|
Left Wing:
Locks:
Sean Avery, Marcel Hossa, Petr Prucha, Martin Straka
Bubble:
Dane Byers, Nigel Dawes, Colton Orr
Minors:
Brodie Dupont, Mitch Fritz, Lauri Korpikoski
Skinny: The
first line appears at this point to be one of two
options, with Martin Straka seemingly having the
inside edge. A less likely scenario would be
Marcel Hossa building on his success late last year
playing with Jagr and force the Rangers to move
Straka down the depth chart or to center the third
line.
Depending on what happens on the first line, the
Rangers could go with one of Avery, Hossa or Straka
(probably in that order of likelihood), or could
even consider playing Petr Prucha there. Like
Straka, the Rangers could consider moving Avery to
the center position.
Petr Prucha seems to be the most likely candidate
for 3rd line left wing, though he could potentially
be moved to the right to make room for Hossa on the
left (or vice versa).
In the final spot we're likely to see either Orr,
Hollweg or Hossa.
That of course doesn't leave any spots for players
like Nigel Dawes or Dane Byers who will likely have
to have strong camps to even warrant consideration
over the veterans. Their path into the line-up
may be more likely in the event of an injury or if
one of the veterans moves to the center spot.
Dawes may also get a look in over Orr, or they could
shift Orr to the right wing and scratch Hollweg.
Korpikoski might get a longer look in camp, but is
almost certainly heading back to Hartford, while
newcomer Mitch Fritz appears to be destined to be
one of the early cuts. Brodie Dupont might get
a longer look in camp, but also will likely head to
Hartford.
|
|
 |
|
Center:
Locks:
Blair Betts, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez
Bubble:
Artem Anisimov,
Brandon Dubinsky, Tom Pyatt
Minors:
Joe Barnes, Bruce Graham
Other: Jarkko Immonen (Europe)
Skinny:
At this stage, the third line center spot appears to
be up for grabs. The likely scenario seems to
be moving one of the left wings (Avery or Straka) to
the third line and that would then leave enough room
for the rest of the players at that position.
If the Rangers do however, decide to look elsewhere
then Brandon Dubinsky appears to be the most likely
candidate. Tom Pyatt is a bit of a wild card, and at the very least would appear to be worth a long look in camp, as
will Artem Anisimov.
The Rangers will likely try both Drury and Gomez
with Jagr, with the most favorable combination
picked and the other then selected to be paired up
with Brendan Shanahan.
Newcomer Joe Barnes appears set to join a very
inexperienced pivot corps in Hartford, with Tom Pyatt and Artem Anisimov making
their pro debuts. Bruce Graham will
be looking for ways just to stay in Hartford and
appears set to start the season in Charlotte.
|
|
|
|
Right Wing:
Locks:
Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan
Bubble:
Alex Bourret, Ryan Callahan, Ryan Hollweg
Minors:
Hugh Jessiman, Greg Moore, Jordan Owens
Skinny:
The top two lines are pretty much set in
stone...after that and it's anyone's guess who might
fill out the roster. The likely scenario here
is that Ryan Callahan will get a chance to be third
line wing, while Ryan Hollweg will end up somewhere
on the fourth line.
Still there is a small window of opportunity open
there for Alex Bourret to maybe push for a spot.
Greg Moore had a strong camp last year, but did not
follow it up with a good year in Hartford and would
appear to be a longshot this season.
Hugh Jessiman and Rick Kozak will be looking just to
make the AHL roster at this stage.
|
|
|
|
Defense:
Locks:
Dan
Girardi, Marik Malik, Paul Mara,
Michal Roszival, Fedor Tyutin
Bubble: Andrew
Hutchinson,
Darius Kasparaitis, David Liffiton, Thomas Pöck,
Marc Staal, Jason Strudwick
Minors: Ivan Baranka,
Michael Busto, Corey Potter,
Michael Sauer, Jake Taylor
Other: Bobby Sanguinetti (OHL)
Skinny: Five of the
Rangers six starting defensive spots appear to be
set for the coming season, with a real logjam behind
them to secure the final spot and perhaps two bench
spots.
