According to RDS’ Ren Lavoie, the Rangers have agreed to a one-year contract worth $700,000 with center Jeff Halpern, age 36.
Not saying this is a bad signing, because Halpern is especially good on faceoffs, and is a penalty killer type.
But … here is a team that was strong on the third and fourth lines and needed top-line help, and so far, nine days into free agency, it has added nothing but fourth and borderline third-line players: Arron Asham, Micheal Haley, Taylor Pyatt and now Halpern.
And I’m quite certain there is some top-line help coming before the summer’s over and the lockout, er, I mean, training camp begins.
Halpern won’t hurt them, especially at that price. But does he really help? Do any of the free agent acquisitions actually help? Halpern started his career with Washington, but since 2006-07 has played for Dallas, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Montreal and Washington again.
Still waiting for official word of the signing, by the way.
275 Comments
1!
2!!
3!!!
4 or 5?!
AND 5!
Sather just shuffling a deck with lower cards to get a final combination for the trump trade and still plug all holes if not by aces in the hole, but solidly nevertheless.
I’m pretty much thinking something along those lines must be at work as well.
these moves have been wholly lackluster – unless they buy out Rupp, in which case adding Asham, Halpern and Pyatt will all be genius moves. but there’s a bigger issue here: the one marquee name out there is Nash. and he’s going to come at high price that I don’t believe will ultimately improve the team. after Nash, there isn’t a forward out there (at least that’s been mentioned as being on the trading block) that’s going to be a dramatic step up. the free agent forwards are, to a man, unimpressive. Semin’s probably the most appealing but I give him about a month before he turns into Wolski 2.0. Shane Doan is 36 and likely won’t leave Phoenix. so where is this big offensive signing going to come from?
Halpern? Another black ace who will get 5 minutes per game when not Prucha’d. The guy sat in the stands inthe playoffs against the Caps.
I should have included Ryan but I’d put him in the same boat as Nash. Although I like him a bit more than Nash due to his salary and better all around game, he’s not going to come cheap. And I don’t think he’s the kind of player worth mortgaging the future for.
Dubinsky/AA will be in any Nash deal. Or one could head to Phoenix in a Yandle move. I always liked Halpern as a player.
Would Staal, Dubinsky and a 1st be enough for WWEber?
Lame signings. Would have been good for Sather to meet Prust’s demands and focus on a top liner than waste dynamics with less than desirable’s.
in signing 4 players, the Rangers have still spent $3 million less than Montreal did for Brandon Prust.
My initial thought was probably the same as most of yours: lining up another domino.
For Nash or Ryan I think if we may have to trade 2 of Dubi/Stepan/AA (ANA may not want 17’s cap hit so they may ask for the latter two), which leaves us with a hole down the middle. While not ideal, (especially if Stepan goes) I could see Boyle bumping up to the 3rd line with Halpern slotting into the 4th. If Boyler plays like he did down the stretch before he was cheap-shotted, it could work. What do you guys think?
there’s really no reason Boyle should be anything other than third line center no matter what and I can’t see why they’d sign Halpern if not to make him the 4th line center.
Halpren was captain in Wash.
Always worth something.
Greg Caggiano ?@GregCaggiano
Hearing Rick Nash has been traded to the New York Rangers. ?#NYR? ?#CBJ? ?#DONEDEAL
This guy just jumped up to number 1 on my “I want to punch you in the face” list….
Greg Caggiano ?@GregCaggiano
@PuckCentral Didn’t read it anywhere. My source just called me. Will be announced tomorrow.
@lostcauz21 Deal is going to include a player on ?#NYR? that no one has brought up yet, but is so obvious.
who the hell is this guy?
Prust, Fedotenko, Mitchell out
Asham, Pyatt, Halpern in
Maybe nobody’s getting traded after all?
Lloyd- you’re right. i was not factoring gabby’s injury, and before this signing was thinking richards, stepan, aa, boyle as our 1-4 at C. i guess this makes 12 nhl forwards not including haley, or if bickel plays up front, to start the year with.
let’s just hope this is building to something.
Are those real tweets / twitts?
Player no one has brought up yet? He obviously hasn’t been reading this blog LOL
yes, they’re real, and I have no idea who “player no one has brought up yet” and “so obvious” could possibly refer to.
This guy Greg? Who knows?
Who could the player be if it was true? Wade Redden? haha
The only player I could think of that nobody talks about in trade is Hagelin. Unless it’s a draft pick that has yet to play professionally.
I wonder if Rangers fans would flat out riot if Henrik Lundqvist was traded for Rick Nash
Another example of the dumbness of twitter.
Well…I guess we will see the damage tomorrow…if true, of course
spider, I agree on 62…but if Greg Caggiano is breaking this news I will still be mad..
Who is Greg Caggiano?
“Who is Greg Caggiano?”
Someone with Internet connection and free time?
He is the person who is causing me lack of sleep for the next 5-6 hours until this is verified as a joke….
Sorry to inform you guys… but I just read that Rick Nash has included the Bruins in his list of teams…
So… Ill be Rod for a moment… but Ill actually be right.
Rick Nash to the Bruins for Tim Thomas’ contract, the oft concussed Nathan Horton, and some filler also known as trash.
And then the Blue Jackets were contracted.
Does Halprin bring his own rolling walker, or does Dolan provide a new one?
Popeye – I don’t take credit cards…. But for cash I will let you look at it…. Of course if you want to touch it it’s extra….let me know which…. Look or touch
[ZZZzzzz!!]
[Snorrring!]
Would rather Fedotenko over Halpern. Although the Halpern deal does create depth down the middle, making AA more expendable for trade.
Doan considering Detroit, LA, and Pittsburgh, according to rumor. So, apparently Doan may not have any problem coming to the east.
there is no doubt in my mind something happens today big for rangers. why you may ask is i will be in a car for 4-5 hours driving to work meetings next few days where i will not be able to post during day only at might so therefore i sense something big that i wont be here for. its my luck.
Are we nashed or doaned yet?
Wellman!
I like this move it’s a depth move people. Nothing more it’s not instead of Nash or Ryan. Last year we had a defenseman playing forward. We had no NHL players as depth. We have that know and a nothing cost. 700,000 for a guy that was fifth in the league on face offs where this team was brutal. It’s a great depth signing nothing more.
Roc is spot on. This team needs to win a face off when we are defending the power play.
Now I wonder if this sets up the Rangers trading a center down the road.
Why this over Fedotenko? How much did Feds get?
Peter 2 reasons why Halpern is a NYR and not Feds.
1) Halpern is getting paid 1 million less than Feds
2) Halpern is a Center and can win draws. Feds is a winger.
Looks to me like Slats did 3 things here: Made us better at face-offs, added a guy who can play the PK and gives us more depth at center to include one in a trade.
We now have Richards, Step, AA, Boyle, Halpern, poss Dubi – although AA and Dubi played a lot of wing last year.
