Rangers Analysis: Gilroy Deserves Another Shot on D
by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
in New York Rangers Analysis
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PrintAs the Rangers' defensive corps continues to take shape for the upcoming season - with the exception of Marc Staal still not being re-signed - I could not help but to think about head coach John Tortorella's plans for former Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy. Gilroy came into the league as a 25-year-old rookie last season straight from Boston University. In the beginning, he looked promising and was being compared by many to former Ranger great Brian Leetch during the preseason. That continued into the early stages of October but then his game began to fade.
On December 10th, Tortorella made the shocking decision to send Gilroy down to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. Basically, they were holding him accountable for the poor defensive play that was mostly due to the usual suspects, Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival. Torts claimed that the youngster needed to learn how to compete better and his battle level needed to be raised majorly. I will admit that Matt was probably not competing like he should, but it was not something I would have buried him in Hartford for.
What Tortorella did not realize, however, was that most of the qualms he had with Gilroy's game were problems he created himself as the coach. To begin the season, it was all about pinching and joining the offense for the defensemen. Torts wanted no hesitation whatsoever, he just wanted them to make the move. This had to quickly change after it continually burned the club throughout the first month of the season. Now the Ranger blue-line was forced to play a more conservative style of hockey instead of the high-risk one they were used to.
Continue reading after the jump.....
Now picture being a rookie entering the league, coming from a college where you were taught to play a certain way for four years of your career. Once you hit the NHL, you now have to make a big adjustment to fit in with the coach's system. Gilroy did that just fine - the first time. And now, after making that adjustment, the coach changes his system yet again and you have to learn something new all over. That is obviously going to cause problems for all of the players, but especially the rookies.
While this seemed to favor some defensemen (Del Zotto and Staal) it revealed flaws in others (Gilroy and Redden). It was not fair and then to think Tortorella had the nerve to destroy Gilroy's confidence by sending him down because the kid was all messed up from having to make constant adjustments due to poor coaching is sickening.
Anyway, for the remainder of the season after that, Gilroy was not bad, but he was not spectacular either. He just quietly played his game (or Torts' game) and scored the occasional goal. I did not have a problem with that but again, it seemed to bother the coach. In the last few weeks of the season, Matt found himself a healthy scratch night in and night out. Anders Eriksson took his place and to be honest, I never felt he contributed much more than Gilroy ever did.
From here I believe both Gilroy and Tortorella should put the 2009-10 season behind them and focus on the one coming up. He deserves another shot at claiming a spot on this defensive squad, especially if Wade Redden is waived come training camp. Having Staal, Girardi, Del Zotto, Gilroy, and Ryan McDonagh all on the same defense would be a spectacular move for the youth movement as it would leave Michal Rozsival as the only overpriced aged player.
Gilroy has exceptional offensive talent and the fact that he grew up playing forward helped that a lot. We saw what he can do when he has confidence and is willing to skate the puck up to start the rush. Yes, at times he did look like Brian Leetch with those offensive moves and Michael Del Zotto later looked very similar. Having two potential offensive weapons on your blue-line is rare now-a-days but the Blueshirts have just that and need to take advantage of it.
All it will take is a confidence boosting preseason talk with the coaching staff and management at training camp to get Gilroy back to where he was during September of last season. He will again be willing to skate with the puck, make plays and score goals on defense. That would make him a threat on the dull powerplay as well. Which will need all the help it can get this season. I think if the opportunity is given to him, Gilroy can become a star in this league, and I would hate to see him slip from the Rangers' fingers and grow into a powerhouse elsewhere.
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Hey Nick............I agree.......
It must be realy tough to come into the NHL as a rookie defenseman and have to keep up night in and night out w that level of competition and try to be consistent. and it must be even tougher to try and do that on a ultra fragile team like the Rangers. Especially as u noted that when the style of play started to change. This kid def needs to be given another shot with the big club cuz he has all the tools its just a matter of putting it all together. I mean look at his performance in the WJC……he was one of Team USA’s best players if not the best. I personally will be very dissappointed if he gets demoted at the beginning of the year…….especially if that means Redden gets to stick around…………ughhh!!
by giantsNYrangers on Jul 14, 2010 7:12 AM EDT reply actions
WC not WJC.
He played on the senior team with Dubinsky and Kreider.
He even scored a hattrick which is no mean feat for a defenceman in a WC let alone his first, even if it was against Kazakstan.
Our missing the playoffs was a bonus for Gilroy. Had we made it he probably would have stayed in the press box but the WC gave him vital playing time and experience.
blueseatblogs.com
Awesome
This post got an NHL.com feature. It’s near the middle, called “The Kids are alright”
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by Scratch and Snif on Jul 14, 2010 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I hope Torts watched the World Championships closely because as you said, Gilroy was stellar. He had confidence playing there and that made a huge difference. I think is he regains that confidence he will become a much better player and show Torts he made a mistake by dumping him in Hartford and the press box last season.
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I think that Tortorella knew thata he was hitting a wall
and the Rangers just overreacted.
Regardless of the reason though, Gilroy was not handled well and Sather even said that they may have injured his confidence.
Here is to hoping that doesn’t happen again
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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 9:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Last year was only Gilroy’s first in the NHL, so its perfectly normal for him to hit some bumps along the way. He was not used to playing so many games in such a short amount of time and he was a little overwhelmed physically.
Tortorella/Sather sending him down to the AHL was just dumb. He only played 4 games there, which is not enough time to actually learn anything, but it sure destroys your confidence when the coach doesnt have faith in you and sends you down.
I said this before: I think Gilroy needs to compete better and try harder. If he does that, I really believe that he will be able to put his game together and become a solid player. Also, with a season of pro experience he should be more ready for this season.
I agree Matt. I think he was always afraid to make mistakes so that contributed to his lack of battle level. He knew one major mistake would result in Hartford or riding the pine. Like I have said, Torts is not the right coach for upcoming rookies.
