Trade Buzz: Rangers Scout Leafs For Third Time in Week; Who Could they Want? Versteeg?

David Pagnotta of TheFourthPeriod reported via twitter last night that the New York Rangers were in attendance for the Leafs game against the Bruins.  Normally I would think little of that as just about every team scouts every other team, but since the Rangers do not have the Leafs on the schedule in the near future it was somewhat curious.  Add to that his follow-up which he had this tweet:

Food for thought... same 2 Rangers pro scouts here tonight were here last Tuesday, and 1 was here last Thursday.

That is a lot of time to spend scouting a team unless you are at least considering some of their players and with the time in the season it would have to be via a trade.  The obvious question at that point becomes who on the Leafs would the Rangers be scouting and/or looking to acquire in a trade?  The name I can predict pops to the front of most heads in terms of who the Rangers should go after will be one that is already in trade rumors; Kris Versteeg.  There is a lot to like about Versteeg as the 24 year old winger has playoff experience, a championship ring and plays a gritty all-around game with offensive skill.  I said two years ago that he is a lot like Callahan and we all know how beloved Ryan Callahan is in Rangerland. 

As I said Versteeg is a name that has been coming up of late in rumors from the likes of Pierre LeBrun to he who shall not be named.  In his story Pierre LeBrun kept the details vague other than to say that Burke was not shopping Versteeg but had received a hard offer that caused him to pause and consider a move he had not planned on making.  The fuzz on the other hand stuck a name on the idea of moving Versteeg, which was that of Brayden Schenn from the L.A. Kings and if that is the hard offer that LeBrun is speaking of and Burke did not immediately say yes to the deal he has lost his mind and should quit or be fired.

There are a lot of good things about Versteeg as a I referenced before, but if you have a lot of teams seeking a player it forces a bidding war and you are bound to overpay.  With all the good that Versteeg brings also realize he is not a first liner on a good team, but more of a second or third liner as he was in Chicago and as Callahan should be.  Versteeg is likely a 20-25 goal 45-55 point guy at his peak and really if the Rangers are going to give up anything legit you need first line player.

Other guys from Toronto that the Rangers could be interested in might include Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin, and always the possibility of Tomas Kaberle. 

Grabovski, 26, is a highly skilled player that has good speed, but has never fully put it together over long stretches.  Right now he is having a very solid season with a 14-14-28 line and while not spectacular has been effective in the faceoff circle winning at a 47.1% rate.   Grabovski has one year remaining on his deal at 2.9 million against the cap.

Kulemin, 24, is a good skater with good speed while working hard on both ends and being willing to take the body and play in the dirty areas.  He would actually be a very good fit for the system the Rangers are running in the mold of a Fedotenko type player with more scoring ability.  He currently has contributed 13-11-24 on the season and has one season at 2.35 million left on his deal.

Kaberle, 32, is a player that has long been rumored to be traded and still never has been, so I will not believe anything involving him until a trade is done.  The upside to Kaberle is obvious in that he clearly solves the power play quarterback problem considered on a lacking team he has 14 power play assists as part of a 1-23-24 line.  The big negative is that he would cost a decent return though that seems to diminish as they get closer to the end of his deal in which he is below market value.

Some will say Kessel but cannot see them moving him with all they gave up to get him; Beauchmin is solid but not worth 3.8 on the cap next year and Komisarek is vastly overpaid.  Personally none of these names based on the combination of money and prospects it would take to obtain them really excite me, but Kulemin is probably the one if I had to pick one who should be available for a mid-prospect or a pick and has a reasonable contract.  Maybe I am missing something entirely, but I do not really see why the Rangers are scouting the Leafs at all unless it is a big move where they send Gaborik there and get players like Kadri and Luke Schenn back.  Nothing Toronto has really elevates the Rangers above where they are, so overall I pass, but as always trades depend on the cost of what you are getting so I am sure some combination could make me want to say yes.

