Day 2: Icing on the Cake or Sloppy . . .

News -- on Day 2 of Free Agency. Click times for links (where available).

4:25 p.m.: The signing of Rob Scuderi by the Kings is official. 4 years at $13.6 million.

4:05 p.m.: Reports are out that Rob Scuderi is moving from the Pens to the L.A. Kings. No details about the terms. His Wikipedia entry already has been updated.

Interesting to note that the entry for Blair Betts (noted yesterday) has been edited to show him as a Ranger still instead of an Oiler.

3:20 p.m.: Karlis Skrastins, Florida defenseman, now a Dallas Star. I never paid attention to him and was shocked to see he has been in the league for 10 years. His contract is for 2 years worth $2.75 million.

3:12 p.m.: Quiet afternoon. Leafs resign Mikhail Grabovski, a RFA, to a 3 year deal worth $8.7 million.

On the Heatley front, Ottawa GM Bryan Murray simply states that Heatley is a Senator. Apparently, Edmonton was not one of Heatley teams he would consent to be traded to. He states that he felt blindsided because he believed Ottawa was negotiating with San Jose and/or the Rangers.

12:12 p.m.: Bruins resign Mark Recchi, 41, to a 1 year deal for $1.25 million. Formerly of the Pens, he joined Tampa Bay in their free-agent signing festival last July before being moved to Boston at the trading deadline.


Nice overhead shot from Nassau Coliseum from March of Antropov winding up to shoot.

12:03 p.m.: First news of the day is the loss of Nik Antropov to Atlanta. 4 years at $4 million per season. Reports had him seeking even more from the Rangers but there was no interest. Nik showed some skills and had 13 points in 18 games with the Blueshirts. I liked him but not for the long-term (i.e., as a rental was fine).


The look of a man who understands that defending the Cup will be harder than acquiring it. Sid will be seeing a lot of Brashear and Pronger next season.

--- Tony V

Freeeeeeee-dom!!!!!

Running diary of news of the day -- click times for links (where available):

TSN has a neat sortable chart of all the free agent signings here. No need to recreate such a useful tool.

12:09 p.m.: Heatley announced he is not deciding whether to waive tonight. GM Murray old people if the Sens have to pay the bonus, they are not trading him. The game continues but the trading price has risen. Heatley=Dickweed. But he really wanted to come to NY. Sorry, Dany, you're still a dickweed. And I think that is a wrap. Sheesh.

11:14 p.m.: Official --Havlat to the Wild for 5 years at $30 million.

11:00 p.m.: Final hour before Heatley's bonus kicks in for Ottawa. The clock is ticking. Each minute is costing a bundle to the tune of $66,666.67 per minute.

10:44 p.m.: Catching up with my friends on Facebook (my office banned it) and I read that Blair Betts is on the Oilers. Not true. . . yet. I decide to wander over to Wikipedia and it has him now playing for the Devils. I am confused. Big time. More Internet chicanery or does someone have inside information?

10:28 p.m.: Back to real time - Martin Havlat is reportedly leaving Chi-Town for Minnesota. The Wild replace Gaborik.

10:21 p.m.: Sather comments of interest (with kudos to Andy Gross and Scotty Hockey for their transcription skills):

• On Brashear: "I think our players are excited to have him in the room. They know he's going to be the man. It's a tough job to do. Colton is a good guy, he works hard and he deserves every cent that he got."
• On signing the team's RFAs: "I still think we're in a good position. I don't think anybody's going to come after these guys at this stage."
• On Dubinsky (a message to Brandon that the opportunity is knocking): "Dubinsky is capable of being a No. 1 center. If we get a chance to get another player, we're going to do it."

10:04 p.m.: Catching up -- the Devils lose 2 stalwarts -- John Madden to the Blackhawks for only 1 year at $2.75 million and Brian Gionta to Montreal (he gets to catch up with Gomez) for a nice $25 million over 5 years. Wow -- no Rupp, no Madden and no Gionta. Meanwhile, we will need a scorecard to understand the Canadiens' new roster.

Chris Neil turned down $9.2 million from the Blueshirts to remain with Ottawa for $8 million for 4 more years. He obviously knows how Ranger fans react to players who cannot stand the spotlight.

Former Ranger Jason Strudwick resigned with the Oilers for one year at $700K.

9:58 p.m.: And it's official -- Fredik Sjostrom is now a member of the Calgary Flames for 2 years at $750G per year. He was one of the team's better skaters who should have seen some serious power play time instead of the stiffs that Renney constantly threw out there over and over and over. He had a nice scoring touch in shootouts. I like him a lot. The replacement of the 4th line is nearly complete. Waiting to hear where Blair ends up. . . .Edmonton??

9:35 p.m.: Some evening thoughts (and thanks to my colleagues for reporting on the Gaborik signing while I was traveling home) -- it was obvious that Sather decided, with Tortorella's input, that the team needed to get bigger and nastier. The Pronger pick-up by Philly was a wake-up call. In comes Boyle, in comes Brashear, a run is made at Chris Neil. Remember when Betts was lying on the ice during the playoffs? Remember how lonely he looked as no one came to his defense? How many times this season did we see the mild-mannered Redden and Roszival turn the other cheek?



Snarl, barking and perhaps some biting.

