New York Rangers

The Rangers will hold a press conference Friday at Radio City Music Hall. While the team has not made an official announcement about the press conference just yet, it will be to introduce Alain Vigneault as the team’s new coach. Vigneault, 52, agreed, in principle, to a five-year deal worth $10 million on Saturday after receiving a similar offer from the Dallas Stars. However, the deal had to be finalized and Glen Sather is currently in Boston for a general managers’ meeting. It will be the first chance for Vigneault to meet the “vaunted” New York media and, no doubt, there will be a heavy Canadian contingent in attendance for the former Canucks and Canadiens coach. But handling large media gatherings should not be an issue for Vigneault after his experiences in hockey-crazy Montreal and hockey-crazy Vancouver. If anything, the Big Apple might seem like a relaxed atmosphere for him once he gets past this initial press conference. Among the key questions for Vigneault will be his staff - there have been reports Ulf Samuelsson might be a candidate to be an assistant - and just how different his presence will be from predecessor John Tortorella, who, ironically, has a chance to succeed Vigneault in Vancouver. ====================================================== Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/AGrossRecord Follow the Record Sports Staff at twitter.com/TheRecordSports

Briere is to be bought out, and will hit the UFA market. While this has not officially happened yet, the rumors are abound that the Flyers have informed Danny Briere that the organization will use one of their two compliance buyouts on the 35-year-old winger and his $6.5 million salary. Not only are the rumors rampant, but Briere himself seems to think he will be bought out as well. Briere is fresh off one of the worst two-year stretches of his career, a stretch where he shot under 10% in both seasons, well below his career average of 14.4%. Briere is still pretty decent offensively, capable of putting up 15 goals and 50 points, and can play both center and right wing. However, this year was just an atrocious performance for Briere, who posted a 0.9 OGVT and 0.8 DGVT in the lockout-shortened year. While he has never been a defensive stalwart, the 0.9 OGVT is a significant drop from the 7.5 OGVT of last season. The big decision here is determining whether or not this horrible season –where he shot an abysmal 6.9%– was an off-year or a sign that the 35-year-old has hit a wall. Looking back at Briere’s metrics, he was a major puck possession driver in the 2009-2010 season, leading all Flyers with a 10.1 RCorsi. However, that appears to be the last season where Briere actually posted a positive RCorsi, despite being used in favorable situations (Corsi Rel QoC always under 0.3, always over 50% OZone starts). In 2010-2011 his RCorsi was -0.3, 2011-2012 was -3.1, and this 2013 season was -1.8, all with minimal variation in his Corsi Rel QoC and OZone start percentages. On the scoreboard, Briere still managed to post 50 point seasons despite his declining puck possession ability, but it wasn’t until the past two seasons where we saw his goal totals take a big hit, dropping from 34 in 2010-2011 to just 6 in 34 games this season (16 in the 2011-2012 campaign). Briere’s name is going to be brought up many times when the Flyers officially buy him out, but this is a classic case of buyer beware. Briere has a name value, but he has been declining in all major categories over the past three seasons. Briere isn’t just on the wrong side of 30, he’s on the wrong side of 35 as well. There are better top-six options available for the Rangers, even if he does come at a likely discounted price. Tweet

Sometimes other teams show you what certain paths are going to look like. The New York Rangers have made it clear they're looking for a righty defenseman with a booming shot, mainly to help boost the power play. This ideology was furthered along by the fact that Alain Vigneault power plays generally create a lot of one timers and shots from the point. This isn't a new thought process. The Rangers have been linked with pretty much every single offensive defenseman with a big shot the past few years, regardless of whether or not said player is even available. So it's no surprise the Rangers are interested in a player like that. The reality of the situation is, like I said above, sometimes opposing teams give you a good idea of what the road is going to be like. Let's look at the two big offseason moves for offensive defenseman: 1) The Dallas Stars traded a sixth round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for Sergei Gonchar. The stars then signed Gonchar to a two-year $10-million contract. 2) The Philadelphia Flyers traded a fourth round pick to the New York Islanders for Mark Streit. The Flyers then signed Streit to a four-year $21-million contract. Take a look at those two situations. Gonchar is 39 years old, is a $5-million cap hit and is signed for two years. The Streit contract makes even less sense. Streit is 35 and got four years for a $5.25-million cap hit. So, to review, not only did both teams have to shell out draft picks (arguably not high picks, but still) and then sign both players to pretty massive deals. The Flyers, who already have cap issues, made huge strides to close the gap with Streit that the Islanders couldn't. The Stars did better in terms of length, but that's still a big cap hit. What does this mean for the Rangers? The market on available UFA defenseman is think. Remarkably thin. The best players available right now are Marek Zidlicky (36) and Joe Corvo (35). There have been rumbles Sather is interested in Zidlicky, but considering the contracts both Gonchar and Streit got he might be too expensive -- especially since his services are going to hit the open market. So who is available on the trade front? I'm not sure. There haven't been many reports about defenseman on the block at all. But if the UFA market is any indication the price for a defenseman is going to be pretty steep. I doubt the Rangers make a move but I'm sure Sather is kicking tires around the league. What do you guys think? Who are you interested in seeing the Rangers go after? Should they look at the UFA market? Do the Rangers even need to bring on a defenseman?