Video: Ovechkin "Russian Spy" Sportscenter Commercial: File Under Hilarious

ESPN and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin teamed up for this Sportscenter commercial and it reminds me why I miss ESPN covering the NHL. As much as that desire for ESPN to have hockey again is about the sport itself it is as much for the way they can promote the sport through their commercials. Check it out: When you have a recognizable player at the level of Ovechkin who has his playful personality you should be doing more of these fun commericals to make the game more accessible to the average sports fan. The way he goes from laughing and joking to that stone cold spy face was tremendous and getting help from fellow Russian, Semyon Varlamov to "escape" only adds to it. Great work

Daily Recap: Del Zotto Demoted/Upset; McDonagh Up To Not Play?; Callahan Void Widens; Prucha Back?; McIlrath Fight

The big news of the day with the New York Rangers was Michael Del Zotto being sent down to the Connecticut Whale and Ryan McDonagh being called up in his stead.  There have been differing opinions on the merits of this move and analysis of the positives and negatives over the past week or so once it became very apparent the option was on the table.  Obviously now that the demotion has happened there will be plenty more and I certainly offer mine and the reasons why right now even if I was not always certain of late this appears to be the best move for Del Zotto.  Also in the article I give some background on the season Ryan McDonagh has had for the Whale in the AHL, the adjustment period he went through and what kind of defender I see him as at this level.

In that article detailing the move to send one down and call up the other I finished it by opining that I hoped in calling McDonagh to the Rangers they were going to play him and not put him in the press box and maybe it was instinct/intuition or maybe it was  just having been jaded by the organization in the past.  Either way it turns out that nagging feeling was accurate as it was announced that even with him coming up he will not be playing on Wednesday.  Personally I do not understand calling McDonagh up to not play and ranted on that along with wondering if based on quotes if Del Zotto rejected the premises presented to him in his demotion discussion.  The tone of the quotes seems to suggest that an at least disagreeable meeting occurred between Torts and Del Zotto when he was informed he was being sent down.  I have no problem with him being upset because as a competitor he should be.  Maybe the cause of the problem was Torts gave him the same excuses he gave the rest of us like we are retarded and cannot understand the real causes of why Del Zotto was demoted.  Discussion of that also in the post.

In other news Petr Pruch was put on re-entry waivers and that has excited some of his diehard fans about the possibility of him coming back to the Rangers.  I think it is more likely with all the injuries than it would otherwise be, but not sure if it would happen.  I give my thoughts on why I believe it should or should not happen inside.

Today’s main article was about how the loss of Ryan Callahan is really starting to show not necessarily in the win/loss column but in the way the Rangers are going about their business in games in terms of their forecheck and energy level.  Really it seems that in Callahan’s absence the team is getting away from their identity.  I propose some reasons for that as well as a player who might be able to change some of the aspects of what appears to missing from the club right now without Callahan and turn that mentality back around to where it was for so long this season.

In the video section today there are three items:

There is video of the Ruslan Fedotenko injury and the reason to watch it is not to see the injury, but to appreciate the level of dedication to the team shown by Fed on the play to get up from it and continue to put his body in harm’s way going down to block more shots on the shift.

Rangers 2010 1^st round pick Dylan McIlrath got into a fight Sunday night with Sena Acolaste so check out that video.

Finally there is a Toews crazy/wacky goal winner in the Chicago LA game this evening when the puck played ping-pong off the goalie in multiple spots and then on a clear the puck was played in the net off Toews skate.

Video: Toews Scores Crazy Game Winner; Just Like They Drew It Up

In one of the weirdest sequences I can remember Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews would be credited with the game winning goal against the Los Angeles Kings without ever having his stick come near the puck. From behind the net as he was being taken to the ice Chicago defender Brent Seabrook fired the puck towards the net where it would bank off the back of Jonathan Quick's neck, climb up over his head off the helmet falling into the crease where Drew Doughty would attempt to clear it right off Toews skate and in.

