Good morning, boneheads!
That’s the sign that was officially placed on the outside of Rangers’ locker room yesterday by Gorton and Sather.
To recap the day- it started with them placing Brendan Smith on waivers in an apparent attempt to revive his career. I believe the Rangers are still hopeful that Smith can return to his playing form that he showed during last year’s playoffs, and can be counted on as their full-time defenseman for the length of his 4-year, $17.4M contract he signed with them. If not, Smith will most likely be reddened in Hartford, and NY will be on the hook for $3.325M cap hit for 2018-19 season, and for $3.275M for 2 seasons thereafter.
The next move was an interesting one as the front office issued a letter to fans detailing the future of this franchise, and essentially telling us to fasten our seat belts and be prepared to say goodbye to some of our familiar faces.
The letter was a prelude to what happened next. Jeff Gorton and Glen Sather had a press conference to answer some questions. I didn’t see it, but this is the best recap I could find around. A lot of nebulous statements, including one regarding AV and his future, but also some pretty straightforward stuff. And some you can read between the lines. Nothing new, except it’s now official. What I took from it is that we should expect is much more than just trading Nash, Grabner, and Holden. It could be a reality that McDonagh, Zucc, and also some other players that haven’t been discussed could enter this sale as a part of potentially complex deals that may involve multiple teams, retaining salaries, and even taking on some bad contracts from their potential partners.
This team gave us a great, exciting run staring in 2005-06. But it wasn’t good enough to win it all. We are not satisfied with just making it in April, we want to win it in June. It’s time for a change. As a fan, I’m really worried about Glen Sather being involved in decision making as he appears to be at the moment. But also Jeff Gorton, himself, has a lot to proof. But what choices do we have? All we can do is sit and wait, and hope that our management does the right thing.
They have another game tonight. My advice? Start drinking early.
400 responses to “Sale!”
Maybe they should just name Lundqvist captain (not officially because it’s not allowed), and have three A’s.
There’s an enormous fat woman blocking the aisle.
Mike Keane and Bobby Holik were not good signings
If Miller is here, he’s gets my vote
Also, Wick, sorry for the delay–stupid classes–but all I do is steal material from others. Some great artist once said, paraphrasing, it’s not the stealing that matters, it’s whom you steal from. (Though he probably chose other than a preposition to end with.) But I digress: what material did I steal, exactly?
LOL, Carp. One of those sad truths..
Brian Skrudland.
Hoping AV and his crew are in the unemployment line next year.
Keane’s biggest moment as a Ranger was ending Lafontaine’s career. Unfortunately Lafontaine was a Ranger at the time.
Luongo was a captain, slapped a C on his helmet.
Skrudland was 87 years old when the Rangers signed him..
Bobby Holik had a yuge cranium.
Agh. Can we choose different name to satisfy our nostalgia?
Sakic up the ice Sakic behind the net feeds it to Kovalev over to Graves he SCORRRR BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(Neil Smith’s alarm clock goes off)
Wicky – JT and THE are two of the few I’d keep. And agreed on giving him the C (Miller)
I’ve had my Bobby Holik bobble head on ebay for 4,397 days now. No one’s met the reserve. *shrug*
James – hold that Holik bobble head out your front door, I’m sure I’ll see it from my door.
ILB would rather have the flu than discuss the early 2000s Rangers roster.
I’ll buy it, JamesG. My dogs are tired of their toys
i think that’s the way to go carp. Hank and the 3 As
LOL, would have been scary if the head was anatomically proportioned, E3.
I don’t have it in me to do that to your dogs, ILB. No sale.
Norm
No worries. I had something similar about sather early this morning lol
Win out and our boys make the playoffs easily. Once in, they can win.
Quintal was the signing that made me the most angry. All excited to take the cash, sucked eggs and then whined that he should never have left Montreal. Then to rub salt in the wounds, he ends up running the NHLDOMEFRPH (NLL Department Of Making Excuses For Ridiculous Predatory Headshots).
International Space station can track Holik’s every move with the naked eye.
Steffie Graff has bigger balls than Steffie Quintal
Regarding Staal/gilmour:
As always I hope he’s gonna be alright and if it’s another concussion, he should at least shut it down for the season atp.
But what it would allow the rangers to do if they wanted to get mad scientist with it, they can take bad contracts up to the cap, put Staal on LTIR until the summer and than take on another 5.3 mil in cap.
Ala what the hawks did with Kane but for a different reason entirely
yup. It wasn’t their intention to track him but the damn thing is in the way of everything they wanted to see.
jpp is there news on Staal?
