Thirty-eight forwards, 23 defensemen and six goaltenders. This below from the team website. (New numbers of note: Redden 6, Zherdev 13, Naslund 91, Rissmiller 12; Voros 34,
Kalinin 45.) And only six players age 30 or over..

Forwards

No. Player POS. HT WT Age 2007-08 Team (League)

55 Artem Anisimov C 6-3 190 20 Hartford (AHL)
51 Joe Barnes C 6-3 212 22 Charlotte (ECHL)
15 Blair Betts C 6-3 210 28 RANGERS (NHL)
54 Dane Byers LW 6-3 190 22 Hartford (AHL); RANGERS (NHL)
24 Ryan Callahan RW 5-11 185 23 RANGERS (NHL); Hartford (AHL)
10 Nigel Dawes LW 5-8 190 23 RANGERS (NHL); Hartford (AHL)
60 Sergei Demagin LW 6-0 174 22 Minsk (Belarus)
52 Chris Doyle C 6-0 193 18 Prince Edward Island (QMJHL)
23 Chris Drury C 5-10 200 32 RANGERS (NHL)
17 Brandon Dubinsky C 6-1 210 22 RANGERS (NHL)
58 Brodie Dupont LW 6-2 210 21 Hartford (AHL)
49 Dan Fritsche C 6-1 202 23 COLUMBUS (NHL)
19 Scott Gomez C 5-11 200 28 RANGERS (NHL)
61 Evgeny Grachev C 6-3 202 18 Yaroslavl (Russia)
53 Ryan Hillier LW 6-0 198 20 Halifax (QMJHL)
50 Andreas Jamtin RW 6-0 192 25 Jonkoping (Sweden)
47 Hugh Jessiman RW 6-6 231 24 Hartford (AHL)
29 Lauri Korpikoski LW 6-1 190 22 Hartford (AHL); RANGERS (NHL)
84 Matt Meropoulis RW 5-11 192 19 Chilliwack (WHL)
42 Greg Moore RW 6-1 225 24 Hartford (AHL); RANGERS (NHL)
91 Markus Naslund LW 5-11 195 35 VANCOUVER (NHL)
93 Petr Nedved C 6-3 197 36 Prague Sparta (Czech Republic)
28 Colton Orr RW 6-3 220 26 RANGERS (NHL)
62 Mike Ouellette C 6-1 187 26 Hartford (AHL); Charlotte (ECHL)
63 Jordan Owens LW 6-0 170 22 Hartford (AHL); Charlotte (ECHL)
39 P.A. Parenteau RW 5-11 195 25 Hartford (AHL)
85 Evan Pighin RW 6-0 185 20 Chilliwack (WHL)
25 Petr Prucha LW 6-0 175 26 RANGERS (NHL)
46 Tom Pyatt C 5-11 182 21 Hartford (AHL); Charlotte (ECHL)
12 Pat Rissmiller C 6-4 205 29 SAN JOSE (NHL)
20 Fredrik Sjostrom RW 6-1 217 25 PHOENIX-RANGERS (NHL)
64 David Skokan RW 6-0 202 19 Rimouski (QMJHL)
64 Justin Soryal LW 6-2 190 21 Peterborough (OHL)
57 Jake Taylor LW 6-4 225 25 Hartford (AHL)
34 Aaron Voros LW 6-4 200 27 MINNESOTA (NHL); Houston (AHL)
83 Dale Weise RW 6-2 206 20 Swift Current (WHL)
67 Tomas Zaborsky C 5-11 181 20 Saginaw (OHL); Harford (AHL)
13 Nikolai Zherdev RW 6-1 183 23 COLUMBUS (NHL)

