There are still two days left before the Rangers face the Flyers, but it doesn’t sound like Tom Renney is prepared to mess with his lineup before then. He said Colton Orr is day-to-day, and Petr Prucha could return. But given the luxury of numbers, he also said there’s no immediate need to rush things.

Meanwhile, when I asked the coach if Stephen Valiquette’s recent run against the Flyers—i.e. consecutive shutouts—merited consideration for Sunday, Renney smirked and said he thought about it, but is leaning toward Henrik Lundqvist.

I don’t blame him. Even Valiquette acknowledged that unlike with a pitcher in baseball, a goalie’s success against a specific opponent is overrated.

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And speaking of goalies, new acqusition David LeNeveu spent much of yesterday working with goaltender coach Benoit Allaire. He will make his debut for the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday.

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Fred Sjostrom’s adjustment to New York has been made easier by the fact that he’s been crashing at Henrik Lundqvist’s apartment the last few days. The plan is to eventually check into a hotel.

More in a bit…

In what was an otherwise encouraging win last night came the wacky adventures of Christian Backman, who collected six minutes in penalties and who often looked out of sorts.

Put it this way: the News compared him to Sandis Ozolinsh, which unless this is the late ‘90s, isn’t exactly a compliment.

So, no, not a good showing for one half of the new Swedish duo—Fredrik Sjostrom was solid in a limited role—but before you start constructing your own personal Christian Backman voodoo dolls, cut the guy some slack. This was his first game on a new team, and if anything, he may have been guilty of trying to do too much. That’s at least preferable to the alternative.

The question for Sunday is if he can avoid turning this into a trend.

More later…

First prize goes to the reader who can correctly cite the movie quoted above.

Actually, come to think of it, if you can’t detect a line from “Slap Shot” you should probably be banished from the hockey fan community (Meanwhile, I’m 33 years old, college educated, and the father of two. What does it say about my maturity level that this still qualifies as cinematic genius?).

But I digress. The point is that the Rangers will get their first look at Fred Sjostrom and Christian Backman in another huge game tonight in Carolina, and it’s only natural that many of us will jump to immediate conclusions. There’s already been a lot of back-and-forth about whether these were good trades or not, but the reality is we probably won’t know for quite some time—if ever.

And in my view, a lot hinges on Al Montoya. Should the former No. 1 draft pick emerge as an elite goaltender in this league, then the Rangers may well kick themselves for fetching only a checking forward and a couple of minor leaguers in return (there is a conditional draft pick in there, which I’m still looking into). But you could also make the argument that this was the current market for Montoya, and with his play uneven this season, there’s no guarantee they would have even landed this much if they waited until next year.

Like I said, much of it is speculative.

As for Backman, it sounds like he’s someone who can benefit from a change in scenery. That could be a troubling sign. But maybe not when you consider the host of players on the Rangers roster—from Sean Avery to even Jaromir Jagr—who found new life in New York.

More later… 

Some news on the blog front:

At some point this week I’m set to receive a new Mac laptop equipped with a built-in camera that would enable me to do some video blogs. I know what you’re thinking: Your prayers have been answered!

Truth is, I’m on the fence about this. I mean, other than having a face for newspapers, I’m not sure my pontificating for minutes on end on the Rangers power play is going to give “CSI” a run for its money. Plus, if I do it in the middle of the press room after a game while others are on deadline, I’ll likely get slugged (which, come to think of it, would make for riveting viewing).

All that being said, it could be an opportunity to mix things up a bit. And I could conceivably enlist others as guests, which might be cool, too.

Anyway, it’s all still in the conceptual stages, but if you have any strong opinions one way or the other, let me know so I can pass it along to my bosses (who will then tell me to shut up and get back to work).

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And while we’re on the subject of me as a multi-media star (note heavy sarcasm), I’m pretty sure I was edited out altogether from the most recent MSG Profile, “No. 19 Scott Gomez”. 

I wonder what did it: The raccoon eyes from sleep deprivation (our little guy was six days old on the day of the interview)? The incoherent rambling? The profanity-laced tirade I erupted into about halfway through?

I suppose I’ll never know. And who knows, I haven’t seen the show myself yet. But my spies say they never saw me. 

Either way, as someone who doesn’t use roughly 98 percent of all interviews I conduct, I’m not sure I’m in a position to complain. But maybe with my first video blog, I’ll re-enact all of my answers.

Like it or not, the players who were on the ice for practice today are the ones the Rangers will be relying on for the rest of this season, and perhaps even beyond that.

It’s way too early to tell what kind of impact either Fred Sjostrom or Christian Backman will have on this group, but if you want to at least gauge an overall mood around the Rangers, it was apparent both were well received (with the exception, of course, of Sjostrom opening up a cut on his chin after taking a stick to the face from a defenseman. “Tall guy, righty shot,” Sjostrom said, not sure of the name. “Girardi?”).

Practice was upbeat, and so was the room afterward.

Anyway, some notes:

Christian Backman, wearing 55, and Fred Sjostrom, wearing his countryman Jan Erixon’s old No. 20, are here and are on the ice.

Josh Gratton and David LeNeveu are headed to Hartford.

More in a bit…

A few more thoughts before I head out for my own hockey game (as far as I know, I wasn’t traded):

Just got off a conference call with Glen Sather. A couple of highlights:

Some quick thoughts:

…and get forwards Fredrik Sjostrom and Josh Gratton, and goaltender David Leneveu in return.

The big one here in my book is the loss of Montoya, but hardly a surprise.

Some stats: Sjostrom has 10 goals and nine assists in 51 games this season, although he did have a hat trick in October against Nashville. Gratton has played in one game in the NHL this season, and LeNeveu hasn’t played there at all in 2007-08. He did go to Cornell, however, so he and Hugh Jessiman can relive Ivy League memories together.

I would assume LeNeveu is going directly to Hartford. Gratton, who has a reputation as a fighter, might stick around depending on Colton Orr’s injury, but I would assume he’s headed there as well.

I don’t know where Sjostrom fits in, although he’ll certainly be in the NHL. The question is if he can fulfill a checking role, because then he becomes more useful.
I’ll have more later. Rumor has it we’re going to talk to Glen Sather in the next couple of hours.

More as I go…