Holik’s noodle, giant strudel, pet the poodle, color and doodle…
Boyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
It cost the Hawks Terrivanen to offload Bryan Bickells contract.
There’s value in being able to take on cup contenders bad contracts so they have the cap space to add at the deadline
Interesting about Gilmoure. They already have Pionk here.
I call dibs on the holik bobble head
E3
Followed the can on twitter lol
I do trade Hayes (obviously) or kreider before Miller. Miller seems more durable.
FIRE SATHER! Did I miss anything?
Yes, Olga, you missed a good “fire Sather” discussion
Kamensky was by far the worst. Paid him good money when his resume showed he wasn’t even close to deserving it. And he was a dog every single shift. What a bum.
Skrudland comes in second. He was terrible, played his way off the team, and trashed them when he got traded because nobody ever went out for pizza with him.
I was there in spirit, ilb.
Hopefully Gilmour is not comfortably numb. Or maybe hopefully he is? I just don’t know anymore!
Where does Ozolinsh rank in the all-time Ranger defenseman debacle?
Getzlaf sure was a #1 center they missed (/amongst a lot of other things that draft) and Hank was picked by Smiths euro scour from his Detroit days Rockstrom, so Sather and Maloney get credit for not firing that scout I guess and finally listening to him and picking Hank in the 7th round.
—/
Carp, I don’t doubt Slats isn’t telling Gorton he must do x or y (though he still may to a degree with a guy like Shatty), but you essentially just said Slats had to convince Dolan to sell so Gorton doesn’t really seem to have the true power to the owner either.
Yeah, but we needed your support, Olga. And experience
You know, the more I think about it, the more I love what’s gone down in the last 24 hours, it reasserts confidence in me that the front office sees what I see and hear and read about, where I had started to question it
Admit it’s not good enough and determine to rebuild
Weed out the worst of the worst or the cancerous right now
Bring up the kids and make AV play them
Let’s see if AV is on board? Will he passionately and purposefully coach and develop these kids the rest of the season. He’ll show it himself. From what I heard some folks saying he didn’t sound too happy about smith/Pionk yesterday. (You’d have to be paying me to listen to that smug coach talk). If he’s not on board, can him, it’s as cancerous as Smith not giving a F.
When does the trading logjam get dynamited. Usually one contender signs a big name early and all the other GM’s think “Geez we better get someone before all the good ones are gone”. Then the feeding frenzy begins.
Ozolinsh was a fairly cheap rental IIRC, but wow was he done.
ilb, I can’t be getting up that early to tell you guys what you already know. Up at the Crack of Noon is not just an expression.
I’m not sure James. I check sny rangers blog every couple days. It’s probably the most concise rangers newsfeeds out there
Carp is in a pillow fight on Twitter lol
Torts suspending Quintal as the interim coach was the best. And his speech at the end of the season about what a G-D disgrace the team was, and how they all deserved to be fired (he soon was).
What a bunch of weenies, Wick.
JPP said weed
When you hear “Jessiman”, think “Parise”.
When you hear ” McIlrath” think “Tarasenko”
When you hear Sather, think “FIRE SATHER!”
Slatsko, I’m afraid that information has been sealed in Ozo’s court records up in white plains..
Don’t forget to think Getzlaf when you think Al Montoya, Slatsko!
My vape pen is getting a workout
Fired him twice, Carp. He’s our version of Billy Martin.
Maybe we can bring Torts back for a third go. Hopefully Brooks won’t be retired by then..
Slats, hats, fats, cats, bats, gnats, flats, mats, Tats, pats, rats
Boyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
And BTW, the “Chicago Family” is also in despair this season. Worse than the nightmare about being on a Malaysian Airline and hearing loud thumps coming from up in the cockpit.
Torts is probably what they need. But the bunch of crybabies gave him the boot five years ago.
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT say the words “Mike Keenan” in any respect whatsoever on this blog.
(Whoops!)
How long before matt Martin is a ranger?
Mike Keenan?
Maybe the only Rangers coach never fired. Besides Tom Webster. And Slats.
Bad Dream Last Night:
1 Dolan starting hitting on Kathryn Tappen
2 Dolan/Tappen start dating
3 Dolan/Tappen break up
4 Tappen tells Bob McKenzie all the little things she learned about the NYR from Doughboy while they were dating
5 We lose leverage league wide and get junk in return for our pieces
it was a long dream I slept like a baby
“Well, turns out that the master [Leonardo da Vinci] slept only twenty minutes every three hours. Now, that works out to two and a half extra days that I’m awake per week, every week, which means if I live to be eighty, I will have lived the equivalent of a hundred and five years.”
