By Alexander Monaghan
President

By Bridget Samuels from College Park, MD (IMG_8730.jpg) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

After yet another injury-plagued season, in which Gaborik only scored 22 goals in 62 games, the Slovakian winger is back on track and helping the New York Rangers to what could be their best season since the 1993-1994 season — otherwise known as the only Stanley Cup the team has won since World War II ended. In fact, Gaborik has already matched last seasons’s goal totals with 22 through his first 34 games.

More importantly, he has stayed on the ice. And with the acquisition of Brad Richards and the ever-improving play of captain Ryan Callahan, Gaborik can settle into a groove without the pressure of carrying his squad. At 29, Gaborik is arguably the third-most important player on the team after the aforementioned Callahan and Richards. One would argue being a piece in the puzzle opposed to the centerpiece has worked out quite well for Gaborik and the Rangers.

Four of Gaborik’s 22 goals have been game winners but many more of his goals have been momentum swings in the team’s favor. Currently on a five-game scoring streak where he potted seven goals over those contests, Gaborik scored both goals to put the Rangers in a 2-2 deadlock against the Coyotes on the 17th. He then followed those two goals with two goals and an assist to give the Rangers a 4-1 victory over the rival New Jersey Devils. His goal against another rival, the New York Islanders, put his team up 2-1 in their eventual 4-2 win. He followed up that performance by scoring the game winner against the Philadelphia Flyers the following night then finished off the Islanders again this past Monday with an empty net goal.

For the sake of brevity, we will cap the descriptions of his goals at five but it should put in perspective just how important Gabby’s tallies have been. Not only have they been critical to the team’s success, they have swung the momentum during numerous games. Perhaps even more important has been his consistency throughout the season as his longest pointless drought is three games; his longest goal drought is four games. Comparing that to last season’s injury riddled performance is comparing apples and oranges since he capped off the 2010-2011 regular season on a nine-game drought which extended into the Game 4 of the playoffs.

His success once again goes hand-in-hand with his health which makes sense for any injury-prone skater. The last two seasons where he played at least 76 games, he scored 40 goals. Keeping the right winger on the ice has certainly been a top priority of coach John Tortorella and company which explains why he is the only forward to receive a maintenance day this week.

But fear not, Ranger fans, as the team will attempt to keep Gaborik on the ice for all 82 games for the first time in his career. Tortorella is currently starting him in the offensive zone 58.3 percent of the time which is second to only his pivot Derek Stepan. That strategy has limited him lugging the puck up ice and therefore kept his legs fresher. Keeping those legs fresh coupled with an excellent medical staff and reduced minutes should be a recipe for success.

Is the Rocket Richard Trophy in his sights? Will he score 50 goals for the first time in his career? As usual, it all depends on whether he can stay healthy or not.

By Alexander Monaghan
President 

Last night, the New York Rangers proved they can stand up to the so-called elite. Their 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins was broadcast on Versus for the entire country to see, putting the team in the spotlight for perhaps the first time since the mid-90s. While Versus, and NHL on NBC for that matter, have pushed the big-market Rangers on hockey viewers for years, this instances is one of the few where the team deserved the honor. Then again, last night was Sidney Crosby‘s fifth game of the season and any game he plays in remains the game to watch; somehow they chose an ISO cam on him over the coaching debuts of Dale Hunter and Kirk Muller.

Anyways, the win had it all. It had penalty kills, power plays, late surges, fights, Matt Cooke AND Sean Avery not to mention a few controversial goals. The end result was the Rangers coming away with a regulation win over a team that only sits three points above them with four games in hand. At the quarter point of the season, the Blueshirts have only 21 games in the books, tying the San Jose Sharks with the lowest games played in the League.

Following the victory, alternate captain Brad Richards stopped short of calling the team elite. See the video for yourself, courtesy of BlueShirts United.

Henrik Lundqvist‘s comments were more of the same. Yes, they acknowledge their current success but at the same time they know they still have another 61 games to play at this level in order to make the playoffs. That mentality is exactly what turned this team from an up-and-coming team to a playoff team last season and what will propel them into a true contender.

Let’s fast forward for a second. We just called the Rangers a team — a term you would not describe them during the pre-lockout era and you would cringe to say during the Jagr/Renney years. GM Glen Sather failed to create a ‘team’ which had players in their roles and featured a good mix of young and old. Nowadays, the team under fiery coach John Tortorella, has earned that distinction through and through.

