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New York Rangers Breakup Day: Quotes, Injuries, And Player Reactions

Today will mark the official last day for the New York Rangers as they close out the 2013 NHL Season, after being eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. To make things easier, each player will have a section dedicated to them with their quotes from breakup day, injury updates, and a short analysis of each. Here we go.

Brad Richards:

“I signed here to be a Ranger for more than a year and a half and I hope to be. I didn’t feel normal all season. There’s a thousand things I could blame it on but not going to. I’ve got to start over. I think I was in shape in September…obviously I’ve got a lot to prove”

Richards also confirmed that he will start his preparations for the 2013-2014 within the next week or two. Many people expect that a buyout is looming for the veteran, but as I’ve said all along, I still think he’ll get one final crack at it next year.

Ryane Clowe:

“I love the guys. It’s just a first class organization.”

Clowe was asked about the possibility of him staying in New York, and stated that he is “open to negotiations” in order to remain a Ranger. He also said that he was “close” to returning if the series had been extended to Game 6/7. While Clowe didn’t confirm any of his injuries, he did say that his second injury was sustained from the hit during the Washington series.

Injury: Suspected concussion (x2).

Henrik Lundqvist:

Lundqvist on whether he has discussed a contract extension with the Rangers + playoff thoughts:

“Need to talk to my agent and I’ll go from there. [I’ve] had such a great time in New York. We’ll see. I don’t know what the team is going to look like next year. This season was a step back after going to Conference Finals. It is a step back, but it’s tough to make it. You can’t just expect it to happen.”

Many people are up in arms about Lundqvist being so vague about a contract extension with the Rangers. In all honesty, there’s not a single guy on the Rangers that loves New York more than Henrik does. I wouldn’t place any bets on him leaving anytime soon.

Darroll Powe:

Powe confirmed that he had suffered his second concussion during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. He was cleared to play in Game 5 against the Boston Bruins, which is why he was on the ice taking pre-game warmups.

Injury: Concussion (x2).

Derek Stepan:

While Stepan says he hasn’t thought about his upcoming contract, he wants to remain with the Rangers for the long haul. It’s was also interesting to hear Stepan say that he wanted to finish out his career in New York, and that he “wants to be here for sure.”

Marc Staal:

As many of us expected, Marc Staal confirmed that his eye will never recover 100%, but he also expects to return to the same level he was at prior to the injury. He also went in-depth with his injury a little bit more, and said the puck “caused a tear” in his eye which would caused dizziness.

Injury: Eye.

Rick Nash:

It was rather interesting to hear Nash confirm that he had no injuries ailing him during the playoffs. He also said that he does “not need any procedures” during the off-season. As much as everyone would like to believe this, I’m still having a hard time believing that Nash was truly healthy. Not having surgery doesn’t necessarily mean that he was 100%. Remember, he was wearing a wrist brace for a majority of the post-season.

Ryan Callahan:

Callahan on Richards/Staal rebound next year + thoughts on Rangers playoff performance.

“I expect [Richards] and Staal to be contributors next season. [The year] was wasted if you don’t learn from it. We were too inconsistent, and we underachieved.”

Derick Brassard:

Brassard on how coming to New York revitalized his career, and how much he’s learned from Stepan.

“I felt like the passion and emotion in my game was gone in [Columbus]. It’s totally different just to play in front of a full house every night. Even though [Stepan] is younger than me, he’s one of the guys I look up to. I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Carl Hagelin:

Hagelin said much of the same in regards to his upcoming contract in that he wants to remain with the Rangers.

“You get treated so well here. This is the place to be.”

Talking Points