Defensemen
68 Michael Busto D 6-2 210 22 Charlotte (ECHL)
48 Michael Del Zotto D 6-0 211 18 Oshawa (OHL)
70 Vladimir Denisov D 5-11 207 24 Lake Erie (AHL); Johnstown (ECHL)
53 Tysen Dowzak D 6-5 226 20 Kelowna (WHL); Texas (ECHL)
71 Brian Fahey D 6-1 213 27 Chicago (AHL)
5 Dan Girardi D 6-2 200 24 RANGERS (NHL)
45 Dmitri Kalinin D 6-3 206 28 BUFFALO (NHL)
72 Maxim Kondratiev D 6-2 190 25 St. Petersburg (Russia); ANAHEIM (NHL)
73 Tomas Kundratek D 6-1 180 18 Trinec (Czech Republic)
27 Paul Mara D 6-4 219 29 RANGERS (NHL)
86 Lyon Messier D 6-1 175 21 Lincoln (USHL); Kelowna-Erie (WHL-OHL)
74 Chris Murray D 6-2 185 23 Phoenix (ECHL); L. Erie.-Sprg.-Alb. (AHL)
75 Nick Pageau D 6-1 175 20 Belleville (OHL)
22 Thomas Pock D 6-1 210 26 Hartford (AHL); RANGERS (NHL)
33 Corey Potter D 6-3 205 24 Hartford (AHL)
6 Wade Redden D 6-2 205 31 OTTAWA (NHL)
3 Michal Rozsival D 6-2 210 30 RANGERS (NHL)
59 Bobby Sanguinetti D 6-3 190 20 Brampton (OHL); Hartford (AHL)
56 Michael Sauer D 6-3 206 21 Hartford (AHL)
18 Marc Staal D 6-4 204 21 RANGERS (NHL)
76 David Stich D 6-2 215 19 Saint John (QMJHL)
78 David Urquhart D 6-0 190 19 McGill Univ. (CIS)
86 Justin Wallingford D 6-6 226 21 Kingston (OHL)
Goaltenders
80 Mike Brodeur G 6-2 167 25 Pensacoloa (ECHL); Rockford (AHL)
81 Antoine Lafleur G 6-4 186 19 Prince Edward Island (QMJHL)
30 Henrik Lundqvist G 6-1 195 26 RANGERS (NHL)
40 Stephen Valiquette G 6-6 220 31 RANGERS (NHL)
96 Miika Wiikman G 5-11 177 23 Hartford (AHL); Charlotte (ECHL)
98 Matt Zaba G 6-1 185 25 Idaho, Charlotte (ECHL)

Thoughts?

Have a few more vacation days to burn, but just swung by to report that free agent center Mats Sundin told Toronto radio station 640 that he won't decide on his future until after the season begins.
So the teams talking with the 37-year-old former Maple Leaf who has seemed increasingly ready to retire, including the Rangers, can move on. For now. Does this mean Brendan Shanahan will be signed? Unclear. Does it mean Nicolai Zherdev keeps his No. 13? If he wants to, why not?

***
Rangers prospects, draftees and players invited to camp will arrive in Westchester on Thursday the 11th to prepare for the Traverse City (Mich.) Prospects Tournament. We're planning a live chat here on the day before, the morning of the 10th.

***

Avangard Omsk, the KHL team featuring Jaromir Jagr and Alex Cherepanov, opens its 56-game regular season today. We'll report on how they're faring every few days...The Rangers' opponent in the Victoria Cup on Oct. 1 in Bern, (Mettalurg), will have played 11 regular-season games before facing the Rangers, who will have seven exhibition games under their belts at the time...If any Blue Noters have firmed up plans to attend the games in Prague, drop me an email...

Gotta stroll, will be in touch soon

Those are the words of Dayton Bombers owner Costa Papista, with whom I just spoke after watching a CNN shot of him presenting Bombers jerseys to both John McCain and VP candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a self-described "hockey mom", after the GOP rally at Nutter Center---where the ECHL Bombers play.

In the crowd milling after the speeches this afternoon, Papista and three players---captain Greg Labenski, Joe Van Culin and Dan Riedel---gave McCain a dark blue "McCain 08" Bombers jersey and Palin one without a name or number.

"Because it was such a secret, we didn't have time to customize one," said Papista, who played in the OHL and has owned the team for five years. "But she was really excited to get the jersey. I'm passionate about the sport and I imagine (NHL Commissioner) Gary Bettman has got to be pleased today."

One of Palin's sons, Track, who will be deployed to Iraq on Sept. 11, played junior hockey in Michigan.