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions
no man… Torts is not actually a good coach. He’s a fantastic assistant coach, which got him a nice head coaching job. He got lucky there in Tampa and found his way back to NY, but with a bad team at his disposable his incompetence has been exposed.
In Renney’s HIGHLY criticized coaching career with the Rangers, he posted a .566 winning percentage. In his 3 full seasons, he made the playoffs each time and won 2 playoff series. In addition, in those 3 full seasons, the team averaged a goal differential of +27.
In Tortorella’s time, he’s had a .548 winning percentage, not won a playoff series, and in his only full season had a +4 goal differential.
Last year, the Rangers looked inconsistent and completely clueless throughout most of the year. His so-called “defensive system” is probably the worst I’ve seen any NHL team run in all my years watching hockey, and on many goals, this exact “system” was the direct cause. It has defensive players and forwards in stupid places at stupid times. Add to this the fact the Torts is an a$$ to his players and anyone else involved, how can anyone say he’s a good coach?
actually his defensive system works quiet well, with the right players.
the blackhawks system is not much different, although they changed it a bit during their stanley cup run in the playoffs.
the main difference is that our dmen are not able to make a quick first pass to start the rush, exept of mdz and to some extend redden ( i hope he will never dress up as a blueshirt again!!!!)
chicago has got two very good first passers with keith and campell (who played a similar outbreak system with the sabres for years). and seabrock and hjalmarson are doing quiet well with the first pass, too.
and renney without jagr →>> ough
nice article
Good article Nick. I felt compelled to follow it up with my own opinion at blueseatblogs.com
I agree with you wholeheartedly that he deserves another chance. One point you missed which should stand him in good stead was his experiences at the World Championships. He played well at times, not so well at others but it extended his season. So he gained experience and more ice time. It can only serve him well.
He should start the year as the 5th defenceman and be given the opportunity to play significant power play time.
blueseatblogs.com
Thanks Jurgennehls, and yes the World Championships has a major impact. He was fun to watch during those. Hopefully Torts kept a close eye on that.
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 8:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Adversity is still experience and he’ll learn from it.
He showed he can bounce back (albeit against inferior opposition) in the elimination games at the WC.
blueseatblogs.com
by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions
funniest typo ever!
Describing the Ranger defense corps as “the defensive corpse”….that is truly hilarious. Just to recount—it’s corps, like Marine corps, and it’s pronounced “core”. Corpse refers to a dead body, and it’s pronounced just like it looks. Either that, or you’ve come up with a great new way to describe Wade Redden’s style of play. Redden is indeed a defensive corpse.
But thanks for not using Torts’ awful phrase—you used “battle level” instead of “compete level”. Maybe more scribes will follow your lead and drop “compete level” into the “needs help understanding syntax” trash can. That term bugged me every single time I read it last season….
Gilroy is better than Redden, but he had a poor first year in the NHL. I like your article here, but there’s little chance that this guy is going to be anything beyond a third-pair/second power-play unit defenseman. He is one of the least physical players I’ve ever seen play, and his decision-making with the puck is often horrendous. Gilroy has a bad tendency to pin himself in his own end and then he tries to use razzle-dazzle plays to extricate himself from these situations, usually resulting in a turnover. The guy needs more defensive sense, first and foremost, if he’s going to improve.
Prole art threat.
He needs more defensive sense for sure but that can come with teaching and experience. The onus is on Sullivan and Schoenfeld to give him the teaching and Torts to allow him to experience.
I think you underestimate his skills that he DOES possess. They are critical elements in today’s NHL; his skating, pass and stickhandling. He needs a reliable partner also; allowing him to concentrate on what he does well.
His rookie year was challenging and ended poorly but it wasnt a poor year overall.
Playing just over 16 minutes per game (most of which is attributed to the start of the year) he got 15 points and thats not bad for a first year guy especially on a non playoff team who struggled for any kind of consistency and offense. I know they are different type of players but Marc Staal didnt get 15 points until his second year and had a worse +/- than Gilroy.
Bottom line, the kid wasnt used properly and was stripped of his confidence. You have to assume he’s learning and will come back better prepared. A 2nd camp should help him alot.
blueseatblogs.com
I’ll agree to disagree here….Gilroy to me is physically overmatched at the NHL level, and his game is unlikely to show dramatic improvement until that flaw is addressed. He needs more discipline with the puck and might actually want to learn how to block a shot now and again as well.
His year was poor….I don’t see how it could be classified as anything else. He scored 3 of his 4 goals in the first six weeks of the season, was a turnover risk in his own zone, and played with little feel for the pro game. Considering his development was already four years behind most of the other rookies in the NHL, I don’t see a big upside for Gilroy. He is already at the age where he has reached physical maturation, so he is highly likely to remain an easily-dominated defenseman, particularly against teams that know how to bring a forecheck.
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on Jul 14, 2010 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions
we’ll definitely agree to disagree. He reacted well to being taught the position in a strong NCAA program where discipline is vital. He has shown he can respond to teaching.
I also feel he CAN develop physically regardless of his age. Until last year he’d never been exposed to such physical training like the pro level offers. There’s only so much physical work you can do in a college program. if you’ve ever trained to a structured fitness plan you’ll know that you’re body keeps reacting so long as the plan isnt stale. He is being looked after by a team of professionals that know how to coax more out of athletes. His body will still be reacting (and hopefully improving) because its not used to the rigours of NHL preperation.