The Rangers led by Callahan, Dubi, Girardi, Boyle, Brashear and Avery are going to hit and there won't be any turning the other cheek.




Scoring is needed so out goes the soft Gomez and in comes the sniper Gaborik. Antropov and Betts are not being resigned.

8:21pm: Former Minnesota Wild winger Marian Gaborik has agreed to a five-year contract with the New York Rangers. The Slovakian forward will earn $7.5 million per year. This makes it a new day.

Some thoughts on Marian -- Ottawa/Heatley's dicking around held up this signing. Ottawa had to pay Heatley $4 million at midnight tonight. To get Heatley in a trade, it was going to cost the Rangers either Callahan or Dubinsky plus more. Sather correctly refused to trade players on the upswing for a felonious whiner. Gaborik only cost money which was freed up yesterday. So Gomez was exchanged for Gaborik.

The most pressing question is whether Gaborik will play a full season. Reports are that his groin was successfully repaired but then he had back and hip problems, including hip surgery. All this for a 27 year old. He did come back late in the season and played well. Out for 37 games in 2007, 34 games in 2008 and then 27 more in 2009. You can understand the timidity to shell out big bucks for a potentially fragile player. During his career, he has scored 5 goals in one game (the only player since 2000) but he averages only 32 goals a season.

Final note -- reports have had the contract valued at $5.5 per year (ESPN) then $7.5 and NHL Network is reporting $6.5 million. What's a million or two among friends?

6:25 p.m.: Mike Cammalleri goes to the Habs for 5 years, worth $30-million. Perhaps GM Bob Gainey will keep his job. One scorer on the table for the Rangers. Havlat and Heatley are still in play. I can hardly wait to see the chemistry between him and Gomez. If they click, we will all grit our teeth.

Samuel Pahlsson leaves Chicago for Columbus. 3 years for $7.95 million.

6:07 p.m.: Defenseman Mike Komisarek leaves Montreal for Toronto for five years at $4.5 million per season or $22.5 million total.

5:45 p.m.: Trade news -- Leafs are trading Pavel Kubina to Atlanta in return for Garnet Exelby.

5:07 p.m.: Rumors slowly becoming reality -- several teams interested in Chris Neil, but the Rangers are the only team offering a 4 year deal. For more on the 30 year old winger, go here.

Latest tweets about Heatley report that Oilers want him, but he still has not waived the no-trade.

4:55 p.m.: Pitt announces signing of center Mike Rupp from the Devils for 2 years, $1.65 million. So the Devils lose two decent players in a matter of minutes.

4:50 p.m.: A flurry of announcements late in the day. Scott Clemmenson goes from the Devils and Brodeur's shadow to Florida for 3 years at $1.2 million per season. Good for him.

Erik Cole is staying with Carolina for 2 years at $2.9 million per season.

Hal Gill has left the Pens for Montreal for a 2 year, $4.5 million deal, so the Pens lose their first front-line player, unlike last year's exodus. Montreal fans are totally annoyed with all of their team's moves so far.

4:41 p.m.: Former Ranger and now former Colorado forward, Ian Laperrière, is headed for the Flyers for 3 years at $3.5 million. He was Colorado's franchise leader in fighting majors and 163 penalty minutes last season. Flyers have gotten even snarlier. I'm foreseeing some serious body-banging between the Flyers and their rivals -- Pens, Rangers and Devils -- next season.

Meanwhile, no news regarding a possible Kessel/Kaberle trade or Heatley signing.

4:36 p.m.: I find it interesting that rumors regarding the Rangers' interest in Chris Neil do not go away despite the Brashear signing. Is it possible that a trade is in the works to flip Brashear, get Neil and a top-flight scorer? One friend has posited that very theory.

4:11 p.m.: I am not saying I am happy about it but the Brashear signing appears to be the piece and the price that Sather feels compelled to pay to ensure that a prolific scorer the Rangers will sign is protected. I understand the logic. I don't have to like it. I understand getting a prostate exam, I don't have to . . . . Meanwhile, note how NYR has gotten snarlier -- Boyle replacing Betts (presumably) and Brashear replacing Orr. The Atlantic Division games are going to be entertaining this year.


During the playoffs, I likened Brashear to the beast in the movie, 300. Now he's our beast.




4:06 p.m.: Hawks' goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin, going to the Oilers. 4 years, $15 million. Blackhawks lose their 2nd UFA today. Havlat and Pahlsson remain. Blackhawks website already eliminated Khabi from active roster. It's going to be Huet's team unless the Chicago wants one of the Philly goalies.

3:57 p.m.: Jaroslav "Spacho" Špaček goes from Sabres to Habs. 3 year deal for $11.5 million. Surprising that Gainey could not get Kaberle but Spacek did have 45 points.

3:44 p.m.: Brian Boucher of Sharks now backing up Ray Emery of the Flyers. 2 years @ $925K per season. Death knells for Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki.

3:14 p.m.: I'm starting to tire. I have visions of the Rangers' loss to the Caps dancing in my head with Blair Betts prone on the ice. I'm supposed to cheer his attacker now?

Meanwhile, Scott Niedermayer is staying with Anaheim for another year for $6 million. Thrashers have resigned Joel Ward for 2 seasons. And Columbus picked up Aaron Rome (D) from Vancouver for the proverbial dog track $$ of $550G.