The broadcasts from Bern, on a Tuesday and Wednesday, will air in the morning and afternoon here; the weekend games in the Czech Republic will begin about noon ET as well. (Versus also will carry the Oct. 5 game). No radio broadcasts for any of these, however.

Here's the lineup:

Sat. Sept. 20 at Ottawa 7 p.m.
Mon. Sept 22 Ottawa at MSG 7 p.m.
Tues. Sept.23 at Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Wed. Sept 24 at New Jersey 7 p.m.
Thurs. Sept 25 Tampa at MSG 7 p.m,
Sat. Sept 27 New Jersey at MSG 1 p.m.
Tues. Sept 30 vs. SC Bern 10 a.m.
Wed. Oct. 1 vs Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1:45 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 4 vs Tampa in Prague, noon
Sun. Oct 5 vs Tampa in Prague, noon

Nineteen players have been selected to represent the Rangers at the Traverse City, Michigan prospects tournament that opens Sept. 13. And Lyon Messier, the 21-year-old son of Mark Messier, is one of four defensemen among five tryouts invited to rookie camp.

The Rangers prospects won the tournament last year against seven other young NHL squads. The players set for next month's tourney are:

G Matt Zaba
G Antoine LaFleur (unsigned)

C Artem Anisimov
C Joe Barnes
C Chris Doyle (unsigned)
C Evgeny Grachev (unsigned)
C Thomas Pyatt
C Tomas Zaborsky

F Brodie Dupont
F Siarhei Dzemahin
F Justin Soryal
F Mike Taylor
F Ryan Hillier (injured)
F David Skokan
F Dale Weise (unsigned)

D Michael Del Zotto (unsigned)
D Vladimir Denisov
D Tomas Kundratek
D Bobby Sanguinetti
D David Urquhart

Dzemahin (a 22-year-old who played for Dynamo Minsk and Belarus in the 2007 IIHF Worlds with Denisov), Skokan, Taylor and Urquhart have AHL contracts.

The tryouts are Messier (6-1, 180), who was 5-12-17 in 46 games for the Lincoln Stars last season. He also has played for the Texas Tornado. Tysen Dowzak, 20, is a big (6-5, 225) Minnesota native and like David Stich, is a stay-at-home D. Stich (6-2, 215) is 19 and from Plsen in the Czech Republic. He played for the St. John Sea Dogs last season. Nick Pageau of the OHL Bellville Bulls (6-24-30 in 53 games) d another look after opening eyes in the post-draft development camp at the MSG Training Center. Matt Meropoulis (5-11, 190) is a 19-year-old right wing from Edmonton who played in the WHL.

One quick item:

Tomas Kundratek, the 18-year-old Czech defenseman selected by the Rangers in the third round of June's draft, has signed an enrty-level deal. This season, he will play for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, who chose him 15th in the junior draft during Rangers' prospect camp..

The Rangers will raise not one---but three---jerseys to the Madison Square Garden ceiling next February: the No. 9s worn by Adam Graves and Andy Bathgate and the No. 3 sweater worn by defenseman Harry Howell.

In two ceremonies that will bring the number of jerseys in the rafters to eight, Graves' sweater will be retired in a ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 3 prior to the game against the Atlanta Thrashers and Bathgate and Howell will be saluted on Sunday, Feb. 22, before the Rangers host the Maple Leafs.

Graves, 40, had learned of the plans to retire his jersey when Brian Leetch, his former teammate on the 1993-94 Stanley Cup championship team made the surprise announcement during the ceremony to retire his No. 2 sweater on Jan. 24. But the Bathgate and Howell plans had been kept under wraps until today.

One of the most popular Rangers ever not only for his on-ice performance but for his tireless community service, Graves played 10 years in New York and was voted the team MVP in 1992-93 and 1993-94. The Rangers said his jersey would be the last retired from that team, which brought the first Cup to New York in 54 years. Along with Leetch, Mark Messier's No. 11 and goaltender Mike Richter's No. 35 already are on display.

Graves, who also won a Cup in Edmonton in 1989-90, scored 329 goals and added 287 assists in his 17-year NHL career that ended in 2003. The left wing, a Toronto native who currently works in the team's hockey and business operations office, ranks third on the Rangers in career goals (280) and 10th in points (507).