They all count for the same amount and the Hawks will certainly take it. Some people are just lucky, but for Toews his lucky is born out of not only his natural skill but his tremendous work ethic and leadership which had him on the ice a week earlier than expected. If not for that then he is never there for the crazy goal to happen so is all luck?

Video: Dylan McIlrath Fights Sena Acolatse

Certainly not his greatest fight but still showed some good technique and did throw a big shot at the end.

McDonagh Called Up to Not Play?; Del Zotto Dissents On His Demotion?

This season things have been changing, for the better, in the way the New York Rangers have managed their young players and giving them chances to prove they belonged at the NHL level.  Every youngster has appear to at least get a fair chance in game action to prove their worth, but apparently that might not be the case for the newest call up Ryan McDonagh.  McDonagh was a somewhat surprising call given that coach John Tortorella for the most part has been satisfied with the other six defenders he was using while Del Zotto was being benched, but there was still a level of excitement to see what another young player could do at this level. 

You can stop thinking that way if you were doing so.  I said at the end of the post which announced his call and Del Zotto’s demotion that the only way it was worth it to call on McDonagh was if he was going to play or else it was a mistake.  Guess something in my gut knew what going to happen as along with the fact he was recalled it was announced today that not only with McDonagh not be in the lineup tomorrow against the Hurricanes, but that he might not play AT ALL during this recall.  So I ask, what is the point of calling the kid up to sit in the press box during the games?  Please do not tell me practice or to work with the NHL staff on his defense because we saw how well those things did for Del Zotto. 

The line that was trotted out was that they wanted to “evaluate” him.  This is 2010, that is what you have scouts and video for you do not need to call the kid up and take away game action from him so you can sit there and watch him practice.  If he is not going to play then send him back down and let him play and continue his development with the Whale.  They already messed up Del Zotto by rushing him to the NHL, why mess with McDonagh’s development either by rushing him up or bringing him and not playing him.  The focus right now is clear that it is about wins and losses more than truly the development side which is fine at the NHL level, but let us not act like it is different.

On Del Zotto, per Andrew Gross it does not appear the news of his demotion went over too well with him and it seems he had some things to say when they told him.  Tortorella tried to play coy with it based on the quotes Andrew has but the one that tells it all is this one:

“I hope so. It was in a different mode as far as versus Zuc going down. We probably expected that because Michael, he played all last year. Now this is his second year. I think it was a different frame of mind in how he saw this. This kid is a 20-year-old kid. Sometimes they don’t see it there right now. Eventually he’ll realize it’s good for him.”

That says that MDZ did not buy the move was right move for him and was not happy about it which is what you want from a competitor.  Problem is with Torts in subtle ways those sorts of things seem to get held against certain players.  As fare as the move to send Del Zotto down personally I believe right now it is if for no other reason than to get away from Torts and to go work with the only defensive coach this organization seems to have right now; Wade Redden.  Del Zotto is going to get the lion share of the blame for his play earning him the trip down, but this goes back to last year when the organization rushed him and tried to skip steps in his development.  Things like this happen when you do things like that.  

This BS about now they are worried about his conditioning is comical and the kind of cop-out that is beneath the people who follow the team.  Admit your mistakes as an organization in how you have handled the young defenseman and send him down to get his game straight without the need for making excuses.

Just when you thought things were really changing the organization reminds you why it has been so long since they have been a legit contender.

Rangers Send Michael Del Zotto Down, Bring Up Ryan McDonagh.

