SBNation.com User Blog: Kevin Power

NHL Trade Dealine: Remembering Marian Gaborik

Kevin Power — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:23:40 -0000

So...THAT happened. The Rangers traded Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett and John Moore along with a 6th round pick.

There's a lot of debate over whether this was a good trade or a bad trade for the Rangers, I like the pieces the Rangers got back (especially Moore) and that maybe it was time for the Slovakian Sniper to move on to greener pastures.

But we're not here to analyze the trade, that's been done to death. We're here to remember who Marian Gaborik was for the Rangers and why he was probably the best Rangers forward since Jaromir Jagr left for the KHL.

In the summer of 2009 Marian Gaborik was a free agent, the top prize of the 2009 UFA class, and Glen Sather made the now famous Scott Gomez trade to primarily make room to sign the left handed right winger to help bolster the Rangers offense.

Boy did he get off to a flying start; in 76 games in his season in New York Gaborik scored 42 goals and assisted on 44 others leading the Rangers in points by far that year (Vinny Prospal was a distant second with 58). While Gaborik shined in his first season, the Rangers missed the playoffs on the final day of the season, falling to the Flyers in the shootout (curse Olli Jokinen forever).

In Gaborik's second year in New York things seemed to hit a speed bump, whether it be to rumored off ice issues or due to the lingering and nagging injuries that Gaborik suffered throughout the course of the 2010-2011 season, Marian only put scored 22 goals in 62 games for the Rangers as they were bounced in the first round of playoffs by the Capitals.

In the 2011 off season the Rangers had one mission: get Gaborik a center. So Slats went out and courted UFA Brad Richards to come to New York in a move that seemed to revitalized a healthy and seemingly more comfortable Gaborik to the tune of him putting up 41 goals and 35 points helping lead the Rangers all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. In that postseason Gaby struggled but still scored the game winning goal in triple OT of Game 5 against the Washington Capitals during the Eastern Conference Semi Finals.

And while it seemed like Gaborik struggled in the playoffs (which he did), it turned out that he played a month and a half of playoff hockey with a torn rotator cuff that required surgery to fix.

So it came down to this...a shortened season with exceedingly high expectations and a slow start all came together to send Gaborik and his criminally low sh% off to Columbus where he'll regain his form and be the Gaborik that we all know and some, if not most, of us love.

As much as this is goodbye to Gaborik, this is also a hello to Derick Brassard, Derek Dorsett, and John Moore. Welcome to the New York Rangers, I hope the transition is a smooth one and you all have great Ranger careers, I won't judge you based on who we lost to get you. Just play your games and help the team the best you can.

I'll leave you now with a few of Gaby's best Rangers moments.

Marian Gaborik's first hat trick as a Ranger

The 4 goal game against Toronto

Gaby shoots Henrik during the All Star Game

Possibly the biggest goal Marian Gaborik scored in his Rangers career

Marian Gaborik 3OT winner 5/2/12 (via NHLVideo)

And Finally...Gaby's hat trick against the Bruins

How about for old time's sake one more:

Marián Gáborík ste Slovenského parchant

Goodbye Gaby, good luck in Columbus.

Thoughts guys?

Blueshirt Banter Expose: Rick Nash is more than meets the eye

Kevin Power — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 04:28:40 -0000

Last week we at Blueshirt Banter Expose delved into the seedy, underground world of Canadian Military experiments creating Defensemen with mutant healing factors. This week we're going above and beyond the call of duty by shining a light on the Rangers newest and brightest star Rick Nash. Prepare yourselves...this one is huge.

I'll let resident shit stirrer Dig Deep get us started

If we take the letters of "Rick Nash" and re-arrange them we get the phrase "Chains Kr". To the untrained eye this might look like gobbledygook, I can assure you that this is far from the case. Let's look at the word chains shall we? What do chains do? They lock things up, they keep things in place, they constrict things... before Rick Nash became a Ranger he was fettered by the chains of playing professional hockey in Ohio. Ohio, as we all know, is a dreadful place full of cannibals, tractors, and roving packs of manflesh-hungry wild dogs. Is it safe to say that Nash was in chains for the first part of his career? I think I have just proven that it is.
And for the second part of the phrase "Chains Kr"... well my friends, any chemist or Google search will tell you that "Kr" is the symbol for the element Krypton on our Periodic Table of Elements. Krypton, of course, is the home planet of Superman. Still not seeing the connections? No? Fine, I've got more.
Rick Nash is eight letters, just like Superman. Rick Nash has played for the Blue Jackets and the Rangers, two teams that have blue and red in their team colors. What are Superman's main colors? Blue and red. Superman's Kryptonian name is Kal-El, which has two syllables, just like "Rick Nash". Rick Nash's official height is just one inch taller than Superman's official height... but they probably did that to throw us off the trail, the bastards.

Need I say more? I didn't think so.

...Yeah, exactly...not only is Rick Nash not human but he is, in fact, Superman. What, still not convinced? Ok, let's move on with some evidence shall we?

While everyone thought that Rick Nash was "hurt" or "concussed" the real reason he missed four games last week was because he was actually in space saving us from an intergalactic threat that would surely doom us all.
What? STILL not convinced? Ok then.

For more evidence Rick Nash has done things on the ice that no mere mortal can do, how does someone so big and strong have hands this smooth and be this light on his feet?

Let me ask you this; could any mere mortal being do what Rick Nash did in that goal?

Exactly, they can't. Rick Nash is literally out of this world.

Nash also brings something to this team that Superman brings to all people...hope. While Nash was away the fanbase was out for blood and crying that the world was ending and after Nash returned from his great adventures beyond the stars hope returned with him. Rick Nash is no mere mortal...Rick Nash is Superman
Let's move on to some evidence our intrepid spies have gotten their hands on to give us even more evidence to support our theory: Columbus, Ohio...a somewhat quaint, if not exactly bustling, city is as good of a place as any for a hero to be to grow and learn how to use his amazing abilities for good ala a young Clark Kent did in Smallville..COINCIDENCE? I think not.

Further more...what is the one thing Superman brings to the people that is greater than any of his amazing abilities? Hope, and inspiration. Isn't that exactly what Rick Nash has brought to the Rangers and their fans?
Rick Nash came from his humble, Columbus beginnings to begin his new life as a hero to the many here in New York City and in doing so has inspired his teammates to join him in his never ending fight against bad hockey including some great younger heroes such as the Swedish Flash, the Norse God of Goaltender, Weapon DG and The American Defender.

Rick Nash...Fantastic hockey player and, as you know now, he is also the greatest hero to ever grace us with his presence. Rick Nash fights for Truth, Justice and The Blueshirt Faithful.

So as you can see...we here at Blueshirt Banter Expose has given you a great peak behind the veil while risking our very lives to bring you this information...Come back next week when we bring you even more truths behind the Blueshirts.

New York Rangers News: Kris Newbury sent back to the Connecticut Whale

Kevin Power — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:32:50 -0000

Well that was quick no? According to the New York Rangers, Kris Newbury has been sent back to the AHL after his one game stint with the big club last night.

let the speculation begin on whether it's Arron Asham getting into the line up tomorrow against the Leafs or Chris Kreider getting a chance to get himself out of the dog house. I'm gonna guess here that Kreider makes a return to the bottom six for the Rangers and hopefully a night in the press box did him some good.

Thoughts guys?

Rangers News: Rangers Trade Chad Kolarik to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Benn Ferriero

Kevin Power — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:22:37 -0000

Early this morning the New York Rangers traded Chad Kolarik, the Connecticut Whale's leading scorer, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Benn Ferriero.

From Hockey's Future on Ferriero:

Ferriero is a tenacious, fiercely competitive forward who plays equally well at both ends of the ice. He has great hockey instincts and does a superb job of reading and following plays. While Ferriero may be small he is by no means weak. His strength makes him a difficult player to move off of the puck and the way he plays his game makes covering him a daunting task for opposing defenders. Ferriero has shown a willingness to go to and take the punishment in front of the net to create scoring opportunities. He is also powerful skater. While his offensive ability is outstanding, Ferriero could stand to shoot the puck more often.

GDA head coach Peter Kravchuk’s insights on Benn Ferriero: "Benn is a tenacious competitor and he loves having the puck on his stick. He's plays bigger than his 5'11/ 175 lbs frame and is never afraid to play physically or with an edge. He is strong on his skates and is a very good skater. Of the players I've coached he has the best lateral movement and the ability to change directions in an instant. Benn has a good understanding of the game. He played regularly here as a freshman primarily because he was reliable in his own end. He never lost that conscientiousness to play at both ends of the ice. For the past couple of years we used him in every situation and he is equally effective as an offensive or defensive presence."

Sounds like Ferriero could be a solid depth move for the Rangers and could be a solid piece on the bottom six for New York.

Chad Kolarik was leading a really bad Whale team in scoring this year and many, such as myself, felt that he should have been given a better chance to get onto the main roster. Well, maybe now the Penguins will give him a better chance than the Rangers did. Good luck to him

Predictions for the 2013 NHL Season Part 2: Western Conference

Kevin Power — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:43:33 -0000

The 2013 NHL season is literally right around the corner...no really it is and with any start of the season it's time to make some bold, not so bold, and totally out there predictions that will surely come back to bite me in the butt.

Now, predicting an 82 game set is a hell of a lot easier than predicting a 48 game set due to being able to go back and look at past 82 game performances for players and teams. Not so easy with 48 games but all in all these are for fun and should be in the ballpark of the actual totals.

Here's how its gonna work. I'm gonna list my predictions for the conference standings then break it down by division so here goes nothing.

Western Conference

Central:

St. Louis Blues: Last year Ken Hitchcock turned Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliot into one of the stingiest goaltending tandems in the NHL and with the way the Blues are built up front, St. Louis is looking primed to make a big step forward in being one of the tougher teams in the West.

Chicago Blackhawks: Jonathan Toews is healthy and is quite possibly the best two way player in hockey and with the Blackhawks strong defensive depth the Hawks will be competing all season long for the Central division title with the Blues.

Nashville Predators: Losing Suter hurts, but keeping the best defenseman in the NHL doesn't. The Preds strong Barry Trotz run system will keep the Preds competitive but lack of a real scoring threat keeps them from climbing higher

Detroit Red Wings: I really want to put them in the playoffs, but they are so old. All through the line up there is a lot of wear on those legs and even Pavel Datsyuk's magic can't keep Father Time away. Also, the loss of Niklas Lidstrom is gonna prove huge as Detroit's thin back end is going to expose Jimmy Howard for being the average goaltender he is

Columbus Blue Jackets: Oh Columbus, I feel so bad for you. You lost your Franchise Player, you lose the All Star Game and your team really is not that good. On the bright side though Nathan MacKinnon will look real good playing with Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky next year.

Northwest

Vancouver Canucks: The Northwest and the Northeast are really parallels this year with the Canucks being the class of a crappy division. The biggest questions for the Cancucks are who's gonna step up while Ryan Kesler is out with an injury and who is your starting goaltender? Roberto Luongo or Corey Schneider? (Hint: it's the one linked to all the trade rumors)

Colorado Avalanche: The Avalanche are good, young team with the benefit of playing in the Northwest division. Matt Duchene should have a bounce back year playing with reigning Calder Trophy winner Gabriel Landeskog and with Ryan O'Reilly also in the fold the Av's should have a good shot at making the playoffs by playing the likes of the Flames and the Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers: Ryan Nuget-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz. Man the Oilers are gonna be a fun team to watch. A bad team, but a fun team none the less. I can see them catching a bit of luck here and there and making a push for the playoffs but the Oil are a little too young and not good enough between the pipes to make a real push this year.

Minnesota Wild: I'm not sold on the Wild being a playoff team just yet. I know they signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter but can Dany Heatley find his old goal scoring ways paired with Parise? (not likely) Though the Wild do have some nice players, I can't see them being any better than they were last year.

Calgary Flames: Thank goodness for the Columbus Blue Jackets eh? The Flames will be a bad hockey team and with Jay Feaster rambling on about making the playoffs things are just going to get worse. Look for Jerome Iginla to be shipped to a playoff team in either conference by the Trade Deadline.

Pacific

Los Angeles Kings: The reigning champs showed us during the playoffs that they really underachieved during the regular season last year. 48 games of Darryl Sutter behind the bench and Jeff Carter and Mike Richards up front not to mention Jonathan Quick in the crease should make the Kings one of the best teams in the entire NHL.

San Jose Sharks: The Sharks are a maddening team; good talent up front, solid on the back end and some good, not great, goaltending should make the Sharks a playoff team set to make a deep run. Except, how many years have we been saying that about San Jose? This is probably the last year of those questions are asked as the Sharks are also not getting any younger.

Phoenix Coyotes: The bottom Pacific division is going to be a tight race to the eighth seed and the Phoenix Coyotes are going to be the team with just enough puck luck to get there. With Shane Doan on board and the surrounding cast still good enough the Coyotes have a chance of making some noise this year, but don't expect much.

Anaheim Ducks: Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are looking at career years and Teemu Selanne is making his farewell tour this year so expect the Ducks to be a lot better under Bruce Boudreau but still not enough to crack the top 8 in the conference this year

Dallas Stars: There is a lot to like on this Stars roster (namely Jaime Benn and Loui Eriksson) but there are also a lot of question marks as well (Ray Whitney and Jaromir Jagr?). There's also Kari Lehtonen who, if healthy, can be a strong goaltender but that health factor is a big IF.

So, that's my Western Conference, here's the link to my Eastern Conference predictions. Have at it guys, tell me why I'm wrong

Predictions for the 2013 NHL Season Part 1: Eastern Conference

Kevin Power — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:06:30 -0000

Here's how its gonna work. I'm gonna list my predictions for the conference standings then break it down by division so here goes nothing.

Eastern Conference:

Atlantic Division:

New York Rangers: After finishing last season at the top of the Eastern Conference and two games from the Stanley Cup Final, the Blueshirts loaded up by acquiring big winger Rick Nash adding him to an already dangerous top 6 forward corps. The Rangers defense should remain as stout as ever and with the best goaltender in the world behind them expect a lot of good things from the Rangers this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins: A healthy Sidney Crosby may be the Pens 2nd line center...let that sink in for a bit. Done? Ok now remember that after Kris Letang the Pittsburgh defense is kind of thin and their goaltending consists of Marc-Andre "I gave up 26 goals in 6 playoff games last year" Fleury and Tomas Vokoun who is 36 years young. Can Fleury bounce back after that playoff series? Maybe, but he still isn't that good between the pipes.

Philadelphia Flyers: No matter what happens this year the Flyers are gonna be a fun team to watch with Claude Giroux looking to build on a big year last year and Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn coming into their own. Also, they have a thin defensive corps and a Cosmonaut as a starting goaltender...like I said, should be fun.

New York Islanders: A young team led by John Tavares and Michael Grabner should give a few teams a run for their money this year but they just don't have enough yet with Ryan Strome and Griffin Reinhart still down in Junior. The Islanders should be an enjoyable team to watch.

New Jersey Devils: The reigning Eastern Conference Champions take a huge hit this year with the loss of Zach Parise and relying on an aging Patrick Elias and Travis Zajac to get the puck to Ilya Kovalchuck to put up points and while I think they could they also have a goaltending tandem that is a combined 79 years old and that could be very troublesome in the Atlantic Division this year.

Northeast Divison

Boston Bruins: The Big Bad Broons are still stockpiled with talent up front and on the back end. Even though Tim Thomas went off to hunker down in the woods of Colorado for the year the Bruins won't miss a step with Tuuka Rask manning the goal crease this year.

Buffalo Sabres: In a division where it's Boston and then everyone else the Sabres get the second best spot by virtue of having Ryan Miller and Tyler Myers on their team, other than that its gonna be a long season in Buffalo saved by playing in the Northeast.

Ottawa Senators: The Sabres and Sens will be fighting all season to finish second behind the Bruins and with an aging Spezza and this being Daniel Alfredsson's farewell tour look for the Senators to enter a transition phase this year as they look to build around stud defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Oh Toronto, I so want you to be a good hockey team, and this year you have a chance to take a big step forward. With Phil Kessel still on the roster surrounded by some pretty good offensive pieces (hello Nazem Kadri) and if they could get even average goaltending out of James Reimer and Ben Scrivens then maybe they could challenge for something...but don't expect much out of the Leafs this year.

Montreal Canadiens: Uh...well...you got out of that Gomez contract. You still got Carey Price and PK Subban, and that Galchenyuk kid is gonna be pretty good for you soon. Get used to hearing "Not Winning for MacKinnon" a lot this season.

Southeast Division

Carolina Hurricanes: Hoo boy did the Canes load up this offseason, trading for Jordan Staal and adding Alexander Semin really gave Carolina that much needed scoring depth to paired with Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner and Jussi Jokinen. Also, Cam Ward is still the goaltender for the Hurricanes giving them the division almost by default.

