Blog Archives
Marek Hrivik and Nicklas Jensen placed on waivers
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
UPDATE: John Gilmour, Ryan Graves, Robin Kovacs, Malte Stromwall and Mackenzie Skapski were sent to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL).
With Alain Vigneault continuing to trim the roster down as the regular season draws closer, the team made two more cuts prior to the preseason closer against the Flyers tomorrow. Forwards Marek Hrivik and Nicklas Jensen were the casualties today and were placed on waivers.
Hrivik had no points in four games, while Jensen had a goal and an assist in four appearances. His goal came in last night’s game against the Islanders and sent it to overtime.
The Jensen cut made sense, as his performance was relatively underwhelming and players like Brandon Pirri had been outperforming him. Hrivik was a little surprising because he has shown the ability to handle a fourth line role and deserved a longer look than he got. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers take on Isles as final roster decisions are made
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers lost in Philadelphia last night in overtime after coming back from three goals down in the third period. It was a chippy affair with physical play, good defense and also some great periods of offense and scoring.
They play again tonight against the Islanders in Brooklyn. Here are the lineups;
JT Miller-Kevin Hayes-Nicklas Jensen
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Brandon Pirri Read the rest of this entry
Jeff Gorton deserves credit for a successful offseason
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of the New York Rangers.
Following the Rangers elimination from the playoffs, I had a feeling that this offseason would be extremely important, with the chance to have an impact on the long term future of the franchise and determining if they would compete or be forced to rebuild.
Keith Yandle was a free agent, the team had departures and deficiencies on defense, there were serious cap constrictions and a ton of really important, young RFAs to lock up with new deals. Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes for how the team would turn out heading into next year.
But in a situation with his hands tied behind his back, Jeff Gorton did an admirable job maneuvering through a very tough situation and making the absolute best of it for the Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
Michael Grabner could help rejuvinate the third line
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Gorton didn’t have the same cap space and maneuverability as many of the other GMs in the league, forcing him to make a lot of under the radar, bottom six moves to try and improve the Rangers.
Given the fact that his hands were tied behind his back, Gorton did an excellent job with what he was given, signing quality players on the cheap like Nathan Gerbe, Josh Jooris, Adam Clendening and Nick Holden.
But my favorite signing of the bunch was Michael Grabner, the speedy 28-year old Austrian who played with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. Formerly a Calder Trophy finalist with the Islanders in the 2010-11 season, Grabner has more recently been used as a third and fourth line forward who excels on the penalty kill. Read the rest of this entry
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