Blog Archives
Vegas expansion and expansion draft changes plans for Dan Girardi
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
On Wednesday, the NHL Executive Committee revealed that they came up with a positive recommendation for a one team expansion in the 2017-18 season, which would be awarded to Las Vegas.
Bill Foley, the man at the forefront of the NHL expansion to Vegas, has already gotten a lease in the new T Mobile Arena as well as getting deposits on 14,000 season tickets. The next step is for Foley to sign the expansion contract and return it to the league along with the $500 million fee.
An expansion team also means an expansion draft, which would probably occur before the start of the Vegas team’s inaugural season. Initially, it was believed that teams would not have to protect players with a NTC or a NMC, but that may have changed. Read the rest of this entry
Jeff Gorton’s Legacy Will Be Defined by Difficult 2016 Offseason
John Dundon
Photo courtesy of Blueshirts United.
The 2016 offseason is shaping up to be one of the wildest periods of personnel movement the NHL has seen in some time.
General managers of cap-strapped teams will be aggressively trying to shed dollars and shakeup the makeups of their respective teams. With an expansion draft looming, and questions on whether the salary cap will even be as high as it was this past season, make no mistake about it—many GM’s will have no choice in this regard.
The team facing some of the most interesting offseason decisions of the summer? The New York Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
Are the Rangers hoping for an overhaul?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of the New York Rangers.
It’s been known for a little while that the Rangers are looking to move some players and get a fresh start next year. But the level of change that Jeff Gorton is hoping for is still unknown. It could be some minor moves, or just one big trade, or according to other opinions, the team may be looking to trade away many of their core players, or at least listen to deals with them.
According to Elliot Friedman, it looks more like the latter.
While on NHL Network, Friedman was asked about the Rangers and said that the team is asking other GMs around the league to come at them with their best offers. Just about everyone is available, with the only untouchables probably being Henrik Lundqvist, Brady Skjei and Pavel Buchnevich. Read the rest of this entry
According to Larry Brooks, the Rangers offseason plans are absolutely insane
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Last night, Larry Brooks posted a column full of updates about the Rangers and their plans for the future, throwing gasoline on the fire of trade rumors and setting up what could be a potential roller-coaster of an offseason.
First off, Brooks wrote that the Rangers do not plan to buy out Girardi and eat dead cap space, which is understandable to an extent. But they also have not asked him to waive his NMC, and don’t plan on doing it. The 32 year old defenseman has four years left on his contract with a $5.5 million cap hit.
You know where I stand on this deal, and if the Rangers plan on having Girardi penciled in as their top pairing, right side defenseman, then the team isn’t going to improve at all. I understand why you wouldn’t want dead cap space right now but there should be an effort made to try and infuse youth and new, more skilled players into the defense. Read the rest of this entry
Staal in the family: Eric makes Rangers debut at MSG against the Blue Jackets
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Bruce Bennet/Getty Images.
With the trade deadline looming at 3 PM, there’s no certainty about what the lineups will look like for tonight’s game, but the Rangers will definitely have a new face on the bench. Eric Staal was at morning skate and will make his New York Rangers debut tonight at Madison Square Garden.
Alain Vigneault got a lot of help from Henrik Lundqvist on Saturday, with Hank making 36 saves in a tightly contested victory over the Dallas Stars. Chris Kreider, Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein all scored goals to help pick up the team’s second straight win, and giving them nine wins in the last 12 games. Read the rest of this entry
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