Official: Ryane Clowe is a New York Ranger

NHL - The New York Rangers have acquired San Jose Sharks forward Ryane Clowe for the Rangers 2nd and the Panthers 3rd (Rangers via 2012 trade) round draft picks this year.  In 2014 depending on where the Rangers finish the Sharks will get either a 5th or a 2nd round pick. A second rounder only if he resigns with the Rangers, or if the Rangers win two playoff rounds. Clowe has played in 28 games this season and has scored 0 goals to go along with 11 assists (not a typo he hasn't scored yet).  He certainly doesn't solve the Rangers goal scoring woes, but he brings so much more to the team that doesn't show up on the stats sheet.

Don't let these numbers fool you.  This is a tough-as-nails player who has scored 20+ goals twice in his 7 year career.  The 30 year old winger has a set of intangibles that this New York Rangers team has been looking for since the departure of fan favorite Brandon Prust.  He is 6 foot 2 and 225 pounds, but plays much bigger on the ice.  Clowe will not back down from any battles in the corners, the front of the net, and will drop the gloves when called upon:

Ofcourse I had to put in a plug of him taking on Brandon Prust.  In essence, this is the prototypical John Tortorella type of player.  He is not afraid to get his nose dirty, will go to bat for his teammates, and when on his game - can contribute offensively.

For the price that we gave up for him; the three draft picks - I think it is a fair deal.  The second round pick is something the Rangers were going to have to part with based on the amount of interest in Clowe by a number of teams around the league, as well as the market value that has been set for this trade deadline.   The "conditional" pick can actually become a second rounder if the Rangers decide to resign Clowe at the end of the season, or if they make it to the Eastern Conference finals.  If neither of those occur, all the Rangers lose is a 5th rounder to the Sharks.  One way to look at this is if we give up an additional 2nd round pick, something went right which has to be a positive in the grand scheme of things.

The trade deadline is set to end tomorrow April 3rd, at 3pm.  There is speculation that the Rangers will stand pat from here on out, but some think that they will try to make deals to get back those draft picks that they lost.  If that is the case, who else is on the chopping block?  Brian Boyle's name has recently surfaced, and Taylor Pyatt has become expendable.  Do we see a blockbuster deal take place involving Gaborik who has been much topic for debate over the past month or so?  Stay tuned.


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NYR: Finding Consistency

New York - The New York Rangers pulled off a gutsy  4-2 win against the Southeastern Division leading Winnipeg Jets last night. In a season marred by a complete lack of consistency the true test for the Rangers lies in how they will follow this win with a huge home & home series against the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins.  With a win tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, the Penguins will come into Wednesday's match-up against the Rangers riding a league best 16 game winning streak.  Setting things up against the Rangers with a chance to tie the NHL record, also set by the Penguins in the '92/'93 season, for 17 straight wins.

Which Rangers team is going to show up?  The one who came out and scored 19 seconds into last night's game; or will it be the one who followed up that early goal by allowing one just 56 seconds later?  This is where the Rangers need to dig deep and find some sort of stability in their play to avoid another late season letdown.

Ryan Callahan stepped up in a big way last night, and in typical Captain-Cally fashion, had a four point performance when the team needed it most (1 goal, 3 assists).   The "lead by example" captain has laid the blueprint for how the Rangers need to play from here on out, it's time for his teammates to step up and follow suit.  The next two games are immensely important in determining where this team will stand come the end of the regular season.  With the playoff race getting tighter and tighter the Rangers have 13 games to leave a lasting mark on the way this season is going to end.

The Rangers currently sit in 8th place of the Eastern Conference tied with the Islanders at 37 points with a game in hand on them.  The islanders are a scary team right now-  they're young, and lead by budding star John Tavares who's got them playing with a ton of confidence.  It seems as though they will be hanging around the playoff race all the way to the end of the season.  The Rangers also have a game in hand on the rival New Jersey Devils, and only trail them by 2 points for the 7th seed seed in the East.  This is how close everything is, and how minimal the margin for error has become.  A bad loss here and a bad loss there could cost the team a playoff spot come May.