Ho-hum. Wait I feel another heave ---> Donald F---ing -- 4 points for the season -- Brashear. 37 years old.

A brief bathroom break for me. . . .

3:05 p.m.: It's official. Donald Brashear is now a Ranger. 2 years for $2.8 million. Really, was the price for retaining Colton Orr that much higher??

3:03 pm: Mike Knuble goes from Flyers to Caps. Interesting. 2 years for $5.6 million.

2:49 pm: The Rangers' antidote to Flyers' signing of Pronger??? Zipay at Newsday is reporting that Rangers acquisition of Brashear is being finalized. The 4th line -- the Rangers' best line in terms of exceeding potential -- is about to be destroyed. Orr gone, Betts will be gone (signing Brashear is like inviting a rapist to live in a convent) and no tendering a contract to Sjostrom. Mark this moment down as when I became depressed over today's events.

2:45pm: Nap time interrupted by the news of Buffalo signing Steve Montador away from the Bruins. I scratched my head a little before I remembered him. 2 years for $3.1 million.

2:32 pm: Oiler netminder and near hero of the 2006 Cup Finals, Dwayne Roloson, to the Isles for 2 years, $2.5 million per year. Quality backup for the fragile DiPietro. Team will simply improve thanks to Tavares and better goaltending.

2:30 pm: Blackhawks get some muscle by signing Thomas Kopecky away from the Red Wings. 27 year old defenseman with 19 points and 109 hits. Now with skinflint former owner Wirth dead, the Blackhawks are continuing their bid to become relevant in the Western Conference.

2:17 pm: More deals on the announcement assembly line -- Ty Conklin going from Detroit to St. Louis for 2 years at $1.3m per season. Matt Walker, Blackhawks defenseman, goes to the Lightning for 4 years at $1.7 million per season.

2:06 pm: It's official -- Hossa to the Blackhawks. Terms are reported at ESPN as a 12 year deal at $5.2 million per season. Not a bad price for a quality scorer. We'll see if he shows up in next year's playoffs. He will be about 42 when the deal ends. Hossa gets lion's share of contract ($53.8 million in 1st 8 years of deal and remainder over final 4).

2:03 pm: Rumors now abounding that Donald Brashear may become a Ranger-- source are a couple of 2nd-tier Ranger bloggers. If true, I will burn my season tickets. Let's get Heatley and Brashear -- two criminals -- the fan/family friendly franchise. THIS IS DISGUSTING!!!! I will cling to the hope that this is a dumb rumor.

1:56 pm: Panthers resign David Booth for 6 years at $25 million. Florida is trying to keep their young core intact as they seek to improve. Meanwhile, they lose backup goalie, Craig Anderson, to Colorado. Anderson had a solid season (15-7-5) and is slated to become the Avs starting goalie.

1:55 pm: Blogosphere full of rumors that Marian Hossa is leaving Detroit for archrival Blackhawks. I think this means Detroit will be sipping from the Stanley Cup next June in keeping with the Hossa curse (Pitt in 07, Detroit in '08). Where is Martin Havlat going?

1:35 pm: As reported by my colleague, J, Dvorak has resigned with the Panthers. 2 years for $1.7 million per year.

1:25 pm: A Ranger out the door -- Colton Orr to the Leafs. 4 years for $4 million total. Not surprising because of the Boyle signing but I loved Colton. He had the balls that Gomez lacks.











Flyers' Fedoruk experiencing a trip to the stars courtesy of an Orr right hand.

12:25 PM: Vancouver Canucks defenseman Mattias Ohlund is going to the Tampa Bay Lightning with a new seven-year contract worth $3.75 million a season. 12 year career in Vancouver ends.

12:15 pm: Tentative deal pending waiver of no-trade clause -- Dany Heatley to Edmonton (rumors abounded all night long that something was in the works) for Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid. No details as to terms yet. DEAL CONTINUES TO BE ON HOLD as of 1:45 pm. .

11:50 am: Sedin twins re-sign with Vancouver for 5 years. These guys like to play together and travel together. I am happy they are remaining in Vancouver because it's good for that franchise to have marquee players.

Last night:

8:45 pm: Jay Bouwmeester resigned with Calgary for 5 years at $33 million.

--- Tony V (with assistance from the gang)

Some of Us Have Work to Do!!!!! Scott Gone & Dany Coming?

Wow! Things were so quiet this afternoon with everyone eyeing tomorrow when free agency officially opens. I was ready to mock the GM (I'll save that for another date) when once again in true Steinbrennerian fashion, he takes over the NHL front page with his trade of Scott Gomez.

What's interesting is Tortorella's quote from this morning (cue the foreshadowing music):

"As far as the lines are concerned, as far as the makeup of our team, from Scott Gomez right on down, the only guy I know is gonna be there is Hank,'' he said, referring to Henrik Lundqvist. "He's gonna be our starting goalie. But other than that, it's wide open. And I'm not afraid of youth. It's going to be done on merit."

Remind me never to have the coach use my name in a sentence unless he is lavishing serious praise on me.

Rumors are starting to appear that Dany Heatley will be the Rangers' new acquisition.

Oh Dany boy! -- 180 goals over the past 4 seasons at Ottawa -- the Garden goal pipes, the Garden goal pipes are calling you . . . as visions of goal scoring dance in my head.

