Rangers Roundup — September 26, 2008

Update:
Nevermind, forget all the Petr Nedved speculation below it is now moot. Sam Weinman at Rangers Report writes, Nedved among the cuts:

Fittingly, Petr Nedved was wearing a T-shirt that read, “The Outcast” while preparing to leave the MSG Training Center.

“If it was going to be this decision, there was no point in waiting any longer,” Nedved said of not making the trip to Europe.

The player said he’s done with the NHL and will instead return to the Czech League...

The Maven and all the beat writers didn't see this coming by a mile. "So much for Petr Nedved at least making the trip to Europe." Dubi at the Blueshirt Bulletin adds this, Nedved and Pock Out:

The Petr Nedved experiment is over. Rangers Report spoke to Glen Sather about the two-time former Ranger, who was cut today. Last night's successful experiment of giving Lauri Korpikoski and Ryan Callahan a look at center ice confirmed for the Ranger brain trust that they should stick with their developing youth rather than going with the aging blast from the past...

----

The offense is stuck in low as the Rangers muster just two goals again against Tampa.

But, Sam Rosen finds the positives in last night's game.
Rangers Ice Time: Positives in Loss to Tampa Bay:

Although it was New York's third loss in a row, the play of Lauri Korpikoski and Dan Fritsche was nothing less than superb...

----

The Dark Ranger also sees some positives and especially likes the " 'going to the net' offensive mantra." Another Losing Success:

On the positive side -- we are a fast team and with good coaching and hard work, this mix of veterans and youth could chemically become (there I go again with chemistry!!?) a team that can compete on a Cup level. With the perimeter play of Jagr, Straka, and dare I say, Shanny gone -- whatever the squad looks like, Slats and Renney have answered one of the missing links to the Rangers of the least three seasons -- a 'going to the net' offensive mantra. Thank God. With our 'ho-hum' defensive system in place for another season, it appears as though this system will be counter-balanced with potentially explosive front lines. I have to admit this is exciting stuff....

----

Rangers Review also wanted to accentuate the positive in his post-game thoughts:

... there were a lot of positives to talk about...

The veterans looked pretty good as well. I felt Dan Girardi and Wade Redden looked strong (though on the message boards it seems to vary considerably from person to person on how they did). They played well in their own zone, didn’t make any major mistakes I could think of, and got their shots on net. Petr Prucha on the other hand had an absolutely fantastic game, except for one thing. He couldn’t finish. He was all over the place, all over the puck, aggressive in and out of traffic. Except, again, he couldn’t finish. On top of that, people couldn’t finish his passes either. It’s getting ridiculous at this point. I believe in this kid. While I am not so sure he has a place on this team, I do think he is a much better player than the numbers are playing out...

----

Last night after the game, Sam Weinman had this reaction on his blog regarding the lack of offense:

By my view, Petr Prucha could have easily had a hat trick...

----

The Petr Nedved decision is the current big deal.

This morning, Sam Weinman at The Journal News reports that, Nedved's resurgence could mean bad news for Betts:

But on a team that is no longer so top heavy with forwards, coach Tom Renney has acknowledged he wants more production out of the bottom of his lineup. With that in mind, Nedved could be a more attractive option moving forward.

"[Nedved] is a great player that has made his name in the National Hockey League. I'm not exactly sure if I'm competing for a spot with him," Betts said. "If they're looking to have him play on the fourth line and be on the power play and put the puck in the net and things like that, that's their decision. My game's not necessarily to go out there and score every night. It's to play good defensively and be good on the penalty kill and things like that. Hopefully they have plans for me." ...

----

Steve Zipay highlights the case for Blair Betts, Korpikoski continued to impress in preseason:

Renney is hoping for more production from the fourth line, but said he has several elements to consider: "Are we better served by keeping someone here like a Blair Betts, for example, who's well-tuned in how we play and what we want. We know what he's capable of . . . we believe there is some offense in him.

----

Larry Brooks states there is a case for keeping both Nedved and Betts:

It's not impossible that the Blueshirts could open the season with both Nedved and Blair Betts on the roster as revolving fourth-line pivots.

I liked his "Lilliputian-like" description of the Dawes-Drury-Prucha line:

With little if anything productive having gone on in camp with the Lilliputian-like projected second line of Drury centering Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha, the lineup suggests that the coach might consider moving Drury to the wing in order to get Dubinsky the top six ice time he merits.