Their captain Ryan Callahan is homegrown, as is the impressive young back-end of Dan Girardi, Michael Sauer, Michael Del Zotto and Marc Staal. Ryan McDonagh never played a game with another organization despite being a first rounder of the Montreal Canadiens. Offensive weapons Derek Stepan, Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and rookie Carl Hagelin all were drafted and groomed in the system as well. Needless to say, the team also stole Lundqvist as the 205th overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

These homegrown skaters coupled with elite talent like Richards and Marian Gaborik have created a strong, winning environment on Broadway — one that has not existed since Mark Messier came from Edmonton.

Statistically, this team has been among the elite as well. Their goal plus-14 goal differential is higher than only the Pens, Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. Does that rank among the elite? Yes it doesn and it’s no mirage as they finished last year with an equally impressive plus-35 rating. In addition, they rank first in goals allowed with 44, leading those same Bruins by two tallies. And while their offense may be on the lower end of the pack, they’ve scored three-or-more goals in seven of 11 November contests.

Experts like Rob Vollman of Puck Prospectus labeled the Rangers as lucky due to a smattering of metrics. They claim Lundqvist’s save percentage is unsustainable and the team’s lack of offense will come back to hurt them. While that was true on November 15th, their corsi percentage — a ratio which measures the shot differentials — was 44.8 percent at the time and a better 46.9 percent over the past month. We understand there is still a need for improvement but it certainly is not 27th in the League anymore. A continuation of their added pressure will make the advanced stats align to their current play.

This team, as currently compiled passes the eye test. They’ve defeated tougher foes like the Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals in each their last three games. You can also add the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks to their resume. They have the star power and mix of grit, skill and make-up to be the next big team in this League. All they need now is some recognition.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

The New York Rangers have won their past six games while tonight’s opponent and natural rival New York Islanders have lost their past three games. Nevertheless, if there is one team that the Isles could wake up against, it would be the Rangers.

This Ranger team is playing at a higher level, one that New York City has not seen in a number of seasons. While offseason acquisition Brad Richards has not been the team’s savior, his presence in the lineup actually has helped the club field three scoring lines. It seems like the pressure on him has helped almost every other player elevate their game to a higher level.

Tonight’s expected starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist has won his past four games. Backup Martin Biron has won three straight of his own. The power play is hot with a 20 percent efficiency rate over the past nine games. Ryan McDonagh is tied for seventh in the League with three goals himself. Four members of the top six — Ryan Callahan, Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik — are all scoring at a point-per-game pace or more over their past couple of games. Even Dan Girardi looks like an All-Star candidate, helping the team forget about the loss of leader Marc Staal.

However, all of those accolades change against the Islanders, who are desperate for a win. In their last meeting, the Isles delivered a debilitating, 4-2 loss to the Rangers in a game where the team moved away from their game. The Isles have the reputation of going hard out of the gate which is a surge coach John Tortorella and company are going to need to prevent in order to win. From Ranger Rants:

“We’re going to play our game, that’s what we’re looking to try to do,” Tortorella said. “What’s happened here before or what you guys want to talk about, we’re going to continue to try to play our game.”

Clearly doesn’t sound like Tortorella is overly concerned in their early start but he does have their most recent loss in the back of his mind.

In the loss, John Tavares potted a hat trick can be broken down into two power play goals and an empty netter. Over this six game streak, the Rangers penalty kill is 93.3 percent which would be second in the League over a full season. If you exclude their first three games (which includes the loss to the Isles) the team holds an even healthier 90.2 percent kill rate.

On paper, these Rangers should dominate the Isles as they have outscored them by 13 goals, out-defended them by 12 goals and essentially outplayed them in every other counting stat. However, you simply cannot predict a rivalry game and a wildcard, young team like the Islanders.

The big problem with the club has been their top six. Head coach Jack Capuano will not disclose his lineup prior to tonight’s game but it is believed that red-hot, blue-chip prospect Nino Neiderreiter will draw back in tonight. The rookie skated with Tavares during the preseason to better results, so he may jumpstart a line that has previously dominated.

One thing is for sure, these Rangers will need to defeat the Islanders by continuing their current pace and not sitting back. If they chose the latter, then this current hot streak will be a distant memory.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

By Resolute (Own work)

The New York Rangers certainly bolstered their blue line today, agreeing to terms with unrestricted free agent Anton Stralman. After not receiving a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Stralman hit the market as a UFA. He then failed to sign with the New Jersey Devils following their preseason, returning home to Sweden while he mulled over options. Although talks remained open between the two sides, Stralman ultimately decided on the Rangers due to their need on the blue line.