---Tony V

Scott Gomez Is a Canadien!!!! See Ya Ole Boy!

Off to Montreal. Scottie is gone. We get Christopher Higgins. Part of the NYR salary dump.

On the eve of the NHL free-agent shopping season, New York sent Gomez and his big contract that has five years remaining to Montreal on Tuesday with minor leaguers Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto. Along with Higgins, a Long Island native, the Rangers are receiving defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko from the Canadiens.

Go here and here and here.

tdr

Need We Say More?

Casually walking through my West Village neighborhood this weekend, I noticed something that I have never seen having walked by it just about every day for ten years. I pulled out my camera and snapped a shot.

The picture has meaning for those that have felt loss in their lives. For others it refers to something they have gained in their lives over the last year.

Don't get your undies in a bunch, I am not suggesting anything bad happen to anyone -- but perhaps this picture and establishment can symbolically represent a certain player's performance of late and the direction of a contract.

(Hurray up Brian Burke....I heard you're interested).

tdr

I'll Give You a 'Chris Draft' For a 'Chris Trade' ?

The New York Rangers drafted a 'Chris' and the Philadelphia Flyers traded a 'Chris' tonight during the NHL draft. One will make a huge difference in the short term. The other remains to be seen.

Few trade deals were made during the first round of the NHL draft in Montreal tonight. There were brief encounters between our very-own-cigar-stub-sucking-general-manager Herr Glen 'Slats' Sather and Ottawa's Brian Murray in getting Dany Heatley to New York (apparently, Brian Murray was seen sitting down at the Senators table after speaking with Slats and screaming, "No, no, no..."), but one trade overshadowed the draft for those of us living in the Atlantic Division of the NHL; a massive trade between Philadelphia and Anaheim that brings the Duck's blueline-monster Chris Pronger to the City of Brotherly Love, in exchange for Jeffrey Lupul and 2 first round picks. Tonight, Philadelphia established themselves again as a major contender, one of the strongest defensive teams on paper in the Eastern Conference. Ouch.

And then there's our new 'Chris'....

The New York Rangers, with the 19th pick in the first round, drafted an unexpected choice, yet again, defying anyone's pre-draft picks. Chris Kreider was the lucky draftee for the Blueshirts, born of Massachusetts - I wondered if there was a slight disappointment he hadn't been passed over for his home-state Boston Bruins. "HEY KID, MAYBE YOU SHOULD SMILE A LITTLE MORE WHEN YOU PUT ON THAT Rangers JERSEY....?"

I don't know much about Chris, but he seems to be lauded in the few scouting reports I've been able to dig up. He's big (6'2", 201lbs), and described by some scouts as the best skater in the draft. One anonymous scout quoted by THN said that he's "not sure there are many guys in the NHL now who skate better than this guy". Eyes on the Prize and Matchsticks and Gasoline have both done previews of Kreider; the former being rather complimentary and the latter being far less so.

The expected number one pick for the Islanders was (and was always going to be) John Tavares, the 'wonder kid' scouts have been drooling over for the last four years (look out Sid). Tavares was immediately flown by jet to the Loooooong Island (compliments of Waaaaang) to meet the thousands of desperate Islanders fans hoping for a spark. With the top pick and trading up for more of them, the Islanders look to be a contender once again.

Two of our rivals improved dramatically in one evening. Hey guys in Rangerland...! We are ready. Make the changes promised in the season-ticket letter. You got us into this mess. Now get us out and surprise us. Heatley would look good in Blue. Redden would look good in Leaf.

You know what to do.

tdr

A Respected Leafs Fan Counterpoint

I received this note this afternoon, supporting the idea of a Redden trade to Toronto (for a price):

"Nice column Mr. Dark or is it Sir Ranger. We have been hearing word of such a deal via Bob Mackenzie (TSN hockey analyst) as well as other respected hockey gurus. Burkie himself mentioned in one of his interviews, that he is willing to take on other teams cap mistakes for either draft picks and or young talent. Redden who I believe is not that bad a D-man is worth 3 to 3.5 million a year salary. The problem is... he's not playing up to his 6.5 million which would put him in the Phaneufs of the world. I can honestly see a Redden and a first for Ian White and a 4th deal. Helps NYR with the cap (can trade for Heatley... which is been reported Sathers is very high in him) and helps the Buds in the accumulation of draft picks in hopes of moving up in the draft.... "

Once you get beyond his reference to "Redden is not playing up to 6.5...blah, blah, blah" - we know all that...... it does bring to mind some of the ongoing rumors of Marc Staal being thrown into a salary dump trade. I don't like it.

It might be worth including Staal in on a trade to pick up Heatley (or any proven STUD for that matter) as we have many D-men in our system, but....it would be plain sad to not trust the franchise with home-grown newbie Blueshirt talent - a Staal, Girardi, Callahan, Dubinsky, Del Zotto, Sanguinetti -- these are the guys that will grow the franchise in time. Other team managers believe in their youth -- look at Pittsburgh, look at Chicago, etc. -- this approach makes for a stronger franchise foundation, a team loyal to the core and a stronger bond with the fans.

