On Ryan Callahan & Lauri Korpikoski...

I am happy with both news items that came out of Madison Square Garden yesterday.

First, Ryan Callahan re-ups for 2 years at an average of $2.3M per year. Considering Callahan had 40 points last year (22 G, 18 A) and earned his raise. Yet, if he was a veteran, he would be making a boatload of more money. For comparison, Ales Kotalik had 43 points in each of the past 2 seasons, and he got paid $3M. Chris Drury had the same number of goals (but 18 assists more) and is making over $7M. Scott Gomez had 58 points total and was making $7.357M. So would you rather have 3 Callahan's scoring 40 points each and playing hard every shift, or 1 Gomez scoring under 60 points while coasting through life?

As for Lauri Korpikoski being traded for Enver Lisin: Good riddance! I had nothing in particular against Korpikoski, except for the fact that he wasn't that good. You would think that 5 years after being drafted 19th overall in 2004 (1 spot before Travis Zajac and 10 before Mike Green), he'd start to fill in already. Some might call him a "late bloomer" and some might say he was "mis-used by Tom Renney and John Tortorella." But if you want the truth, he never was primed to be a top-line player.

Is Lisin going to be? Probably not. But he had 21 points in only 48 games last year, and he is blazing fast. He is so quick with the puck that he fits in perfectly with Tortorella, as opposed to the slower Korpikoski.

Korpikoski averaged less than a shot per game (63 shots, 68 games) while Lisin averages over two. For those who love Phil Esposito, you might remember that he always said that you can't score if you can't shoot.

Plus, he will be cheaper than Korpikoski to re-sign, if only by $100-200K. Still, every little bit of Cap room helps the Rangers.

Was Korpikoski mis-used? Not really, atleast not to the extent that Petr Prucha was while he was here. Korpikoski is an adequate checking-forward and penalty-killer, but he didn't have much more in his bag o' tricks.

While I'm not saying Lisin will be the Restricted Free Agent Who Saved the Franchise, atleast he's an upgrade over Korpikoski. Lisin has Nik Zherdev's potential, even though he might never use it. Korpikoski had Nigel Dawes's potential, even though he might never achieve such grand heights.

Plus, it's nice to see Glen Sather using the same game plan he had in the Summer of '08 - get as many 3rd and 4th line players under contract if necessary.

Rangers Up 3-1, So Let's Talk About Penalties...

You've watched the game, you TiVo-ed Rangers in 60, and you already read all about the game on the Internet.

Let me just say a few things, then...

- - Sean Avery took 2 penalties in the last half of the third period, the first being on a race for the puck by the Capitals' goal line. I think this was a marginal penalty, at best. It didn't look like he actually meant to hit Milan Jurcina. Granted, I might be completely wrong, because lately it seems like Avery "accidentally" hits people a lot. But it truly appears to me that he was turning his body quickly, didn't see Jurcina bending over, and clocked him on accident in the head.

The second penalty, though, when he hit a Capital in the face/neck with his stick, was stupid. Yes, Brian Pothier sold the move like he got shot by a bazooka, but Avery never should have done it. I will stand by Avery and how he plays, but this was a stupid, selfish move. He normally puts his teammates first on the ice, and everything he does is to get under someone's skin or help his linemates, but this was stupid. Instead of hitting Alex Semin or Alex Ovechkin, he has been concentrating on bums like Tom Poti and Pothier.

Shouldn't the first penalty, the punch on Jurcina, maybe been a 4-minute minor since it drew blood? Or is that only for high-sticking calls?

- - Quick sidenote: I remember a Ranger game in Boston that I was at in 2006-07 when both teams had a #68 and a #81, and I thought that was really cool. (For the record, Jurcina, Jaromir Jagr, Marcel Hossa, and Phil Kessel.)

- - Paul Mara also took 2 stupid penalties. The first was an interference call where he laid someone out away from the play. A dumb penalty, probably, but you could see the point in it. He knocked someone hard who could have gotten to the puck when it wrapped around the boards.

The second one, where he pushed someone who was chasing the puck into a corner, was ridiculous. It, like Avery's stick-to-the-head, served no purpose and just put the Rangers into a 2-minute hole where Ovechkin, Semin, or Mike Green could've dented the Rangers.

- - Mike Green took a "good" penalty before. He was exhausted from playing a full power play, and when he let Fred Sjostrom blaze by him, he hooked him and took him down before Sjostrom could get the puck.

While he never should have let him blow by him like that, he took a good penalty because it saved a breakaway and it didn't lead to a penalty shot. Avery's hit on Pothier and Mara's useless shove were bad penalties. If a penalty stops a scoring chance, or teaches someone a lesson not to mess with your teammates, that's fine, and a solid 2-minute penalty kill can help your team. But useless penalties demoralize you and invigorate the other team.

