Rangers Trade Evgeny Grachev For Third Round Pick, Select Steve Fogarty

The New York Rangers have traded 2008 third round pick Evgeny Grachev to the St. Louis Blues for a third round pick (No. 72).  With the pick the Rangers selected high schooler Steve Fogarty. 

Updated Reaction: The initial reaction to move was one of disappointment for the Rangers having given up on the talented 21-year-old Grachev and only gotten a third round pick in return.  After the draft completed Glen Sather informed the media that Grachev had requested a trade last year to get a fresh start and that after a year of shopping the young player, only the St. Louis Blues were interested in acquiring him.

Grachev Showing Signs Of Developing, Will the Rangers and Fans Be Patient Enough To Wait?

Among New York Rangers fans there has been a great deal of frustration with 20-year-old prospect Evgeny Grachev.  The expectations levels were simply too high based on his performance in the Ontario Hockey with the Brampton Battalion.  There was this idea that he was going to come into pro hockey as a 19-year-old and dominate, forcing his way onto the Rangers NHL club where he would score a number of goals.  When that did not happen last year the groans began and they only intensified to start this season.  Reality is there were known flaws in his game before he turned pro last season and they were exposed in the AHL.  The willingness of many fans to give up on a talent like Grachev because he is not NHL ready does not surprise me, but shows how expectations cloud the judgment and patience that players are afforded in their development.

Today on NHL.com A.J. Atchue has a great feature on Evgeny Grachev's development in Hartford and how now, a year and a half into his professional career, he is learning what it takes to be a professional player and having his all-around game round into NHL form.

From Atchue's piece: 

Grachev, who turns 21 on Monday, stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 222 pounds, offering a towering presence wherever he is on the ice. Harnessing that size and strength and combining it with the ability to create offensive opportunities has been a work in progress, but he's beginning to show signs of turning the corner.

"He's certainly a strong skater. He has a big shot, and he's strong on the puck," said Rangers Assistant General Manager Jim Schoenfeld, who also serves as GM of the Whale. "He's starting to develop a complete game, which is one of our goals with him. He was a big scorer in junior, and he's worked hard at becoming a more complete player."

Grachev certainly was off to another slow start this year, but after a torrid January he has already surpassed last year’s goal total of 12, with 13 goals in 48 games this season.  In speaking to his all-around development he has gone from a minus 13 last season to currently playing at a team leading plus 11.

"I think he's made great strides in the past month and a half here," Whale coach Ken Gernander said. "All kids develop at a different rate, and sometimes the guys with physical traits such as Evgeny have to work on doing things a little quicker when they get to the next level. They can't rely so much on their physical skills where maybe they were able to get by at lower levels."

The real key to the change in Grachev’s game over the last couple of months has been Gernander using him on the penalty kill as it has kept Evgeny more involved in the game and allowed him to showcase his overall skill level.  It will be interesting to watch to see with most of the Whale are back in Connecticut with the Rangers getting healthy if Grachev can keep up the strides he made while they were gone and he had to be an offensive force for the team.  The signs are positive and in no way should the organization of the fans give up on this kid just yet.  Development is different for each prospect and for a fan base that cried out for young players and a youth movement the willingness to toss him overboard because he is not ready immediately is disconcerting to me.  It is that sense of urgency that had him rushed in the first place and now he is just catching up to where he should have been right now.  While I am willing to give Grachev more time there is still pressure on him though as he is being passed by other prospects in the system and more are on the way, so he will have to continue showing development or his chance may slip right on by.

Recalling Grachev, Del Zotto Wrong Moves

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Following last night’s game in which both Brandon Prust (foot) and Dan Girardi (rib) were added to the walking wounded, the New York Rangers decided to recall Evgeny Grachev and Michael Del Zotto.  Both Prust and Girardi were listed as day-to-day, so the possibility exists that either or both might be unavailable for tomorrow’s game against the Capitals.  There is no denying that the Rangers are decimated by injuries so the options as to which players to call up are somewhat limited.  It becomes further limited when they consider those who are free to move between the AHL and NHL without the need for waivers.  All of that being taken into account I still believe both of these moves are the wrong moves for the long-term development of these players and accordingly the organization.