Bathgate and Howell starred in another era: the 1950s and 60s. They were called up to the Rangers on the same day in October 1952 and were teammates for 12 seasons.

Captain of the club from 1961 to 1964, Bathgate was the first Ranger to score 40 goals in a season (1958-59) and is fourth in career goals (272), assists (457) and points (729.) He holds the record for most goals in consecutive games (11 in ten games in 1962-63). On Broadway, he was an eight-time All-Star and league MVP in 1958-59. Bathgate, who tied Bobby Hull for the league scoring title in 1961-62, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.

Howell, a steady defenseman who won the Norris Trophy in 1966-67, holds the franchise record for games played (1,160 in 17 years) and is fifth in club history for assists (263) and points (345) by a defenseman. He was named to the All-Star team six times as a Ranger. Howell followed Bathgate into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

"Rangers history is enriched by players like Andy Bathgate and Harry Howell, who laid the foundation for what a Rangers player should be," said team president and general manager Glen Sather. "They will take their rightful place alongside those players who have carried the tradition through the years."

And in a long overdue move, Andy Bathgate, who also wore No, 9, and defenseman Harry Howell, who wore No. 3, will be honored on Feb. 22 before the Leafs game in a separate ceremony. Both players, who came up together in October 1952, are in the Hall of Fame .

For more, see tomorrow's paper and my story here on this site in a while...

Less than a month to go before training camp and I see while the cat's away, the mice will....
Impersonate.

No need to reply to the "refs"; our admins don't post on the message boards.

We're moving to a registration system soon.

Ah well, time for the broom.

Will check in later.

In late July, right here on Blue Notes, I wrote about "The Summer of Sundin" and that the Rangers were one of the six teams interested in the Maple Leafs center and why...

Earlier this month, under "Three for Tuesday", I detailed Sundin's past references to NYC and detailed the possible cap shuffling if he decided to take less money (which he has done before) say $4 million, for what could be his final season or seasons.

And before that, in a live chat here, I described the possibility of Mats coming here as a longshot but never closed the door.

Go check the archives, down to the right of this post. Some people were outright dismissing it.

Now, while I've been away on vacation, the Post has taken the next step and reported (from reliable, but unnamed sources) that Sundin's reps had been speaking with the Rangers front office all last week, but not yet negotiating a contract.

Could Sundin end up at MSG? There's a ways to go, but maybe.

But I don't need to remind the daily readers and commenters here. They've known about the interest and the possibilities for a month. Whether they wanted to believe is another matter...

See ya soon...

No problem for Versus, which will televise eight Rangers games this season, including one of the two games in Prague.

Versus will broadcast the Oct. 5 game against Tampa from Prague at noon ET on Oct. 5, followed by Pittsburgh-Ottawa at 2:30 from Stockholm. I assume MSG will carry the season opener from Prague on Oct. 4. Will check.

The Bruins, Pens, Sabres and Wild also will be featured eight times in the 56 regular-season telecasts; the Flyers, Red Wings and Caps seven times. Think Isles have four games scheduled, including Dec. 29 against the Rangers.

Here's the other six Rangers games: Jan. 5, Pittsburgh; Feb. 9, Devils; Feb. 16, Blues; March 9, Carolina; March 24, Wild, and March 30, Devils.

Brian Leetch and Mike Richter won't be at the Garden watching the Rangers home opener against the Blackhawks.

Instead, on Oct. 10, the two former Rangers will be in Denver for the induction ceremonies of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, along with the rest of the '08 quartet, Brett Hull and Cammi Granato, who will be the first woman enshrined. All worthy and obvious choices.

USA Hockey made the announcement this morning...

Officially, I'm on vacation, but have grudgingly moved off the beach chair for a few seconds, so figured I'd chime in on a couple matters...

