According to Sam Weinman of
The Journal News, Nigel Dawes, Artem Anisimov and Al Montoya were sent down to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
So, what does this mean? Well for one thing, it means that as of right now, both Marc Staal and Brandon Dubinsky have opening night roster spots. Marc Staal had a solid training camp and an even better pre-season and looks NHL ready. Does it mean that he will be perfect? No, all rookies make mistakes and this is simply part of Staal's NHL learning-process.
Brandon Dubinsky was one of the top Rangers during both training camp and pre-season. He hustled, took punishment in front of the net while dishing out punishment of his own and put up some points. Dubinsky may have also earned himself a chance to be the team's third line center, where he would slide in between Ryan Callahan and Petr Prucha.
As for Nigel Dawes, there simply was not enough room for him on this roster. Do I think that he is one of the best 12 forwards in the organization? Yes, I do. However, Renney felt that it would probably benefit Dawes if he had more playing time instead of being stashed on the fourth line.
These moves also mean that Steven Valiquette is the Rangers' backup. Montoya may indeed be the better goalie, which is why I believe he was sent down to Hartford, but right now, he is too much of a cap hit for the club. Good goalies need playing time and if Montoya wants to one day succeed at the NHL level, he is going to need all the playing time he can get.
However, do not be surprised if Montoya gets a spot start this season as with Renney's style, the roster is never fully set.
For questions, comments and hip checks, feel free to e-mail me at
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