Rangers Should Target Paul Stastny Not Brad Richards

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The common wisdom surrounding the New York Rangers and the looming trade deadline is the team wants to deal for a defenseman who can help the power play and has an expiring contract.  While the power play and the third pair on defense is a problem, the Rangers still have a skill problem with their forward core that is causing serious issues putting the puck in the net. 


Along with the multitude of rumors surrounding defense, the main offensive rumors for the Rangers have surrounded interest in the talented, but oft-injured Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers.  I do not see him as the answer either because while talented he is injured too much to be worth the gamble and does not solve the team's issues at center.  Over the past few days there has been increased chatter around the Rangers going after Brad Richards before the deadline.  The chatter was added to this morning during today's Dreger Report when Dreger reported that the Rangers were one of as many as six teams to inquire about Richards.  I have always said the Ranger should not trade assets for Richards and that was before he had a concussion, so you certainly do not do it now.  Richards does not make them a title contender this year, so wait and sign him in the summer if he is the answer.  I think there is another solution.

Maybe it is time to call timeout, take a step back and draw up a plan that involves a move that is not just for this year, but the long term health of this hockey club as well.  Over the past week some impressive young players have changed teams and not just for playoff moves or rentals, but old-fashioned hockey trades that can help in the short-term and reshape a team in the long run.  Instead of dealing for an older Brad Richards the team could make a run at Paul Stastny, if he is truly available, to give Gaborik a number one center to play with on the top line.

Marc Staal Is The Most Irreplaceable New York Ranger

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When Marc Staal left the Rangers bench last night and headed for the locker room with trainer Jim Ramsay every fan of this franchise held their collective breath and was praying for it to be something minor.  The initial assumption was that the injury to Marc had something to do with his brother Eric flattening him with a hit late in the second period and seeing on the replay how his head smacked off the ice and there was a whiplash type effect on his neck.  After the game, coach John Tortorella said that the injury was in fact a tweak to his knee that was sustained on the first shift of the game and got progressively worse as time went on.  We do not yet know the severity of the injury, but the coach did not believe it to be serious.

The level of reaction to the injury and fear over what it might be made me think about a question I had asked earlier in the year about which New York Ranger player is the most irreplaceable for what they bring to the team.  Unfortunately for the Rangers nearly all of the guys one would think of to fit in that category have been injured at different parts of the year for different amounts of time.  The team has been able to withstand those injuries to be in the position they are today.  For me the debate about which player is the most irreplaceable truly comes down to two options: Henrik Lundqvist and Marc Staal.  

Video: Martin Biron Coaches Wojtek Wolski To Shootout Winning Success

Each time the New York Rangers go to the shootout you will see the shooters go over and talk with Martin Biron about strategy and sort of holds court on the end of the bench.  Well tonight in Carolina there was no room for Biron on the bench so he was in the tunnel to the visitor's dressing room.  After overtime ended Wojtek Wolski made sure to skate over and talk with Biron and he was the only one to score.  You tell me if it is just a coincidence.

Wolski Ties It Late, Wins It In Shootout To Give Rangers Critical Points

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Tonight was a huge game in so many ways for the New York Rangers.  Coming in the game was going to be about whether the Rangers could find a way to turn things around in time to stay out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference.  Combine that with the fact they were without their most explosive scorer and this was going to be yet another gut check game for this team and as they have all season, they responded. 

New York would come out flat early in the third and it would cost them the lead, but they would not quit on the game and this time they would get some bounces and be rewarded for the effort.  After pressing the action for a number of opportunities late in the game the Rangers were rewarded with the tying goal from Wojtek Wolski with just 1:50 to go.  On the play Wolski displayed unbelievable patience with the puck and while everyone crashed the net he threw the puck across and it would deflect off Jay Harrison’s stick and in.

In the shootout it would be Wolski again, as he was the only shooter to solve the two tremendous goaltenders and he would solidify this as his best game as a Ranger.  Tonight he showed off the multitude of skills that made people so excited about the trade when he was acquired for Michal Rozsival.  This is the kind of elite skill the Rangers do not have enough of and Wolski for all the talk about the team record since the trade has been everything they could have asked for.  With the goal tonight Wolski now has five goals and seven assists in 19 games as a Ranger and he has not had the defensive or effort issues people were worried about when the deal was made.  Congrats to Wolski.

Rest of the action and player thoughts after the jump

Gaborik To See Doctor Today, Timeline on Concussion, Tonight's Lines

Rather than jump back and forth between beat writers today, Jesse Spector gets all the credit for the lineup news.  We knew that Marian Gaborik was going to be out for the game and will miss the road trip.  Jesse reports that the lines in practice looked like this:

Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan

Wolski-Stepan-Zuccarello

Prospal-Boyle-Christensen

Avery-Newbury-Prust

The first two lines are exactly what I think most people would have expected considering both of these lines have had success in the past and the Stepan line has been the Rangers best one since the calendar turned to 2011.  As is usually the case with the lines there are lines that make little sense to me, but then I have to remind myself that John Tortorella is the coach and the lines will likely be different by the end of the first period.  Personally I have seen very little from Prospal and Christensen of late and would have just left the Avery, Boyle, Prust line together as the third line.

Ruslan Fedotenko took part in practice today, but will not play tonight and he will be joined by Steve Eminger who will be a healthy scratch for 10th time in the last 11 games.

In terms of Marian Gaborik and his concussion there is no update on his actual condition, but he will see a specialist this afternoon in Manhattan.  What the Rangers did seek to do today though was to bring some clarity to the concussion timeline which to this point has been a little blurry.  The belief is that the hit which Gaborik was initially injured during the game against Pittsburgh on Sunday February 13th. 

The rest of the timeline is as follows based on reporting from Andrew Gross:

- Last Tuesday, Gaborik said he wasn’t feeling right. At the time, the team and Gaborik thought he might have the flu.

- Thursday, Gaborik played against the Kings without symptoms.

- Friday, Gaborik plays against the Devils without symptoms, though he’s held without a shot for the first time this season.

- Sunday, Gaborik plays 4:39 with one shot in the first period. Tortorella wants to show him some video during the first intermission. At that time, Gaborik tells Tortorella he’s having trouble concentrating, so Tortorella sends him right to trainer Jim Ramsey and the decision is made to shut Gaborik down.

This accounting might strike some as questionable since there is no memorable shot to pinpoint when he suffered the concussion, but there is a level plausibility to the timeline of events.  Concussions can manifest differently in different people and nausea, headache, fatigue can all be among them and resemble the flu.  The issue I would have is why not check just to be sure even if there was no memorable headshot to make them think concussion? 

The fact that Gaborik displayed no symptoms through the Kings and Devils games is curious to then have them manifest themselves a full week after the believed initially point of injury.  For now you certainly have to give the benefit of the doubt to the team and the player, but just hope for more caution to be exercised in checking even if it seems excessive and unnecessary for things like concussions.

There might be a timeline on his recovery following the game tonight.

Is Bryan McCabe Worth The Assumed Pricetag?

The chatter that surrounds the New York Rangers and their connection to Bryan McCabe continue to intensify with each passing day.  Today’s talk has the two teams heavily involved in negotiations for the Panthers captain.  Many of us have gone on record predicting that if the transaction does happen that it will likely cost the Rangers defenseman Matt Gilroy and a second round pick in the upcoming draft.  In a bit of comic relief to the proceedings for a little while this afternoon Bryan McCabe’e Wikipedia page actually had him being traded to the Rangers for that afore mentioned package.  My question today is not whether the deal will happen, but what is McCabe worth to the Rangers and is the predicted package a good value or not?

At this stage in his career McCabe, 35, is still a solid offensive defenseman with a big shot from the point and some physical play to his game.  He would bring veteran experience to the defense core, give coach John Tortorella more faith in a third defense pair and help out the Rangers struggling power play with a shooter from the point. 

There is also no questioning the toughness of McCabe who broke his jaw during a game in January, went into the locker room put the cage on and came back out missing only one shift.  He would miss less than five weeks with the broken jaw, and has been back for the Panthers last three games.  The warrior aspect of McCabe would certainly blend right in to the Rangers mentality this season.

Let me be clear that I love the fit of McCabe for the Rangers and have since I first started thinking about it back in December.  My issue is also not with dealing away Matt Gilroy who while having improved this year is unlikely to be qualified at the necessary 1.925 million and for me is eminently expendable.  I am just not sure what McCabe is worth to the Rangers on the ice.  I do not believe he is the difference between winning and losing a first round playoff series, though he could help ensure the team makes the playoffs. 

My concern is whether McCabe truly makes enough of a difference in the last 20 games to be worth giving up a second round pick when we are in a rebuilding mode.   The success the organization has had in the second round also gives me reason for pause as Dubinsky, Sauer, Anisimov, Stepan were all second round picks and highly regarded prospects Ethan Werek and Christian Thomas were as well.

In the end I would likely pull the trigger on the deal even if begrudgingly.  The main reason I would do it, as Dave Shapiro of Blue Seat Blogs pointed out in our twitter conversation, is the hope that McCabe can mentor struggling second year defender Michael Del Zotto.  If that was the outcome of the trade, regardless of the difference it makes to the Rangers this season, then a second round pick would be more than worth it.

