Rangers in good spot as trade deadline nears
Los Angeles Kings's Kyle Clifford #13 vies against New York Rangers's Wojtek Wolski #86 during their ice hockey NHL season opener game at the Globe Arena. (Oct. 7, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
With the Feb. 27 trade deadline a month away, the rumors -- and perhaps deals -- involving the Rangers should start increasing very shortly.
President and general manager Glen Sather, coach John Tortorella and even owner James Dolan have said publicly that they are committed to a core group of regulars as well as top prospects and their development.
But that doesn't mean the roster won't be tweaked in an effort to improve the club if the right opportunity comes along: A rental or a player at the right price with a short-term deal. That's not new. Check the deadline-day deals of the last three seasons.
Of course, thanks to a phenomenal first half of the season, the Rangers have a playoff cushion, which they haven't had in recent years. And the market is different every year.
Nonetheless, the Rangers have some cap space and spare bodies.
By my calculations, the Rangers have about $2.1 million of room, plus spare forward Wojtek Wolski's $3.3 million contract on the roster, which pro-rated is less than half of that amount. The Blueshirts also are carrying several extra defensemen acquired during the season, including Anton Stralman (a restricted free agent with a $900,000 annual hit) and Jeff Woywitka ($650,000, unrestricted). With Michael Sauer's status unclear because of a concussion, Steve Eminger will likely stick, and the staff seems to like rookie Stu Bickel, although he has seen limited minutes in games before the All-Star break.
The power play could use a jolt, and among the names mentioned have been former Ranger Vinny Prospal, now with Columbus; Anaheim's Teemu Selanne; Buffalo's Derek Roy and Carolina's Tuomo Ruutu. Prospal would be a familiar, reasonably priced rental with a great work ethic and wouldn't disrupt team chemistry.
Roy and Ruutu pack more punch, but would likely require moving a player, a prospect and a pick. Selanne would have to waive his no-trade clause. Anaheim's Bobby Ryan and Columbus' Rick Nash have long, lucrative contracts and if they are on the market, would be sought by many other teams. On defense, the names of Lubomir Visnovky, Sheldon Souray and Tim Gleason have been floated. Visnovky's $5.2 million cap hit is a problem and Souray's ship has sailed. Tortorella likes Gleason; he adds defensive depth though, not offense.
Deadline dealing
In the past three years, the Rangers acquired nine players at the trade deadline, or slightly before. Only three players acquired in those swaps remain in the organization: Forwards John Mitchell, Brandon Prust and Kris Newbury.
DEADLINE DAY, FEB. 28, 2011
Acquire Mitchell from Maple Leafs for a 7th-round pick
Prior: Acquire D Bryan McCabe from Florida for Tim Kennedy and 3rd round pick in 2011
Deadline Day, March 3, 2010
Acquire D Anders Eriksson from Phoenix for G Miika Wiikman and 7th round pick in 2011
Acquire Newbury from Red Wings for Jordan Owens
Acquire Jody Shelley from Sharks for 6th-round pick in 2011
Prior: Acquire Olli Jokinen and Prust from Flames for Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins
DEADLINE DAY, MARCH 4, 2009
Acquire F Nik Antropov from Maple Leafs for 2nd-round pick and a conditional pick
Acquire D Derek Morris from Coyotes for forwards Nigel Dawes and Petr Prucha and D Dmitri Kalinin
Drafting a goalie?
Don't be shocked if the Rangers select a goaltender in the middle rounds of the June entry draft in Pittsburgh. Sure, All-Star Henrik Lundqvist is only 29 and backup Martin Biron deserves another contract. But the depth isn't there.
It's unclear whether the Whale's Chad Johnson will be re-signed, and Scott Stajcer, who was chosen with the 140th pick in 2009, remains with the OHL's Owen Sound.
The top five goaltending prospects: Russia's Andrei Vasilevski and Andrey Makarov; Sweden's Oscar Dansk; and two OHLers, Malcolm Subban, brother of Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban, and Matt Murray, will presumably be gone by the second or early third round.
In the last three years, only one goaltender has been selected in the first round, Jack Campbell by Dallas in 2010 at No. 11. Eighteen netminders were selected in the first five rounds last year, 12 in the first five in 2010 and 14 in the first five in 2009.
So the Blueshirts should have options: Brandon Whitney (Victoriaville), Jon Gillies (Indiana, USHL) and Joonas Korpisalo (Jokerit, Finland) are in the next tier, according to midseason rankings.
In the later rounds, I'm hearing very good reports on Finland's Richard Ullberg (6-3, 185 and comparable to Kari Lehtonen) and Quebec's Francois Tremblay (Val D'Or) and Francois Brassard (Remparts), any of whom might fit the bill for the Rangers.
Travel-lite February
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. The February schedule is extremely light on air travel. A game in Buffalo on the 1st, one in Boston on the 14th and another in Pittsburgh on the 21st. There are eight home games and commutes to Philadelphia and Uniondale.
By the Numbers
Rangers leaders at the All-Star break
Goals: Marian Gaborik, 25
Assists: Derek Stepan, 21
Points: Marian Gaborik, 39
PPG: Ryan Callahan, 7
Shots: Marian Gaborik, 159
Shorthanded goals: Carl Hagelin, 2
Blocked shots: Dan Girardi, 119
