranger - it's hard to imagine him actually holding out for too long after the season starts (for reference, P.K. Subban's holdout last season lasted 4 Canadiens regular season games), and it's hard to imagine any GM actually writing an offer sheet (ever, for some reason). It's largely just yet another sign that negotiations are still not going well. And no matter the details or the outcome, the longer it lasts, the worse it is for both Stepan and the Rangers.
The remaining 39 (discounting Stepan, as the Rangers' list has now done) break down as 23 forwards, 13 defensemen, and 3 goalies. Because it is now convenient to do so, I'll go ahead and recompile them from my previous two posts.
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (14): Arron Asham ($1m), Brian Boyle ($1.7m), Derick Brassard ($3.2m), Ryan Callahan** ($4.275m), Derek Dorsett ($1,633,333), Carl Hagelin** ($2.25m), Micheal Haley ($600,000), Dominic Moore ($1m), Rick Nash ($7.8m), Benoit Pouliot ($1.3m), Darroll Powe ($1,066,667), Taylor Pyatt ($1.55m), Brad Richards ($6,666,667), Mats Zuccarello ($1.15m)
Defensemen (8): Stu Bickel ($750,000), Michael Del Zotto ($2.55m), Justin Falk ($975,000), Dan Girardi ($3.325m), Aaron Johnson ($600,000), Ryan McDonagh ($4.7m), Marc Staal ($3.975m), Anton Stralman ($1.7m)
Goalies (2): Martin Biron ($1.3m), Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m)
(** = Injured, likely to be inactive on opening night)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (9): Jesper Fast ($900,000), Marek Hrivik ($685,000), Michael Kantor ($583,333), Chris Kreider ($1.325m), Danny Kristo ($1.3m), Oscar Lindberg ($760,000), Brandon Mashinter ($605,000), J.T. Miller** ($1,244,167), Andrew Yogan ($800,000)
Defensemen (5): Conor Allen ($1.775m), Tommy Hughes** ($608,333), Dylan McIlrath ($1.295), John Moore ($965,000), Danny Syrvet ($587,500)
Goalies (1): Cam Talbot ($562,500)
(** = Has not yet played in a game this preseason)
Those are the 39 players that will continue camp out west and eventually be trimmed down to an opening night roster. Since two will likely start the season on the injured reserve list, and therefore inactive, the minimum number of cuts the Rangers need to make is only 14, to get down to the 23-person limit. But I'd expect a few more than that before the puck drops October 3, since Callahan and Hagelin will likely return before November, Stepan might decide he wants to be a professional hockey player after all, and 23 is kind of a lot anyway. Meanwhile, until next week, if we're lucky, maybe MSG will televise more of training camp?
Here let me summarize this for you
These early preseason games are so we can evaluate the newcomers and prospects, right? So forgive me for not being excited about Brassard again yet - it's not that I don't think he was great last night, it's just that that doesn't matter to me right now. Look. Here's what you care about from last night's game:
1. Jesper Fast looks awesome.
2. Benoit Pouliot is fast.
The end. Everyone else = that 90s sarcastic kid thing where you put your hand up and move it like it's a mouth. Goodbye; I'll be back in a few hours, after the next round of cuts is made, almost certainly to lament their inclusion of Brandon Mashinter, who so justly and resoundingly punched Cam Janssen's stupid face not 2 full days ago.
1. Jesper Fast looks awesome.
2. Benoit Pouliot is fast.
The end. Everyone else = that 90s sarcastic kid thing where you put your hand up and move it like it's a mouth. Goodbye; I'll be back in a few hours, after the next round of cuts is made, almost certainly to lament their inclusion of Brandon Mashinter, who so justly and resoundingly punched Cam Janssen's stupid face not 2 full days ago.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Preseason: Day 2
Not a ton to say about last night's 2-1 loss at the hands of Some Of The Devils. But based on those 60 preseason minutes, here's how I felt about those Rangers that weren't a few months ago, in a new (and probably one-time) feature I'm calling Yay/Meh/Boo.
