Posts tagged ‘Eric Rothman’

Is Brendan Shanahan coming back?

Is Petr Prucha on his way out?

If a tree falls in the middle of the woods and nobody’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?

All of these questions, except for maybe the third one, have been making the rounds on the message boards today.

So, we would be remiss not to tell you that there are reports that Darren Dreger of TSN says the signing of Shanny is imminent by the Rangers.

I have looked over TSN’s website and cannot find if this is printed or just speculation.  But, I figured I’d pass the information along anyway.

Rumor also has it that Peter Prucha is on his way out.

Again, this could all be just mindless speculation, but it’s good chatter none the less.

In my opinion, this whole limbo thing with Shanahan needs to end.  The more the rumors keep flying, the more a distraction it becomes.  One side needs to make a statement or a decision before it gets out of control.

More info here when it drops.

In two games with the Rangers, Aaron Voros, has already found himself in coach Tom Renney’s good graces.  According to Sam Weinman at the Rangers Report, Voros is skating with the second line during practice.

This makes for a second line of Brandon Dubinsky, Nikolai Zherdev, and Aaron Voros.  With Nigel Dawes getting the bump down to play with Lauri Korpikoski and Ryan Callahan.

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Voros in the short time he’s been with the Rangers.  As long as he can keep pace with Dubi and Zherdev he will add a nice toughness to that line.

As for my man Nigel Dawes, well, he’s got to step his game up.  After disappearing during the playoffs last year, his first two games of this year were less than stellar.

I like Dawes and don’t think his starting spot is in jeopardy yet, but with the excess of forwards this team has, everyone on offense needs to be playing at their best.

NYRangerscast faithful, we have hit the BIG TIME!  That’s right, Steve and Eric are now not only household names with you folks, we are the hottest thing to hit Syracuse since…Oranges!

In today’s edition of The Daily Orange, Syracuse’s Independent Student Newspaper, the NYRangerscast got a nice little spread right on page 9!  And you all know how the saying goes…page nine is the new front page.  No?  Well it’s still nice to get some recognition.

The Daily Orange did a nice job with the story.  They have one of the top readerships for a college newspaper in the country.  So, if your new to the site because you read the article this morning, Welcome!

If your a loyal listener of the NYRangerscast and just can’t get enough Steve and Eric, here’s the link to the story. Enjoy.

Well, it looks like he could be back.

According to our good friend Sam Weinman Shanahan was at the team’s informal skate this morning.

No deal has been made, but Shanahan was invited to participate in the skate by Coach Tom Renney and GM Glen Sather.

Shanahan says that his agent is talking to Sather currently about finalizing a contract.

The Rangers have little room to maneuver, they have just over $700,000 left in salary cap room. So some finagling would have to be done to get Shanny back. But, according to Weinman, the impression around Rangers Camp is that a deal is imminent.

Shanahan turns 40 this January and would be a great leader in the locker room if he does return. The question is, can he sustain a full season?

We saw last year that Shanny had trouble with fatigue and the pace of the game later in the season. But he was also third on the team with 23 goals.

It will be interesting to see where he fits in if he comes back.

Personally, I think Shanny can bring a lot to this team if he can learn to manage the season and his body properly.

If he can do that, and the Rangers can have a Brendan Shanahan who is healthy and fit come playoff time, than I don’t think you can deny that he’s a benefit to this team.

We’ll have to see what happens…if he even gets signed.

I love Shanny’s heart, but if he’s going to break down like last year then you have to question how valuable he’ll be.

If he can pace himself, ala Jaromir Jagr, than that’s a different story.

  The 2008 class for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame was announced today.  The list of four includes Ranger greats Brian Leetch and Mike Richter.

  Also amoung the elected, Brett Hull and Cammi Granato.  Granato is the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. Women’s Hockey team.

  Very nice class.  The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame is obviously a little less prestigious as the regular Hockey Hall of Fame in Canada, but still a very nice recognition.

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Also, we’ve gotten a couple comments and e-mails wondering where the shows have gone.

Fear not, Steve and I are gearing up for our second season covering the Rangers.

You can expect new shows coming up in the next couple weeks, previewing the upcoming season.

We appreciate your continued support through this offseason.  We are excited to make the show even better for next season.

Again, we will be back soon.  Get ready for another season with the Rangers and with the NYRangerscast.

