This season started off out west with terrible results expected from a team with a new coach, system, and injuries to key players. They seem to be getting better in the new system along with geting healthy, which probably goes hand in hand. New coach A.V. has now had 24 games (12-12) to evaluate his club and see what they can and can't do in all situations. Today, the Rangers sent back J.T. Miller to the AHL which opens a return for Taylor Pyatt to the roster. A.V. should be telling Rangers G.M. Glen Sather (who again this past week was given the support of Rangers owner James Dolan) that his club is in need of at least one top 9 forward that can win  faceoffs and a top 6 defenseman. There have been rumors bouncing all around about players going and coming already this season.  Whoever the Rangers bring in, needs to be a hardworking player every night, as there have already been some clunker of games where the team has semed lifeless, just like in last nights 5-0 loss to Tampa Bay.

Glen Sather needs to get himself and Jeff Gorton (who does the contracts) working doubletime figuring out what next years contracts will look like with Henrik Lundqvist, Dan Girardi, Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Anton Stralman becoming unrestricted free agents( free to sign with any team for the best money), along with Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Michael DelZotto, John Moore becoming restricted free agents which means the Rangers have first rights for exclusive contract talks, unless a team signs them to an offer sheet which would send alot of draft picks the Rangers way. There are other players due to become UFA's and RFA's but those are the main core type players the Rangers will focus on. With the cap expected to rise to around $70 mil, the Rangers can everyone in place but there clearly needs to be some changes now.

Who do you think should be moved? The key this early in the season is the cap situation as many teams are up against or just a million or two under. What I am proposing are just players and numbers that sort of match up and not a rumor I heard of to date.  There is a team in Detroit that has alot of Swedish players that are friendly with a certain King in New York. With the emergence of Cam Talbot and the price that Henrik Lundqvist might get in his contract next season (rumors are 6-8 years at around $$8-9 mil per). The Red Wings are said to be looking for a puck moving defenseman, so  the Rangers could add dman Michael Del Zotto.  Knowing Sather he would ask a "Kings" ranson back.  Believe it or not, there is a close fit to come back where both teams could improve. The return would have to start with goalie Jimmy Howard ( $5,291,667 cap hit til 2019). Add in defensman Brendan Smith (who is another product of the University of Wisconsin ( like Stepan and McDonagh) $1,262,500 per til 2015 as a restricted free agent. A forward of Darren Helm's level ( a center making $2,125,000 per until 2016).  A deal of that nature, although a huge deal, could set the Rangers up for a solid run to the future and in a great cap situation for years to come. It would also put the Rangers in position for lesser trades if they feel that J.T. Miller, Danny Kristo, Dylan McIlrath and young players in the system are ready for the next step. In saying that, a deal like this would never happen because Ranger fans have taken to The King like they did to Eddie Giacomin and Mike Richter......hhhhhmmmmmmm, now that we think about it, maybe it could happen.

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During the Rangers T.V. telecast against the Nashville Predators, Joe Micheletti said he spoke to the Nashville goalie coach Mitch Korn and he said that Cam Talbot was a bigger version of Lundqvist.  Some may think that this coach is alittle off but he has been around all levels of goalies for many many years.  When I used to take my son James to his goalie camp in Buffalo, he was Nashville's goalie coach, University Miami of Ohio's goalie coach, and trained hundreds of goalies of all levels to their highest levels. From the camp in Buffalo, my son went on to play prep hockey and win 3 straight state titles before passing on playing Division III to attend Notre Dame. Goalies from that camp that my son made friends with went on to play at Universities like Wisconsin, Princeton, and Boston College to name a few.  At the time, he said that they had a goalie Thomas Voukun but they just drafted a goalie in the late rounds that he thought was going to be their best for a while and the goalies name was Pikke Rinne. So if Mitch Korn says that Cam Talbot is a bigger Hank, you better believe he is that good!!!