Yay!
Justin Falk - Could this guy finally be that reliable #6 that so very many people have failed to be? I liked a lot of what I saw from him, on both sides of the puck. The same cannot be said for his partner.
Dominic Moore - Watching that goal felt really, really good. Impossible not to love this guy. Welcome home, Dom.
Danny Kristo - Looked good in a number of different situations tonight. Obviously, I'm not falling in love with anyone at this stage, but I'm prepared to go on a second date with Danny Kristo.
Cam Talbot - Pleasantly positive performance from Talbot. Dude made a lot of good-looking stops. If the Rangers were a team in need of a young starter, I would have been bolstered by Talbot's play. As it is, it's good news for the Wolfpack.
Brandon Mashinter - Cam Janssen is a terrible fuck with an exceptionally stupid face. The more punches that are delivered to that face, the happier that I am. Brandon Mashinter did an excellent job of delivering punches to Cam Janssen's face. Ergo I like Brandon Mashinter.
Meh!
Marek Hrivik - I have nothing to say about Marek Hrivik.
Shawn O'Donnell - I have nothing to say about Shawn O'Donnell.
Boo!
Aaron Johnson - A huge disappointment, since he was one of the reasons everyone said the Rangers suddenly have defensive depth. Doubly so because I was hoping he'd teach Asham how to spell our name correctly. The Falk/Johnson pairing was a sharp comparison, and it did not look good for Johnson.
Ryan Bourque - There'd been big talk about this kid, whom I think I recall being decent in the preseason 2 years ago. Maybe it was just the name, or maybe he had a bad night, but even on this half-team, dude was a non-factor.
So, anyway. There are 28 forwards, 14 defensemen, and 4 goalies left on the Rangers' camp list. Yesterday, before I ran out of time, we took a contract-level look at the 20 players that have already been dismissed from camp and the 20 who played in last night's game. That leaves 26 people who remain at camp but who did not play last night. Let's dive into them now. We'll start with the ones you will see tonight in Philadelphia. Vigneault (gotta learn to spell that more easily - it's preseason for bloggers, too) is giving a handful of players the chance to play in both of these first-week preseason games, dressing Moore, Powe, and Talbot for a second night in a row (the goalie starts had already been planned, but given how they played last night, I wildly speculate that this is good news for Moore and bad news for Powe). So, that means we're seeing 17 "new" guys (10 of 12 forwards, 1 of 2 goalies, and all 6 blueliners) tonight. Here's who they are:
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (6): Derick Brassard ($3.2m), Derek Dorsett ($1,633,333), Micheal Haley ($600,000), Benoit Pouliot ($1.3m), Taylor Pyatt ($1.55m), Mats Zuccarello ($1.15m)
Defensemen (3): Dan Girardi ($3.325m), Ryan McDonagh ($4.7m), Anton Stralman ($1.7m)
Goalies (1): Martin Biron ($1.3m)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (4): Jesper Fast ($900,000), Michael Kantor ($583,333), Oscar Lindberg ($760,000), Andrew Yogan ($800,000)
Defensemen (3): Conor Allen ($1.775m), Dylan McIlrath ($1.295), Danny Syrvet ($587,500)
So, after tonight, we'll have seen 22 of 28 forwards, 12 of 14 defensemen, and 3 of 4 goalies remaining at camp. That leaves 9 players we won't have seen. Of these, there are 4 forwards who can't be played right now: 3 because they're injured, and one because he hasn't reported to camp yet because he has no contract. Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan, you'll recall, had shoulder surgery on the same day soon after the Rangers' season ended, and they are (as expected) not yet fully healed - in fact, it is likely both will miss the start of the season. J.T. Miller's tweaked a hamstring at camp on Thursday morning and was expected back the next day; as of yesterday, he still hadn't returned to the ice, but reports are that he is skating at camp today (though still not playing tonight).
