Archive for Preseason
Hayes at wing at practice with new lines
Posted by: | CommentsPer the Rangers Twitter, the Rangers are sporting some new line combinations at practice, highlighted by Kevin Hayes at wing.
Rick Nash-Derick Brassard-Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Kevin Hayes
Viktor Stalberg-Oscar Lindberg-J.T. Miller
Dominic Moore-Jarret Stoll-Jesper Fast
Emerson EtemTanner Glass is not on the ice, after taking a shot to the leg and limping off.
The Kreider/Stepan/Hayes line was a possession monster on Wednesday, so it’s not shocking to see them together. We still don’t know what will be of Lindberg, but all signs point to him being able to handle the offensive load of a 3C, while providing enough defensive responsibilities to cover the inevitable Miller gaffe in the DZ.
The fourth line can certainly handle the tough DZ starts, even if Stoll is fading a bit.
Rangers waive Diaz, Megna
Posted by: | CommentsThe Rangers have cut the roster to 23 players, waiving defenseman Raphael Diaz and forward Jayson Megna. Megna was always one of the expected cuts, and I guess waiving Diaz shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. Dylan McIlrath outplayed him in camp, and it was really a decision between them, despite our optimistic hopes that the Rangers would try to clear cap space by trading Kevin Klein. Megna will clear waivers, however I’d be surprised if Diaz clears. Boston desperately needs a cheap defenseman.
By replacing Diaz with McIlrath, the Rangers save $100,000 in cap space, and are $150,000 under the ceiling. They are carrying 14 forwards and 7 defensemen, so there is still one decision looming. My guess is that the Rangers are trying to work a trade for Tanner Glass, or else they will waive him.
Thoughts prior to the season opener
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Happy Friday, BSB’ers! The preseason is officially over and we are only five days away from the 2015-2016 opener in Chicago. There are still some cuts looming and possibly a roster move or two. Naturally, I have some thoughts…
1. The more I think about the concept, the more I like the idea of eight defenseman. The Rangers have a pretty diverse skill set amongst their backliners, so I think using some sort of rotation to keep certain guys (Boyle, Girardi) fresh and to take advantage of matchups is a good idea.
2. Kevin Klein is a difficult call for me. On one hand, he is overpriced for his place on this roster. I think he is a bargain for teams of lesser defensive depth, but he is a luxury for us. His presence makes for waiver exposure to cost-effective guys that are useful to the roster. Read More→
Aside from cuts, plenty of roster decisions looming
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Photo: Paul J. Bereswill
The Rangers will be making their final round of cuts by Friday, and it is expected that the roster will be down to 23 players by that point. While the only apparently certainty is that Jayson Megna will be cut, there are plenty of other options for the Rangers. They can make a trade or two to free up cap space and roster space for kids. They can also subject some players to waivers.
But beyond who makes it, there are other roster decisions to be made. By my count, only six forward roles and five defensemen roles have been set. That means there are a lot of areas that need to be addressed before opening night.
Rangers beat Bruins ‘B’ lineup in preseason finale
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate: I added the video code from Sporting News, our video partner, to this post. However the video is blocked at work, so I can’t tell if the code is working or if the video fits on the screen. Can you guys let me know in the comments please?
The Rangers closed out the preseason with a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins, ending the preseason with a 4-1-1 record. Preseason records don’t necessarily mean much, but you can tell a lot about the Rangers from this preseason (which we will get to, I promise). The team will travel to West Point for some bonding before heading to Chicago to open the season. Here are the bullet points from last night’s game.
- Dylan McIlrath better make this team, and he better play. He’s certainly earned it. As I’ve said, and as everyone who writes for this blog has said, if he can do what Klein does, at $2.3 million less, then it’s a no-brainer. We already know he can do what Tanner Glass does.
- Speaking of Klein and Glass, I know I only caught the last two periods, but I didn’t really notice them that much. I could be biased though since I am specifically watching for McIlrath.
- There was one play that I saw from Raphael Diaz that stuck with me. The puck was behind the Rangers net late in the first with the Bruins pressuring. Diaz lost his balance, but was able to dive and get the puck across to Dan Girardi. It was one of those solid plays that went unnoticed.