All that being said…..His game will never be about dominating with the body; he’s a skating, puck moving D man. Not every D man has to dominate physically. I will agree though that he needs to develop a willingess to block shots and play the defensive side of the game more.
blueseatblogs.com
I'll agree to agree....
with griff on this one. What have we come to when we are criticizing a coach for demoting a first year prospect who is floundering to the AHL? Correct me if I am wrong but traditionally only a few truly outstanding new comers to the NHL segued directly onto the squad. If Gilroy, who probably does have a nice future in the NHL, is as delicate as some of you make him out to be than he does not have a future in the NHL. Torts found his team leaking from an entire set of problems and it wasn’t the right time to have Gilroy in there learning. He and the staff HAD MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO than butter up this first year prospect straight out of NCAA hockey. Really. I’ve heard a lot of legitimate complaints on here…wait, I don’t want to use language that starts a stupid flame war because a lot of you are more hockey wise than me…but to me this complaint against Torts doesn’t make sense.
We need to be careful about not over petting our new kids. Remember, they still need to earn their slots on the roster and prove themselves in action.
Gilroy is very talented but he has a lot of work to do before he is considered too important to send down to the AHL.
d
I had a feeling I spelled that wrong lol
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Uhh I think ur wrong Jurgen..........Didnt Gilroy just play on the under-18 team for
team Slovakia in S. Africa?…………..get ur facts straight bud……
by giantsNYrangers on Jul 14, 2010 8:07 AM EDT reply actions
????
Dude, is this a joke?
Matt Gilroy;
The American, North Bellmore native who is 25 playing for team Slovakia in the U-18?
Not my facts that are wrong! Unless I’ve missed something here?! lol
blueseatblogs.com
Okay
I wasn’t aware that Matt Gilroy had a chance to be moved from the D. I have suggested in other threads that he should be made a forward; but, I didn’t realize things were this close to coming to fruition.
I do believe Gilroy is a forward at heart, and he does offer this team some things on offense if he were utilized that way. I have also thought that when it comes to him having one year left on this deal, that he does become trade bait. But, hey, you never know quite what a guy from LI could do with some real playing time.
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Funny enough Gilroy grew up playing at the same rink I now play at in Bellmore, NY. So obviously I have a love for the kid with their being a connection and all. Playing at the same rink is like training in the same military squad: it is like a big extended family lol
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions
nice connection.
I have shared the ice with Glenn Anderson. Shame i wasnt playing!
He played in a one off game here in the UK (Cardiff) and took off to play in Italy (i think) afterwards. Its as close to playing with a HOF i’ll ever get LOL
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That’s awesome
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
At Newbridge?
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Yep!
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Torts is the problem
“What Tortorella did not realize, however, was that most of the qualms he had with Gilroy’s game were problems he created himself as the coach”
Exactly, Torts is a brutal coach and what’s worse is he has no patience for young players whatsoever. The Rangers have made it a habit for years stunting the growth of youthful players, and Torts fits into that plan perfect. Lecavalier himself talked about it, and a friend of mine who played for the Lightning in 08-09 said the guys in the locker room who were still there from the Torts years were very low on him and very critical of his handling of youth players. With our new found “youth movement”, there is no way this will ever be a good team with Torts as coach. Too bad too, Gilroy and MDZ have the looks of real good defenseman, but another few years under this maniac and we’ll be trading them for third rounders and a can of pop.
by broadwayblueshirts on Jul 14, 2010 10:40 AM EDT reply actions
Consider the fact that this is a critical year for Torts as a coach too.
If he fails the NHL has recently undergone a sea change and less ‘re-treads’ are being taken on and newer AHL, OHL guys have got the jobs. If Torts fails and gets kicked out of the Rangers he may have to settle for a TSN job again. Pressure is on him to make this re-build work.
I really think he is determined to make the youth work and im happy to give him this season to do so. If not, the next coach will be in place for 11-12. Its easy for players to criticise a coach after he’s gone. Its too easy and i think the coach is often a scapegoat. Players also have a responsibility to not tune the coach out too.
MDZ did fine under Torts last year no? Listen, he handled Gilroy poorly we all agree on that but lets see how he does this year.
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by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
MDZ did fine under Torts last year no?
Yes, but he’d have been even better if Torts would’ve figured out that he and Girardi worked about as well as using a butter knife to dissect a plane.
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Gilroy’s got a year left at a fairly hefty price for a 3rd pair d-man ($1.75m). Now, I know in the land of shitty contracts, that’s not much of a shitty contract, but it’s still a shitty contract.
He’s still young, but he needs to show a lot this year to stay in the future plans of this team. You have Staal, Girardi, Del Zotto who will be here for the long haul (presumably), and you have the McDefense coming behind them.
Then you have Gilroy, Kundratek, Kloucek, Pashnin, and Valentenko (I’ll even assume Sauer is gone by then). That’s 5 d-men for 1 spot, and it does seem that Sather/Torts will favor the tough (like Kloucek or Pashnin) over Gilroy, if push came to shove (pun completely intended).
Gilroy will get his chance this year. But if McDonagh has a strong camp and forces himself on to the roster, then it gets really crowded, really quickly.
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Gilroy will get his chance this year. But if McDonagh has a strong camp and forces himself on to the roster, then it gets really crowded, really quickly.
And that can only be a good thing – competition.
I like Gilroy and think he has a lot to offer but we all want this to be a survival of the fittest.
If he survives a camp competition he’ll be better for it. If not? an expiring contract for a young talented (albeit relatively unproven) player will not be hard to move if it has to be.
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by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I meant Klassen. Whoops. I don’t know why I keep thinking of Kloucek instead. That’s pretty funny.
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Absolutely agree that Gilroy needs to step up his game and the best way to get that out of him is competition. Like you said Smurf, look at all the young defensemen behind him. There is going to be some fierce competition for the fifth and sixth d-men.
This year is make or break for Gilroy.
Along with our terrific prospects at foward, our prospects at D are also looking so bright.
Just think guys….our defense could look like:
Staal 23 years old- MDZ 20 years old
Girardi 26- Rosival 32
Gilroy 26- Mcdonagh 21
Remove Rosy and insert 19 year old Mcilrath next year and you have an incredibly young defense.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
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by 76 Blueshirt on Jul 14, 2010 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
I think expecting Mcilrath in one year is exceptionally optimistic. Most scouts seem to agree that he has to master minor league skating levels before he could even be considered for the NHL.
no need to rush Mcilrath. Especially if McDonagh makes a good impact.
