Archive for Preseason
Ryan Gropp among next round of cuts
Posted by: | CommentsThe Rangers have made their next round of cuts, sending 8 players to Hartford. Interestingly enough, both Ryan Gropp (expected to be cut,but maybe not yet) and Alexei Bereglazov (expected to make the team) were among those cut.
Also cut were Malte Stromwall, Adam Tambellini, John Gilmour, Vince Pedrie, Alex Georgiev, and Chris Nell.
The Rangers have 38 players remaining in camp.
Preseason Game 4: Competition breeds improvement
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Ed Mulholland/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
The Rangers were handed their first preseason loss last night in Bridgeport, and now will have a lineup of mostly veterans on the back end in New Jersey tonight. All eyes will be on Marc Staal and Nick Holden, to see if they can keep pace with the kids that may be taking their spots. Boo Nieves and Lias Anderson will also have some pressure on them to keep up with Filip Chytil.
I’m also intrigued by Brandon Halverson, who had a poor season last year. I’m willing to write off last year for basically every prospect, but with so many solid prospects in the pipe, this could be a make or break season for Halverson and his future with the Rangers.
Lineup for tonight’s game against New Jersey
Posted by: | CommentsThe expected lineup for tonight’s game in New Jersey has been released.
- Forward: Chris Kreider, Boo Nieves, Andrew Desjardins, Cole Schneider, Mats Zuccarello, Michael Grabner, Daniel Catenacci, Lias Andersson, Gabriel Fontaine, Rick Nash, Mika Zibanejad, Scott Kosmachuk
- Defense: Marc Staal, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan McDonagh, Brendan Smith, Nick Holden, Brandon Crawley
- Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist, Brandon Halverson
Lines haven’t been released yet, but all eyes will be on Staal and Holden. They need to keep pace with the Neal Pionk’s and Tony DeAngelo’s of the world. Boo Nieves has his work cut out for him too, in direct competition with Andersson and Filip Chytil. Competition breeds improvement. It’s a good time to be a Ranger fan.
Preseason Game 3: Youngsters earning their keep
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The Rangers are in Bridgeport tonight to take on the Isles, which seems a little weird to say. The Isles seem to be having trouble finding a spot to play, which even as a Ranger fan, makes me a little sad. But hopefully that gets worked out. I love the rivalry, so I don’t want them to move.
As for the Rangers, they are letting their youngsters play. Filip Chytil will play again, as will Neal Pionk and Anthony DeAngelo. We will also get our first look at Alexei Bereglazov. With Hartford camp starting over the weekend, expect more cuts after tonight’s game.
Day among three cut from camp
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Sean Day was one of three players cut from camp today, as the Rangers reduced their roster to 46 players. Day, Dawson Leedahl, and Sergey Zborovskiy are all headed to Hartford for the start of camp in the AHL.
Day was never a realistic candidate to make the team, so his cut shouldn’t be surprising. It makes sense to get him accustomed to the professional level, as the Rangers appear to be taking advantage of his “exceptional” status to allow him to play in the AHL early.
Zborovskiy is another intriguing player to watch in Hartford camp.
Filip Chytil steals the show with overtime winner
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The NHL did it. They found a rule that I hate more than the puck over the glass penalty. It’s now the stupid faceoff violation penalty. Don’t get me wrong, I think that blatant violations should be penalized. But a winger lining up with half a skate in the circle? Are you serious? No league gets in their own way quite like the NHL.
Now that my gripe is out of the way, let’s get back to the evaluation of the game.
- Starting with Filip Chytil. It was only one preseason game, and I don’t expect him to make the club, but boy did he look good. The kid just turned 18 years old, and he was out there controlling play. There was one sequence where he protected the puck –they showed it on replay– and he looked like a seasoned NHL vet. Skill beyond his years.
Preseason Game 2: Jersey smells weird
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AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
The Rangers are back at it tonight against the Devils after beating the Isles in overtime on Monday. Filip Chytil will get his first look at preseason hockey, skating between Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. That will be a fun line to watch. Kevin Shattenkirk is also making his Rangers debut.
Lias Andersson will play again, as will Ryan Gropp. That’s a good sign for both guys. Brady Skjei will skate with Shatty, so….drool. I’m expecting a round of cuts after this game or tomorrow.
Lineup for the second preseason matchup
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The Rangers have revealed their lineup for tomorrow’s tilt against the Devils:
Chris Kreider-Lias Andersson-Ryan Gropp
Matt Puempel-Kevin Hayes-Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey-Adam Tambellini-Filip Chytil
Daniel Catenacci-David Desharnais-AndrewDesjardins
Brady Skjei-Kevin Shattenkirk
Vince Pedrie-Brendan Smith
Marc Staal-John Gilmour
Henrik Lundqvist
Alex Georgiev
That fourth line seems like a throw-away line to me, but the top-nine are very skilled. I’m intrigued to see how Gropp does. But all eyes will be on Chytil. Also Skjei/Shatty as the top pair? Drool.
Rangers reduce training camp roster by five
Posted by: | CommentsThe Rangers have cut five players from the training camp roster, leaving 49 players left in camp.
- Robin Kovacs and Adam Chapie were assigned to Hartford. Brenden Kotyk was released from his NHL PTO and assigned to Hartford as well.
- Tim Gettinger and Ty Ronning were assigned to their junior teams.
The Gettinger/Ronning moves were expected. It is interesting that Sean Day was not assigned to juniors. The club may be looking at sending him to the AHL instead.
The fact that Kovacs was assigned to Hartford with the first players cut is not promising. Many, including myself, were hoping his rough year last season was due to the bad team and bad usage. However getting cut this early does not bode well.
Recap #1 of the Season: Preseason opener vs. the Islanders
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Spoiler Alert: Not from this game
There isn’t much to say about last night’s preseason game. Maybe the Rangers wanted to temper everyone’s excitement so they could gradually build it up, or maybe it was just a preseason game. But Neal Pionk had something to say about that shortly into the 0-0 overtime.
Folks…