The biggest news story of the day in Rangers land was the recall of Dale Weise from the Connecticut Whale for tomorrow’s game against the Flyers. The game will be the NHL debut for the 22 year old right winger from Winnipeg. I believe that calling someone up is the right move for the team and that this was the right selection to make from the Hartford roster despite how well Mats Zuccarello is currently playing. Weise is not the most skilled player but he has good size, plays physical, excellent on the forecheck and plays hard which fits well in the mold of this team. To find out why the Rangers made the move even after saying there would be none, where Weise will play and what to expect from him just check out the full post on the move.
This morning in my top story for the day I wrote about Brandon Prust and how he has come to epitomize the totality of this new identity the Rangers have and has been such a key to the change in their results. Prust has become the guts at the core of this team and is likely the only guy that did not come up with the Rangers who really should be considered a core player, but that is a discussion for another day. The article discusses all the facets of Prust’s game and how vital each one of them has become to the Rangers along with how the way he plays is helping to change the mentality of the hockey club. Inside I also addressed what impact the Callahan injury will have on Prust on the ice as well as with the fans and the questions concerning whether Prust or Avery should be here long term if one had to pick only one of them.
Tonight I previewed the big matchup with the Flyers tomorrow afternoon as another test for this group and probably the toughest one yet because of how good the Flyers have been all season and how they beat the Rangers the last time. For my money the Flyers are the deepest team in the NHL right now and Claude Giroux is developing into a superstar caliber player so the Rangers defense, specifically Staal and Girardi will have big challenges again. The rest of the preview looks at who needs to step up for the Rangers, what the Pronger injury might mean for the Flyers, my key for the game and the prediction on the outcome.
Finally I took a look at Wednesday’s Whale game in which they won their fifth straight and I this one it was Tim Kennedy, Kris Newbury and Dale Weise leading the way. The game itself was not the prettiest as it ended up 6-4, but some of the prospects played well and the Whale are finding ways to win games they would have lost just a few weeks ago. Inside is full details of the game and the backstories on some of the players in terms of how they have turned it around over the last month.
In a social networking note the Rangers announced today that Michael Del Zotto has joined twitter, so you can follow him @MichaelDelZotto.