Injuries to Marc Staal and previously Michael Sauer severely hurt the team’s depth, forcing them to claim Jeff Woywitka and dress minor leaguer Brendan Bell; their next option was Stu Bickell. Due to their relatively inexperienced blue line, coach John Tortorella ultimately decided to play Wotwitka in favor of rookie Tim Erixon, leaving their NHL-capable depth somewhat barren. This signing helps the team rotate defensemen as Steve Eminger, Woywitka and Stralman figure to play on the third defensive pairing.

In addition, Stralman could help the team offensively as he has shown promise on the power play with the Blue Jackets. The Rangers have displayed a better power play than in year’s past but continue to mix around their point men. With Michael Del Zotto and Brad Richards mostly playing on the top unit, look for Stralman to spell second power play unit with either Dan Girardi, Sauer or Ryan McDonagh.

Most importantly, he’s Swedish — so we like him. Considering the team had no other Swedish players following the demotion of Erixon, it should be nice for Henrik Lundqvist to scream in his native tongue every once in a while. See below the team’s official press release.

New York, November 5, 2011 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Anton Stralman.

Stralman, 25, has skated in 212 career NHL contests over four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets, registering 11 goals and 63 assists for 74 points, along with 97 penalty minutes.  He enjoyed his most productive season in 2009-10 with Columbus, establishing career-highs in games played (73), goals (six), assists (28), points (34), power play goals (four), power play assists (18), power play points (22), shots on goal (121) and penalty minutes (37).  He led all Columbus defensemen in points, assists, power play goals, power play assists and power play points, and tied for second among team defensemen in goals that season.  He also led the team in power play assists, tied for second in power play points and fifth in power play goals.  Stralman posted a career-high, four-game point streak from January 16, 2010 vs. Chicago to January 21, 2010 at Boston, tallying five assists over the span.  He also registered a career-high, six multi-point performances.

Last season, Stralman registered one goal and 17 assists for 18 points, along with 22 penalty minutes in 51 games with Columbus.  He tallied a career-high, three points (three assists) on April 1 vs. Chicago.  The 5-11, 193-pounder made his NHL debut on October 23, 2007 vs. Atlanta, and recorded three goals and six assists in 50 games as a rookie with Toronto in 2007-08.  Stralman registered his first career NHL point with an assist on January 10, 2008 at Los Angeles, and notched his first career NHL goal on March 21, 2008 at Buffalo.

The Tibro, Sweden native was originally selected as Toronto’s seventh round choice, 216th overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

“]

By Bridget Samuels from College Park, MD (IMG_8730.jpg) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0)

At this point it simply depends on how long he plans on keeping these tandems together. If past history is any indication, he likely changes these lines again and again until finding the perfect combination. Considering the current configuration places young pivots Derek Stepan and Artem Anisimov on the fourth line, more moves will be made before finding the right fit.

But these line changes do a few necessary things. First, it reunites the bread-and-butter line of Ruslan Fedotenko, Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust, giving the Rangers a true checking line capable of shutting down top lines and chipping in offensively. Second, it puts a true playmaker between two finishers in Callahan and Dubinsky as the uneven play of third-year center Anisimov has helped the two wingers to only two goals (both Callahan’s markers), further accenting their sluggish start.

Furthermore, it gives useless forwards Wolski and Christensen some purpose in the lineup.  Although useless is an extreme word in this situation, it definitely applies as the team has no need for bottom-line players who don’t generate scoring chances and who don’t hit everything that moves (or really anything for that matter). Through their combined nine games, the two enigmatic but skilled forwards registered one shot on goal. Put them with the team’s most efficient scorer and the tides should change, right?

Probably not, but at least coach Tortorella expresses urgency in his juggling lines. He commented today that although Gaborik and Richards may appear destined for each other on paper, their combination may not be a perfect fit for this team. If the Rangers played with the same energy as they did last season, they likely would have fit Richards into the lineup in an easier way but their style of play continues to adapt. Gaborik, for that matter, barely fit in with last year’s system but has found the back of the net just fine this year.