Meanwhile, to recap what's up with Derek Stepan, he's a restricted free agent who is not eligible for arbitration. Here's what that means: once the Rangers extend him a qualifying offer (for Stepan, this is 1 year at $826,875), he basically has to either take it or not play in the NHL (the exception would be if some team gives him an offer sheet, which would be a pretty smart idea for plenty of teams, but for some reason GMs never do this). Stepan knows he deserves more than this, so he's holding out. The Rangers know he has no leverage, so they're playing hardball. Hence: no contract. NB: Nothing is preventing Stepan from attending training camp without a contract - plenty of unrestricted free agents do this on tryouts every year - but generally when you have these contract holdouts, the players choose not to report. Is this stunting his development as a member of the team under the new coach? Probably! But hey, fuck it - Brandon Dubinsky and the Rangers did this a few years ago, and his future with the organization turned out just fine, right? Guys?
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (2): Ryan Callahan ($4.275m), Carl Hagelin ($2.25m)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (1): J.T. Miller ($1,244,167)
Restricted Free Agents Ineligible for Arbitration
Forwards (1): Derek Stepan
And so, we've now covered 41 of the 46 guys left on the camp list, leaving behind the 2 forwards, 2 defensemen, and a goalie who are potentially active players but who won't have played in either of these first two games. Does that mean these 5 are likely cuts this week? It's hard to imagine not still carrying Hedberg into next week, and there was no way Vigneault could have played more than 12 defensemen across 2 games, but you have to imagine that at least the 2 forwards who won't play tonight, in favor of Moore and Powe (both of whom played last night), can't be feeling super comfortable. And here's the last five.
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (2): Josh Nicholls ($925,000), Michael St. Croix ($870,000)
Defensemen (1): Tommy Hughes ($608,333)
Unaffiliated Players
Defensemen (1): Brendon Nash (Under contract with Wolfpack)
Goalies (1): Johan Hedberg (Unrestricted Free Agent on Tryout)
So that's it. The Rangers have an unsurprisingly stupid preseason schedule, playing last night and tonight, then off until next Monday, which starts a 4-games-in-5-nights West Coast trip to finish off the preseason. So, I'd expect a modest round of cuts sometime in the next couple of days (Larry Brooks reports that the Rangers could bring up to 21 forwards, 14 D-men, and 4 goalies with them, which, given 2 injured forwards, would only require 3 total cuts assuming Stepan does not report), and then nothing until next week, when a lot will happen. After this week's cuts, I may recompile these lists together, for my own benefit. Maybe I'll put that shit on the Internet, even?
Yay!
Justin Falk - Could this guy finally be that reliable #6 that so very many people have failed to be? I liked a lot of what I saw from him, on both sides of the puck. The same cannot be said for his partner.
Dominic Moore - Watching that goal felt really, really good. Impossible not to love this guy. Welcome home, Dom.
Danny Kristo - Looked good in a number of different situations tonight. Obviously, I'm not falling in love with anyone at this stage, but I'm prepared to go on a second date with Danny Kristo.
Cam Talbot - Pleasantly positive performance from Talbot. Dude made a lot of good-looking stops. If the Rangers were a team in need of a young starter, I would have been bolstered by Talbot's play. As it is, it's good news for the Wolfpack.
Brandon Mashinter - Cam Janssen is a terrible fuck with an exceptionally stupid face. The more punches that are delivered to that face, the happier that I am. Brandon Mashinter did an excellent job of delivering punches to Cam Janssen's face. Ergo I like Brandon Mashinter.
Meh!
Marek Hrivik - I have nothing to say about Marek Hrivik.
Shawn O'Donnell - I have nothing to say about Shawn O'Donnell.
Boo!