The NHL's trade deadline is on April 3rd at 3pm.  There has been much speculation of who potentially could be traded, and brought in to stabilize this team.  My personal thought is, unless you can add some veteran depth on our bottom 6 forwards the Rangers should stay status-quo.  I realize Gaborik is struggling, and now could be a good time to get considerable return on him via a trade, but he is also a player who has the potential to heat up at any given time.  While Rangers fans call for his head every time he touches the puck, they quickly forget the fact that for the past 3 seasons this was the only player who consistently carried the team offensively.  Coming off shoulder surgery this past off-season I still think he will be able to find his game and begin to put the puck in on a more regular/familiar basis - Don't jump the gun on this one.

Ryan Clowe of the San Jose Sharks is an interesting player that I know the Rangers are kicking the tires on.  Speculation right now shows that the asking price is way to high for a mucker who has 0 goals and 9 assists in 28 games this season.  Many media outlets have also been suggesting that New York has shown considerable interest in Dan Boyle, also from San Jose, a right handed defenseman who is known for his ability to solidify the power-play.  He could be a great option, but at 36 years old, and with two years left on a $6.7 million cap hit - the Rangers should not give in to any high demands on the asking price of acquiring him.

There is no way around it, the Rangers are a young team.  As the games have gotten more important, John Tortorella has been shortening his bench.  Chris Kreider and JT Miller both saw a dramatic decrease in playing time last night because they have not earned Tort's trust to be out there late in tight games .  This issue was perfectly illustrated by Adam Rotter of SNY:

Read: Worrying About JT Miller and Chris Kreider on.sny.tv/10lKrlL
— Adam Rotter (@AdamRotter) April 2, 2013

Are these the foretelling signs of one of them being sent back down to the AHL?  A move like that could open up some room for a depth acquisition before the Trade Deadline on Wednesday.  There is also a lot of speculation that there is "League Wide" interest in Brian Boyle as per New York Post writer Larry Brooks in his article that came out early this morning:

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/trading_nay_lyPFsv88xZLnP0sdSLor1I

As bad as Boyle has been, and he's been pretty bad - sitting at a +/- of -11 in his 31 games this season, he can still be a key asset to this club.  With the departure of Jeff Halpern, lost on waivers to the Canadiens, Boyle has become the most reliable face-off man on this team.  He can still kill penalties, block shots, and hopefully be able to regain his scoring touch.  If the Rangers are to make a move at the deadline, it seems as though he has become the most expendable, what they get in return is the question that lies.

Also is worth noting that the NHL world has now been put on Jagr watch (Bruins/Red Wings the front-runners to land him):

Stars told Jaromir Jagr that he will be traded before 3 PM Eastern Wednesday. #transactions2013#RDS
— Renaud Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) April 2, 2013

Expect a lot of teams to be in on this- As for the Rangers, I'm sure they'll see what Dallas is looking for in return. If he could be had at a low cost I would love to see him come back to New York.  He would be a great veteran player who would stabilize any of the Power-play woes that have been plaguing this team.  I know it's a long shot, but would still love to see it. - UPDATED _ BOSTON HAS ACQUIRED JAGAR AS OF 1:20 pm TODAY


Ultimately, trade or no trade, it all comes down to how the Rangers follow up last night's big win.  Too often this season the team looks poised to break out of their slump, and too often they suffer a letdown. If they can go on a nice little run here down the home stretch they could be a very dangerous team come playoff time.  The key is, finding the consistency in their game, and to make it into the postseason.  The LA Kings proved last year, as an 8 seed that anything can happen come playoff time, it's just a matter of getting there.





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Rangers Struggles Continue: Fall to Jets 3-1

Winnipeg- Just what the Rangers were trying to avoid, is exactly what happened to them last night.  Going into last night's match-up with the Winnipeg Jets, almost everyone around the Rangers organization touted this game as a "Big One" - They lost 3-1.  What more can be said at this point?  This does not resemble the same team in anyway that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

Playing in one of the toughest away rinks in the entire league, the Rangers needed to take the crowd out of the game within the first 5 minutes.  That plan didn't work out so well as the Jets took a 1-0 lead just 1:58 into the first period.  The Rangers were on their heels a majority of the opening frame.  Marian Gaborik was stopped on a penalty shot, and showed some rare emotion smashing his stick into pieces as he got back to the bench.  Maybe the pressure is getting to him, maybe the frustration of being benched and moved from wing to wing is starting to boil over; whatever it is, that is the most animated I have seen Gabby in his 4 years as a Ranger.

