Rangers Report Blog

Now it sounds as if the Rangers are done for the night—I was wondering why they had the Glen Sather conference call so early. And if they are done for the night, that probably means they are done in the dealing for Dany Heatley.

Earlier I said it looked like it was getting done. Apparently what I was actually hearing but not comprehending was the Gomez deal going down. Sorry about that.

But once Ottawa makes that $4 million bonus payment to Heatley, I’m pretty sure there is no reason for the Senators to trade him … or to do it any time soon. So I assume the Sens will make a deal with Edmonton or some other team by midnight tonight.

And, again, Glen Sather should be applauded if he refused to give in on one of his valued younger players in a deal for Heatley when he had Ottawa over a barrel. With the cap space he opened up by dealing Gomez, Sather can be a player in free agency today and get some offense without giving up anything.

Or he can get something better than Heatley (Vinny Lecavalier?) with those assets.

Maybe I’m misreading this, too. Maybe it’s possible the Rangers will reimburse the Senators for the $4 million if they can get a deal done another time. But I think Ottawa will trade Heatley tonight, and now I think he won’t be coming to New York.
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LATE NIGHT UPDATE, 10:40 P.M.:

TSN is reporting that the Oilers and Senators have a deal for Heatley, pending Heatley waiving his no-trade and agreeing to go to Edmonton.

UPDATE, 11:07 P.M.:

Thanks to reader Mike D who tipped us off to the Sportsnet report that the Heatley-to-Edmonton deal is done.

GLEN SATHER:

“We’ve got lots of cap room now, and it opens lots of options.”

Thinks Higgins will be a goal-scorer … was hurt three times last year. Likes the other two kids as future NHL players, too.

“Torts has talked about the young guys all year and we wanted to make some room for them, and we did.”

“Since this deal happened I’ve had three calls (from other teams), and it doesn’t take long for people to realize you’re going to make some changes.”
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“I spoke with Chris. He’s very excited coming here. He’s very optimistic.”

Sounds like he doesn’t expect any trouble signing him.
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CHRIS HIGGINS:

Called his injuries bumps in the road. Had an injury in preseason, came back and hurt his shoulder.

Was surprised about the trade. Heard his name thrown around all year “but you never believe it’s going to happen.”

“When I heard it happened, I was thrilled. If there was one place I was going to play other than Montreal, it would be in front of my friends and family.”

Was a Canadiens fan growing up, even though he was a New Yorker. But always wanted to play for the Rangers and watched them more than any other team. His first memory was the ‘94 Cup. He was only 11. Had to hear from friends how the Rangers were better than his Habs.

Watched and rooted for Leetch, who went to the same high school.

“l like to play a relentless style. I like to be moving the whole time I’m out there for my shift. I pride myself in my work ethic.”

“I’ve always liked the way (Tortorella’s) teams have played. They don’t seem they take their foot off the gas pedal very often. Playing against the Rangers, they were one of the hardest teams to play against.”
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Said he had a groin injury in camp last year, missed the first six games. Then was “just getting back to steam” when he hurt his shoulder in mid-season and missed 19 games. Felt he was at 100 percent by playoff time and expects to be that when camp begins.

Scott Gomez has been dealt to Montreal in a six-player trade that includes the rights to winger Chris Higgins.

UPDATED, 5:31 P.M.: I’ve been told that Heatley is coming to the Rangers tonight. Not sure what the Rangers are giving up to get him, but they can fit him under the cap now.
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It’s official:

RANGERS TRADE SCOTT GOMEZ TO MONTREAL

Acquire Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko from Canadiens 
            New York, June 30, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired forward Chris Higgins and defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forwards Scott Gomez and Tom Pyatt, and defenseman Mike Busto.

