Couple things:
Rangers are working on immigration papers for draftee Evgeny Grachev to participate in last few days of camp. It's still possible we may see the 6-3 Russian center, selected at No. 75, but it's uncertain as of tonight, the Rangers said.
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Been sending e-mails and awaiting callbacks from agents and players, but beginning to believe what we heard weeks ago: that if UFAs aren't signed by the 24th, they're going to test the market on July 1. If you're a player, with the cap increasing, why not? Teams want to sign players, but the leverage has shifted.
Comments (20)
There are some cool prospect clips here...
http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console?type=fvod&id=19454&catid=543
From what I saw in the clips...del Zotto looks a little smaller then I thought, but looks calm and good with the stick. Stepan is QUICK. Not sure how it will translate at the NHL level when he's ready, but right now he looks like he's a step or two quicker then the other prospects on the ice. Anisimov looks solid. Looks like he is starting to fill out like Korpikowski has. Sang's looks to me like he is ready to make a move for a roster spot, can't wait to see him play some preseason games.
UFA thoughts...I want Malone & Orpik for sure. Would love Brian Cambell but not for more than $6 million which I am sure he will want. If Jagr and Sundin both accept one year "ranger friendly" contracts then I think that could be an unstoppable duo. Again I think they both want too much for too long to make it worthwhile.
More than anything I want Drury to have a career year so I don't have to read one more "overpaid" post. If we could just find an in-house solution or wingers in UFA to play with Gomez and Drury then we would be set.
Avery I can go either way. I love the idea of him playing for the next few years all healthy with a reasonable contract. I fear the idea of him being injured and/ or suspended for the next three years earning $4 million a year.
We have a solid core to build around and I think plenty of cap space to to utilize INTELLIGENTLY. We have to remember that coming out of the lock out Sather said this would be a five year project. We have been spoiled by Lundqvist and Jagr getting us into the playoffs for the first three years of that project. The last two years appear to offer the payoff of a Stanley cup if we get the needed puzzle pieces. After that we have all these new kids to look forward to. Not bad compared to the bottomless pit of despair that was the mid to late 90's.
Would love more details, stories quotes and opinions from camp.
I am really not sure about Avery now. I have to question his desire to win and even play hockey after spleen injury and internship at Vogue. Maybe it is best to play it safe and stay away from Avery. And besides he is another undersized forward, we need more size.
I doubt Sather wants Sundin or Campbell, I think he just wanted to see what kind of salaries players will demand so he would be able to get his target(s) also maybe to mislead some GMs into thinking that he wants players that he doesn't.
Why am I the only one who sees that Betts is useless and needs to be gone ASAP? I understand if there is absolutely no alternatives for a 4th line center, but we have plenty--Anisimov, Moore, Korpikoski. Why should anyone of them rot in AHL because Renney is too scared to let them kill penalties?
Betts is not nearly as useless as hollweg
I could live with Hollweg (although he also has to go) but Betts??? I curse the day we traded for him. Soft hitter, no energy, no emotion, no agitating, no scoring, no meanstreak, absolute garbage. At least Hollweg entertains me sometimes with some big hits. But yes both of them need to be gone ASAP because Byers and Moore are way better.
http://www.nypost.com/photos/galleries/news/regionalnews/pp_20080624_avery/photo06.htm
wow this pretty much seals it, Renney will go nuts when he sees this.
Bob, you would be better informed if you watched the games. Hollweg is a joke and has worn out his welcome, and this is coming from a guy who owns a signed Hollweg jersey.
Betts is a great faceoff man with a scoring touch, but when you play with Hollweg and Orr, it's hard to find the net.
Ten bucks says you've never seen Dane Byers play except his one exhibition game a year in September.
Oh, and Sean Avery is the best player on the team in half of the games.
"Seeing a player play," equals next to nothing, He has a good day you think that's his level; he has an off day you think he's garbage. You need to see a player a lot, AND track him with meaninful stats, starting with how he performs at even-strength, and throwing out second assist points on the power play, for the garbage numbers they are.
Also, what do you do with goals/points scored when the score is 5-1, or thereabouts? This is garbage time, too.
So there is a lot more to evaluating a player than just being in the stands, once or twice, or seeing him skate in training camp and thinking you know all about him.
bob hurts my eyes with his posts.
Amazing!
Stevie aka Den aka Dude you would be better informed if you had any intelligence, but you don't so don't further embarrass yourself.
If we bring back Jagr, he will most likely be playing with Dubinsky. That leaves Drury as the 3rd line center. Why did we trade Cullen again ?? Because he was making too much money as a 3rd line center. Anyone see the irony in this ?
Bob,
you know better to think I would post under a different name, like I am afraid to call you a bozo under my usual alias.
Pleeeeeeeeeze my man, pleeeeeeeeze
Effigy,
Drury plays 20 + minutes a night no matter what line he is on.
Drury flanked by Callahan and Dawes was a great, tenacious line, I would love for it to be together again.
Drury was playing 20 minutes a game ? I doubt it very much.
I have nothing against Drury; I was just making a point about how we traded Cullen because he was making too much for a 3rd line center, and Drury is now in that spot at a much higher price.
bob, I dont understand how you can be ok with Hollweg. The guy brings nothing to the table.
Effigy,
Drury killed every penalty and played on every powerplay.
actually if you look it up, Drury averaged 19:47 seconds a game during the regular season
Gomez averaged 19:53
Jagr averaged 20:28
grachev is in camp as per the nyr website
out of the all picks im most excited to see him play because of his supposed abilties
I was suprised that Drury played 19 minutes knowing Renney's love for his sacred Betts, Hollweg and Orr line. I remember games when Jagr would get 15,16 minutes.
Cullen was on the PK - and should have been used on the PP, but Renney has no clue.
Not to say Cullen is better than Drury, but its just silly to trade one decent player away because "we cant pay that much for a 3rd line center", and then be faced with a $7 million dollar 3rd line center the very next year.
This all reminds me of when the Rangers had Messier, Nedved, Holik and Lindros. Strong on (high priced) centers and little on the wings.
Effigy,
eventually you are probably going to have to get over the fact we don't have Matt Cullen anymore and move on.
Drury is here to stay, 4 more years.
Get used to it.
whether it's called the 1st, 2nd or 3rd line, who really cares, but how come nobody seemed to love the Dawes-Drury-Callahan line but me?
You guys don't remember how well they played together??
"bob, I dont understand how you can be ok with Hollweg. The guy brings nothing to the table."
I do want him gone, but I am not too concerned about him because Renney does realise that he is expendable, but Betts--thats a different story--Renney seems to think he is some sort of amazing defensive shutdown center, but he is not. Their love affair scares me.