and Jason Smith probably in the 3.6 range of Cory Sarich or 4.5 of Scott Hannan

which would probably bust the team through the cap a bit…but nice move overall

1) Here we go again. Adding another overaged veteran to the club.

2) How does signing another center even remotely make sense for this hockey club. The team spent 14 million dollars to have the Drury.Gomez 1-2 punch down the middle. Are they going to bury one of them on the 3rd line now? Not too even mention Brandon Dubinsky!

Today I sat down, and broke it all down at lunch. Here’s what I came up with.

I guess the rumors have some validity. They keep popping up all over the place and it was even speculated he might come over here last season. Top that off with the fact that it makes no sense, I think this one might actually happen…Here’s why. Under the new Salary cap, GM’s have to become really creative. Meaning, there are going to be certain areas where to have to plug in stop-gap’s. With that said, via free agency the wingers available are going to be totally overpaid in this particular class. Supply and demand and the increase in the new cap is definitely going to drive their values through the roof. So, two things will have to happen in order for the Rangers to be able to compete in this years class.

1) Look for players that want to be here, for proximity to their respective homes etc.

2) Look for players that might take less salary than they will receive elsewhere to play here.

Over the past week there have been some very interesting rumors involving the Rangers, and their plans for the offseason. Two names have been mentioned by more than one site, and after the NHL Entry draft the rumors really heated up. The two names were Brian Cambell and Mats Sundin.

Cambell to me is a no-brainer. My opinion of him is that he is the premier offensive defenseman in the game today…and maybe the best skater in the league to boot! The Rangers certainly have a need for an offensive defenseman, and this guy fits the bill. The guy would totally boost the power play, and for an offensive defenseman Cambell is also an excellent open ice hitter. His physical game is very underrated. Anyone remember the hit he threw two seasons ago against Umberger in the playoffs? So, while Cambell might not be the intimidating player that say Orpik is, he isn’t any less physical than the rest of the NY Rangers…and with the exception of maybe Tyutin, he might be the best hitter on the club, again… if he comes here. He also has stated publicly that he wants to play for a northeast team. Apparantly, he wants to be closer to home for something that has to do with his wife’s family which is in the Northeast, I believe in NY. Anyway, he also has the connetion with Chris Drury, who apparently was best friends with Cambell in the Buffalo years.

Mat’s Sundin is now heavily rumored to the Rangers. When I originally saw this, I was taken back some. Why would the Rangers add another center? Why would they add a guy that is 36 years old? Makes no sense right? Then I broke it down a little more, and the in the end I think I know what the Rangers thinking was when they leaked info about bringing him over. In the end, I don’t love it, but…I think this might be a somewhat inexpensive way to put a winning product on the ice for a season or two until the next crop of Rangers are ready to make their way into the NHL. The next crop being Sanguinetti, Cherepanov, Anisimov, Gratchev, and Del Zotto. Sundin is a monster. 6’5”, 235lbs. At the end of the season last year, Renney was quoted as saying he thinks the team could benefit from having a little more size up front. Pearn was quoted as saying the team needs some veteran leadership on the Blueline, and a PP QB. Based off of those comments, and the Rangers refusal to either draft, or sign a physical blueliner for the system I think this might be what they have in mind.

If indeed it does happen, I think this is what the Rangers will look like next season. I highly doubt that the Rangers would consider bringing him on board if they weren’t going to re-sign Jaromir Jagr. If Sundin was to come here, IMO it is specifically to center Jagr. Thinking the two will play the same puck control game that Jagr and Nylander did. The only difference…Sundin is much bigger than Nylander was. I believe he’s like 6’5” 230lbs!... and he still posses similar puck control skills that Nylander did. So, let’s take a look at this. If he was to come over here, you now have 2 very important pieces to your top line. The problem is now find a left wing for the duo, and for the Rangers now with no lack of size up front, I think Nigel Dawes might be that guy. Dawes is a great shooter. Imagine how he would do buzzing around the ice with guys like Jagr and Sundin setting the guy up? He could be a cheap alternative to complete the first line. He would have plenty of room out there to get free, and again, his shot is very underrated. I think if given the chance with these two Dawes has his first 30 goal season at the NHL level.

Next is where to put Dubinsky? I keep saying this all along too. Dubinsky, IMO would make an excellent left wing for Gomez. Why? The guy is obviously a big body, and he can bang in the corners, and chase down loose pucks. Plus…he is a solid skater who can keep up with the play with Gomez. With that said, why not give the guy a shot on Scotty’s wing. Let them learn each others game, let them create some chemistry. I think with both scenerio’s here, you have two layers that are so good, that whoever plays the opposite wing can be somewhat interchangeable. Maybe Korpikoski, or Sjostrom? Either way, you certainly add speed there, and both players are also defensively responsible.

Leave the shutdown duties to Drury, and maybe acclimate him to Sjostrom who IMO should be bumped up for the 4th line. Toss Cally on the other side.

Here’s the lineup

Total Cap Hit

Dawes ($1.1) Sundin ($5.) Jagr ($5.) $11.

Dubinsky (.63) Gomez (7.3) Korpikoski (.650) $8.58

Callahan (.575) Drury (7.) Sjostrom (1.1) $8.67

Prucha (1.6) Betts (.615) Orr (.537) $2.752

Staal (.827) Cambell (6.50) $7.3

Tyutin (2.844) Girardi (1.55) $4.39

Backman (2.3) Smith (2.15) $4.45

Lundqvist (6.875) $6.875

Valiquette (.875) $.750

Total Salary $54.76

Hollweg, and Sauer can be healthy scratches and both combined would still keep them under cap.

Potentially it could work. The lineup lacks the big physical defenseman, but…Jason Smith could provide some leadership, and is certainly more physical than anyone else on the club. With Smith, think of a better version of Strudwick.

In the end, the Rangers keep Jagr happy, and in NY for two more seasons. They add serious PP potential, and a slightly more physical defense than they employed the year before. There is one glaring weakness the team would lack and that is an agitator. In the end thouh, you have to figure out. What is a bigger area of concern? Getting a guy that can get under everyone’s skin, or bolster the PP, and get some size up front without losing speed? I think this is what the Rangers were thinking, and maybe the reason why the signed the kid out of Sweden. Supposedly he is the Swedish Sean Avery, and plays a very similar game…but with a much cheaper pricetag.

Ummm…this post is bad…
if you haven’t noticed he is definitely not a 3rd line center…he is on the Rangers for some stupid reason, but he is NOT a 3rd line center. Let me tell you why…
Last summer Sather took what I thought was a good step, in changing our team from a post lock out Jagr crew that was soft but skilled to a Gomez, Drury crew and added more youth and alot more grit and heart…however…Jagr was still here, pushing some of the buttons and playing his style with players who haven’t played that before…
So really Sathers move caused two totally different styles of hockey to collide and Renney was left to pick up the pieces, buy playing Dubinski 1st line and by moving Gomez to 2nd line center and Drury to 3rd.
What Renney should have done is made Gomez 1st, Drury 2nd and Avery/Dubinski/Jagr should have been line 3. Dubinski handled it well and definitely rose to the occasion…he is easy in the top 2 of our youth movement, but Dubinski is gonna have some high expectations riding on his shoulders next season…we all expect it. Remember last september Dubinski was gonna be our 3rd line center or 4th…
The bottom line is next season our top three centers should look like this…and Drury is number 2.
Gomez, Drury, Dubinski, Betts…if that means no Jagr…Avery…Straka….I say Good! Lets get on with it!

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