Defenseman, and former first round pick, Bobby Sanguinetti has been reassigned to Hartford, leaving seven defensemen left on the Rangers roster. Sanguinetti, suffice it to say, was a major disappointment this preseason. He did not come to camp in shape, despite coach John Tortorella’s warnings. He was so out of shape that he was not on any roster for the double header against New Jersey. This is a monumental step backwards for the defenseman, who has fallen behind Michael Del Zotto and Corey Potter in the depth chart.

This move ensures that Alexei Semenov will make the team, probably as the seventh defenseman, as the player who will give one of the albatross twins (Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival) a night off should their terrible play continue into the regular season. Expect him to sign a deal around $750,000 for the season.

This move also means that Michael Del Zotto has played well enough to earn himself an extended stay in New York, for at least the first nine games of the season. Junior players are allowed to play nine games in the NHL before their NHL contract kicks in. If Del Zotto performs, you can expect the Rangers to keep him around.

Assuming the $750,000 salary for Semenov, and that Evgeny Grachev spends the season in Hartford, the Rangers are right up on the cap, as Del Zotto’s cap hit is over $1 million due to bonuses. This includes a spare forward and spare defenseman:

2009-2010 Salaries

There will be one more cut, probably Grachev, before the roster is complete. Opening night is one week away.

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