Of those competing for the final spot, Marc Staal
appears to have the inside track though he will need
to play well in camp to secure it. Andrew
Hutchinson, Thomas Pock and Jason Strudwick all
appear to be fall-back positions should Staal
stumble, while Kasparaitis will be trying to prove
he can still offer something and perhaps earn a
trade to another NHL franchise with more cap room.
Strudwick appears to have the inside run on one of
the bench spots with his ability to also play 4th
line forward.
The remaining d-men will almost certainly be heading
to the minors with Sanguinetti returning for his
last season of eligibility in the OHL.
|
|
|
|
Goaltender:
Locks:
Henrik Lundqvist
Bubble: Al Montoya, Stephen
Valiquette
Minors: Chris Holt, Miika
Wiikkman, Matt Zaba
Skinny: The only real battle in goal will be
who gets to backup Henrik Lundqvist. At this
stage Valiquette appears to have the inside track,
and his cap number will certainly aid the decision.
Al Montoya can't be ruled out though, and the
Rangers might elect to go with him if things work
his way in camp.
The backup job in Hartford appears to be up for
grabs, with Miika Wiikkman expected to push for the
spot initially.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Strengths:
The top
two lines for the Rangers look the best they have
for several years on paper. For the first time
since they had Lindros and Nedved, the team will be
able to field two top quality pivots, and this time
they'll have wingers to support them.
On the wing the Rangers have two A class options
with Jagr and Shanahan and a bunch of depth beyond
them, though of varying quality. Back on the
blueline they have a lot of depth and several
options they can try.
With Henrik Lundqvist in goal the Rangers have one
of the premiere netminders in the league at the
moment.
|
|
|
|
Weaknesses:
There are some questions as to who will fill the
third line center position at this stage, and while
the team has options they may have to move one of
their wings to that line.
With two new centers in the organization for the top
two lines, there is definitely some question as to
how quickly the team can build chemistry between the
likes of Jagr and Gomez or Drury.
While the Rangers have depth on the blueline, they
certainly don't necessarily have quality. Still
lacking a top line defenseman, the Rangers will once
again try to defend by committee and hope that the
likes of Girardi, Rozsival and Tyutin continue to
improve getting a boost perhaps with the addition of Marc Staal.
Paul Mara also has room for improvement and could
become a key contributor if he takes hold of his
opportunities early.
The need for a quality backup netminder is probably
not as important as it has been in the past two
camps, but there is some question as to whether
Valiquette is fully capable of holding down the
position. Fortunately he'll probably only see
about 10 games all year at most, and Montoya may
ultimately work out to be a better option.
|
|
|
|
Opportunities:
Marc Staal
appears to have the best chance of breaking into the
line-up, though Pock, Strudwick and Hutchinson will
likely be competing for the same spot (with the
loser of the four heading to Hartford or onto
another team).
There may be a chance to sneak one more forward into
the 23 man roster, but they will need to be
impressive in what will be a shortened pre-season.
In goal there's a small chance that Montoya will be
able to unseat Valiquette for the backup role, but
the Rangers would seemingly prefer to keep Montoya
in Hartford seeing shots than sitting on the bench.
|
|
|
|
Threats:
As always,
injuries to key players will make it challenging for
the team. Going into camp there are no
significant injuries to the team.
Limited room on the salary cap means the Rangers
will have limited opportunities to address potential
mistakes and/or gaps through camp and into the
season.
|
|
|
| INJURIES |
|
|
Joe Barnes
(groin) - September 17th - According to Blueshirt
Bulletin, Barnes strained a groin in the Traverse
City tournament has not been able to skate in camp.
Alex Bourret
(shoulder) - September 22nd - Has returned from
injury and has been practising with the Wolf Pack.