Evgeny Grachev and Michael Del Zotto Recalled; Weise Sent Down

Mitch Beck over at Howlings tweets that both Evgeny Grachev and Michael Del Zotto have been recalled to give the Rangers insurance for the injuries suffered tonight to Brandon Prust and Dan Girardi.

I am not convinced that either player is ready to be back with the Rangers, but sometimes injuries necessitate moves that should not otherwise be made.  On the bright side, Grachev has been scorching this month including a hat-trick tonight.  Overall he has 11 points (8G, 3A) with 6 goals in his last three games.  I would rather that he stay in the AHL and continue to build on this as opposed to being thrown into the NHL again, but these are the moves that sometimes have to be made.

As far as Del Zotto, there have been good games and bad games, much like there were with the Rangers, but on the positive side the offense seems to have returned.  In his eight games with the Whale he recorded seven assists and played to an even rating while showing more confidence in rushing the puck up the ice.

To make room for these two Dale Weise was optioned back to Connecticut.

Will Grachev Get The Message This Time?

Two seasons ago Evgeny Grachev was a man among boys during his only campaign with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL.  Due to his 40 goal 40 assist season in just 60 games, the New York Rangers overlooked all the other signs that the player was still a boy in a man’s body in terms of his desire and work ethic to be a professional.  Grachev was rushed from Junior hockey to the AHL in the hopes of developing quickly and being an offensive answer for the franchise that has searched for one for years.

The hope has not been realized thus far in the 20-year-old winger.  What happened instead was a poor first season where he managed only 28 points and had all the flaws on and off the ice exposed by players who were more prepared to be professionals.  Following that performance many of us held out hope that he would transition from year one to year two much in the way that Artem Anisimov did; survive the first year, learn and then dominate so you force your way to the next level.  The level of hope left is running out at the moment.

The Rangers called Grachev up earlier this season for a six game stint so that he could work with the NHL coaches and hopefully get the message of what he needed to do to get back here.  While he has improved his game this month (seven points in eight games), the loudest message he should have received is watching virtually everyone else on his team that can be called up without waivers going before him right now.  Five guys who were in Connecticut with Grachev a month ago are now in New York while he sits in the AHL watching those guys and other prospects pass him on the depth charts.  For Mats Zuccarello to pass him is somewhat understandable given the skill and history of Zuke at professional levels.  What needs to send the message to Grachev is that journeymen like Kris Newbury have passed him too along with other young forwards Brodie Dupont, Chad Kolarik and Dale Weise.

When he went back down to Connecticut following his stint in New York, Grachev said it motivated him to want to do what was necessary to get back there.  Now is the time to prove that as he is virtually all that is left down there.  Put in the work and prove to the coaches there and in New York that the desire is real and the production can match it.  At each turn over the past two seasons Evgeny Grachev has talked about how he has gotten the message.  Let us hope that this time the message got delivered.  Tonight is his first chance to show he is really getting it.

Grachev Reminds Us Not To Give Up On Him Just Yet in 6-2 Whale Win

The Connecticut Whale kept their unbelievable run going as in the new year with their new home jerseys they defeated the Providence Bruins 6-2.  With the win the Whale have now won four straight and are an amazing 14-2-0-3 in their last 19 which has vaulted them all the way to second in the division, fourth in the conference.  The fact that the Whale are continuing their hot play despite losing two of their better players in Mats Zuccarello and Dale Weise to call-ups shows just how far this team has come.

The Whale would get on the board early behind Brodie Dupont and Kris Newbury working a pretty give and go move where Dupont fed Newbury along the wall and then streaked toward the net taking the return at the right wing circle and firing it low stick side to make it 1-0 just 3:15 in. 

Tim Kennedy would continue his recent hot play by taking a feed from Devin Didiomete and beating the goaltender short side at 16:08 of the first.  The Bruins would answer quickly as just 1:11 later Lane MacDermid would fire a shot from the point that beat Cam Talbot high glove after Andrew Bodnarchuk won the battle along the wall and fed the puck back to the point.  The Whale as they have done so often in this hot run would answer back quickly as just 1:27 after the Bruins cut it to 2-1 it would be Evgeny Grachev restoring the two goal lead.   On the play Chad Kolarik from behind the Bruins net would feed the puck to a pinching Wade Redden who played a short pass to Grachev in the slot and he would quickly flip it top shelf for his fifth goal of the season.  Grachev certainly was not done; more on him at the end.

