Blog Archives
Martin St. Louis announces his retirement
Bobby Bevilacqua
Martin St. Louis has finished his Hall of Fame career as a Ranger. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
After 16 seasons, 1,241 NHL games, 1,033 points, three different teams and one Stanley Cup Championship, Martin St. Louis has retired from the National Hockey League as a member of the New York Rangers.
St. Louis, 40, sees his career come to a close following a 16 year adventure that saw him play for the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, and finally the New York Rangers. In over 1,200 career games played, St. Louis totaled 391 goals and 641 assists, putting him in the exclusive 1,000 point club, with just 82 players ever accomplishing that feat.
“I have been blessed to play for 16 years in the NHL; it has been an amazing ride,” St. Louis said while making the announcement. “I would like to thank the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers organizations and owners for providing me the opportunity to play the sport I love for so many years. I could have never played for so long or accomplished all that I have without the unwavering love and support from my wife, Heather, our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason, and my parents.” Read the rest of this entry
Rangers have a smart and effective first day of free agency
Bobby Bevilacqua
There were no major moves for the Rangers, but Viktor Stalberg was the “biggest” signing for Gorton. Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports.
While the Rangers didn’t have much cap space to work with going into free agency, Jeff Gorton made the best with what little he had on his first day as the Rangers GM, signing some players for the Wolf Pack, adding a cheap seventh defenseman and a solid depth forward for either the third or fourth line.
Jeff Gorton has been waiting for a few years for his chance to run the New York Rangers. Everybody knew that it was going to happen. But nobody knew when. I’m not quite sure which previous moves that Gorton had his hands in, but if yesterday was the first official day on the job, then he made a good first impression. He made little, smart, effective moves to help address some of the Rangers needs. Read the rest of this entry
Glen Sather steps down as GM, Jeff Gorton takes his place
Bobby Bevilacqua
Jeff Gorton has officially taken over as the General Manager of the New York Rangers. Photo courtesy of Ron Antonelli.
In what has been rumored for quite some time now, Glen Sather has officially announced that he is stepping down as the GM of the New York Rangers, a position he has held since 2000. In his place is now Jeff Gorton, the assistant GM who has been getting more and more responsibilities over the past few years.
Sather is not completely removed from the Rangers organization, and will remain as team president. Gorton and he will continue to work together, but now Gorton will have the final word on players and all negotiations.
“Jeff has been an integral part of our success since joining the Rangers, and he has earned the respect of colleagues throughout the hockey community,” Sather said. “He is well prepared for and extremely deserving of this opportunity.”
Gorton, 46, has been a member of the Rangers organization since 2006 and has served as the Assistant GM for the past four years. He played a key role in the draft selections of Derek Stepan, Jesper Fast, Chris Kreider and JT Miller, as well as being a major part of the trades for Rick Nash, Keith Yandle, derick Brassard and Ryan McDonagh. He also was vital in the free agent signings of Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello. Read the rest of this entry
Potential Free Agency targets for the New York Rangers
Bobby Bevilacqua
It’s time for the NHL free agent signing period! Often hectic and wild, with trades and signings galore, the Rangers won’t be major players, but there are some good moves that they could make. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
It’s July 1st, which means that Free Agency Frenzy is upon us in the NHL. There will probably be notable and surprising signings around the league, with teams trying to establish themselves as contenders. The Sabres and the Oilers are trying to build a lineup to contend for a playoff berth, while teams like the Canadiens will be working to re-establish themselves as a top team.
The Rangers will not be major players in free-agent signings or blockbuster trades. There isn’t a lot of cap space left to make a move, and there really aren’t any movable contracts that the Rangers would be willing to part with. The main priority will come in re-signing their RFAs.
Derek Stepan, 25, is coming off of a two year deal, $6.15 million deal, and both sides are looking to sign a long-term contract to avoid him becoming an unrestricted free agent at the age of 27. When looking at the rest of the market, Stepan could feasibly fetch $6 million, but honestly, I have a hard time thinking that he should get $6 million. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Update: Qualifying offers extended to all but Conor Allen
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers extended qualifying offers to eight of their nine RFAs, choosing to let Conor Allen walk and become a free agent. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
With the deadline to qualify restricted free agents ending yesterday, the New York Rangers sent qualifying offers to eight of their nine restricted free agents. The only RFA that didn’t get an offer was 25 year old defenseman Conor Allen. He will become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow, July 1st.
Allen was a free agent signing by the Rangers out of UMass-Amherst in March of 2013. Since then, he has appeared in seven NHL games with, spending most of his time with the Hartford Wolf Pack. In his brief NHL career, he has no points, four shots on goal and a minus two rating. This past season with Hartford, Allen tallied 34 points (11-23-34) in 72 games. He also added a goal and an assist in 12 playoff appearances.
Allen is a solid defenseman, so it’s odd to see him go unqualified, but he has the disadvantage of being a left-side defenseman. On that side, the Rangers have Ryan McDonagh, Marc Staal and Keith Yandle in the NHL, with other left defensive prospects in the organization. Unfortunately, the Rangers don’t really have much of an opportunity for Allen, and are looking elsewhere. Allen is a quality prospect, and I’m sure he will get snatched up soon. Read the rest of this entry
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