----

Dubi, at the Blueshirt Bulletin, thinks Betts is a lock to make the team:

And between the "A" on his chest and coach Tom Renney's pre-game endorsement, Blair Betts is probably pretty safe in his role as well...

And Nedved still has a shot:

Another player who seems to be making a case for himself and would only be able to make the team if a salary like Rissmiller's was taken out from under the salary cap is Petr Nedved...

----

The Maven sees the Rangers continuing to play a waiting game with Nedved. Rangers: D-Day is Approaching:

But by far the most riveting issues involve the disposition of Petr Nedved and Brendan (Remember Me?) Shanahan.

Like him or not – and I very much DO – Nedved is making a stronger case for himself every game. . . . In two games, Petr has the look of a big-leaguer who still can help the Blueshirts, but that may not be enough to clinch a contract.

When I put the question to Tom Renney, the coach makes it clear that putting Nedved on the team must make sense in terms of who he might bump — Blair Betts is the obvious choice — and how much ice time Petr would obtain. . . .

All of which leads The Maven to believe that the melodrama will end with Shanny not inking a deal and with Nedved completing his audition in Europe. . .

----

The Manic Rangers fan [now looking very sage] weighs in with a detailed analysis of Nedved's chances and makes this forecast, The Petr Nedved Dilemma:

Essentially, Petr Nedved is trying to make this team in vain, especially with the defense first Tom Renney at the helm. Nedved is destined for another year in the Czech Republic.

----

The Beyond the Blueshirt blog is doing an excellent job of following all the ups and downs of Jaromir Jagr and his KHL team, Avangard Omsk. Or the Siberian asylum as I like to call them.

Jack Nicholson (JJ) has rallied his band of inmates as they fly over the coo-coo's nest. And if you play in Siberia you do a lot of flying. Avangard Omsk Keeps on Rolling:

... it was Avangard Omsk’s second line of Alexander Popov, Anton Kuryanov and future Ranger Alexei Cherepanov that led the team to a dominant 4-0 victory in Khabarovsk today...

You can watch the archived game for yourself at Sportbox, or catch the highlights on the KHL’s web site...

----

Sam or Joe mentioned this last night during the game, regarding Jagr's sweet Siberia deal with only a 13% tax rate. The Prague Daily Monitor, had reported that Jaromír Jágr now world's best-paid hockey player:

In Avantgard Omsk, which he joined in July, Jagr earns an annual 7 million dollars.

This is 3 million less than Dany Heatley earns in the NHL, but Heatley spends more than a half of his pay on taxes. Jagr pays only 13 percent in taxes...

Does Canada really have that high a tax? Call in the accountants to verify this claim.

And Sam Weinman thinks it might have been Tom Renney who tipped Jagr about getting Flemming as coach.

----

Let's get it on.

Colton Orr versus David Koci

----

Eklund at Hockey Buzz puts the Rangers as 6th best in the East:

#6 New York Rangers: It's all about Lundqvist's knees. My opinion is that on his game- Lundqvist is the best goalie in the East. But beyond King Henry, who? That is an issue, and another issue I still have with the Rangers is identity...

The Rangers are a defensive juggernaut aren't they? If the Rangers play a lot of 2-2 games then you have to wonder what their shootout strategy will be. Would Shanny be okay as a "designated shootout" specialist? Would a team ever keep a guy solely for the shootouts?

----

Greg Wyshynski the Yahoo "Puck Daddy" makes a confession, when Previewing the NJ Devils, with 100 percent more poop jokes:

From the Dept. of Self-Congratulatory Nonsense: Some basic facts about your humble editor. I grew up in Matawan, New Jersey. I am a New Jersey Devils fan. The only time I've painted my face to support the team was at the University of Maryland, and I ended up with a nosebleed for some reason....

And he's man enough to admit the truth about the Devils:

We know they’re boring. Painfully boring. Offensively challenged, creatively bankrupt and with about as much personality as Ben Stein reading the NASDAQ....

----

An NHL poll (on their new website) to vote on the team with the top young talent does not include the NY Rangers. They must have plucked five teams out of a hat. What does the average fan know about the prospects from more than a handful of teams?

Which team boasts the most talented group of prospects?

Edmonton Oilers:

29.94 %

Florida Panthers:

5.32 %

New York Islanders:

6.43 %

Phoenix Coyotes:

18.37 %

St. Louis Blues:

9.65 %

Other:

30.29 %

----

Related Articles by Categories