With predictions like this, I should be a Contributor!
Posted 10:28 AM ET | Comments 10
I have always thought I had a good head for hockey, but I never knew I should have my own 5 minutes on the MSG network to speculate. Take a look at a collection of my three favorite posts over the past few months. You have to admit, I did pretty well in my statements. My one true errata that I sadly must admit is the fact that Jed Ortmeyer is no longer in the equation, but besides that, these posts are pretty good. Enjoy!
Post #1 - This was when we were involved in the Pavel Datsyuk debate about free agency. He was taken off the market by Detroit during the season, but I think this can be applied to the current situation anyway.
First problem I have heard about is the idea that this would not fit under the Rangers cap space. Take a look at our numbers right now. We will gain an approx. 2 million when we let Nylander go so you can bring some much needed energy to the first line. Shanahan will be re-upped for .5 million less. Kasparaitus is done in the NHL, so he is not a cap hit for us next season. The money is there, don't worry about it.
Post #2 - On the debate of where Shanny will sign. Keep in mind that when I speak of the $4 million mark, he will get that with his bonus once he hits 10 games played.
This one is really simple. There is no need to go into much detail. Shanny loves being in New York. He gives the team the veteran grit that breaks up the monotany that can happen when everyone focuses on getting the puck to Jagr. He gives a second dimension to the power play and makes the 2nd line very threatening. Glen Sather knows this. He will give Brendan approximately the same contract as last year, and Brendan will be happy knowing that he can still pull in the money, especially after his injury. The number will hover around $4 million. It will be another one year deal. Shanny doesn't want to keep moving his life from city to city at this age. He also doesn't want to learn a new teams system. On top of all this, being in New York keeps him near the major NHL office where he will start frequenting more when he is ready to retire and take a league job.
Shanny will sign with New York for approx. $4 million for 1 year. Possibly with a player option for the next.
Post #3 - This post was in reference to where the top free agents were signing. Scotty Gomez was m y big pick, and I had some reservations on Drury, but hey, I can’t always be right. And by removing Nylander from my lines, you can see that is still looks pretty good.
No question, hands down. Scott Gomez to the Rangers. I am not saying anywhere in this that Drury would not be a great player in New York, but Gomez is much better.
First of all, Gomez is a spark plug that the Rangers are missing. Not in the Sean Avery way, but in the way we all want Prucha to be. Prucha is flashy and speedy and gets in every spot the puck is going. He also gets thrown around and hits a lot of posts or shoots the puck above the glass. Pruch would learn a lot being on a team with Gomez, who has taken that same style of play and harnessed it into something that can kill any other teams momentum. Ideally, Gomez takes Prucha under his wing and they create one hell of a dual threat. Not so ideal but still worth thinking about is the fact that with Gomez in that role, Pruch becomes stronger trade bait. Imagine the lines for the Rangers:
Straka - Nylander - Jagr
Shanahan - Gomez - Prucha
Avery - Cullen - Callahan
Ortmeyer - Hollweg - Hossa
I love it!
Second is the fact that Drury is a great leader. So is Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr. The dynamic in the locker room and on the ice is pretty strong and also a delicate balance. Drury may not be on the same page or want to take a back seat to these vets. Gomez doesn't pose the same threat. He just brings life to the team on the second line, on the powerplay and on the odd man rush.
It is a natural fit for Gomez to make this team step up to the next level and bring them closer to being an elite team. Gomez is clutch, he has been with champions before and he can do it again. He is the "closer" that Jagr has been talking about, the one who will "bring the heat."
Plus, what would be better than scorning the Devils by stealing a piece of their team. Gomez knows the system of defense first followed by an odd man rush to score and give a 2-1 lead to protect for the rest of the game. The Rangers now have the goalie to run the system with. The beautiful part would be watching the Rangers do it in the brand new Prudential Arena in Newark.
Gomez....lock'em up Slats!!!
Post #4 - Now this post is missing from my threads for some reason, but the final free agent comment I had dealt with Sheldon Souray. It was brief and to the point. We (as in the Rangers, and yes I believe that fans are just as much a part of the team as anyone who gets paid to be in the org) do not need to shell out more money to another guy who will not produce for us. We have been there before. I simply said we need to let Souray go.
