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Alain Vigneault's Message: Clean Slate: Grab It |
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The Rangers opened training camp today with physicals and meetings and while much of the focus was on Derek Stepan's absence, the message delivered by new coach Alain Vigneault to the team was perfect. Vigneault had T-shirts handed out to each player, which said: "Clean Slate: Grab It." In essence, what happened in the past is in the past and has no bearing on now. If you struggled, forget it. If you excelled, same message, but really, repeat it. Of course, we all know that biases are still in place, mainly for the stars, but if you were someone who had a forgettable season last year, that clean slate mentality sets your mind at ease. If you are a player looking to make a name for yourself and earn a spot on the team, you basically start at the same place as everyone else.
In addition, Vigneault's response to the Stepan absence question was also apropos. "It would be better if he'd be here…It's a little bit within his control, not mine…He'll be welcomed with open arms when he arrives." Rather than creating or augmenting the controversy surrounding Stepan's holdout, he deftly sidestepped and deflected it. I am not about to go through the whole Stepan holdout, bridge deal, long-term contract debate again, as we have been there, done that over and over again. I know everyone wants to say that the Stepan signing should now be easier given that Nazem Kadri inked a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.9 million per, but I don't share that same thought. The argument with Stepan remains the same and it may take a while to get resolved.
The one specific new news today was that Martin Biron is dealing with a "personal issue" and is not in camp. There is no timetable for his return, so as a hedge, the Rangers signed Johan "Moose" Hedberg to a PTO. Hopefully, all works out fine for Biron, but Hedberg wouldn't be a bad backup and is reportedly very good in the locker room, though I am not a big believer that a "culture change," as has been reported, is needed.
Here’s the Rangers’ training camp roster (taken from Andrew Gross' Rangers Rants blog):
Goalies - Marty Biron, Johan Hedberg, Henrik Lundqvist, Jeff Malcolm, Jason Missiaen, Mackenzie Skapski, Scott Stajcer, Cam Talbot
Defensemen - Conor Allen, Stu Bickel, Michael Del Zotto, Charlie Dodero, Troy Donnay, Justin Falk, Ben Fanelli, Dan Girardi, Ryan Graves, Tommy Hughes, Aaron Johnson, Ryan McDonagh, Dylan McIlrath, John Moore, Brendon Nash, Samuel Noreau, Jimmy Oligny, Marc Staal, Anton Stralman, Danny Syvret.
Forwards - Aaron Asham, J.T. Barnett, Ryan Bourque, Brian Boyle, Derick Brassard, Taylor Burke, Ryan Callahan, Derek Dorsett, Anthony Duclair, Jesper Fast, Josh Graves, Carl Hagelin, Micheal Haley, Marek Hrivik, Kyle Jean, Michael Kantor, Chris Kreider, Danny Kristo, Oscar Lindberg, Brandon Mashinter, J.T. Miller, Dominic Moore, Rick Nash, Josh Nicholls, Benoit Pouilot, Shawn O’Donnell, Darroll Powe, Taylor Pyatt, Brad Richards, Thomas Spelling, Michael St. Croix, Derek Stepan, Dyson Stevenson, Peter Trainor, Jason Wilson, Klarc Wilson, Andrew Yogan, Mats Zuccarello
On-ice work begins Thursday, it's nice to have hockey back.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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