The Blueline...

For next season, which begins October 2nd in Pittsburgh, the Rangers currently have 4 defenseman with "guaranteed" spots. I put that in quotes because you never know who might get traded - let's hope - or injured - let's hope not - before then.

We have: Wade Redden, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Michal Rozsival.

Matt Gilroy is probably going to play in the NHL also. Everyone is very impressed by him, and you don't pay $1.75M/year to keep a player in the minor leagues.

So that leaves one spot. Corey Potter? Mike Sauer? Possible on both fronts, but more likely they will be in Hartford until their contracts end out, then bounce around the AHL (with some rare NHL appearances). Their career-paths will probably look more like Bryce Lampman's and Lawrence Nycholat's than Brian Leetch's.

I figure it comes down to two players. Granted, I don't know a ton. I don't go to training camp, I don't travel to Traverse City. I just read about the Rangers online, a lot, and I know a certain bit about the NHL from watching it for years.

Those two players: 2006 1st round draft pick (21st overall) Bobby Sanguinetti and 2008 1st round draft pick (20th overall) Mike Del Zotto.

And the early edge goes to Del Zotto. He looks real sharp from all accounts in nearly every aspect, and a lot of people think he can push for a spot. Even if he is bound for the OHL this year (he is too young to play in the AHL), the Rangers can still have him in the NHL for 10 games before they decide to send him there. That's good experience as a 7th d-man, and a great chance to make the Rangers think they should keep him up here - much like Josh Bailey and the Islanders last season.

So where does that leave Sanguinetti? This kid grew up in Trenton, NJ, and was a Rangers fan even when the Devils were winning Stanley Cups when he was 7, 12, and 15. He had a great 2007-08 season in Brampton (OHL) and didn't play particularly bad last year in Hartford, either.

But is he improving? Has Del Zotto out-performed him? And this is the year that Sanguinetti's contract is up. Sure, he'll only be a restricted free agent and he is still only 21, but Del Zotto is two years younger and seems to have surpassed him.

This isn't an attack on Sanguinetti at all. It just seems that there aren't very many roster spots available for the taking - 2, possibly, but probably only 1 - due to a few heavy-handed contracts (as well as the fact that you need veterans on the blueline). Maybe if Gilroy wasn't signed last year, or maybe if Del Zotto didn't emerge, Sanguinetti would be the 6th.

What are the options? No doubt they'll keep him around in Hartford if he doesn't make the team, but he could be Al Montoya-ed during the trade deadline to get a real nice veteran for a playoff run.

At any rate, Del Zotto vs. Sanguinetti should be one of the best "fights" at training camp. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope both show incredible talent.

* * *

Oh, and if anyone wants half-priced tickets to the Rangers/Bruins pre-season game on Tuesday, September 15, please let me know. I'll be in Las Vegas (lobbying for an NHL team there) and can't make it. Each seat is $60 and I'll sell the pair for $60. Email: arson83@aim.com

Playoff Hockey On Long Island

OK, maybe the Islanders aren't going to the playoffs. But their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, are putting together quite the season. The Sound Tigers have 98 points, tying them with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh) for second place in the East Division, three points behind Hershey (Washington). The winner of the division will have the top seed in the Eastern Conference, as the Atlantic Division leaders, the Rangers' own Hartford Wolfpack, only have 92 points. And since there are only two divisions per conference, all four of these teams will have home ice advantage in the first round.

Charles Wang, who owns both teams, is well aware of the hunger for playoff hockey in these parts. As such, the Sound Tigers will play their first two playoff games at the Nassau Coliseum, much to the consternation of the Sound Tigers' faithful fans in Connecticut. Sorry, guys. Anyway, the two games will be on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. The game on the 17th starts at 7:30; the game on the 18th begins at 7:00. The nice thing is, tickets are extremely affordable, with the most expensive seats going for $29 and the cheapest going for $15. You could watch playoff hockey and enjoy a delicious pretzel twist for $20. How cool is that?

The AHL playoffs will certainly be worth watching for Islanders fans, especially since so many of the current Islanders roster will be playing for the Sound Tigers. Again, some local fans who have supported the team all year are a little miffed, but it's better for the Islanders this way. Some of the Islanders' young studs will gain some valuable playoff experience by playing for the Sound Tigers, so let's hope for a nice long playoff run.

Mark Bell...

So John Tortorella thinks Sean Avery should "stay home" because of a bad joke he made about an ex-girlfriend (comments he made on TSN), but apparently being arrested for a hit and run made while driving under the influence is perfectly acceptable.

Why do the Rangers need another 3rd/4th line winger? Are Nigel Dawes, Lauri Korpikoski, Ryan Callahan, Petr Prucha, Colton Orr, Fred Sjostrom, and Aaron Voros not enough? Not to mention Avery in the wings if he doesn't get picked up by another team on his way up.

Were Theo Fleury and Sandis Ozolinsh not available?

Unless he goes straight to the AHL, or unless this is a prelude to a trade where the Rangers unload a bunch of players, this makes no sense at all. It's not like he's a great value. For Christ's sake, Toronto didn't want him!

Wasn't this the Rangers' problem in the beginning of the year? Too many forwards signed for no reason (Voros, Pat Rissmiller) that there wasn't room for everyone?

* * *

And for the record, I'm not picking on someone who made a mistake once in his life. I'm pointing out that he's a jerk - for lack of a dirty word - and he's always been, on and off the ice.