Washington Capitals: After the Dale Hunter experiment caged Alexander Ovechkin, the Caps went out and hired Adam Oates in hopes of bringing Ovechkin back to his run and gunning old self. To replace the lost of Alexander Semin the Caps brought in Mike Riberio and Woltek Wolski (and the Caps thought Semin was enigmatic?). I think that the Caps will be better offensively but that defense still looks leaky and the question of whether Braden Holtby is for real or just captured some playoff luck (Bet on the latter) and if Michal Neurvirth can take push Holtby into that starting role.

Tampa Bay Lightning: The Lightning improved their goaltending by adding ~~a warm body~~ Anders Lindback in the offseason and signed Matt Carle to help improve the back end and with Victor Hedman expecting to really step up that should help the Lightning offense which with Steven Stamkos still on board should power the Bolts through into the playoffs

Florida Panthers: Oh those lovable Panthers, they're a whole bunch of parts thrown together to make the playoffs last year and this year its back to waiting on guys like Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and Jakob Markstrom (who should be up some time soon if not starting this year) to mature and get into the show.

Winnipeg Jets: After a somewhat triumphant return the Jets crash back down to earth (pardon the pun). With some shoddy goaltending in Ondrej Pavelec and Al Montoya and some questions on offense outside of Evander Kane, who the Winnipeg press wants to run out of town, the Jets really don't have much as they try to ditch the Atlanta Thrashers taste in everyone's mouth that won't go away any time soon.

So, these were my predictions/look at the Eastern Conference for the upcoming season and tomorrow will be a look at the Western Conference...thoughts guys?

Taking a look at Team USAs preliminary roster for the 2013 WJC

Kevin Power — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 19:11:16 -0000

With the calender turning to December, the hockey world turns its eyes to the future and one of the sport's great tournaments begins to get rolling in the World Junior Championship. With no NHL hockey to occupy us (thank you very much for THAT one) this tournament will be getting a lot more attention as it could be our only source of hockey for the foreseeable future.

With that in mind, Team USA revealed its preliminary roster for their 2013 World Junior Championship which can be viewed here. This is not the final team mind you as that will be finalized after practices and scrimmages that will take place at the New York Rangers training center in Upstate New York.

A couple of names that should immediately jump out at you are right winger J.T. Miller and defenseman Brady Skjei. Miller, who is currently playing for the Connecticut Whale, is one of only three American players who played on last year's disappointing 2012 squad that finished out of the medal round while Skjei is looking to make his first World Juniors team as a freshman playing for the University of Minnesota.

I know some may bristle at Miller leaving the Whale to play in the tournament, but I support it wholeheartedly. While Miller is a young prospect focusing on developing his game with the Whale, Team USA will be looking for Miller to take a leadership role as well as take on the tough minutes most likely playing on USA's top line with Montreal uber prospect Alex Galchenyuk and Boston College star Johnny Gaudreau. I like this opportunity for Miller to stand up and make a name for himself as one of the better power forward prospects in hockey. I expect JT to have a big tournament similar to Kreider's 2010 WJC.

Brady Skjei, on the other hand, will be walking into his first real test on the international level and will look to make an impact on the blue line with guys like 2012 returnee Jacob Trouba and top 2 2013 draft prospect Seth Jones also on the roster. One thing that will keep Skjei on the roster will be his fantastic skating and ability to play a solid two way defensive game. While he may not be as hard of a hitter as Trouba or have the offensive upside as Jones Skjei could be a very solid, productive defenseman for the Americans should he make the team.

Some other names to keep your eyes on:

Alex Galchenyuk: There's a reason the 6'1 197lb center was the 3rd overall choice in this years NHL Draft. Galchenyuk is an elite playmaker and has a great scoring touch and while he is coming off of limited action (knee surgery last year limited him to 11 games with the Sarnia Sting) Galchenyuk will most likely be playing with an chip on his shoulder to prove that he is America's best offensive prospect not in the NHL.

Johnny Gaudreau: Known around twitter as #GaudreaubyBaker, the diminutive winger hit the national spotlight running last year as a freshman during BC's National Title run and is continuing his goal scoring touch as a sophomore. At 5'9 Gaudreau doesn't have the size of Galchenyuk or Miller but on the wider international ice surface Johnny's speed and smooth hands will be a vital asset on that top line if the US wants to contend for a medal.

Seth Jones: This tournament could be a big coming out party Jones. The 6'5 204lb defenseman has just about every tool you want in an elite defenseman; size, strength, speed, skill and most importantly defensive awareness. Jones is a monster in his own end and knows how to throw his weight around. In the offensive zone Seth knows how to run the point on the PP as well as join the rush and create havoc for opposing teams.

The roster will be trimmed down throughout the next two weeks and the tournament starts the day after Christmas so at least that's something to distract us from this CBA nonsense

Connecticut Whale Recap: Better, But Not Enough As Ice Caps Down Whale 3-2

Kevin Power — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 01:08:57 -0000

The Connecticut Whale took to the ice Sunday afternoon looking to bounce back from an uneven home opener; going up against the St. John's Ice Caps. And while they played a better game, the Whale were still bit by defensive miscues and an inability to get out of their own way.

Both teams came out in the first period a bit off. While the Whale had some chances, they seemed to be tentative, over passing and not taking shots when they should have. The Whale opened up the game with J.T. Miller, Kyle Jean and Michael Haley up front and that line immediately had a lot of issues in the offensive zone; not being able to establish consistent pressure or generate offense.

Chris Kreider and his line mates, Kris Newbury and Brandon Segal, were the Whale's best offensive unit and seemed to carry the team through most of the game. Kreider was flying and using his body to establish the forecheck as the first man in the zone and used his vision to set up his line mates.

Newbury opened the scoring for the Whale on the power play in the first period when he took a nice feed from Brandon Segal and buried a shot that deflected off of an Ice Cap defenseman past goalie Mark Dekanich. Chris Kreider got the secondary assist by finding Segal behind the net.

With the Whale leading 1-0, Kreider was whistled for a goaltender interference penalty that I felt was a bit of a weak call since Kreider was driving to the net on a 2-on-1 and really had no place to go to avoid the goalie.

The Ice Caps tied the game right as the penalty expired as the Whale penalty killers were caught standing around after not being able to clear the zone and then not clearing the rebound from Scott Stajcer who was making his first career start for the Whale.

With the score tied to open the second period the Whale came out with much better offensive pressure as the Kreider-Newbury-Segal line kept the puck in the Ice Caps' zone and allowed for quality chances that couldn't find the back of the net.

The Whale finally did get on the board in the second on a power play goal by Kyle Jean that was assisted by J.T. Miller as those two are quickly developing some nice chemistry and when Marel Hrivik returns that could be one very dangerous line which will put Michael Haley either in the press box or the 4th line.

The Whale couldn't hold the lead however as Chris Kreider was again called for a late tripping penalty and with 3 seconds left in the 2nd the Whale PKers were again caught chasing the puck and the Ice Caps evened the score at two as the period ended.

The third period was just about as bad as the second period was good. The Whale couldn't get any real offensive flow going especially after the Ice Caps scored an early goal and went into a shut down defense that the Whale had no answer for leaving the Whale with a frustrating and uneven 3-2 defeat.

A few stand out players to me:

Chris Kreider: I first saw Kreider live during Game One at MSG against the Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals and Kreider has really worked on his skating and body work. Kreider was more forceful when using his size and strength to protect the puck and get in on the forecheck and you can see that the tools are there for him to put together in a year with the AHL

Matt Gilroy: I'm serious here, Matt Gilroy had a pretty good game. Wasn't out of position on defense and in the offensive zone he rarely pinched and was controlling the play through the point on the Power Play.

Scott Stajcer: For his first professional start I think he looked pretty good. Played deep in his net, was square to the shooter and for the most part had some solid rebound control.

Kyle Jean and J.T. Miller: I group these two together because they really had a strong game and worked off each other every well. Jean used his size and his skill to break through two defenders and record a scoring chance and shot on goal while Miller used his hockey sense and playmaking ability to find open linemates for scoring chances.

A couple of players that didn't impress me:

Michael Haley: I know that he was skating with Miller and Jean because of the injury to Hrivik but he really didn't add much to the forecheck and seemed out of position at times. Definitely not his best game.

Christian Thomas: Was given limited ice time being stuck on the 4th line but when he was paired with Miller and Jean late in the game didn't really utilize his speed and skill to get into open areas, just kind of floated around the offensive zone.

So the Whale are now 0-2 but have some bright spots to feel good about.

Thoughts guys?

What If The Rangers Traded Michael Del Zotto for Steven Stamkos?

Kevin Power — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:10:39 -0000

Welcome to a new series of posts that goes back through recent New York Rangers history and asks, "What if?"