After the flurry of scoring to end the first there would only be one tally in the second and it was by the Whale when Jeremy Williams would tally his 19^th of the season on the power play.  On the play Wade Redden would have his attempted point shot blocked and the puck would find Grachev in the high slot who would play it back to Williams at the point who would fire it in at 4:05 of the second to make it 4-1.

The Whale continued their push early in the third with a goal from Justin Soryal and after the Bruins cut it to 5-2 on a goal from Jordan Caron the Whale would cap the scoring at 16:48 on a goal from the recently demoted Todd White.  On the goal Grachev would feed Jeremy Williams who wound up for the shot but instead of shooting on the goal he played the shot pass perfectly off the stick of White to make it 6-2.

Now on to Grachev personally, and to say that the time Evgeny Grachev has spent in Hartford over the last two years has been disappointing would be a vast understatement.  Following his tremendous season in Junior for the Brampton Battalion in which he scored 40 goals and had 40 assists in just 60 games the world was expected of the young Russian winger, but he has just not been able to put it together yet in the professional ranks.  The labels like enigmatic and even bust have started to make their way off the tongues of Rangers fans with more regularity and even relative ease, but last night Grachev sent a reminder of what his talent is capable of doing if you do not quit on him.

The most interesting thing I found was over at Howlings, where they do a great job of covering the Whale if you have not already found, was the post-game quotes that talk about how the thing that has Grachev more engaged right now is his use on the penalty kill.  From the linked article:

“I’ve been getting more ice time playing PK (penalty kill), and that helped me stay in the game more,” said Grachev, whose fifth goal of the season was his first game-winner. “Before when we got penalties, you have to sit for awhile, it kind of takes you out of the game, but now I feel like I’m staying in the game more, once I get going I’m staying on the ice and it has helped me a lot. I feel more comfortable the more I play the more ice time I have.”

I have been as hard as anyone on Gernander early in the year but this is exactly the kind of a move a young player like Grachev needs because the biggest knock on him has been his focus so to make sure he is out there more and keeping him engaged in the game will only be beneficial to him.  Right now is a crucial chance for Grachev with both Zuccarello and Weise who had moved in front of him on the Whale roster up in NY he will get more opportunities as was seen with his power play work today and if he continues to produce he will stay there even if other guys return.  The talent is most certainly still in there so before you go giving up on it just yet let’s see if this kind of game can spark more consistency out of Grachev.

Zuccarello, McDonagh, Grachev Lead Way As Whale Feast On Monarchs in 5-1 Win

The Connecticut Whale continued their excellent play last night when they took on the first place Manchester Monarchs by dominating on course to a 5-1 victory.  The Whale who had an entire week off would show no signs of rust in their game on this night. The victory brought the Whale all the way back to the .500 mark at 11-11-2-4 and extended their run to 3 straight victories and 5-0-0-1 since the change to from the Wolf Pack to the Whale.  The game was led by another strong outing from some of the young guys with Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh and Evgeny Grachev playing important roles as well as Kris Newbury continuing his recent hot play.

The Whale would have a couple of good opportunities for Zuccarello and Newbury stopped early on but would finally break the seal at 12:11 of the first period when Ryan McDonagh would score his first professional goal on a slapper from the point.  The goal was a big step for McDonagh who struggled mightily early on in his first professional season but has been playing much better the last month and on the goal there was no sense of hesitation to fire the one-timer.  After struggling all the way to -8 early in the year with his +1 in this game McDonagh has worked his way all the way back Even.

The Whale would extend the lead just 12 seconds later when Kris Newbury would streak in and beat Jeff Zatkoff five hole on a wrist shot.  The goal for Newbury was third on the year and with his assist later on Newbury now has 2 goals and 8 assists in his last five games.

The Whale were not done as Mats Zuccarello would get in on the act at 15:45 of the first with his 11^th goal of the year when after his initial shot was stopped  by the goaltender Newbury would flip the puck back into the slot and a hard drive by Zuccarello to the front of the net would leave him there to take the rebound on the backhand and deposit in high glove the net.  The Whale would not get the 3-0 lead at the end of one period though when Wade Redden turned the puck over and the Monarchs would cash it in on a deflection off Niemi and by Johnson with just 20 seconds left in the period.