Rumor: Rangers Thought They Had Blockbuster Trade with Stars For Richards, Neal Done?

Over the course of the last week while other teams have been making moves to alter their rosters the New York Rangers have been very quiet to the consternation of many fans as they see the team continue to struggle in their attempt to make the playoffs this season.  The rumors around the Rangers have certainly been plentiful, which is nothing new, but there has been no action taken and some have wondered what Glen Sather had up his sleeve or if he had decided to sit this one out.  Apparently Sather had been in the midst of working his trade voodoo magic quietly behind the scenes over the last couple of weeks and thought he was on the verge of a blockbuster deal with the Dallas Stars centered around two pieces that would have made Rangers fans very happy; Brad Richards and the recently traded James Neal.

Here is the framework of the deal as Incarcerated Bob reported it early this morning…

Source: Rangers thought they had deal with Stars all wrapped up on Monday : Gaborik & Gilroy for Richards + Neal

I asked him if that was all that was involved in the deal and got the following reply:

Could have been picks back and forth but the main players where the 4 (Gaborik + Gilroy / Richards + Neal) Rangers giving a 2^nd

Apparently the Stars got cold feet on the proposed deal and decided to instead deal James Neal and Matt Niskanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Normally I would speculate that the Gaborik concussion had something to do with them having cold feet on the deal, and it still might have, but the fact that the deal was supposedly worked on Monday after the concussion was known would dispel that to some extent.  It will almost certainly raise the conspiracy theories though that the concussion for Gaborik and maybe even Richards were some sort of rouse so the players could be quietly shopped.  Let me be clear in saying that I do not believe that is the case for a moment.

In terms of the the rumored deal between the Rangers and Stars that is listed, I am going to be totally honest and say it makes absolutely no sense to me from the Dallas perspective.  They would get Marian Gaborik who has been a proven scorer in this league and is locked up long term which Brad Richards is not, but they would be better off keeping Richards and looking to sign him to a similar contract than dealing for Gaborik in the midst of a down season at that kind of price.  In addition even if you believe that Gaborik for Richards is an even swap the idea that Matt Gilroy and a pick could get you James Neal means that the Stars did not value Neal all that highly.   From the Rangers perspective it would be a coup as they get a number one center they have coveted and a young emerging power forward who already knows how to play with Richards.  The concern obviously is they do not have a true sniper in giving up Gaborik.

Also, key to point out that there is no mention of whether Gaborik or Richards was asked to actually or potentially waive their no-trade clauses.  The no-trade clause is not seen as an obstacle for Richards when it comes to New York, but one would wonder if Gaborik would waive to go to Dallas. 

Normally I would sit here and say that this does not pass the smell test, and this could be totally wrong, which I will not discount as possible, but the track record of his sources on recent trades, in having good information long before other have had it gives a level of credibility to the rumor that other people would not have.

If Sather had pulled this deal off as the rumor says it would have gone down then many Rangers might have forgiven him for at least most of the multitude of sins he has inflicted on them over the years. In the wake of this not happening, later today, I am going to talk about a guy Sather should look into dealing for.

Update:  New tweets on the subject: 

2nd Source: Confirms Rangers had deal with Stars until early Monday morning when Stars got cold feet on Gaborik

Source: Stars went with Pittsburgh deal cause of fear that Gaborik had been playing with concussion 4more then a week

Source: Rangers still think they can re-work talks in regards 2acquiring Richards w/o including Gaborik -Still in play

Still do not see why the Stars would have made the deal in the first place, but trading prospects/young players for Richards would be a mistake.

Rumor: Rangers Had Deal In Place For McCabe?

There has been a lot of talk about the Rangers and defensemen that might be available through trades.  The hot name right now is Florida’s Bryan McCabe and that talk got more intriguing today with the report from Andy Stickland on his blog at True Hockey in which he wrote that multiple sources confirmed there was a deal in place between the Rangers and the Panthers before McCabe broke his jaw.

The New York Rangers are still looking for a D-man. It will be interesting to see if they re-visit a deal that almost went down with Florida’s Bryan McCabe several weeks ago.

A broken jaw to McCabe prevented the trade from happening but multiple sources confirm a deal was in place between Florida and the Rangers. Panthers GM Dale Tallon would love to still move McCabe who will take full advantage of his no-move clause. Word is McCabe is very selective as to where he would go.

With McCabe now back in the lineup and the Rangers presumably still looking for a defenseman it is likely that these talks will be re-visited, but one has to wonder how much the other trades in the past few weeks might have changed the demands from the Panthers in order to trade McCabe away.  One must also wonder if in the wake of Gaborik’s concussion if the needs for offense might take precedence over acquiring a defenseman right now.

