Monthly Archives: July 2015
O’Reilly gets massive extension with Sabres, what this means for Stepan’s future
Bobby Bevilacqua
Ryan O’Reilly received a massive contract extension after being traded to the Buffalo Sabres, a contract that could wind up driving Derek Stepan’s price through the roof. Photo courtesy of Doug Pensinger/Getty Images.
When the season ended for the Rangers, and bloggers and beat writers began speculating, the general consensus was that Derek Stepan, an RFA, would command $6 million a year for a long term deal. Personally, I thought that even that was a bit too much money for Stepan, but it seemed like he would be able to get that much. And then the Buffalo Sabres came along.
The Sabres made a draft day trade for 24 year old Ryan O’Reilly in order to be their number one center, and take pressure off of Jack Eichel, and create a strong top line of Evander Kane, O’Reilly and Tyler Ennis. They then proceeded to sign him to a massive seven year, $52.5 million deal that would pay him an average of $7.5 million a year.
Now I know that the Sabres don’t have anyone of O’Reilly’s caliber at the center position, but that’s no excuse to overpay him like that. For a player that has broken 20 goals and 60 points once, that is a ridiculous amount of money. O’Reilly will be making the same amount of money as Pavel Datsyuk, Steven Stamkos and Jason Spezza, and he will be making more than guys like Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar, Tyler Seguin and John Tavares after this season. For 2015-16 his cap hit will be $6 million, and the new contract will kick in for the following year. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Player Grades; Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis
Bobby Bevilacqua
Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan were paired together for most of the year, while Kreider and Stepan have built considerable chemistry over the years. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When your top line is struggling or getting defended well, it’s always nice for a coach to have a secondary option to go to. A team’s second line can be just as important as its first line. Just look at Brad Richards and Patrick Kane on the Blackhawk’s second line.
For most of the season, the Ranger’s second line consisted of Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Martin St. Louis, except when injuries changed the pairings. Both Stepan and Kreider made strides in their game, and St. Louis closed out a marvelous 16 year career with a 52 point season.
The second line saw some change throughout the year, but for the most part, Kreider, Stepan and St. Louis formed a strong line throughout stretches of the regular season and the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry
Martin St. Louis announces his retirement
Bobby Bevilacqua
Martin St. Louis has finished his Hall of Fame career as a Ranger. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After 16 seasons, 1,241 NHL games, 1,033 points, three different teams and one Stanley Cup Championship, Martin St. Louis has retired from the National Hockey League as a member of the New York Rangers.
St. Louis, 40, sees his career come to a close following a 16 year adventure that saw him play for the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, and finally the New York Rangers. In over 1,200 career games played, St. Louis totaled 391 goals and 641 assists, putting him in the exclusive 1,000 point club, with just 82 players ever accomplishing that feat.
“I have been blessed to play for 16 years in the NHL; it has been an amazing ride,” St. Louis said while making the announcement. “I would like to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers organizations and owners for providing me the opportunity to play the sport I love for so many years. I could have never played for so long or accomplished all that I have without the unwavering love and support from my wife, Heather, our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason, and my parents.” Read the rest of this entry
Rangers have a smart and effective first day of free agency
Bobby Bevilacqua
There were no major moves for the Rangers, but Viktor Stalberg was the “biggest” signing for Gorton. Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports.
While the Rangers didn’t have much cap space to work with going into free agency, Jeff Gorton made the best with what little he had on his first day as the Rangers GM, signing some players for the Wolf Pack, adding a cheap seventh defenseman and a solid depth forward for either the third or fourth line.
Jeff Gorton has been waiting for a few years for his chance to run the New York Rangers. Everybody knew that it was going to happen. But nobody knew when. I’m not quite sure which previous moves that Gorton had his hands in, but if yesterday was the first official day on the job, then he made a good first impression. He made little, smart, effective moves to help address some of the Rangers needs. Read the rest of this entry
Glen Sather steps down as GM, Jeff Gorton takes his place
Bobby Bevilacqua
Jeff Gorton has officially taken over as the General Manager of the New York Rangers. Photo courtesy of Ron Antonelli.
In what has been rumored for quite some time now, Glen Sather has officially announced that he is stepping down as the GM of the New York Rangers, a position he has held since 2000. In his place is now Jeff Gorton, the assistant GM who has been getting more and more responsibilities over the past few years.
Sather is not completely removed from the Rangers organization, and will remain as team president. Gorton and he will continue to work together, but now Gorton will have the final word on players and all negotiations.
“Jeff has been an integral part of our success since joining the Rangers, and he has earned the respect of colleagues throughout the hockey community,” Sather said. “He is well prepared for and extremely deserving of this opportunity.”
Gorton, 46, has been a member of the Rangers organization since 2006 and has served as the Assistant GM for the past four years. He played a key role in the draft selections of Derek Stepan, Jesper Fast, Chris Kreider and JT Miller, as well as being a major part of the trades for Rick Nash, Keith Yandle, derick Brassard and Ryan McDonagh. He also was vital in the free agent signings of Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello. Read the rest of this entry
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