The Morning Skate: Deep breath on decisions; Redden and predictions

Just tying up some loose ends from last night and scanning ahead...

****                  

Let me try to tamp down some of the expected furor when some prospect from the Rangers doesn't make the opening night roster. I can hear the wailing already. It is simply one night, one phase at the start of a long season. Not the end of the "youth movement".

With injuries, slumps, trades, the track record of John Tortorella and the emergence of young players, the roster will change by the 20-25 game mark, especially if players like Mats Zuccarello (two points last night) light it up. For example, Derek Stepan, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer and Pavel Valentenko are solid kids and deserve to be in the NHL, if not now, someday.

****

Reporter Bruce Berlet, in Hartford, spoke with Wade Redden yesterday.

“I come here as a player, just like everybody else,” Redden said. “Things just didn’t work out in New York. After signing there as a free agent and thinking things would be all great, it’s definitely more of a different place to play than I expected. And when things don’t go your way, it’s even tougher. I’m out of that scenario, so that’s a good thing, too, and now I just want to come and enjoy the game a bit.”

****

Happens every fall: the problem with those magazine season previews. The early deadlines can't account for recent injuries and camp surprises. Marc Savard, Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo, etc. and kids around the league who have risen to the challenge. With that in mind, Newsday's season preview arrives Sunday....and I'll have a Blue Notes league-wide outlook, top rookies, awards predictions, the whole enchilada, right or wrong, before puck drops for real....

***

More later from practice, and remember to follow me at twitter.com/stevezipay