We are sick of buying jersies with the newest stud, later having to throw them out because they wore BLUE only for one season. Keep the kids on the roster Slats and Co. They are 'what is keeping us coming back for more' bad season after bad season.

One thing is for certain, the next couple of weeks will 'lay it all on the table.' Hang tight Rangers fans. There's a hellava ride ahead of us.

tdr

How Eklund Makes A Living

The infamous Eklund of Hockeybuzz, once known for being hockey's 'Deep Throat' has made a living pretending to know more 'inside' information that the average 'Joe Beat Writer'. He was at one point so influential that analysts in hockey actually listened to the guy, sometimes effecting the asking fees and negotiations of players during free agency. People actually paid to hear his rants. The mainstream papers reported on his garbage.

Now Eklund is just an 'Average Joe'. A schmuck. A fraud. Feh. Then there is the Globe & Mail....

As a Rangers fan and knowing how deep in the hole we are with salary cap restrictions, flexibility and bad contracts & management (that makes bad choices), the legit Toronto Globe & Mail piece below is a great example of the kind of 'monkey journalism' that employed our dear-old-make-it-up-as-you-go-along Eklund:

From today's Toronto Globe & Mail:

"There is belief the Maple Leafs have been zeroing in on New York Rangers defenceman Wade Redden and forward Peter Schaefer of the Boston Bruins.

Schaefer, 31, was buried in the minors by the Bruins last season because of salary cap concerns. He has one more year on his contract at $2.3-million (U.S.). Redden, 32, was signed to a six-year, $39-million unrestricted free-agent deal last summer, and the Rangers would not be averse to moving him. The Leafs have plenty of salary cap room – $10-million to $13-million depending on the contract given to restricted free-agent forward Mikhail Grabovski – to accommodate both players.

But if the Leafs have interest in Redden, it means Burke must be serious about trading away either Tomas Kaberle or Pavel Kubina. The two veteran defenceman have no-trade contracts, but a window in which they can be traded opens when the draft commences on Friday. “I’m going [to Montreal] to listen to offers,” said Leafs GM Brian Burke."

Now this is the biggest piece of poo reporting I've ever heard, because I'll tell you something.

"I know Wade Redden. And he 'aint no trade bait, I'll tell ya!"

Now if this were to happen in real life, defy logic and actually make Glen Sather, the Dolans and MSG look like superheroes this off-season, even in exchange for a first-round pick, I'd be the happiest mother f***er on the planet!

...but you know it's not going to happen. (sigh)

tdr

iSpy a Stanley Cup!

Here is a pictorial exclusive* for The Dark Ranger and it's readers, in all it's glory. *exclusive until the kid posted her shots on Flikr, ya little shit.

The Lord Stanley Cup is taking a dip in the pool with various Penguins and friends as part of Mario Lemieux's celebratory mansion barbecue last week.

The pictures depress me. How about you?

It reminds us how far our Blueshirts are from this moment captured. Is it conceivable that someone like Jimmy Dolan or Glen Sather would ever welcome someone who worked for them into one of their homes, let alone swim in their pool? I think not. Furthermore, as much as I dislike the Penguins, it did remind me that they won as a team and their manager and owners were with them every step of the way (maybe not the coach...he eh eh eh e). Christ..., the very fact that Sidney Crosby has been living in Mario's home since puberty shows a display of 'caring for a star player' that our Slats & Gang would never have shown to Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan or Sean Avery (maybe the latter isn't a good example). Not to suggest that Shanny or Jagr needed housing, but a phone call during free agency would have been nice.

I don't begrudge Pittsburgh from having fun with the Cup, so in tribute, only once, I will pay a compliment to Sid and his team followers:

"Well done on stealing the Cup, Birdmen of Allegheny County. No 'Diving' jokes for now as we're in the off-season and you are one-year-older than underage drinking. Bottom line is - you and your boys are now swimming with the Cup. Others are not. When September rolls around, I will again hate you with vitriol and rivalry. " (tipping The Cup)

tdr

"You Are Actually Number One In My Book, Number Two."

What more can we say, except that this should have happened sooner?

Brian Leetch - New York Ranger jersey #2 and blueline commander - remains one of the greatest and most memorable of our Blueshirts - some consider him to be one of the best defenseman in the NHL. Around 3:30pm today, it is likely that Mr. Leetch will have been selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It will be a proud moment for all in hockey. (tip the glass)

tdr

UPDATE: As expected it was announced four hours after this posting, Brian Leetch and (strangely) NJ Devils Coach Lou Lamoreillo will be inducted on Nov. 9 in Toronto along with fellow former Team USA teammate Brett Hull, ex-Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, who now heads up Team Canada.

Lurch For $4 Million a Year?

Supposedly, Nik Antropov is looking to solidify his place on next season's roster by offering a cool $4 million a year for his services. Go here, here for better coverage.

No thanks Nik. Yes...you have the size we need. Yes...you stand at the net and no one is strong enough to push you out of the way. Yes...you scored some goals. But for $4 mill a year, you have to show up every game.

Thanks for the offer. Free agency approaches and remember Toronto gave you away for a draft pick.

No hard feelings, though.

tdr

The Bionic Twins Away.....

