Schedules and Shanahans
Posted On Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at at 1:17 PM by Pucks on Broadway
In case you have been under a rock, here is the 2008 - 09 regular season schedule: http://rangers.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=TeamSchedule
Of course, by now you know the highlights, 6 divisional games instead of 8. Starting in Prague against Tampa Bay. Playing every team at least once.
So I won't bother to highlight games as everyone else has done at this point.
Now onto some observations:
Brendan Shanahan has come out over the past couple weeks and stated that he is a Ranger, he will only negotiate with the Rangers, and would not even consider another team until the Rangers tell him they can't sign him.
Now, this could be a lot of posturing and hope that the Rangers sign him, but let's be clear: the Rangers have too much respect for Shanahan to let him just hang on like this. If they couldn't fit him under the cap or weren't intent on signing him, they would have said, "thanks, but no thanks" and moved on.
Instead, GM Sather has said that Shanahan could still be part of the equation and left it at that. My guess is that Sather is waiting for the right deal to shed about $1.5 million in cap space.
According to NHLscap, the Rangers are over the cap by about $350,000. That includes Lauri Korpikoski, Aaron Voros, and Tomas Pock. Voros could very well end up in Hartford as could Korpikoski. Pock, I think, has seen the end of his days as a Ranger.
Where does that leave us?
Well, the Rangers have too many forwards so let's say that Korpikoski and Voros start in Hartford. That's $2,017,533 off the cap. Now take Blair Betts. Is there a place for him considering Dan Fritsche is now signed?
No.
That's another $615,000 off the cap. The Rangers have just gone from being $350,000 over the cap to $1,668,148 under the cap. Enough to sign Shanahan for one year at $1.2 million.
What would the lines look like?
Naslund - Gomez - Zherdev
Dawes - Drury - Shanahan
Prucha - Dubinsky - Callahan
Sjostrom - Fritsche - Orr / Rissmiller
Could be quite a formidable lineup.
Thoughts?
(Photo from Flickr/Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Forwards, with or without Shanny (and I'd like it to be with) really don't worry me about this years model of the $!$##@!$ Rangers. The ones we have can find the back of the net on a fairly regular basis.
The problem is that Moron and Stupider, err Dolan and Sather, continue to fail to sign a top notch defenseman. Redden and Rosy are NOT the answer.
Hank is going to be back there hoping that he has Eddie, Ricky, and Beezer to spell him for 5 mins so he can breath.
I like the lineup you posted, but I still feel that Shanny coming back, and I DO LOVE WHAT HE BRINGS to the team, may be a 3rd or 4th liner, with Korpikoski ahead of him. This way you have Korpi learning on the ice, and he has Shanny besdie him to help him learn. I think it's us and Detriot in the finals this year and with Shannys presence in the locker room in a big spot, he's worth 5 million.
John,
Thanks for the comment. I think you are right that Shanahan would be an asset at this point. I would disagree that Redden is not a top notch defenseman. I think that in this year's crop of UFA's, aside from Brian Campbell, Redden was the top defenseman on the market. Remember that Ottawa has been a disaster and that a change of venue may be a tremendous help. Hank is going to have a big year and the security of having Valiquette back there will help.
Anonymous, I love your prediction and I understand the Korpikoski sentiment. I would, however, say that his inexperience may be a lot to throw him to the second line. And I think Shanny will be back, but not at 5 million.
Shanahan is gone-a-man. Too slow. Good dude - time to move on. He can always go to NJ Devils where they are building an Alzheimers line (Holik/Rolston/Shanny)
James,
A fair concern, but on the special teams and in the locker room, he may be an asset.