AV out to sea, had to pee, wanted a tree, not to be, Arneil’s knee, enough for he, bumble bee, golly gee, you and me, golf tee, us and we
Boyeeeeeeeeeeeee
I’d tap that tap
I actually had that Cuban sandwich named after Al Montoya at the Carnegie Deli
Rangers need guys like iceman, Maverick, Hollywood and wolf man. The volleyball scene in top gun when they were all oiled up and flexing non stop….that’s what the ranger room needs….oiled up sexy boys playing volleyball pregame
Da Vinci. That means from Vinci.
I had a dream that a hamburger was eating me.
That’s negative ghost rider, the pattern is full
If torts comes back, the car seat is part of the deal
I pulled extra hard on my vape. I’m baked like a tater
I’m mossy
My dreams are dirty
coming attractions?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/788978-nhl-history-the-10-worst-teams-in-nhl-history
I’m back on the can
atta boy, Eddie
I dreamt I was eating a giant square pizza and when I woke up the red throw rug was missing.
I must have eaten something bad last night. Sweet Jesus
Brendan Smith: “I don’t even really work here…”
Carp’s earlier assessment on McDonagh was spot on. They have to trade him and start fresh. I’ve always liked him but his play has steadily eroded and he’s never had the offensive side of his game to make him truly elite (he’s not going to learn it either at 30). I don’t think there’s any way the Rangers can resign him to a $7m+ contract and have it work out well from a cap-to-value perspective. Particularly with Lundqvist (on the decline), Staal (overpaid), Shattenkirk (likely overpaid), and the Girardi dead money buyout rounding out the dollars going to defense
The argument about his playing partners is somewhat valid but don’t look now, Girardi is 3rd in ice time on Tampa.
av’s system is what sucks.
but Tampa sucks.
I woke up one time to my dear sainted mother washing my face with clear, cool water. I said to her “Ma, I had an awful dream last night, I was arrested by the cops, beaten severely and thrown in a damp dark cell…” Ma said “There now son don’t think anything about it”. I looked into her loving eyes and said, “So, it was just a bad dream?” And she replied: “No, son. This is the dream. You’re still in the cell”.
Imagine what Bazooka Joe would do with Rico Fata!
lmao nice
Now you tell Tampa sucks? I thought only Rangers players suck…. you know, like every dman over the past 10 years who’s name isn’t McDonagh. Every one of those guys sucks on this blog
Torts confronts the cry babies upon his return: “miss me mother}*}^#*?” Now you #*%*^ pieces of }**#*# see what happens to ya when you don’t ^%}^^} play my *}*}*} brand of hockey. Now get out on the *}*}^ ice. And YOU! You shut that piece of }*#* hot tub down before we get back in here!
True story, Slatsko?
Wait ’til Tampa gets done trading at the deadline, they could suck themselves right up to the Stanley Cup.
And even Mcdonagh is only worth a couple of second rounder jpg 🙂
Carp, I may be an Atheist, but I’ll swear to it on a stack of bibles.
Look on the bright side of this, after tonight’s game you don’t have to look at the standings…
Grabner to Isles for Cal Clutterbuck.
Phony tough guy.
James – Don’t get the Getzlaf/Montoya connection? Getzlaf was part of the Huge Sepciman draft (2003) and Montoya was drafted the next year because of Blackburn’s injury. Should have drafted the goalie the Canucks took later in the first round – some guy named Schneider.
Ok. Seems like we are somewhere between bargaining and acceptance now. Even Norm is no longer denying the obvious. Great gibberish about Sather’s pre cap days. They became a complete farce to me when Dolan put on skates and went on the ice during a practice in LA. That was the equivalent of the fashion show in Slapshot but no one had the cajones to flash anyone
Sather brought Gorton to the presser by hand yesterday. Like a loving mother brings her child to a daycare.
Brendan Smith: 2018-19 comeback player of the year.
I know there has been a lot of talk about the captain going to Tampa, but I am note sure what we get back. As many have written, you would have to figure Cal Foote and 1st rounder have to be (better be?) involved. with that said, it still isn’t enough.
The Lightning have a couple of center prospects that were listed in their Top 1o by The Hockey News in their pre-season Yearbook. BTW, this is when we could the Draft Watch issue!
Brett Howden has nice size (6-2/193) and is a a two-way player. The concern is how well his Junior numbers will translate to the NHL. I think THN listed him 7th among TB’s prospects.