{Jared Wickerham/Getty Images North America} Usually when we do our stay or go posts, we look at pending UFAs to see if the Rangers should spend the money to keep these players around. Last week Suit wrote a stay or go for Brian Boyle, as Boyle is the subject of a lot of discussion, and I’m going to piggy-back on this. Many know that I’m a Boyle supporter,and with AV –and his significantly less aggressive systems– in, his skating issues won’t be easily exploited as much. His defensive play makes him an almost indispensable part of the fourth line. This of course brings us to Taylor Pyatt. Signed to be a replacement for Ruslan Fedotenko, Pyatt immediately showed that he has tremendous hockey IQ. He simply knows the game and knows where to be. The problems with Pyatt were his inability to score consistently –eight of his eleven points came in two different stretches of three and five game point streaks– and his foot speed, which was exploited time and time again. Scoring for Pyatt has always been a relatively difficult task, as he’s only breached the 20-point barrier twice in the past five years, so his 11 points in 48 games is actually on pace with his career average. Ditto for his shot percentage (10.7% this year, compared to 10.9% over his career). Pyatt’s usage was a happy medium between two-way and sheltered minutes, per his player usage chart. Given the bubble layout on the chart, it’s safe to say that Pyatt was actually given the most sheltered minutes of anyone not nailed to the fourth line on a regular basis. With those minutes, Pyatt would at least be expected to match his metrics from the 2011-2012 season (.140 Corsi Rel QoC, -9.3 RCorsi, 41.2% OZone starts). The problem is: His numbers this year don’t really add up. For more on the metrics we use, click here. Sure, Pyatt’s RCorsi was marginally better this year at -8.7, but considering the Rangers were a top-ten team in puck possession this year, that’s not unexpected. But when you compare that with his -.061 Corsi Rel QoC and 53.0% OZone starts, his marginally increased RCorsi seems less impressive. Throw in the foot speed, and this all of a sudden becomes a problem. What you see is what you get with Pyatt: A decent bottom-six player who can eat minutes in an unimpressive fashion. He will chip in to the tune of 20 points a season, but he won’t be consistent enough offensively to warrant a spot off the bottom-six, perhaps even the fourth line. Is that enough to earn his $1.55 million salary? In a Torts system, I’d say look to see what the Rangers could get for him. However in a Vigneault 1-2-2 system, Pyatt may be significantly more useful. After all, he wasn’t bad in Phoenix with Dave Tippet’s 1-2-2, and his two best offensive seasons came under Vigneault when they were in Vancouver together from 2006-2008, including his only 20-goal season. Perhaps Pyatt is just better suited for a trapping team. Or perhaps the 31-year old is continuing his decline over the past three seasons. The Rangers have a glut of bottom-six guys, with more on the way in the form of J.T. Miller and Oscar Lindberg. An addition of a top-six winger moves Carl Hagelin to the third line where he belongs, and all of a sudden you have a logjam and a tough decision to make. It looks like this is coming down to Pyatt or Boyle, not both. Personally, I’d keep Boyle and see what they can get for Pyatt. Boyle adds more defensively, with face offs, and with versatility (he played the wing a bit this year, Pyatt can’t play center). Regardless, one of them won’t be in New York next season. Tweet