The Rangers managed to tie it up when Captain Cally put home his 9th of the season at the start of the second period.  They seemed to find their legs a bit in the second, but we unable to capitalize on some good opportunities out-shooting the Jets 11-9 in the period.  Even though the Rangers out shot them, they never really generated any "Grade-A" scoring chances.  The Jets regained the lead on a deflection late in the period putting the Rangers down 2-1.

Lundqvist made some great saves to keep the Rangers in the game, but there has been an on going trend of the Defenseman letting the opposing forwards get goal-side position on them opening up some great opportunities 1-on-1 in front with Henrik (better illustrated by Adam Rotter of SNY):

Read: Where The Games Are Won and Lost on.sny.tv/10WMsZ5
— Adam Rotter (@AdamRotter) March 15, 2013

It all seems to go back to the fact that there has been an overall lack of focus from this team virtually all season long.  The Jets eventually iced the game with an empty netter in the dying seconds to close it out 3-1.  It seems as though this young Rangers team is really starting to feel the pressure of what being considered a "contender" feels like.

It is almost as if they are not 100% emotionally involved in the game, they'll give you anywhere from 30-60 minutes of real effort on any given night- That is something that needs to change.  In order to find consistency in their game, start by getting back to that identity they've developed the last couple of years of being the hardest working team on a night in and night out basis.  They've got to stop gripping their sticks too tight, loosen up out there, and the chances will come.

The players may not be responding to Tortorella's tactics too well at the moment, something the Winnipeg fans had all to much fun letting Rangers fans know.  The highlight of the game came when the MTS Center crowd began to get on Head Coach John Tortorella's case - "Tort-or-Rella" (Hey maybe some other people need to start putting some more of the pressure on him as well.): 

Never heard a coachs chant before.Way to tortorella it tonight mts
— Jim Slater (@slaterjim) March 15, 2013

Oh man, a "Tortorella" chant at MTS Centre. Don't make me love you, Winnipeg. Don't do it.
— Dave Lozo (@DaveLozo) March 15, 2013

John Tortorella serenaded by Winnipeg Jets fans with mocking chant during Rangers loss (VIDEO) #NHL #NYR | Puck Daddy sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck…
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) March 15, 2013

Reporter asks Torts if he heard the "Tortorella" chant. "The what?" Torts says. #NYR spokesperson says "next question." Presser ends
— Pat Leonard (@NYDNRangers) March 15, 2013

The Rangers are now sitting in 9th place, and are on the outside looking in at the Eastern Conference playoff picture.  With two straight losses and a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins (in Pitt) on Saturday, they better find some answers quick.  Back to back games follow on Monday (Home) & Tuesday (Jersey) - My guess is as good as any, but I wouldn't doubt Marty being back in net for the Devils for that one.  The good thing about this scheduling is the quick turnaround gives little time to dwell on bad losses like this.  It's gut check time for this team, let's see what they can do.


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Game 25 Preview- Rangers vs Jets

Winnipeg, Manitoba- MTS Center - Capacity a deafening 15,004- Opponent = Jets 13-11-2 (28 points) Tied with Rangers for 8th in the Eastern Conference

Game 25 Overview:  It is safe to say that this is the biggest game of the season thus far for the New York Rangers.  Tonight the Rangers will be playing the team they are tied for the 8th and final playoff spot with, the Winnipeg Jets.  With a game in hand on the Jets as well as most of the other teams in the Eastern Conference playoff race, this becomes an extremely critical game for the Blueshirts.  The thing with the shortened season is that teams are only playing Inter-Conference games which means that even when you are winning, teams are still gaining on you.

The Home Crowd: The MTS Center in Winnipeg is the smallest arena in the NHL, but it is also known as one of the loudest and toughest places for an opposing team to play.  With just a 5-6 record at home this season the Jets don't seem to be responding to the home crowd as well as one would assume they would be.  The Rangers need to show that "Road Warrior" mentality they have come accustomed to in years past, and battle it out for a gutsy win tonight.

Who's Hot? Winnipeg- Andrew Ladd (Captain), He has points in 4 out of his last 5 games.  In 26 games this season he has notched 13 goals, 12 assists for 25 points, and is a +7.  Ladd is a heart and soul type of player with top end skill.  He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in '09-'10, and has played virtually under the radar since being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers then relocating to Winnipeg.

