Reading Between the Blueline

Del Z will either be on the NHL roster or back to OHL due to age and due to his contract Gilroy will be spending the whole season in the NHL or the whole season at AHL as he would be exposed to waivers to bring up mid-season. I reckon if those 2 don’t make it then its between Sauer, Potter, Heikkinen, Fahey or Sanguinetti to fill out the 5/6/7 spots if we don’t re-sign Mara.

As for Mara, he would be a good mentor and partner for whichever youngster makes the roster, i also heard that US Postal Service has given Mara’s beard its own zipcode…..

Hi UK, welcome to Blueshirt Banter

With all the young defensemen the Rangers have, I am fairly certain either Rosey or Redden won’t be there next year somehow someway. I think we will see at least 2 of the “Young Guns” in the lineup come October.

I heard that there is no chin under Mara’s beard, only another fist.

ends up looking like

Staal-Girardi

?-??

?-??

Lots of ???, but better than Redden and ROsival.

On Del Zotto:
I don’t see Del Zotto making the Rangers this season, unless he completely kills it at training camp, which is certainly possible. Keep in mind that Sanguinetti, Potter, and even Sauer are ahead of him on the prospect depth chart. The Rangers seem to love giving the players in Hartford a shot before any recently signed junior.

On Rozsival, Redden:
While I hope Sather will move Rozsival or Redden, completely banking on it as a definite is pushing it. Both of these players are vastly overpaid (not as much with Rozsival) and will be difficult to trade; if Sather does find a deal, it will be with a club for another bad contract (ie. Dustin Penner).

On Gilroy:
The Gilroy factor adds another interesting dilemma; since he signed a one-way contract (and quite a lucrative one at that), the Rangers cannot just send him down to Hartford. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to making the jump straight from college to the NHL – it won’t be easy.

On Potter:
Seems to be the “safe” choice to make the team out of Camp. He’s an RFA, but will probably make around 550-600k which makes him quite attractive as the Rangers are almost sure to be right up against the cap again this year (unless a big contract or two is moved). Potter has a sound game and the Rangers seem comfortable with him stepping in and playing well early in the season.

On Sanguinetti:
Along with Potter, seems to be the logical choice/hopeful to make the team out of camp. His offseason workout regimen is going to dictate whether or not he makes the Rangers. He needs to come to 09 Camp in the best shape of his life. It is evident that he lacks a solid defensive game, but coming to camp in great shape, showing a willingness to learn, and his overall upside might give him the edge over everyone. I think Sanguinetti makes the team over Del Zotto if he works this offseason.

On Sauer:
Having the experience during a call-up last season should benefit Sauer, who I think can be a pretty solid 5th or 6th defenseman in this league. He’s big, strong, willing to take the body and clear the crease. Plus, he does possess some offensive ability that could develop a little more over time.

Bottom Line:

Staal
Girardi
Redden (highly unlikely to be traded; might be sent to HFD if he starts slow)
Rozsival or Mara (if Rozsival is moved, Mara probably returns at low salary)
Gilroy (lucrative, one-way deal all but secures his spot)
Open Slot (Potter, Sanguinetti, Del Zotto, Sauer, wild card)

Potter is probably the favorite at this point (meaning right this moment) to take the open spot. I think the Rangers would love Sanguinetti to make it, but he needs to work hard this summer. Del Zotto has a shot, but will need to outshine both Sanguinetti and Potter to make it AND play well with the Rangers to stick.

Sauer seems to be the odd man out here, but like Potter, could see some action. I haven’t seen Heikkenen play enough, other than youtube videos, to make a determination as to how he will adapt to the North American game. Fahey is a depth signing for Hartford, I hope he doesn’t even come close to making it (because that essentially means the above names all failed to impress Rangers brass).

I do think Rozsival is the likely candidate to be moved this offseason, because his contract is not as much of a cap killer as Redden’s (but a trade is far from being guaranteed). This will likely create enough room to bring Paul Mara back into the mix, as he does help the young defensemen (ex. Staal, Girardi) when they first arrive on the NHL scene. The only way Redden is dealt is for another bad contract.

we are loading our team with excellent defensive prospects. how many forward prospects do we have in comparison? anisimov, grachev and the new swiss kid? i don’t think it really matters who makes the 3rd pairing. it will be exciting to watch but i don’t think it will make a big difference in the blueshirts’ campaign next year. i haven’t seen del-zotto or sanguinetti play so all i have is stats and rumors, but i think its very unlikely that michael will make the team. bobby however had an impact on the pack this year so maybe he’ll fill in that spot.

my prediction, based on last year’s performance and assuming nothing crazy goes on with mara, rozi and redden:

staal-girardi
redden-rozi
mara-potter/gilroy

Nevertheless, I would love to see Redden off Broadway.

Del Zotto could make the Rangers, but I would expect he will be returned to Junior.

How about just signing Jordan Leopold….and not for 5 million a season.

Then the Rangers could either swap Roszival or Redden for a winger, and play Sanguinetti, Gilroy or whichever prospects step up the most.