So, with that, I am awaiting my contract offer from the local sports networks to be an analyst. Surely, I will use them as leverage so I can begin working with the Vs. Network, even if I dont get it in my house.
Keep your stick on the ice my friends.
Post #1 - This was when we were involved in the Pavel Datsyuk debate about free agency. He was taken off the market by Detroit during the season, but I think this can be applied to the current situation anyway.
First problem I have heard about is the idea that this would not fit under the Rangers cap space. Take a look at our numbers right now. We will gain an approx. 2 million when we let Nylander go so you can bring some much needed energy to the first line. Shanahan will be re-upped for .5 million less. Kasparaitus is done in the NHL, so he is not a cap hit for us next season. The money is there, don't worry about it.
Post #2 - On the debate of where Shanny will sign. Keep in mind that when I speak of the $4 million mark, he will get that with his bonus once he hits 10 games played.
This one is really simple. There is no need to go into much detail. Shanny loves being in New York. He gives the team the veteran grit that breaks up the monotany that can happen when everyone focuses on getting the puck to Jagr. He gives a second dimension to the power play and makes the 2nd line very threatening. Glen Sather knows this. He will give Brendan approximately the same contract as last year, and Brendan will be happy knowing that he can still pull in the money, especially after his injury. The number will hover around $4 million. It will be another one year deal. Shanny doesn't want to keep moving his life from city to city at this age. He also doesn't want to learn a new teams system. On top of all this, being in New York keeps him near the major NHL office where he will start frequenting more when he is ready to retire and take a league job.
Shanny will sign with New York for approx. $4 million for 1 year. Possibly with a player option for the next.
Post #3 - This post was in reference to where the top free agents were signing. Scotty Gomez was m y big pick, and I had some reservations on Drury, but hey, I can’t always be right. And by removing Nylander from my lines, you can see that is still looks pretty good.
No question, hands down. Scott Gomez to the Rangers. I am not saying anywhere in this that Drury would not be a great player in New York, but Gomez is much better.
First of all, Gomez is a spark plug that the Rangers are missing. Not in the Sean Avery way, but in the way we all want Prucha to be. Prucha is flashy and speedy and gets in every spot the puck is going. He also gets thrown around and hits a lot of posts or shoots the puck above the glass. Pruch would learn a lot being on a team with Gomez, who has taken that same style of play and harnessed it into something that can kill any other teams momentum. Ideally, Gomez takes Prucha under his wing and they create one hell of a dual threat. Not so ideal but still worth thinking about is the fact that with Gomez in that role, Pruch becomes stronger trade bait. Imagine the lines for the Rangers:
Straka - Nylander - Jagr
Shanahan - Gomez - Prucha
Avery - Cullen - Callahan
Ortmeyer - Hollweg - Hossa
I love it!
Second is the fact that Drury is a great leader. So is Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr. The dynamic in the locker room and on the ice is pretty strong and also a delicate balance. Drury may not be on the same page or want to take a back seat to these vets. Gomez doesn't pose the same threat. He just brings life to the team on the second line, on the powerplay and on the odd man rush.
It is a natural fit for Gomez to make this team step up to the next level and bring them closer to being an elite team. Gomez is clutch, he has been with champions before and he can do it again. He is the "closer" that Jagr has been talking about, the one who will "bring the heat."
Plus, what would be better than scorning the Devils by stealing a piece of their team. Gomez knows the system of defense first followed by an odd man rush to score and give a 2-1 lead to protect for the rest of the game. The Rangers now have the goalie to run the system with. The beautiful part would be watching the Rangers do it in the brand new Prudential Arena in Newark.
Gomez....lock'em up Slats!!!
Post #4 - Now this post is missing from my threads for some reason, but the final free agent comment I had dealt with Sheldon Souray. It was brief and to the point. We (as in the Rangers, and yes I believe that fans are just as much a part of the team as anyone who gets paid to be in the org) do not need to shell out more money to another guy who will not produce for us. We have been there before. I simply said we need to let Souray go.