Rangers- Derek Stepan has quietly been heating up for the Rangers with Points in 6 out of his last 7 games.  This is a welcomed sign of relief for the Rangers who, with the injury/struggling play of Richards, were in desperate need of someone stepping up for them at the Center position.  Stepan has rebounded very well from his slow start to get his season stats totals to 7 goals, 10 assists, and a +9 rating in his 25 games.  If he can continue to play at this level, and the rest of the team finds it's form the Rangers will have a great 1-2 punch with their top offensive lines.

How Will the Rangers Respond? After and extremely lackluster performance against the lowly Buffalo Sabres, Head Coach John Tortorella blasted his Rangers squad.  A two word summary of Torts' post-game remarks following the 3-1 loss is as easy as, "they sucked" (referring to the Rangers).  Are the players beginning to tune John Tortorella out?  Tonight's game will give us a good indication as to whether or not they are still responding to Torts' motivational tactics, or if it's starting to wear thin on this Rangers team.

Regardless, it's game night, and the Rangers desperately need this win.  Hopefully they come out with a sense of urgency and get the job done.



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Injured Rangers Aiming for Thursday

There's no sugar-coating it, the New York Rangers are struggling right now.  On the heels of their fourth straight loss last night to the Winnipeg Jets, the Rangers are searching for some answers.  Those answers just may come in the forms of Ryan McDonagh, Michael Del Zotto, and most importantly Rick Nash.  Their return to the lineup will come as a more than welcome addition as the team is sitting at just 8-8-2 overall.

At the start of the season the lack of depth on this Rangers roster was exposed.  With the departures of key heart & soul players like Brandon Dubinsky (Blue Jackets), Artem Anisimov (Blue Jackets), Brandon Prust (Canadiens), and Ruslan Fedotenko (Philadelphia) the Rangers were left with a huge void to fill. Needless to say, when Nash went down with an undisclosed injury, McDonagh with a precautionary concussion issue, and Del Zotto with a bruised hip, we all knew the past few games were going to be a serious struggle for this club.

Today Rangers fans everywhere were able to breathe a sigh of relief when they got the news that all three of their key missing players had become probable for Thursdays game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  It is going to be essential for Rick Nash to be the missing piece the Rangers are looking for to help right the ship on offense.  Having Nash in the lineup creates a ripple effect.  It takes the top defending players off of Gaborik and Richards, thus minimizing the offensive burden that has been put on those two to essentially carry the load (which they clearly haven't been doing too well).  The Rangers will now be able to go back to rolling three consistent lines without much of a drop-off in goal scoring ability.

Being able to get McDonagh and Del Zotto back in the lineup is clearly a great way to stabilize a defense that has been reeling throughout this four game losing streak.  Currently the Rangers are in 11th place (18 points) in the Eastern conference, with at least a game in hand on the six teams that stand in front of them in the standings.  With 30 games left to play until the playoffs, the Rangers still have time to make this season a positive one.  Five points is all that separates the 5th-10th seeds in the conference, it's not time to hit the panic button just yet.



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The State of Free Agency in the NHL

The long term contract, it’s become a staple of the NHL for almost a decade now. This is the way a franchise "beats" the cap ceiling set after the lockout in ‘04/'05. Circumvention of the cap is in fact, “prohibited” within the NHL.  This, in terms, is supposed to ban teams from handing out Mega-Multiyear contracts to the top free agents on the market that make them basically irrelevant deals at the end of their careers i.e- Ilya Kovalchuk.  

The New Jersey Devils were the ones who made the circumvention of the cap relevant in the modern game. They signed Kovalchuk to a 17 year deal which would pay him $102 million throughout.  Problem with this is no one expects a player to be relevant actively playing in the league at the age of 44 (which is when this deal expires).

 Needless to say, the league did not act to kindly to this deal and vetoed it.  New Jersey found a loop hole in the system by tweaking a few numbers, and was able to sign their man to this long term deal. Kovalchuk  will make around $1-$4million/year in the last 4 years of the contract, a far cry from the $11million he’ll be making from 2013-2018 (frontloaded deal).

The trend has continued. With the likes of Roberto Luongo, Sydney Crosby, Jeff Carter, Brad Richards, and most recently the Parise/Suter combo (guess we'll refer them as an item for the next 13 years).  We’ve seen team needs begin to exceed available talent level for market value- Therein lies the problem.

The entire hockey world came to a standstill while they waited for (in the moment “superstars”) Parise and Suter to make up their minds and decide they would sign with the Wild.  Teams with bids and interest in these two players would wait on their decisions before seeing if they would have to go after the remaining free agents. 

