Zuccarello, Semenov are surprise cuts for Rangers
Photo credit: Getty Images | Norweigan forward Mats Zuccarello will make his Rangers debut Thursday against Tampa Bay.
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It's down to 27 players for the Rangers after 11 hopefuls were reassigned or cut Monday. At least four of the remaining forwards and defensemen will be pared during the next week as the roster is completed before the NHL season opens.
No one was shocked that defenseman Wade Redden cleared waivers, with his hefty contract and lightweight performances a deadly combination. To some observers, though, yesterday's demotion of touted Norwegian forward Mats Zuccarello and release of veteran defenseman Alexei Semenov were somewhat surprising.
Zuccarello, 23, the diminutive winger who was voted MVP of the Swedish Elite League last season and signed a two-year deal in May, certainly displayed offensive skill, but admitted that he would need time to adjust to the smaller ice surfaces in North America. He will have that chance in Hartford.
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Semenov made the team as a seventh defenseman last season, only to bolt for Russia's KHL at the eleventh hour, in part because his wife thought the contract offer in Russia was better. But his team, Moscow Dynamo, merged with another and he was released, and general manager Glen Sather offered him a tryout.
Instead, Semenov failed to make the proper impression in camp, and along with tryout Garnet Exelby were dismissed, leaving the door open for rookie defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Michael Sauer. Nine defensemen are left, including Steve Eminger, 26, who was acquired in the Aaron Voros trade.
McDonagh, 21, who left the University of Wisconsin to turn pro with teammate Derek Stepan, has played very well. Valentenko, one team executive said, could develop into a punishing Anton Volchenkov-type player with more offense.
Left wing is overbooked and on the right side, tryout Ruslan Fedotenko played for coach John Tortorella in Tampa and could wind up as a third-liner, behind Marian Gaborik and Ryan Callahan.
Brandon Prust is a hard-nosed fourth liner. Tim Kennedy could earn a spot on left wing or center, where Todd White and Brian Boyle also are battling. Dane Byers and Dale Weise were assigned to Hartford.
The Rangers have 22 players under contract and about $3.34 million in cap space. That's without Fedotenko, McDonagh, Stepan and Valentenko.
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