Earlier in the year, Tortorella conveyed his team’s lack of identity on a North American sheet of ice. To say the least, they have been more timid and less timely. Perhaps last season was a factor of good bounces and their luck ran out in October. Maybe the offseason additions made them a bit too cocky. Most likely, the entire team is feeling the effect of Marc Staal‘s injury. Losing such an important piece for the puzzle has been dibilitating despite Ryan McDonagh‘s strong play and Dan Girardi playing half of every game. Starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist holds less room for error where depth players like Steve Eminger and Mike Sauer step into the forefront, where they may be over their head.

 Eventually Gaborik and Richards will find each other. Anisimov and Stepan won’t be fourth liners forever either. Nevertheless, as this team currently stands, they need help and Tortorella is doing everything in his power to give them that before they slip farther down in the standings.

By Jeff Quirin
NHL Hot Stove Associate Editor

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Did you miss NHL on the Fly this week? Couldn’t catch all the games? Well, if you love goal scoring, NHL Hot Stove has you covered. Here are some of the best finishes of the first week of NHL action in the 2011-12 season.

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Number Five

Anze Kopitar (LA Kings) with a great forehand backhand move to beat Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres) after a pretty cross ice pass.

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Number Four

Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning) rifles his 300th career goal past good friend Tim Thomas (Boston Bruins) on a breakaway.

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Number Three

Brad Marchand (Boston Bruins) with a terrific partial breakaway move to beat Ilya Bryzgalov (Philadelphia Flyers).

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Number Two

Claude Giroux (Boston Bruins) attacks Tom Thomas (Boston Bruins) with a brilliant backhand forehand marker.

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Number One

Brad Richards (New York Rangers) roofs the puck over Jonas Hiller (Anaheim Ducks).

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Just had to throw one more in for good measure. Welcome back to the NHL Mr. Lombardi.

Matthew Lombardi (Toronto Maple Leafs) beats Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens) for a shorthanded goal. His first goal after missing virtually all of the 2010-11 season with a concussion.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Photo Credit: vipeldo

Following two overtime losses, the New York Rangers will return from Europe with a potentially clean slate, in hopes of getting off to a better start. While they remain technically undefeated at 0-0-2, one would imagine they hoped for a better outcome, perhaps a win while playing in Henrik Lundqvist’s homeland. In fact, these two games represented losses where there are usually wins, where the Rangers usually get off to a fresh start.

Facing tough competition in the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings was a good test for the new-look Rangers. It was an even better test for free agent acquisition Brad Richards, who scored the game tying goal yesterday in dramatic fashion and was vital to a third period goal in Friday’s game. From the sidelines, he appears well worth the investment and more-than-capable of being the team’s go-to player.

Don’t believe me? Well, this highlight reel goal should be shown on MSG commercials for a while.

As another bright note, newly-appointed captain Ryan Callahan was all over the ice. In Game 1, when the team failed to find their legs, Cally was there to save them by scoring the game tying goal as well as firing a remarkable 11 shots on goal. This season he will prove to the Rangers and the rest of the NHL that he is a player worth watching. If he and Richards remain on two separate scoring lines, then the team will appropriately split defensive pairings, which will in turn create more opportunities for each unit.

In the crease, Lundqvist looked as good as he ever has, flashing leather with more frequency than usual. Over the years, opponents learned to go high glove while he was sprawled on the ice but at no point did he seem weak on that side. However, if this weekend’s scores were any indication on a season, then Lundqvist will be in for another long, hard-fought season.

Outside of the three aforementioned players, these Rangers lacked drive, discipline and most importantly their identity. Despite almost the entire supporting cast returning for another season, they simply lacked that go-get-’em attitude of last season. In fact, they seemed lost, similar to their eventual five-game loss to the Washington Capitals.

You could even make the arguement that they tried to do too much. Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust were hurting without their offensive-minded linemate Ruslan Fedotenko while Brandon Dubinsky tried to do a bit too much while on the top line. Plenty of failed outlet passed, defensive-zone turnovers and pucks in the skates; perhaps they simply gripped their sticks too hard.

Part of this could be blamed on the team’s current injuries, which is somewhat scary. Wojtek Wolski was unable to suit up due to his cranky groin, which forced Dubinsky to the top line, Fedotenko to the second and Erik Christensen into the lineup to center the third line. None of the three were able to find chemistry, which created yet another game with scoring woes. After acquiring a point-per-game player in the offseason, the team should in theory add another goal per game. So far, three tallies in over 120 minutes sounds shabby.