- - By the way, there was a part in the 3rd period when the Capitals were on the power play that made me laugh. Every player on the ice, Capitals, Rangers, were completely beat. The Capitals keep their players (Ovechkin, Semin, Green, Nik Backstrom) on so long that by the 1:50 mark of the power play they are phoning it in; and the Rangers had their PK unit out for so long because the couldn't clear.

The end result: a listless power play that couldn't even pass the puck, and a PK unit that couldn't even stop a weak pass.

* * *

All in all, a huge game, like I said earlier, and a gigantic win. It leaves a barrier now where they can win in Washington Friday, but they don't have to.

They now know that even if they lose Game 5, they can close it out on home ice Sunday.

Set in Stone: Rangers vs. Capitals

It's all set up, and presumably will begin Wednesday night from the Verizon Center.

Washington (50-24-8 -- 108) vs. The Rangers (42-30-9 -- 93, one game left)

The four games this season...

Capitals 3, Rangers 1 - 11/8/08 - This game was so long ago that Aaron Voros scored the Rangers' only goal on a pass from Brandon Dubinsky. Capitals started backup goalie Brent Johnson, Chris Drury failed on a penalty shot with the score 2-1 with 2:15 left to play, and Alexander Semin scored an empty netter to seal the deal. Alex Ovechkin had no goals and was foiled all night by an incredible Henrik Lundqvist, who let in one goal when it hit the glass behing the net, bounced and hit the crossbar, hit Lundqvist in the head, and Brooks Laich batted it in. The 2nd goal was scored after the net came loose, and Lundqvist argued play should've stopped. It didn't, Caps win.

Capitals 5, Rangers 4, OT - 12/23/08 - Rangers go up 4-0, Capitals storm back to tie it, including 2 goals by Ovechkin. Ryan Callahan scored 2 as well, Drury had 3 assists, and Nigel Dawes had 2 assists. Jose Theodore started the game, got pulled, and then was put back in to start the 2nd period. This was an ecstatic first half of the game, and a gross second half that shone a light on some of the team's offensive and defensive problems.

Capitals 2, Rangers 1 - 1/3/09 - Petr Prucha had the lone goal for the good guys, and Marc Staal matched up well against Ovechkin all night long. However, Ovechkin scored the game winner while shorthanded with 32 seconds left in the 2nd. This was their 12th SHG-against of the year. Steve Valiquette was in net and did play well. This game was also notable for Everyone's Hero Wade Redden getting in - and winning - a fight against Chris Clark.

Rangers 5, Capitals 4, SO - 2/11/09 - Down 2-1 after one period and tied 4-4 after the second, the Rangers had 10 minutes of power play time (including a double-minor for high-sticking) and didn't score once. The Rangers were slumping badly during the stretch of the year, as they were 0-4-1 before this game and 1-4-3 afterwards. Lunqvist was in net, so was Theodore.

So which will we see, those 5-4 games of those 2-1 games? I think if it goes 2-1, it's the Rangers winning, but if Lundqvist lets up those 4 or 5 goals, the Rangers won't be able to overcome.

Official Prediction: Rangers in 7. Yes, I'm serious. No, it's not a homer pick. I've been saying they could beat Washington all along. Once you get past Ovechkin and Green, they aren't scary at all. Jose Theodore? Get real. Lundqvist can outplay him every night.

Day in the Life...

The NHL Network has a show entitled "Day in the Life," which follows a player around from morning to night on the day of a game. Most episodes are pretty cool, and show a player at home with his family, eating (creepy, I know), going to morning skate, going to lunch, interacting with fans, taking a 2-hour nap (they don't show that), then playing in the game.

The Shea Weber episode was boring. I think he lives with his parents - I could be wrong there. For the most part, that episode was them sitting in meetings and Nashville Predators' coach Barry Trotz warning the team that Zach Parise is a good player. (Uh, yeah, he is.)

The Ryan Clowe episode also was boring, because they were on the road in Columbus so we saw nice shots of him eating eggs in the hotel (he also eats oatmeal sometimes). Clowe also has the personality of a pineapple.

Right now, I'm watching Derek Morris. I know that it sucks that Petr Prucha was traded for this guy, who is going to be an unrestricted free agent in less than 4 months, but he is a good player. He also has a big, big, big shot from the point. (His oldest son also has a huge slapper... I think the kid is like 8). He's got a good personality and he seems like he cares about winning. Ah, if only Don Maloney was stupid enough to take Aaron Voros instead of Prucha.

Anyway, point of the story is 1) I think Morris will really help this team and 2) to tell you to TiVo this show. They show random episodes at random times. I know Mike Green is sometime this week.

