Monthly Archives: June 2015
Rangers Player Grades: Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello
Bobby Bevilacqua
Mats Zuccarello and Rick Nash made up part of the Rangers top line, a great possession line that was also responsible on defense, and poured on the goals. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When looking at every NHL team, each one features their top line, meant to contain the most skilled, best scoring forwards on the team that also play well together. Every line has its role, but the first line is where a lot of the scoring comes from.
Due to injury at the start of the season, and some new faces, Alain Vigneault struggled to find chemistry amongst the top three forwards. Rick Nash was always a top line staple, but Martin St. Louis started as the center in the first game of the season, because Derek Stepan was injured. Stepan was expected to be the team’s first center, but injury changed those plans.
At some point during the season, he decided to promote Derick Brassard to the top line, and soon after that, Mats Zuccarello on the right wing, due to how well him and Brass played last year. This line meshed perfectly together, and soon became the Rangers’ most productive line.
Nash, Brassard and Zuccarello could do it all. They play solid defense, maintain the majority of possession, and most importantly, score goals. Read the rest of this entry
McDonagh deserving of captaincy, both on and off the ice
Bobby Bevilacqua
Ryan McDonagh had to overcome injuries and new challenges in his first season as captain, and he attacked them flawlessly. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When the Rangers were making the decision of the 27th captain in Rangers history, I was saying Ryan McDonagh from the start. I have been a big fan of him ever since he made his debut in the 2010-2011 season, and I was at the game where he scored his first career goal against the New Jersey Devils.
Last year was a breakthrough season for McDonagh, posting a career high 43 points, scoring 14 goals with 29 assists. He was a shutdown defender, put up points consistently, and led by example after Ryan Callahan was traded. He continued to play exceptionally well in their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, scoring 17 points (4-14-17) in 25 playoff games.
The Rangers did announce that Ryan McDonagh would be the next captain of the team on October 6th, with the alternate captains being Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis. Read the rest of this entry
Cam Talbot trade rumors heating up, Nail Yakupov available, Klein Trade?
Bobby Bevilacqua
It seems more and more likely that Cam Talbot will be traded, but now the price is climbing. Could first round draft picks or prospects be headed New York’s way? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For quite a while now, it’s been assumed that the Rangers are going to move backup goaltender Cam Talbot during this offseason, capitalizing on his higher-than-ever trade value and moving him before he would likely leave after next season.
It was known that Talbot would draw interest from teams in need of a starting goalie, and for a few reasons.
First off, the market for a goaltender is quite weak. There is no chance that the Minnesota Wild will let Vezina Trophy finalist Devan Dubnyk walk, and he will almost definitely be back in a Wild uniform next year. Martin Jones is going to be re-signed by the Kings, and Antti Niemi is a proven number one starter, but he will be very pricey. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Player Grades; Keith Yandle, Kevin Klein and Matt Hunwick
Keith Yandle, Kevin Klein and Matt Hunwick combined to make up the third pairing for the Rangers throughout the season, each playing a very different role on the team. Photos courtesy of MSG Photos.
Rounding out the Rangers defense is the third pairing, which at times, can be just as important as the other two pairings. For Alain Vigneault and New York, that third pairing was constantly changing. This article will evaluate what it looked like at the end of the season, including the extra defenseman.
As of March 1st, that last pairing consisted of Keith Yandle and Kevin Klein. Yandle had just come over in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes, and Kevin Klein, playing in his first full season with the Rangers and having one of the best seasons of his career.
Matt Hunwick, signed in the offseason as the seventh defenseman, wound up playing 55 regular season games, and became a very important player for the Rangers this season.
When looking at each of these players, Yandle, Klein and Hunwick are all very different. But each one of them were important to the team in their own way. Read the rest of this entry
Will Broadway Brad be headed back to New York this offseason?
Bobby Bevilacqua
After winning the Stanley Cup in Chicago, could Brad Richards be heading back to New York for next season? Photo courtesy of Nick Laham.
Now that the Stanley Cup Finals are over, with the Chicago Blackhawks crowned as champions for the third time in six years, it’s time for trade rumors, surprise signings and speculations. And today, I’m starting with my own speculation and prediction, something that I have said since before the start of the 2014-15 season.
Brad Richards will be a New York Ranger for the 2015-16 season.
Before I start, this is pure speculation. I don’t have an insider tip, I haven’t talked to Brad Richards or his agent or a family member, and I don’t have contact with any members of the Rangers’ front office. But I do think that I have some fairly strong arguments for my case.
After the Rangers were defeated by the Los Angeles Kings in five games in June of 2014, Glen Sather used his final compliance buy out on Brad Richards, terminating his contract after just three years in New York. It was a foolish contract by Sather, mainly because it kept Richards until he was 40, with a cap hit of $6.67 annually, and it was a contract that realistically never would have been completed. Keeping him at that hit would have handcuffed the Rangers when trying to re-sign younger, core players in the coming years. Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 