               Higgins, 26, has skated in 282 regular season contests with Montreal, recording 84 goals and 67 assists for 151 points, along with 96 penalty minutes.  The 6-0, 205-pounder has eclipsed the 20-goal mark three times.  In 2007-08, he established career-highs in games played (82), goals (27), assists (25), points (52), power play goals (12), game-winning goals (five), and shots (241).  He led Montreal in shots, tied for second on the team in power play goals and game-winning goals, and ranked third in goals.  He was also one of only three Canadiens to skate in all 82 games during the season.  Higgins registered 11 points (six goals and five assists) in the first 13 games of the season, and went on to surpass the 20-goal plateau for the third straight year.
            Higgins appeared in 57 games with the Montreal Canadiens this past season, registering 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points, along with 22 penalty minutes.  He tied for second on the team with two shorthanded goals, and placed sixth on the club with 151 shots despite missing 25 games due to injury.  In addition, he led the Canadiens in goals (five) and shots (40) during the month of November.  He tallied his first career hat trick on November 11 vs. Ottawa to cap off a season-high, four-game scoring streak that began on November 1 at the New York Islanders, registering six points (four goals and two assists) over the span. 
           As a rookie in 2005-06, he led Montreal with three shorthanded goals.  In addition, Higgins has registered six goals and five assists for 11 points in 22 career postseason contests with Montreal. The Smithtown, New York native was originally Montreal’s first round choice, 14th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

                McDonagh, 20, skated in 36 contests with the University of Wisconsin Badgers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) this past season, registering five goals and 11 assists for 16 points, along with 59 penalty minutes.  The 6-1, 212-pounder established career-highs in assists (11), points (16) and penalty minutes (59) in his second season with the Badgers. The St. Paul, Minnesota native was originally Montreal’s first round choice, 12th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

                Valentenko, 21, split the 2008-09 season between Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL).  The 6-2, 220-pounder collected one assist in eight games with Dynamo Moscow after beginning the season in Hamilton, where he tallied two assists in four games.  he Nizhnekamsk, Russia native was originally Montreal’s fifth round choice, 139th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

                Gomez, 29, appeared in 77 games with the Rangers this past season, collecting 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points, along with 60 penalty minutes.  He was acquired by the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 2007. Pyatt, 22, appeared in 73 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) this past season, registering 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points, along with 22 penalty minutes. Busto, 23, skated in 54 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) this past season, recording three goals and eight assists for 11 points, along with 41 penalty minutes.

In 1998, at the Rangers’ annual team Halloween party, Scott Fraser showed up in a ski mask, holding a bag.

“Who are you supposed to be?” his teammates would ask.

“My agent,” said Fraser.

And everybody cracked up. Fraser had just signed a three-year, $4.1 million deal as a free agent, leaving Edmonton that summer. Glen Sather, then the Oilers GM, must have been laughing too.

So as we head into the homestretch of the Dany Heatley sweepstakes (we should know if he will be a Ranger by midnight, when he’s due a $4 million bonus), and as we head into the opening of the free-agent market also at midnight tonight, I thought I might share this.

In no particular order or relevance, here are most (we may have missed a few) of the free agents the Rangers have signed the last 10 years. You decide which ones worked out:

Theo Fleury
Val Kamensky
Sylvain Lefebvre
Stephane Quintal
Kirk McLean
Tim Taylor
Ray Ferraro
Bruce Driver
John MacLean
Bobby Holik
Darius Kasparaitis
Wade Redden
Chris Drury
Scott Gomez
Brendan Shanahan
Martin Rucinsky
Steve Rucchin
Vladimir Malakhov
Mark Messier (the sequel)
Aaron Voros
Markus Naslund
Martin Straka
Jason Strudwick
Alex Gusarov
Dave Karpa
Matt  Cullen
Dan Girardi
Marek Malik
Michael Nylander
Michal Rozsival
Aaron Ward
Jason Ward
Kevin Weekes
Greg DeVries
Chris Simon
Ted Donato
Zdeno Ciger
Barrett  Heisten
Steve McKenna
Igor Ulanov

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That said, here’s a list of the top 50 free agents from NHL.com.

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AFTERNOON UPDATE: 1:11 P.M.:

My buddy Tom Gulitti, who used to cover the Rangers and now has a fine Devils blog at the Bergen Record, reminded me that the free agency period begins at noon, not midnight like the old days. Geez, I wish Gary Bettman would call me when he changes things.

Also, here is the list of invitees to the U.S. Olympic hockey camp for 2010. It includes Callahan, Drury and Gomez.