It was the 2008-09 season; the Tampa Bay Lightning had this really good 18 year old center named Steven Stamkos who had a bit of a rough start to his season (2g 5a 7pts in 21 games) and Tamp ownership began shopping him around to the rest of the league.

Enter Cigar Chompin' Glen Sather who began chatting up the Lightning ownership over in Europe while the two teams opened the season in Prague. Sather kept at it even as the two teams came back to North America and an outline of a deal was in place where the Bolts could choose from a list of Evgeni Grachev, Michael Del Zotto, Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi.

From Sather himself:

"How close did we come?" Sather asked rhetorically, repeating the question we posed to him as the Rangers practiced in Tampa on Thursday. "We shook hands on it, that's how close.

"I'd been on it since Europe. I had an agreement with Len Barrie. I asked him if he had the authority to make the trade, and he assured me that he did, because he was an owner.

"But the next day, I found out that he didn't. He went to run the deal by [GM] Brian Lawton, who wanted no part of it. As I understood it, the way it was told to me, Barrie was still going to make the deal, but then he was told that he couldn't unless he got the approval of [co-owner] Oren Koules.

"Koules shot it down," said Sather. "That was the end of it."

After the jump I examine the possibilities of what would have happened had this trade gone through

Let's put this in perspective...THE NEW YORK RANGERS COULD HAVE HAD STEVEN STAMKOS FOR MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO OR EVGENI GRACHEV

Ahem.

Now that that's out of the way lets look at how this deal would have changed the Rangers:

In 08-09 the Rangers were a team fighting for the lower seeds in the playoffs and unloading Evgeni Grachev or Michael Del Zotto for a struggling Steven Stamkos may have been seen as a minor move to improve the team at the time.

Good thing hindsight is 20/20: After putting up 23 goals and 23 assists in his first season in the NHL Stamkos went on to put up 51 goals his next season...the same season in which the Rangers dumped Scott Gomez for Chris Higgins and Ryan McDonagh as well as added Marian Gaborik who scored 42 goals in his first year with the Rangers.

Meanwhile; Michael Del Zotto had a great rookie year with the Rangers in 09/10, putting up 9 goals and 28 assists for 37 points, but we all know his well documented struggles in his own zone which led to him being sent down to the AHL the next year. Evgeni Grachev can barely make the St. Louis Blues line up and Brandon Dubinsky was just shipped off to Columbus for Rick Nash.

Obviously the Rangers would be the real big winners in this deal adding a player of Stamkos' caliber and would probably have been skating with Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards last season and would be skating with Gaborik and Nash whenever the next season starts.

For the Lightning's take on this deal I turn things over to Cassie McClellan, writer for our friends over at Raw Charge:

On the climate of the Tampa Bay Lightning at the time:

In 08-09, the Tampa Bay Lightning were coming off of being dead last in the NHL. Which is how they landed the first overall pick in the 2008 draft, which is how they ended up with Steven Stamkos. New ownership had just taken over, and a new coach - Barry Melrose - started his first (and only) season with the team.

It was a rough start that season, and the new ownership group called OK Hockey that was led by the likes of Len Barrie and Oren Koules, had little patience. Melrose had said from the beginning of that season that Stamkos should've started the season with his major junior team; that he wasn't ready for the NHL. But as the new owners wanted to show off their new prize after a massive buildup campaign in the Tampa area (Seen Stamkos?), so he stayed and Melrose was fired 16 games into the season.

It turns out, Melrose actually knew what he was talking about. In this case, Stamkos wasn't actually ready for the NHL that rookie season of his. He definitely struggled, scoring only four goals in the first half of his first year. Not exactly the showing you want from your top draft pick. The second half of the season, under Rick Tocchet, was much more productive for the then 18-year-old, scoring 19 goals in his final 41 games. The Lightning ended up back at the bottom of the league again, however, which ended up giving them defenseman Victor Hedman second overall in the 2009 draft.

So there really was legitimate concern for the owners, after all of their publicity, and after being thrilled over making a first overall pick, that he might be a bust. And the Lightning desperately needed defense at the time, which is why they ultimately picked Hedman with their first pick in the following draft. So trading Stamkos for Del Zotto then might not have been a bad idea at the time.

Thank the hockey gods that they didn't, however. In the three season following, Stamkos had 51-, 45-, and 60-goal seasons, respectively. Turns out, instability within an organization doesn't exactly inspire confidence in rookies. Once the OK Hockey circus left town, things have been much better for the team overall. And maybe Stamkos was just a late bloomer, anyways.

And Cassie on what effect the trade would have had on the Lightning:

If the trade had gone down as reported, then probably not much would've changed for the Lightning. They would've missed Stamkos's scoring ability, of course, but then in the 2009, they could've picked up a forward with their second pick overall instead of Headman. The team was in such a disarray in 08-09 that getting a young defenseman first and drafting a scorer a year later (probably Matt Duchene, who would've had Martin St. Louis tutoring him, even as he's tutored Stamkos) probably wouldn't have made a huge difference.

Oh the joys of being able to replace one top flight player with another through being a bad team

So guys, what are your thoughts on all this? Any suggestions on what other events we should look at on the What If machine?

Back To The Future: A Look At Rangers Prospects At Team USA's WJC Camp

Kevin Power — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 21:35:32 -0000

It's August, and until Shane Doan makes up his mind on whether or not he wants to go down with the SS Phoenix Coyotes or not, there is not much going on in terms of news in the Hockey world in terms of NHL player movement.

There is, however, a certain training camp going on up in Lake Placid, New York that Rangers fans should turn their attention to.

Team USA is holding its Evaluation Camp for the 2012 World Junior Championship and the Rangers have a few players in camp that are looking to make an impact for the Red, White and Blue. Namely J.T. Miller, Brady Skjei and Steven Fogarty.

Team USA is putting together a strong group to compete in the WJC in Ufa this year...after the jump a more detailed look at the Rangers representatives for Team USA.

Let's start with the forwards shall we? (All quoted text from Chris Peters' blog United States of Hockey)

Steven Fogarty: The Rangers 3rd Round pick in 2011 has been a nice find for the Rangers thus far and looks to bring his scoring touch to (82pts in the BCHL) Team USA.

Fogarty is one of the players I’m most excited to see in camp after his 33-goal, 82-point season for Penticton in the BCHL last year. He has a big body at 6-2, 194. By most accounts, his development took a big step forward after moving on from Minnesota high school where his size allowed him to dominate. Fogarty can play well at both ends of the ice and if his two-way game from the BCHL translates to the jump in competition at the Junior camp, he could find himself in the conversation in December.

Fogarty has had his praises sung from various scouts and analysts for his offensive play as well as his solid play in both ends of the ice. I can see Fogarty really making an impact if he makes Team USA, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if he doesn't.

J.T. Miller: Being the only hold over player from last year's WJC team, Miller is going into camp not to fight for a spot but to keep his spot secure and prove that he can be one of the leaders of Team USA. Miller's strong physical and two way game compliment his offensive game ( a PPG player with the Plymouth Whalers in the WHL last year).

The only forward in camp that played in the 2012 World Junior Championship, Miller comes in with high expectations. Miller was inconsistent, as were most Team USA forwards at the WJC last year. Still, a year older and a year wiser, Miller should be able to step into a key role for this U.S. squad. He put up just better than a point-per-game last year in Plymouth. Miller will have to show the way in camp and should be counted on to be both productive and physical. Returnees are almost never kept home from the tournament and I would not expect Miller to be an exception. His WJC experience and skill-set are needed if the U.S. has plans on competing for a medal in Ufa.

The big thing for Miller is to see whether he can crack the top 6 of Team USA's forward corps with players like Alex Galchenyuk, John Gaudreau and Stefan Noesen all competing for top spots and if Miller can to the top 6 can he be productive up there...I believe he can it's just a matter of positioning whether he plays as a center or a winger

On the Back end:

Brady Skjei: The newest Rangers 1st round pick is quite possibly the best skating defenseman in Team USA's camp and while his offense and defensive games are not stellar or elite yet, Skjei can play a solid defensive game in his own end and knows how to make a good transition pass to start the offense

There’s not a better skater among the defensemen in camp and that’s going to be a key tool for this team if Phil Housley wants an up-tempo attack. Skjei does his best work in the defensive zone and can shut down top forwards. His offense is at a decent enough level to be effective at the WJC level, particularly his ability to trigger the defense-to-offense transition. I think they’ll have a tough time keeping Skjei off the final roster no matter what. He has good size, plays smart and will be a weapon on international ice potentially.

Skjei could be in the bottom pairing of a Team USA blue line featuring players such as Jacob Trouba who most likely has a spot locked up joining J.T. Miller as one of the only two returning players, Seth Jones who most say is the best defensive prospect for the 2013 NHL Draft and is right behind Nathan McKinnon as the future #1 pick, and Jordan Schmaltz, a high end offensive defenseman that will be a force to be reckoned with. Needless to say Team USA's defense will be stacked and I expect Skjei to not only make the team, but also be a major reason why the US picks up a medal.

So, there you have it. The Rangers have three players vying for Team USA's World Junior team and two of them could be major players for Team America...what are your thoughts guys?

Come listen to Blueshirt Underground Radio: RICK NASHAGANZA Edition

Kevin Power — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:50:42 -0000

Come listen to Blueshirt Underground Radio: RICK NASHAGANZA Edition

Can't get enough of that Rick Nash flavor? Now, you can get more of it with our old friend Jim and his radio partner (and BFF) Eddie on their online radio show

2012 NHL Entry Draft: Some Final Thoughts On The Rangers Draft

Kevin Power — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 03:22:58 -0000

Well, the 2012 NHL Draft has come and gone and the Rangers made their picks even with all the trade rumors swirling about the New York Rangers actually managed to hold onto their 28th overall pick so now is as good a time as any to share some final thoughts on the four players the Rangers selected.

Let's go pick by pick shall we?

With the 28th overall pick the Rangers selected 18 year old Defenseman Brady Skjei (pronounced "Shey") out of the USNTDP. The 6'3 200 lbs. defenseman is a smooth skating defenseman that may not have one standout aspectbesides his skating; Skjei still has room to grow as a player and will have the time to do so with the Rangers being stacked on the blue line for the next few years.

My take: While I do like the pick, I think the Rangers took the safe route here where there were more risk/reward picks on the board that Gordie clarke and company could have gone with that could have a bigger impact on the farm system than Skjei.

With the 59th overall pick in the draft the Rangers selected Cristoval "Boo" Nieves a slim winger who is a speed demon and has some pretty good puck skills. Nieves is more of a project pick and will develop well under Red Berenson at The University of Michigan where he will play in the fall.

My take: with players like Nicholas Kerdiles, Phi DiGiuesspe and Tanner Pearson off the board; Nieves is a very solid pick for the Rangers in the second round and could develop really well under Michigan's program.

With the 119th overall pick in the draft the Rangers selected Calle Andersson, a Swedish two-way defenseman who, at 6'2 211lbs, already has a pro sized body and knows how to move the puck and can skate very well for a player his size and weight.

My take: The more I read about this pick the more I think the Rangers found a real gem in Andersson, most analysts rave about his puck handling abilities and his skating and if he develops properly could be a major asset for the Rangers down the line.

The Rangers final pick in the draft came at 142 overall and they selected winger Thomas Spelling from Denmark. I'll be honest I don't know much about Spelling besides the fact that he was second on Denmark in scoring during the World Junior Championships

My take: A 6'1 175lb winger with a scoring touch? Not bad, but there were better options on the board.

After the jump some final, final thoughts on the draft.

While I was surprised the Rangers drafted a defenseman with their first pick, I was very happy when I saw it was Skjei, who many projected to go in 15-20 range before the NHL had a run on defensemen for some reason. Would I have liked a forward like Pearson, who went two picks later, or Kerdiles? Yes, but Skjei is still a solid pick.

I was disappointed though, that the Rangers played so safe with the means and opportunity to get more aggressive and draft more high risk/ high reward players or maybe try and trade up to get one of the falling forwards in the first round (a reach I know). Especially in the later rounds where more high talent level players could have been taken.

One of the players I fell in love with went undrafted in Anton Slepyshev, a player with all the skill of a first rounder but NHL teams shied away because of the uncertainty of his KHL status. I was very surprised when he was still available in the 6th and 7th rounds and I wanted the Rangers to try and trade in and draft him.

Well, another draft in the books and the Rangers come out of it with a solid corps of players to bolster the ranks in the coming years. What are your thoughts guys?

Poll

What do you think of the Rangers Draft?

They added a pretty good group of players

132 votes

Could have been better, but not too upset

121 votes

NO RICK NASH?!!1!1! THAT TEH FAIL

30 votes

283 votes | Poll has closed

With the 119th Pick In The 2012 NHL Entry Draft The New York Rangers Select Calle Andersson

Kevin Power — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 15:31:34 -0000

With their 4th and last pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft the New York Rangers selected Calle Andersson of Sweden. Standing at 6'2 211lbs Andersson is a big, puck handling D-Man who can run an offense from the blue line while not being the greatest in his own end Calle can handle his own when it comes to the defensive side of the puck.

35. Calle Andersson , Defense, Farjestad- J20 SuperElit

Andersson has been impressive this year, as a player with pro-average size and good puck-moving skills will always turn heads. Andersson is the kind of player who just looks comfortable with the puck and being the starting point of offense for his team. He has good puck skills to combine with a nice calmness and fluidity when he's holding it along the offensive blue line or bringing it up the ice. Calle is an impressive passer, as the puck comes off his stick crisply when he's moving it, in the mold of an offensive puck possession defender. While his assets are his puck-moving skills, he also has some aggressiveness to his game as he will join the rush and activate from the blue line. Andersson has solid size, with a good muscle mass for his age, but while he does engage, I wouldn't say he's overly physical. He's about average in his own end which still gives him notable value considering his talent level and I'm not leaning in any particular direction on his d-zone work. The only real area of concern I have for Andersson is his skating, which is below average. He doesn't labor through his motions, but just doesn't stand out in any particular aspect. Overall, he's a pretty well-rounded player and could be a real find.

From Corey Pronman's Top 100 NHL Draft Prospects.

Basically, Calle looks to be another solid, albeit safe, two way defensive pick that Gordie and his staff is adding to their arsenal of big defensemen. Now they should start turning their attention to the forward corps.

Thoughts guys?

With The 28th Pick In The 2012 NHL Entry Draft The New York Rangers Select Defenseman Brady Skjei

Kevin Power — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 02:42:13 -0000

Well, with all the rumors swirling around that the Rangers will trade their pick for Rick Nash or Bobby Ryan. The Rangers went ahead and kept the pick and used it on Brady Skjei; a 6'3 200lbs smooth skating defenseman from Minnesota who will be attending The University of Minnesota in the fall.

From Corey Pronman

Skjei is quite an intriguing prospect to scout, as while average across the board aside from his size and skating, it's the latter that is clearly visible every time he plays and generates his value. Skjei is a well above-average to elite skater who moves as well as you'll find in a 6'3" player. I've seen instances where forwards would get two or three steps behind him and with a few side steps he would catch up to them. His first step is pretty explosive and makes him very dangerous on the rush as he regularly will take the puck out of his own end and bring it up through the opponent's blue line with ease. Skjei's puck skills are solid for a big man, but compared to a wide talent pool they're pretty average. The same can be said for his puck-moving skills as well which is why despite that one high-end ability, I don't think he has a significant offensive ceiling. In his own end, he uses his mobility well to stay with his checks, but doesn't use his large frame as much as he could and seems a bit timid at times. Whoever drafts him will be betting on the tremendous physical tools and hoping something else in his game takes a jump forward along the way to really propel his value.

A solid two way defenseman that could get into the 4-6 pairing range. At 28 it's a solid pick

From nhlmockdraft.org

In a draft-year where the first round could be more than fifty percent defense, it’s easy for some blueliners to get lost in the shuffle. The physically imposing but ‘raw’ Brady Skjei of the U.S. NTDP Under-18 team might be a victim of the defensive overflow. Despite pro-caliber size and superlative wheels, the University of Minnesota commit seems to get lost in the vast sea that is the 2012-eligible defenseman corps.

Again, this is a good pick for the Rangers. The team could use some more defensemen in the system and Skjei is being compared to being a Ryan McDonagh-lite which is never a bad thing

Thoughts guys?

2012 NHL Entry Draft: Recapping The Top 15 Picks Of The 1st Round

Kevin Power — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 00:19:46 -0000

Halfway through the Draft, so let's recap the top 15 picks shall we?

