Monthly Archives: May 2016
Ranking the Rangers—Part Two: 13-19
John Dundon
Ranking all players who suited up in at least 10 games (regular season/playoffs) in 2015-16. Part two:
19) Dominic Moore:
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Soon to be former Ranger, Dom Moore, comes in at #19 on my list.
The New York Post has reported that the Rangers are not expected to re-sign the 35-year-old journeyman after a what Alain Vigneault described as a tough year for the fourth-line centermen. Whether or not this is how things really unfolded for Moore in 2015-16 is somewhat subjective. It’s difficult to reflect on the season Moore had without taking note of his line mates for the majority of the season. Moore was wedged between a carousal of really bad players for the bulk of the year. He played significant minutes with Jarret Stoll, Tanner Glass, Danny Paille and Jayson Megna. Read the rest of this entry
Mailbag – Offseason predictions, the potential of trading Lundqvist, and a lack of heart?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Welcome back to another mailbag article, where I answer reader questions and give my honest opinion on the topic. With the Rangers being knocked out of the playoffs much earlier than usual, I might be doing more of these to fill the gap between now and the start of the season.
Check on Facebook and Twitter for an announcement for the next edition, and ask me questions about anything Rangers or NHL.
With that in mind, let’s get started!
What are your predictions for Staal, Girardi and Nash in 2016? Will they be kept and will they improve? Or will they be dealt and if so, what do you see coming in return? – Kevin Kelly
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Jeff Gorton should clear cap and sign the RFAs to long term deals
Bobby Bevilacqua
JT Miller and Kevin Hayes (#13, far left) are both RFAs. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
There’s been a recurring theme in a lot of my articles this offseason, as well as many articles from other Rangers blogs and writers; the team desperately needs to shed some cap space. There’s not a lot of room to maneuver and fix the problems they have, and the big contracts to ineffective players will hurt the Rangers both long and short term.
On top of that, the team finally needs to undergo a youth movement. In recent memory, the team has turned to veterans and experienced players to try and propel them to a championship, trading draft picks for rentals and forgoing an infusion of youthful talent in name of a “winning pedigree” among the players. Guys like Brad Richards, Rick Nash and Dan Boyle have all been counted on to play really big roles, and it hasn’t always worked.
But this year has shown one important thing; the young talent on this team is ready for a prominent role. Chris Kreider had another 20 goal season, JT Miller posted career highs in all offensive categories, Derek Stepan hit the 20 goal plateau for the first time, and Jesper Fast took a big step up offensively, recording 30 points. On defense, Dylan McIlrath impressed with his improved skating and his ability to handle tough NHL competition, and Brady Skjei blew people away with his performance in the playoffs despite playing just seven regular season games. Read the rest of this entry
The Rangers need another Russian forward with Buchnevich, and here are some options
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Claus Anderson/Getty Images.
A few days ago, Jeff Gorton inked Russian prospect Pavel Buchnevich to his entry level contract, a three year deal with performance bonuses and a $925k cap hit. Buchnevich is poised to be an impact player pretty early into his NHL career, but he’s missing one thing; a mentor.
Just about every big name Russian NHL prospect has had another player on their team, also Russian, to help the transition to the NHL and serve as a translator on the ice and in the locker room. Most recently, Artemi Panarin had Artem Anisimov to help him with that, and guys like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin have all had a mentor from their homeland.
The Rangers are fortunate that Chris Kreider speaks fluent Russian, and that will certainly help ease Buchnevich’s transition onto the smaller ice and into North America. And we all know that chemistry between the speedy Kreider and Buch, an excellent passer and playmaker, would be absolutely fantastic. But to make the move as easy as possible, it would be wise for the team to go out and get a native Russian to mentor their newest player.
With that in mind, here are some options for the Rangers this offseason. Read the rest of this entry
Nicklas Jensen for Etem swap is paying unexpected dividends
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of the New York Rangers.
Many people complained about Etem’s usage and the lack of chances that he was given, but personally, I never saw anything from Etem. He really wasn’t that effective offensively, had trouble with the puck, and he wasn’t good in puck battles against the boards, which he pointed out as one of his strengths. So trading him for some kind of prospect was a smart move.
Jeff Gorton sent Etem to Vancouver, reuniting him with his junior hockey coach, and getting 23 year old Danish prospect Nicklas Jensen in return. Jensen didn’t turn any heads or create headlines, as he seemed to be just a middle of the pack AHL prospect. Read the rest of this entry
therangerzone.com 