USA Hockey today announced that John Tortorella—who has the most NHL victories by an American-born coach—and Islanders coach Scott Gordon will be assistants to Ron Wilson for Team USA in the 2010 Olympic games.

The U.S. roster is to be announced on a conference call tomorrow.

Also, long-time Rangers massage therapist Bruce Lifrieri was named to Wilson’s staff.

The Rangers will host their prospects development camp this week at the team training facility in Greenburgh.

The new draftees and other prospects will attend.

For a roster of participants, from the Rangers site, click here.

Here’s the release the Rangers sent out this evening:

RANGERS ACQUIRE FORWARD BRIAN BOYLE
New York sends a 3^rd Round Pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft to Los Angeles

            New York, June 27, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired forward Brian Boyle from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a third round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
            Boyle, 24, was originally Los Angeles’ first round choice, 26^th overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.  He appeared in 28 games with the Kings last season, registering four goals and one assist for five points, along with 42 penalty minutes.  He established career-highs in games played (28) and penalty minutes (42).  Boyle notched three goals in a four-game span from March 28 at Nashville to April 4 vs. Phoenix.  The Hingham, MA native also skated in 42 games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (AHL), recording 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points, along with 73 penalty minutes.  He collected two points (one goal and one assist) in his season debut with the Monarchs on December 5 vs. Worcester.  In addition, Boyle posted two, four-game scoring streaks – December 13 vs. Providence to December 17 at Manitoba (one goal and four assists) and March 4 vs. Springfield to March 8 at Worcester (two goals and two assists).
            The 6-7, 252-pounder has skated in 36 career NHL games with Los Angeles, recording eight goals and two assists for 10 points, along with 46 penalty minutes.  He registered two points (one goal and one assist) and a plus-two rating in his NHL debut on February 2, 2008 at New Jersey.  Boyle has also appeared in 114 career AHL contests with Manchester, collecting 41 goals and 42 assists for 83 points, along with 162 penalty minutes.  In 2007-08, he established AHL career-highs in games played (70), goals (31), assists (31), points (62), and penalty minutes (87).  That year, he led the Monarchs in goals, ranked second on the team in points and fourth in assists.  His 31 goals also led all AHL rookies and ranked 10^th in the league overall, while he finished second in the league among rookies with 62 points.  Boyle also tallied three goals and five assists for eight points in 16 postseason contests with Manchester during the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs.
            The Rangers also acquired goaltender Chad Johnson from the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for a fifth round pick (151^st overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.  Johnson, 23, appeared in 35 games with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks last season, registering a 14-16-5 mark with a 1.66 goals against average.  The Calgary, Alberta native was originally Pittsburgh’s fifth round choice, 125^th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Here is the link to the Rangers’ site and the announcement of the second-round pick and the rest of the picks.

UPDATE. 11:20 A.M.: Hall of Famer Raymond Bourque’s son Ryan is the Rangers’ third-round pick.

UPDATE, 12:15 P.M.: Center Roman Horak is the fifth-round pick.

UPDATE, 12:22 P.M.: Goalie Scott Stajcer is picked in the sixth round.

Also, Steve Zipay is reporting on his blog that Glen Sather and Dean Lombardi of the Kings may have something brewing. And that Brian Burke and Sather huddled earlier in the morning.
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Zip was dead on. Check out his blog, with news about Antropov, Sjostrom and Zherdev.
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From the NHL:

2009 NHL ENTRY DRAFT NOTES

        MONTREAL (June 27, 2009)— The 2009 NHL Entry Draft concluded this afternoon with a total of 210 players selected from 11 countries. Following is a breakdown of 2009 Entry Draft selections by birthplace: 

Canada        102 
United States        55 
Sweden        24 
Finland        10 
Russia        7 
Slovakia        5 
Czech Republic        3 
Belarus        1 
Denmark        1 
Germany        1 
United Kingdom        1 
Total        210 