Oh, and Scott Hartnell's wife is really hot.

Rangers Finally Score Goals...

The Rangers didn't play great last night, but they outplayed Washington, finally scored more than 2 goals in a game, didn't play atrociously, and got two points out of the deal.

I wonder if Scott Gomez has watched the replay of Paul Mara's goal a few dozen times. If Tom Renney still had control of this team, he would probably make him do that to show him what can happen when you fire from in front of the net as opposed to a crappy, low-angle shot from the boards. (He also should be force-fed replayed of Ryan Callahan's, Lauri Korpikoski's, and even Markus Naslund's goals so he can learn to crash the net/shoot from the slot to score goals).

Gomez's play has gone from serviceable to inconsistent to poor to horrendous. Nobody making $7M/year should be described as "horrendous" now that we have a salary cap in place. It was different when Eric Lindros and Val Kamensky ate up money, because it only affected the wallet. Now, it affects the entire team like an 800-pound gorilla in the room. As opposed to when it used to just cost money, it now handcuffs the team from making other moves because they have a non-performing player with an un-trade-able contract.

He's not just a non-performer. He actually hurts the team with his giveaways near his own goal, in the offensive zone, and his blown coverages that lead to goals (namely, when he was staring at Henrik Lundqvist instead of the man who eventually scored the Capitals' 2nd goal last night).

Between him and Wade Redden, $13.8M in salary cap room is alloted to players who actually help the other team. For the next 5 years after this year, as well.

Think these two are bad now? Wait to see them slower and older in 2013.

* * * 

I want you to look, next time the Rangers give up a goal, at where the players are standing/looking. Nearly every goal they give up, including the first 3 last night, the players were looking at the puck-carrier and not paying attention to the rest of the ice. Joe Micheletti brought it up on the first goal, where everyone (biggest error was Redden) was staring at the puck. 

It was also evident on Mike Green's goal to make it 3-2 Capitals, when he was alone just above the right circle. Four Rangers were "hounding" the puck-carrier - who in reality wasn't pressured at all - and Green was wide open as the 5th Ranger was nearer to him but was also staring at the puck.

* * * 

Aaron Voros was in the lineup presumably because Renney likes his "size" and ignores the fact that he is a poor skater, doesn't punish people with body checks like a man his size should, and doesn't put pucks in the net. 

I've been harping on the fact that his size hasn't given the team anything lately except a blowout loss, a bunch of shutouts and one near shutout.

Well, I stand corrected. Last night, he correctly demonstrated to all those in the system how to effectively lose a fight to someone you tower over. 

Not sure, but I think even Petr Prucha would've stood a better chance against Matt Bradley.

2008-09 New York Rangers: Defense...

The last in a three-part series of how the 08-09 Rangers will shape up.

DEFENSE

The Rangers have enough forwards, as I wrote about in my Offensive Preview. Regardless of the returns of Marty Straka (probably not), Jaromir Jagr (probably), Sean Avery (hopefully), and Brendan Shanahan (undecided), they have enough young talent and established players that they will probably only need to grab one player from the free agent pool to add depth on wing. 

That leaves a lot of money for defense, considering the cap has been raised to $56.7M. 

So who is signed for next year? Christian Backman, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, and Fedor Tyutin. Last season the Rangers carried 7 or 8 defensemen at all times, so for argument's sake, I will come up with 8 of them.

From last year, Marek Malik, Paul Mara, Michal Rozsival, and Jason Strudwick are unrestricted free agents. 

I think most Ranger fans are hoping Backman gets traded, although I don't see a trade or a buyout happening. Simply put, GM Glen Sather doesn't admit to mistakes often, but fans know Backman is the second coming of Sandis Ozolish (the comparisons to Malik are inevitable, but to Malik's defense, he did have a great 2005-06 before becoming slow like molasses in January the past 2 years). 

So let's assume that the 4 under contract stay under contract.

I'm certain Malik has played his last game on Broadway, if not in the whole NHL. I could be wrong, as he is only 33, and some team might find him as a serviceable 7th defenseman. However, not our problem, as he dug his own grave in New York. (While he did the digging, fans certainly pushed him into it.)

Rozsival - The big question is if Rozsival returns. Pre-lockout, he was hurt, and the Rangers took a chance on him. It paid off for both of them. However, I haven't ever been a big fan of his. He passes too much considering he has a decent shot. He does have offensive upside, but defensively he can hurt the team. Much of that might stem from playing with Malik or rookie-Staal and having to make up for their deficiencies, 

Still, the Rangers have too many defensive liabilities, considering how much he might get paid come July 1. Besides Brian Campbell, there aren't many puck-moving Ds out there, and Rozy is nothing if not puck-moving (as in, he moves it to Jagr; he moves it to Shanahan; he moves it back to Jagr).