Another reason for this lack of output seems to be the team’s defense. Ryan McDonagh has filled in admirably for Marc Staal the overall situation forces coach John Tortorella to use the top pairing with too much frequency. With McDonagh moved up a pair, Michael Del Zotto also moves up, making the third pairing of Steve Eminger and Tim Erixon untrustworthy enough to not eat up minutes. The top four, which is makeshift and essentially just covering for Staal, was noticeably fatigued by the end of both contests, which forced them to look worse than their actual play.

If the team can’t get Staal back, they need to find a top-4 defender capable of pushing everyone down a line. Otherwise, this Rangers defense will rely on Lundqvist much more than ever.

At this point in the season, the team is simply experiencing growing pains. Several players experienced out-of-nowhere career seasons which could put unnecessary pressure on them to try and further top those totals. What they need to realize was they succeeded because of their effort and contributions to a hard-working, blue-collar system. If they stray away from that system, they will not play as well as they did, which is what we are experiencing right now.

Look for Tortorella to get his team back to square one: get them hitting harder and chasing down the puck. The identity is still there, just buried beneath their lofty expectations.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

By kaatiya (2742468020077758815) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by /2.0)

The New York Rangers’ nine-year, $60 million investment tweaked his groin during yesterday’s intra-squad scrimmage and did not feel the need to push himself during Camp Torturella. Knowing fully well how much strain he would put on his groin during such a trying endurance test, Richards and John Tortorella have no problem keeping him off the ice while he recovers.

Tortorella sounds a bit more optimistic about his pivotal center, and getting him back on the ice. From Ranger Rants:

“It’s nothing really bad, just precautionary so we kept him off,” Tortorella added. “I think he’ll be able to skate tomorrow. Him and Rammer (trainer Jim Ramsey) talked to me after the scrimmage. I’m the one who told him to get off. He said he felt it. I’m not interested this early in camp, with the amount of work we have to do, to make that into an aggravation. I’d really like to get him into that next game.”

On Friday, the Rangers take on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center; interesting to see whether Richards finds his way back into the lineup. More importantly, who will play on his left side? The first player to audition on the top line was Wojtek Wolski, who apparently impressed. After Wolski, Tortorella reunited Ruslan Fedotenko with Richards, starting the two veterans together. Nevertheless, Richards and Marian Gaborik will remain attached at the hip.

If Richards does miss some time, the team actually has kept a contingency plan. They decided to keep enigmatic forward Erik Christensen — who at times displays the talent level of a top liner, and at other times can’t be found on the ice with a GPS locator. While the team went out and signed Richards mainly because they needed a true number one, they have used Christensen in that spot before.

One thing that most importantly jumps out to us is this team has depth. If Marc Staal can’t suit up, Ryan McDonagh takes his place as the shutdown player. If Richards can’t play, look for Christensen. These options simply were not there last season when the team found Chad Kolarik, Kris Newbury, Jeremy Williams and Brodie Dupont donning the blue, red and white. The signing of Mike Rupp gives the team yet another option as does Sean Avery or Mats Zuccarello on the bench (or in the press box).

Richards will be fine, but if not, this team can still compete when the puck eventually drops.

Dear 2011 NHL Off-Season,

What the hell?

No, wait, wait. That came out wrong. Let me start over…

What the hell?!

You’ve been all over the place this summer. Granted, maybe we fans should have seen it coming, what with Brian Rafalski from the Detroit Red Wings retiring and the Philadelphia Flyers shipping off Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, then signing Ilya Bryzgalov for like $16 million/season (I mean, did they see how he played in the playoffs? Wait, I’m getting off-topic.); Teemu Selanne, however, is still taking his sweet time deciding what he’s doing, per normal, and it wouldn’t be a complete off-season without an esteemed veteran toying with everyone – just look at what Jaromir Jagr pulled, debating between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit, then both teams pulling out, then Philadelphia snagging him.

Let’s not forget about the Brad Richards debates. Oh. And then Chris Osgood, Kris Draper, and Adam Foote retired as well. I’m sure I’m missing some guys in there, too.

Do you even want me to bring up all the tragedies? What could hurt a community more? Three players passing away out of the blue and creating horrific headlines for the hockey community and disgusting revelations about the life of an enforcer in the NHL, and then we had that plane crash in Russia that killed an entire hockey team.

