New York Rangers

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?

Jun 17, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) is congratulated by defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (44) after game three of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden. The Bruins won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports No overtime was needed as the Boston Bruins dominated during game 3, and won 2-0. The surprising scratch of Marian Hossa was the nail in the coffin for the Blackhawks during game 3. The pressure was heavily on Patrick Kane and Johnathan Toews, and neither came up for the occasion. Without Hossa, the series could end prematurely for the Blackhawks a series many, just like myself wanted to see go 7. The Blackhawks and their offensive firepower cannot score on the powerplay. Crazy, because of the skill players they have on the team, they cannot convert one powerplay opportunity. Good for the Bruins, as it was Daniel Girardi of the Rangers who scored the last powerplay goal against the Bruins. Interesting stat. Tuukka Rask, what more can I say about him that hasn’t been said. Sure he has a solid defense around him, and sure that helps a lot. But, Tuukka Rask has come up big for the Bruins where they needed him the most. After an inconsistent first round, Tukka Rask is 10-2, with a 1.42GAA, a .959 SV% with 3 shutouts. His 17 GA in 12 games matches the total amount of goals he gave up the ENTIRE first round. Someone turned on their jets. The Bruins are downright scary, solid 4 line play, strong defensive pairs, and a solid goaltender. The Blackhawks while having the same solid 4 lines, are missing their big players in key situations, and it comes down to the poor post season that Johnathan Toews is having. Toews needs to step up his game if the Blackhawks expect to win this series. Pucks from his stick NEED to go in the net. Jaromir Jagr probably had his best chances of the playoffs this game, yet he STILL could not bury one past Corey Crawford, who for the most part was lucky that only 2 goals went past him. Jagr will eventually get a goal, but he’s helping the team create and generate offense, as his pass setting up the Patrice Bergeron goal was a nice set play. The Blackhawks have to hope that Marian Hossa returns for game 4, or the same problems that existed in game 3 will continue over to game 4. But we need to see Toews perform, we need to see Kane perform consistently. These issues non withstanding, this has been an exciting and excellent Stanley Cup Final, and should continue as we go forward. In case you missed the game, here are the highlights:

According to a report in the New York Daily News, Ulf Samuelsson is one of the top candidates for one of the assistant positions on Alain Vigneault's staff. Samuelsson (who was reportedly interested in the head coaching position) was a defenseman for the New York Rangers during his playing career. From the story: Former Rangers defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, 49, is a leading candidate to be hired as one of Vigneault's assistants. Samuelsson has been the head coach of Modo in the Swedish Elite League since May 2011. But on Monday night, the Modo website listed Anders Forsberg as its head coach, one day after a report that Samuelsson had expressed interest in a Rangers assistant job. Samuelsson already was an NHL assistant from 2006 through 2011 for the Phoenix Coyotes. The report also claims that goaltending coach Benoit Allaire was retained and Mike Sullivan was officially let go. Neither of those two decisions come as a surprise. Pat Leonard also reports that Newell Brown -- who worked with Vigneault the past three years -- is another candidate for an assistant position. Thoughts?

Jun 17, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask (40) celebrates with center Patrice Bergeron (37), defenseman Andrew Ference (21) and left wing Kaspars Daugavins (16) after game three of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden. The Bruins won 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports Bruins dominate and control game 3, up in series 2-1 Mark Streit signs 4 year $22 million deal with Flyers Reports trickled out that Alain Vigneault has signed a 5 year $10 million deal to coach Rangers John Tortorella headed to Vancouver for a second interview, must prove he’s willing to change behavior with media TSN reports that the New Jersey Devils missed a loan payment, could spell a cloudy future on the franchise. The Toronto Sun reports that the Philadelphia Flyers will buy out BOTH Danny Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov To celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Trade” Oil on Whyte’s Derek Stykalo asks Oiler fans to vote their favorite Gretzky moment. In case you’ve forgotten here’s a little flashback on the trade:

