Start Johnson; Sit Redden...

Finally, John Tortorella did what Tom Renney should have done starting November of 2008 - bench Wade Redden.

I used to say that Redden was a $2M player getting paid $6.5M/year. Recently, he had been playing like a call-up from Hartford. The only thing is, the call-ups from Hartford were playing better.

When everyone under age 26 on the roster plays better than a mid-3os veteran, there is a problem. And that problem, regardless of salary, should sit in the stands and watch a few (dozen) games.

When they put him back in the lineup Monday against Carolina, if he doesn't respond to the benching with smarter and more physical play (and if he stops playing "hot potato" with the puck like it's going to hurt him if he skates with it) there is only one more thing you can do: put him on waivers.

It will hurt paying him $6.5M to be in the minors, but to be honest, I couldn't care less. Our ticket prices are high regardless. Sure, we'll see that stupid Chase ad on the plexiglass every game, but we see that now with him on the team. What we pay to watch the Rangers is only going to go up every year, regardless of if he is on the team or in the minors. Might as well have him down there.

Other teams couldn't do that, because they don't have an endless supply of money like Jim Dolan and Cablevision have. So if they're paying a player over $6M to play in the AHL, ticket prices skyrocket. Ours will anyway. See what I mean?

What WOULD affect me is if he is taken on re-entry waivers and the Rangers have to pay half of his salary for the next 4 full seasons. That WOULD directly affect me because then they can't use his Cap space to pay for a player who hits, or shoots, or passes well, or scores, or clears the crease.

* * *

Coming off of back-to-back wins, there is no better time than now to bench Henrik Lundqvist. Let Chad Johnson get his first 2 games in against weak teams. Carolina and Florida are no definite wins, for sure, but the ideals thing would be to let him beat Carolina on Monday, then against Florida on Wednesday. This gives him great experience, some confidence, and his first MSG start.

Plus, it would give Lundqvist a full week off before he plays the Islanders on Saturday at MSG.

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

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.