OR

Who would you rather have on your team in the age of salary cap limitations? With salaries reaching an all-time high and free agency upon us, it is rumored that Vancouver's Sedin twins are looking for twelve-year, $63 million each as a package to re-sign as Canucks -- to guarantee the remainder of their careers as brothers on & off the ice. I wonder what the open market would pay for these guys, which is roughly $5.25 per year -- a pretty good deal for some of the most consistent scorers in the game. One thing is for certain, the Rangers cannot afford them.

Go here, here and here for the latest on the 'bionic twins'.

tdr

It's Going To Be A Fun Filled Free-Agent Frenzy

Here's my list of the notable free-agents that will become available less than two-weeks away --- we all know what the Rangers are currently lacking and free agency is the perfect destination to find those missing pieces (albeit our missing salary cap space). The full list of free agents is much greater than my list, so I excluded a number of players that are virtually guaranteed a spot on their current roster (i.e. Callahan, Dubinsky). One thing is for sure --- I think we are all done talking about where and who Forsberg is going to play for! Ouch...my heel!

Whoever said the off-season was boring in hockey? I think these are exciting times with the draft happening this week, free agency a blink away, and, next thing you know it, our boys are in a military camp swimming laps across the Hudson. I suppose Torts will send our boys somewhere else than West Point!!? Either way, enjoy the list below -- hope is upon us. (I also hope they leave Wade Redden and his contract in Hartford at the beginning of the season).

Here goes nothing...I have bolded players that will probably be on Slats radar:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTA THRASHERS
F Eric Perrin
F Marty Reasoner

BOSTON BRUINS
F PJ Axelsson
F Mark Recchi
F Stephane Yelle
D Shane Hnidy
D Steve Montador
G Manny Fernandez

BUFFALO SABRES
F Maxim Afinogenov
F Dominic Moore
F Andrew Peters
D Teppo Numminen
D Jaroslav Spacek
G Mikael Tellqvist

CAROLINA HURRICANES
F Ryan Bayda
F Erik Cole
F Chad LaRose
D Dennis Seidenberg
D David Tanabe

FLORIDA PANTHERS
F Radek Dvorak
F Ville Peltonen
F Richard Zednik
D Karlis Skrastins
D Jay Bouwmeester
D Nick Boynton
D Jason Cullimore
G Craig Anderson

MONTREAL CANADIENS
F Saku Koivu
F Tom Kostopoulos
F Alex Kovalev
F Robert Lang
F Alex Tanguay
F/D Mathieu Dandenault
D Francis Bouillon
D Patrice Brisebois
D Mike Komisarek
D Mathieu Schneider

NEW JERSEY DEVILS
F Brian Gionta
F Bobby Holik
F John Madden
F Michael Rupp
F Brendan Shanahan
D Johnny Oduya
D Niclas Havelid
G Scott Clemmensen
G Kevin Weekes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS
F Dean McAmmond
F Mike Sillinger
F Andy Hilbert
G Yann Danis
G Joey MacDonald

NEW YORK RANGERS
F Nik Antropov
F Blair Betts
F Colton Orr
D Paul Mara
D Derek Morris

OTTAWA SENATORS
F Mike Comrie
F Chris Neil

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
F Mike Knuble
D Andrew Alberts
G Martin Biron
G Antero Niittymaki

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
F Craig Adams
F Ruslan Fedotenko
F Bill Guerin
F Miroslav Satan
F Petr Sykora
D Philippe Boucher
D Hal Gill
D Rob Scuderi
G Mathieu Garon

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
D Marek Malik

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
F Boyd Devereaux
F Brad May
G Martin Gerber
G Curtis Joseph
G Olaf Kolzig

WASHINGTON CAPITALS
F Donald Brashear
F Sergei Fedorov
F Viktor Kozlov
G Brent Johnson

WESTERN CONFERENCE

ANAHEIM DUCKS
F Todd Marchant
F Rob Niedermayer
D Francois Beauchemin
D Bret Hedican
D Scott Niedermayer

CALGARY FLAMES
F Todd Bertuzzi
F Mike Cammalleri
F Jamie Lundmark
F Andre Roy
D Adrian Aucoin
D Jordan Leopold
D Andrew Pardy
D Rhett Warrener

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
F Martin Havlat
F Samuel Pahlsson
D Matt Walker
G Nikolai Khabibulin

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
F Chris Gratton
F Manny Malholtra
F Michael Peca
F Jason Williams
D Christian Backman
G Wade Dubielewicz
G Fredrik Norrena

COLORADO AVALANCHE
F Tyler Arnason
F Ben Guite
F Ian Laperriere
F Joe Sakic
D Daniel Tjarnqvist
G Andrew Raycroft

DALLAS STARS
F Steve Begin
F Jere Lehtinen
F Brendan Morrison
F Mark Parrish
D Darryl Sydor
D Sergei Zubov

DETROIT RED WINGS
F Marian Hossa
F Darren McCarty
F Mikael Samuelsson
D Chris Chelios
G Ty Conklin

EDMONTON OILERS
F Ales Kotalik
G Dwayne Roloson

LOS ANGELES KINGS
F Derek Armstrong
F Kyle Calder
D Denis Gauthier

MINNESOTA WILD
F Marian Gaborik
F Stephane Veilleux
D Marc-Andre Bergeron
D Kurtis Foster
D Martin Skoula

