Try Out Anyone?

When off season slows activity to a trickle something that takes over on the news front is speculation. That speculation includes the monitoring of which players clubs will look to bring in on try-outs and low risk, cheap deals. The Rangers are a club that have often brought in players to camp to crank up the competitiveness of the work outs and scrimmages. Some players don’t make it such as Garnet Exelby but some do, like Ruslan Fedotenko. Indeed, Fedotenko was an excellent addition and turned his camp tryout into a successful year then parlaying that year in to another one year deal.

Given the Rangers history with bringing in players without a contract, many will expect them to do so again this summer and there are a few intriguing options. The Rangers have their share of Swedes in the franchise and Fabian Brunnstrom, once a budding superstar, may be a candidate. With many options at left wing but with few decisions set, there’s an opportunity for someone to step up. Like Fedotenko a year before, the player stepping up could conceivably be a tryout. Brunnstrom was a highly touted prospect in Europe before moving to Dallas where he scored a hat trick on his NHL debut. However after a solid, yet unspectacular debut season it has all gone wrong for the winger and he is now on the NHL scrap heap with a return to Europe likely.

Brunnstrom is absolutely not a need for the Rangers but with great size, with the club starting in Sweden next season, with a growing nucleus of Swedes in the organisation and with the club still undecided on the exact make up of the wing positions there is a chance for an unheralded player to step up. History has shown us the Rangers will do their due diligence on a player or two in pre-season and it could be another Swede. So who else is available?

• There are several interesting candidates but naturally they have all come with baggage (they wouldn’t be unemployed if that wasn’t the case). Former Capitals captain and winger/center Chris Clark has seen injury and loss of form derail a promising career and is available heading into the dog days of summer. Once a legitimate two way threat, the former 30 goal scorer could hold some appeal around the league as a try out.
• A player once linked to the Rangers due to their (then) most pressing need, is former Thrashers giant defenseman Boris Valabik. Given the Rangers depth at defense he’d be an unlikely candidate but if he ever gets his game together his size makes him appealing as a depth defenseman and the Rangers should the willingness to look at try out blueliners with Exelby last season so don’t rule it out.
• Brunnstrom is not the only once highly regarded forward available. Patrick O’Sullivan was once a budding star in the league but has seen his career stall dramatically and now finds himself looking for work. A former junior and AHL star O’Sullivan may have to go the two-way contract/AHL route back to the NHL. He may be a great addition for a club like the Rangers who may want another Jeremy Williams type stored in the minors – a player with upside that if needed, can step up. O’Sullivan has a 50 point NHL season on his resume so clearly has the talent to succeed in the NHL but something is amiss when Edmonton and Minnesota – teams devoid of scoring – give up on you in the same season. Indeed, it was the second time the Wild severed ties with their former (local kid) draft pick. A wasted talent or simply in need of a fresh start? O’Sullivan’s best bet is a try out.

The list of unemployed players is still long. Many players will get new teams closer to camp and some could become bargains. Will the last remaining Rangers cup winner Alex Kovalev find a new home? Could he help the Rangers? (Awkward silence….) A team looking for a defensive center may be interested in John Madden while the Rangers own veteran Vinny Prospal remains unsigned. Plenty of experience remains available with players such as Brent Sopel, Sergei Samsonov and Craig Rivet. Plenty of possibilities then, but plenty of question marks and that’s one reason why so many players remain unsigned.