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by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I dunno. I read somewhere he might be good enough to make the team this year! Now thats being optimistic!
Certainly when Rosivals contract is up in two years we can expect him to be competing for a job.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
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by 76 Blueshirt on Jul 14, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Having a total youth movement on D
I think Gilroy’s done enough to keep his 5th spot and would agree that more PP time would be fantastic for his numbers, but I agree he needs to show a little more poise and he’ll be good enough to keep his job for a long while….
Somewhat related- Does anyone know off the bat if any teams with a young (age comparable to NYR) defense corps is actually successful? Obviously I’m all for finally getting our homegrown talent some experience but is McDonagh really going to beat out Eminger for that 6th spot? I wish we could’ve picked up someone established for insurance like Brett Clark (went to TB), who blocks a ton of shots and I think fairly affordable…anyone out there similar to him that might still be worthwhile?
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Blackhawks defense –
Keith (26), Seabrook (25), Hjalmarsson (23), Hendry (26), Campbell (31), Sopel (33)
Rangers D-
Girardi (26), Gilroy (25), Staal (23), Del Zotto (20), Rozsival (31), Redden (33).
Other than Hendry v Del Zotto, age wise they’re identical. Obviously, talent-wise, not so much.
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions
But you can see that both ways. Who says Del Zotto or McDonagh etc cant become the next Keith’s and Seabrook’s? Keith took a few years, including two in the AHL to become the Norris trophy winner he is. Removing Redden and replacing him with a talented kid puts us on a path to develop into that kind of unit. Keith aside, Staal has nothing to fear from that unit.
And Roszival wasnt massively worse than Campbell statistically. Campbell had 38 points, played 23mins/game. Rszival had 23 points (a sub par year) in 21mins/game. Campbell of course is over 2m more.
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by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Obviously our young D has potential to match this team, eventually. Right now, they’re not better, and I don’t think I could find anything that would even help make the argument they were close.
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
well they’re not close right now – on that we agree. Sorry i may have misread your initial comment. Our D has massive potential long term.
blueseatblogs.com
by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
I think it would be unrealistic to “expect” them to ever be close. The Hawks currently have 3 of the top 15 defensemen in the league by GVT (Keith, Campbell, Seabrook). Even if some of their standing is the product of the system they play in, we can reasonably expect that those guys are all still about top 30 defensemen in the league. That means that Chicago currently has at least 3 guys who would be number one defensemen on other teams. That is absurdly good. We would be fortunate to develop two guys who were top 30 defensemen
Keep in mind that DGVT is heavily dependant on number of shots allowed. Chicago led the league in fewest shots against, so it stands to reason that their defenseman would have higher DGVT values, and Seabrook’s total GVT is 80% defensive.
Not to say they’re not all very good to excellent defenseman, they are. Just that GVT is only one number, a number for instance, that would say Redden is better than Avery. Good luck making that argument.
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh of course but shots allowed might not be extricable from those players. They, after all, contributed to the system that produced the fewest shots allowed.
GVT is definitely just one number, but doesn’t necessarily say that Redden is better than Avery as long as its considered within its context. Redden only has a marginally higher GVT despite much greater playing time and opportunity than Avery (GVT depends on several counting stats).
Oh absolutely…there’s no denying that Keith-Seabrook are quite good at limiting shots against them, regardless of system. I do question whether Keith is carrying Seabrook a bit, but I haven’t really looked into it any deeper than mere speculation.
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by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree that Gilroy deserves another chance. And hopefully Torts will give it to him if he shows anything. [It’s unfortunate that Gilroy has a one way contract]
But he was not blamed for the poor play of Michal Roszival last season. Roszival was actually one of the Rangers’ most useful players. You shouldn’t let his bloated salary cloud your view of his play.
why is it bad that Gilroy has a 1 way contract?
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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
when/if he’s benched by tortorella, sather has to take his lumps and send him to the ahl so that he can play and continue to develop. other than brashear, sather really hasn’t shown much of a willingness to hold an NHL contract down in the minors that long. [he might have only done it for gilroy’s short stint last year to dig himself some cap wiggle room]
Isnt he still eligible to be sent down anyway? regardless of his contract?
Im pretty sure thats how they dealt with him last year.
Can anyone clarify his waiver status?
blueseatblogs.com
by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes
because he was 25 years old with no NHL experience when he signed his first professional contract, he can be sent down and called up without being subject to waivers.
That ends at the end of this year though
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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
thanks
Then it really is a MASSIVE camp for his (Ranges) career then.
blueseatblogs.com
by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
for all of us
because if he doesn’t make the team, then that leavs a spot for redden
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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Don't fret
We still have Eminger, no one’s mentioned him in this thread, and I’m pretty sure the entire reason he came to the team was to keep Redden off of it…. At least, if there is a God, that’s how it works
please God let that be the reason…Unless they come out of nowhere and stabilize the D, It’d be such a sin if Redden and Eminger made up our bottom pair in spite of all the young talent we’ve got coming..
The Loneliest Ranger fan living in Philadelphia.
by MooseRanger on Jul 14, 2010 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions
hmm I think it depends both on his age when he signed (24) and the number of NHL games he’s played (69). Since he’s passed the threshold of 60 games, he can no longer be sent to the minors and recalled without going through the waiver process. Perhaps that’s why he saw the press box late this season but Sather was more willing to send him down in December. I could be wrong, though. Perhaps it’s the more liberal of the two criteria that matter and his signing age allotment of 2 years waiver-free trumps his 60 games barrier.
Otherwise, it’s also important to consider that the Rangers have to pay him his salary whether he’s in Hartford or New York and that might be very unappealing to them.