Let some other team overpay him. He tied for 7th in defensemen scoring last season (his 13 goals were 5 more than Campbell's), including 6 on the power play. He was the only D to have 2 short-handed goals, as well (yes, they were in back-to-back games). He made $2.2M the past 2 years if memory serves me correct, a steal for his production. This year, he will want atleast $3.8M, and teams might throw him close to $4.5M/season. I've said this since we started this blog, let some other team overpay for him.

Mara - Mara wants to be a Ranger. He has made that clear. He was useful in his role, if not overpaid (Boston's fault, not Sather's). He is a more disciplined version of Mara with a booming shot from the point that could be useful if he sees power play time in 2008-09. 

That said, he will test the free agent market because he has not been tendered an offer by the Rangers. Quite simply, the Rangers are seeing how everything shapes up for them. With restricted free agents, Rozsival, Campbell, and others in the mix, they have a wait-and-see-if-we-still-need-him attitude with Mara. Expect Mara not to pick a team to play on until July 5th or 6th.

Strudwick - Struds has very little NHL ability anymore. Yes, he is a great guy and a solid locker room player, but in a practical sense, he brings little to the ice. One day he will probably be coaching in the NHL, and he should start by retiring. I loved having him on the team last year, but it makes no sense to bring him back, especially when Andrew Hutchinson is waiting in the wings to play the same role on the Rangers that Strudwick played last year.

RFAs

The restricted free agent pool for D-men is weak. The Rangers aren't normally the ones to tender offer-sheets to players, and only a few names make sense. Dennis Widemann (Boston) is a young, cheap defender. Edmonton isn't losing Joni Pitkanen (and he has more defensive flaws than Malik does). 

Ville Koistinen is a real solid player and Nashville has enough defensemen that they might let him walk on July 1, or they might let a team offer him a deal and take the draft picks as compensation. Of course, the Rangers have a young blueline already, and he doesn't add more than 50 games experience. 

That leaves Andrej Meszaros, Jay Bouwmeester, and Mike Green. Bouwmeester is the sexy name there, and for good reason. With the most experience of the group, he is the best player there as well. On top of that, Florida is a horrible organization who he might not want to play for anymore. It's not beyond the Panther's management to trade his negotiation rights for Colton Orr and a 6th round pick in the 2010 draft. 

Green would be a good addition, but he is still, well, green, especially on the blueline. Meszaros is a good player, scoring over 30 points in every season, and he shoots the puck as well. Not a power play pivot, but a solid player.

UFAs

Campbell heads the UFA list, but at $8M, he will be extremely overpaid. I took issue with Eric Lindros being paid $8M for 19 goals once ($421,000 per goal). Imagine paying Campbell a million per goal. Is it really that hard to find a PP QB that he gets paid the equivalent of 40 years at a respectable university everytime he puts the puck past a goalie?

Wade Redden (don't be duped by him), Rob Blake (wants stay in LA, and at 37 is extremely risky consdering his injuries lately), Adam Foote (no) and Mattias Nortstrom (hey, wasnt' he a Ranger once?) are the veterans. I don't see the Rangers signing anyone here, partly because it's not 2002 anymore and most of these players are has-beens. 

I do see them taking a shot at maybe Mike Commodore (respectable, cheap), John-Michael Liles (would be a good fit at 26), or Ron Hainsey, although both of those last 2 are inexperienced. Rumors have them talking to Brooks Orpik, who I openly dispise because of his neck-breaking dirty shot on Erik Cole in 2006.

Mark Streit is the best name on the list and would probably ask around 3 or 3.5M a year, but I think the Canadiens would want to re-sign him as soon as they could. If the Rangers got him, Rozy would be a goner and Campbell wouldn't even be on the radar anymore. 

Kurt Sauer, Dmitri Kalinin, Andreas Lilja, and David Hale also wouldn't surprise me. It's not a tremendously strong crop, but there are some good names out there. Trouble is, since it isn't a good crop, they would come with pricetags like a Ferrari (or, like 50 Ferraris).

From Within

Ivan Baranka is overseas, Corey Potter isn't ready, Bobby Sanguenetti has atleast one year of minor league hockey in him, and Andrew Hutchinson has NHL experience... wait for it... as a power play point man. Hmmmm.

Hutch will definitely be in training camp, and hopefully he can crack the roster. In Hartford, he had 64 points in 67 games, 13 power play goals, and was a +28. He's 28, and had 8 power play points in 41 games in 06-07 in Carolina, leading the team while playing in half the games. 

Overall

Should be interesting come July 1. Once again, let's hope the concentrate on defense. Last season, the Rangers played team defense to make up for what they lacked individually. While it worked, it limited their offense severely, especially Jagr.