For all the bashing that Wade Redden has taken from Rangers fans, most of it deserved, a play like he had early in the second is why he has been a positive to that AHL team and the fans should give him credit for that as well.  Early in the second Pavel Valentenko got hammered by Rich Clune who is a tough guy and Redden while not one immediately came to the aid of his teammate and regardless of the outcome it was a symbol of why the entire team has been better lately.  The team has been doing a phenomenal job of late in standing up for one another when the situation calls for it.

Zuccarello would strike again with his 12^th of the season at 11:57 of the period on a play where hustle and determination is the best way to describe the goal.  Zuke was tripped up just inside the offensive zone and would still find a way to play the puck towards the corner from the ice.  Kris Newbury would get to the puck, survey the ice and then find a wide open Zuke for a pass in the slot that the Hobbit would put home.

Another aspect of the Whale’s hot streak has been scoring in bunches and they would do it for the second time in this game as 1:12 after that goal they would strike again this time from Evgeny Grachev.  On this goal Grachev would carry the puck into the zone play a drop back pass to Dale Weise but instead of watch Grachev continued skating to the net and he would be rewarded.  The shot by Weise would leave a rebound in the crease and Grachev was right there to stick home his 4^th goal of the season.  The overall numbers on Grachev still look awful but on the brighter side it was his third goal in the last five games and all have been on plays that show he is finding how he should be scoring.  Also Grachev now has at least 2 shots in all four games this month and 9 of his last ten games so he is being more active which is always a positive.

The third had no scoring and lots of fighting.  The game by Zuccarello and his two goals have only aided to the calls for him to be up in New York which I wrote about here this morning.

Also, over at Blue Seat Blogs there is a story on the Rangers allowing Tim Kennedy to seek a trade, so check that out.

Whale Move To 2-0 In New Uniforms Behind Talbot SO, Grachev Goal, Zuccarello Helpers

I am not going to do a full recap of the game other than to say maybe things are starting to turn around down in the A for the Rangers affiliate as after a 1-9-1-2 stretch they are 4-1-0-1 in their last six games.  This stretch coincides with the return of Dale Weise and multiple moves the club has made in trying to reshape the locker room whether it be bringing in Kolarik for Byers; sending out Williams and getting Bickel or giving up future consideration for Eizenman.  Along with those moves the play of the Rangers youngsters has improved, especially the defenders who are all watching their plus/minus figures rise as the team fares better.

Last night Cam Talbot would stop 25 shots on his way to his second shutout. As you will see in the highlights the first goal was generated by a beautiful passing play from Kolarik to Zuccarello to Newbury.  The second and maybe most important for Rangers fans was watching Evgeny Grachev play the way he needs to play to be successful using his size and speed to get around and fend off a check while driving the net and finishing.  The exhale you see from him on the highlights says all you need to know about how big that goal was for him and let us hope it gets him going.  On the third and final goal would once again come form the trio of Zuccarello, Newbury and Kolarik as the law firm would start the play with Newbury finding Zuke for a shot and the rebound being put in by Kolarik.  All goals were scored in the third period which is a nice change from blowing leads late in the third each of the last two nights.

Byers Beats Hartford in Final Home Game As WolfPack

As you know a few days ago the Rangers traded Dane Byers the then Hartford Captain to the Columbus organization in exchange for Chad Kolarik.  Last night Byers was in a familiar building, but an unfamiliar locker room as his new team took on the Wolfpack in what will be the last home game as the Wolfpack.  On November 27, 2010 the Wolfpack officially become the Connecticut Whale and Hartford now only has five road games left until that happens.  

Daily Recap: Everything From Today Grachev to Gaborik to Giroux; Last Week Meeting Last Year and Unleashing a Hobbit

Before anything else I just want to say thank you to all the visitors that made today a record day here at Bleeding All Blue and hope that each of you found a reason to keep coming back in the future.

Inside there will be discussion of Grachev, MZA, Gaborik, Giroux contract implications on the Rangers, A Review of Last Week, and the Consistent Inconsistency that is this hockey club.