One of the biggest (and best) acquisitions Glen Sather made by the trade deadline last year was signing Mats Zuccarello. Zuccarelo left the Rangers for a one year KHL contract last summer, and once his season was over the Rangers brought him back for the playoff run. The move was a big success. Zuccarello scored three goals and added five assists for eight points in 15 regular season games. He added a goal and six assists for seven points in 12 playoff games. Here's the deal with Zuccarello: He brings offensive creativity the Rangers desperately needed. At 25 he's still a very young option and he fit in perfectly despite being gone for an entire season. I speculated earlier in the year that Zuccarello's time in the KHL helped him take the next step this season. Some of you disagreed with me, but I do think getting big minutes in a very good professional league let him evolve into an even better player. Zuccarello's contract was worth $700,00 this year, and you can expect he would get a pretty sizable raise if the Rangers were interested in bringing him back. They have the cap space, and it's not like Zuccarello is going to break the bank anyway, so my guess is Sather is more mulling over the length rather than the dollars. It should also be noted that Zuccarello is a restricted free agent, so other teams interested in him would need to pay the Rangers compensation. To me, Zuccarello is worth bringing back (unless he makes crazy trade demands). We've talked a lot about how the Rangers were much better when they got deeper as a team, and Zuccarello is a huge part of that depth. Another factor? The power play. The Rangers man advantage is far more lethal when Zuccarello is one the ice. His elusiveness and his vision was simply on a different level in the playoffs, and the Rangers power play only succeeded (when it did) because of him. He had three power play assists in the playoffs. For a team that couldn't score to save their lives with the man advantage, that figure is massive. Sometimes with free agents the only thing you need to do is answer one question: Is the team better with or without [Player X]? In Zuccarello's case the answer is easily "better with him." To many (myself included) the answer is "much better with him." What do you guys think? Should the Rangers keep Zuccarello or drop him?

This is going to come as a surprise to those of you who haven't had a chance to talk to me; I get accused of having a very sarcastic attitude. I am not sure where I get that label from because these days I am beginning to believe if it isn't listed on a Twitter or Facebook profile then it can't be true. I do plead guilty to being a firm believer of Bill Engvall's "Here's your sign" rules for stupid people though. Stupid people should have to wear signs that just say, "I'm Stupid". That way you wouldn't rely on them, would you? You wouldn't ask them anything. It would be like, "Excuse me...oops, never mind. I didn't see your sign." 1) It's like before my wife and I moved. Our house was full of boxes and there was a U-Haul truck in our driveway. My friend comes over and says "Hey, you moving?" "Nope. We just pack our stuff up once or twice a week to see how many boxes it takes. Here's your sign." 2) A couple of months ago I went fishing with a buddy of mine. We pulled his boat into the dock, I lifted up this big 'ol stringer of bass and this idiot on the dock goes, "Hey, y'all catch all them fish?" "Nope -Talked 'em into giving up. Here's your sign." 3) I was watching one of those animal shows on the Discovery Channel. There was a guy inventing a shark bite suit. And there's only one way to test it. "Alright Jimmy, you got that shark suit on, it looks good... They want you to jump into this pool of sharks, and you tell us if it hurts when they bite you." "Well, all right, but hold my sign. I don't wanna lose it." 4) Last time I had a flat tire, I pulled my truck into one of those side-of-the-road gas stations. The attendant walks out, looks at my truck, looks at me, and asked, "Tire go flat?" I couldn't resist so I said, "Nope. I was driving around and those other three just swelled right up on me. Here's your sign." 5) We were trying to sell our car about a year ago. A guy came over to the house and drove the car around for about 45 minutes. We get back to the house, he gets out of the car, reaches down and grabs the exhaust pipe, then says, "Dang that's hot!" See! If he'd been wearing his sign, I could have stopped him before we took that drive! 6) Then there was the guy with the 18-wheeler... Wouldn't ya know he misjudged the height of the overpass... The truck got stuck and he couldn't get it out no matter how he tried. He radioed in for help and eventually a local cop shows up to take the report. He went through his basic questioning.. ok.. no problem. The guy thought, "He can't say it, he's a paid official..." He thought sure he was clear of needing a sign... until the cop asked "So.. is your truck stuck?" The guy couldn't help himself! He looked at the cop, looked back at the rig and then back at the cop and said "No I was delivering this overpass and my truck stalled... here's your sign." 7) One day I locked my keys in my car and as I was standing there with a coat hangar halfway thru the top of my window, a guy walks up and says," Lock yer keys in the car?" Without missin a beat I said, "Nope, Just washed it and was hanging it up to dry." I bring this up because there are just times when I truly wonder about people especially those who call themselves "insiders" or "experts." Seriously if you have to put it on your own profile then that should be the warning sign for those who make the mistake of trying to have a conversation with you. It is like those who when a coach is hired that they think he is also going to be the general manager too. Unless he is actually hired for that job then that should be your first clue that no he will not be making the trades or selecting who they pick in the draft. Now 90% of you I don't need to say this to so I apologize for this but for the other 10%, read this closely. The General Manager is not hiring the coach so he can also do his job as well. I would love to see whoever the Rangers actually do hire to be the next coach to walk into Glen Sather'

