It’s almost Lindberg time.
August is at an end, and with September beginning tomorrow, we enter a month where there will be hockey on television. The Traverse City Tournament will be held from September 11-15 in Detroit, and the training camp will open almost immediately after. It is so nice to know we are two weeks away from hockey.
With that we can start looking ahead to the only two battles in camp, those for the 12F and 13F spots on the roster. This assumes that Viktor Stalberg makes the lineup as this year’s Benoit Pouliot/Lee Stempniak, though.
There are the incumbents, there are favorites, there are dark horses, and there are wild cards alike. So let’s break them down.
The Incumbent
Tanner Glass is the only roster player from last year whose spot on the roster is in jeopardy. Justin broke down why it’s time to bench Glass, and there are no other details to add. If you haven’t read that post, you should.
The Favorite
Oscar Lindberg is pretty much guaranteed a roster spot at this point. He was given a two-year, one-way deal this offseason, meaning the Rangers believe in him to the point of guaranteeing an NHL salary for the next two years. Lindberg can play center or wing, and is a defensive expert. He has a solid hockey IQ and some good offensive instincts, so he should chip in on offense as well. A fourth line of Lindberg-Dominic Moore-Jesper Fast would be one of the best in the league, able to eat defensive zone time, push the play up the ice, and chip in offensively.
The Dark Horses
Ryan Bourque has been on the cusp of making the Rangers for two years now, and is certainly a better and cheaper option than the current incumbent. Bourque is small, but he is a solid two-way guy who didn’t look out of place in his one game call up last season. If Lindberg is the favorite to supplant Glass in the lineup, then Bourque is the favorite to take his spot as the 13F.
Adam Tambellini is a long shot, but a dark horse nonetheless. He likely won’t make an NHL impact this year, but a solid camp could force the Rangers to rethink their plans. He likely won’t make the roster out of camp, but a great September could mean he jumps the list of call ups.
The Wild Card
When the Rangers landed Jarret Stoll on the cheap, it was seen as another reclamation project. But with Jeff Gorton running the team, this isn’t a Glen Sather project. This is insurance, and a low-risk, high-reward signing. The best case scenario is that he winds up replacing Glass as the 13F –assuming Lindberg still makes the top-twelve– and the worst case is that he gets sent to Hartford.
The likely outcome of all this is Lindberg supplanting Glass in the lineup, and Glass serving as the 13F. The additions of Stalberg and Lindberg to the lineup make the Rangers’ bottom-six much better, and makes them a deeper team than last year. But we won’t know what’s going through Alain Vigneault’s mind until opening night.
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