Well, Im a little late on this one so I apologize for that. As expected, the Rangers were disposed of by the Penguins over the weekend. As disappointing as that was, it capped a good season for the Bullshirts who continue to evolve and improve as a contender in the NHL.
Now, the off season awaits. Which for a hockey fan, can be fairly interesting.
+ First up - Re-signing potential free agents that could become available July 1st during free agent month. Biggest unanswered questions; Jagr, Shanny and Avery. Jagr said he wants to come back.. if he comes back to the NHL. ie- He will test the open market, but probably sign with the Rangers. If thats the case, I expect them to part with Shanny although Im not sure I would endorse that. He may not be a 1st line winger anymore, but a 4th line winger, he could do nicely. And Avery.. goes like this. He is asking too much.. and he needs NYR just as much as they need him. He will not find such success elsewhere. So he will lower is price and re-sign. Now, that leaves a handful of D-men which for sure, some won't be back. But who? Backman, Rosival, Malik and Mara all are up in the air.
+ Then, in the midst of that, there is the Draft on June 20th that, while not as interesting or impactful as the NFL draft, still is worth keeping up with. Lots of young kids could make an impact. Rangers pick 20th.
+ Then there is Free Agent month which spans all of July, starting (obviously) July 1st. Last year, the Rangers added Gomez and Drury and made a huge splash. Look this year for them to make a move for either A- A winger for Gomez. Hossa anyone? B- A power D-man, potentially Brian Campbell. Both could be a stretch, but also could be in the realm of possibility. If the cap exceeds 55Mil, then we have a lot of room to make moves, especially if Jarg or Shanny walk freeing up at least 2-4 mil, and Mara and Malik walk.. freeing up an extra 5 mil of cap space. Should be a fun fun weak, as the first weak is always the best. Hell, the first DAY is the best.
+ Then there is training camp, which doesn't start till Sept, but news of who is invited from the younger group of kids on the Wolfpack will gear up at the end of August. Training camp goes thru Sept, with cuts being made along the way for the final square to begin the season in Oct.
So as you can see, there really is no true long off season in Hockey. And thank god for that. What else do I have to do besides follow this shit :)
Labels: Hockey
