Blog Archives
Rangers should go after Brian Campbell in the offseason to help defensive woes
Bobby Bevilacqua
Brian Campbell with the Panthers. Photo courtesy of Steve Mitchell/US PRESSWIRE.
Just three days ago, the Florida Panthers announced that they had agreed to a one year deal with 24 year old defenseman Erik Gudbranson. On the surface, it didn’t seem like a big deal at all.
But signing Gudbranson means that the Panthers now have seven defensemen under contract (Ekblad, Gudbranson, Kampfer, Kindl, Kulikov, Matheson and Petrovic). The team is fully embracing the youth movement, going with a roster that is full of newer and younger players, and they’re keeping a select few veterans around.
One of the vets that now seems like a lock to leave Sunrise, Florida is defenseman Brian Campbell. “Soupy” has been one of the offensive leaders from the blue line in his five seasons with the Panthers, scoring 27 points or more in each season, and recording a career high 53 points (4-49-53) in the 2011-12 season. This past year Campbell scored six goals and 31 points in 82 games. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers could sign Buchnevich by this weekend; Moore and Staal not in future plans
Bobby Bevilacqua
Pavel Buchnevich during a Rangers scrimmage. Photo courtesy of Paul J Bereswill
Perhaps the most important move for the Rangers to make this summer is an in-house move; signing top prospect Pavel Buchnevich to his first NHL contract. And that just might happen this weekend.
According to the New York Post, there are some hoops both sides have to jump through but it is possible that Buchnevich could sign his Entry Level Contract with the Rangers this weekend.
Buchnevich, 21, was selected in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft, and has been playing in the KHL for the past two seasons. This year he recorded 16 goals and 37 points as a 20 year old, splitting time between the Severstal Cherepovets and SKA St. Petersburg. His skill-set and talent level has been compared to Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals, which means that he could be an impact player right away. Read the rest of this entry
Adam Huska, Igor Shestyorkin solidify Rangers’ goaltending future, allow for moves to be made
Bobby Bevilacqua
Adam Huska in net for the Green Bay Gamblers. Photo courtesy of Evan Siegle/Press-Gazette Media
In last year’s NHL Draft, the Rangers selected 6’3” Slovakian goaltender Adam Huska with their seventh round pick, a selection that people didn’t think twice about considering the talent the Rangers already have in their goaltending prospect pool.
Brandon Halverson was considered the brightest goalie prospect in the Rangers organization, winning 40 games with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds last season in the OHL, and getting regular reps with the USA Juniors team. Mackenzie Skapski was an excellent goalie in the AHL last season, making two NHL starts before a hip injury caused him to rehab for most of this year. Add that with Magnus Hellberg, the goalie prospect acquired from the Nashville Predators in the offseason, and the Rangers are stacked.
So it’s understandable why nobody batted an eye when the Rangers took Adam Huska with the 184th pick of the draft last season. But after being selected, he played well for Slovakia in the WJC, carrying that momentum into an excellent first full season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Read the rest of this entry
Stepan and Brassard are good, but do the Rangers need a superstar center?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
When it comes to forward depth, especially at center, the Rangers are pretty good in that respect. Rick Nash, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, JT Miller, Jesper Fast, Viktor Stalberg, Kevin Hayes and Oscar Lindberg doubling as wingers.
More recently, the Rangers have seen a lot of improvement when it comes to the talent and depth of their centers. Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan have gotten better and better with each passing season, cementing themselves in the top six. Hayes has shown that he can be a playmaker down the middle, and Dom Moore and Oscar Lindberg are strong two-way forwards best suited for a bottom six role, or a fourth line player.
When the Rangers acquired Rick Nash, they were looking to add a superstar to their roster. Marian Gaborik wasn’t enough, and outside of last regular season, Nash hasn’t been a “superstar” per say. Read the rest of this entry
Oscar Lindberg undergoes bilateral hip surgery, out six months
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers broke some surprising news today, announcing that Oscar Lindberg had already underwent a successful simultaneous bilateral hip labral repair. The recovery time should be about six months or so.
This is a somewhat common surgery that isn’t uncommon in athletes. Mackenzie Skapski had surgery to repair a torn labrum last season. Lindberg had the surgery on both of his hips. A six month recovery time would mean that he is healthy in November, but potentially not game ready.
This surgery may explain a few things, like perhaps that’s why Vigneault sat him more frequently down the stretch. Lindberg did play in the playoffs, including Game 5, but he was used sparingly after the trade deadline. Read the rest of this entry
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