Aaron Johnson - A huge disappointment, since he was one of the reasons everyone said the Rangers suddenly have defensive depth. Doubly so because I was hoping he'd teach Asham how to spell our name correctly. The Falk/Johnson pairing was a sharp comparison, and it did not look good for Johnson.
Ryan Bourque - There'd been big talk about this kid, whom I think I recall being decent in the preseason 2 years ago. Maybe it was just the name, or maybe he had a bad night, but even on this half-team, dude was a non-factor.
So, anyway. There are 28 forwards, 14 defensemen, and 4 goalies left on the Rangers' camp list. Yesterday, before I ran out of time, we took a contract-level look at the 20 players that have already been dismissed from camp and the 20 who played in last night's game. That leaves 26 people who remain at camp but who did not play last night. Let's dive into them now. We'll start with the ones you will see tonight in Philadelphia. Vigneault (gotta learn to spell that more easily - it's preseason for bloggers, too) is giving a handful of players the chance to play in both of these first-week preseason games, dressing Moore, Powe, and Talbot for a second night in a row (the goalie starts had already been planned, but given how they played last night, I wildly speculate that this is good news for Moore and bad news for Powe). So, that means we're seeing 17 "new" guys (10 of 12 forwards, 1 of 2 goalies, and all 6 blueliners) tonight. Here's who they are:
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (6): Derick Brassard ($3.2m), Derek Dorsett ($1,633,333), Micheal Haley ($600,000), Benoit Pouliot ($1.3m), Taylor Pyatt ($1.55m), Mats Zuccarello ($1.15m)
Defensemen (3): Dan Girardi ($3.325m), Ryan McDonagh ($4.7m), Anton Stralman ($1.7m)
Goalies (1): Martin Biron ($1.3m)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (4): Jesper Fast ($900,000), Michael Kantor ($583,333), Oscar Lindberg ($760,000), Andrew Yogan ($800,000)
Defensemen (3): Conor Allen ($1.775m), Dylan McIlrath ($1.295), Danny Syrvet ($587,500)
So, after tonight, we'll have seen 22 of 28 forwards, 12 of 14 defensemen, and 3 of 4 goalies remaining at camp. That leaves 9 players we won't have seen. Of these, there are 4 forwards who can't be played right now: 3 because they're injured, and one because he hasn't reported to camp yet because he has no contract. Carl Hagelin and Ryan Callahan, you'll recall, had shoulder surgery on the same day soon after the Rangers' season ended, and they are (as expected) not yet fully healed - in fact, it is likely both will miss the start of the season. J.T. Miller's tweaked a hamstring at camp on Thursday morning and was expected back the next day; as of yesterday, he still hadn't returned to the ice, but reports are that he is skating at camp today (though still not playing tonight).
Meanwhile, to recap what's up with Derek Stepan, he's a restricted free agent who is not eligible for arbitration. Here's what that means: once the Rangers extend him a qualifying offer (for Stepan, this is 1 year at $826,875), he basically has to either take it or not play in the NHL (the exception would be if some team gives him an offer sheet, which would be a pretty smart idea for plenty of teams, but for some reason GMs never do this). Stepan knows he deserves more than this, so he's holding out. The Rangers know he has no leverage, so they're playing hardball. Hence: no contract. NB: Nothing is preventing Stepan from attending training camp without a contract - plenty of unrestricted free agents do this on tryouts every year - but generally when you have these contract holdouts, the players choose not to report. Is this stunting his development as a member of the team under the new coach? Probably! But hey, fuck it - Brandon Dubinsky and the Rangers did this a few years ago, and his future with the organization turned out just fine, right? Guys?
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (2): Ryan Callahan ($4.275m), Carl Hagelin ($2.25m)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (1): J.T. Miller ($1,244,167)
Restricted Free Agents Ineligible for Arbitration
Forwards (1): Derek Stepan
And so, we've now covered 41 of the 46 guys left on the camp list, leaving behind the 2 forwards, 2 defensemen, and a goalie who are potentially active players but who won't have played in either of these first two games. Does that mean these 5 are likely cuts this week? It's hard to imagine not still carrying Hedberg into next week, and there was no way Vigneault could have played more than 12 defensemen across 2 games, but you have to imagine that at least the 2 forwards who won't play tonight, in favor of Moore and Powe (both of whom played last night), can't be feeling super comfortable. And here's the last five.
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (2): Josh Nicholls ($925,000), Michael St. Croix ($870,000)
Defensemen (1): Tommy Hughes ($608,333)
Unaffiliated Players
Defensemen (1): Brendon Nash (Under contract with Wolfpack)
Goalies (1): Johan Hedberg (Unrestricted Free Agent on Tryout)
So that's it. The Rangers have an unsurprisingly stupid preseason schedule, playing last night and tonight, then off until next Monday, which starts a 4-games-in-5-nights West Coast trip to finish off the preseason. So, I'd expect a modest round of cuts sometime in the next couple of days (Larry Brooks reports that the Rangers could bring up to 21 forwards, 14 D-men, and 4 goalies with them, which, given 2 injured forwards, would only require 3 total cuts assuming Stepan does not report), and then nothing until next week, when a lot will happen. After this week's cuts, I may recompile these lists together, for my own benefit. Maybe I'll put that shit on the Internet, even?
Monday, September 16, 2013
HEY GUESS WHAT HOCKEY
February 7, huh? I guess that was a while ago? Look, some shit happened, I bought a house, don't even worry about it. Here's the point. Because I'm a spoiled good-job-having individual in these bullshit economic times, I now have a magical service known as satellite television. Have you heard of this thing, you guys? It is a fantastical creation that allows me, living in the land of pierogies, rivers, and Sidney Crosby, to just cold watch MSG Network. So far, that's basically meant marathons of Four Courses with J. B. Smoove, but tonight? Tonight, it will mean I can watch the fucking preseason. And what better excuse to return to this thing? I mean, hell, there's no risk - no one read this shit even before I unceremoniously disappeared for 7 months.
So, let's talk about training camp. Not that I can add any new information - real reporters are on the Internet now, so all information is instantly everywhere. But, maybe you might find it helpful to look at it the way I do? And the way I do is with all the numbers and names in big fuck-off lists. Obviously.
So, training camp started on Thursday (September 12), with a list of 66 names. From this, the Rangers will trim down to a maximum of 23 men (plus anyone who might be inactive due to injury) for an opening night roster. Of the 66, not all are under contract to the Rangers. Those under contract may be on normal one-way contracts with the Rangers or on two-way contracts with the Rangers and the Wolfpack. Those not under contract may be draft picks whose negotiating rights belong to the Rangers, or they may have no affiliation at all with the Rangers: they may be unsigned, undrafted prospects (possibly under contract with the Wolfpack alone), or they may just be unrestricted free agents at camp on a tryout.
(Of note, there is a limit of 50 total players that can be "owned" by any club, including both players under contract and players whose negotiating rights are owned by the team, such as recent draft picks who have not yet agreed to terms. Camp invitees include many, but not all, of the people on this 50-man list - some players are locked up for the future but obviously will not be on the team this year. The camp list also includes some people not on the list - those entirely unaffiliated with the Rangers.)
So, with all of that in mind, I will go through who was/is at camp now, and what their status is. Big fuck-off lists, people. They're the best.