Grachev back to Hartford?

Maybe I am breaking some news here since I haven't seen it reported elsewhere but the Pack/Whale site has in their transaction list Grachev listed as being sent back to them today.  As I said no official announcement that I have seen to this point, but it would make some sense since he has 0 points in his 6 games and Gabby is due back this week.  More as it comes.

2010-11-08

Evgeny Grachev (C)

ADD Returned on loan from N.Y. Rangers (NHL)

http://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/default.asp?wolfpack=33&urlkeyword=standings-statistics

Update: The AHL Transaction logs officially confirm it has happened, but still no announcement from the Rangers.

Grachev Staying for Now

As per Jesse Spector, coach John Tortorella has stated that Grachev will be staying in the NHL:

“He’s gonna play,” Tortorella said. “We’re gonna keep him here right now, and I want to see more of him, and hopefully he can keep on growing, and as long as he protects the puck, I think the other parts of his game will come into play because I think he’ll get more minutes.”

Tonight's Lineup

Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Avery-Boyle-Fedetenko
Frolov-Christensen-Prust
Boogaard-Stepan-Grachev

As I speculated earlier it was White would would be scratched to get Boogaard back in the lineup and the eventual shift of Stepan to the 4th line to start a game after the past few outings has finally happened. D even with it's awful play the last two remains exactly the same in players and pairs. Henrik in net.

Grachev Going To Toronto

Andrew Gross is reporting that Grachev will make the trip with the club to Toronto for tomorrow's game which obviously means he wont be sent to Hartford before the game, but doesnt make him a lock to play.  If Boogaard is still out with the finger then Grachev will play but tomorrow is a game where Boogaard could be more useful even if just with Colton Orr.  I would expect Grachev to get another shot because of the energy he played with in his limited minutes.

Rangers vs Hurricanes Recap: Effort Improves But Again 3rd Period Failure To Kill Penalty Dooms

AP

The Rangers took the ice tonight looking to avenge not only a loss versus Atlanta but an overall poor showing in terms of effort both offensively and defensively.  The effort if not the results were there early on tonight as there was pressure and chances to score along with illegal goals.  In the end though they got no results and the scoring would not start until during a Steve Eminger penalty Ruutu was left alone at the post for the opening goal which nullified a great save by Henrik on Babchuk during the course of the man advantage.  The early domination shown by the Rangers dissipated as a 9-2 shot advantage early in the first turned into a 12-11 deficit for the Rangers by intermission.

The second period started and less than a minute in Jeff Skinner scored to make it 2-0.  Funny how leading up to the draft so many Ranger fans didn’t want Skinner because he was going to be too slow to play at this level, but there are reasons snipers are snipers and he showed that tonight.  The Rangers lead by Ryan Callahan responded as Cally drew an elbowing penalty and 52 seconds into the man advantage it was Callahan who cashed in with another mid air goal.  Maybe that is the secret for the Rangers to hit the net, instead of it being on the ice make them play baseball with it and swat puck from the air.  The Ranger surge continued later in the period when Ruutu slashed Todd White in frustration leading to another power play.  Suddenly a Ranger power play that was 1-20 at home before the Cally goal would score a second as Eric Christensen gave a beautiful feed to Marc Staal at the left circle for what would be the game tying goal. 

A Rozi giveaway at the blue line would lead to Ruutu finding Skinner and Skinner and putting a backhander past Lundqvist to give the Hurricanes the lead back but once again the Rangers would respond 2:24 as it was Callahan and Dubinsky hooking up for a beautiful goal in which Dubi roofed a wrist shot just under the bar to make it 3-3.  The Rangers dominated the play in outshooting the Hurricanes 18-8 in the period but with all that they only outscored them 3-2 and went into the 3^rd tied. 

Once again the 3^rd period would decide the fate of a Ranger home game and once again the Rangers would come up short.  The powerplay that would lead to the eventual winner for the Canes by Erik Cole was a bad call as Skinner did a great job of embellishing any contact and adding to it himself by holding onto Boyle’s stick and taking himself down.  To say that is what cost the Rangers the game though in my opinion is a cop out for the club because good teams overcome it and kill the BS penalty off and at home right now this team cant find a way to get the big kill.  It cost them in the 3^rd vs Colorado, in the 3^rd eventually vs Atlanta, in the 3^rd tonight and also on the road at the Isles.  Every loss so far this year has seen the Rangers fail to kill off penalties in the 3^rd period and frankly they are not good enough when they don’t.