1. Edmonton Oilers: Nail Yakupov (RW)

2. Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Murray (D)

3. Montreal Canadiens: Alex Galchenyuk (C)

4. New York Islanders: Griffin Reinhart (D)

5. Toronto Maple Leafs: Morgan Reilly (D)

6. Anaheim Ducks: Hampus Lindholm (D)

7. Minnesota Wild: Matthew Dumba (D)

8. Pittsburgh Penguins (Via CAR): Derrick Pouliot (D)

9. Winnipeg Jets: Jacob Trouba (D)

10. Tampa Bay Lightning: Slater Koekkoek (D)

11. Washington Capitals (via COL): Filip Forsberg (RW)

12. Buffalo Sabres: Mikhail Grigorenko (C)

13. Dallas Stars: Radek Faksa (C)

14. Buffalo Sabres (via CAL): Zemgus Girgensons (C)

15. Ottawa Senators: Cody Ceci (D)

After the jump a few thoughts on the first half of the first round

8, EIGHT, straight Defensemen taken in the top 15
The Pittsburgh Penguins traded Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes for Brendan Sutter, Brian Dumolen, and the #8 overall pick which turned into Derrick Pouliot
Top rated forwards Filip Forsberg and Mikhail Grigorenko both fell to the 11th and 12th picks in the Draft
With all of those defensemen falling, there are a lot of options for the Rangers and the second half of the first round

Use this as your second half open thread

2012 Entry Draft: Edmonton Oilers Select Nail Yakupov With First Overall Pick

Kevin Power — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 23:15:52 -0000

The Draft has started and with the first pick in the Draft the Edmonton Oilers selected Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting in the OHL.

The Russian Forward is a scoring machine in Major Junior and should translate to big success in Edmonton.

Just Imagine: Taylor Hall-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Nail Yakupov

Goalies in the West are probably sighing in despair at the thought of that

With the 2nd overall pick the Columbus Blue Jackets are on the clock

2012 NHL Entry Draft: 1st Round Open Thread

Kevin Power — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:55:57 -0000

Well, here we are boys and girls. The Draft kicks off at 7pm and the courses of quite a few franchises can change tonight.

Who will the Oilers draft with the #1 pick?

Will Rick Nash be a Blue Jacket by the end of the night?

Who will win the Bobby Ryan sweepstakes?

Can Mike Gillis and Brian Burke just it over with and complete the Roberto Luongo trade?

Will the Rangers be making their pick at #28?

All these questions will be on the forefront tonight as the teams go 1-30 in the Draft

We will have updated threads as the night goes on to clear up traffic on the site

as always GO HOCKEY

Poll

Who will the Rangers be drafting tonight

Rick Nash

3 votes

Bobby Ryan

5 votes

Keith Yandle

3 votes

Potato

7 votes

18 votes | Poll has closed

2012 NHL Offseason: Making The Case For Alexander Semin

Kevin Power — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:04:02 -0000

The New York Rangers need a goal scorer. This has been the clarion call since the New Jersey Devils ended the Rangers' season and there have been a lot of options being tossed around for the Rangers to acquire another top-6 goal scorer via trade (Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan) or unrestricted free agency.

One name tossed around a lot in cyber space is the Wasington Capitals' UFA Alexander Semin. Semin is a polarizing figure around the hockey world. The 28-year-old, right-handed shooting left winger is known for having one of the most lethal wrist shots in the game and can light the lamp with the best of them as well as being one of the best skaters in the league.

The problem is a perceived "lack of commitment" on the ice and that he's a "streaky" goalscorer not worth the money.

I happen to think that Alexander Semin would love playing in New York, with players like Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik on his line, and will bring the scoring touch that the Rangers need criticism be damned.

After the jump I make my case in much more detail.

Over at Russian Machine Never Breaks, Neil Greenberg tackled the idea that Alex Semin is a streaky scorer using three models and 10,000 situations (Alexander Semin, Mr. Consistency and Mr. Streaky) and...well...it turns out that Semin is actually pretty consistent:

For one, Semin doesn’t appear to be as inconsistent as many fans believe– at least not when it comes to scoring goals in the NHL. That’s not to say he doesn’t go through scoring droughts (or make bonehead plays in the offensive zone), but when looked at in terms of what we can expect from elite scorers just by random chance alone there seems to be some real consistency there: Semin had more goal-scoring streaks and multi-goal games than the consistency model– with fewer zero goal games to boot!

While Semin's point production has gone down in the last three seasons (84, 54, 54) most of that can be attributed to Bruce Boudreau making a radical shift to a defensive system in an attempt to get deeper into the playoffs and we know how that blew up on the Capitals.

I know a lot of the fanbase seems to recoil away from Semin because they think that he may shy away and hide from Torts demanding system and that only players who play a grinding style will be successful. I don't buy that since that would mean that Gaborik would also struggle since he too is an offense-first player.

For two years at around 4.5-5 million per year I don't see the harm in signing Semin at all.

Your thoughts guys?

2012 NHL Offseason: New York Rangers Qualify Three Players

Kevin Power — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:43:15 -0000

Lost in all the Draft coverage, Rick Nash rumors and Zach Parise dreaming. The Rangers have had their own RFAs to take care of. Well, as Katie Strang of ESPN points out, Glen Sather and the New York Rangers have taken the first step in doing just that.

Katie Strang ‏@KatieStrangESPN

#NYR Rangers have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Zuccarello, Stralman, and Del Zotto

While Mats Zuccarello signed his KHL deal a couple of weeks ago, the Rangers still control his rights and thus qualified him so they didn't lose him in free agency. It's also a good sign to see the Rangers wanting to bring Anton Stralman back by offering to qualify him.

The interesting one to me is Michael Del Zotto. A player that has been thrown around in a lot of trade rumors getting qualified could be a sign of faith in the player to show that he won't be traded. Either way this is some encouraging news on the Rangers RFA front.

Thoughts guys?

2012 NHL Entry Draft Player Profiles: Mark Jankowski

Kevin Power — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:55:24 -0000

The Draft is a week away people...are you excited yet? Let's continue our look at potential 1st round picks for the Rangers with a look at a player some would call the real sleeper in this year's 1st round.

Mark Jankowski is a big (6'2) albeit lanky (175lb) 17-year -old center from Ontario and is in a similar situation to Chris Kreider when he was drafted by the Rangers in 2009. Jankowski is playing in a little known collegiate league in Quebec, where the talent level isn't as high as it would be were he playing in Canadian Major Junior leagues. However, all the scouts are saying that the playmaking center has some of the best offensive instincts of those players available in the draft and can develop into a big playmaking center.

From Corey Pronman's Top 100 Draft Prospects:

36. Mark Jankowski, Center, Stanstead-Quebec Prep

Playing in a pretty obscure league, Jankowski has impressed scouts I've talked to due to his significant growth physically and from a hockey development standpoint over the last year or two. Jankowski is an above-average skater who has a nice fluid look to his movements on top of good agility and top speed, although I should note that not every scout I talked to liked his skating. Jankowski's best asset is his hockey sense, as he's an aware, creative playmaker. He was checked tightly in games this year due to his skill level and the relative low talent level of his peers but he regularly executed above-average distributions and showed the ability to make plays in tight spaces. Jankowski tries to play physical, but despite good size he is not that effective in the physical game due to a significant lack of strength and a beanpole frame. Jankowski has the puck skills and hockey sense to be a noticeable possession player but will need quite a few years of development time. He arguably has first round talent and could be a major sleeper, but due to the fact that I haven't really seen him, I don't feel comfortable putting him that high and this ranking is due to projection uncertainty as much as it is talent assessment.

After the jump a few more thoughts on Jankowski and whether the Rangers should draft him.

A lot of people like Jankowski to be a solid top 6 playmaker or two way forward. Either way, I think it would be a coup if the Rangers got him this soon in the draft.

From the Hockey Writers:

NHL Potential:

First or second line center

Strengths:

• Very good hockey sense and excellent on-ice vision
• Intelligent player with good offensive instincts
• Patience with the puck and great puck-distribution skills
• Surprisingly good defensively
• Accurate slap shot and wrist shot

Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:

• Needs to improve his first few steps and acceleration
• Needs to bulk-up (add 15-20 pounds), and strengthen both his upper body and lower body
• Needs to improve his face-off skills
• Needs to work on the quickness and the release of his shot

So as you can see...a decent sized center with above average vision and passing. A player the Rangers would love to have in their system.

What do you think guys? Would you want the young Jankowski in the 1st round?