If Renney had coached him last year we would’ve seen a different player during the coarse of the year. My issue with his mishandling is that he is 26 and was treated like he was 19. I would’ve kept him for the whole season giving him 15 minutes a night forcing him to compete and giving him a chance. 9 – 12 minutes per game is sad considering R & R, and del Zotto -20 were given tons of minutes. I would’ve paired him with Staal and told Staal he’s my responsibility not urs keep playing your game.
by louielounz1 on Jul 14, 2010 11:39 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
While i liked Renney and he was a good coach of youth, his way of playing would not be the right way for Gilroy IMO.
blueseatblogs.com
by Jurgennehls on Jul 14, 2010 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I wouldnt be harsh on Del Zotto getting a ton of minutes
he needed those minutes to develope. And his -20 wasn’t as bad as it seemed
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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions
How many were shorthanded goals because Kotalik couldn’t keep the puck in the zone or could defend a 1 on 1?
by It may HAVE to Last a Lifetime on Jul 14, 2010 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
that I don't know
but I am sure that the number is relativley high.
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, Del Zotto was on ice for 6 SHGs, that I know. I don’t know how many were with Kotalik on the ice. I also have no possible way to know how many were the direct result of those descriptions.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Here we go. I may have made the comments when I was drunk so bear with me:
12/12/09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yBskvmJECg Del Zotto with the pass around the boards then takes himself really deep and out of the play. Why? Who knows? MSG announcer politically says Kotalik has "no support from the other side"
12/26 http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20092010,2,559&event=NYR350&fr=false
MDZ giveaway. Gets caught behind. Whiffs. Ales Kotalik plays better defense here.
01/04/10 http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20092010,2,627&event=NYR641&fr=false
March 17th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
10/26 http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20092010,2,148&event=NYR520&fr=false
MDZ plays the air to give up a Vernon Fiddler SHG. To be fair, he didn’t get caught deep this time.
12/14 http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20092010,2,483&event=NYR499&fr=false
An MDZ giveaway and then an Ole as he’s blown by. Not much effort or positioning.
You’re missing one. But that’s some nice work.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
BTW...this article made the front page of NHL.com
Nice going guys!
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev-Prust
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
yeah we cool like that
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
"We can trade Lisin for a gun, then hold it to Drury’s head and make him waive the no-movement clause" - XLII
by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 11:50 AM EDT up reply actions
thanks!
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by Nick Montemagno on Jul 14, 2010 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions
great article here :) it was a great read and you made lots of good points and i pretty much agree with all of them..
imagine 2 years from now when rozis contract expires..
staal mdz
girardi mcd
mcd gilroy
:)
LET'S GO RANGERS!!!
you have McDonagh in there twice
maybe put in mcIlrath
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers the only NHL team with three home arenas.
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by Joe Fortunato on Jul 14, 2010 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
McDonagh is young, he can double shift.
Nice article Nick, and great job getting it picked up by NHL.com
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by Jim Schmiedeberg on Jul 14, 2010 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
we talk about him all the time
but what sort of player does McD actually project to be. I have read tons of scouting reports that rave about his defensive abilities and positions, but how much potential does he actually have? are we talking about a guy with staal’s capabilities or is he going to pan out to be another girardi (nice, but nothing to rave about with not much offense)?
His ceiling is a more offensive and much more physical version of Girardi. Keep in mind Girardi (and Staal for that matter) doesn’t get much PP time, so his point production will almost always be stagnant.
Especially Staal…how many here know Staal was top 10 among the defenseman in Even Strength points? How many know that Girardi had more than Gonchar?
Now obvious, the fact that neither has earned PP time is a knock on their total offensive games, but they take a lot of heat for having “not much offense,” when both are effective during the 45 minutes a game that aren’t played on special teams.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
gilroy's partner
Let’s not forget the most important thing about Gilroy last year. This was a rookie palying with perhaps the WORST “defensive” partner any player could ever have REDDEN.
Bobby Orr would have had to worry about Redden doing what he always does on defense ………….NOTHING
yea i had said the same thing on a different post. You put a rookie whos pretty new to the D position as it is with what is basically a ghost on his other side. We all knew gilroy is a puck handler and puck mover, but with redden next to him he would get burned trying to move play up the ice because he had no one behind him to support him. So then as the season progresses he starts holding back because he knows he’s paired up with a pylon as a partner. At least thats one way I could see the situation, he does obviously have areas to work on but I find it hard to completely blame him when he basically was alone on defense.
Hey hey. Let’s be fair to Redden. He’s non-descript defensively and offensively, but that does not make him the worst of anything. Sure he’s overpaid for being a 5th or 6th defenseman, but that’s not his fault. He may have been the worst veteran defensive partner Gilroy could have drawn on the Rangers, but that’s vastly different from being the back of the NHL pack.
don't defend Redden
Redden is an awful hockey player. Any team that has him on their backline is not a good team. His contract, like it or not, requires more from him. And he doesn’t care enough to give extra effort.
He was rumored to have a cocaine problem in Ottawa. After seeing him play for two years, that is clearly untrue. Coke fiends skate faster and display aggression…….
Prole art threat.
He is not an awful hockey player. He would make the 3rd pairing on many teams in the NHL. He is, however, not worth his salary. And how do you know how much he cares? What do you expect him to do? Give Sather money back? His paycheck is not his fault and does not relate to his hockey skills.
Guys... don't forget
Ottawa at one point had to choose between keeping Redden or Chara, and they didn’t even blink.
There was one point where his name was in the Norris discussion. He had a stretch of 3 or 4 years where he was a top tier if not elite NHL defenseman and he was a 2nd overall pick.
However, and for whatever reason, he currently is a terrible NHL player. Maybe many teams would have him in their 3rd pair, but there are several that wouldn’t have him playing.
He HAS to be held accountable from letting his game slip over the past 4 years from greatness to great mess.
