Good morning, boneheads!
If you are a CBA purist, that’s what you need to do for the next couple of days preceding and going after July 1st. Salary dumps, moving dead contracts for picks and prospects, obvious ( and less obvious ) CBA circumvention moves, etc…Some already happened ( click here and here ), some are sure to come, especially after the Tavares Decision. And, as LB wrote here, there is no reason for Jeff Gorton not to join the fray with a large chunk of free Cap space being available.
I will be busy for the next few days as the end of June/beginning of July marks the big switch in teaching hospitals from one group of residents to another. Fresh, young doctors coming in requires a lot of extra presence to avoid possible mistakes. Will be working all weekend, but will certainly check in. Also, my old, reliable blog friends know when to alert me if some major trades/signings happen. I am not complaining, I actually happen to like this time of the year as it brings new challenges. Otherwise life becomes stale, similar to what happened to our favorite team last couple of years, eh… 🙂
331 responses to “Hold your nose and close your eyes”
That, indeed, could be Yzerman’s thinking. But they’d better win it this year.
TB has a lot of help on the way: Cirelli, Raddysh, Foote, and Katchouk, for example.
I don’t see McD turning down the chance to go UFA.
can see a trade of johnson if jt decided to come and coburn and callahan being off roster. perhaps killorn as well
breaking
lebron james opting out of contract a ufa. can he play defense
In any event, we are spinning our wheels over nothing. I’d probably put Tampa 4th in terms of teams I think he signs with behind the Islanders, Sharks, and Leafs.
If I were him, I’d ask San Jose for the 1 year max offer that the Leafs are rumored to be offering.
id say 70-30 he stays in tampa long term. yzerman will make it work once figures out roster in july.
my opinion i think your wrong on this one
eric, I was thinking about this literally yesterday: could you imagine if Lebron went into hockey? Like if his build, athleticism, and dedication to improving his skills were put on the ice instead of the basketball court? He’d be one of the most dominant players ever.
eric, that may be, but I just don’t see him missing out on the pay day after being on this past sweetheart deal. At the very least, I think he gets to the interview period. He probably thinks he can get OEL/Carlson money on the open market, but in Tampa he won’t get paid more than Hedman.
I don’t think Buchnevich is going anywhere just yet. He’s going to be played as well as evaluated under the new regime here same as Vesey at the very least for the first half of this season.
And besides, dealing Buchnevich and retaining Zuccarello would be just awful roster management IMO unless you’re bringing back a significant top six W in the process.
Once Stralman enrolls his kids in school, he prefers to keep them there and will leave town only under duress or blatant disrespect.
Doubt McD would turn down a long term TB deal to go UFA. He’s a good fit in Tampa and they don’t need to pay him “less than” Hedman.
They use that no state income tax deal to their advantage pretty often. Even if they gave him a deal similar to Hedman’s it’s more than getting Carlson money outside of Florida.
With that said Could see Chicago, Toronto, SJ and the rest of the usual suspects ready to spend big on him as a UFA.
I like Komerov, too, short term. Reminds me of Dorsett, who was a consummate 4th liner, and both have worn the ‘A’. Also should go by his American name, MOSQUITO on his jersey and ACT like one.
im all for moving zucc. wont be here past next year
Donuts last time gave us something of a sweetheart contract. Is this his nature or will be play hardball this time?
The last five first rounders will be staying together and working out together this summer. Yhay is awesome!
The video of Lindgren saying he and the 4 others are training with Prentiss this summer
I thought I could post that video at a certain time. I guess not. He says it at 1:40.
I know I exaggerated about the 80’s Oilers to make my point. Those guys were my heroes growing up. Gretzky is why I became a Rangers fan
‘Fun, fun, fun, ’til Gorton takes the contract away…’
So the Off The Board rookie camp has concluded. Did not see any of the scrimmages or drills. How did it go?
tomb – ditto! Went to see the Rangers v Hawks at MSG in his last season, even then he was like watching some higher power gracing us mortals with his presence!
Kid’s got a deep voice, no nonsense demeanor, and racks up a lot of penalty minutes. Seems eager.
Coos- we might be looking at a lot of penalty minutes in NY this year. Whether they score enough is a different question.
Gretzky hugely overrated. 🙂
Yup, his skating was questionable, remember..
And he is such a whining crybaby
And he couldn’t win without help from Messier.
I would steer very wide of Rick Nash when he can’t decide if he wants to play or not. When he DID want to play, he was too low key even then.
stress free year for rangers. kids need play and improve from 1st half to 2nd half of season. poor hank
About the scrimmage. Kravstov and Chytil were tearing it up. it was almost not fair. Chytil will play in the NHL this year.
This year I want to see a third line of
Ronning – Howden – krastvov
gut feeling libor hajek is best of the kids
They always gave The Great One a playable non-ice bodyguard wherever he went. A great aid to an exceptional young (and old) talent.
* on-ice
Ruff – Is he here or is he ain’t? If he is, will the new coach allow him to set up a system that protects Hank a little bit?