In my mind this sets us up for trading for Bobby Ryan more than Rick Nash now. I guess we’ll see if this Caggiano guy is right. I presume the tomorrow in the tweet means Tuesday (ie today)?
Halpern is your new 4th line center. (and better than Zenon at faceoffs)
Trade will be today hopefully.
For the Rangers, Dubi is a wing. Torts sees him as a wing and not a center, so putting him in the list of team centers is pointless. Torts even uses AA as a wing mostly.
I have to admit that I am not sure where all of this is going, but when it comes to trading, I have to always hand the advantage to Sather. Signing UFAs has been mostly bad with a few good during his tenure. So, for trading, I am going to just let it be… as if I could do anything about it.
Semin will never be Wolski 2.0. Semin will score goals, which automatically makes him better than Wolski. Semin is a great regular season player. Not the guy you want to go to war with in the playoffs. However, given the right role on the right team, he would be very valuable. Throw him out there with a couple of defensive defensemen and 2 2-way forwards to cover his softness, and let him do his thing. Torts won’t be willing to deal with him, but I think Detroit will be, and he could flourish there.
Today at Puck and Gavel, I look at the Coyotes referendum situation and how it relates to Shane Doan.
puckandgavel.blogspot.com
Girardi?!?
HALPERN for fourth line centre, good at faceoffs, takes stupid penalties (but not many) and can take a beating. Into it. He is basically free.
Halpern is a pimple on the NYR a**. Depth setting up for the deal that is coming in 3…2…1…
Callahan?
I have to admit, I thought Halpern retired.
Who’s next Slats? Mike Knuble?
Morning ‘heads,
Sather still making powr moves! Jeez! I didnt think he was in the league aymore either Dude.
I guess he can handle faceoffs and 2 mins of ice time a game though. Go get Doan Mr. Sather!
Don’t know how true, but rumor is that Semin will announce signing with Pens today. Supposedly a 1 year deal. Nothing on $$ mentioned. Again, I don’t know how true this is.
Heard a rumour that the Rangers are prepared to offer for Rick Nash 2 firsts (13 and 14), BB, Dubi and JT Miller….
Good morning, boneheads!
Not sure why people are against Halpern signing. Some wanted to add Gaustad for $3M+ to improve our faceoffs situation, some wanted Konopka for that. Who can’t play at all. Halpern was one of the better faceoff centers in the league last year. He can check, play PK. And he was a captain in Washington. For $700K, can’t complain. Has nothing to do with what Sather is planning to make as his next move, but simply completes our lower two line situation.
Given the prevailing mood on here seemed to be that giving Konopka the two-year deal that he got from the Wild would’ve been a good move (for some reason), surely signing Halpern for equivalent face-off prowess, for one year and lower cost should be resulting in a mass celebration?
It’s not like Konopka was needed for his punch-receiving capabilities.
I, too, don’t get the backlash against the Halpern signing. One year, cheap and he immediately upgrades the FO prowess of the team. And I’ll bet Halpern will merrily adhere to Tortorella’s shot-blocking regimen….
Oh, I’m not complaining about the Halpern signing, seems like a cheap solution to a major problem. I just don’t recall hearing his name in a while, thus why I thought he was retired. I agree with other BH’s, this is probably a precursor to another trade.
I’m not getting excited about a minor depth move either, just that he’s clearly a better player than Konopka, who was portrayed as some kind of prize UFA capture.
Exactly, LW. And he is 4 times cheaper than HOF-bound-for-his-faceoff-prowess Paul Gaustad.
Geez, never mind, Gautad’s cap hit is $3.25M for 4 years. Rick Nash should ask for an immediate raise then, no matter what team he ends up with…
On a side note, I met Halpern’s close family member who works for Cornell a few years back. She couldn’t stop raving about his personality, sounded like a very nice guy. He suffered a horrible family tragedy some time ago, his mother was killed in a car accident.
I want to see the shot blocking numbers go down this year. Blocking lots of shots primarily means that the other team has the puck more than you. I want this team to control the puck more and have to block shots less.
Taylor Pyatt for President!
Good morning, Carp!
if you all remember halpern played game 6 and game 7 vs rangers this year when jay beagle got hurt. otherwise he was a healthy scratch for the first 12 games of the playoffs. for 700k on 1 yr deal it doesnt hurt. lets see where this goes with him and bigger things. hes not someone we should debate for hours
While walking home from daycare, I realized why I’m annoyed. My daughter …
... no, nothing with her. Its because we had what I considered a really strong core of forwards, where one minor addition and one major addition could have given us 4 really strong, really deep lines …
Gaborik – Richards – Hagelin
Callahan – Stepan – [to be determined]
Kreider – Anisimov – Dubinsky
Prust – Boyle – [Pyatt]
Pyatt wasn’t a great signing because Pyatt can’t be great, but he was the exact right kind of signing; overskilled for a 4th liner with the ability to PK. If you have 3rd liners on your 3rd and 4th lines and 6 legit top 6 guys, you’re going to have a really good team and we were lined up (esp with Kreider slotted on the 3rd) to have just that. Guys like Asham and Halpern might fill roles, but they’re either a step to the side or a step back in improving our overall roster.
(The [to be determined] spot could have come from a number of places. Obviously Parise was the big target but that flopped. A guy like Doan would fit seemlessly into that spot and give us a nice little scoring bump. Those failing, and assuming the asking price on Nash and Ryan remain prohibitive to building a team rather than a first line, there have to be some solid forward available for prospects and picks and we have a lot to give. Moving Erixon would be a lot more palatable than moving MDZ so even if the target is a step down from Nash, its still better for the team as a whole. (Or, perhaps you play by actual NHL rules rather than the wink-and-nod collusion junk and offer sheet the hell out of Evander Kane. He’d be awesome and we should be picking low in the 1st for a while.))
Halpern = Money!
Halpern is a beast. Pretty pumped for this signing. Cheap and for one year. Guy was almost 60% in faceoffs last year and he took over 600 of them. That’s pretty damn impressive if you ask me.
Plus he can play PK and will throw some hits. The front line help will come, whether it’s this year or next. He’s just filling in holes left by losing Prust, Feds, and Mitchell.
And the thing is this, it’s not like they lost any offensive talent. It’s the same as last year (once Gaby comes back at least). I don’t think Sather just wants to blow up the team (which is a defensive team) since the style worked for most of the year. I think he wants to try to find some offense that can be added to the defensive style of play. We’ll see how likely that is though.
Yup. Everything Jonny said. This is another good signing. Cheap and effective. Keeping room for whatever bigger moves we need to make, if any.
I don’t think Hagelin will be on the 1st line again this year. I think Kreider slots in there and Hagelin moves back where he belongs to the 3rd line.
And Sather isn’t offering anything for Kane. He doesn’t believe in RFA Offer Sheets. I also am not sure if Kane would have too much success here. He played in a weak division and playing in the Atlantic is a whole different beast.
I am not sure how these signings are so bad? We need to improve the bottom 6 as well… Teams like NJ and Ottawa in the playoffs showed us that a stronger bottom 6 goes a long way. We got faceoff help in Halpern, something that we desperately needed. Pyatt/Asham are upgrades from Prust/Feds (yes, I will really miss Prust and would almost rather him just for character alone, not to mention we all hated Asham for so long). Just saying… Carp explained that we didn’t do anything that we needed to do. I disagree.
However I will say that Kane would slot pretty good on that 2nd line you posted. So I wouldn’t be opposed to it either haha.
EVANDER KANE for 6 Years @ $4.8M
Yeah, I understand we aren’t going to chase Kane, I just hate the reasoning behind it. Its collusion, plain and simple, and you’d think easy to prove if the NHLPA cared to prove it. (And, like you said, he’d look so damn good on that 2nd line.)
If you ask me, our bottom 6 is now better after this off season with the additions of Taylor Pyatt, Asham and Halpern. We turned Prust and Feds, 11 goals into a possible 30+ out of Pyatt, Asham and Halpern.
The Atlantic is a Beast but so is Evander Kane. He’s a BEAST. He’s a manimal!
(Disagree on Halpern being any part of an upgrade. I’m sure there are instances where signing the 14th forward off a team you knocked out of the playoffs can be a solid move, but when he’s 36 with virtually no upside? Blah. May as well just get Malhotra, atleast he’d have an intriguing “coming back home” story.)
“If you ask me, our bottom 6 is now better after this off season with the additions of Taylor Pyatt, Asham and Halpern.”
It might be, it might not be, but is it improved enough to feel really good? Especially knowing you could have pushed a few guys down from above rather than shuffling at the bottom?
Depending on if we can sign Semin or Doan, I’d like to see the lines look like this:
Kreider/Semin – Richards – Gaborik
Doan/Kreider – Stepan – Callahan
Hagelin – Anisimov – Dubinsky
Pyatt – Boyle/Halpern – Asham/Rupp
I would assume Rupp isn’t playing as much, nor is Asham?
I would mail $20 to Winnipeg for Kane. Out of my own pocket.
“I would assume Rupp isn’t playing as much, nor is Asham?”
That’s where it gets weird, right? Because you assume Boyle is still going to match up and your (I) sort of assume Pyatt is going to be with him in that assignment. Crux of my long whiny post above, really.
hey someone text me at 516-749-3110 if something big happens rangers today. have 4 hour car ride leaving around 10
Well I’d assume Rupp and Asham will be used only for those games where big bodies are needed. Definitely agree that Pyatt and Boyle will be the every day guys. Halpern I would think adds more. He wasn’t really a 14th forward. He played about 70 games last year, just didn’t play much towards the end when they were making a run and they used some younger guys in his place).
However, as we saw last year, injuries are inevitable, especially with how this team plays. So it will pan out somehow.
I am curious to see who is back for defense. Do we bring back Eminger again or hope that Sauer can come back at some point next year? Does Torts trust Bix to play a bunch or is Stralman getting that ice time and he’s going to roll with 5 towards the end of the year? Is Erixon going to stay up at a 7th man or play in the AHL again? I’m curious about how that will all play out.
I will FedEx my pacemaker to Winnipeg for Evander Kane. I will just try to get by without it. That’s how important he is.
big deal, semin will sign a 1 year deal with pens, just what they need, more scoring and no defense (sarcasm).
The issue of losing too many faceoffs would not be resolved by pushing a few guys down from above, MisterD. They all stunk at it last year. Adding a 58% specialist, who can also play PK, does.
Greg Caggiano’s mother has informed the media that her son has been grounded/barred from the computer and every day after camp he has to do all the chores before watching tv.
The faceoff percentage is just icing on the cake for getting a dirt-cheap, hard-nosed penalty killer. That near 60% statistic is going to be a huge addition to our defensive zone faceoffs.
It’s hard for Torts to trust Bickel with less ice time than he did the playoffs. Ideally he’s a 7th D. And I think they wanted Erixon to get used to consistent minutes at the pro level rather than table scraps in the NHL.
As for the Halpern signing, it’s a better move than signing Konopka to a 2 year deal or Gaustad to whatever overpaid deal he got. My hope is that some of these bottom 6/4th line moves are insurance policies in case some of the kids they’re hoping can win a job out of camp aren’t ready. Even though he’s a 35+ contract, the 700K cap hit shouldn’t preclude them from bringing up a younger player if they believe the guy is ready. I’d rather have a 700K cap hit sitting in the players suite than a $3M+ cap hit like Wolski or Kotalik.
semin 30 goals easy playing with malkin and neal
I still think all this Nash internet rumors are garbage. I stand by my opinion that nothing has changed regarding Howson’s asking price and Sather has moved on. Looking at possible other trades to improve the rangers offense while not giving up the house.
So, today’s the big day, eh? Should I go out and get streamers and fireworks for the big event?
Nash will be playing for the bluejackets in the 2012-2013 season, that is, if there is a season.
Over 35 contract rule only applies to a multi year contract, and is only applicable to a 2nd year and after. So Halpern can be sent to minors during his only year here along with his cap hit.
stevezipayRangers have signed D Logan Pyett, 24, to a 2-way contract, acc tocapgeekPlayed last 4 years in Grand Rapids, seems destined for CT.Nice! Now we signed Pyett so we have Pyatt and Pyett!
It is too early to predict where Bickel ends up. Hardest position to play, and just because Torts didn’t trust him as a rookie dman in playoffs doesn’t mean he won’t be open to giving the kid a chance to prove himself as a 6th dman this season. We know Torts loves his stones.
According to Sportsnet, citing Russian Reports, Alexander Semin is planning to a sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
This story is still developing.
————————-
oh great! all of the world talent on one team! Not even Nash can help us now!
and Semin might sign a one year deal after all! Would it have hurt to bring him here then?
Hello all. I like the Halpern signing. As i said the other day i was concerned that we got weaker on the PK, but with Halpern i think we’re back to being very very good. Dont feel as if we got any worse so far this offseason. Maybe even slightly better. Im off to a wedding here in Israel so Ill miss any big news if they come today :(.
A totally stupid signing! You might as well just start a bonfire with the money they if are paying this oft injured old man. Better yet, write a check to you favorite charity , Sather. This guy would have been a good pickup 6-8 years ago. This signing brings us back to the Brad Isbister Jason Krog days. I also would not read anything into this signing as far as it being a prelude to a big trade. Halpern will not last the season playing full time 4 th line duty. I think Torts is going to try and win every game 1-0 until Gabby comes back. Then he will try and win games 1 1/2- 1/2. If you guys paid attention to Torts during breakup day, he didn’t feel we need more scoring. He said what we lacked was depth at the bottom six. So while I like the Lusty signing, I don’t like this one or the other two so much.
Do you guys feel deep after this signing? I don’t.
Today’s Puck and Gavel has been updated to include a story by Sarah McClellan. No, it is not a story about Scotch drinking shelter animals, much to my chagrin.
My grandma would say:”Ozym pozym, 28”
I’m not arguing that losing defensive zone faceoffs is better than winning faceoffs, but its not an end goal in itself. Goal prevention is the point and, I think we all recall, the Rangers were awesome at that last year. So while Halpern (assuming his last 2 years are what carries forward) will win a higher percentage, then what? Is he a better player than Anisimov or Boyle? If not, no matter how good he is at faceoffs, he’s not an overall improvement. If he’s here as a pressbox forward and insurance against a Boyle injury, fine. But as a penciled in 4th line center? That’s not an improvement even if one skill is an improvement.
If Semin actually signs with the Penguins, they win the division easy. Semin with Malkin and Neal is going to be unstoppable.
(All of this “Halpern as a faceoff god” reminds me so much of “Christensen can’t be stopped in the shootout”. Singular skill, but with not enough talent to play on a top 4 team.)
Neal Malkin Semin. Heh heh heh.
Yes, but Halpern is a 12 year vet who has always been in the league. Christensen was back and forth and really only offered the shootout since nobody was playing defense against him. Halpern has proven himself to be tough as nails in the 12 years he’s been in the league. He won’t produce offensively like he did in years past, but he’ll win faceoffs, block shots, and play hard on the PK and the forecheck. He brings more than 1 thing to the table.
“My grandma would say:”Ozym pozym, 28”
28? As in Semin? LOL
Lusty= Pyatt.
Damn cell phone!
“He won’t produce offensively like he did in years past, but he’ll win faceoffs, block shots, and play hard on the PK and the forecheck.”
Only one of those things does he do better than our other options. I’m not saying he’s devoid of value, even to a good team (Philadelphia, for example, could improve on a weakness by slotting him in as their 4th line center), but he’s not valuable to us. We’re already great at goal prevention and have forwards who specialize in it while also doing other things better than Halpern can. That’s my point, not that you can’t point to something as a skill, just not as a skill that makes us better. The faceoffs will be nice. The overall contribution isn’t a gain.
“Lusty= Pyatt.
Damn cell phone!”
Somebody’s an eyes man ; )
Awesome Possum?
Dvadzyat’ vosem’, CCCP. It rhymes, lol
The most important thing about this signing is that Jeff Halpern is a member of the tribe! The last member to play for the Rangers was Mike Hartman in 1994. Hmm, maybe that is the depth Sather was seeking. By the way, I I expect about as much contribution from Halpern as Hartman brought. It was all spritual, not on the ice.
Nine more, and we can have a Minyan.
Halpern is a Yid?
Yoh, vuu den? Manny.
That is AWESOME. If we get 9 more Yid’s on the team we can say Kaddish before the games!
Halpern has 12 years in the NHL. Plays a solid PK and wins faceoffs. He should easily cover the 4th line center if someone should get hurt or traded. His role is to win a face off, and don’t get scored on. He should easily fill Mitchel’s role last year.
Just think if he gets to stamp his name into the Cup at the end of the year!!! It could happen :)
Good morning, Sally!
I think the obvious is that Halpern, theoretically, replaces John Mitchell as fourth-line center, and helps with faceoffs and PK. They need a faceoff guy. One reason they had the puck so little last year was an inability to win draws.
Halpern missed the Oct 6 game day morning skate because of Yom Kippur. He also sat out a game in 2005 because of Yom Kippur.
Question: How do you guys actually track the Jewish players? Is it like how I know if a guy is from Poughkeepsie or something like that?
So what you’re saying is, Jeff Halpern = Sandy Koufax
If the Rangers could sign Semin to a ONE YEAR deal – should they?
If so how much?
Even if he he is the farthest thing from a Tort’s Type of player. Do you give him a $6M deal, or will the Penguins offer more?
Carp, so what you’re saying then is that this is the guy who will center our first PP unit?
Morning Carp!
Would Semin fit on this team? Would Sather offer him a one year deal?
Sioux, yes I sign him to a one year deal. I give him plenty of money because the Rangers have the cap space to do so, while remaining flexible in the short term if a trade possibility arises.
Mister D
Halpern is a Russian/ Ukrainian Jewish last name. I know two people who are not related but have the same last name and are from the old Soviet Union. I bet Jeff’ s roots trace back to some small town there.
Puck I would think that would be Richards on the PP unit.
Halpern or Boyle on the PK unit.
Yanks just acquired BOTH Chase Utley and Cole Hamels. Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Mister D – not to bring him up again, but would you rather pay Prust $2.5 million for 4 years to block shots play on the PK, forecheck hard, and put up 15 points or Halpern for 1 year at $700k to do that and win faceoffs.
We need scoring up top. We basically replaced the guys we had for cheaper (it’s really a sideways move, not one up or down) so that we can go after another scorer.
So we got 3 guys (Asham, Pyatt, Halpern) for $3.25 million and let the other 3 guys we had who did the same thing/similar (Prust, Feds, Mitchell) walk for $5.35 million. Saved $2 mil so that we can go after someone who can put the puck in the net and still have wiggle room to make other moves.
Sather actually played this really well so far.
Puck ….. I’m thinking I would too, if we know we are not going to get Nash or Ryan.
I wouldn’t compete with the rumor of the $30M for 3 year out of the KHL. But a $6M, for one year isn’t much of a gamble. Never know he might develop chemistry with Anisimov, and give us 3 solid scoring lines, and an extra sniper on the Power Play.
I wonder how much the offer would have to be for 1 year?
What do you think Carp?
We had Mathieu Schneider after Hartman, you forget about him?
If Semin was signing in the KHL, he would’ve gone there already. He would’ve signed there well before the FA period started. I think he wants to stay here.
“Dvadzyat’ vosem’, CCCP. It rhymes, lol”
i know it does… that is a very popular phrase ;)
i make a joke!
Sioux, I was making a joke about how John Mitchell inexplicably centered the first PP unit.
58.3% faceoff makes the Rangers instantly better. He will kill penalties and take faceoffs. Good depth move.
Puck, and won the draw for the most important PPG of the year!
I’m pretty sure John Tortorella is the last person on Earth who wants Alex Semin on his team.
We need some black aces..they are good luck
Awesome signings by slats, NYR should be the odds on favorite to win the Cup..
Don’t change a thing !!!
Djk
I stand corrected. Thank you. Schneider did play with us for a bit. Another guy before Hartman was Steve Richmond.
“Mister D – not to bring him up again, but would you rather pay Prust $2.5 million for 4 years to block shots play on the PK, forecheck hard, and put up 15 points or Halpern for 1 year at $700k to do that and win faceoffs.”
You already know my answer, in large part because I believe (/ choose to believe) that 3 years at ~$2.2MM was realistic before UFA started. A 4th line of Prust-Boyle-Pyatt would have thrilled me. Far, far, far (times one billion) more than a 4th line of Pyatt-Halpern-Asham or whatever we’re looking at right now does.
Rupp halpern and asham. What a wacky fourth line.
as I pointed out last night, Halpern’s short-handed faceoff winning percentage last year was about 15 percent better than the best guy on the Rangers. for a team who’s stock and trade is defensive play, that’s a pretty big deal.
whose
Pyatt should play third with Boyle and anisimov pending any trade movement
Leaving as we stand today, kreider, Callahan, stepan, hagelin, Richards, dubinsky for top 2 lines with gabby out till Nov-Dec
Third line will be Hagelin-Boyle-Pyatt. That’s a big, and fast, third line. With Hagelin digging the puck out of the corners and hitting our big boys in front of the net.
“Pyatt should play third with Boyle and anisimov pending any trade movement”
Aren’t they all lefty? Seems weird.
“Third line will be Hagelin-Boyle-Pyatt. That’s a big, and fast, third line.”
I hate this game. That’s almost my pretend 4th line.
seems pretty likely that if the Rangers trade for either Nash or Ryan, Hagelin will be shipped out
Brooks article was a good read today.
Perhaps the best move for the Rangers is to work a deal with Nashville for Weber. He is a Norris contender for years to come. A power play Quarterback that could deliver the goods, and instantley help our 23rd ranked PP. He would be the one player that would be worth the high ransom that the Nash camp is not going to get.
I can’t imagine what the package would be to get Weber. But Nashville will have to pay him now, or trade him. They can’t afford to lose another top D man, and get nothing in return.
Id imagine Pyatt, Boyle and one of Dubi or AA plays 3rd depending on who’s left when the dust settles on all the trade rumours. Halpern, Rupp, Asham will probably be 4th line. BUT, all of this could change in a New York minute if/when a trade for a scorer is completed and/or Doan packs up his bags and leaves the desert for the concrete jungle.
I saw a list of Jewish players in the league awhile back. Cammalleri is probably the most well known.
“seems pretty likely that if the Rangers trade for either Nash or Ryan, Hagelin will be shipped out”
Here’s a promise: If Hagelin is the headline roster player in a Ryan deal, I will stop complaining about what will then be the minutia of this offseason.
I would think it would be in Weber best interest to get a big deal done now, then wait until after the new CBA comes out.
That’s fine, The Doctor. All lefties. Overload one side of the ice and then put a D-Man weak side. Open every time.
I’d rather have Weber than either Ryan or Nash
Mister D – that’s fine, but even at $2.2 million (which I don’t believe Prust is worth), we still are saving $1.8 million in cap space. If we bring in a scorer because of the $2+ mil saved, isn’t that more important?
There is a reason why you see role players bounce from team to team. It’s why guys like Asham and Fedotenko have moved through almost every team in the Atlantic Division. They are easily interchangable parts. We happened to get those parts for cheaper because unlike Philly, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey, we don’t have top end scoring talent other than Gaborik.
I’m basically just re-posting stuff I posted last night, but it signing 4 players this off-season, the Rangers have still spent $3 million less than Montreal did for Prust.
it = in
That’s an awesome fact, Lloyd.
If any trade is coming, its not because of this signing. This signing is a prelude to nothing and will have the same impact on the team as nothing. What is troubling is that the team does not feel there is anyone in the system ready to step in to that role.
Lets see if this sort of formatting works …
Mister D – that’s fine, but even at $2.2 million (which I don’t believe Prust is worth), we still are saving $1.8 million in cap space. If we bring in a scorer because of the $2+ mil saved, isn’t that more important?
Isn’t Asham really Prust’s replacement, making the savings just over a million per year? Given the gap between our payroll and the cap, I just don’t see that $1MM mattering. Even if we give up all young and cheap players for Nash, we’re looking at way more than that is sitting money.
There is a reason why you see role players bounce from team to team. It’s why guys like Asham and Fedotenko have moved through almost every team in the Atlantic Division. They are easily interchangable parts.
Absolutely. I’m not whining even a little about Fedotenko leaving, the opposite really since I view Pyatt as a solid upgrade. A better-than-interchangeable replacing an interchangeable. In a bubble, I love that move.
I’m basically just re-posting stuff I posted last night, but it signing 4 players this off-season, the Rangers have still spent $3 million less than Montreal did for Prust.
Counter: Three of those players are Arron Asham, Jeff Halpern and Micheal Haley.
It’s kind of an irrelevant fact actually if all those players suck.
Actually I’m done debating the wisdom of not signing Prust at 2.2m. Let’s let the facts play out.
Carp, most important PP goal of the year because it was one of the only PP goals of the year.
They wouldn’t have even needed such an important PP goal if the PP could actually score on a more consistent basis.
None of those players suck. Halpern is an upgrade over Fedotenko, Asham is essentially a cheaper version of Prust (better at fighting in his class and conversely not as willing to fight heavyweights). Taylor Pyatt is not even comparable to anyone we lost. He is just a SOLID 3rd line winger that has serious scoring ability for a 3rd line player. He’s like having another Boyle.
Haley is obviously a waste until we play Carkner.
Manny, I disagree. I think Fedotenko is better than Halpern, Prust is better than Asham, and Haley will spend 95% of the season in the AHL.
If you think Haley is a match up for Carkner you will be disappointed.
Pyatt and Feds are a wash.
Halpern is better than Mitchell but the impact will be minimal.
Prust is better than Asham in every possible way.
I don’t think it’s even close between Prust and Asham. Asham can barely play. Pyatt might be an upgrade over Fedotenko; I’m not sure. Haley is a minor-league clown. I think Halpern is better than Mitchell.
If we’re matching up Halpern and Feds I agree with Doodie that Feds is better.
Asham scores a lot more than Prust. Consistently a lot more.
Pyatt has nothing to do with Fedotenko. Also, Fedotenko never dreamed of scoring the amount of goals that Pyatt has scored in the west.
Halpern is an upgrade over Fedotenko because Halpern is a CENTRE that can win faceoffs and Fedotenko is a winger that can grind, absorb pucks and kill 5-on-3’s.
Carp I’m with you, though I do have trouble reconciling your thoughts on Prust and how the team will miss him more than people realize, while at the same time you don’t think they should have paid him $2.2m. Seems the extra few hundred grand is a small price to pay on a team that’s not near the cap limit.
Alright maybe I am getting ahead of myself. I just think that we have been tweaking the bottom 6 and it’s really not that big of a deal. At least, I hope it’s not.
Prust was probably my favorite player on the team. I just want to lessen the wound that was created by him abandoning me.
why are people comparing Fedotenko to Halpern
money matters. if it didn’t he’d still be here. there’s no way Tortorella lets him go if all things are equal financially. he was an important piece. he wanted too much money.
When Pyatt starts winning cups, plays gritty (which fans of his teams say he does NOT), and step up in the playoffs, you know, all the things Feds does, then you can say he’s better. Until then I say wash because of the age dif. The two of them match up bc of salary and wing position.
Halpern matches up with Mitchell, they are the 4th line centers and comparable salaries. An upgrade but not one which will be impactful.
Manny love ya but comparing Ahsam and Prust? Really?
Is (fill in any fourth-liner name) a Ranger yet?
Money matters but we’re talking about a few hundred grand, not million. I think a point was made in the wrong place.
All I am saying is that Asham nets more goals than Prust does/did/will. That’s all. Again, Prust was my guy. My favo(u)rite guy.
wait, I must have missed all those Cups Fedotenko won with the Rangers…was he here in ‘94 and ‘40?
At this rate they will sign John Madden
I just have one prediction to make. By the end of this season, Im sure a good portion of you will have become attached to one of the 4th liners the Rangers have signed thus far. Maybe more than 1. And just like your attachment to Prust.
No point in taking the sting of losing Prust out on Asham. Prust is the better player. No arguments on that front. Is wasn’t like the Rangers decided that Asham was a better option. Asham was just a signing to fill a void. Halpern is a solid signing. Now we just have to hope that one of the guys in CT will provide an unexpected spark of offense until something breaks on the trade front. It might be beneficial to just wait until the prices for Nash and Ryan come down or for a new CBA to start and see if teams have to jettison some guys to make the cap. For all we know, by the time they actually get to play again, Halpern will retire and a bunch of guys in the system will be ready to actually contribute.
Does the CBA affect guys playing in the AHL?
and Pyatt has won how many Cups? that’s a nonsensical notion.
Say we dont get Rick Nash:
Gaborik (when back) – Richards-Hagelin
Kreider-Stepan-Callahan
Dubinsky-Boyle-Anisimov
Pyatt-Halpern-Rupp
Not too bad. Could be better than last year’s team if younger players simply continue to improve.
Prust was probably my favorite player on the team. I just want to lessen the wound that was created by him abandoning me.
Its funny because Prust wasn’t my favorite (or in my top few) and I spent a lot of the season thinking people overhyped him. Weird.
When Pyatt starts winning cups, plays gritty (which fans of his teams say he does NOT), and step up in the playoffs, you know, all the things Feds does, then you can say he’s better.
“If you played for a winner, you must be a winner” aka The Luis Sojo Corollary.
Lundqvist for Niemi. Lets get a winner in here.
Luis Sojo!!
Clay Bellinger!!
“If you think Haley is a match up for Carkner you will be disappointed”
Haley is a match up for the bench.
Disagree. Haley will get a handful of important minutes, and will protect his teammates. In Hartford.
I knowother people have said it on here before… but its important to reiterate. The Rangers arent a blue collar organization. They may play “blue-collar” on the ice, hard working and gritty, and I know it makes you feel all warm and tingly inside to love the little man, but this is New York folks. We appreciate the little things that the small players like Prust, Homer Bush, and Steve Larmer do for us. But we desire winning, because in the end, “winning is second only to breathing.” We need not worry about losing the Prusts of the world, Im sure the replacements acquired this offseason will adequately replace Prusts contributions. This team needs a star or 2, someone that can score. At what cost, I dont know…
I don’t remember Pyatt being invisible for either the Canucks or the Coyotes in the playoffs. Pyatt would have a cup if not for Roberto Luongo.
Brandon Morrow? The Blue Jays pitcher?
Does anyone know what exactly what Morrow’s injury last season?
I think Halpern is a major upgrade on Mitchell, Pyatt COULD be a minor upgrade on Feds and Asham is a playing downgrade but fighting upgrade on Prust – either way we have saved a few $$ which will help us get more scoring or be available at the deadline to upgrade the team for the playoff stretch (which we didnt do last season).
We will have Kreider, Stepan, & Staal all at the start of the year. Who knows if Sauer will be ready at the start. But I would think a healthy Staal, makes this team a little stronger on Defense to start.
Kreider, Stepan, & Hagelin will have to pick up the scoring with Gabby out at the start of the season, when ever that start might be. But Gabby will be healthy and rested for the end of the year.
Right now the Rangers are the same team. We are #1 or #4 in the east. We beat out Pittsburg by one point to finish 1st last year. So with a healthy Crosby and Malkin they will always be the team to beat in the East, but the Rangers still have the edge in Goal tending.
Sather is going to add the player that makes the most sense, but not one that is going to hurt the team in the long run. The longer this takes to trade for Nash, I would think that would work in Sather’s favor.
Dan Shea,
I posted the same thing a week ago. There will be a strike amd I do believe that allot of teams don’t want to add salary until they know what the new CBA will look like. There will be a drop in the cap, bank on it. What that means is teams will be forced to get rid of players. I think sather is doing the right thing right now and not adding any big contracts and being patient. That’s a good thing and ranger fans should appreciate it because we all know sather would spend money like a drunken sailor and the rangers would still stink.
even if the rangers take a step backwards they still should make the playoffs and can make deals at the trading deadline so all this stuff on how the rangers are worst off is stupid.
2 firsts (13 and 14), BB, Dubi and JT Miller?.
two 1st round picks, BB and TT Miller. Would it work if BB was AA and Miller was one or two of the following: Erixon, Thomas, St. Croix or Avery?
Also, Does anyone else think it’s crazy to package a deal for Webber? He’s a UFA after this year, a huge contract and will cost a lot in a trade.
The Rangers have a really good D, enough prospects and players to package a single big deal, and a need for offense. Webber will bring offense to the team via the blueline but it just seems trading for an offensive player or sitting tight until next July is the smarter, long term solution, no?
What do you think will happen to all these multi-million, multi-year contracts that NHL registered over the last few years, tommyG? They will be reshuffled between different teams so everyone goes under the new cap? The truth is, if the cap goes down significantly, they will have to introduce a tool to accommodate current contracts. Whether its another rollback( if that’s the case, expect another lost year), or some sort of amnesty. But I don’t think Sather, or any other GM is afraid to spend money because of that.
Rangers don’t have a defenseman with Weber’s skill set and frankly, I don’t believe they’ve got one who’s even close to him.
I think its crazy, Rangers West, but I think standing still is smarter than most of the big moves we’ve heard about.
ilb2001,
when you say “another lost year” if you mean there will be no season this year, yea, I do believe there is a decent chance there won’t be a season.
I happen to think they will try to avoid another lockout as much as possible. Both sides. That’s not my point. The point is, they’ll have to come up with some sort of accommodating tool for all existing contracts. That shouldn’t be the reason to avoid signing an important player. And I have no doubts by the end if the summer they will be right at tge cap number.
Asked a question late last night, not sure if anyone saw it…
Would Staal, Dubinsky, and a 1st be enough for Weber?
Is that even a smart move?
Seems to make more sense than trading Stepan for Nash or, even Ryan….
the Staal part? definitely. not sure why Nashville would consider Dubinsky adequate compensation, though
oh yeah, that Caggiano guy is now claiming his inside information on the Rick Nash deal was a social experiment:
http://gcaggiano.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/a-great-social-experiment-with-nhl-trades-on-twitter/
Ranger West – that would be 4 1st Rounders and a Dubi. Sounds good on paper :)
Boyler and Miller where both 1st rounders. They need a center, Miller is a power forward that could fill nash’s position, Dubi could bounce back to a 50pt player, and the picks would make the team better down the road. Call Howson he should take this deal, and save $4M a year. He is still going to have the 30th best team in the league with Nash on it if he doesn’t.
We could be Day Dreaming here…... but it still looks to be a win / win for both teams. Heck throw in Zucc’s rigthts to top it off.
“Rangers don?t have a defenseman with Weber?s skill set and frankly, I don?t believe they?ve got one who?s even close to him.{”
Lloyd, very true. But our defense is very good, one of the best in the NHL. All that I am saying is, “If we have the ammunition to pull the trigger but once, wouldn?t Ryan, Nash or some other forward of that caliber be the smarter move?”
“Miller is a power forward that could fill nash’s position”
If this is true enough to objectively believe, there’s no way the Rangers should be interested, right?
honestly, I’d rather have Weber because I don’t think Nash or Ryan are good enough to give up the guys they’ll have to give up to get either one of them. If you could land Nash for Dubinsky, Anisimov/Hagelin and some picks, sure. But based on everything we’ve read about that nitwith Howson, I don’t see that happening. And to start trading away all of your young players for a guy who (at the moment) is only marginally better than forwards you’ve already got and picking up a nearly $8 million cap hit? No thanks.
”...they’ll have to come up with some sort of accommodating tool for all existing contracts.”
Jay Feaster and Doogie Howser seem to be good candidates to be that accommodating tool to accept bad contracts.
For nash: Three of the following: Dubi, AA, Erixon, Thomas, St. Croix, Fast, Lindberg.
Then some combination of draft picks two 1st round picks, a first and two second round picks, etc.
Lastly send them a player that has the potential to be a Prust-like diamond in the rough “add-on” player like Bickle or Wellman.
This seems to be more than fair for Nash or even for Ryan. Yet the Rangers do not lose any true BAMF’s.
I was re-watching game 7 vs. the Caps in round 2 last night. Sorry, Prust is all over the ice. (Actually, Fed’s and Mitchell were quite average). He is one of the more important performers on the ice, in certain key shorthanded positions, as well as key moments defensively.
Can this team live without him? Yep. Was he an important piece? Definitely. Was that too much money for him? You betcha.
I agree with Carp. He is one player that we will miss in many ways. A ton of intangibles and he just fit here. Aaron Asshat is not even close to what Prust can do. No comparision.
Curious, Lloyd, what’s your knock on Ryan? I love the kid; young, cheap-relative-to-production power forward who has been a consistent finisher since entering the league.
#Hockeysource CBJ get Callahan Boyle Miller 2014 #1 for Nash will be announced at 3 pm #frommymomsbasement
I hate to be a pain, but do you really think that Howson will care about draft picks, he turned down 4 additional pics in the draft.
sorry guys the stuff is just so ridiculous I couldnt pass it up
Also, once Sather pulls the trigger, those players/prospects/picks are gone for good. Might be better to trade for nobody, sit pat and go after Perry (He’s a UFA after this season, right?) next Summer.
Also, how true are the Kane rumblings, just Ranger fans’ summer musings? Is there anybody else out there that could be available that we don’t know about/aren’t thinking of?
ilb2001,
aren’t the rangers something like 16 mil under the cap? I don’t see how they would be at the cap number by the end of the summer.
Miller is that good? How long would we have to wait? I mean if Miller can fill the role this season great, next season then fine but after that we are going to hit issues with re-signing RFA’s and UFA’s and what if we lose Hank in three years? We will have Nash but no Hank. I would rather have Hank than Nash.
I don’t have anything against Ryan – he’s probably a better fit than Nash, too. but the problem (as I just said a few minutes ago) is what they’ll give up for him and I think that could outweigh what you’ll be getting from Ryan. You tell me they’ll take Dubinsky and Hagelin for him and I’ll pay for their flight to Anaheim.
Kenny Albert Rules!
That’s a good point. However, I think he turned down the picks because he really wanted Murray.
If the Rangers and Mr. Dolan took us up on all of our offers to fly players places to make trades we would all be broke.
Miller filling Rick Nash’s position? Why would we trade him then? (For the record, Miller is never ever going to be anywhere near the player Rick Nash is, and I don’t even think Rick Nash is as good as most think).
And as for people saying we need a scorer, that is kind of what my point is. We saved $2 million by letting Feds/Mitchell/Prust go and bringing in Pyatt/Asham/Halpern. Haley doesn’t even count since he’ll be sitting in the AHL most of the season. That is $2 million more of open cap space that can be used towards a scorer, just incase teams don’t want to take on salary in a trade or we get one as an FA.
The fact is despite how much we loved Prust and how important he was, he is an interchangable part. There are tons of gritty guys in the league that make their living playing 3rd/4th line + PK. Years ago people talked about how we couldn’t let Moore, Ortmeyer, or Betts go because of their work ethic. I loved those guys, especially Ortmeyer who was all guts when he was here, but there was no issue finding a replacement for him. Prust is obviously better than Orts was, but he’s not someone that can’t be replaced (maybe not 100% duplicated, but we can find guys that can fill his role almost as well for much cheaper).
If anything that’s the one part of the team that has changed every year, is the 3rd and/or 4th line.
tommyg:
Rangers are just over $15 million under the cap right now.
Gotcha, so its cost more than the player himself. I think I’ve deluded myself into thinking Hagelin can be a decent part of a Ryan deal, mainly because it seems like they’re concerned with saving money and a Hagelin +++ prospects package could have appeal.
And I should mention that the Rangers aren’t the only team that haven’t done much. A lot of teams have. GMs and Owners are pretty concerned about the cap situation and how it plays out this year after the CBA is signed. They don’t know if they are getting an amnesty clause again and it is most likely that the cap will drop from 70 mil to 66 or 67 mil.
So there is that $2 million cushion that Sather just got the Rangers in case they bring someone in and the cap drops post CBA signing.
according to ilb2001 he thinks the rangers will be at the cap maximum by the end of the summer, don’t see how.
If anything, we should trade Hagelin now. The kid is a 3rd line winger who just happened to fill a spot in the 1st line last year because his speed helped out. His trade value is the highest it will probably ever be.
Not saying I want to trade him, but the likelihood of him being actually being a top 6 player is not really all that high.
I still think at some point (I really really wish it would be sooner than later), the rangers are trading two forwards from the roster last year in a deal for ryan or nash or whomever to help out on the top line…
Holy-give-up-on-them-when-they-are-young, Batman!!!!
Trade Hagelin, MDZ, McD, anyone under 27 because they are not first liners!!
NOW!
If we could get Ryan for Hags and either Dubi or AA and maybe a draft pick or two, that would be great.
Hags, Dubi, Erixon and a 2nd for Ryan? Two much of a low ball trade? Make the 2nd a first?
if you wouldn’t trade Carl Hagelin to get Bobby Ryan, I kinda doubt you know other hockey teams exist
Lloyd: he calls it a “social experiment”, I call it “trolling.”
I really like Dubi but his contract is a killer and the Rangers are going to need to up some contracts over the next few seasons. Hags has great speed, but so do Kreider, Fast, Lindberg and to a lesser extent Miller. I hate to trade Hags but with Fast being Hgs 2.0 and other prospects with speed, why not give up Dubi and Hags for Ryan?
again, the ducks want a young second line center as a starting point. That’s what they want, stop with this hagelin, dubi etc. They want stepan, move on, it isn’t happening.
“Trade Hagelin, MDZ, McD, anyone under 27 because they are not first liners!!”
That’s not what he said. At all. He said trading Hagelin (only, no mention of defensemen) now makes sense because, in his opinion, Hagelin’s current value exceeds his potential. I tend to agree.
if the “likelihood” of Hagelin not being more than a third-line player is real, then what would you expect to get for him? do you think scouts are “fooled” by him playing first-line minutes last season? seriously?
Matty I was with you on Prust and that he’s so much more than people give him credit for, but then I can’t follow the reasoning of you and Carp when you guys say it wasn’t worth 2.2m to sign him. The few hundred grand more is disproportionate to the impact he has on the team and would have been well worth it.
again, the ducks reportedly want a young second line center as a starting point. That’s what they reportedly want, stop with this hagelin, dubi etc. They reportedly want stepan, move on, it reportedly isn’t happening.
and again, howson wants a combo of kreider, stepan, MCD, MDZ, it isn’t happening.
Also can’t follow the logic of the posters who think if you think Prust is important then you miss the point that the team needs scoring. As if you can’t think both things are true.
because, if you go above market value to sign Prust, what do you give Del Zotto? Then what do you give your guys who come up for contracts next year? it has a cumulative effect. Prust got, reportedly, $700,000 per year more than the Rangers offered, and probably for a year more than the Rangers wanted to go. It’s more than a few hundred grand all told, and it affects how you do business in the future. I understand why the line was drawn, and has to be drawn.
mister D,
nice, I like it.
“if the “likelihood” of Hagelin not being more than a third-line player is real, then what would you expect to get for him? do you think scouts are “fooled” by him playing first-line minutes last season? seriously?”
Of course, because this is all perception, not fact. Hagelin could become a 1st liner. He could be a 3rd liner. Or in between. But if you think he’s likely to settle as a 3rd liner and some other team sees 1st line potential, you’ve got a chance to make a trade. Really, isn’t that how almost all trades happen? Perception of value greater on the receiving end than the giving end.
it wouldn’t surprise me prust won’t be half the player with the canadiens he was with the rangers. I think tort’s system benefited prust, not so much in montreal.
Dubinsky’s contract is NOT a killer at this cap level. We have tons of space. If Dubinsky nets 20 this year, as I suspect he will, and kills penalties and sticks up for people he will look like a bargain. Remember how much some free agents got this off season and tell me if Dubinsky is that much worse than them.
Ryan and Nash will NOT be Rangers. Offer sheet to Kane and trade for Iginla. Sign Doan in Free Agency. Win Cup next two years. Trade Everyone. Become irrelevant for next 30 years.
Can they sign Mess, Graves, and The Flower out of retirement?
“Then what do you give your guys who come up for contracts next year? it has a cumulative effect.”
So isn’t Rupp’s deal a snowball for MDZ? $1.5MM for six and a half minutes per game equals what for over 20 minutes?
Interesting the Rangers are mentioned as an interested party for trade involving Brendan Morrow by a local paper. They say the Blues have the inside track. Another aging player on the decline.
D.A. Dubinskinteau
Why is Brad Richards off posing nude for ESPN? Should he be practicing his faceoff percentage before Halpern takes his job?
Manny:
Damn you to heck for calling me out on my histrionic posts!
True, I do not think it is impossible for Dubi to have a much, much better season. Him scoring 30 next season is not impossible just very unlikely. However, if he nets 22-25 goals and plays his game well, you’re right, his contract is okay and any team would love to have him on lines 1-3 depending on their depth or lack of.
Carp we all agree 2.5 for 4 was over the line. My point has always been he likely would have stayed for 2.2 for 3. That’s 400k per yr more than what was offered to him- for all that he brings. I just don’t see any Rangers using that as some sort of barometer, esp if they are a RFA and not a UFA.
Sorry….
I thought Hagelin’s value peaked in training camp last year when he was worth Detroit’s second rounder?
do we know that for fact he would have taken that? or was he dead set on getting every last penny?
Fact
Manny?
new post.
NEW POST
http://espn.go.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/8136693/image/23/daniela-hantuchova-2012-body-issue-bodies-want-espn-magazine
For your viewing pleasure
Carp – it’s because he did show he can play on the 1st line. Some teams might see him slotting in as a top 6 forward on their team. Especially those who don’t have a high payroll. Nashville for example could use a player like Hagelin since he’ll be cheaper than some other player who can play top 6 minutes.
While teams like the Rangers/Leafs/Habs overpay for 2nd line players, those cap floor teams (Nashville/Phoenix/etc) try to bring in Hagelin type guys to play those 2nd line wing roles and get decent production for cheap.
Not saying he would get us Ryan or Nash, just saying that he wouldn’t be worth it as a top 6 player on the Rangers when they have the bankroll to spend more for better forwards.
Doesn’t help with what we really need (scoring and powerplay help) but keeping in mind that we did just lose Prust and Fedotenko, it does help somewhat to replace some of the grinder, PK we lost. Halpern and Pyatt at least. The Asham, Haley signings remain a mystery to me.
Prust deserved every penny he got, but the NYR didn’t owe him a big contract like that. Montreal is starting from dead last. More power to them. The Rangers are on the cusp. If Sather just freed up $2-3 mil letting Prust and Feds walk that’s good for the team. Prust is a warrior, but he has been very fortunate to avoid injury the last couple years. In fact, his style of play is hard to lock up for 4 years. Great to have, but comes with risks. Remember Colton Orr? 4 year deal, couldn’t finish the first year. Useless since. Now Boogard was dumb by Sather, but even he had no chance of finishing that deal. If the $2 mil Sather saved means offering that to Weber next summer, who will give a crap?
So let’s get this straight. We signed a
34 yearold, a 36 yearold, a 31yearold.
We have also inquired about a 33 yearold. And are prepared to make a pitch to a soon to be 36 yearold.
What happened to the youth movement Torts and Glennie?
This is starting to remind me of the Captain movement that took place during the mid 90’s when we signed Keane, Skrudland and any other washed up former captain they could.get their hands on.
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