The Senators had to choose between Chara and Redden: false. They could not afford to offer Chara the long term contract he was seeking (the Bruins wound up paying him $37.5 million over five years). It was all the Sens could do to sign Redden to a shorter, lesser contract.
He is not a terrible player. He’s a below average player [and was when Sather signed him in 2008]. His performance has not deviated from how he was performing at the end of his Senators career.
PROOF REDDEN WAS GREAT ONCE
2006 Norris Trophy opinion piece:
http://www.betus.com/sports-betting/nhl-hockey/articles/who-will-win-nhl-hardware/
All time Norris Trophy voting:
bq. Redden
02-03: 9th
03-04: 10th
05-06: 5th.
Look, I am not here to defend Redden by any means but the truth of the matter is that he has played great hockey in his career. Contract aside, I was excited to learn that he was coming to the Rangers because I have personally seen him play smart, explosive hockey when he was in Ottawa. Really, I swear.
That said, his performance as a Ranger has been inexcusable and I suspect that he has been having a lot of personal issues we don’t know about.
Send him down. Get him out of here.
d
Personal Problems
I heard Redden and Emery were powdering their noses together during their last year in Ottawa.
OUCH MY ELBOW HURTS!
Makes perfect sense to me...
That will do it every time. How many players — and titles — have New York City clubs lost to that white powder whore. One reason why scouts need to pay extra-special attention to character and why it is a good idea to have a very alert, hard-ass coach behind our bench.
d
I AGREE
Please let Gilroy play…I think he can be so good if Torts doesn’t mess with him…Gilroy, Staal, Del Zotto and McDonaugh have a chance to be a very good (and young) starting four d men who cou;d play together for a few years…I’m not as big on Girardi, but I can tolerate him. I think Redden will be waived and Roszy could be moved (I’ve seen Sather move worse) which can lead to another young dman coming up (Potter, Sauer?)…I know Torts wants offensive dmen…but we could use a big stopper to help Hank.
Gilroy and the Rangers D
A HUGE problem, that anyone with Hockey insight should recognize (I’m talking to you Torts and Slats!), is Gilroy came out of Jack Parker’s BU system. BU’s system creates winning teams in college, but it’s one of the furthest from the NHL game. Parker doesn’t emphasize hitting, he encourages, a quick, fluid game. Not only did Gilroy play 4 years in this system, but it was the ONLY place he ever played D.
Not only was Gilroy jumping into a faster game, at a higher level, with better players, he also was being expected to overhaul his style of play. For most defenseman coming out of the Parker system it’s not a big deal. They spent the last 4 years WANTING to cream somebody, but held back cause that’s not the way the team plays. Gilroy’s bread and butter through college was what he could do with the puck. Torts needed to recognize this, cut him some slack, and let him get his confidence up and adjust to the NHL game, leaning on his best attributes – he skating and puck handling. Torts should have let him get comfortable, then worked on making him a more physical player, instead of grinding on him about physical play from day 1. If they needed Gilroy to play physical before they wanted him on the big club, he should have started in Hartford.
Regarding the defense as a whole, I think the best defensive play I have seen from this team, as a unit, was when Torts took over for Renney, and had Shony running the D for him . Shoenfield got the guys focusing on fundamentals, and the little things a good defenseman does, and it showed on the ice in the units overall performance. Torts doesn’t like having more then 1 assistant, but with our “youth movement”, I think he needs to realize it’s important to have a set of eyes on the “O” and another on the “D” – strictly looking for fundamental errors and bad habits forming. Torts can still manage the game, the systems, and the personal, as he sees fit.
interesting thought process- i dont watch much college hockey so i was completely unaware of that. makes me worry krieder isnt working on developing a two way game or being physical either
by BronxBeliever on Jul 14, 2010 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions
And none are what you’d describe as overly physical, which I think is the point Buck is trying to make. Not that they don’t produce good players, just that they don’t focus on the physical game.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Think of it this way..
BU says, if you can poke check, you can keep your momentum and make an odd man rush. The NHL says play the man – if you get beat on the poke check, they’ve got a 2-1. It works for BU cause, the NCAA has a more diluted talent pool then the NHL.
by BuckarooClub on Jul 14, 2010 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
So BU is probably more offense oriented than NHL teams.
"Mes que un club"
"You're a pro or you're a noob. That's life"
"Luongo: He's better than Cloutier"
by Scratch and Snif on Jul 14, 2010 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Tom Poti weakens any argument, as does Wade Redden
Especially when you include Tom Poti on a list of allegedly solid defensive players, after you’ve attempted to sing the praises of a terrible player like Wade Redden.
How do I know Redden doesn’t care? Easy, I’ve seen him play 120+ games in a Ranger uniform…he is without passion on the ice, he doesn’t ever beat anybody in a one-on-one battle for the puck, and his defensive positioning—especially for a 12-year veteran—is so awful that the only way to excuse it would be to claim that he’s got early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Those flaws are the earmarks of a player who doesn’t care about his teammates, his role on the team, or his own legacy as a player.
Oh, and let’s not forget—he allowed Sergei Fedorov to walk in untouched over the blue line in the last six minutes of a game 7, and stood and watched as Fedorov ended the Rangers’ season in the 2009 playoffs. I don’t care what he was like in the pre-lockout NHL; all I can tell you is that in my opinion he has become a truly uninspiring, dismal hockey player, one whose abject decline is so apparent that it defies explanation that he is still a New York Ranger.
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on Jul 14, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Tom Poti weakens any argument? Oh you must be one of those fellows who rejects the possibility of using stats to evaluate NHL players. How do you feel about Tom Poti helping his team deep into playoffs with serious minutes the last few years? Or anchoring the Caps penalty kill? Or maybe we should just ask people who follow the Caps 24/7 what they think?
http://www.japersrink.com/2010/6/2/1496908/2009-10-rink-wrap-tom-poti
I don’t like Poti, that’s how I feel about him. And the Caps lost in the first round of the playoffs last year, and in the second round the year before that. I would not call that going deep in the playoffs at all, and the fact that a chump like Poti is playing big minutes for them doesn’t really help that argument.
