Blog Archives
Injured Rangers recovering well ahead of training camp
Bobby Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
While every team certainly deals with injuries in the playoffs, the Rangers had quite a lot of significant health issues to some of their key players during their run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The captain Ryan McDonagh broke his foot in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dan Girardi and Marc Staal had procedures done on their ankles, and Derick Brassard had to undergo wrist surgery. And of course, Mats Zuccarello missed the last two rounds of the playoffs with the worst injury, after being struck on the side of the head by a puck.
The puck came off of the stick of Ryan McDonagh, as a slap shot went awry and hit Zuccarello upside the head during Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nobody officially knew the extent of the injuries until after the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry
Kevin Hayes and avoiding the sophomore slump
Bobby Bevilacqua
Kevin Hayes will be entering the second season of his NHL career, but will he fall victim to the dreaded Sophomore Slump? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For example, Nathan McKinnon scored 10 less goals and 15 less assists this season after capturing the rookie of the year award for the 2013-14 season with his 63 point (24-39-64) season. Jonathan Huberdeau had a strong showing with 14 goals and 17 assists in the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, but failed to match that mark the next year despite playing in 69 games. However, he finished this last season with 15 goals and 39 assists, and is starting to show flashes of what the Panthers saw in his rookie season.
The Rangers have a few second year players in their lineup, such as JT Miller and Jesper Fast, but perhaps the most important one is Kevin Hayes, the big man out of Boston College. Read the rest of this entry
Quick Hits: The future of NHL advertising, Carl Hagelin may have wanted to stay, NHL top 200 players
Bobby Bevilacqua
Welcome back to quick hits, and here is some of the news surrounding the Rangers and the NHL.
NHL moves to Adidas for production of hockey jerseys (TSN.ca)
Adidas is taking over jersey production, and advertising is possible. Do we really want the NHL to look like this? Photo courtesy of Thomas Oswald/Keystone/AP.
Every once in a while, the NHL changes the makers of their jerseys, usually bringing some slight changes and style choices with them. For the start of the 2017-18 season, Adidas will be taking over the jersey production from Reebok, a sports brand owned by Adidas.
Adidas beat out Under Armour and Bauer Hockey for the jersey contract, a deal which will pay the league $35 million. Neither side commented, but the deal is expected to be formally announced in September.
This could mean some significant changes to the jerseys, including the trademark three stripe design down the shoulders and arms. But there could be an even bigger change coming with Adidas, who design a lot of the soccer jerseys in leagues like the MLS and the Premier League. Read the rest of this entry
McDonagh and Yandle: A match made in hockey heaven
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers have not had a really good offensive, puck moving defenseman in over a decade. Now that they do have one in Keith Yandle, it’s time for Vigneault to utilize him in a top-pair role. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Ever since making his NHL debut with the Rangers back in the 2010-11 season, McDonagh has spent the majority of his career, especially in recent seasons, paired alongside Dan Girardi, the veteran defenseman that has played his entire career in New York.
For the most part, the pairing has been very successful, regularly playing 20+ minutes a night, facing the best of the best in the NHL, and limiting the offensive capabilities of the other players for the better part of the past four seasons.
But for the upcoming season, Alain Vigneault may want to consider breaking up that longtime defensive partnership, and instead having the captain play alongside Keith Yandle, who will be playing in his first full season with the Rangers. Read the rest of this entry
Revisiting the Rangers third line possibilities: Stack the size?
Bobby Bevilacqua
Kevin Hayes would certainly be a great top-six winger, but shoulg Vigneault opt to keep him as a center and create a very big, physical, and potentially effective line? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
The Rangers do not have many questions surrounding them for next season. There is no goalie controversy, the defensive pairings are set, all of the key players are signed through the next season, and we know where most of the players will end up.
But the one real question that the Rangers have is how they should organize their last two lines. With the additions of Viktor Stalberg, Jarret Stoll, Emerson Etem, and the one way deal given to Oscar Lindberg, there are potentially a lot of moving parts for Vigneault when it comes to his bottom six. AV likes to be able to roll four lines effectively, so his choices will be very important in determining the team’s success and effectiveness.
There is no real general consensus when it comes to other writers and other fans. Personally, I’ve heard some people saying that Stoll should get the spot because of his experience and faceoff abilities, other people want Kevin Hayes to develop as a center, and then others believe that it’s time for Oscar Lindberg to start in the NHL. Read the rest of this entry
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