nick holden

It’s that time of year folks. The air is crisp (well in the mornings it is). The temperature is no longer scorching. Long sleeves are out. Pants are worn regularly. It’s almost hockey season. While the Baby Rangers are in Traverse City looking to grab a winning record, the regular Rangers are gearing up for camp. As such, here are some predictions for camp.

1. Nick Holden will not be a Ranger when camp ends. That seems like a gimme prediction, but the relative silence on the trade front hasn’t been reassuring. But the defense trade market is waiting for the Vegas shoe to drop. They have to waive at least three defensemen. When they do, teams get a clearer picture of what’s available. Holden’s contract is cheap, and teams likely want a chance to get a 30 point defenseman.

2. Lias Andersson will make the team out of camp. Another gimme prediction, but it seems like this kid, while deemed the “safe” pick, is NHL ready. There’s a lot to be seen in the coming weeks, but in a sheltered third line role with someone like JT Miller and/or Michael Grabner on his flank, he should be fine. In fact, Grabner-Andersson-Miller can be a solid third line.

3. Ondrej Pavelec will show promise. I might be getting a little out of my element here, and I completely understand questioning this signing. But I trust Benoit Allaire. A change of scenery and losing the pressure of needing to be the #1 guy could bode well for the talented but inconsistent goalie. If he can post a .915 SV% over 25 starts, I’ll consider it a win. Anything more is just icing on the cake.

4. Marc Staal will see bottom pairing minutes, or less (or will be traded if Holden isn’t). The top-four for the Rangers appears to be some combination of Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei, and Brendan Smith. I highly doubt both Staal and Holden will be traded before the season starts, but one of them will be. That leaves a spot on the roster the rookie (ish) battle of Neal Pionk, Ryan Graves, Alexei Bereglazov, and Anthony DeAngelo (not a rookie, but you get my point).

5. The rookie battle on the blue line will be more intense for the fans than the players. We as fans have so much invested in this team. We’ve seen Henrik Lundqvist’s prime get squandered by bad contracts and declining defensemen. We are sensitive to it. With that in mind, we will want a clean break from the disaster that was last year. That includes a complete severing of ties to Holden and Staal. We likely won’t get that, and in turn that will spark outrage when one makes the team over the four kids. It’s going to happen. May as well accept it now.

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