Camp opened on Thursday with a list of 38 forwards, 20 defensemen, and 8 goalies. Of those, all but 2 reported: Derek Stepan, because he still doesn't have a fucking contract with the Rangers and is a restricted free agent so he has nowhere else to go come on just sign something, and Martin Biron, for some undisclosed personal reason. These 66 also included 6 players who, from what I can tell, were only up because of the Traverse City Tournament, and returned to their junior teams soon after. These 6 were:
Undrafted, Unsigned Prospects (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (4): Taylor Burke, Josh Graves, Dyson Stevenson, Peter Trainor
Unsigned Draft Picks (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (1): Thomas Spelling
Goalies (1): Mackenzie Skapski
So, down to 60 (33 forwards, 20 defensemen, and 7 goalies), camp continued (with Marty Biron reporting on Saturday, so now everyone is present but Stepan). Then, yesterday, 14 further cuts were made. 6 more were sent back to their junior teams, and 8 players were reassigned to the Wolfpack:
Undrafted, Unsigned Prospects (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (1): Klarc Wilson
Defensemen (2): Ben Fanelli, Jimmy Oginly
Unsigned Draft Picks (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (1): Anthony Duclair
Defensemen (1): Ryan Graves
Players with Two-Way Contracts (reassigned to Hartford except where noted, NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (2): Kyle Jean ($925,000), Jason Wilson ($588,333)
Defensemen (2): Troy Donnay (back to junior team, $716,667), Samuel Noreau ($645,000)
Goalies (2): Jason Missiaen ($750,000), Scott Stajcer ($700,000)
Unaffiliated Players (reassigned to Hartford)
Forwards (1): J.T. Barnett (On tryout with Wolfpack)
Defensemen (1): Charlie Dodero (Under contract with Wolfpack)
Goalies (1): Jeff Malcolm (Under contract with Wolfpack)
Which brings us down to the 46 (well, 45 plus Stepan) people left at camp as of today. Of those 46, 20 will be dressed for tonight's preseason opener against the Fucking Devils. Of the remaining 26, many will see action in Philadelphia tomorrow night, after which the Rangers have no further preseason games scheduled until next Monday, in Calgary. So, if I had to guess, I would guess that the next round of cuts will be made after these two games, through which most, but not all, of these guys will see at least some action. Here are the 20 that will be playing tonight:
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (6): Arron Asham ($1m), Brian Boyle ($1.7m), Dominic Moore ($1m), Rick Nash ($7.8m), Darroll Powe ($1,066,667), Brad Richards ($6,666,667)
Defensemen (5): Stu Bickel ($750,000), Michael Del Zotto ($2.55m), Justin Falk ($975,000), Aaron Johnson ($600,000), Marc Staal ($3.975m)
Goalies (1): Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (5): Ryan Bourque ($900,000), Marek Hrivik ($685,000), Chris Kreider ($1.325m), Danny Kristo ($1.3m), Brandon Mashinter ($605,000)
Defensemen (1): John Moore ($965,000)
Goalies (1): Cam Talbot ($562,500)
Unaffiliated Players
Forwards (1): Shawn O'Donnell (Under contract with Wolfpack)
I'll break down the remaining 26 players at camp, the ones you won't be seeing tonight, in a later post, because I've run out of time on this one, and the game is in 40 minutes, and I have to get the hell out of my office. Hockey is back, and life is meaningful again!
So, let's talk about training camp. Not that I can add any new information - real reporters are on the Internet now, so all information is instantly everywhere. But, maybe you might find it helpful to look at it the way I do? And the way I do is with all the numbers and names in big fuck-off lists. Obviously.
So, training camp started on Thursday (September 12), with a list of 66 names. From this, the Rangers will trim down to a maximum of 23 men (plus anyone who might be inactive due to injury) for an opening night roster. Of the 66, not all are under contract to the Rangers. Those under contract may be on normal one-way contracts with the Rangers or on two-way contracts with the Rangers and the Wolfpack. Those not under contract may be draft picks whose negotiating rights belong to the Rangers, or they may have no affiliation at all with the Rangers: they may be unsigned, undrafted prospects (possibly under contract with the Wolfpack alone), or they may just be unrestricted free agents at camp on a tryout.