According the AHL transactions page the New York Rangers have send down second year defender down to the Connecticut Whale, which is not a huge surprise given the combination of his poor play and scratches in recent weeks.  Del Zotto returned to the lineup yesterday after missing the previous four games and was very shaky playing a combination of scared hockey and continuing to make many of the same mental mistakes that took him out of the lineup to begin with.  In 35 games this year, MDZ has struggled mightily, putting together a line of 2-7-9 and a -1 rating. The problem of late has been his offensive play as much as the defensive issues that plagued him last season.  Hopefully this move will be taken well by Del Zotto and his time away from coach Tortorella and with Wade Redden, who has been a great mentor for the other young defenders, will get his game back on track

What is more of a surprise though is that the move comes with an accompanying call up of rookie defender Ryan McDonagh.  McDonagh, 22, was one of the key figures in the Scott Gomez trade struggled early in his first professional season falling all the way to a -8 rating before turning it around.  Of late he has been excellent and on the season he has a line of 1 goal 7 assists and an even rating in 38 games in the AHL. McDonagh will not amaze with flash in his game, but he will be a solid defensive presence who makes the simple plays and even clears the crease which is exactly what the Rangers need from him. Think of McDonagh as a cross between a Marc Staal type and Michael Sauer.

I like the move as long as McDonagh plays, but if he is coming up here to be an extra then this is huge mistake.  Have to wonder if this means Gilroy would continue to be out of the lineup or if someone else like Eminger might have his card pulled.

Petr Prucha on Re-Entry Waivers; Rangers Possible Destination Given Injuries?

Former Ranger Petr Prucha was put on re-entry waivers today and with the New York Rangers rash of injuries one has to wonder if the club should and/or will consider putting a claim in on Prucha.  Prucha, 28 , struggled in his time in the NHL this season scoring no goals and having only one assist in 11 games before being sent down to the AHL by the Phoenix Coyotes.   Since his demotion he has been tearing up the AHL with 7 goals and 10 assists in 16 games, which is likely what has prompted Phoenix to try and recall him either to play for them or in hopes of him being claimed. 

The Rangers interest is likely higher than it should be given the vast number of injuries that the team has been dealing with right now.  With Callahan out for another few weeks, Prospal having a set-back, and the most recent injury to Fedotenko the club might have interest in bringing in an experienced NHL player.  What works in his favor is that given his base salary of 1.1 million, the fact that there is only half the year remaining and the fifty percent discount on re-entry the Rangers would only be on the hook for about 275K which makes it a very low cost gamble to take on a player they have had before.

Personally I do not see much upside to the move since Prucha’s best season since 2006-07 was last year when he only registered 22 points.  There is a nostalgia element for many fans on Prucha and the hope he finally regains the form that netted him 30 goals in his rookie year and 22 the following year, but that player is gone.  I would pass, but I could see the Rangers taking the gamble.

Rangers Stray From Identity Reveals Depth of Callahan Void; Avery Key To Filling Hole?

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

This season the New York Rangers formed their identity as being a hard team to play against in terms of hitting, forechecking, cycle/puck possession and grinding their opportunities that way.  One of the guys on this club that epitomized that style is assistant captain Ryan Callahan.  When Ryan Callahan was first lost 19 days ago to his broken right hand I said in the aftermath that while other players could step in and fill parts of what he does the whole of Callahan and the hole his absence creates could not be completely filled.  There have been players who have stepped up in his absence: Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Brandon Prust, Brian Boyle, Derek Stepan.  As a team in his absence if you count the Pittsburgh game in which he got hurt the team is a very respectable 4-2-2 overall. 

The problem for me is the way the Rangers go about their business has a much different feel and some of those results have a very hollow ring to them.  Of the four wins they probably deserved to lose the Phoenix and New Jersey games while in both Tampa games Lundqvist managed to steal them points.  Beyond that aspect of it, the process is not the same as this team truly is missing a spark.  Maybe it would be slightly different if Prust were really healthy and could fight or Avery were actually getting involved in the game, but the team seems to lack an overall drive right now.  Individual players that I mentioned above along with Mats Zuccarello who likely would not have come up if Callahan were healthy have played with their fire, but the team energy level is changed.

Video: Fedotenko Willingness To Block Shots After Injury Shows Toughness and Dedication

To watch Ruslan Fedotenko today after he was hurt on the initially shot black of Bryan McCabe's blast was something special that I think epitomized what this team has tried to be about this year in that they sacrifice for one another and do whatever it takes.  Hats off to Fedotenko and get back soon