Blog Archives
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
The backup battle: Antti Raanta vs Magnus Hellberg
Bobby Bevilacqua
Who will backup Henrik Lundqvist for the 2015-16 season? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
After the Rangers traded away Cam Talbot, their backup goalie for the past two seasons, Jeff Gorton was left to search for someone else to sit behind Henrik Lundqvist on the depth chart. Over the past two seasons, the Rangers learned the importance of having a quality backup, and the team did their best to fill that vacancy in the offseason.
Shortly after the NHL draft, the Rangers acquired Finnish netminder Antti Raanta from the Chicago Blackhawks for prospect Ryan Haggerty, a relatively low price to pay for a backup. It seemed as if that role would be his by default, but Gorton traded for another goalie just a few days later.
Jeff Gorton made a great depth trade, snagging 24 year old goalie prospect Magnus Hellberg from the Predators for just a sixth round pick, and signing him to a two year deal shortly after. Nashville had a log jam of goalies in their system and needed to clean house, which the Rangers took advantage of.
So the question that remains is who should backup Henrik Lundqvist when they open the season on October 7th? Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits: Patrick Kane update, Viktor Stalberg and Henrik Lundqvist talk Rangers
Bobby Bevilacqua
With informal skates and practices beginning, and hockey season just 27 days away, things are starting to pick up, with player participating in the NHL media tour and getting prepared for the start of the season.
Patrick Kane’s Grand Jury Hearing postponed
Photo courtesy of Brian Casella/Chicago Tribune.
The biggest ongoing storyline in the NHL is the Patrick Kane saga. Last month, Kane was accused by a young woman of sexually-assaulting her in his Buffalo home following a night at a downtown bar. Investigations have been ongoing, and Kane was scheduled to meet before a Grand Jury.
When a case gets that far, it usually means that the prosecution believes that they have enough evidence to make a case, and there may be testimonies taken from witnesses.
However, the meeting scheduled for yesterday afternoon was postponed unexpectedly. Supposedly, it was delayed because of the potential for settlement talks between Kane and the alleged victim. (LINK) Read the rest of this entry
The Rangers are being overlooked, and that makes them even more dangerous
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Despite finishing last season with 113 points, the Presidents’ Trophy, and coming within one win of returning to the Stanley Cup Finals, the New York Rangers have found a way to fly under the radar in a very competitive Metropolitan Division. And they’re all the better for it.
The Metropolitan Division is in contention for the strongest division in the entire league. Many people have predicted that they will send five of the eight teams to the playoffs. Teams like the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Penguins all improved their team, with a lot of fantastic scorers and defenders spread out amongst the eight teams.
The Metro really does have the talent to send five teams to the playoffs, with those teams being The Rangers, the Penguins, the Capitals, the Blue Jackets and the Islanders. All five of those teams are extremely good, and they all have potential to make a run in the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits: Henrik Lundqvist ready for next step, Antti Raanta talks Chicago, and Patrick Kane could be traded?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Quick hits is back! There still isn’t really anything new happening in the hockey world, especially surrounding the Rangers, at least not until the Traverse City Tournament starts up. So here’s somethings going on in the hockey world.
Henrik Lundqvist ready to take next step with New York
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Everybody knows that Henrik Lundqvist is the most determined, passionate, and hard-working players on the Rangers, and maybe even in the NHL. His work ethic is unquestionable, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and it’s his effort and his success that has carried the Rangers since he made his debut in 2005.
Unfortunately, he has never been able to hoist that elusive Stanley Cup trophy, a prize that has eluded the Broadway Blueshirts for the last 21 years. Despite numerous close calls over the past four years, Lundqvist remains without a championship to his name. Read the rest of this entry
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