When you lose out on the bidding war for the top guys, the domino effect takes place.  Parise/Suter are good players, they’re top level talent, but there is a problem when they receive Sydney Crosby caliber money without nearly having the same resume or skill-set as their counterpart.

Mid level talents like PA Parentau, Olli Jokinen, Jiri Hudler, Brandon Prust, Jaromir Jagr (now at 40 years old), Matt Carle etc… are receiving some seriously UNECESSARY big time money for their services.  This is not a knock against these guys; they are good at what they do.  The problem is there is an alarming lack of talent to match the market demand.  Teams have big holes that need to be filled, and the available talent to do so is scarce, causing the pieces to all fall as they may.

SIDE NOTE: Matt Carle ($5.5 AAV) & Olli Jokinen ($4.5 AAV) will be making more money next season than the likes of; Ryan Callahan, Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, Claude Giroux, Dustin Brown, Kris Letang, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Ryan McDonagh.

One big talent goes, over-pay the next best player to make sure you fill your teams need, and on down the line until the deals being handed out seem worse and worse. This is what free agency has become.  There are going to be a lot of talks within the new Collective Bargaining Agreement meetings this summer to find ways to nullify and prevent these massive contracts from being handed out. 

Nothing can be done about a team needing a player, and putting a high bid on the best ones that are available.  It’s the nature of the game, and explains how teams get stuck into bad contracts (Wade Redden, Ville Leino, Scott Gomez) these deals handicap teams and set them back competitively in the future.

It truly makes you think;

Are there really any winners or losers in the off-season anymore?  When was the last time the “winner” of free agency translated into a Stanley Cup the following season?  This isn’t baseball, the money is not the motive when it comes to these guys going out and playing through bloodied faces and bad backs.  It’s time the game, from a business standpoint, becomes refocused so it can keep its integrity. 

@NYRCenterIce

NHL Playoffs: The Second Season

NHL- Every team in the NHL plays all season long for their shot at the Stanley Cup.  For 16 deserving teams, that chance at glory begins tomorrow night.  It is the oldest trophy in North American sports coming into fruition in 1893. From the moment you lay your eyes on the cup, it is a mesmerizing object that leaves you in a rare moment of awe.  It is what every hockey player has dreamed of winning since the moment they were introduced to the sport.  It is the toughest trophy in all of sports to win.

The remaining teams have all played 82 games, they are now trying to be the first to win just 16 more.  The winning team must win four best of seven series to hoist the sport’s Holy Grail.  After a grueling regular season which sees some of the most physical play in any of the top 4 sporting leagues, each team is readying themselves to embark on a (hopefully) long, grueling path to the cup.  It is truly astonishing the amount of effort that these guys put forth on a nightly basis during the long regular season.  Somehow that play is elevated to an unworldly level of intensity come postseason time.

The greatest player to ever play the game, Wayne Gretzky once recalled a moment after his Edmonton team lost their first Stanley Cup appearance to the New York Islanders. Looking around the locker room after his team had lost, he felt that they could have gone out there to play another game.  The same could not be said about the Champions.  They were all wrapped in ice bags from head to toe, getting stitched, and popping shoulders back into place. Gretzky learned, at that very moment, what it took to become a true champion.

It takes everything you have, 23 teammates bonded into brothers, literally giving their blood, sweat, and tears to win a prize that they’ve coveted for their entire lives.  Gretzky went on to win 4 Cups of his own.  Safe to say, lesson learned.

That’s what makes this tournament so great.  It’s not about who has the most talented team, who compiled the most wins in the regular season.  Its about which team is willing to go out and sacrifice absolutely everything they have to attain greatness.  Just thinking about what these player’s put into each and every shift, the atmosphere of the sold out arenas, the will and determination put forward, truly leaves goose-bumps up and down my spine. 

So here’s to the waiving towels, the bone-shattering hits, the amazing goals, and to every team laying it all on the line to get their names engraved on the coveted Stanley Cup.  The playoffs are a start to the second season because it truly is a whole different animal.  If you’re not a hockey fan, give it a shot, I can truly promise you one thing; you will never experience anything in the world of sports like playoff hockey.

This video sums up everything there is to know about a hockey player, and why they play the game.  Enjoy the cup finals, and may the best team win (they always do):