The New York Rangers announced their roster for tomorrow night’s preseason opener in Albany and there are a few surprises as to who is attending. The talk this week had been that the Rangers were going to send a very youthful team to Albany and there are certainly a number of young players, but which NHL players making the trip is interesting. Andrew Gross over at Ranger Rants put out the following roster:
Goal: Henrik Lundqvist, Cam Talbot
Defense: Michael Del Zotto, Dan Girardi, Brendan Bell, Steve Eminger, Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath
Forwards: Sean Avery, Brandon Dubinsky, Dale Weise, Andre Deveaux, John Mitchell, Erik Christensen, Artem Anisimov, J.T. Miller, Christian Thomas, Ryan Bourque, Shane McColgan, Carl Hagelin
The surprising ones making the trip would have to be Lundqvist, Girardi, Dubinsky and Anisimov. Christensen, Avery and Del Zotto also have NHL experience, but each of them is fighting to make the team, so sending them is actually a benefit to them in getting another game to make an impression. While those guys are looking to secure their spots, future guys like McIlrath, Miller, Thomas and McColgan are attempting to leave impressions with the coaching staff and build towards their Junior seasons. The main prospects with a chance to make the team are all in this game as Erixon and Hagelin are playing with Bourque also having an outside shot.