* The league's pre-season schedule is out and some fairly large, out-of-NHL-market, U.S. and Canadian cities will host six games: Kansas City; Las Vegas; Halifax, Salt Lake City and Winnipeg. Here they are: Sept 22, Boston/Montreal in Halifax and LA /St. Louis in KC; Sept. 24, Calgary/Phoenix in Winnipeg; Sept. 25, Boston/Detroit in Halifax; Sept. 27, Colorado/LA in Vegas and Oct. 5, LA/San Jose in Salt Lake.

* Favorite sets at Newport Jazz Festival Saturday, all on the smaller stages: trumpeter Warren Vache's quintet, the sublime trio of Bill Frisell/Charlie Haden/Ethan Iverson, and drummer Brian Blade's Fellowship.

* Flashback: Rangers prospects won four straight games at last September's tourney in Traverse City, Mich. Brandon Dubinsky (3-4-7) and Marc Staal (two goals and a plus-6) made the big club. Alex Bourret (now with Phoenix) also was 3-4-7. Antoine LaFleur and Miika Wiikman were the goaltenders. This year's tournament is Sept. 13-17; rosters haven't been announced.

* Assume Wiikman will be the No. 1 keeper in Hartford this season (Al Montoya is gone, David LeNeveu is in Anaheim and Chris Holt's in Peoria). Among the other Wolf Pack players who've departed: Andrew Hutchinson (Tampa), Josh Gratton (Nashville), Ivan Baranka (Moscow), Jake Taylor (Springfield), Frankie Lessard (Phoenix) and Mitch Fritz (Isles).

With LaFleur, Matt Zaba and journeyman Mike Ayers in Charlotte, the Rangers probably could use netminders from somewhere. And more defensemen in Hartford: Right now, the injured Mike Sauer can't start the season, which leaves Pock, Potter, Fahey, I assume Sanguinetti, and Busto and Denisov???. Expect some transactions here...

* In July----the offseason, mind you---Blue Notes was the most-viewed of all Newsday sports blogs, breaking the monthly record for any sports blog at the paper. Got a big boost from the first few days of news during free agency, but we're steadily on the rise, so many, many thanks again for making us a daily stop.

For the pre-season and beyond, please continue to swing by a few times a day for up-to-the minute reporting from morning skates, practices and games, home and away, as well as the usual pithy commentary, notes, live chats, stuff from around the NHL and the wide array of flotsam and jetsam that washes up on the shore of my senses.

One other note: Before the season, we hear, the powers-that-be are planning registrations on the message boards to allow us to continue the fever pitch of discourse and thought-out inquiries, presumably with less interference from those pesky trolls. Think that will be another improvement.

Til later....

---Gary Brooker/Keith Reid

Aside from Procol Harum's rum tales, here's three stories I'm relaying today, just a handful of afternoons before escaping to Rhode Island, Newport to be exact, for the annual jazz festival amidst the bay breezes of Fort Adams State Park.

* In an exhibition game in the Russian Kontinental League, Alexei Cherepanov, the Rangers' first-round pick in the 2007 draft, scored a hat trick. His Avangard Omsk teammate, of whom you may have heard, had two assists: Jaromir Jagr.

* For the sake of TV viewers in Western Canada, the Calgary Flames asked the Rangers to push back their Dec. 7 matchup at MSG from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The Rangers agreed, but asked for Dion Phaneuf for compensation. Kidding. Game will start at 7:30, though.

* Now let me toss a little more kindling on the cinders of the Mats Sundin speculation:

According to my calculations, Sundin has earned slightly more than $74 million in salary since 1989. Let's assume he invested wisely.

He was paid $5.5 million by the Maple Leafs last season, $2.1 million less than he made in 2006-07. Would a cut of another $1.5 million---to $4 million---be out of the question for an opportunity to play in New York? Will he opt for the bigger dough in Vancouver or Montreal---or hang it up?

I mean, even without another $4 mil, Sundin and his fiance, Josephine Johansson, 26, could scrape by and rent a nice loft in Manhattan for $12,000 a month and still have a little bit of spending money for restaurants and the theater.

After all, in last season's Toronto media guide, Sundin listed New York as his favorite road city and the Garden as his favorite road arena, and in an interview with a Toronto paper during last season, Sundin made it clear that he's a cosmopolitan fellow, comparing Toronto to the Big Apple:

"What is there not to like? The city has everything that New York has. Theatres, ballets, restaurants, sporting events."