Will Couch be dealt for another Lazy Boy?
Ruff was staying last i heard, the rest of the coaching staff is expected to be announced on Sunday or after as current coaching deals run to 30th June
Non-ice suggests more character coos!
Knowing Ranger management the Couch would be traded for a love-seat!
Dolan meets Slats at MOMA fundraiser: “Did we make the Playoffs last year?”
Seeing all sorts of stuff at the moment, but the one i like the most bursts the bubble that LouLam is some sort of saviour!
“Belief is that Tavares is torn between San Jose and New York. He doesn’t appear to be thrilled about Lamoriello as GM. A lot of changes happened in the last two months that he seems pissed about.”
breaking
rangers have reached out to JT via text. offering dancing larry parties
Poor Hank indeed. Don’t worry. He’s only one of the greatest goalies to ever grace this team. I’m sure by February Gordon can get a 3rd rounder and a lefty Dman prospect with some character.
Each time I see ‘Character’ in print, I note that it always includes Chara..
Don’t worry guys, i checked and we’re missing out on nothing with this Wahlstrom kid, he’ll be a bust!
https://www.nhl.com/news/oliver-wahlstrom-wows-with-highlight-reel-goal/c-299336490
Did you see Chara at the draft, Coos? He looked bigger and more intimidating than half of the so called “enforcers” in the league today.
Brendan Smith to Pierre: “You told me to go out there and have fun, and when I did, the GM told me I wasb’t funny and put me on waivers.”
What’s with the Tavares Soap Opera? This guy is so boring he puts himself to sleep.
Brendan Smith reportedly is training with Bill Murray out in CA this offseason
https://media.giphy.com/media/QWU0f30DbiiZO/giphy.gif
Gots to be more than fatness with Smith. Gots to be.
jay beagle being courted. rangers interested per mckenzie vancouver leads the way as of now
Beagle being doggedly courted.
Beagle? Woof.
Beagle? Ay Chihuahua.
Reaves back to Vegas
He’s gambling with his future.
Dang,
I wanted Ryan reaves on the team
Was gonna say. The 3 guys I would go after first are
John Moore
Jay beagle
Ryan reaves
Love me some Roussel but think Montreal will overbid everyone
We must get tougher to play against, especially at home.
Interested in reunion with grabner in right terms. Was good with Hayes, just like hags was good with Hayes. If Hayes isn’t here, still can count on 3/4 line W spot being filled. Can’t see term or 2Mil +
Both Yakupov and duclair are interesting options. I like duclair, think he’s a good kid, just has to become a pro. Don’t have any kind of read on yakupov other than the nhl drafted him 1OA so there was something there
Holden will provide some team some bang for your buck, just cant give term
If your the rangers that is.
Duclaiar? Nope.
Personally, I’d really like to bring lucic in. I want him on the team. It’s just his contract and term is too much to take on without getting paid for it and for that to happen it mean chiarelli has face to the heat of the kitchen and do what he need to do for the growth and health of his club. And give up assets or make a better deal and retain salary.
Rangers showing interest in Tobias reider. No thanks
JVR is a weird one for me. Really liked the player when I watched a lot. My dad loved him and hated he was a flyer. I haven’t watched hockey much and he’s kinda flown under the radar bc of the culture change in Toronto.
But I know he’s 29 and can get 6×6 i he wants. And I know from a ranger rebuild and salary cap building standpoint, it’s not the right time for the rangers to sign those kind of deals. So from a business standpoint I’d say JVR shouldn’t pass up the money/term. And that’s what I’d advise. However I also know, if it were me in JVR’s position, if the dream to play for the rangers is as deep rooted as mine was, I would probably take whatever they could offer me. Honestly, but that’s me and I wanted to live what Messier and company lived, but like the Yankees did, every year. So yeah I would have taken anything just for that chance to make that happen. So you never know what really drives someone and where and from what value standpoint, they Are gonna be making decisions from
I was away all week and was wondering what I’d be coming back to in the hockey world. Have to say. Always felt Like Tavares gave the isles and good deal and has put slot of pressure on himself to win and give it all during it, bc he knew he was gonna leave if things weren’t fixed by the time his FA came around. At this point, he can’t lock the remainder of his career into whether Lou can turn the isles in a cup winner in 2-3 years. He can pick his own team, closest to winning, best life, best geography/ culture. Think all 4 teams involved are smart choices. SJ/Tampa best combo of hockey team/geography. Toronto would be like walking into an up and coming yankees organization for Tavares. And Dallas will probably try to blow everyone out of the water. And it’s a smart move coupled with no state income. They could offer Tavares 15-20 million more than the other teams on the list. And with sequin eyeing pretty lights and his own Tavares like decisions. Tavares would fit right into a pretty underrated group, from everything I’ve heard from folks
Richie Rich, Roenick, Dan Boyle up for next HOF. No to all three of them.
We might actually strike out in free agency. The depth “character” guys we like seem to be headed elsewhere.
Lucic sucks. Pass.
Doughty and kings going announce 8 yr 88 mil 11 per contract extension. Highest in league for d
Roenick HOF for words of wisdom!
It’ll take a GM with balls to tell Top UFA dmen next year “yeah..but you’re not as good as Doughty so..”
Blank check for Karlson if he makes it.
—
Hard pass on Lucic. Contract is way too long and full NMC, so even if they ate some cap it means we someone on our roster is getting exposed in the next expansion draft because of him.
I take lucic if he comes with Klefbom or Puljuljarvi
Pete, two words: amnesty buyout.
amnesty buyout will only be in effect if cap goes down via owners getting higher percent or removing certain revenues from the split.
not if they tweak other things like length of contracts or how long entry level deals last. or eliminate the ways hayes and vesey became free agents.
i would like to see the regular buyout be 1/2 rather than 2/3.
i don’t think the small market teams want that as they view the larger buyout as punishing those that spend big.
i’d like to see some vets that aren’t trash…
I kept seeing Ranger fans mention Klefbom. Am I missing something? I don’t see anything special. Does he have good possession numbers or something? Pulijarvi is looking very much like he could bust.
What’s with the Tavares Soap Opera? This guy is so boring he puts himself to sleep.
Haha…I frankly do not understand all the Tavares hype. I have yet to see the guy do anything special on the ice. But hey, the hockey experts keep telling us he’s a great player; I guess we’ll just have to believe and keep repeating it.
James
You saw one
Grabner
That video tomb posted…I’d love to see all 5 of those guys on the rangers next season!!
Fat pass on grabner.
I don’t want him here either Wicky but he was very solid his 2 years here
Main reason I don’t want him is we’re in rebuild mode so I want as few ufas as possible
Plus I saw how people turned on him when he didn’t score for a couple of weeks
I’d be fine with Lucic, especially if zucc goes the other way.
Lucic has 5 years left
Zuccarello will be gone after 1
So no thanks
LMAO seems as if Gorton is striking out on every targeted free agent. I, for one, don’t care. Screw it- build it from the ground up. They’ll be better for it. It’ll be a great rallying point.
Wicky,
I love ya, bud. But Lucic’s contract is toxic.
The problem with adding players like reaves (I know he’s back in Vegas) is the same problem the rangers have had for quite a while. 4th line grit and toughness and 3 lines of cotton.
Rangers need to add guys that play tough in the top 9.
Boys
I understand the contract and I also would expect Edmonton to eat a portion.
Haze is tough – just look at his possession numbers
In theory, most of the rangers new and upcoming stars will be on entry level contracts. If at least 4 forwards and 2 d men are on elc’s, there’s cap space to spare on a young “rebuilding” team for a few years.
Craig – wasn’t implying that striking out on Free agency was necessarily a bad thing.
For the first time in forever – we’re not exactly a destination.
2 years yes wicky
No thanks on anything longer
And the reason I’d take even those 2 years is if we get young assets to take them on
UFA market is meh, like the idea of taking on bloated contracts to land more young up and comers in tandem deals.
Chatter picking up on Ryan/karlsson package again, not sure in team
Roussel reportedly close to Canucks with 4 yr, 3+ mil per deal
Perron reportedly not going back to Vegas…I’d be all in on Perron, like his game.
Lucic is done guys….fast league now
Lou Cheech seems done but then again so did Ryan Clowe
If Florida can’t get a deal for Paccioretty, what would it take to bring him here for a year? Hayes and . . .?
He’d provide leadership for the kids, score some goals and we could trade him for a 1st and a prospect, (a la Nash deal to Boston).
. . .at the deadline . . . to a contender.
Don’t think Lucic is “done”, he’s a 20 goal a season guy that should be on a 3rd line and pp somewhere with a salary that is too high.
Not sure if MN’s new GM, Fenton would want to move Eric Staal to the Rangers for one or more of our RFA forwards. Same concept as Paccioretty. Teach the kids. Lead. Trade him at the deadline to a contender.
As bad as his short stint was here, he seemed to be hurt and AV was a big part of the problem. He’d play with his brother. Quinn could use a guy like that in the room.
Tom k
I think you nailed it that Eric staal was hurt while here
Minnesota is not in rebuild mode while we are so Eric fits in better with their goals of trying to win now
Alex- if not Eric Staal, I’d still try to target a “character” guy with leadership qualities who’s been through countless battles. I’d be prepared to deal a couple of the RFA’s,(not Skjei), to get someone who can help the young players and take some of the pressure off of guys like Hank, Kreider and Shattenkirk. Somebody who is attainable because he’s past his prime and possibly on an inflated contract, but can still contribute and can be moved at the deadline for a pick.
A guy like David Backes has 3 years left at $6M AAV. Even if Boston ate some salary, he’s got concussion issues so that wouldn’t work.
Paccioretty might work. Guy grew up in New Canaan. Might be fun to play in MSG for a year before he heads down to Florida as a UFA.
Or Callahan…..2 years left, could teach the kids what it means to be a ranger. Still plays hard, hits a lot, good leader and would even miss a chunk of games each year to give another kid a tryout!!
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