The story of the game was clearly the goalies as Ward and Henrik both stood on their heads at times, but Ward bested him with his 40 stops and as I said before the game and in the week preview he is the key to that team.  People didn’t give enough attention to what his loss early last year meant to that team and in my opinion was the single most important reason they didn’t make the playoffs.  That the Rangers shot the puck that much and created as many chances as they did is a good sign and you have to hope that offensively they wont face such a hot goalie while keeping up similar effort in future contests.  On the defensive side the way they hung Hank out to dry was pitiful in many different cases as he was constantly having to make repeat saves without getting any help from his teammates either in terms of taking the body or just clearing the puck out of danger areas if not the zone.

• The Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan line was phenomenal again tonight and if it keeps up the Rangers cap may be eaten alive by Dubi and Cally’s new deals as both are playing way above prior years.
• Grachev showed aggression and physicality in his limited time, racking up 4 hits in 9 shifts and 6:55 TOI.
• MDZ’s defensive deficiencies cannot be continually overlooked or excused as he was awful in his own end.
• Staal played a 2^nd straight poor defensive game

Grachev In Lineup Tonight: NHL Debut

According to both Jesse Spector and Steve Zipay, the two I saw as of this posting, Evgeny Grachev has been told he will be in the lineup tonight and make his NHL debut.  Personally I dont think he is ready for this level, but I guess we will find out to some extent tonight. 

There was no additional word as to lines or who it would be that would sit for him to be in.  The intriguing question is if Boogaard does goes would Christensen and his seat in the Tortorella doghouse land him as a healthy scratch this evening.  I still believe that they will sit Boogaard for this one since he serves no purpose against Carolina and left him heal up for Toronto tomorrow and teams like Philly next week.

My take On Grachev Development and Recall

Fourteen months ago when the Rangers were set to begin camp the hottest name among Ranger prospects for many fans was Evgeny Grachev.  The then 19 year old winger was coming off a season with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL in which he scored 40 goals and had 40 assists in 60 games.  On that team and many games on the same line he had the luxury of playing with other top prospects Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche and Cody Hodgson of the Vancouver Canucks.  The talk was how he was the next great hope for a scorer for the Rangers, how he could come in the NHL right then and score 20, even 30 goals as a rookie.  Personally I never believed that to be the case if he had come in last year.  

Artem Anisimov, Michal Rozsival Updates: Potential Lines vs Carolina

As news keeps rolling in we hear that the MRI on Anisimov's Ankle turned out fine and that both he and Rozsival are expected to play tomorrow against Carolina.  Both of these developments are welcomed news to the Rangers as they get their number 1 center and top pair d-man back.  This combined with the Grachev callup does make for some interesting possibilities in the lineup tomorrow.  I could see where they let Stepan get some time playing down on the 4th line with Grachev if they really want to move White up in the lineup based on his 3rd period yesterday.

Possible Lines:
Dubinsky-AA-Callahan
Avery-Boyle-Fedetenko
Frolov-White-Prust
Grachev-Stepan-EC

Reading the quotes from Torts on Eminger and "liking his physicality" it seems as if he will be in there with Gilroy again as Sauer gets scratched for the 3rd straight.

Grachev Called Up

Things in Ranger land just took a very interesting turn as Evgeny Grachev the prize prospect to many fans coming into last season and guy many have turned on coming into this year is being called up.  Reports are Boogaard has an infected hand and is questionable for tomorrow not that we will really notice his absence. Apparently the Boogaard infection came from a cut he got fighting Shawn Thornton over the weekend on his knuckle that didnt heal properly.

So far on the year Grachev has 1G, 1A in 9 games for Hartford.  The talent is there for Grachev, still only 20, it has been the other stuff that has been the question mark for him to this point, mainly the work ethic and then the confidence after the struggles.  Also interesting to see him called up over a RW when EG has predominantly played the left side and all our left wing guys are healthy unless they plan on playing him on the 4th line.