During this period of the off season not much is happening that’s going to make front page news.  Just little transactions.  Hammering down those final contract issues.

So, with that being said, the Rangers have made some minor moves this past week.

Hugh Jessiman has been resigned by the club.  The Rangers are hoping that Hugh can turn it around.  Being the lone first-rounder of his draft class not to play in the NHL, Hugh has a lot to live up too.  But, who knows maybe Jessiman is just a late bloomer.  One has to believe that being drafted in the first round garners you some extra years of grooming.  And also, Hugh is a great name.  Not bad to be the namesake of a man who spends his days in a mansion, wearing a robe, and playing with bunnies.

In slightly bigger news, the club has also resigned Freddy Shoes, or as the roster says Fred Sjostrom.  He comes back with a one-year deal worth $840,000.  Steve and I talked a lot about The Shoes’ production last year.  I personally like Freddy.  But, I think he needs to be on a fast moving line to be effective.  His skill set is nothing extraordinary, but with the right combination of guys around him, he can be productive.

Also, for the sake of conversation, you all have had a chance to look at the schedule by now.  What matchup intrigues you the most?  Or, a game you already are chomping at the bit to get tickets too.  Let us know below.

Well, those of you who have been listening to the show for a while know my admiration for Nigel Dawes.  So you can imagine the joy I am feeling right now.

Nigel Dawes will remain a Ranger for another year.  Dawes was a restricted free agent and the Rangers have locked him up for 2008-2009.  The price is $587,500 for the season.

In my mind this is quite a bargain…maybe thats just because I would have been OK with paying him $15-20 million (only kidding folks).

If Nigel playes well this season, he may be the recipient of a Girardi/Tyutin-like mid-season extension, which I am fine with.

Nigel is a solid player, who is still young and really fits the mold of what the Rangers have been aiming towards this offseason.

The Rangers have announced they have reached a two year deal worth 8 million dollars with left winger Markus Naslund.

Also, the Blueshirts have reached an agreement on a one year deal with defenseman Dmitri Kalinin.

But, the Jaromir Jagr Era in New York has come to a close.  The team has decided to go in a different direction and will not be offering a contract to the aging foward.  Here’s what Glen Sather had to say about Jagr, courtesy of the Rangers Report.

“We decided we were going to move on,” Sather said. “Jagr was very respectful when I told him … We talked about his time here and he thanked me and I thanked him. It was a very cordial parting. You just can’t wait forever on these things.”

The Rangers also say they have an offer out to free agent defenseman Paul Mara and that the return of Shanny is still a possibility.

Interesting moves by the Rangers, let us know what you think below.

The Rangers have traded defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman to Columbus.

In return the Rangers recieve Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche.

Zherdev is a right winger who is 23 years old and scored 26 goals and 35 assists last season.  He was drafted fourth overall by the Blue Jackets in 2003.  The Rangers will be paying him $3.25 million this year, but only $2.5 of that goes against the cap.

Between Backman and Tyutin the Rangers owed $5.1 million dollars this year.

This is an excellent trade in my opinion.  Not only does it help the cap and give you more room to sign Jagr and someone else, it gives a reliable young winger.  He has a lot of upside and is still only 23 years old.  Tyutin and Backman were a hinderance to this team in the playoffs this year, I have no problem getting rid of them for Zherdev.

Right now, I’m looking for the Rangers to re-sign Jagr and go after Orpik or re-sign Mara.  Either way this day might not be a bust after all.

Update 5:10 pm: Orpik has just signed with the Pens for six-years worth $22.5 million dollars.

Hey Rangers faithful (is that an oxymoron at this point?).  Well the Rangers have successfully not signed anyone today.  They have also let Avery slip away for less than his asking price and watched Marian Hossa sign a one-year deal with Detroit.

I will be keeping you updated with the rest of the days events while Steve is working with the Yankees Spanish Broadcasting team.

I have also decided to rename the blog from Free Agency Day 2, to a more suitable name Guys the Rangers Didn’t Sign: Day 2.  Let’s keep the money flowing…here are some quick updates from around the league.

Jarkko Ruutu has signed a 3-year $3.9 million dollar deal with Ottawa.

Ron Hainsey has signed a five year deal worth $22.5 million dollars with Atlanta.

More as it comes…