Marian Gaborik heads up a deep group of ex-Ranger forwards

We’re (finally) just one day away from training camp! There will be a whole lot of real Ranger news coming up, but since we’ve exhausted pretty much every type of camp preview imaginable this summer – allow me just one more random post before the action kicks into high gear.

What would happen if you were to pit the 2014 New York Rangers against the best lineup of former Blueshirts still currently playing in the NHL?

Here’s my take on the best hypothetical roster of ex-Rangers that takes into account positions and logical scoring and checking lines:

Forwards

Pascal Dupuis/Brandon Dubinsky/Marian Gaborik
Benoit Pouliot/Brad Richards/Jaromir Jagr
Chris Higgins/Artem Anisimov/Ryan Callahan
Lauri Korpikoski/Brian Boyle/Brandon Prust

Extras: Olli Jokinen, Ryane Clowe, P.A. Parenteau, John Mitchell, Derek Dorsett, Matt Cullen, Manny Malhotra, Jeff Halpern, Dale Weise, Dan Carcillo, Colton Orr, John Scott, Mike Rupp, Raek Dvorak and Scott Gomez

Defensemen

Anton Stralman-Fedor Tyutin
Michal Rozsival-Derek Morris
Tim Erixon-Raphael Diaz

Extras: Michael Del Zotto, Justin Falk, Corey Potter, Steve Eminger, Bobby Sanguinetti, Stu Bickel!

Goalies

Chad Johnson
Al Montoya

Extras: Jason LaBarbera

And yes, for all those wondering, this faux roster would indeed fit under the salary cap, with a payroll just under $61 million (including the $2.75 million the unsigned but not yet retired Derek Morris earned last year).

So how does that faux roster stack up against what could be New York’s opening night lineup?

Chris Kreider/Derek Stepan/Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin/Derick Brassard/Marty St. Louis
Lee Stempniak/J.T. Miller/Mats Zuccarello
Jesper Fast/Dominic Moore/Matt Lombardi

Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi
Marc Staal-Dan Boyle
John Moore-Kevin Klein

Henrik Lundqvist
Cam Talbot

The faux Rangers look pretty deep at forward, but their blueline group and goaltending would be blown away by the real Blueshirts. In a best-of-seven series, the faux Rangers would be lucky to steal a game.

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