(Editor’s note: Be aware, or beware, that our very special guest blogger is known for his creative negativity, and the colorful vocabulary with which he describes his beloved Rangers … you know, “bush-league” and “amateur-hour” and “clowns” etc.) “It Doesn’t Matter What Path” By Paulo Molina, aka “Miami Pimp” It was about a year ago that my masterpiece ( Well, toss me a beret and call me Nostradamus. The 2012-13 version of your heroes sharpened their blades, tightened their helmets, and draped their capes … but predictably managed to undermine their foreskaters. It did all start with a lot of promise, as clueless no-talents like Dubinsky, Anisimov, and Erixon were tossed aside for the second-coming-of-the-savior Nash. But like all promises with this team, the result was a broken dream. The squad sleepwalked through the season, often looking slow and disjointed as they littered the ice with giveaways, missed shots, and overall play so poor it warranted arrests for misdemeanor. Typical words like “amateur hour”, “bush league”, and “Mickey Mouse” grew stale fast as it became far too easy to attach the proverbial adjectives to underperforming clowns like the forgot-how-to-play Richards, the can’t-win-a-faceoff Stepan, and the overhyped-and-utterly-inadequate Boyle. They somehow managed to wake themselves and their legion of hopeless followers with tolerable play throughout the latter half of the season and in a torturous seven-game grind against the Ovechkin-abandoned Capitals. Lundqvist displayed his mettle by single-glovedly winning the first round, but eventually the dogs-breakfast-of-a-team ended the tease and was rightly mauled by the Bruins in what should have been a 3-and-out. The result was Sather doing what any logical GM would have in his position. Faced with either keeping a divisive brute or delving into coaching free agency, he lit up a stogie, sided with the always-en-vouge Avery, and “fired this CLOWN!” Now Croc Monsieur Alain Vigneault takes the helm. A man who has won exactly one fewer Cup than his predecessor, but who’ll be expected to reach the promise land before the biscuit even hits the ice. From day one, he’ll operate beneath the shadows of the Messiah, with every fan probing his every move … hopeful the players love him, perform for him, and play for his BS. Truth is, does any of it really matter? Tortorella or Vigneault. Richards or no Richards. The Kreider or regular Kreider. We shall toil with wishes and visions of a Cup-go-round at MSG, but know full well that no matter what path they take, these AHLers will assuredly underdeliver. It’s just a matter of when, not if, the team’s struck with the emblematic coup de grâce that arrives every spring. Which is why though we can’t be certain our friend Robert Frost ever sported a Rangers jersey, his infamous words resonate well: Two paths diverged over a frozen lake, And sorry they could not skate both And be one skater, long the New York Rangers stood And looked down one as far as they could To where it bent on the icy plane; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it wasn’t as abrasive and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that moment equally lay On surface no blade had hollowed thin. Oh, the New York Rangers tossed the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way They doubted if they should ever come back. So it stands to reason that I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere about a year hence; Two paths diverged over a lake, and the New York Rangers, They took the one less skated on, And that hasn’t made a heck of a difference.   From the gateway to Cuban sandwiches, shark-infested beaches, and abysmal drivers &

The Rangers recalled reliever Joe Ortiz from Triple-A Round Rock Tuesday.