* * *

Bell was chosen 8th overall in 1998 by the Chicago Blackhawks, 7 spots after Vinny Lecavilier, two spots after Calgary took Rico Fata, one spot after the Rangers chose Manny Malhotra, and 19 spots before New Jersey took Scott Gomez.

Korpikoski Creates a Problem Again...

Well, Lauri Korpikoski was recalled. This is most likely a good thing for the Rangers, but it does (re)create some problems for the team.

First, the good. Remember when Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan struggled last season? For Dawes, it was his defense. For Callahan, he never regained his confidence and scoring touch after his knee injury. Both spent stints playing for Hartford in the AHL, and came back better than when they went down. 

Korpikoski struggled in the NHL after having a great preseason. Maybe scoring 6 points in 4 games would help his confidence and he can play like we know he can. (Admittedly, our reference point isn't huge - one playoff goal in one playoff game last season and a solid preseason.)

Now, the bad.

For the first handful of games up until Korpikoski was sent to Hartford, there were 3 healthy scratches per game, all on offense. Petr Prucha, Pat Rissmiller, and Dan Fritsche. Since Korpkoski went down, Prucha and Fritsche have been splitting time while Rissmiller was placed on waivers.

Okay. Rissmiller was placed on waivers but not assigned to Hartford. That means a) he can be placed back in the lineup without going again through waivers and b) the Rangers wanted someone to pick him up so they could pay half his salary and wipe their hands of him. Doesn't bode well for Rissmiller, who actually did play well with San Jose last year but hasn't been given half a chance in New York. For Pete's sake, he has under 18 minutes of ice time this season.

So he appears to be out of the question, but he could eventually be put into the lineup.

But now, the Rangers are back to 3 extra healthy forwards. Does this mean a move is imminent? I am not claiming to know anything, and I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here (not the movie, I hated that movie). However, I do know the Rangers tried hard to move Prucha. His $1.6M salary and lack of production last/this season hampered that, so Korpikoski was sent to the minor league and Prucha was put back on the ice.

It's a valid question at this point: Are the Rangers planning a move? My unofficial guess would be that no, they are not trying hard to make a move, but if someone offers something for a forward, they would seriously consider it. 

The Final Three

We take a break from Gretzky Week to report - get this - actual, real NHL news.

As per the only person who actually reports on the Islanders, Greg Logan at Newsday, Garth Snow has narrowed down his list of coaching candidates to three. The lucky three are Bob Hartley, Paul Maurice, and Scott Gordon. While the first two are hardly surprising, the inclusion of Gordon on that list is the wild card. Something tells me he's the one with the best shot at the job.

This is the way I see it. While Hartley has won a Stanley Cup and Maurice brought Carolina to the Cup Finals, both of them have faltered on less-talented teams. I'd wager that this year's Islander team won't be as good as Hartley's Thrasher teams or the teams Maurice had in Carolina and Toronto. Do you really want to be stuck with someone who has proven that he can't win without talent?

Sure, whoever takes over this team is coaching with at least one eye on the future. But a competitive team in the short-term is important to keep fan interest alive on Long Island. I'd hardly call a Southeast title in 2007 for Hartley evidence of his ability to help this team win now. Nor would I overlook the fact that Maurice hasn't won a playoff series outside of his 2002 run to the Finals. If we can all agree that we can do without mediocrity (or, at least, the potential for mediocrity), we can also agree that there's a better answer out there.

Enter Scott Gordon.

Islander fans may recall the last time they plucked an unproven coach from the Providence Bruins of the AHL. That was when they hired Peter Laviolette. He's probably the best coach, with the obvious exception of Al Arbour, that this team has ever had. (Hard to believe, right? Look it up.) Now, the Islanders are looking to his roots to find their successor. And, quite frankly, they could do much worse.

Scott Gordon is the reigning AHL Coach Of The Year. His teams have steadily improved over the years he's been coach; while the point totals remained relatively modest until this past season, the Bruins' goal differential has either remained constant or increased each year. He's developed a number of youngsters that were a part of Boston's resurgent season in 2007-08. And while his playoff record isn't all that impressive, it's worth noting that his best performance was an appearance in the AHL Conference Finals in the lockout year of 2004-05, when every team was stacked. (Fun Fact: Guess who the leading scorer in Providence was that year? Andy Hilbert.)

I know that there's a bit of doubt about Gordon, as there is (and should be) about any coach without NHL experience. There are also those who will say that we're better off with that which we do know than that which we don't. But I disagree with that line of thinking. Besides, think about what we do know about Hartley; namely, that he's been fired twice and couldn't win in an awful division with Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa at his disposal. What do we know about Maurice? That he, like Hartley, has been fired twice and couldn't compete in the crappy Southeast. Do we want a coach that can't win with 25% of their season played against the likes of Florida? Jeez.

That's why I say Gordon's the answer. Considering the alternatives, he pretty much has to be.

Now, let me stress that the Islanders absolutely cannot screw up this chance. I'd sooner they go into the season with an interim coach, then hire the right coach in November. They can't be in a spot when they're firing their coach right at the time when the young guys are ready to hit the big-time. Get it right now, and deal with the fall-out this season. In all honesty, it's not going to be anything to write home about anyway.

All this said, I could deal with any of the three on Snow's final list. But the Islanders are fooling themselves if they think Hartley or Maurice can turn them into a winner any sooner than Gordon. And since Gordon is the better developer of young talent, it's pretty clear that he should be the guy.