The other center was 4th (I think) and is Anthony Cirelli (6-0/180). Chris Drury has been at Syracuse games and Cirelli is in the AHl and has 9 goals and 20 assists in 41 games.
The Rangers might also be Keeping an eye on C Mitchell Stephens and RW Mathieu Joseph as well. Both of them were listed by THN, but I think they were below Howden.
If McD goes to Tampa the Rangers better ask for an extra draft pick or two if Ryan decides to continue playing in MSG South.
Slatsko
we do have to look at the standings in terms of draft position. Buffalo and Arizona out of reach but others are on the table.
https://nypost.com/2018/02/09/now-comes-the-hard-part-for-rangers-who-have-a-rival-to-emulate/
more from larry
Anthony – if they don’t squeeze any conditional picks out of at least a McD deal, it’s inexcusable.
Justin Tasch
Verified account
@J_Tasch
Per the game notes, tonight’s referees are none other than Francois St Laurent and Garrett Rank, the refs from last Saturday’s game in Nashville.
Great since Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber are tonight’s “referees” (and I use that term loosely) maybe we should play a game of “Guess Which Ranger Gets Concussed Tonight” Since Laurel and Hardy watched a forward and a defenseman get hurt, if I were Hank I would call Dubble-Bubble and tell him he has a stomach flu.
Fran schwa san lore want is the WORST Zebra in a zoo of zebras.
Wouldn’t know a head shot from a whiskey shot.
I kind of like Dallas as a landing spot for Nash over Nashville.The cupboard is semi bare in Tennessee right now, with them giving up a lot in that Turris/Duchene deal.
Think there’s any chance we could get Heiskanen from Dallas? We might even have to forego the high draft pick, but this kid is a future #1D. If not him, I would take Roope Hintz, Andrei Nitschuskin, and an R1. Julius Honka is on the block most likely, but we’re kinda flush with right-shot D for the foreseeable future.
Back when it happened we heard that Dolan went to Bettman for guidance on hiring a new GM. And that Bettman sold him on Sather. Nothing in the last 18 years makes me believe that’s not what happened.
Anyone in the NHL listed as 6’1 is really. 5’11. And anyone listed at 5’11 is 5’9.
Is Alex Brooksie’s agent?
If you want a long-term Ranger jersey, buy Sather’s.
daveb
i don’t see Dallas trading their number 1 as they are hosting the draft. So foregoing that part of a package might be way to go. maybe the following years number 1 could substitute.
Cooscoos
if i see something interesting from twitter i share it. in general i won’t link in ny times or newsday since they’re limited on articles one could see. the news seems to be heading there as well.
i agree with larry on some matters over the years and disagree on others.
i think more of what i share is twitter stuff.
Wow, didn’t know that. Fire Bettman then! Where is Olga?
Dont worry AnthonyM Mcleod is dressing tonight
FIRE SATHER! Just put a plastic bag over Bettman’s head.
Wick (more delay, more classes, really inconvenient) had I only read more closely this morning. Now I’m in agreement with you, kind of shatters my world view. Will be careful not to let it happen again.
Carp
I believe Bettman also was insistent on a veteran gm in Vegas
Funny thing is…………..when Bryan Murray left the Ducks GM spot, Neil Smith was the next to be hired until Henry Samueli consulted Gary Bettman, who argued hard against Smith and pushed Brian Burke. After all, there was the Sakic offer sheet. That was the time when Neil realized that he was being blackballed, and the only sniff he got was a brief one with Charles Wang.
McKenzie on tsn today said every ranger is available except hank, mentioned rfas skjeL and Miller in particular.
Also emphasized that because all were available, clearly not all would be moved.
On a funny note, said zucc having a bad season. I wonder if his twitter feed blew up with furious zucc fanboys?
What’s funny about this is that Molson and Bergevin are now getting it in the neck from Habs fans because they haven’t come out and said what Slatypuss and Dolan did!
I’m actually tempted to watch tonight just to see what Pionk and Graves are like
Is JT a slow learner or is the Coach a slow teacher?
Pionky Brewster
Ranger marketing really trying like hell to promote sales of that new jersey. Unabashed.
No McD tonight..
Wow, McDonagh is out with “a lingering upper body injury “ and likely won’t join them on the upcoming trip. Both Pionk and Gilmour are playing. Gotta update my Go Post. Conspiracy theories, anyone? 😃
Damn right ilb! No smoke without fire. Minor injury, probably don’t want to hurt their prize asset
He hurt himself packing his suitcase.
