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Smashfest V Recap
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Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend Smashfest for a third year in a row. For those unfamiliar with Smashfest, it is a questionably named fundraiser that (former?) Ranger Dominic Moore throws every year in Toronto. The event raises money for rare cancers and concussion charities, which both have personal ties to Moore.
Several NHL players attend to show their support for the cause, which elevates a ping pong tournament, paired with silent auctions, to raise over half a million dollars for charity. NHL players compete for ping pong supremacy in the friendly confines of the Steamwhistle Brewery, just beneath the CN Tower.
Shaking the New York Rangers leadership
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Why so serious?
Last week, I proposed a somewhat scandalous suggestion, in that it doesn’t rely on either the eye test or on advanced statistics. It called upon the Rangers’ lack of enthusiasm and other intangibles that often make stats people a little upset. It’s worth a quick read prior to this post.
The majority of comments cited a need for change, that the Rangers have outrun their window to win. However, does this necessarily mean blowing up the team? From Gorton’s moves this week, it certainly looks like he’s trying to create a team to win, with prudent signings this week which will hopefully ameliorate the current core.
Dog days of summer in Rangerstown
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The good old days
The dog days of summer are here, with limited hockey activity and extended lazy days, it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on with the home team. Free agency has come and gone, and now development camp is the most action that we can see. It’s easy to lose sight of a winter sport while playing in the ocean, grilling in the yard, or relaxing with friends.
This year has been particularly difficult, though, in a way that was not apparent in years past: I immediately stopped caring about the Rangers halfway through the final game against the Penguins. It felt as though the Rangers stopped caring, and, as any good jilted lover does, I withdrew. It has been months and I barely wonder about them at all. Read More→
Analyzing the PK Subban trade
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Credit: Montreal Gazette
There have been plenty of moves around the league since Friday to keep us chattering for the next few weeks, but the real craziness occurred on Wednesday with trades after trade. It started with Seth Jones signing an extension, then the Hall-Larsson trade, then the PK Subban – Shea Weber trade, finalized with the Steven Stamkos extension.
While any of these transactions could be the topic of a blog post, let’s focus on the state of Montreal here. The trade was shocking; after hearing that he’s on the market at the draft, it was assumed that Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergevin was simply making waves. We’ve discussed here how a GM’s role is to hear out all possibilities coming from anywhere, for anyone. So for Bergevin to say it is one thing, but to act on it was shocking. Read More→
Hot takes: who is your dream Ranger?
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be a ranger?
The draft is a great time to assess the needs of a team, to see where the front office is focusing and to guess how the team will utilize what they have and leverage their way to higher picks. It’s also a really great time to play make believe.
On Thursday, I posed a fun question to Rangers twitter: who is your dream Ranger? The one factor I threw out there is that it has to be a current player. Otherwise, we’re in total fantasy land: no cap hit, no trade issues, no restrictions. Your responses were pretty fantastic.
Father’s Day Musings
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TBT
Happy Father’s Day, BSB nation! Before we dive into Rangers chat, I’d like to thank my dad for being a great role model and for being so supportive. Without him, I wouldn’t have a borderline corny-dad sense of humor. I would also like to wish all the dads who read us a happy Father’s Day and thanks for checking in here on your day.
Since it’s summer and, as an tax accountant, I use 110% of my brainpower from January-April, today will be a pre-draft musings. We went over this in last week’s podcast, but focused on who we think will be traded. How about focusing on not trading?
Musings: World Cup Edition
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Courtesy NHL/PA
With the playoffs potentially ending tonight, the focus will shift to the draft, free agency, and the World Cup. Rosters were finalized about two weeks ago, and can be found courtesy of Sports Illustrated here.
Since there is really no cohesive way to jump from team to team, I’ve assembled my thoughts in lazy summer Sunday bulletpoints: Read More→
Dominic Moore’s future with the Rangers
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Though the Stanley Cup finals are in full swing, it’s felt like ages since we have had some hockey in New York. Naturally, as the withdrawal sets in, fans cling to pieces of news frequently to play psychic about the future of the team.
This is what Rangers fans have been guilty of for the past 1-2 weeks, particularly with the Brooks article. The following tweet has ruffled a lot of Rangers Twitter feathers as well late last week:
McKenzie: Outside of Lundqvist, maybe McDonagh, I’ve got to believe Gorton ‘talking to a lot of teams about a lot of players.’ #NYR
— Chris Nichols (@NicholsOnHockey) June 3, 2016
Rangers game plan past Lundqvist
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Between the Pipes
Last night’s appearance by James Reimer in San Jose made it official: all eight goalies, starters and backups, have had playing time in each conference final series. Though not surprising — Martin Jones had given up four goals at the time of Reimer’s entrance, and Jake Allen got the nod in an attempt to wake up the sleeping Blues — it raises a question. Just how important are goalies in the playoffs?
It’s clear that goaltending can make or break a team; we’ve seen teams with loads of talent disintegrate in the playoffs, as with the Dallas Stars. Neither Kari Lehtonen nor Antti Niemi as primary goalies will lead to a Cup in Texas. However, the differential between elite goaltending and above average goaltending doesn’t make a great difference for teams to go far in the quest for the Cup. Read More→
Dear Lundqvist: An open letter to King Henrik
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AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
It’s now been a good amount of time since the Rangers have been eliminated, and the rest of the league has settled nicely into round two, which has allowed many of us fans to absorb the loss and perhaps move on with our lives.
Although I cannot speak for all fans, I feel confident that you’ll all agree with the following statement: Henrik Lundqvist deserves better. And so, I’ve written a short open letter to him on behalf of all fans.