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Rangers continue with fourth round of cuts, Raanta designated as backup
Bobby Bevilacqua
Raphael Diaz is one of the players that has made the final roster cuts. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The Rangers made a few more significant cuts following their win over the New Jersey Devils, cutting down the roster to just 25 players; 15 forwards, eight defenseman and two goalies. Vigneault will have to cut two more forwards and likely one defenseman.
The Rangers reassigned Luke Adam, Ryan Bourque, Brian Gibbons, Ryan Graves, Chris Summers, Mat Bodie, Brady Skjei and Magnus Hellberg, and they will report to Hartford’s training camp.
Vigneault’s latest roster moves means that we’re in the final stages of the cuts. Dylan McIlrath is still fighting for a spot and Jayson Megna, Oscar Lindberg and Jarret Stoll are still looking to get Tanner Glass out of the lineup. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers make third round of cuts, Staal and Girardi to debut in Jersey
Bobby Bevilacqua
Oscar Lindberg will start his fourth consecutive preseason game tonight in New Jersey. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
As Vigneault said, the Rangers continued to make their roster cuts, reducing to just over six forward lines, 12 defensemen and three goalies. With just three preseason games remaining, we’re in the final stretch of roster decisions.
The Rangers assigned five players to the Wolf Pack training camp. Marek Hrivik, Brett Bellemore, Adam Tambellini, Tommy Hughes and Jeff Malcolm all reported to Hartford for their camp.
This will be Tambellini’s first season in the AHL, and he’s one of my favorite prospects. I’m excited to see how he does this season. I’m also happy that Bellemore wasn’t cut from the roster completely. He was pretty good in the preseason game, and has some NHL experience, so it’s nice depth to have. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Recap: Preseason Game Notes
Bobby Bevilacqua
Viktor Stalberg, Brady Skjei and Kevin Klein all performed well over the first two preseason games. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers officially opened the preseason with back-to-back contests, defeating the Devils 6-3 at Madison Square Garden and falling to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Coming into training camp, it was obvious that the battle for roster spots would be much more competitive than last season. During the 2014 camp, it was pretty clear who would make the team and who wouldn’t.
This year, the Rangers signed guys like Jayson Megna and Luke Adam to bolster their AHL depth, as well as acquiring NHL players in Viktor Stalberg and Emerson Etem. On top of that, their young talent, both on offense and defense, took big steps towards stepping into the NHL.
Who would have guessed it, but the Rangers actually appear to have a plethora of players that can potentially make the NHL roster. Read the rest of this entry
Alain Vigneault: Media Day and Training Camp recap
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
On the first day that the media were able to talk to the Rangers and their coaching staff, head coach Alain Vigneault had a lot to say about the upcoming season, his players and potentially alluding to how he plans on setting the roster.
Throughout the offseason, many people have said that this season will be of utmost importance for 24 year old forward Chris Kreider. He’s coming off of the best season of his young career, collecting 21 goals and 25 assists in the regular season, and adding seven goals and two assists in 19 playoff games.
Now, Kreider is in a contract year, and both he and the team will be looking for him to have a massive year, and for him to be a key contributor throughout the year. And that’s exactly the stance that Vigneault took.
“I look at Chris Kreider, and I believe he can be an elite player in this league,” Vigneault told Jim Cerny of Blueshirts United. “He’s got everything to become a dominant power forward in this league. He’s got almost two full years under his belt, except for a couple of games in my first year. He’s been improving, he’s been taking strides.” Read the rest of this entry
Dylan McIlrath: What can the Rangers do with you?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Dylan McIlrath is in a bit of an odd situation. He’s one a one way deal, there are already four right-handed shots on defense, and seemingly no room for him. Photo courtesy of Jim McIsaac/Getty Images.
Perhaps the most criticized Rangers draft pick in recent history, Dylan McIlrath, is in a bit of an odd situation in his career. He is 23 years old, and has just finished up his fourth season in the AHL in Hartford. This year, he turned heads after Christmas, really playing well and taking on some tough minutes in the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
But now is not a good time to be a defensive prospect down with the Wolf Pack. There is currently a logjam of talented, reliable defensemen with the NHL, and practically no chance for someone like McIlrath to finally break in with the big club. There are also four right-handed shots on the blue line, which makes his chance of breaking into the NHL even smaller.
There’s even more of a concern about this because Gorton re-signed him to a one-year, one way contract. If McIlrath doesn’t make the team out of training camp, or after the pre-season, he would need to clear waivers in order to re-join the Wolf Pack. Any of the other 29 teams can claim his services off of waivers. Read the rest of this entry
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