And just like that we enter the Western Conference and get to say goodbye to some of the divisions there and one of the best in-division rivalries in sports (the Blackhawks and the Red Wings). The Central Division doesn't have many strong buy-out candidates for one of the two amnesty buy-outs that each team is allowed during the next two offseasons but I thought we'd go through the motions and go through all the teams anyway. If you missed any of the other articles or want to jump back into the discussion and tell me how wrong I am here is what we have gone through so far: EASTERN CONFERENCE: Atlantic Potential Buy-Outs Northeast Potential Buy-Outs Southeast Potential Buy-Outs Without further delay let's jump right into it guys and dolls. I present to you the potential buy-out candidates for the mighty Central Division: Note: I am ignoring the implications of whether or not a team can "afford" to buy out a player or not for the sake of debate and discussion about what players are good buy-out candidates. Chicago Blackhawks Who Could be Bought-Out: Steve Montador, Rostislav Olesz The Blackhawks have all their money in the right places and in the right players. The only exceptions to this might be veteran blueliner Steve Montador and winger Rostislav Olesz both of whom were put on waivers this year. Montador, 33, is signed for two more seasons at $2.75 million a year on the cap and no longer has a place on the Blackhawks roster. Olesz, 27, has injury issues and simply isn't worth the cap space he takes up though he is under contract for just one more year, taking up $2.2 million in cap space. If Chicago can free up come cap space by buying out Olesz and Montador they can have a real chance at keeping Bryan Bickell, Viktor Stalberg, and other pending free agents around. St. Louis Blues Who Could be Bought-Out: n/a The Blues are another team that has all of their money in the right places. The biggest issues they have this offseason are re-signing RFAs Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo, Chris Stewart, Patrik Berglund, and Kris Russell. If the Blues find some more scoring in their lineup or in the free agency market and finally figure out who the heck their starting goaltender is they are going to remain a force to be reckoned with for a long, long time. Detroit Red Wings Who Could be Bought-Out: Mikael Samuelsson How well run are the Detroit Red Wings? It's absolutely amazing. Samuelsson's contract stands out as the only real target for an amnesty buy-out because of his injury issues and his game and efficacy starting to slip as he enters his late thirties. Under contract for just one more season at a cap hit of $3.00 million, the 36 year old Swedish forward might be hitting the free agency market a year earlier than expected. A little bit more cap room would be welcome in Detroit so that they can bring back players like Damien Brunner, Valteri Filppula, and Ian White or make some splashes in the free agency pool this offseason. Columbus Blue Jackets Who Could be Bought-Out: n/a I could bring up names and contracts like Fedor Tyutin, R.J. Umberger, James Wisniewksi, and Jack Johnson but I don't think I should (well, I suppose I just kinda did...). 'Lumbus finally found their game and some major chemistry and almost made good on an inspiring push to make it into the playoffs this season. With the Vezina Award-winning Sergei Bobrovsky in net Lumbus could really be a ship that is finally being steered in the right direction. The Blue Jackets need to turn their focus on re-signing RFAs Artem Anisimov and Sergei Bobrovsky and looking to add the right kind of depth via free agency. A few of the names I mentioned earlier could be talked about as buy-out targets next offseason if they struggle or regress from what they accomplished last year but for now Columbus should not try to fix what isn't broken and go with the group that got so many of us finally interested and excited about hockey in Ohio. Nashville Predat