(Of note, there is a limit of 50 total players that can be "owned" by any club, including both players under contract and players whose negotiating rights are owned by the team, such as recent draft picks who have not yet agreed to terms. Camp invitees include many, but not all, of the people on this 50-man list - some players are locked up for the future but obviously will not be on the team this year. The camp list also includes some people not on the list - those entirely unaffiliated with the Rangers.)
So, with all of that in mind, I will go through who was/is at camp now, and what their status is. Big fuck-off lists, people. They're the best.
Camp opened on Thursday with a list of 38 forwards, 20 defensemen, and 8 goalies. Of those, all but 2 reported: Derek Stepan, because he still doesn't have a fucking contract with the Rangers and is a restricted free agent so he has nowhere else to go come on just sign something, and Martin Biron, for some undisclosed personal reason. These 66 also included 6 players who, from what I can tell, were only up because of the Traverse City Tournament, and returned to their junior teams soon after. These 6 were:
Undrafted, Unsigned Prospects (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (4): Taylor Burke, Josh Graves, Dyson Stevenson, Peter Trainor
Unsigned Draft Picks (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (1): Thomas Spelling
Goalies (1): Mackenzie Skapski
So, down to 60 (33 forwards, 20 defensemen, and 7 goalies), camp continued (with Marty Biron reporting on Saturday, so now everyone is present but Stepan). Then, yesterday, 14 further cuts were made. 6 more were sent back to their junior teams, and 8 players were reassigned to the Wolfpack:
Undrafted, Unsigned Prospects (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (1): Klarc Wilson
Defensemen (2): Ben Fanelli, Jimmy Oginly
Unsigned Draft Picks (back to their junior teams)
Forwards (1): Anthony Duclair
Defensemen (1): Ryan Graves
Players with Two-Way Contracts (reassigned to Hartford except where noted, NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (2): Kyle Jean ($925,000), Jason Wilson ($588,333)
Defensemen (2): Troy Donnay (back to junior team, $716,667), Samuel Noreau ($645,000)
Goalies (2): Jason Missiaen ($750,000), Scott Stajcer ($700,000)
Unaffiliated Players (reassigned to Hartford)
Forwards (1): J.T. Barnett (On tryout with Wolfpack)
Defensemen (1): Charlie Dodero (Under contract with Wolfpack)
Goalies (1): Jeff Malcolm (Under contract with Wolfpack)
Which brings us down to the 46 (well, 45 plus Stepan) people left at camp as of today. Of those 46, 20 will be dressed for tonight's preseason opener against the Fucking Devils. Of the remaining 26, many will see action in Philadelphia tomorrow night, after which the Rangers have no further preseason games scheduled until next Monday, in Calgary. So, if I had to guess, I would guess that the next round of cuts will be made after these two games, through which most, but not all, of these guys will see at least some action. Here are the 20 that will be playing tonight:
Players with NHL Contracts (Cap hit is noted)
Forwards (6): Arron Asham ($1m), Brian Boyle ($1.7m), Dominic Moore ($1m), Rick Nash ($7.8m), Darroll Powe ($1,066,667), Brad Richards ($6,666,667)
Defensemen (5): Stu Bickel ($750,000), Michael Del Zotto ($2.55m), Justin Falk ($975,000), Aaron Johnson ($600,000), Marc Staal ($3.975m)
Goalies (1): Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m)
Players with Two-Way Contracts (NHL cap hit is noted)
Forwards (5): Ryan Bourque ($900,000), Marek Hrivik ($685,000), Chris Kreider ($1.325m), Danny Kristo ($1.3m), Brandon Mashinter ($605,000)
Defensemen (1): John Moore ($965,000)
Goalies (1): Cam Talbot ($562,500)
Unaffiliated Players
Forwards (1): Shawn O'Donnell (Under contract with Wolfpack)
I'll break down the remaining 26 players at camp, the ones you won't be seeing tonight, in a later post, because I've run out of time on this one, and the game is in 40 minutes, and I have to get the hell out of my office. Hockey is back, and life is meaningful again!
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