- As for Diaz’s game, I thought he was solid. Good puck decisions. Moved the puck well on the powerplay. Made a few miscues positionally in his own end, but nothing that would be deemed glaring.
- Viktor Stalberg and J.T. Miller went straight to the net for the Stalberg goal (the Ryan McDonagh shot). Good to see someone other than Chris Kreider in front.
Preseason Game 6: Bruins at Rangers
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The Rangers are home tonight to take on the Bruins in their preseason finale. With at least two cuts looming, all four guys on the bubble are in the lineup looking to prove they belong. Ice time will paint a picture for us tonight, and a few Rangers from last year may find themselves on the wrong side of the ax.
As for the Bruins, well they had a weird offseason. I really don’t know how else to summarize it. Don Sweeney is either a genius or a fool, and there’s really no middle ground here. They aren’t dressing an NHL lineup tonight, but that’s what happens when both Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg are hurt.
What have they done lately?
Lineup for tomorrow’s preseason finale
Posted by: | CommentsThe Rangers have released their roster for tomorrow’s preseason finale against the Bruins:
Forwards: J.T. Miller, Kevin Hayes, Tanner Glass, Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan, Oscar Lindberg, Viktor Stalberg, Jarret Stoll, Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, Emerson Etem
Defense: Dan Girardi, Dylan McIlrath, Kevin Klein, Marc Staal, Raphael Diaz, Ryan McDonagh
Goalies: Henrik Lundqvist, Antti Raanta
Understanding Alain Vigneault’s lineup choices this week
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Glass
When the lineup for last night’s victory against the Flyers was released, there were a few questions regarding the choices Alain Vigneault made. The major questions were regarding the choice to sit both Tanner Glass and Kevin Klein, despite all signs pointing to the duo competing for roster spots.
Glass is competing with Jarret Stoll for a 4th line/13F spot on the roster. Stoll played last night on the fourth line with Dominic Moore, who will likely be on the fourth line as well. It makes sense that AV is trying to see who performs better in that specific role. That said, expect Glass to get into the lineup during tomorrow’s finale against Boston.
Rangers erase two goal deficit, beat Flyers in overtime
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McIlrath
The Rangers showed some moxy last night, erasing a 2-0 lead in the third period on goals from Dan Girardi and Chris Kreider to force overtime. Then it was the Keith Yandle show, as he forced a turnover, turned that into a penalty shot, then scored on the penalty shot to give the Rangers a win. It was definitely a nice win, even if it was preseason.
- Dylan McIlrath is going to force a Kevin Klein trade at some point. I only caught the second half of the game, but what I saw was a poised defensemen who was calm with the puck. He’s not perfect, but he’s not the kid that runs everyone over and hangs his partner out to dry. If he can do what Klein does –I think he can do more– at less than half the cost, then it’s worth trading him for futures.
- Keith Yandle is really, really good.
- It was nice seeing the crowd that into it for a playoff game. Crowds like that all season long would be a refreshing change.
- Dan Girardi giveth, Dan Girardi taketh. Girardi did a nice job finding open space for the first goal, but he also lost Wayne Simmonds on Philly’s second goal. Worth noting that the goal came on a Jarret Stoll faceoff loss.
- Why is it important to note the faceoff loss? Because everyone seems to think Stoll is a god-send because of faceoffs. He loses some too, you know.
Preseason Game 5: Flyers at Rangers
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Photo: Paul J. Bereswill
The rosters are taking shape, and the Rangers are down to their last few decisions to make. Dylan McIlrath and Jarret Stoll will get looks tonight in what could be their roles as regulars while Tanner Glass and Kevin Klein watch from above. It wouldn’t shock me to see Glass and Klein in for the preseason finale, as these four are in direct competition for those final spots.
As for the Flyers, they are also dressing a roster that resembles an NHL lineup. Their defense is highly questionable, but the duo of Giroux-Voracek is always dangerous. Steve Mason is pretty solid in net.
What have they done lately?