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Rangers Report

News and insight about the New York Rangers

Dawes back as well

Sam Weinman
July
16

Update, 4:50 p.m. Dawes signed a one-year deal worth $587,500. Wow, I’m actually shocked the Rangers got him for so little.

Of course, this is still more than I make.

Earlier: The Rangers have re-signed Nigel Dawes. I’m awaiting word on terms…

Posted by Sam Weinman on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Wrigley date official

Sam Weinman
July
16

The Blackhawks and Red Wings will indeed meet at Wrigley Field on Jan. 1. No truth to the rumor that Steve Bartman will drop the ceremonial first puck.

stevebartman.jpg

As for the NHL schedule, you’ll have to wait another day. It comes out tomorrow. And sadly, the Rangers say they don’t yet have information on how to secure Prague tickets.

So basically, I have nothing of note for you with this post.

But keep coming back!

Posted by Sam Weinman on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Brendan Shanahan not giving up on the Rangers

Sam Weinman
July
16

But have the Rangers given up on him?

According to Shanahan’s agent, Rick Curran, the future Hall of Famer is still interested in playing only for the Rangers next year
.

“Brendan still feels he has a job that he wants to finish with the Rangers and he knows he has some good hockey left in him. He fully intends on playing next year and at the moment, his intention is to play with the Rangers.”

As I’ve said all along, I have a hard time seeing Shanahan coming back unless he takes a major—and I mean major—pay cut; or if the Rangers somehow decide he’s worth clearing space for. I’ve been a Shanahan supporter since he came to New York. He’s a legend of the game and did some remarkable things while he was here. But I can’t see where he fits in next season.

Posted by Sam Weinman on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 7:39 am | del.icio.us Digg
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Fritsche and Rangers come to terms

Sam Weinman
July
15

There will be no ugly arbitration hearing between the Rangers and Dan Fritsche, as there was last year with Sean Avery.

And really, what could the team say? “We’ve never had him on our team, but we’re sure he’s a detriment”.

No word yet on terms. But is Blair Betts officially nervous?

Posted by Sam Weinman on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 at 12:38 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Hollweg’s fate was sealed with one ill-advised penalty

Sam Weinman
July
14

Ryan Hollweg probably summed it up best after his ridiculously boneheaded penalty against the Penguins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semis.

“I was playing my game,” he said at the time.

Which was exactly the problem.

The Rangers decided they could do without that game by trading Hollweg to the Maple Leafs today in exchange for Pittsburgh’s fifth round draft pick. With a surplus of checking forwards, the team decided to dispense of a homegrown player who seemed to have reached his ceiling in New York, and one who probaby would have a hard time playing again at MSG after one costly lapse in judgment.

More later…

Posted by Sam Weinman on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 5:59 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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Nolan out as Islanders coach

Sam Weinman
July
14

Don’t know the whole story yet, but it’s no secret there was friction between Ted Nolan and GM Garth Snow last year. Here’s the official release:

TED NOLAN WILL NOT RETURN AS ISLANDERS HEAD COACH IN 2008-09

Snow to Begin Search for New Head Coach Immediately

(July 14, 2008 – Long Island, NY) New York Islanders General Manager Garth Snow announced today that Ted Nolan will not return next season as the team’s head coach. Nolan had one season remaining on his contract.

“Ted has helped us achieve some success over the last two seasons, however it has become clear that we have philosophical differences and have decided together to part ways,” said Snow. “Since last season and continuing into the summer, I have realized we do not share the same philosophies. I would like to thank Ted for his two years with the team and wish him the best.

“I have a list of several qualified candidates. After a thorough process, we will hire the very best coach to lead the Islanders on the ice.”

Added Nolan: “While I am disappointed I will not be coaching the Islanders next season, there have been philosophical differences and we’ve agreed it’s a good time for me to move on. I want to thank the Islanders organization for giving me a chance to coach in the NHL again. I have tremendous respect for what the team is trying to do and I wish them well.”

Snow will be available to the media at 2:00 PM at the Nassau Coliseum. Media should use the NY Islanders Executive Offices entrance on the west side of the building.

Posted by Sam Weinman on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 12:04 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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At least another year for Cherepanov

Sam Weinman
July
14

By way of Jeff Klein at Slap Shot, we know that  Alexei Cherepanov definitely won’t be in the NHL this year. This was already a foregone conclusion, and despite what Tom Renney said late last month about wanting the 2007 first round pick to at least be in attendance for training camp this year, don’t count on that, either.

By September, the CHL season will be in full swing, so it makes no sense for the Avangard Omsk right wing to pick up and leave just so he can eat alongside the Rangers’ other prospects at the Cheesecake Factory in White Plains.

As for whether Cherepanov could be a Ranger at least a year from now, here’s where the Rangers are essentially operating on faith. Given everything that we’ve already seen from the new Russian league, it’s safe to assume that Cherepanov will stand to make much more money in Omsk than he will in Manhattan. And for proof, he may need only to look across the locker room at new teammate, Jaromir Jagr.

But I also think Jagr could end up being the Rangers’ best salesman, because as disappointed as may have been that the Rangers didn’t make a harder pitch for him, Jagr had always expounded on the merits of the NHL in general and the Rangers in particular. At some point when talking to his new disciple, my bet is that message gets across.

Meanwhile, the same blog always has speculation that Brendan Shanahan of all people could be the next big NHL name to head East. It makes sense if you consider Shanahan hasn’t been bowled over with options by teams here, and his relationship with St. Petersburg coach Barry Smith. But I also have a hard time seeing Shanahan uprooting his young family to chase after a few more dollars in a foreign land when he can still find some sort of role on an NHL team, all while positioning himself for his long-anticipated next move after retirement.

Posted by Sam Weinman on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 10:22 am | del.icio.us Digg
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“Just because you ARE a character, it doesn’t mean you HAVE character….”

Sam Weinman
July
11

First prize to the reader who can identify the source of the above quotation.

And speaking of character, the Rangers officially lost two popular locker room presences yesterday with the departures of Jason Strudwick (Edmonton) and Martin Straka (HC Plzen). Neither move was much of a surprise, and the argument could be made that both players needed to be cut loose for the sake of  the team’s long-term growth.

Strudwick’s case is a little more complicated since he provided the Rangers a fairly effective seventh defenseman/13th forward option while also serving as one of the locker room’s calming influences. Moving forward there is the chance that seventh defenseman spot goes to a rookie, but in the interest of not letting a young player sit for too long, more likely is the team carries six defensemen and only summons a player from Hartford on a need basis. Needless to say, this also has benefits on the team’s precarious cap situation as well.

But back to my point: how much does character count? Do the Rangers miss the professionalism of guys like Straka and Strudwick, or are those elements easily replaced? And even if they’re not, does it really have an impact on wins and losses?

The short answer is that there is no substitute for talent, and even if you have 23 guys with the perfect attitude, it doesn’t mean you can’t finish in the cellar of the division. But the other part to consider is it’s a long season, with various influences potentially tearing at a team’s fabric. Players like Markus Naslund and Wade Redden will be expected to fill the leadership void left by Jaromir Jagr, Straka, and Brendan Shanahan, and we’ve been given little reason to think they won’t succeed.

But you never know until a team is in the throes of another mid-winter struggle.

Posted by Sam Weinman on Friday, July 11th, 2008 at 8:56 am | del.icio.us Digg
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Unrelated to transfer agreement, Rangers sign defenseman Denisov

Sam Weinman
July
10

I believe it’s only a coincidence that on the day the NHL and the new Russian hockey league reached an agreement on player transfers, the Rangers signed defenseman Vladimir Denisov.

Denisov is from Belarus and spent most of last season playing for Lake Erie of the AHL. He had a whopping eight points in 66 games. So Brian Leetch, your records are safe…

Posted by Sam Weinman on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 2:33 pm | del.icio.us Digg
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A quick post-mortem

Sam Weinman
July
10

Again, thanks to everyone for participating in the live chat. It was certainly popular, although one glaring problem was that not all of your questions got through.

With that in mind, know that we’re trying to figure out a way to avoid that moving forward, or at least to find a way to pick questions more judiciously. But like I said, there were a lot of questions so it was difficult to keep up.

I’ll be around later to discuss the issue further.

Posted by Sam Weinman on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 10:29 am | del.icio.us Digg
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About this blog
Beat reporters Sam Weinman and Josh Thomson share their thoughts on the Rangers and the world of hockey.
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About the authors
Sam WeinmanSam WeinmanThe lead golf writer and Rangers beat reporter for The Journal News and LoHud.com, Weinman, 31, has placed among the top three in the Golf Writers Association of America writing contest in three consecutive years, including a first-place finish in 2004. READ MORE
Josh ThomsonJosh Thomson Josh, who is 26 and a native of Carmel, graduated from Boston University in 2002 and began working for The Journal News the following March.
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