It’s hard not to root for Hudson Fasching. With a new coach on board, the next order of business this offseason will be the NHL Draft, coming up on June 30th.  The Rangers don’t have first or second round choices thanks to trades for Rick Nash and Ryane Clowe, but they do have three third round picks.  The good news is that the 2013 draft is considered extremely deep, but by the third round there won’t be any sure things.  Here’s a look at three guys that could interest the Rangers, but are definitely high-risk, high reward players. Hudson Fasching Position: RW Height: 6-3 Weight: 214 Perhaps the feel good story of the draft, Fasching has overcome tremendous obstacles in his personal life to reach where he is today.  The Minnesota native has two younger siblings, ages 16 and 14, that both suffer from a mitochondrial disease that keeps them in wheelchairs.  Cooper and Mallory Fasching both receive meals through feeding tubes and are cortically blind – their eyes work but their brains can’t process what they see.  Doctors believe that neither will live beyond adolescence.  Helping to care for his siblings has forced Hudson to mature in a hurry and he will attend the University of Minnesota next year so that he can remain close to home. On the ice, Fasching possesses an enticing combination of size and speed.  Before the season he was considered to be a likely first round pick, but his stock has fallen a bit this year because Fasching’s production hasn’t been particularly impressive.  Still, given his strength and skating alone, Fasching will be well worth the risk in the second or third round.  The key for Fasching’s development is that he must hone his other tools instead of just relying on his size.  That worked against younger competition but it won’t be enough as he advances.  Though Fasching is adept at using his size around the net and to shield pucks, it would be nice to see him add a little more nastiness to his game as well. Rangers fans are understandably wary of guys that are highly regarded mostly due to their measurements thanks to the Hugh Jessiman disaster, but Fasching has a unique set of circumstances driving him forward.  New York has drafted a ton of Americans in recent years, so Fasching is definitely one to keep an eye on. Zach Sanford Zach Sanford Position: LW Height: 6-3 Weight: 190 Sanford’s path to the NHL Draft is somewhat reminiscent of 2012 Calgary first-rounder Mark Jankowski.  Like Jankowski, Sanford has dominated against weaker competition in the EJHL, which is often a warning flag for scouts.  And like Jankowski, it took Sanford a while to get going in his draft year, but a strong late season surge caused him to fly up draft boards.  Sanford has a long way to go to grow into his body, but he has the size and skills to make many believe that he can continue thriving against tougher competition as he climbs the ranks. Sanford would be a major project pick, but he’ll be immersed in one of the best college programs in the country when he starts skating for Boston College in a year or two.  After a few years of development, Sanford’s high upside means he might turn out to be one of the steals of the draft, but he could also just as easily be overwhelmed against more skilled opponents.  New York is likely to do some maneuvering around the draft with their three third round picks, but using a flyer on a guy like Sanford with one of them would make a lot of sense. Spencer Martin Spencer Martin Position: G Height: 6-2 Weight: 192 Martin’s draft stock has taken a nosedive this season due to maddening inconsistency, but he was previously regarded as a potential first-round selection.  According to The Hockey News, the big knock on Martin is that he’s almost too technically sound.  Martin is so adept at getting into perfect position in his butterfly stance that scouts seem unsure whether he actually has the athleticism a

Yesterday we talked about Steve Eminger and if the New York Rangers should try to re-sign him after some solid work in the 7th defenseman role last year. The response for Eminger was pretty positive, as it should have been. For the price tag he had, and the role he filled, he was a very solid part of the defensive corps. Today's question is a little bit harder: Matt Gilroy. Gilroy is a very interesting situation for the Rangers. He signed to play for New York after winning the Hobey Baker in 2008-2009. He joined the team with relatively high expectations to become a serviceable defenseman for the team. I mean, hey, you don't win an award for being the best player in the NCAA without being a good hockey player. But Gilroy never hit the expectations. And after spending two years in New York he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, before being traded to the Ottawa Senators. After not finding any work during the offseason - and not able to sign with an NHL team due to the lockout - the Rangers gave Gilroy a contract to play in the AHL, with the expectation being that if he played well (and the lockout ended) the Rangers would bring him back on an NHL contract. That did happen. And Gilroy's numbers in the AHL (15 points in 34 games) were solid. But he had a tough time cracking the lineup for the Rangers when games started, only playing in 15 regular season games (where he didn't even average 10 minutes a game). In the playoffs Gilroy wasn't used at all, not even when the Rangers needed an emergency defenseman to slot into the lineup (John Tortorella selected Roman Hamrlik over Gilroy). He's certainly not expensive, he had a $650,000 cap hit last year, but based off of his usage last year I'm not too sure he's worth bringing back even for the cheap price tag. Maybe if the Rangers decide they would rather have him than Eminger he might come back, but I can't think of too many reasons to pick Gilroy over Eminger. Gilroy is only less than a year younger (I know, this shocked me too) and is more integrated into the system. Those types of things do matter, especially for a defenseman playing a "backup" role. Would Gilroy be willing to do the same? I'm not sure he'll have another option (I can't see teams falling over each other to get him). I'm also not sure the Rangers would give him the chance themselves. What do you guys think? Would you keep him? Thoughts?