Stephen Valiquette
(hand) - September 26th - Cut his hand Monday, but
appears will only be out a short period and should
be read for the opening game of the regular season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Camp Information |
Location
Greenburgh, NY
|
Calendar
|
Sep 7-11 |
- |
Traverse City Tournament |
|
Sep 13 |
- |
Weigh in and physicals |
|
Sep 14 |
- |
Training Camp opens |
|
Sep 21 |
- |
First pre-season game |
|
Sep 29 |
- |
Last pre-season game |
| Oct. 4th |
- |
Season Opener |
|
|
Traverse
City Tournament |
|
Date |
Opponent |
TV |
Score |
|
9/7 |
v TBL |
None |
6-4 |
|
9/8 |
v ATL |
None |
5-3 |
|
9/10 |
v DET |
None |
3-2 |
|
9/11 |
v CBJ |
None |
5-1 |
|
STATISTICS |
|
|
Traverse City Tournament Roster |
|
|
- |
Artem Anisimov |
C |
|
- |
Joe Barnes |
C |
|
- |
Clayton Barthel
‡ |
D |
|
- |
Lukas Bohunicky
‡ |
D |
|
- |
Alex Bourret |
R |
|
- |
Michael Busto |
D |
|
- |
Dane Byers |
L |
|
- |
Brandon Dubinsky |
C |
|
- |
Brodie Dupont |
C |
|
- |
Ryan Hillier |
L |
|
- |
Lauri Korpikoski |
L |
|
- |
David Kveton |
R |
|
- |
Antoine LaFleur |
G |
|
- |
Mark Lee
§ |
C |
|
- |
Jordan Owens
§ |
L |
|
- |
Corey Potter |
D |
|
- |
Tom Pyatt |
C |
|
- |
Bobby Sanguinetti |
D |
|
- |
Michael Sauer |
D |
|
- |
David Skokan |
C |
|
- |
Marc Staal |
D |
|
- |
Miikka Wiikman
§ |
G |
|
- |
Thomas Zaborsky |
L |
|
§
AHL contract
‡
tryout
●
unsigned
x cut
injured
|
|
|
| Cut Counter (23 roster spots) |
|
|
|
| Players Remaining |
Cuts Remaining |
|
26 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
Artem Anisimov |
C |
|
- |
Sean Avery |
L |
|
x |
Ivan Baranka |
D |
|
x |
Joe Barnes
|
C |
|
x |
Clayton Barthel
§ |
D |
|
- |
Blair Betts |
C |
|
x |
Alex Bourret |
R |
|
x |
Dane Byers |
L |
|
- |
Ryan Callahan |
L |
|
- |
Nigel Dawes |
L |
|
- |
Chris Drury |
C |
|
- |
Brandon Dubinsky |
C |
|
x |
Brodie Dupont |
L |
|
x |
Mitch Fritz |
L |
|
- |
Dan Girardi |
D |
|
- |
Scott Gomez |
C |
|
x |
Bruce Graham |
C |
|
- |
Ryan Hollweg |
F |
|
x |
Chris Holt |
G |
|
- |
Marcel Hossa |
L |
|
x |
Andrew
Hutchinson |
D |
|
- |
Jaromir Jagr |
R |
|
x |
Hugh Jessiman |
W |
|
x |
Darius
Kasparaitis |
D |
|
x |
Lauri Korpikoski |
L |
|
x |
Antoine LaFleur
● |
G |
|
x |
Francis Lessard
§ |
W |
|
x |
David Liffiton |
D |
|
- |
Henrik Lundqvist |
G |
|
- |
Marek Malik |
D |
|
- |
Paul Mara |
D |
|
- |
Al Montoya |
G |
|
x |
Greg Moore |
F |
|
- |
Colton Orr |
W |
|
x |
Jordan Owens § |
R |
|
- |
Thomas Pock |
D |
|
x |
Corey Potter |
D |
|
- |
Petr Prucha |
W |
|
x |
Tom Pyatt |
W |
|
- |
Michal Rozsival |
D |
|
x |
Bobby Sanguinetti |
D |
|
x |
Michael Sauer |
D |
|
- |
Brendan Shanahan |
F |
|
x |
Mark Smith
‡ |
C |
|
- |
Marc Staal |
D |
|
- |
Martin Straka |
F |
|
- |
Jason Strudwick |
D |
|
x |
| |