NASHVILLE PREDATORS
F Radek Bonk
F Vernon Fiddler
F Scott Nichol
F Steve Sullivan
F Joel Ward
D Greg de Vries
D Ville Koistinen
D Greg Zanon

PHOENIX COYOTES
F Brian McGrattan
F Steve Reinprecht
D Dmitri Kalinin
D Ken Klee

SAN JOSE SHARKS
F Mike Grier
F Travis Moen
F Jeremy Roenick
D Rob Blake
D Kent Huskins
G Brian Boucher

ST. LOUIS BLUES
F Dan Hinote
F Keith Tkachuk
F Brad Winchester
G Manny Legace

VANCOUVER CANUCKS
F Taylor Pyatt
F Daniel Sedin
F Henrik Sedin
F Mats Sundin
D Mattias Ohlund
D Ossi Vaananen
G Jason Labarbera
G Curtis Sanford

Who do you like?

tdr

Stopping The Clown Parade At Cablevision

Everyone knows that Chuck and Jim Dolan are among the most made-fun-of moguls in cable because of their scattershot deal making, their intrafamily squabbling, and their arrogant dismissing of shareholders. There's even been something called the Dolan Discount for a long time -- a penalty put on the stock of their No. 5 Cablevision, because investors don't trust the duo. But their dysfunction has been overlooked of late as the stock price has shot up. The Wall Street Journal now is laying it on the line -- at least as much as it can using wish-washy language of mainstream journalism -- and calling for Jimmy Dolan (aka the leader of blues band JD & The Straight Shot) to get the f**k out as Cablevision CEO. The “Heard On The Street” column says the company is right now overvalued unless Dolan “as speculated” leaves to run his company’s Madison Square Garden subsidiary, thus clearing the way for a buyer for Cablevision. That's because the real brains of the operation is COO Tom Rutledge, and the WSJ warns that when his contract is up in December “it isn’t a slam dunk” that he’ll re-sign. My own sources say some pretty important people have been whispering it’s time for the clown parade at Cablevision to end so that Time Warner Cable or Comcast can take over its coveted franchises concentrated in NYC’s most affluent suburbs.

Where does that leave our darling New York Rangers?

tdr

The Dark Ranger Wurdle

Given nothing is happening on the Rangers front and The Manic Ranger declared professional wrestling 'effin fake', one of our readers sent in a 'wurdle' (go here) created by the url of this site. There are some funny keywords that are pretty consistent throughout the years of posting and this program picked them up (i.e. 'actually' and "little scored").

So, I present to you a little piece of art based on The Dark Ranger's posts. (thanks Brett for visiting the site and teaching me about wordles).

tdr

and the seas boiled..... (A humble request of the Red Wings from a hockey fan..)

Dear Detroit Red Wings,

You don't know me but, I am a hockey fan and primarily a New York Ranger fan. I know... I know...however, nows not the time for details. I am writing to you to implore you to start playing a more physical game and secure the Stanley Cup victory in game 7. We've all seen what you can collectively accomplish when you are focused and the equation thus far has been... Detroit plays physical= Detroit wins. I understand... you guys are tired and battling uphill against cheap-shots from Malkin, Cindy and the rest of the sh*tbirds, as well as the refs that turn a blind eye, backpeddling and reinterpretation of the rules by that useless tool Campell and lastly,........... that cheerleading idiot commissioner rooting for his golden boys. To quote Peter Gibbons, "he represents all that is soulless and wrong"... if you have ever seen the movie office space, there's this guy.... anyway, I digress... The point is, the fact they are conspiring against you should only make you want it more.

You may not realize this, but the fate of hockey hangs in the balance. How you play in this game 7 not only decides who wins the Stanley Cup, but what type of hockey will be played and watched from here on out by fans of the sport everywhere. The hopes of all hockey fans everywhere rest with your opportunity to beat the odds and stick it to Bettman, Crosby, Malkin, that toad Tyler Kennedy and the rest of the kool-aid drinkers. As a fan of a fellow Original 6 team, I beg you to step it up and restore order to our once beloved game. (well as much as can be fixed at this point).

- J_Undisputed

Sidney Crosby Multiple Choice

The final game '7' between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins approaches. One particular player (hardly loved by Rangers' fans) will be complaining his way to the Stanley Cup or complaining his way to the locker room. What's going to happen?

A. (Insert this)
Nothing feels better than Sidney ‘the Diver’ Crosby watching the last seconds tick off the clock, knowing that yet again the Cup is not within reach. Everything that thin-lipped Gary promised has been ripped from his slimy little fingers – and the old guys in red & white take it again. Take the summer off Sid, pull out some of your Goosebumps novels and revisit your New Kids On The Block CD collection and relax a little. See you next year.

OR

B. (Insert this)
Nothing feels worse than Sidney ‘the Cup Diver’ Crosby picking that friggin Lord Cup and realizing everything Gary had promised him for the last two seasons. “Listen kid, we’re going to make you a stah…”, uttered the thin-lipped and heartless Commissioner. He earned it and there is nothing more to say – as a Rangers fan, historically registered, but easily forgotten. It hurts in an emotional way, building his confidence for next season, visualizing his taking the Cup prize home for a week and drinking wine coolers from it. The very fact that the Penguins won is taking the Lord’s (Cup) name in vain, as far as I am concerned.

