mid-summer rangers report....
no one is more hard core than barry beck. it's not even august and he is already all over the rangers' preseason rosters. no one loves hockey more than barry, so we should all observe and respect his knowledge. thanks for sharing barry, the rest of the report will be found in the comments section since it is so huge.
Hockey is the last thing on the minds of the media this time of year. However, before you know it the Rangers will be up in Burlington, VT for their annual camp and in less than 2 months pre-season hockey will be back at MSG (Sept. 20th is the first preseason game in MSG). The front office has made a few interesting changes to the roster that should help this team develop after the surprising 2005 - 2006 campaign. However, sadly the longtime color voice of the Rangers and all of the NHL for that matter, John Davidson has moved on to take a position as General Manager and President of the St. Louis Blues. Dave Checketts group who recently purchased the franchise wisely hired JD to take over the struggling franchise. JD was an icon in the garden broadcast booth and will be sorely missed among the media, players, MSG staff and long time fans. We wish JD all the luck and hope that someday JD will be back in the 7th Ave. side broadcast booth.
Hockey is the last thing on the minds of the media this time of year. However, before you know it the Rangers will be up in Burlington, VT for their annual camp and in less than 2 months pre-season hockey will be back at MSG (Sept. 20th is the first preseason game in MSG). The front office has made a few interesting changes to the roster that should help this team develop after the surprising 2005 - 2006 campaign. However, sadly the longtime color voice of the Rangers and all of the NHL for that matter, John Davidson has moved on to take a position as General Manager and President of the St. Louis Blues. Dave Checketts group who recently purchased the franchise wisely hired JD to take over the struggling franchise. JD was an icon in the garden broadcast booth and will be sorely missed among the media, players, MSG staff and long time fans. We wish JD all the luck and hope that someday JD will be back in the 7th Ave. side broadcast booth.
posted by fredeeky at
10:34 AM
1 Comments:
Losses:
Poti was signed to a one year deal with the rivals from Strong Island. Poti was not a favorite of the Garden faithful over the past few years. He will join Mike York in Long Island whom Poti was traded for several years ago. At the time York was a promising young rookie and was shipped to Edmonton for Poti who was heralded as a solid two way d-man. He never lived up to expectations had a few glaring mistakes during his tenure in New York. Poti does not drink and he was not a favorite in the locker room.
Domonick Moore was traded to Nashville. Part of the HMO (Howleg, Moore, Ortmeyer) line that brought a lot of energy to the ice Moore only had 9 goals last season but was a hard worker. His memorable goals were: opening night to tie the game vs. the Canadians and his goal from behind the net in Florida to tie the game in the waning seconds in a game in which the Buleshirts won in a shoot out.
Steve Rucchin is gone for Atlanta. The again vet had several injuries and always played with a lot of heart but again, never produced enough offense.
Additions:
Brendan Shannahan - Aging vet who still had 40 goals last season with Detroit. He took less money to come to Broadway. I expect Shanny to provide good leadership with a young team. Interesting to see if he will play on the same line as Jags. Regardless that will be one hell of a PowerPlay with him as a bookend and in the slot. Great signing and it shows that the leagues best players now want to come play for the Blueshirts.
Aaron Ward - was a member of the Stanley cup winning Carolina Hurricanes. He is a solid stay at home defense man who can also play the powerplay. Obviously he knows what it takes to win the Cup. He will be liked by those of us up in the Blue Seats for his hard work along the boards and his ability to take the body.
Matt Cullen - Possibly the second line center. Also won the Stanley cup with Carolina. Cullen does not have particularly impressive offensive statistics, but had a 52.1% win rate in the face-off circle and will bring some stability to that part of the game. The signing means Jarkko Immonen will now likely be the third line center with Moore gone.
Adam Hall - In Hall, the Rangers get some additional muscle and a little more offense, picking up a player who has averaged 14 goals and 28 points in each of his first three seasons in the NHL. The right-handed Michigan native also provides another option on the power play, having scored 24 of his 43 career goals on the man advantage. I could see Hall develop into an Adam Graves type. Great trade by the Rangers front office.
Re signings.
Jed Ortmeyer - Great sparkpulg and hard worker. Jed won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort award before the strike and is loved by the garden fans for his work effort. Good resigning and he will continue to be a role player on the third or fourth lines.
Martin Straka - Straka is part of the Czech crew who complements Jagrs game so nicely. It will be interesting to see if they resign Sykora. Straka is a brilliant skater who can produce offensively if he stays healthy.
Colton Orr - You gota have a goon. He's a great guy though and teammates love him.
Question Marks
Hard to figure at this point how the Rangers would have room under the cap for Martin Rucinsky, a good man and good player who demanded a two-year contract to re-up when friends were all but begging him to accept the one-year offer in late June that's since been pulled from the table. He must be too busy with his hot model wifey.
Will the Rangers resign Struds? Sykora?
It's July but I'm stoked for Hockey. If I were a Baller, I'd purchase season tickets.
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