Poll

Would you draft Mark Jankowski with the 28th pick in the draft

Yes, we could use a good playmaking center in the system

47 votes

No, the pick will belong to Columbus

23 votes

Maybe, there are better options

37 votes

107 votes | Poll has closed

2012 NHL Mock Draft Fan Contest: Kevin Power

Kevin Power — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:54:13 -0000

#1 Edmonton Oilers: Nail Yakupov

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets: Mikhail Grigorenko

#3 Montreal Canadiens: Filip Forsberg

#4 New York Islanders: Ryan Murray

#5 Toronto Maple Leafs: Alex Galchenyuk

#6 Anaheim Ducks: Matthew Dumba

#7 Minnesota Wild: Teuvo Teravainen

#8 Carolina Hurricanes: Griffen Reinhart

#9 Winnipeg Jets: Radek Faksa

#10 Tampa Bay Lightning: Jacob Trouba

#11 Washington Capitals: Cody Ceci

#12 Buffalo Sabres: Olli Maata

#13 Dallas Stars: Zemgus Girgensons

#14 Calgary Flames: Sebastian Colberg

#15 Ottawa Senators: Hampus Lindholm

#16 Washington Capitals: Brendan Gaunce

#17 San Jose Sharks: Matt Finn

#18 Chicago Blackhawks: Tom Wilson

#19: Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevski

#20 Philadelphia Flyers: Slater Koekkoek

#21 Buffalo Sabres: Scott Laughton

#22 Pittsburgh Penguins: Derrick Pouliot

#23 Florida Panthers: Stefan Matteau

#24 Boston Bruins: Thomas Wilson

#25 St. Louis Blues: Ville Pokka

#26 Vancouver Canucks: Tanner Pearson

#27 Phoenix Coyotes: Pontus Aberg

#28 New York Rangers: Nicholas Kerdiles

#29: New Jersey Devils: Dalton Thrower

#30: Columbus Blue Jackets: Malcolm Subban

#1 Edmonton Oilers: Nail Yakupov

#2 Columbus Blue Jackets: Mikhail Grigorenko

#3 Montreal Canadiens: Filip Forsberg

#4 New York Islanders: Ryan Murray

#5 Toronto Maple Leafs: Alex Galchenyuk

#6 Anaheim Ducks: Matthew Dumba

#7 Minnesota Wild: Teuvo Teravainen

#8 Carolina Hurricanes: Griffen Reinhart

#9 Winnipeg Jets: Radek Faksa

#10 Tampa Bay Lightning: Jacob Trouba

#11 Washington Capitals: Cody Ceci

#12 Buffalo Sabres: Olli Maata

#13 Dallas Stars: Zemgus Girgensons

#14 Calgary Flames: Sebastian Colberg

#15 Ottawa Senators: Hampus Lindholm

#16 Washington Capitals: Brendan Gaunce

#17 San Jose Sharks: Matt Finn

#18 Chicago Blackhawks: Tom Wilson

#19: Tampa Bay Lightning: Andrei Vasilevski

#20 Philadelphia Flyers: Slater Koekkoek

#21 Buffalo Sabres: Scott Laughton

#22 Pittsburgh Penguins: Derrick Pouliot

#23 Florida Panthers: Stefan Matteau

#24 Boston Bruins: Thomas Wilson

#25 St. Louis Blues: Ville Pokka

#26 Vancouver Canucks: Tanner Pearson

#27 Phoenix Coyotes: Pontus Aberg

#28 New York Rangers: Nicholas Kerdiles

#29: New Jersey Devils: Dalton Thrower

#30: Columbus Blue Jackets: Malcolm Subban

Hockey Wilderness Mock Draft contest

Kevin Power — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:52:57 -0000

Hockey Wilderness Mock Draft contest

Hey guys, our friends over at Hockey Wilderness the Minnesota Wild blog is having a Mock Draft contest with the grand prize being a $25 gift card to the NHL.com store. All you have to do is make a fanpost on their site with your mock draft

2012 NHL Playoffs Stanley Cup Final: Game 6 Open Thread

Kevin Power — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 23:03:22 -0000

One more time...with feeling folks

So, here we are, the Kings had a 3-0 series lead the Devils were dead right? There was no way the Devils can stop this Los Angeles steam roller right?

...yeah...about that...

We got game 6 tonight in a series that has been quite enjoyable from a hockey stand point: great goaltending, big plays offensively and defensively and that thing that makes for a good Stanley Cup Final...intensity.

As always folks enjoys the game and GO HOCKEY

Prediction: Devils win 2-1

...and to approve certain quotas that have recently been put in place...Rick Nash

Poll

Will the Cup be won tonight

Yes

23 votes

No

0 votes

RickNashRickNashRickNashRickNashRickNash

19 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

2012 NHL Entry Draft Player Profiles: Anton Slepyshev

Kevin Power — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 15:26:32 -0000

Let's continue our Player Profiles with a player that can be either a major steal, or a major reach at 28. Anton Slepyshev is a 17 year old dynamic winger playing the in KHL and has held his own as a kid playing against a league of men.

Now, I've seen some analysts rank the right handed shooting Slepyshev as high as 17 in their player rankings and as low as 51, though they all say the same thing, Anton can be a high end power forward in the NHL with above average speed, a plus shot and is a possession machine in the offensive zone.

While he's more of a score first player, Slepyshev has pretty good playmaking ability and needs to work on his physical game and grow into his 6'1 190lb frame as he could get pushed off the puck at times.

The reason why Anton is ranked so low is what some experts call "The Russian factor". More specifically, if the Rangers or any other team draft him they may not get him. The KHL is notorious for keeping their home grown talent by throwing bushels and bushels of money at him and there is a possibility of that happening with Slepyshev. Also, some prospect analysts rank him lower because they haven't really seen Anton dominate in the big league as a 17 year old.

From Corey Pronman's 100 Draft Prospects:

17. Anton Slepyshev, Left Wing, Novokuznetsk-KHL

Slepyshev is one of the rare 17-year-old forwards who has been able to step into the KHL and produce, albeit at a marginal level. His production is along the lines of what elite prospects Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vladimir Tarasenko did in their 17-year-old seasons, though, for example. Slepyshev is an above-average skater who is tremendously agile and is also able to get up to a notable top gear. When you combine his great agility with the fact he has high-end puck skills, he really is a nuisance to check. Slepyshev is very effective at dodging opponents and creating space for himself. I've seen times on penalty kills where he would dance around the opposing zone for 15-25 seconds because several opponents keep missing him. Slepyshev has a plus if not near that shot and he knows it, as he has a shoot-first mentality with the ability to score from way out. He can still make plays and doesn't have tunnel vision, but I wouldn't classify him as a playmaker. Slepyshev's physical game needs some work as while he's average-sized, he's got a bean pole frame and can easily be pushed off the puck. He will show some physical effort, although that at times could be better, and has some defensive value too, but his strength level is way behind where it needs to be.

From NHLMockDraft.org's player profile

Once he gets through the opposition he has a wide array of options to score with. His fakes are very deceptive and he can juke effectively at top speed. He’s equally capable finishing with the forehand and backhand and should be a top-level shootout performer when he makes it. In addition, his arsenal of weapons includes a particularly potent one-timer which he’ll willingly use from all angles.

The biggest concern for potential suitors is his status as a Russian in the KHL. It’s potentially far more lucrative for Slepyshev to remain in Russia than to cross the pond. Because he hasn’t made the commitment to North American hockey, there will always be the worry that he’ll never make the jump to the NHL (or, like Alex Radulov, jump back after a few seasons).

After the Jump: A few final thoughts and a highlight video of Slepyshev doing his thing

This is a player the Rangers should jump on if he's available at 28. Most teams in the 1-15 picks will pass on him because they want a player that they know will be in North America right away. Slepyshev has elite offensive talent that the Rangers would love to have in their system.

Also, how much fun would it be to hear Sather, Clarke and especially Sam and Joe try to pronounce "Anton Slepshyev"? That is worthy of the Rangers drafting him by itself.

Here's a highlight video of Slepshyev's talent:

Anton Slepyshev (via hockeysemin)

So what are your thoughts guys?

Poll

Should the Rangers draft Anton Slepyshev with the 28th pick in the Draft?

Yes

54 votes

No

32 votes

Potato

24 votes

110 votes | Poll has closed

2012 Stanley Cup Final: Game 5 Open Thread

Kevin Power — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 22:34:34 -0000

Let's try this again shall we? The season can end tonight and the Cup will be in Newark waiting to be presented to its new owner.

The Devils showed some life in Game 4 and managed to win a game in LA.

However, that may have been the Kings secret plan all along since they have been literally perfect on the road this postseason posting a 10-0 record away from Staples Center.

So....do the Kings continue their road dominance and lift the Greatest Cereal Bowl Known to Man? Or do the Devils prove that it wasn't just an involuntary twitch and can make this a series?

Only one way to find out.

Players to watch:

Anze Kopitar

#11 / Center / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-3

Weight: 225

Born: Aug 24, 1987

Anze Kopitar has been great these playoffs and look for him to have another big game

Martin Brodeur

#30 / Goalie / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Born: May 06, 1972

Hate it all you want, but Martin Brodeur has been fantastic this post season and virtually won Game 4 for the Devils all by himself coming with some big saves

Well, this could be our last Game Thread of the year; as always enjoy the game and...GO HOCKEY

Prediction: Devils win 3-2 OT

Poll

Who is the Conn Smythe winner this year?

