Rangers News: Some insight on the Scott Gomez trade

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Jun 30, 2009 7:54 PM EDT in Rangers Analysis Comment 11 comments

I asked Bob over at Habs Eyes on the Prize, the SBNation blog for the Montreal Canadiens, for his thoughts on the players the Rangers acquired today. Bob and his readers are not at all happy, as you might imagine, but Bob is a good guy, and was nice enough to provide the following scouting report:

In Higgins, you guys are getting a tireless worker, whose worse habit is trying to do too much in one shift. He has a tendency to wear himself down physically by hitting everything all the time, whether neccessary or not. He's a injury prone busybody, and his strength is puck cycling and putting shots on net. He's far from a sharpshooter, but he's solid when it comes to creating scoring chances. It's not uncommon to see him fire between five and eight shots on net on a good night, but come up empty handed. He's an honest player. You, the Ranger faithful, and Torts will all appreciate him. He's an extremely likeable kid.

Oh yeah, and Higgins tradionally kills the Islanders. He's from there, and it shows when he plays on Long Island in front of family. I think he might even be a PPG player in Nassau. He couldn't have been traded to a better placefor himself, IMHO.

In Ryan McDonagh, I believe you are getting the Canadiens best defensive prospect. He has been described as having Chelios - like (that's a 22 year old Chelly - BTW) fluidity in his skating and his game. I've seen him play only twice during the WJC, and he seemed way overemployed and badly paired in one game, unspectacular but poised in the other.

Valentenko is a bit of unknown quantity to me. I've not seen him play, but he was voted the Hamilton Bulldogs rookie of the year in 007-08.

Janik is a journeyman at best. He capably filled in on a couple of occasions for Montreal, and at times looked like he could be a sound 6th D if he calmed down.

If this doesn't make your monkey wiggle, nothing will. Thanks Bob for coming through for us.

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Thanks Bob for coming through for us.

my feelings exactly.

The Manic Ranger

by Ryan McFadden on Jun 30, 2009 8:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think

this is still interesting. I really am glad we did get Ryan McDonagh though.

by Poe678 on Jun 30, 2009 8:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

caps fan chiming in:
whether or not the rangers spin the newly discovered cap space into heatley, this trade = total coup for NYR. i can’t see even one valid argument for picking up that kind of salary (over that many years) for gomez, nonetheless throwing in a solid defensive prospect. party hard tonight, gentlemen. well done!

by Natty Bumppo on Jun 30, 2009 8:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This is intriguing

Higgins is pretty good. It’s too bad now we have zero playmaking centers to get him the puck, but I think it’s a good start.

by JoshNY on Jun 30, 2009 8:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

He doesn't need one

From what I’ve seen, Higgins isn’t the type of player who need a playmaking center to get him the puck. He is more the type of player to work down low and come out of the corners with the puck. He’s probably a more natural fit with Callahan or Dubinsky.

by Reg Dunlop on Jun 30, 2009 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

blueshirtbulletin is stating that Lecavalier could be a factor for NYR?

Lopez wants it away, and it's hit deep to left center, Andruw Jones on the run, this one has a chance... home run!!, Mike Piazza!, and the Mets lead 3 to 2!!
-Howie Rose
Gary Thorne=Simply the Best!

by The American Mr.Hockey on Jun 30, 2009 8:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i hope not

b/w his 10 years left at more money than gomez and his shoulder injuries we would be back in the same cap hell.

by mleetch352 on Jun 30, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

fully agree

Hell no to Lecavalier

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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 1, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Heatley Update

“Carp, who first said that the Dany Heatley deal would happen tonight, has backed off that statement.

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."

In other news JayBo signed with Calgary 5 yr 6.6 mil a year.

Doesnt Calgary have some serious cap hell now?

by mleetch352 on Jun 30, 2009 8:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yes, Calgary's cap situation is a real mess

by JoshNY on Jul 1, 2009 8:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Higgins is the solid player in the deal...

The rest of the details are teams BURYING THEIR MISTAKES. Gomez was a mistake at that price, obviously. The whole hockey world knew it at the time, and Scotty went on to prove them right. The whole hockey world except for Bob Gainey, I suppose.

Ryan McDonagh was a mistake at #12 overall in the first round of the 2007 draft. He probably has about third round potential. That is becoming increasingly obvious, and he gets slipped off like the Queen of Spades in a game of Hearts, before the spotlight starts to shine too brightly on Trevor Timmins the Montreal head scout. Wee Trev has enough ‘splainin’ to do as it is when you look at some of the players left on the board when he drafted Kostitsyn and Urquahart with his first two picks back in 2003. Or Chipchura in 2004. Or more especially with David Fischer and McDonagh in the last few years.

Valentenko wasn’t a mistake so much as probably underrated by the organization. He is solid, a tough as nails left side defender with a good point shot. He is 6-2 and around 225 pounds and loves to hit. He was the team’s best defensive prospect at the beginning of the year, but didn’t want to play in the AHL when he could make much more money playing in Russia. If a mistake was made by the Habs it was in taking him for granted. By the end of the year they are paying dearly for the likes of Mathieu Schneider and Doug Janik to try to prop up the cheesecake defense.

The other guys in the deals are not so much mistakes as inconsequential.

by robert ethan on Jul 1, 2009 3:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

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