TRANSACTIONS SUMMARY FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 27 

NY Islanders traded pick #56 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Columbus for picks #62 and #92 in 2009. 
Florida traded D Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary for D Jordan Leopold and pick #67 in the 2009 Entry Draft. 
Calgary traded picks #84 and #107 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Los Angeles for pick #74 in 2009. 
NY Islanders traded pick #91 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Phoenix for a 3rd-round pick in 2010. 
Atlanta traded pick #95 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Los Angeles for picks #117, #120 and #203 in 2009. 
Minnesota traded picks #99 and #133 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Edmonton for C Kyle Brodziak and pick #161 in 2009. 
Los Angeles traded picks #107 and #138 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Florida for Florida’s 3rd-round pick in 2010. 
Washington traded D Sami Lepisto to Phoenix for Phoenix’s 5th-round pick in 2010. 
Pittsburgh traded unsigned draft choice G Chad Johnson to NY Rangers for pick #151 in the 2009 Entry Draft. 
Nashville traded pick #148 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Tampa Bay for a 5th-round pick in 2010. 
Los Angeles traded C Brian Boyle to NY Rangers for a 3rd-round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. 
Calgary traded D Jim Vandermeer to Phoenix for C Brandon Prust. 
Atlanta traded pick #177 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Chicago for a 5th-round pick in 2010. 
Dallas traded pick #189 in the 2009 Entry Draft to San Jose for San Jose’s 6th-round pick in 2010. 
Phoenix traded pick #187 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Vancouver for the rights to D Shaun Heshka. 
Edmonton traded pick #191 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Ottawa for a 6th-round pick in 2010. 
Nashville traded pick #202 in the 2009 Entry Draft to St. Louis for St. Louis’ 7th-round pick in 2010. 
Pittsburgh traded pick #211 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Montreal for a 6th-round pick in 2010. 

Before I post it, I want to tell you Boneheads that you rock. More than 500 comments during the first round.

Here is the official release from the NYR:

RANGERS SELECT CHRIS KREIDER IN 2009 NHL DRAFT
Phillips Academy Andover Forward Chosen 19^th Overall

New York, June 26, 2009 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has selected forward Chris Kreider with the 19^th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
Kreider, 18, skated in 26 games with Phillips Academy, Andover of the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association (HS-MA), registering 33 goals and 23 assists for 56 points, along with 10 penalty minutes. He led Andover in goals (33), assists (23) and points (56). He also finished sixth among all high school players in point per game average, scoring at a rate of 2.15 points per game. The 6-2, 205-pounder entered the 2009 NHL Entry Draft as the highest ranked high school player, and 14^th overall among North American Skaters, according to the final Central Scouting Rankings.

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Update from Jane: Got off the phone with Kreider and want to clear up some bios, which say he is Boston College-bound in 2010. He’s moved it up to this fall after getting advice from a lot of people saying that he should play at a higher level sooner.

It was a long crazy day, but Kreider said he’s excited to come to New York.

“I’m just on cloud nine,” Kreider said. “I’ve been told it’s the greatest city in the world. I’ve never been there but I’m looking forward to it. I have a lot of friends who are Rangers fans.”

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TRADES COMPLETED AT 2009 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

MONTREAL (June 26, 2009)— Following is a list of trades completed during the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft at Bell Centre: 
Anaheim traded D Chris Pronger and C Ryan Dingle to Philadelphia for RW Joffrey Lupul, D Luca Sbisa, Philadelphia’s 1st-round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft (pick #21), 1st-round pick in 2010 and a conditional pick in the 2010 or 2011 Entry Draft. 
Minnesota traded pick #12 in the 2009 Entry Draft to NY Islanders for picks #16, #77 and #182 in 2009. 
Columbus traded picks #16 and #77 in the 2009 Entry Draft to NY Islanders for picks #26, #37, #62 and #92 in 2009. 
Calgary traded pick #20 in the 2009 Entry Draft to New Jersey for picks #23 and #84 in 2009. 
Anaheim traded pick #21 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Columbus for picks #26 and #37 in 2009. 
Detroit traded pick #29 in the 2009 Entry Draft to Tampa Bay for picks #32 and #75 in 2009.

Here’s a blank canvas for your comments and discussion during the first round of the draft tonight. It’s on Versus at 7 p.m., but hopefully they’ll use the TSN feed and analysts.

Meanwhile, I just got this from the NHL and NHLPA: