Blue Notes

Below you'll find my piece in Newsday this morning. Notice the mention of the interest in Mats Sundin in the notes section and the comments from Tom Renney about the team's UFAs. From what I hear, the Rangers are still kicking a lot of tires.

I firmly believe, as I have all along, as loyal, daily readers know, Jags will be back for a year, maybe two. Don't ever discount the fact that he wants the dough, but he's a little resistant to change to another city and wants to play in the two opening games in Prague.

And check the record: We've always had some reservations about a lucrative, long-term deal for Sean Avery, whose off-ice presence can be disruptive to players and the front office. There are also some health concerns. To be sure, Avery brings some great quotes to the press and juice to any team he's on.. just don't think that's the direction the Rangers are going. As for UFA Marty Straka, I believe he'll play at home in the Czech Republic and have a terrific life. Rozsival and his family like living in Westchester, but the deal will have to be right...Because Brendan Shanahan, who was pretty battered last season, will have to take a sharply reduced contract---and role---the ball may be in his court after July 1.

Will file from the rink around noon....

GREENBURGH, N.Y.----From a corner platform above the practice rink at about 2:50 p.m. yesterday, the Rangers front office had their first glimpse of what could be a future power-play tandem: defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti on the right and Michael Del Zotto on the left.

As discussions continued with the Rangers' unrestricted free agents to assemble a team for this season, Del Zotto and Sanguinetti, the team's first-round picks in 2006 and this year, were paired in five-on-five drills at the annual prospect development camp at the Madison Square Garden Training Center.

"You can see a difference in age and experience," said coach Tom Renney. "Bobby's a bigger, stronger kid (he was selected at No. 21 overall in 2006). He's been exposed to us and our training methods....but you can see the instincts are similar, the instinct to make things happen; you can see that Mike is willing to jump up and get involved
and you can see he's a good passer, the same attributes as Bobby."

Sanguinetti, a New Jersey native, likely will begin the season with the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, where he finished last year. "Much of it's contingent on what we do in the next week to 10 days," said Renney, referring to potential free-agent defenseman signings. "He'll be at our camp and we'd certainly like to get him into as many
preseason games as possible."

Del Zotto, who was selected at No. 20 last Friday in Ottawa, needs some more seasoning. "One step as a time," said the Ontario youngster who celebrates his 18th birthday today and admitted: "I never thought I'd be spending it in New York. Unbelievable."

But he will, and the experience---which will include attending a Subway Series game this weekend with the 20-plus other camp invitees---hasn't sunk in. "I was in shock when I walked in here, " he said. "Took me a little bit to get into it. Then I seemed to keep up with the pace." Del Zotto will return to the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, where he had 16 goals and 47 assists in 64 games last year, third in points among OHL defensemen. Five of those goals were shorthanded. Scouts agree that Del Zotto has an exceptional offensive upside, but needs to improve his defensive play.

Although listed at 6-feet tall and 210 pounds, Del Zotto said he has trimmed 15 pounds and "feels like my strength is still there. I want to get to a certain weight and keep it there." As a result, Del Zotto was one of the best skaters on the ice yesterday---and had a built-in fan base.

"I played with Mike in the under-17 tournament last year," said Mitch Gaulton, a strong, two-way defenseman for the Erie Otters who was the Rangers' sixth-round pick. "We hit it off right away. When he got drafted, I texted him, "Congratulations" and then when I got drafted, he sent, "Let's Go Rangers."

Notes & Quotes

Amid reports that the Rangers are interested in free-agent center Mats Sundin, defenseman Brian Campbell and winger Marian Hossa, Renney said he wasn't alarmed that his own free agents such as Jaromir Jagr, Michal Rozsival, Sean Avery, Martin Straka and Brendan Shanahan haven't been signed with July 1---when they can sign elsewhere----looming. "To
me, it's no surprise," Renney said. "It's not like [Rangers President] Glen [Sather] hasn't had dialogue with at least representatives of these players. We've been in dialogue with these players for awhile. I think there have been some serious offerings, if you will, in respect to money and terms, to a few of our guys." Renney said he personally hadn't had any discussions with them. "If the boss tells me to phone someone, I'm all over it...There's some uncertainty and it's a little disconcerting, but that goes with the territory."...Rozsival, recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his hip, was in the weight room earlier in the day...The Rangers want center Artem Anisimov to bulk up by about 12 pounds...LW Ryan Hillier (groin) was held out, had a cortisone injection and the 2006 third-round selection was unsure if he would skate later this week.

Later, folks....