Poti is soft like Redden, and like Redden he was terrible in a NY Ranger uniform. And I don’t reject stats in hockey, I just believe that “offensive” defensemen like Poti and Redden receive undue credit from current hockey statistics for being good players because they put up 20-25 assists a year while stinking out the joint in the defensive end.
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on Jul 14, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
C’mon now, that’s just silly. Are you really putting Tom Poti in Niklas Lidstrom’s class? That’s like comparing a disease to its cure…..
Prole art threat.
by greifi griffie on Jul 14, 2010 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, the problem with Redden is exactly that. He’s no longer an ‘offensive’ defensemen. That more than anything is the killer with him, if he could still produced 35-40 pts, you could live with using him as a bottom 4 d-man. Instead, he really contributed little, though he’s still not the sieve that people make him out to be.
Poti is much better then Redden at this stage
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions
BC and BU are two different programs. Kreider’s @ BC.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions
"The Jack Parker"
is taught through amateur hockey, it’s especially popular at the hs/prep levels. One of it’s core components is to play the puck – make the stick check and set up an odd man rush, rather then take yourself out of the play with a check. It focus’ a lot on turning the transition, instead of just stopping the attack on D. I’m not knocking the school or the system.
Since some people seemed interested in the breakdown of NCAA hockey, here’s my take. The ECACHL tends to attract the “smarter” players – about half the schools in this league don’t even give athletic scholarships. You also don’t see as many top flight pro’s coming out of here. Hugh Jessiman went to Darthmouth – ’nuff said (although George Parros is also a ECACHL alum). Hockey East brings in loads of talent from the NE Prep leagues and strong local programs. These kids have wanted nothing more then to be a part of the BU/BC/UNH/MAINE hockey tradition and win a championship there. You get some great teams and the strongest players from the area, you also see alot of marquee coaches, who set up programs, the way Parker and Donato have. As you head out west, in CCHA, and even more in the WCHA, you have you tend to see bigger, stronger, better individual players, running a 2-1-2 and looking to check guys through the boards all night long. Alot more physical, NHL style play. They try to land some top talents and build the team and system around who they have. The WCHA especially tends to pump out the top NHL players. Not so many diplomas, but alot of talent.
by BuckarooClub on Jul 14, 2010 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
At Harvard
my bad – Harvard is the lone non-HE school in Boston.
by BuckarooClub on Jul 14, 2010 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The one thing I might add is that there is some variation within conferences. e.g. Cornell tends to recruit “smarter” players, but they also tend to be larger and more physical like the CCHA and WCHA programs albeit without the higher ceiling guys.
Yes, great scouting profile...
Buckaroo is dead on. I was following Higgins at Yale before quit after his sophmore year and went to Montreal. He dominated the Ivy because nobody could knock him off the puck and he always came away from the corners with possession. The scouts loved him. But we see what happened when he had to play with the big boys…he turned into an average grinder. At Yale we also had some stellar smaller guys who could set the pace in our division…guys like Ray Giroux and Jeff Hamilton who broke all kinds of records for our club and totally carried the team but after graduation only ended up getting sent up and down to the NHL for quick stints and finally ended up playing in Europe.
Both Ray and Jeff were smart kids on and off the ice (although everyone knew that Jeff partied too hard). Now I’m in the mid-west a lot during the winter and following the CCHA. Just like you say, the difference is stark. I get some of these kids in my class and some of them can hardly read or write. Nice kids, don’t get me wrong, just pure jocks with the baseball caps twisted sideways and riding through school on athletic affirmative action.
d
have to get in on this redden talk
Excuse me but any of you Redden defenders Please answer these questions. My answer to all fo them is NO except the LAST question.
1. is he a fast skater?
2. does he know the meaning of the word physical?
3. Does he have a great shot?
4. Has our power play improved with him
5. Is he worth 1 million dollars let alone 6 million?
6. Is he the WORST free agent signing in NY Ranger history?
1. How many back pairing defensemen are?
2. that’s not every d’man’s game. and it’s not necessarily required for a good player or team. see chicago blackhawks defense
3. see #1
4. How many teams put their 3rd pairing defensemen on the PP?
5. and 6. Do dollars lace up skates? Does Glen Sather get out on the ice strapped to his back? Why should his contract matter? Sure his level of play is not worth the contract, but he’s a serviceable player. Absent the salary cap constraints, it would be fine to have him on the team in a last pairing role. But his albatross contract prevents needed roster flexibility
“How many teams put their 3rd pairing defensemen on the PP?”
he was brought here (as well as plenty of other guys) to be a PP threat/qb
4. How many teams put their 3rd pairing defensemen on the PP?
MTL (Bergeron),
NYR (MDZ)
CBJ (Stralman)
PIT (Gogligoski)
PHX (Jovanovski)
BUF (Butler)
OTT (Karlsson)
STL (Colaiacovo)
Those are the ones I found.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions
you’d think people would have learned to know what they’re talking about on here. RangerSmurf swooping in with the statistical evidence once again.
So 24% of teams? That still mean most teams don’t. doesn’t it? And what’s your criteria for 3rd pairing?
Stralman, Goligoski, Jovanovski, Butler, Karlsson all averaged more than 20 minutes of ice time last season. That would seem to be a little high for a 3rd pairing guy.
My criteria was based on their ES ice time relative to the rest of the team. If they were 5th or lower, I took them. Pairings are based on ES time, so that was my focus.
Using their total ice time is futile, since we’re looking for players who by definition get PP time, and thus an extra 3-4 minutes per game by nature of that role.