Rick Nash

1 votes

Alexander Semin

1 votes

Alexander Radulov

2 votes

Potato

8 votes

12 votes | Poll has closed

2012 NHL Entry Draft Player Profiles: Tanner Pearson

Kevin Power — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 03:07:32 -0000

Last time we tackled Nicholas Kerdiles in our Player Profile series; a product of the USNTDP and a projected power forward.

This time let's go with a player who has more offensive upside to his game in Tanner Pearson.

the 6'0 198lb Left Winger from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada has been a bit of a nice surprise after being passed over in the draft two years in a row. Pearson's stock sky rocketed this year as he found his offensive game putting up 37g 54a for 91pts in 60 games with the Barrie Colts this past season.

The left handed Pearson has very good offensive game; a very good shot, plus hockey sense and vision and is known to be a slick passer. However, Pearson's speed and acceleration are not the greatest and need to be improved in order to get down the ice in transition and for a while will have more value as a PP shooter than 5 on 5.

Join me after the jump for more.

From Corey Pronman's Top 100 Draft Prospects:

40. Tanner Pearson, Right Wing, Barrie-OHL

Pearson has been one of this draft season's surprise stories as the winger entering his third draft eligible season skyrocketed towards the top of the OHL scoring race and grabbed the attention of scouts everywhere. Pearson is a gritty forward who works hard on the forecheck, doesn't shy from throwing his body around, does good work in front of the net, and shows effort in his own end. While Pearson is 19 and turns 20 in August, his frame is somewhat filled and shows good strengths in his battles. He has a desirable offensive element to him, led by his high-end hockey sense. Pearson is a tremendous passer with eyes in the back of his head and can make tremendous feeds and consistently execute above-average ones. Pearson has average hands, maybe a tick above that, but does fine protecting the puck and getting his stick on pucks in front of the net. His main weakness is his skating, which is below-average and doesn't look great off the line, but his top speed is okay although it could certainly be better. Due to his inability to be very effective in the transition game, Pearson projects as a better PP scorer than an even-strength one but will be effective defensively 5-on-5.

Once again...you can read all of Pronman's prospect analysis here

From a close up on Pearson done by The Hockey Writers which you can read here

A player that can play up and down a lineup, Pearson is a complete forward. He has good size, skates well and competes hard every shift. He plays an effective two way game and has been lethal on Barrie’s powerplay this year.

"Lethal on Barrie's powerplay this year" Man that sounds so good to me

A few closing thoughts and a video below.

While I don't think Pearson is as well rounded as Nicholas Kerdiles is; but he does have the size and offensive ability to make an impact down the line for the Rangers if given a little time to develop in the system, a little more high risk than Kerdiles but with some more upside.

My semi-educated projection of Pearson? A top six offensive minded forward that is defensively responsible

A video:

Poll

Should the Rangers draft Tanner Pearson at 28?

Yes

20 votes

No

39 votes

Maybe

19 votes

78 votes | Poll has closed

2012 Stanley Cup Final: Sweep Night Open Thread

Kevin Power — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:05:25 -0000

This could be it folks.

The Kings dominated New Jersey in Game 3 to go up three games to none in the Stanley Cup Final and are just one win away from raising Lord Stanley's Chalice.

There's a sense of finality hanging around this series after Monday's Game 3, but everyone always says that Game 4 is the hardest game to win so don't expect New Jersey to roll over and let LA skate all over them.

Quick reminder: DO NOT go over to In Lou We Trust tonight, just don't do it. They won't be up for dealing with any rangers fans and depending on how the game goes it'd just be best to leave them alone

With that out of the way...remember to enjoy the game folks and as always GO HOCKEY

Prediction: 2-1 Devils win (Why break tradition?)

Poll

Who scores the game winning goal tonight?

Anze Kopitar

3 votes

Dustin Brown

3 votes

Alexander Mogilny

2 votes

Jamie Langdenbrunner

1 votes

Wayne Gretzky

7 votes

Jari Kurri

5 votes

21 votes | Poll has closed

2012 NHL Entry Draft Player Profiles: Nicholas Kerdiles

Kevin Power — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:27:32 -0000

With the NHL Draft quickly approaching (16 days to go). I figured now would be a good time to start looking at some of the players that the Rangers may or may not be announcing when they walk up to the podium with the 28th pick in the Draft.

Let's focus on Nicholas Kerdiles shall we?

The 6'2 201lb. left handed winger was Team USA's points leader during the U-18 World Junior Championships as well as putting up 42pts in 50 games last season with the NTDP in the USHL.

While not having a single outstanding skill; Kerdiles is a jack of all trades with high end skating, strength and offensive skill and is defensively responsible in his own end.

Kerdiles is projected as being one of the better forward prospects to be available in the bottom half of the first round and should develop into a solid top 6 power forward.

Below the jump are a couple of profiles on Kerdiles from people who know more than I do.

From Hockey Prospectus' Corey Pronman: an expert on the Draft and player development:

27. Nicolas Kerdiles, Left Wing, USA Under-18 National Team-USHL

Kerdiles is the top forward on the US U-18 team in what has been a weak crop of forwards for them this year. He's not a truly flashy player but certainly has good offensive skills and is a pretty well-rounded player with several offensive elements and gets it done in his own end as well. Kerdiles is a good skater who has a technically sound stride and can really be a pest on the forecheck with his speed. He has solid puck skills with the ability to make the odd move in open ice and shows some creativity off the rush. Kerdiles will flash the ability to be an above-average distributor but is inconsistent in that area as there will be times when he has tunnel vision and doesn't show desirable sense, only to make a great sense play later in the game. He's a hard-working two-way player who will drive the net, pressure physically on the forecheck, and hustle back diligently to help on defense. Kerdiles will also be used on the penalty kill and shows the ability to be effective. He doesn't have a really notable weakness other than his somewhat skinny frame, though as stated above, he doesn't have a standout skill.

From Corey's Top 100 NHL Draft Prospects.

(FYI Corey is a must follow on twitter for all things prospects and draft related: https://twitter.com/#!/coreypronman)

And from Chris Peters over at United States of Hockey

The single biggest reason for Kerdiles to be part of this list is his versatility. He’s defensively responsible, but has great goal-scoring ability and offensive touch. Kerdiles has a solid 6-1, 192-pound frame that he uses well to protect the puck and take opponents off of it. He’s not overly physical, but plays a very steady, strong game.

Here are some of my thoughts on Kerdiles and where he could fit in the Rangers organization:

When it comes to the Rangers organization depth; they could use more size and skill on the forward lines and Kerdiles certainly fills that spot to a tee and while he may not jump directly to the AHL right after the Draft, Nicholes still has time to develop and grow into his body and round out his game.

My semi-educated projection on Kerdiles? A solid, steady top 6 forward who could put up 20-25 goals while still be a physical player.

If there is any player I would want the Rangers to draft I would have Kerdiles at the top of my list.

Thoughts guys?

Poll

Should the Rangers draft Nicholas Kerdiles at 28?

Yes

51 votes

No

19 votes

Maybe

48 votes

118 votes | Poll has closed

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final: Game Three Open Thread

Kevin Power — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:06:34 -0000

A little late tonight folks, but we all know the situation.

The Kings are one game from taking a 3-0 lead in the series

The Devils need a win to stay alive

Enjoy it tonight folks and as always...GO HOCKEY

Prediction: 3-2 Devils

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final: (8) Los Angeles Kings vs (6) New Jersey Devils Game Two Open Thread

Kevin Power — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 22:55:09 -0000

After an up and down game 1 the Kings walked out of the Prudential Center up 1-0 in the series after Anze Kopitar won the game with a beauty of a break away move on Martin Brodeur.

Tonight, both teams go back at it with the Kings looking to continue their road dominance these playoffs; while the Devils look to even up the series at one game a piece heading to LA for games 3 and 4

Player to watch for the Kings:

Anze Kopitar

#11 / Center / Los Angeles Kings

Height: 6-3

Weight: 225

Born: Aug 24, 1987

Why not go with the guy who scored the game winning goal? The Kings offense as a whole looked a little rusty after eight days off. Look for Kopitar to be a force tonight

Player to watch for the Devils

Ilya Kovalchuk

#17 / Right Wing / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-3

Weight: 230

Born: Apr 15, 1983

Look for Kovy to be a major factor in this one as New Jersey turns to the Russian sniper to get them past Jonathan Quick.

Game 2 prediction: 3-1 Devils

Remember to enjoy the game folks and as always GO HOCKEY

Poll

Who has the better facial hair

New Jersey

2 votes

Los Angeles

8 votes

15th Century Visigoths

12 votes

22 votes | Poll has closed