So, with that, I am awaiting my contract offer from the local sports networks to be an analyst. Surely, I will use them as leverage so I can begin working with the Vs. Network, even if I dont get it in my house.
Keep your stick on the ice my friends.
Except the Rangers have lost Ortmeyer, and will have a problem signing Avery, Hossa and filling a 22/3 man roster, even if Kasparaitus's salary could be moved off the books -- who they would also have to replace. Anyway, I hope it all backfires anyway; not for any reason, really, other than its the Rangers, and I'm a Flyers fan. Even so, I hope it dont backfire to badly, because I love the rivalry and without competitive teams in the division, then the rivalries wouldnt be any fun. I do think the Rangers will contend for a playoff spot, though. And, uh.... good luck with that, and with filling a marginally competitive 22/23 man roster.
I was surprised as well, the Rangers aren't prepared on D this year - and then a vast majority of the D they do have are UFAs next year. So who plays D when Lundquist commands 6 million a season next year and beyond? Jagr? Or do you have some really young D-men coming up? And if you do are they ready for a super-competitive new NHL? Guess we'll see...
Hey, just to reply to your comment, they do have some strong D prospects in two guys. One being the third Staal brother to hit the NHL. He has been putting up some vey impressive numbers in the OHL. The other is Bobby Sanguitti, who has been on he top of many prospect lists. These are two gys that are legitimately projected to be somewhere in the top 4 defenseman. On top of that, there are some promisin showings from Thomas Pock who should crack as a solid top 4 and Dan Girardi, who was a midseason call up who showed hiimself to be a solid defensive defenseman. So believe it or not, the Rangers D is projected to be very good and very young in the next 3 years. And that also means very cheap for at least two of those years.
The Rangers have to buy out Kasparitis' last year of the contract, it will be a cap hit of around 1million, and even with their inexpensive defense, after they resign Avery they will be over the cap. At some point they are either going to have to trade Cullen or not bring Avery back to get under the limit.
I will gladly trade matt cullen's millions for little in return. He is a guy you need to evaluate as a "bang for your buck player" and he is not proving to be worth the contract he was signed to. He is a good guy and a solid player, so they should be able to get some good prospect out of the deal (if it were to even happen), or maybe even just a cheaper third line center.And there is approximately 4 million left under th cap space. How much do you think Avery can command? I dont put him at anything above 1.5 mil. He was good, no doubt, but it was only from March til the end of the season. That is not enough to command much else looking at the rest of his career. There is no question the rangers will be tight with the cap, but they will not have to sacrifice anyone to stay under.
Uh.... umm... reality check! The Rangers are already over the cap by 1.4M.[url=http://nhlnumbers.com/nyr.html] check for yourself[/url]
I dont know how far along the Rangers D-fence prospects have developed, but Stall and Sanguitti are two very good ones, for sure. Stall may be ready for a go at the NHL, but I would doubt Sanguitti is ready. He was just drafted last year, and I really doubt he'd be ready to play at the NHL level, but I guess you can never know for sure. I just find it highly doubtful. But, those two sure look like good defensemen, who will certainly help improve the Rangers Defense down the way in a years to come. But, they are still the Rangers, so, well.... I just cant like them at all. I dont see them doing much but challenging for the playoffs and not doing much once there. just sayin....
lol guess just about anyone write huh
Here's an update for your reality check. Take a better look at those cap numbers. It has shanny at 5.3 for the cap hit when he is actually only 2.5. The ther 2.8 is a perfrmance based bonus that will not be applied to this years cap. Then you need to reevaluate Kaspars contract. His 3 million will not be bought out by Sather. Instead of having that count against the cap, Sather would rather trade him or just put Kaspar in the minors where his 3 mill will not count against the cap. That is 5.8 mill that comes out of that websites numbers putting the rangers well under the cap. Avery isn;t going to get more then 1.5 out of arbitration, so that will leave the Rangers with approximately 3 - 4 mill with the full roster. God I'm good.
The comments in the original post stating that Gomez is better than Drury is completely disgusting. Drury is better than Gomez, check out the Rangers playoff game vs. Buffalo... he proves it just in those games alone as a solid example.