So which is it? "A" or "B" ?

tdr

Cheechoo Can Stay Home!

Well - it is that time of year when playoff hockey is awe-inspiring and fun to watch, though on most levels as Blueshirt fans we actually don't care a whole lot. Most are afraid to actually say things like that and commission'ehr Herr Bettman never wants to hear such blasphemy from anyone that adores hockey, but here at The Dark Ranger we like our hockey home-style: at The Garden.

Because we don't care about hockey other than our own, the beat writers are on the wire speculating who Slats and Co. are thinking about during the off-season, who is available and who we're going to have to trade in order to get another "a change of scenary to NYC will bring them back to the highly productive days" player. Here enters Jonathan Cheechoo of the San Jose Sharks, now reported by Steve Zipay at Blue Notes as a viable option for New York (Zipay actually used the words "from a spy out West"....which makes him sound more and more like the bloggers he criticizes).

Here's my take: Leave Cheechoo in San Jose!

Let a post from a San Jose' Sharks blogger last season do the talking (which could easily be describing either Scott Gomez or Chris Drury):

Cheech is under way too much pressure. He"s griping the stick too hard and he wants to score. He's waiting to score, which is making it so that he isnt reacting on impulse or reflex, he's reacting on the pressure he feels whenever the puck comes to him. trust me with this one, I see him play every game and I can tell he's not the Cheechoo we used to know. The other night, he played on Joes line and he didnt even get one point (unless he got a secondary assist) when all the goals scored were scored by his line. But him playing on Joe's line is a good sign. Coach Wilson obviously thinks he can play better and well enough to be rewarded by playing on a scoring line. However, it's not showing up during the games and that's when it matters. There is so much expectation from Cheech that he cannot possibly live up to it. All you can expect is to be disappointed.... Besides, we all know Cheech isn't anything without Joe....even if you don't want to admit it.

Now that is just one Sharks blogger's opinion, but hit the boards and you'll see the dramatic deterioration of goals and assists (see here) over the last three seasons. This sounds all too familiar (see Wade Redden) and as our Blueshirts are in desperate need of a scoring sniper or someone who boosts the confidence and the abilities of our highly-paid veterans, the last thing to consider is another 'once shining star' looking to light it up once again under the banner of the exciting Big Apple lights (and my economy-plagued season-ticket dollars).

We need to focus on the youth on the current roster, the youth of our prospects and draft and seek out the rookies from other teams that are currently being overlooked. There are a limited number of free-agent options by July 1 that will be worth the limited monies the Rangers have left in salary cap -- so this may be the year to build a roster that has the energy to actually play a high-end attack-hockey Torts level of game (including the third period too!).

So let's move on to realistic and smart signings, ok Glenny Boy? Oh, and by the way....one of my spys out West wanted me to say........"Rumor is the Red Wings are going to win the Cup!" I heard the same rumor here. Ooh, it must be true!!?

tdr

UPDATE:
The New York Rangers officially sign Zaba. Go here, here, here, here for details and opinions.
Good to see our boys in the office are actually considering building some depth in goaltending -- Vally has been shaky and it will be nice to consider new options if/when Hank decides to get injured.

NY Rangers Sign Free Agent Forward Andres' Ambuhl

The New York Rangers organization has officially signed Swiss forward Andres Ambuhl.

A little background:

Ambühl began playing junior hockey in the HC Davos organization, with the club's junior team. In 2000–01, he scored 41 points in 31 games as a junior and debuted in 3 games with HC Davos in the Nationalliga A. He joined the senior team in 2001–02, scoring 8 points in 38 games during his rookie season. Playing with HC Davos in the 2006 Spengler Cup as tournament hosts, Ambühl scored the championship-winning goal against Team Canada in a 3–2 final win. In 2007–08, Ambühl scored a career-high 26 points in 49 games for HC Davos. Ambühl, rugged for a 5-10, 198-pounder, has played 43 times for Switzerland in Olympic and World Championship competition.

I don't know much about the guy, but it is gratifying to know that management is out in the field doing their job.

Go here, here, here or here for more information.

tdr

(UPDATE - Old news that we haven't yet covered)

Obviously our 2008 first round pick (20th overall), Michael Del Zotto, has officially been signed and will compete for a starting position with the Rangers this summer. Go here or here for more information. So much for the sharpshooters desperately needed on this Blueshirt squad.

Tom Renney - former coach of the NY Defensemen (Rangers) has taken an assistant coach job with the Edmonton Oilers, second to Patrick Quinn. Sound familiar? If these two don't kill each other by mid-season....watch for the fireworks up north and beware of dual rabid/rapid gum chewing.

At Least We Have Sean

Three more seasons of Sean and M-A-R-T-Y!!!! and this little video may give you something to look forward to during the off-season; you know Avery will continue to harrass Fatso in Newark regardless of how our new coach Tortorella attack hockey bionic squad looks like come the fall.

And no matter how General Manager Glen Sather mishandles any available salary cap space this summer (thanks to the generous Marcus Naslund), we DO HAVE SEAN AVERY. There is a God!

As for the current playoffs, "Go Chicago" for now! Please upset Detroit and take out 'The Diver" (a.k.a. the whiner Sid Crosby). He picked up the Conference Trophy and the Hockey Gods should punish him for it.

tdr