Sather’s Rangers jersey was No. 6, I believe, for those who want to buy one.
AV likes to play the great shutdown pair, Holden Staal late in games. What’s wrong with this picture?
The rebuild is done!
AV pathetic in handling young players. Get him the hell out before he infects more of them.
McD’s been traded?
Can Graves wear number 9 without creating undue controversy?
Uncle Albert.
Sather’s jersey was #6. Saw him play at the Garden once wearing it. Did not dislike him then like I do now. I wish he would go away to Banff and LaQuinta and let Gorton take his shot at it. What was schMuckler’s number on the Long Island Ducks?
Joe Whitney is a first ballot HoFer. Bad trade.
In Millers case it’s probably tough to put in a good 60 min. with a hang-over!
Sather was a bit of a tough guy in his day.
McD is an emergency callup for the injury plagued Canadian curling team
Slats did not get major ice time…
The tank is on!
There was a war of words between Sather and Don Imus back then. I remember listening to Kenny Albert’s father talking about it on WNBC 660.
Graves 6’5, 235. Hope he doesn’t carry a matching handbag.
The next fan who can thread the wooden hole from center ice between periods wins three shifts on our second line
There’s a video on Hockeyfights.com, of Sather fighting Schultz. I imagine NYR fans loved him that night.
Didn’t Whitney invent the Cotton Gin? Or does he just drink Gin to excess and next day pick the cotton from aspirin bottles?
FG said …
Dion Phaneuf is responsible for initiating the revolving door of desperation signings that spiralled into the end of this era
Discuss
It’s amazing I envisioned this at the start of the season tank you very much! Gorton needs to hit a Grand Salami!
You’re way too generous with your use of exclamation points
Enough time has gone by for Phaneuf to dress up in a ninja outfit, crawl into Avery’s bedroom window at 3 AM and give him the thrashing of his life without falling under suspicion. DO IT!
That’s what i usually do to myself at 3am
Really how much can we expect from Miller skating with Day-R-Nay and AV’s son. I would love to see what JT could do on the wing with Stamkos and Kucherov. I’m sure he would have at least 45 assists already
I hope Gorton trades a 2019 #2 for Mrs Dan Boyle
Speaking of Boyle, if I’m the GM, the first time I see a white whisker on one of my players, unless his name is Jagr, he’s toast.
I got one ilb.
As soon as you saw you guys post it
Earlier in the day on another site, this poster who knew the timetable on Kreider before the game was over, said Mac’s out with a broken hand, and everyone said well if the rangers announce it a couple hrs from now, we know this guy is on the inside.
Sure enough
Joey crabb anyone
I think they said lingering issue. If his broken hand is a lingering issue they need to fire every single medical person in the system and sue X-Ray machine company for $100M.
DaveB – Heiskanen is the guy I have been on since we started talking McDonough being on the trade block. The captain and Nash/Grabner for Heiskanen and a forward (Nichushkin, Gurianov or Tufte). Other smaller parts can be thrown in as needed.
Rangers “big deal” makes sense because the Wolf Pack need bodies on defense as we start the recalls. Pack’s coach can’t be thrilled with the addition of Hubris and Uncle Albert.
the msg sales force is in full press. called me regarding putting down a deposit for 5 game plan or mini plan.
lots of carrots especially playoffs rights (not sure if referring to this year or next).
i guess i wasn’t hungry as i didn’t bite
Guys have played with a broken hand before. May explain some things.
The way things are going with players dropping like flies, and in anticipation of the upcoming trades, Jean Ratelle might have to put on his #19 jersey before they retire it. The sad thing, at the age of 77, he still might be our best center!
http://i63.tinypic.com/16aoewg.jpg
Anthony
post of the year by you or anyone
http://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/team
no picture for 42 yet?
but he’s listed
Were I Smith’s wife, I would divorce him forthwith. Oh, the ignominy!
Is AV still going with the same defensive system with this lineup?
If he is, we’ve got a better shot at a lottery pick than a playoff berth. Which is a good thing . . . Right?
A trade for John Albert and Hubert Labrie are not what I was expecting from the big rebuild
NEW POST
Wicky @11:16:
“End point is, sather is not perfect at all but isn’t the demon a certain Chicago family (and others)make him out to be”
Exactly this. Enough Sather bashing. All he did was try to win.
My opinion — they need to make sure their scouting department is absolutely top rate moving forward. The influx of young, inexpensive talent is what the NHL is all about now.