Blog Archives
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
The Rangers future is bright, and the Stanley Cup window is NOT yet closed
Bobby Bevilacqua
Despite falling short in recent playoff runs, the Rangers future is very bright, and their chances at winning a Cup are far from done. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Everyone mentions the “window” that the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist have in order to raise another championship banner in MSG within the next few years. A lot of people claim that in order to win, the Rangers have only a year or two before it all falls apart.
This past season marked the fifth consecutive year that the Rangers have made the playoffs, with at least one series win in the last four years. They’ve made it to the Eastern Conference Finals three times since 2012, as well as advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 20 years in 2014. Read the rest of this entry
Food for thought: Is it wise to spend so much money on defense?
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers have spent a ton of money to build a strong defense, as well as in net. But in this league, and after looking at recent Cup champions, is it worth it? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For the New York Rangers, defense is and has been the name of the game. Whether it was the blue-collar hockey played under John Tortorella, or the faster, speed game employed by Alain Vigneault, defensemen have been crucial to the team’s performance and success.
That reflects in the team’s salary cap as well, where a large portion of the available money is spent towards creating potentially a top-three defense in the entire league. With players like Ryan McDonagh, Keith Yandle, Marc Staal and Dan Boyle populating the defensive core of the Rangers, they form a very versatile and effective group that can shutdown anybody in the league, as well as generate some offense too.
But having so many talented defenseman on one team means that they all get paid for their high level of talent. This also stretched into goaltending, as the Rangers have arguably the best goalie in the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist. On defense alone, the Rangers have $26.75 million invested in their seven defensemen, with Dan Girardi ($5.5) and Marc Staal ($5.7) making the most amount of money. Add in Henrik Lundqvist and the new backup, Antti Raanta, and the Rangers have $36 million going towards the back end. That’s more than half of the allotted salary cap, without spending a dime on the 12 forwards that play every game. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Player Grades: The Goalies
Bobby Bevilacqua
Cam Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist combined to form one of the best goaltending duos in the entire league, with each goalie reaching the 20 win plateau and playing a major part in the Rangers’ success. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Throughout the offseason, I’m going to be writing articles, giving my opinion on a player’s performance throughout the regular season and the playoffs. I’ll be starting from the back end out, which means goalies first, then defensemen, and finally the forwards.
To avoid super long posts, I’m going to split up the defensemen and forward groups. For defensemen I’ll probably do the plays who are paired with each other, and I’ll try and separate the forward lines. This will allow me to talk more in depth about each person, and talk about how they played together.
Without further ado, let’s get going on the 2014-15 player grades. Read the rest of this entry
6 Things the Rangers needed to do better in the playoffs
The Rangers fell short of their lofty expectations in the playoffs. These are a few things that they needed to do better. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Bobby Bevilacqua
A promising season led to postseason disappointment for the Rangers, falling short of their Stanley Cup goals, and losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They came just 20 minutes shy of a second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals berth.
After acquiring Keith Yandle at the trade deadline, many believed that this put the Rangers in a “win-now” mode. The players had these same expectations, which is why they too seemed disgruntled during their exit interviews yesterday.
A lot of people thought that this was the year that the Rangers would finally recapture the Stanley Cup after 21 long seasons. But there were injuries, failed game plans, as well as a strong Tampa Bay team standing in their way.
Hindsight is 20/20, so here is what the Rangers needed to do differently or better in order to win. Read the rest of this entry
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