Rangers Should Pursue James Neal.

With just one week to go before the NHL trade deadline rumors are only going to intensify, some that will involve the New York Rangers and many that will not.  This morning there was one that does not directly involve New York that caught my eye.  Chatter has it that James Neal might be available via trade from the Dallas Stars.  If the Rangers are going to make a move, this is the kind of move they should be making.  For whatever reason this is also the kind of player the Rangers are rarely connected to in the trade market rumors, rather they are always connected to aging or over the hill veterans.

Neal, 23, would fill a need the team has had for a long time in the role of a true power forward that can score upwards of 30 goals in a season.  Last season in 78 games Neal scored 28 goals and had 27 assists.  This season he has 21 goals and 18 assists in 59 games which puts him on pace for similar numbers.  He has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of 2.875 million and will be a restricted free agent.

The rumor involving Neal this morning per Darren Dreger in his Dreger Report:

It's believed the Pens are willing to move defenceman Alex Goligoski for the right forward, and a trade involving Stars winger James Neal has been discussed.

The deal makes sense for both sides as Pittsburgh obviously needs offensive help with their injuries and their depth on the blueline makes Goligoski more expendable to acquire a top end power forward like Neal.  On the Dallas side Goligoski is seen as a very capable offensive defender, but he does have defensive holes in his game. 

If Neal truly is available it is a move that Glen Sather has to kick the tires on and while we do not have a player currently at Goligoski’s level, Michael Del Zotto is the one guy who has that kind of upside to intrigue the Stars with the same defensive warts.  I have repeatedly said that I am opposed to moving Del Zotto despite his struggles this season, but this is the kind of talent you consider moving him for.  Since Del Zotto is below where Goligoski is you would definitely have to add more in the way of picks/prospects whether it be another defensive prospect like Tomas Kundratek/Pavel Valentenko or a forward prospect like Evgeny Grachev.  Who knows if the Stars would even consider that to be enough.  Parting with young players is one of the hardest things to do for those that follow them closely, but when doing you have the possibility to do it for an established young player who has proven he can perform at this level sometimes you have to pull the trigger.

It is likely that the Stars would push for Ryan McDonagh to be included in the deal instead of Del Zotto, which I would not do at this point.  Neal is a huge upgrade for the team, but the loss of McDonagh would be considerable right now as he has been the Rangers best defender recently and only shows signs of getting better.  In the end the Stars and Rangers likely wont come together on a deal for Neal, but it is certainly one that Sather should be calling about.

Have Rangers Lost Their Identity?

The New York Rangers are at a crossroads right now where they must decide who they are and define what the result of this season will be.  The thing that made the Rangers first half so special was not the record or how they overcame the vast number of injuries they were plagued with.  What made the first half so special and this team different from previous Rangers clubs was that they had an identity.  This team was never going to be pretty or flashy, but they were going to outwork their opponent and by staying together with the system they would in the end find a way to get the win.  Playing that way got the Rangers out to a 29-19-3 record through 51 games despite playing undermanned and without their full complement of pieces the whole way.  Since that point, one game before the All-Star break, the Rangers have played to an abysmal 2-7-1 record that leaves them at 29-26-4 overall.  Can the Rangers regain that identity to let the original version come back out or is this who they really are deep down?

During the struggles the team has the feel of someone who has lost their way, their core if you will and they cannot seem to get back to their center.  The team does not forecheck with the same intensity or consistency.  They do not have that next man up mentality in the same way.  They do have a new hero every night in the same way they did before when things were going well.

Part of all of those things is because certainly players have hit the wall, along with others having underperformed and also the incorporation or reintegration of others back into the lineup has changed some of the mentality the team plays with.  The team seems to lack a sense of urgency right now about how important each game is.  Even worse they have an utter lack of focus.

So are the Rangers the team that was 29-19-3 or are they more the team that after going 2-7-1 is 29-26-4?

Unfortunately the answer is that they are both and neither at the same time.  This team when they play a focused game can play with any team in the NHL.  The problem is they have not gotten the memo that 60 minute efforts are what it takes to win in this league as they have built up this false sense of security that they can always rally in the third period.  That might have worked in the first half of the season, but it does not work as teams tighten up even more down the stretch while scratching and clawing for every crucial point. 

The breakdowns have been in all phases of the game and with nearly every player on the roster.  With the deadline quickly approaching and other teams making moves there is a sense of urgency for New York to make a move, but the best move they can make is trading this unfocused identity that fails to convert, takes bad penalties, loses defensive coverage, does not successfully forecheck and bringing back the other identity they had built the first 51 games.  The players were good enough then and they are good enough now, so it about playing the way they know how and with the urgency they did more than anything else.