The hockey community was – and still is, for that matter – shaken to its core. Red Wings fans didn’t anticipate this off-season being so horrific, but with three veteran players bowing out and then Brad McCrimmon, Ruslan Salei, and former prospect Stefan Liv on that fated Russian plane…what could really make it any worse?

Okay, Off-season, maybe we can’t blame you entirely. Perhaps we should have seen you coming; after all, the post-season should have been some sort of indication. Each round was littered with sweeps, upsets, seven-game series, suspensions, fights, and several teams coming back from 3-0 deficits only to lose it in the seventh game.

Heck, even the regular season should have warned us! The New Jersey Devils tanking and Ilya Kovalchuk doing nothing for so long, the Toronto Maple Leafs actually being undefeated at the start of the season, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby both going down with lengthy injuries, the Washington Capitals having a terrible winless streak, those few weeks in the middle of the season with goalie fights, bench-clearing brawls, seven players in the box at the same time, and 157 penalty minutes just in one game, and who can forget Montreal Canadiens fans calling the cops on Zdeno Chara‘s hit on Max Pacioretty that makes us all cringe in pain just thinking about it?

So I guess it all really boils down to this:

Dear 2011-2012 NHL Regular season,

PLEASE DON’T SUCK.

Sincerely,

Hockey fans around the world.

PS – To the upcoming season – we know you’ll suck at some point for various reasons, so at least don’t give us as many heart attacks. Let us at least have our good health.

Christina Roberts
NHLHS Detroit Red Wings Correspondent
Twitter: @franzenmuth
Email: christina.roberts@nhlhotstove.com

By Alexander Monaghan
President

By Resolute (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-sa/3.0)

GM Glen Sather somehow managed to keep some money in the bank, failing to sign any marginal players like Aaron Voros, Patrick Rissmiller, Ales Kotalik or Wade Redden to bloated contracts. Instead, Sather filled a hole left by the untimely death of Derek Boogaard, in signing Mike Rupp and made his team exponentially better by inking the top unrestricted free agent in Brad Richards. In addition, Sather made yet another Sather-like trade, grabbing a high-potential player in Tim Erixon for a price fans were willing to pay — Roman Horak and two second rounder. Erixon, by all accounts, looked great in the rookie tournament and should challenge Michael Del Zotto amongst others for a roster spot, but we’ll return to that thought later.

For now, fans can remain happy that for all the positives, there have been very few negatives. Despite my two parts of foreboding, Sather managed to sign Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan without taking them to arbitration, and effectively shattering their psyches in the process. In fact, he now holds more leaders than most teams in a season that Henrik Lundqvist and company feels is theirs for the taking.

With the team beginning the season in Sweden and all-but-guaranteed to play in the Winter Classic, the Rangers once again will be making headlines. Whether or not they are able to reach their goal, or are even competitors to the Western Conference powerhouses, remain a question that will be shortly answered. For now, most of the honess will fall on the newly appointed…

CAPTAIN CALLAHAN

By Keith Allison (originally posted to Flickr as 00091065) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

It also showed that Callahan would do everything possible to win a game — including block a 100 MPH slapshot with less-than-a-minute left, even if it cost him the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs.

Callahan learned a great deal from Drury. He learned to be even-keeled when the time called for it. He learned to give into his emotions with the rest of the team. Now, with the team using his heatbeat as a metronome they should continue to keep their head down, skate hard and play an honest game. When talking about Callahan, Tortorella found himself mixing together his team’s identity and his current captain’s. From Andrew Gross’s Ranger Rants:

In fact, Tortorella was talking about the identity the Rangers established last season a hard-working, blue-collar bunch. “Straight ahead” and “no nonsense” the coach said, before stopping himself and asking, “Who am I talking about? The hockey club or Cally?”

While Tortorella sounds proud of the home-grown Callahan, he acknowledges that giving him the C is just a formality. For a full year, possibly even longer, Callahan has been the team’s captain. Hopefully giving him a letter will help extend the Rochester native longer than his recently signed three-year pact.