Johansson, who hails from a small town in Sweden, also likes the bright lights. The Canadien press has noted that the couple enjoyed Toronto's cultural events and films. Who knows, maybe he will just retire (with $74 mil, I would) and they'll visit New York whenever?

Anyway, how could the Rangers carve out $4 million if they so desired? And I'm not saying they so desire---the following is just some toying with the math...

Here's a 22-man "ghost" roster with possible options:

Player Cap Hit

Gomez $7.357 mil
Drury $7.050
Lundqvist $6.875
Redden $6.5
Rozsival $5
Naslund $4
Zherdev $2.5
Kalinin $2.1
Girardi $1.55
Voros $1
Rissmiller $1
Fritsche $875,000
Sjostrom $840,000
Staal $827,000
Valiquette $725,000
Pock $667,000
Dubinsky $633,000
Dawes $588,000
Callahan $575,000
Potter $550,000
Orr $537,000

21 $51.749

Add Sundin $4 million

$55.749/The cap? $56.7 mil

The roster assumes these trades (only for picks or prospects...)

Prucha $1.6 m
Mara $1.95
Betts $615

Total $4.165

OR

Prucha $1.6 m
Kalinin $2.1
Betts $615,000

$4.315

OR

Prucha $1.6 m
Mara $1.95
Rissmiller $1

$4.55

UPDATE (I apparently neglected the reported cap hit for the Shanahan bonus and Jagr buyout, which is $1.5 million, according to posters who studied this whole configuration closer than I have. So that would put the Rangers $500,000 over the cap in the first scenario: Prucha/Mara/Betts.
Other combos are nearer the mark. Maybe Betts stays and someone else goes? Sjostrom? Orr? Point is, and we've made this observation in previous posts and chats, the machinations would be difficult, improbable and perhaps untenable, but yes, GM-for-a-day fodder for August...Unless you're more interested in the Olympics...)

OR
Your assignment for today, if you think there's any value in these ramblings, to come up with your own viable space-clearers.

Or tell me to shut up, that the D would be weakened, the Rangers need to keep Prucha and the rest, that it's smart to pass on a 37-year-old Sundin and that I should keep my foolish butt in Newport until the season begins.

Hey, I'd survive.

The 2007-08 Rangers scored 61 goals with the man-advantage and finished 22nd in the league in total PPG.

Forget the number of opportunities for a second. Nine more---reaching 70---a little over one a month, would have lifted them into a tie for sixth. Can they generate nine more this coming season?

Last year, Jagr (7), Straka (3), Shanahan (11) and Avery (2) combined for 23 of the 61.

On their teams, Naslund (9), Zherdev (7) and Redden (4) combined for 20. Close.

For the Rangers, Drury had 12; Gomez 7, Rozsival 5. They're all back. Dawes had 3, Prucha 2 in limited ice time. Dubinsky had 1.

If each of those 9 contributes one PPG more....

***

The PK finished sixth in efficiency, one percentage point out of third and a percentage point above ninth. Can the units maintain that level? Perhaps.

Without Straka---who averaged 1:50 TOI shorthanded---and presumably Shanny (2:32) as well as Avery (50 seconds), there will be a couple new faces or added shifts. Jagr rarely killed penalties; eight seconds a game.

Drury (3:06) again will be counted on, as will Betts (2:45) if he remains here. The forwards who will be counted on for more? I'm assuming Callahan (1:04) will be tabbed for more time, as well as Sjostrom (1:15), Rissmiller (2:00 on the top-ranked Sharks PK unit) and Gomez (48 seconds).

On defense, Redden (1:45) or Staal (2:09) will replace Tyutin's 2:24, and both presumably will get more minutes to lease the load on Rozsival, who led all Rangers D with 2:58 shorthanded. Girardi, by the way, averaged 2:32 shorthanded. Kalinin averaged 1:14 in Buffalo.

Guy by the name of Sundin would help any team on both (10 PPG last season and averaged 1:04 shorthanded.) Nothing new on that front at this point, far as I can tell.