Like I said, I didn’t dig that deep, there could be more, those were the obvious ones. No, it’s not the majority teams by any stretch, but it’s not exactly rare either.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 15, 2010 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Right but you can’t necessarily extricate ES time from PP time as the two functions are probably related. A player who does not play on the PP might necessarily have higher ES time as PP men have that time deducted from the total time they have the ability/opportunity to play. PP time is not necessarily extra minutes. The greatest likelihood is it does mean some extra minutes, but also deducts from ES time.
For that matter, one might also argue that SH TOI is also important in determining pairings. Jovanovski tends to log top 4 minutes there too.
Yeah, Jovo’s the one I looked at and said “huh?” but included anyway because he met the requirements I self-decided. I don’t think of him as a 3rd pairing guy. On the flip side, I didn’t include Souray, who is not a 3rd liner in EDM but would be on a bunch of teams. And as a I said, there could be others, it was a boring exercise really.
The point was mostly that I took your statement to mean that you thought it never happened, and I knew at minimum that M.A. Bergeron qualified, and was curious how much it actually did occur. And when I look that stuff up, I like to post it, since it’s usually informative at least on some level.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 15, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
6. Has competition from Donald Brashear, Kotalik, Stephane Quintal, Dmitri Kalinin, Rissmiller,
Oh, this is getting depressing. I have to stop.
by It may HAVE to Last a Lifetime on Jul 14, 2010 3:19 PM EDT reply actions
you stopped before getting to
karpa, ulanov, malakhov, scott fraser, holik, kasparitis, keane, skrudland, and kamensky
This from a man who thinks the plural of goose is sheep.
Tortarella is not a bad coach
you do not accidentally win a cup with a young team like he did in Tampa. If he is so brutal to the players, why did Prospal come play for a measely 1 Million last year?
You can disagree with his coaching style, that’s fine, but to say he is a bad coach, doesn’t develop players is ludicrous. Players have to be held accountable for their play. Why is it when a player doesn’t meet expectations, it is the coach’s fault, but if they exceed, it is the player’s greatness? Gilroy has only played D for 4 years, (160 games) in college. He had a hard transition to the NHL level. NOT Torts’ fault.
Sending someone to Hartford does not destroy confidence. It should build character and build the desire to prove onself. If a simple demotion ruins a players phsyche and confidence, then that player will not cut it in the NHL, because problems will arrise in the future, losing streaks, droughts, etc., and you will have to deal with them as a player. He is a grown man. He will deal with it and improve, or he will be a minor league player for life.
In terms of benching…he played in 69 games. so he missed 5 when he was sent to Hartford then the last 8 of the season. Mar 25th was his last game, so he missed 2.5 weeks? The way people talk, one would think he missed much more.
Yes he will have another shot, yes he will improve (will it be enough to keep his spot on the roster?) But improvement is the players responsibility, the coach can only teach what should be done, the player must ultimately implement the information. The coach cannot change the style of play of the team for each individual player.
I also find it interesting that people who are not employed as coaches in the NHL find it so easy to find the obvious flaws that Torts can’t seem to see. If Gilroy’s partner is playing like crap, trust me, the coaches know. Last year they allowed Redden to exist. this year should prove different. Gilroy was not banished because his partner sucked. He was put inHatford because they actually have coaches they believe in down there who can spend more 1-1 time with players and teach him the system. It is a better learning environment when everyone is being taught the same vs being singled out at the pro level.
+1
However, last time I checked The Wolfpack plays a completey different system than the Rangers.
OUCH MY ELBOW HURTS!
Supposedly last year they were to alter their style to match the big club
I don’t watch them play so I can’t vouch for how accurate that is
Maybe a dumb question, but I'll ask anyway
What exactly happens in terms of cap space, salary owed, and contract happens if we waive Redden or send him to Hartford. How much do we save against the cap, and what happens after the season ends?
by blueshirts1623 on Jul 14, 2010 10:36 PM EDT reply actions
In Redden’s case, he has to pass through waivers, where someone can claim him and then his salary/cap hit are their problem (good luck with that). Once he clears, he can be sent to HFD, where his entire cap hit comes off the books (his salary is still the responsibility of the Rangers organization. If he were to be recalled, he passes through re-entry waivers, where someone could claim in and be responsible for half of his salary/cap hit, and the Rangers would be on the hook for the other half. If he is not claimed, then his cap hit would be on the books again, prorated based on the number of days in the NHL season (I believe it is 180). So if Redden were sent down for 90 days, the resulting cap hit when he returned would be 3.25m for the year.
After the season, Redden’s hit comes back on the books, and the process repeats, I believe.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on Jul 14, 2010 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Which is why if he does get sent down, it is for the season. the Rangers cannot risk paying 3.25 mil a year (against the cap) for 3+ years upon reentry waivers if someone else were to claim him, and at 3.25 mil, it is possible someone might be desparate enough to do so if injuries or such has decimated their squad
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Rangers
|
49 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 69 |
|
Philadelphia
|
50 | 30 | 14 | 6 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
51 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 62 |
|
New Jersey
|
50 | 28 | 19 | 3 | 59 |
|
New York Islanders
|
50 | 21 | 22 | 7 | 49 |
(updated 2.4.2012 at 8:30 AM EST)
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
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Philadelphia
|
Sun 02/05 | 1:00 PM EST |
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New Jersey
|
Tue 02/07 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Tampa Bay
|
Thu 02/09 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
@
Philadelphia
|
Sat 02/11 | 1:00 PM EST |
|
Washington
|
Sun 02/12 | 12:30 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Buffalo
|
Wed 02/01 | SO - W 1 - 0 |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Tue 01/31 | SO - L 3 - 4 |
|
Winnipeg
|
Tue 01/24 | W 3 - 0 |
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@
Boston
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Sat 01/21 | SO - W 3 - 2 |
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Pittsburgh
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Thu 01/19 | L 1 - 4 |
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