Now that Callahan wears the C, opposed to the A, Tortorella appointed BroadwAy BrAd Richards the second alternate captain. Considering Marc Staal already held the other A, it only made sense to give the other title to an elder-statesman, “veteran” leader. Although Richards is new to the team, he, along with his gaudy contract, have earned the respect of the team’s veteran community — players like Rupp, Ruslan Fedotenko, Sean Avery and most importantly Marian Gaborik. The latter has a long road ahead this next season. Described as devastated, you can expect a lengthy…

GRIEVING PROCESS

By Bridget Samuels from College Park, MD (IMG_8730.jpg) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0)

Devastation has been the word to describe Gaborik on numerous occasions. Gaborik played four seasons with Boogaard as a member of the Minnesota Wild but met him 10 years prior to the accidental overdose. He was one of the first to find out Boogy had passed, receiving a call from his agent in the middle of the night, in that fateful day in May. From Blueshirts United:

It was devastating news. I played with Boogey for a long time in Minny and then in New York. He was a great guy. We got along together great. We helped each other out on the ice and off the ice. We were very close. I tried to help him along in New York, and we had a very good relationship. It’s just very sad. We had a lot of good times together. He was a really easy going guy, really caring. We talked pretty much about everything. He’s just the type guy who would be there for you whenever you needed him.

Gaborik was instrumental in recruiting his good friend to the Rangers. You have to think that every time he puts on a Rangers sweater, or steps onto the team’s home ice, he will be thinking about his close friend. If already taking that news into account wasn’t enough, Gaborik lost his best friend overseas in Slovakian superstar Pavol Demitra.

The two players played two successful seasons in Minnesota before Demitra left for The Sedin Twins and the Vancouver Canucks. Last season, there were rumors Demitra would sign on with the Rangers but instead chose to play closer to home in the KHL. Numerous times the two paired together for their National Team; they clearly were close. Michael Russo of The Star Tribune once called them a pair of aces because the two Slovaks completed each other’s passes and sentences. Although their success never translated to a Stanley Cup, they clearly once had a dream of winning it together. A dream they can sadly no longer achieve.

As fans, we have all had our problems with Gaborik. Whether you felt he was loafing last season or is simply talent unfulfilled, all of those thoughts need to take a seat on the backburner for our continued support. Gaborik is family and has lost family, fans need to cheer for him every time he touches the puck this season and let him know how behind him we all can be.

ROOKIES LEAVE MIXED IMPRESSIONS

By Canada Hky (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses /by/3.0)

Right now much of the conversation remains tied to the Rangers defense. As an organizational strength with four homegrown players already with the big club, the team could see even more bright spots. At this season’s Traverse City Rookie Tournament, at least three future Rangers defenders have made headlines.

Blake Parlett currently leads the tournament in scoring with five assists — tied with Columbus Blue Jackets prospect David Savard. The undrafted Parlett spent most of last season between the ECHL and the AHL but could see his stock raised significantly after such a strong showing. In both games he played above his current level, which could be expected considering his age. Nevertheless, his emergence reminds us Dan Girardi and how he ascended from undrafted Junior-level player into a steady defender.

On the other end of the spectrum, 2010 first round draft choice Dylan McIlrath received mixed reviews. While his skating appears much improved, his decision making and gap control left some mixed impressions. His current projection puts him back in the WHL for another season with a season or two in Connecticut in his future. A great attitude and willingness to improve make Rangers fans happy but knowing the team passed over Cam Fowler for a stay-at-home type defender remains a cause for concern. Nevertheless, head of scouting Gordie Clark and company hope he becomes more of a Tyler Myers-type than Hal Gill. The jury will remain out…

Running down the rest of the Traverse City squad, Tim Erixon looked great in his first game in Ranger-blue, scoring a goal off his big shot from the point. He will clearly compete for a spot during training camp.

Meanwhile, Carl Hagelin, Shane McColgan, Jonathan Audy-Machessault and Ryan Bourque all displayed their speed and skill up front. We all expected to see more from JT Miller and Christian Thomas, but the two top prospects have held their own despite showing their age. Considering they are also playing against graduated Juniors and AHL vets, growing pains were to be expected, although not preferable.

The 2-0 Rangers squad will play the Carolina Hurricanes in less than three hours– the game is televised on MSG for our local readers and possibly on the NHL Network for our out-of-state fans. The youngsters have outscored the opposition 11-4 and surely have an opportunity to take the tournament. Carolina already lost to the Dallas Stars’ kids 8-2 — a team the Rangers defeated 6-2 just two days ago. The rooks hope to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and take home another Traverse City Trophy over the next two days.

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If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at amonaghan at nhlhotstove dot com. You can also follow him on Twitter – @NHLHotStove or check out his work as Editor-in-chief at DailyFaceoff.com