By Jim R, subbing for Jan Levine
I don’t believe I could write a blog expressing our disappointment as Rangers fans more eloquently than Pete V did yesterday. Friday’s loss is as painful as it gets. It took me right back to the time in 1984 when I was a 12 year old little kid and Ken Morrow of the Islanders broke my heart in overtime of the 5th game of the best of five opening round playoffs. Absolute misery, the only difference between now and then is that back then, I had to go to school the next day and face legions of 12 year old Islanders fans laughing in my face yelling 1940! Hopefully sometime in the near future we’ll be able to look back upon this heartbreaking loss to the Devils as a stepping stone towards greatness, we had to lose and suffer to learn what it takes to win. The 1994 Devils that were eliminated by the Stephane Matteau overtime goal when onto win the Stanley Cup the very next season, and won three Stanley Cups in a span of eight years. Suffering makes winning that much sweeter, and man, do we got some suffering going on here.
Beyond that though, I thought I’d take a quick look at some of the issues facing the Rangers as we head towards the summer and some things to look forward to as we look to 2012-13 season:
The Rangers pick 28th in the draft. It’s hard to even predict what the Rangers will do with a pick so late in the first round. Perhaps draft and try to develop an eventual successor to Henrik Lundqvist in goal? Henrik turned 30 this year and has only two years left on his contract before becoming a UFA. It seems inconceivable that he wouldn’t be re-signed, but, still wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to draft a possible successor. Especially considering the lack of a legit goalie prospect in the organization, as well as the tremendous depth the team seems to have at forward and defense in the organization at this time. But, what Gordie Clark and Glen Sather will do at the draft is anyone’s guess.
Make a strong play for Justin Schultz. Other teams seemingly have much more of an opportunity for Schultz to get top 4 minutes on the blue line. However, the Rangers have some things going for them in their push to sign Schultz. They actually do have a need for exactly what he provides. The Rangers power play was dreadful this season and one thing they didn’t have was a right handed shot from the blue line that could consistently get the puck to the net. Signing Schultz would give the Rangers ridiculous depth on defense and could make another defenseman a trade chip towards acquiring much needed scoring help up front. The Rangers will most certainly enlist Schultz former Wisconsin Badger teammates Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh in the recruiting process to get Schultz to NY. Since McDonagh is a lefty shot, the Rangers could have McDonagh and Schultz as a pair, along with Marc Staal and Dan Girardi for years. A tantalizing prospect indeed.
Re-signing Brandon Prust. Prust is a fan favorite, a John Tortorella favorite, there really isn’t anyone associated with the Rangers who don’t want to see him back. He’ll fight anyone, he is as tough as nails, he kills penalties. Prust epitomizes work ethic. Problem is, he is a UFA July 1st and there will absolutely be a market for him. Sather needs to do his best to make sure he doesn’t hit the open market. Prust leaving would be a devastating loss, especially if one of our Atlantic Division rivals signed him. Get it done Slats.
Trading Brandon Dubinsky? No Rangers player the last few years has caused more disagreement among Rangers fans as Dubinsky. But even the biggest Dubinsky fan cannot dispute the fact that a 4.2 million cap hit for a forward who only scored 10 goals in 77 regular season games, and zero in 9 playoff games, is not going to cut it. Brandon Dubinsky simply does not look like a top 6 forward in this organization at all anymore, but the problem is, in a salary cap world, he is being paid to be one. The Rangers would be wise to try and move Dubinsky in a trade, the sooner the better. That’s a hard thing for me to admit, being one of his most ardent supporters over the years, but he is a 3rd line forward on this team. That’s the reality.
Re-signing Michael Del Zotto? Del Zotto is an interesting case. He goes into this summer as a RFA, and his numbers from the blue line, especially considering he is only 21 years old, were pretty outstanding. Defensemen from his draft class like Drew Doughty and Tyler Myers have already scored huge in their second contracts. What will it take to sign MDZ long term? Do we want to sign MDZ long term? There is a lot of depth on the blue line for the Rangers. There are Tim Erixon and Dylan Mcilrath waiting in the wings. There is the possibility of bringing back Anton Stralman, the unknown status of Michael Sauer, and the prospect of signing Justin Schultz. Del Zotto could conceivably be a trade chip this summer, or he could very well go into September and training without a new contract and eventually be a hold out. This will be one to watch all summer.
Revisit the Rick Nash trade? As long as Columbus gets it into its head that Chris Kreider and Ryan McDonagh are absolute untouchables, I don’t see any reason why the Nash to the Rangers discussions don’t rev up again at the draft. Nash holds all the cards in dictating where he goes with his no trade clause, he wants to be a Ranger and I believe strongly the Rangers still want him. His cap hit is a monster, but a first line of Nash-Richards-Gaborik on opening night next year is still an exciting thought. I don’t think there was another team happier that the Rangers didn’t go on to win the Cup as much as the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Target Zach Parise? Ryan Suter? If July 1st hits and the Rangers still have not yet made a major move by signing Schultz or making a major deal at the draft, they could very well make a major play for either one of them. Personally I think Parise will stay with the Devils long term, and Ryan Suter will sign somewhere for huge money somewhere else, but the Rangers will certainly keep their eyes opened on both of them.
Bring back Marty Biron? Probably the least exciting thought going into the summer or any summer is solidifying who will be the backup to Henrik Lundqvist. Biron seems to love being a Ranger and one of his best traits is the ability to play well when he hasn’t played for a long time. I would be very surprised if he doesn’t come back.
Calder for Kreider? The hype couldn’t have been greater for the Rangers former 2009 first round pick and boy did he deliver in the playoffs. Five playoff goals, speed, size, he hits, and the sky really seems to be the limit with this 21 year old. Looking forward to many years of watching him play, and is probably the thing I am looking forward to most in anticipation of the 2012-13 season.
Lockout? New CBA? The thing all hockey fans are dreading is another potential work stoppage. Very strange going into a summer knowing the CBA expires September 15th. The salary cap could conceivably go down, there may very well be a rule preventing the team from sending Wade Redden and his 6.5 million NHL salary to the AHL again, there could be another one time amnesty buyout, all sorts of unknowns on the labor front for the NHL and its fans. Glen Sather needs to really be careful with whatever he does this summer. The next CBA could very possibly be much more restrictive and not let him wield his magic wand to get himself out of some of his other recent much publicized mistakes.
I wish the Devils and Kings luck in the finals but I cannot wait until next season. The New York Rangers are a team on the rise, some very important veterans in their prime with some outstanding young players coming into their own. It’s a good time to be a Ranger fan despite the utter heartbreak we experienced Friday night.
Let’s Go Rangers!!!!
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