Don’t expect a huge difference in performance under Vigneault. With Alain Vigneault on board, the Rangers are likely going to be changing their styles of play. But with that style change comes understanding what that change will bring. This is something we’ve covered a few times here, but it’s worth digging deeper into the puck possession metrics to see how exactly the Rangers will be differing in styles of play, and how effective AV’s more conservative style is at driving puck possession. Make no mistake, there are very few coaches as aggressive as John Tortorella. The Rangers sat at the top of the league in GF% (goals for percentage, GF/[GF+GA]), CF%, and SF% this past season, which was likely the most efficient on-ice performance of any Torts-coached Ranger team. They may not have been pretty, they may have been maddeningly inconsistent, but they were efficient in puck possession as a team. Vigneault’s Canucks, however, were not in the top-10 in these categories this past season. But it is unfair to really rate Vigneault –or Tortorella for that matter– with just one lockout-shortened season of stats. So let’s look at the last three years for these coaches: GF% CF% SF% Year NYR VAN NYR VAN NYR VAN 2013 57.3% 50.9% 53.6% 51.5% 54.0% 49.1% 2011-2012 53.2% 54.2% 47.7% 52.7% 50.1% 50.0% 2010-2011 52.3% 56.8% 49.1% 52.3% 49.9% 51.5% From the table, you can see a direct trend upward for Tortorella as his players began buying into the system. For Vigneault, you can see a direct trend downward. On the surface it looks bad, but there are probably more factors at play here. For the Canucks, it’s tough to drive possession when half your defense is injured at any given time. Also, they lacked quality depth players that could drive puck possession (see: Hagelin, Carl). However there’s more to puck possession than just measuring CF% and SF%. There’s also face off location; the ability to force teams to take face offs in their defensive zone. This illustrates the ability to get the puck out of the defensive zone and begin the attack. This is a secondary aspect of puck possession that is often overlooked. OZFO% Year NYR VAN 2013 34.9% 32.5% 2011-2012 29.4% 31.7% 2010-2011 31.3% 32.4% This is where things get interesting. AV’s Canucks hovered around 32% for the three year average, while Torts’ Rangers had a whopping 5% jump in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, up from 30%. Those first two years Torts relied on a low-zone collapse, it wasn’t until he started mixing in a strong-side overload in 2013 that the Rangers started being more effective in the defensive zone. Vancouver, who routinely played the strong side overload in the defensive zone, was much more consistent. So what does all this tell us? It means that Alain Vigneault will not bring sweeping changes to the Rangers in regards to puck possession. He may get more out of this club on the powerplay. He may get them to block less shots. He may get them to play a less-exhausting 1-2-2 forecheck. But one thing he will not do is turn the Rangers into a dominant puck possession force. What you saw last year during the last month of the season was the Rangers at their best, and barring any significant roster turnover, that is what their best will be, Torts or Vigneault. What does Vigneault bring then? He brings a different voice in the locker room. He may bring them a better powerplay (he will certainly get them to move more). He will bring a more conservative approach to the forecheck.  Maybe a new voice is what this team needs to be more consistent. That we won’t know until a few months into the 2013-2014 season. But if you’re expecting a completely dominant team because of a coaching change, you’re in for some major disappointment. Tweet

Two games down, both games have gone to overtime, and the series is knotted up 1-1 and the teams are shipping up to Boston (I am going to see how many times I can reference the Dropkick Murphys song). Daniel Paille climbed up the top sails in overtime and gave the Bruins the edge they needed over the Blackhawks in Game Two of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. Thus far this series has been physical, it has been exciting, it has been entertaining, and it has been fantastic playoff hockey. I can only hope we find our wooden legs and even more great hockey in Boston for Game Three. Not going to lie to you guys I thought I'd have more lyrics to work with but I just looked at the lyrics to "Shipping Up to Boston" and there are literally six lines of lyrics that are just repeated over and over... I'll find a way to work a few more references in though. Maybe. I don't think either team is going to be able to casually sail through tonight's game because so far we have seen intense hockey from both teams. I expect this ship to stay it's course and for the games to remain tight and entertaining though that probably isn't good news for the hearts of Blackhawks and Bruins fans. I'm just trying too hard with the song references now, aren't I? Joe is going to fire me. So, who do you have pegged down to win tonight's game (Eh? Eh?!)? I predict Chicago will surprise the Bruins and take Game Three. I also predict that this series will go to seven games based on what we have seen so far. The Bruins might be motivated by Game Two's big overtime win and try to use that momentum to build on their home ice advantage in Games Three and Four but the Blackhawks, for my money, are/were the best team in hockey this season and aren't going to be easy to beat, even at home... in Boston... where we are all shipping up to... WOAH OH OH!!! Okay, I'm done. Enjoy the game tonight guys and girls. To follow the action and catch up on developing stories check out the two outstanding SB Nation blogs that cover the teams in the finals. The Stanley Cup of Chowder covering the Boston Bruins. Second City Hockey covering the Chicago Blackhawks. Remember to enjoy the game, be civil and respectful to one another, and please observe the Community Guidelines.

According to both John Shannon and Louis Jean, Alain Vigneault's contract is expected to be a five-year deal that will play him around $2 million per year. That's about a $200,000 raise from his days with the Vancouver Canucks, where he made just about $1.8 million per year. Shannon also confirmed that the 5-year deal is identical to the offer that Vigneault had turned down from the Dallas Stars a few days ago. It's pretty telling from that report as to why Vigneault chose the Rangers over the Stars. The Stars are just at the very beginning of their rebuild, while the Rangers are a team that is poised to make a serious run in the near future. He'll have a better chance at winning a Stanley Cup in New York, while receiving the same exact type of paycheck. We're still waiting on an official announcement from the Rangers, regarding the hiring of Alain Vigneault. There's still no indication of when that will happen, but with everything starting to slowly leak out, you have to assume that it will be coming pretty soon. Thoughts?