Bobby Bevilacqua

So I’ve decided to continue with the Quick Hits articles. There really isn’t much to talk about right now, and this allows me to talk about things with the Rangers and any other stories around the league.

Brandon Halverson continues to impress

Photo courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images.

Brandon Halverson, the Rangers second round draft pick in 2014, is one of the most talented prospects in the team’s organization. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 179 pounds, the 19 year old goaltender is making a case to be the starter for the United States in the IIHF World Junior Championship.

During the Evaluation Camp, Halverson was undefeated with a 2-0 record in both of his starts. Before the starts, he played in three games, not starting any of them. In those games, he allowed six goals on 55 shots, for a 4.91 GAA and a .891 save percentage. But both of his starts resulted in wins, along with a 2.31 GAA and a .906 save percentage. The final start against Team Finland saw him stop 16 of the 17 shots that he faced in a 6-1 Team USA victory.

Halverson was awarded with an entry level contract just four days after Cam Talbot was signed, following a magnificent season in junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In his second season with them, Halverson went 40-5-2 along with a 2.63 GAA, a .913 save percentage and six shutouts in 50 games.

After trading for Magnus Hellberg, the Rangers are really stacked between the pipes. Mackenzie Skapski is one of the team’s top goalie prospects, along with Hellberg, Brandon Halverson, and even long-term goalie project Adam Huska. There’s a lot of talent in the farm system, and the Rangers should be okay when it comes time for Henrik Lundqvist to pass the torch.

Carl Hagelin still un-signed in Anaheim

Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.

When the Rangers acquired struggling prospect Emerson Etem from the Anaheim Ducks, they immediately stated that they had plans for him on the team, and agreed to a one-year deal with him shortly after he received his qualifying offer.

The situation for Carl Hagelin is drastically different. The Ducks traded Etem and moved down in the draft to acquire Hagelin, a versatile, speedy bottom six winger with a lot to bring to the table. But after announcing the signing of winger Jakub Silfverberg to a four year, $15 million contract, it doesn’t seem that the Swede and his new team are anywhere close to a new deal.

Back in July, Hagelin’s agent said that they were “making progress,” but that was over a month ago. Perhaps the Ducks are signing their own players first, and retaining people they are familiar with, but it’s still strange.

You have to think that Hagelin would help provide depth to the Ducks offense, maybe pairing nicely with Ryan Kesler or as a bottom six player. He’s quick, which Anaheim likes, and he’s great defensively.

It’ll be interesting to see how this all unwinds, and if the situation continues to prolong. Perhaps Hagelin might not be in a Ducks jersey after all.

Patrick Kane and the ongoing investigation

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks.

When news came out about Patrick Kane getting in trouble in Buffalo, his hometown, I wasn’t all that surprised. Although he has been out of trouble since 2012, he’s been involved in some situations in the past. He assaulted a cab driver over $0.20 back in 2009, and it’s well documented that he likes to party, sometimes a bit too much.

I’m not criticizing him for drinking at all. He’s over the legal age for drinking, and he likes to party and have fun with his friends. There’s even record of him being very polite at bars, and being patient with people that recognize him and ask for pictures.

But I was very surprised when hearing that the investigation was into an alleged rape involving Kane. That’s a very serious crime, one that will draw a lot of attention, and

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the story, here is a barebones recap of the situation; Kane was at the bar with some friends, and apparently went home with two ladies. One of them was spotted being openly flirtatious towards Kane. While one of the girls was in a separate room, the other claimed that Kane raped her. She apparently had scratches and bite marks as well.

Everyone seems to forget that Kane is innocent until proven guilty. This is purely speculation as of now, because the police haven’t come out with a statement yet, and no charges have been filed. The media today seems to think it’s more important to be the first outlet to publish breaking news, rather than being totally factually correct.

I’m also not claiming that he is innocent or guilty. I don’t know what happened there, neither do you, or any of the media members talking and writing about this. It’s a shame when you see people commenting on the situation as if they’re best friends with Kane, or people who seem to know he’s guilty.

The bottom line is that nobody knows what actually happened except for Kane and those two women. The story will surely unfold, so try to be objective before claiming his guilt or innocence. His reputation will be hurt anyway, mainly due to his past history and the constant coverage in the media, of his past troubles and now this investigation.

It hasn’t been a good year for the NHL when it comes to their players getting in trouble, with Slava Voynov, Mike Ribiero, Jarret Stoll and Mike Richards coming to mind. It’s a shame that another player, and generally a well-respected, well known player has to get caught up in something like that.

I’m not defending his past behavior, and I’m not even a fan of Kane, but it’s important to understand that he’s innocent until proven guilty. It’s not fair to throw him to the dogs before any truth has come out. It’s also a shame that news outlets will throw out articles that basically translate to, “Patrick Kane may have been involved in something that may be sexual assault, but nobody actually knows.” Enough with the clickbait headlines.