brady skjei

Skjei (Photo: Blueshirts United)

We’re fast approaching the dog days of the hockey summer or are we already there? Let’s have a quick scan at some of things going on around the league as well as Rangers thoughts from the week just gone.

Power rankings: I place no great stock in power rankings at the best of times but especially ones published in summer. With that said, the hockey ‘experts’ at ESPN have the Rangers ranked at 11. Really? Do recent performances count for nothing? Three conference finals in four years, no truly significant roster losses and yet they’re behind Columbus, Montreal, Calgary, Washington and Minnesota amongst others. Ok then…

In my opinion, the Bruins did a lot of things wrong this summer but Jimmy Hayes was a nice acquisition and the new deal signed by Hayes could be a bargain. If he gets the ice time and develops and has the right linemates, 2.3m per year for three years could be an absolute steal. Especially given the inflated prices of 20 goal scorers in this league…

A quick early prediction: Chris Kreider scores 30 goals next season.

Another solid deal signed was the one signed by Evgeny Kuznetsov in Washington. A classic bridge deal, Kuznetsov signed a two year, 6m pact. He should be well worth that in the short term but if he continues to develop and play like he did in the playoffs (particularly at times, against the Rangers), he’ll be looking at a big raise in two years time.

Similar to the power rankings, I don’t understand how media sources can truly declare winners and losers of free agency this early. Yes, teams like Columbus and Calgary obviously improved when you add young talent such as Brandon Saad and Dougie Hamilton. However most teams, those who make depth signings, take flyers on retreads to find cap value; those kind of changes cannot be judged this early. I will say this though; I like what the Capitals did this offseason. They got better and younger up front. I don’t think losing Mike Green is a huge issue for that team. Did they finally give Ovechkin the help he needs?

A quick second early prediction: Brady Skjei plays more than 40 games with the Rangers next season.

One Ranger prospect I’m intrigued to follow more closely this coming season will be ‘Boo’ Nieves. He seemed to somewhat stall over the past season or two but he seemed to garner a lot of attention at the recent prospect camp and by all accounts he’s beginning to fill out his big frame. Like we discussed with Adam Tambellini, the timing of Nieves’ arrival to the pro ranks could be a good one.

The future of Kevin Hayes at center, considering the Rangers’ top two centre’s cap hits and how they may play out, and veterans like Dom Moore surely moving on; if Nieves can hit the ground running when he does turn pro, there could be opportunities for quick progression as the Rangers don’t have a ton of talent at center rising up through the system. Nieves had a solid year (28 points in 35 games) but the Rangers will look for him to be more dominant this coming season.

Thinking about Nieves makes me wonder. For all the moaning of the lack of offensive prospects in the system (a relatively valid complaint) in twelve months, time the organisation could see Pavel Buchnevich, Nieves and Tambellini all turn pro (in North America…) at the same time. Depending on their individual progression, that could be a significant wave of fresh offensive talent to call upon before considering the merits of any other prospects who may step up.

Question time:

  • What do you want to see the blog cover over the summer? Any specifics?
  • How many goals do you think Chris Kreider will score next season?
  • Will Rick Nash be a Ranger this time next summer?
  • Which prospect not currently tabbed for the big club, do you see making a big push in preseason?
  • What concerns you the most about the coming season?
  • How do you rank the Metropolitan division in mid July?
  • Will Kevin Klein be a Ranger when the Rangers open the season?

 

 

Share: 

Mentioned in this article:

More About: