The Hockey Rabbi

Same Old, Same Old From Avery?

Unfortunately it looks like a case of "the more things change, the more they stay the same" with Sean Avery.  Prior to arriving in the Big Apple, the old Sean Avery managed to wear out his welcome everywhere he went.  Inevitably, his on-ice contributions were outweighed by his selfish and uncontrollable need to act out.  Sometimes he hurt his team by not knowing when to shut up.  Other times he put his team down a man (or two) by taking foolish and unnecessary penalties.  For Avery, it seemed as though the song always remained the same.  At the end of the day, he was always deemed a detriment: more trouble then he was worth.

In New York, however, things seemed different.  The new Sean Avery seemed to be making a real effort to focus and channel his "energy" into positive channels.  Avery seemed to immediately recognize his value to the team.  More importantly, he immediately embraced his role.  Not surprisingly, New York fans immediately embraced him.  That's what makes this most recent "controversy" all the more disappointing.

I'm willing to overlook Avery's childish comments before the Buffalo series (when Avery was quoted as saying he was going to "hurt" the Sabres).   

I'm willing to forgive him for his total disappearing act in that series as well. 

I'm even willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for his decision to file for salary arbitration even though better and more valuable players were willing to negotiate with the team in order to ensure cap compliance and an opportunity to make a serious run for the cup.  Perhaps Sean didn't realize that an inflated arbitration award could disrupt the roster by forcing the Rangers to make a trade to accommodate his new salary.  I'm even willing to ignore the irony in the fact that the two Rangers (Avery and Hossa) who filed for arbitration share three very unflattering qualities:  (1) their characters have been questioned (for Hossa it's his overall commitment to excellence for Avery it his inability to control his self-centered childishness); (2) they both have unremarkable (to say the least!) track records (notwithstanding their late regular season production); and (3) they both have a heck of a lot to prove. 

What I can't overlook, however, is Avery's decision to "rock the boat" by negotiating/posturing through the media.  It creates a distraction.  The last thing a contender needs is a distraction.  Although it's still summer time, these things have a way of rippling into the season. 

Maybe I should be blaming the Rangers.  After all, they're the ones playing hard-ball.  Somehow, however, I can't blame management.  Arbitration is an adversarial proceeding.  What did Avery expect? a hug?!?  Avery chose to go this route.  Avery chose to ask for $2.6m despite having a very troubled past and only 20 solid regular season games on his resume.  Like it or not, everything the Rangers said about Avery is true. 

Maybe Avery didn't mean to "rock the boat".  Perhaps he's an emotional guy who wears his heart on his sleeve.  Maybe he just reflexively shot from the hip because of his shock and disappointment.  Well, if that were true it would just be more of the same from Avery.  Speak now, think later.  Unfortunately, however, I don't think that's true.  I think Avery is intentionally using the sympathy card for his own benefit.  He knows the fans love him.  He knows Slats will come under fire from the faithful for playing it tough.  Maybe management will fold and give him what he wants in order to avoid the negative publicity. 

What makes me think that Avery was "acting" rather than "re-acting"?  The Collective Bargaining Agreement, that's what.  The CBA outlines the rules and regulations of everything in the NHL.  Here's an interesting quote from Article 12 of the CBA which deals with salary arbitration proceedings:

"Publicity.

         The parties shall not publicize the substantive aspects
of any arbitration proceeding until the decision has been issued."

I'm not saying that Avery's comments to the New York Post violate the CBA.  The definitions section of the CBA does not define the term "substantive" as quoted above (although the Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Edition defines it as follows, "An essential part or constituent or relating to what is essential."   Did Avery leak an "essential part" of the Rangers argument?  That's a tough one (tongue firmly implanted in cheek!!).  What I am saying is that Avery knew or should have known about this rule.  His representatives must have prepared him for the do's and dont's of arbitration well in advance.  How else could he have made a well informed decision regarding whether or not to file for arbitration?  Avery must have thought about his comments before he made them.  He must have contemplated whether or not his comments would violate this provision of the CBA before he made them.  In all likelihood he consulted (on at least some level) with his agent(s) before crying to Larry Brooks. 

To me, this was not a case of an emotional guy reacting (without thought or premeditation) to the "shockingly" tough Ranger position.  I see it as a calculated and premeditated move:  Avery's trying to turn fan sympathy into dollars.  Totally unnecessary.  If the Rangers were willing to give Marcel Hossa a handsome raise they were certainly willing to do the same for Avery.  Slats is a lot of things, stupid is not one of them. 

In New York we want something new right now:  success.  Real Success.  In New York we want the Cup.  Right now the Rangers need the new Sean Avery, yet all we're getting at this point is the same old, same old from Mr. Avery.

For a great look at the Avery mess check out Dubi's article over at Blueshirt Bulletin. 

Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my loyal and anonymous reader for sending me an e-mail this morning regarding the CBA provision quoted in this post.  Thanks for the angle!         

                        

      

Around The Blogosphere: Part II

Not much happening in the world of hockey today.  Perfect time to go around the NHL, blog style! 

The Oiler$ gave us something to talk about (again) with their recent offer sheet to Dustin Penner.  This one make perfect sense: 25 year old late bloomer, never drafted, one full season of NHL experience under his belt in which he ranked amongst the top 50 goal scorers in the NHL (all he had to do was double his output and he would have been a lock for the Richard trophy!), so the Oiler$ give him $20+m over 5 years.  Thank G-d the Oiler$ can't turn a profit, otherwise they'd really start spending!  For the best thing to come out of the latest Oiler$ debacle, check out the Battle of California's "Price Per Pound Metric".  It's truly priceless!  For a Duck-Centric view check out Girl With A Puck.  Does Tom Benjamin have a warm place in his heart for poor old Brian Burke now that Krazy Kevin Lowe has poached 'em?  Mmmm.... maybe not!  How Lowe can Kevin go?  Check out Mike Chen's theory over here.  The Blue Seats- the New York Post's Blog- has a nice piece over here.  HLOG give us their take over here.  Another love letter to the Oiler$ over here.  The Hockey Humorists view right here.  Spector plays Kevin's advocate over here.  For a great look at Buffalo's role in the NHL's ever escalating salaries, check out Bucky Gleason over here.

Ask Gary Bettman, and he'll tell you that the NHL's T.V. deal with O.L.N. Versus has done wonders for increasing the leagues visibility.  Hockey matters, folks.  Well... apparently not to Yahoo!  According to Yahoo!, Brian Burke still works for Vancouver.  Hey, how would they know who this guy is? It's not like his team just won the Cup!  Hat tip to the Yankee Canuck's proof reading on this one!  Looks like Gary got the memo, as he's apparently talking to ESPN again.  The Acid Queen gives us her thoughts over here, while Bethany's Hockey Rants let's us have it over here.  But have no fear hockey fans.  Our sport will soon get the respect it deserves now that Mad Mike Milbury has joined NBC's crew.  Mad Mike brought the Islanders back to respectability (didn't he?!?!) imagine what he can do for the league!  Check out Steven Ovadia for the latest scoop. 

The folks in Pittsburgh need to chill.  Crosby's good, O.K. he's the best, but "Saint Sid"?!?!  Are you kidding me?!?!  I'm renewing my call for the Rangers to buy Pittsburgh (yeah..the whole city!).  Kudos to the Sidney Crosby Show for finding something to post about in the wild and crazy days of summer! 

The Hockey Blog in Canada gives us a nice reverse top 10 list of the NHL's new team jerseys over here.  They've also got an article on Women's hockey over here and check out Jes Golbez's article here (along with a whole bunch of other great stuff).  Is it just me, or are the Russian jersey's so much cooler? 

BREAKING NEWS:  The Ottawa Senators have unveiled their new website.  Thanks to Scarlett Ice for all (and I do mean all!) of the details, over here.  Long summer!  Speaking of a long summer, On The Forecheck gives us a post about the Iraqi National Soccer Team defeating 3 time champs Saudi Arabia.  Really.  EVEN BIGGER BREAKING NEWS:  The Islanders Army gives us the details on "partial" season ticket plans being offered by the Islanders.  You mean they still have tickets available on the iceland? I don't believe it.  Once Mad Mike gets his national audience, Icelander tickets will become an even hotter commodity.   

In a post from a few days back, Red And Black Hockey discusses the concern that reacquiring Matt Cullen may prove to be too expensive down the road for the 'Canes.   Don't worry guys, you can always borrow some money from the Oiler$. 

For a look ahead, head to the nation's capital for a look at the Caps' forwards heading into training camp.  For a look back, check out the Legends of Hockey Network for some great past player bios over here.

For those of you who would like to see fighting taken out of the game, click here.  For the rest of us, check out Hockey Fights.com.

Faceoff Factor gives us a list of NHL'ers who are defecting to....Europe?!?!  PREDICTION: As the Oiler$ continue to dangerously escalate the salaries of Restricted Free Agents by signing them to insane offer sheets which CAN be used in salary arbitration proceedings, more and more mid and low level players will similarly defect.  Why?  Because money spent on one player will come out of the pockets of other players.  Big time stars will still get their money.  However, now that the really young guns are getting paid veteran UFA money, what's left for the middle of the road guys?  To further complicate matters, unlike other North American professional sports, the NHL has a very diversified player population.  We've been attracting the best players from all over the world for some time now.  Sure they come here for the competition.  But will they still be willing to leave their lives behind if they can't get paid enough to make it worth their while?  Would you?  Call it a hunch, but maybe one of the reasons the Russians (with their deep pocketed owners) don't want to sign a player transfer agreement with the NHL is because maybe they see an opportunity to $olicit some NHL'ers into their league.  If I'm right, fans of the NHL will be the real losers because we'll no longer be able to attract the best of the best the world-over.

They definitely love their hockey in Montreal.  Check out the latest on the "Marleau to Montreal" rumors from BBetR over here and here.

Finally, finally...we get to my precious New York Rangers.  The big news on Broadway?  Sean Avery's hurt feelings.  The Blueshirt Bulletin has a great piece over here, The Dark Ranger does his thing over here, Sam Weinman's blog is here, Hot Stove New York has their take right here, check out little 'ol me right here.  One of my new favorites is MSG's Game On! where you can find MSG's announcers posting entries and insights in their own blogs.  From the "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" department, check out the Hockey Humorists ode to New Jersey Devils Hockey over here.

Finally, Finally, Finally.... we get to my regular every day sites.  Spector's Hockey is over here.  Kukla's Korner is over here.  One of my new favorites, James Mirtle, is over here.

Check out all of the great sites on the web (especially the ones I link to!!!!).  If you've got any news, info, comments or suggestions feel free to e-mail them to me.  If you'd like me to post a link to your blog just post a comment or send me an e-mail.  A reciprocal link would be appreciated- but it's not required.  Have a good one and get back to work already!!!! 

         

   

 

Avery's Getting Emotional

Kudos to Larry Brooks and the New York Post for quenching our thirst for Rangers news!  The latest comes from the Sean Avery arbitration saga:

As part of the arbitration proceeding, both sides must submit briefs in support of their respective positions.  Avery's camp will be submitting a brief which seeks an arbitration award of $2.6m for the season.    According to Brooks, the Rangers are seeking an arbitration award of $1.3m.  The Rangers' brief reportedly labels Avery as "a reasonably effective player as well as a detriment to the team," (Emphasis added).  Avery is quoted as saying, "It's hard not to take something like that personally and not to be emotional about it...I know this is part of the business, I know this is part of the process, but it's extremely disappointing to read something like that coming from Slats [GM Glen Sather] and not to be offended by it."   

What exactly makes Avery a "detriment" to the team in the eyes of management is left unclear.  One thing is for sure, however, Brooks certainly disagrees with the Rangers' approach: "No one could possibly think Avery was a detriment to the Rangers. That's careless and inaccurate terminology Sather is employing in his bid to win the salary arbitration case. The fact is that after acquiring Avery from the Kings on Feb. 5, the Blueshirts went 17-6-6 with him in the lineup, adding a jagged edge to a team that had been way too smooth for its own good the first four months of the season."

I happen to agree with Brooks, sort of!  Unless there are behind the scenes issues with Avery that we are not aware of, it's hard to argue with Avery's value to the team.  The team underwent a positive metamorphosis after acquiring the hard nosed and pesky forward.  He brought an attitude and swagger to Broadway that was sorely lacking.  Additionally, his 20 points in 29 regular season games can not be overlooked.

On the other hand, he disappeared in the playoffs when it counted.  Against the Thrashers, the whole team looked invincible.  In round two, however, Avery was invisible.  In fact, Avery acknowledged as much after the Rangers were eliminated from the post season. 

To me, this is the bottom line:  throughout his career, Avery has struggled to find his place.  His big mouth and over the top antics have inevitably led his employers to feel that he is more trouble then he's worth.  Upon coming to Broadway he seems to have found a home.  But let's not get carried away with ourselves.  Avery has a lot to prove.  20 games do not a career make!  As far as I'm concerned, his disappearing act in the playoffs was as noteworthy as his regular season revival.   

In the article, Avery says "at the end of the season, my hope was to sign a long-term deal."   Sean, what makes you think you deserve a long term deal at this point in your career?  L.A. dumped the guy for nothing.  If the Rangers sign the kid to a long term deal and then he reverts to his old ways, what are we left with?  An untradeable cap charge. 

The Bottom Line:  The Rangers need Sean Avery.  Period.  Perhaps the teams approach in labeling him a "detriment" was misguided (Spector speculates that this unpleasant experience may lead Avery to test the UFA market next season).  I would have preferred to see Slats use arguments similar to those presented above.  However, I do not blame the Rangers for taking a tough approach here.  Avery has a lot to prove.  The good news is that Avery is still very much committed to the team, "The arbitration hasn't changed my opinion at all about wanting to be a Ranger and being excited about this season," Avery said. "I'm really high on the team. I just wish Slats hadn't said these things about me. That's hard to take."   

Perhaps Avery recognizes that New York is the ideal location for him at this point in his career.  Perhaps he recognizes that the solid veteran leadership found in the locker room will help him mature and grow as a player AND as a person.  Perhaps Sean Avery will prove what he has to prove in New York.  Nothing would make me happier.         

Peca Says Rangers "Would Be A Great Fit"

Yesterday, TSN ran an article on Michael Peca's continuing job hunt.  Not surprisingly, the New York Rangers came up.  After trading away center Matt Cullen, the Rangers were left with a potential hole in the middle.  Who would replace Cullen as the third line centerman?  Many suggest that the position can be filled from within by any one of the following players: Straka, Drury, Dubinsky or even Avery (assuming he's resigned- an assumption that becomes just a bit more complicated given the Oiler$ most recent RFA fiasco). 

As I've written before, none of the aforementioned options make sense to me.  Not one of the players listed above qualifies as a legitimate third line centermen.  According to Peca, the Rangers may have shown an interest in signing him.  If Peca's right, it would appear that the Rangers' brass is not sold on the Rangers internal options either. 

Is Peca the answer?  The skeptics (and up until recently, I was definitely one of them) argue that Peca's fragile health makes him a risk that should be avoided.  The Rangers already have an aging superstar in Jaromir Jagr, whose health has been a cause for concern for some time now.  Add to that two other aging and fragile top six forwards, Brendan Shanahan and Martin Straka.  Does it make sense to add Peca to the mix?  Peca would likely become an instant fan favorite and an important piece of the over all puzzle.  What would happen to the teams morale if (or should I say when) he goes down with another injury?  Should the Rangers take that chance while gearing up for a serious run at the Cup?  What about the wasted cap space?

On the other hand, is Peca's injury history really as prohibitive as it's made out to be?  In 2006-07, Peca missed the last 46 games of the season with a broken leg.  Perhaps that was more of a freak accident than a chronic problem.  When asked if he thought that teams were apprehensive about signing him due to the leg injury, Peca was quoted as saying, ''I don't think they would be if they looked at my medical reports and checked on my progress as far as healing. Matt Nichol, the strength and conditioning coach in Toronto, could vouch for me as much as anybody how ready I am to play...I feel very comfortable and confident, with the physical part of my game and my leg...And mentally, I've been saying since the end of last season, I just feel very excited about getting back out and playing.''   According to TSN, Peca says that there are no lingering effects from the injury.

In 2005-06, Peca played 71 regular season games and 24 playoff games for the Oiler$.  Very respectable totals. 

In 2003-04 (2004-05 was the lockout season during which Peca did not play anywhere), Peca played 76 regular season games and all 5 playoff games for the Isles.  In 2002-03 Peca played only 66 regular season games for the Isles.  He did, however, manage to score 42 points during that span.  He also managed to play in all 5 of the Isles playoff matches.  In 2001-02 Peca had a career year for the Isles appearing in 80 regular season games while scoring 25 goals, 35 assists and posting a +19 rating.  In the playoffs, however, he played in only 5 of the teams 7 matches (or was it 5 of 6?). 

Peca's actual numbers are not as bad as some may believe.  Is he a risk? Yes.  Is he too much of a risk? Not necessarily.  If the Rangers are interested, they'll obviously have to do their due diligence.  If the medical records and exams look good and he's willing to sign for one season for under $2m, the Rangers should seriously consider this option.

Last but certainly not least would be Peca's desire to play in New York.  Peca is quoted as saying that his preference would be to stay in Toronto.  If he does come to Broadway, it would have to be for the right reasons.  Ranger fans are far too familiar with the problems caused by players who come to New York for the wrong reasons. 

Obviously this is all speculation.  But it's late July and I'm bored!  Let me hear what you think.  Post your comments and vote in the opinion poll below!

                

SIGNING ALERT! KRAZY KEVIN & THE OILER$: HERE WE GO AGAIN! (UPDATED)

TSN.CA reports that the Oiler$ have signed Anaheim's Dustin Penner to a 5 year $21.5m offer sheet.  The guy has played 1 full season in the NHL in which he scored 29 goals and 45 points while going -2.  He scored all of 3 goals in Anaheim's march to the Cup.  Naturally, Krazy Kevin gives this kid over $4m per season for 5 years.  This makes Philly's signing of Scott Hartnell look good.  Didn't Vancouver sign Taylor Pyatt for under $2m per season. 

The poster boys for small market franchises and the reason we fans missed a season of hockey, sure don't seem to mind escalating salaries at unprecedented levels, now do they? 

My problem with the Oiler$ approach is that it makes it impossible to dress a deep team.  Sam Weinman summed it up perfectly in a post from earlier this month:

"the cap forces teams to balance themselves with a healthy mixture of high-priced stars and role players. It turns the young players the Rangers used to ignore into players they desperately need to round out their rosters. In other words, it means the Rangers have to be creative as opposed to just throwing money at every problem that surfaces."

The issue here is the "young players" Weinman refers to.  They're more important today than ever because they're supposed to be cheap.  A team has to be willing to spend $7m plus to sign top players that reach UFA age.  If those same teams have to spend $4m plus to resign players with 1 full NHL season under their belts and all of about 35 career goals, how will that team ever be able to dress a balanced roster? 

Some say that the Oiler$ method is the wave of the future(or should I say present?).  They argue that the new CBA envisioned and encourages precisely these types of signings.  I am not sure I agree with that.  First, the compensation the signing team must pay if their offer is successful should be considered prohibitive (if it's not, don't be surprised to see changes made in the next CBA).  As Sam Weinman correctly pointed out, good drafting is important, no matter how low the UFA age drops.  Therefore, no team should want to give up draft picks unless the player they are signing is truly worth stunting the franchises development process (as good as Vanek may become, is he really worth setting back your teams development by nearly half a decade?).

Second, the salary cap, by its very definition, was imposed to restore fiscal responsibility.  The Oiler$ antics are not examples of fiscal responsibility.  At this stage in his career, Vanek is not worth over $7m per year.  After one full season in the league, Penner is not worth over $4m per year.  Period. 

Third, a RFA offer sheet can be used as a comparable in salary arbitration proceedings.  What that means is that the Oiler$ have now set the following dangerous precedent for Group II RFA's:  if you've played one full season in the NHL and have scored 29 goals and 16 assists with a -2 rating, your worth over $4m per season (Dustin Penner).  If, in your second season you follow that up with a point per game performance, you're worth over $7m per season.  Sorry folks, but that's just not going to work under the new cap structure. 

Under the new CBA, the top players will still get their money once they hit unrestricted free agency.  Everyone knew and expected that.  The bottom players will have to play for less.  That was expected too.  But what about the middle class?  A group made up largely of young players who will one day cash in but as of yet have less negotiating leverage?  They were supposed to stay relatively cheap.  The Oiler$ have attacked that balance.  Here we go again!   

       

What's Happening In The Blogosphere

It's real sloooooooow in the world of hockey right now.  So I figured I'd give you some links to some of the articles written by fellow bloggers that have caught me eye:

Faceoff Factor has an interesting take on the Isles recent resigning of Chris "Off With Your Head" Simon, you can read it here.  By the way, in case you missed Simon's vicious attack on Ryan Hollweg, here's a clip:

Some of the Staal brothers (I think there are about 97 of them!) partied a little too hard.  Check out the Girl With A Puck's take on  it here, or the BlueShirt Bulletin's view (from the Ranger's point of view), here, Red And Black Hockey gives you the perspective from Carolina, here.  The Dark Ranger gives us a funny perspective here (he also gets us Ranger fans psyched for the upcoming season over here), Hockey's Ladies Of Greatness has the mug shots here, more mug shots from Scarlett Ice over here.  The always informative James Mirtle's take on it is here (speaking of Mirtle, he had an interesting post the other day regarding Vancouver's over crowded blueline.  Some people feel the Rangers may be in the market for a d-man.  Hmmmm.)

Jes Golbez recently ranted about Vancouver's apparent "Anti-Slovak Policy".  Maybe the Canucks are still suffering from post Petr Nedved Syndrome.  Oh wait, he's from the Czech Republic!

Islanders Army (I know, I know...but what can I tell you, I'm bored!) posted about their favorite exilee (they've got a funny link in the article), here.  Lest you think I'm growing soft on the icelanders, I give you a clip of one of the greatest Rangers of all time (why'd we ever let go of this kid after this all-time classic?!?!?!):

For a list of the remaining free agents head back to James Mirtle over here.  One of the most interesting names on the list is Forsberg.  Jibblescribbits makes the case for Peter The Great, here.

One of the numerous scandals to rock the sports world recently involves an NBA ref and his alleged fondness for placing the occasional bet.  Click here for The Legends Of Hockey Network's post on sports and gambling in general and hockey and gambling in particular.   

For those of us Ranger fans who take Brendan Shanahan for granted (myself included), here's a short post from On The Wings posted after the Rangers resigned Shanny.  Most players become public enemy #1 when they leave a team via free agency.  Shanny is NOT most players.  Check it out over here.

Remember Jamie Lundmark?  Wasn't he considered a Steve Yzerman type?  Or was it Mike Modano?  Sidearm Delivery refreshes our recollection over here.

Should the league contract?  Maybe dump some small market team like...I don't know.....the Islanders?!?!  Steven Ovadia thinks outside the box a bit on the cutting the league down to size issue. 

The Acid Queen thinks the new free agent front loaded huge money long term (comma) contracts are nuts.  Earl Sleek over at The Battle Of California has a crazy good idea on these new free agent front loaded huge money long term (comma) contracts over here.   Different but the same, just like you and me!

So some big money guy wants to buy the Oiler$ (check out the details at Confessions Of A Hockey Fanatic).  Imagine if he bought the team a few months ago:  the Oiler$ could have signed Vanek for $400m per season.  Imagine if he bought the team 25 years ago:  the Oilers would probably still be winning Stanley Cups.

Speaking of winning the Cup for 25 years straight, The Sidney Crosby Show just can't wait for the season to start.  Oh how cute!  What do the Pens have, like 47 of the top 50 young players in the league?!?! Let's hope the Oiler$ guy doesn't decide to buy the Pens.  Can the Rangers buy the Pens? 

So the Yankee Canuck leaks what might be the new Canucks logo.  Uh-huh.  I see.  Slow day in the hockey world.

So the Devils have hired Larry Robinson to serve as an assistant coach.  This is Robinson's 22nd stint with the Devils.  Larry is just emotionally unstable enough to create that special championship psychosis with the Devils head -head case- Capt'n Lou Albano Lamoriello.  I see Capt'n Lou publicly executing the entire coaching staff (except for Larry who will voluntarily step down about 32 games into the season for unspecified personal reasons) about 11 and a half minutes before the Devils' most important game of the season.  Thanks to 2ManAdvantage for the details.

Andrew's Dallas Stars page discusses Eric Lindros' uncertainty over his future, here.  The Big E is obviously still suffering from post concussion syndrome.  How else can you explain his uncertainty?!?!  This should be a no-brainer (no pun intended)!

It's late and I'm tired.  Just one last thing though.  The inspiration (if you can call it that!) for this post came from the reaction I received from a bunch of fellow bloggers I e-mailed requesting links.  You guys graciously accepted my requests and for that I am grateful.  A special thanks to the folks over at CanesCountry for their recent post.  By the way Bubba, many of the sites I've contacted about exchanging links have blown me off as well.  The pro's like The BlueShirt Bulletin, Sam Weinman, Spector, Kukla's Corner, Tom Benjamin, etc... have accepted me with open arms as well.  It's all good.  We're exactly where we're supposed to be.  Thank G-d we always are. 

Check out all of the great hockey blogs out there (especially the ones I link to!!!).  They've all got interesting insights.  Besides, what would you rather do all day, work?!?!?! 

E-mail me or post a comment if you'd like me to post a link to your site.  I'd appreciate a reciprocal link-but it's not required.   

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words....

Another slow day in hockeyland.   I figured we'd get a little preview for next season:

Scott Gomez:

Chris Drury:

Jaromir Jagr:

O.K., that was the old #68.  How about this:

Marc Staal???

'Nuff said???

The Capologist

According to my calculations (based on salary numbers provided by nhlnumbers.com), the Rangers are currently sitting at $46,880,000.00 for this coming season.  This figure factors in only $2.5m for Shanny (his base salary).  It does not include Kasparitis' salary.  It does include Marc Staal and newly acquired Andrew Hutchinson and it also includes Al Montoya's salary of $1.834m.  Most importantly, this figure does not include the salaries of Sean Avery or Marcel Hossa.  Basically, the Rangers have just under $3.5m left of cap space.  Here are some thoughts:

1.  Cullen's trade was without question a salary dump.  Some speculated that Cullen was traded as a precursor to some other move.  Others speculated that the Cullen trade was a gamble because the Rangers didn't necessarily have to move him to create cap space.  If the numbers listed by nhlnumbers.com are accurate, Larry Brooks was wrong.  The Rangers did have to move him (or at least someone).  The Rangers did have to create cap space to make room for Avery.  You can question why they decided to dump Cullen instead of Malik or Mara, but you can't question the need to dump a salary in that ball park.  To me, the question of who to move really boiled down to Mara or Cullen.  Malik makes less money than the other two and the coaching staff (and Jagr) like him.  In a perfect world I would have preferred to see Mara dumped, but this isn't a perfect world! 

2.  Kasparitis is not coming back.  Or is he?  There have been some reports that Kaspar has worked himself back into great shape and is focused on making it back to the big club.  Unfortunately for him, there doesn't seem to be any room for his salary on Broadway.  If the reports are true, it would be a bit of a shame:  the Rangers could use the snarl that Kaspar once brought to the blue line.  On the other hand, well.....:  if he's sent back down to Hartford he would presumably have to clear waivers.  If he is back in shape and some team decides to take a shot on him by claiming him (he is entering the last year of his contract), would the Rangers be forced to pick up half of his salary?  If so, would they be forced to take a cap hit for that?  If so, will that effect the Rangers' decision to send him back down? Do the Rangers want approximately $1.5m in dead cap charges this year in the event that he is claimed?  Would a rival GM with cap space claim Kaspar just to stick it to NY?   

3.  Who will be Lundqvist's back-up this season?  I haven't heard to much discussion on this issue, but to me this is a huge question.  The Rangers defense is clearly inadequate for a team that's looking to seriously compete for the cup.  The only way it can work is if the goaltending is solid enough to mask as many of the team's defensive deficiencies as possible.  If any team looses their #1 goalie they'd be in trouble.  How much more so for the Rangers!  Is Montoya ready for the job?  Probably.  The real question, however, is can the Rangers afford a cap charge of close to $2m annually for a rookie backup who doesn't have much of a future with the club (barring an unforeseen career threatening injury to Lundqvist)?  If, on the other hand, the Rangers send him back down to Hartford, who will be the team's backup goalie?    Valiquette is cheap ( a cap charge of just over $600,000.00), but do you trust him with the job?  I certainly do not.  Kevin Weekes signed with Jersey for under $700,000.00 per year, I hope we don't end up regretting that! 

I expect Montoya to be traded sooner rather than later.  The problem is how the Rangers will be able to fit the return under the cap?  There's a part of me that's happy about this problem because it almost insures that the Rangers will have to get young (read: "inexpensive") players in return for Montoya.  I don't mean bad players, I simply mean young players who are either still playing out their entry level contracts or who are still a few years off from unrestricted free agency and, therefore, don't have that leverage in negotiating new and expensive contracts.  I would hate to see the kid get moved for a guy like Jovanovski. 

4.  Here's an interesting question:  if not for Jagr, wouldn't you rather have seen Martin Straka's $3.3m salary dumped over that of Cullen?  Cullen filled an important role as the third line center who played a good high energy game that seemed to mesh very well with Prucha and Callahan.  Straka's role with the team, on the other hand, is limited primarily to his relationship with Jagr.  Straka could play on Jagr's left side, however, that causes some issues: (1) where do you put Hossa? and (2) Jagr is better off with a big player on his line, someone who can effectively work the corners so that Jagr doesn't have to.  Straka, theoretically could play center, but on which line?  Straka is certainly a better offensive player than Cullen.  However, Straka doesn't have a clearly defined role on this team.  Cullen did.  Chemistry, chemistry!

Check out the fan poll below and get me your comments!

   

            

On Broadway It's About Finishing The Job

After reading my last few posts, you might get the impression that I'm starting to sour on the Rangers.  That's not the case.  The Rangers made tremendous improvements thus far in the off season.  In fact, my recent criticism is the result of these improvements.  It's all relative.  The better you are, the higher the expectations.  The Rangers' goal is no longer to simply qualify for the post season.  The Rangers' goal is no longer to win one or even two rounds in the playoffs.  The Rangers' goal is to win at least one Stanley cup in the next two years.  When the stakes are that high, everything is examined under a microscope.  Winning the Stanley Cup is arguably the hardest thing to accomplish in all of professional sports.  Over the long grueling tournament, every team weakness gets exploited at some point.  I am certainly not condemning management for trading Cullen and letting Ortmeyer walk.  The Rangers are a better team today then they were at the final buzzer of game six against Buffalo.  In fact, they're a much better team.  But it's all relative.  That very improvement has raised the stakes.  Today on Broadway it's not about being better.  It's about being the best.  There is a subtle line between criticism and expectations. 

If the Rangers were still in "rebuilding mode" I would have nothing but praise.  Without the heightened expectation of winning it all, there would be no place for criticism in this hugely successful off season:  the defense is thin...give it some time, we're not quite there yet, we lost some character/role players....be patient were gearing up.  Today on Broadway, we don't need any more time to get there, we've already arrived! 

That's why I'm bothered by the loss of two character players (Cullen and Ortmeyer).  We need those types of players to win it all.  In '94 (I know, a lot of people don't want to hear about '94 anymore!) The Rangers geared up for the playoffs by acquiring a bunch of Cullen/Ortmeyer types.  Were they more important than Mess, Leetch, Richter, Graves, Zubov and Kovalev? No.  But we could not have won without them.  Are Cullen and Ortmeyer more important than Drury and Gomez? No.  But we will not win without those types of guys.

Guys like Cullen and Ortmeyer are essential to team chemistry and team chemistry is essential if you want to win a Cup.  In his early days as a Ranger, Mark Messier often spoke about the need for the team to have well defined roles filled by the types of players best suited to play those roles.  In other words, you need to have right wingers playing right wing, centermen playing center, etc...  You also need to have first line players to play on your first line and fourth line players playing on your fourth line (and everything in between).  When you take a third line player and ask him to play the part of a top six forward it doesn't work.  Similarly, when you have a top six forward you can't expect him to play a third line role, it doesn't work.  When players play out of position, roles become blurred and chemistry weakened.  That's why I'm questioning the losses of Cullen and Ortmeyer.  They are perfectly suited to fill essential roles.  Straka or Drury on the third line has the same chemistry killing effect as Cullen on the first line.  The pieces have to fit in order to complete the puzzle.  Right now the Rangers are missing a piece for the third line puzzle.

Allow me to conclude with an analogy:  When you're building a house, the goal is the completed/finished product.  At the outset, however, you focus on laying the foundation and putting up the frame.  Without those ingredients you've got nothing.  When your focused on the foundation and framing, questions about finishing touches are irrelevant.  You're simply not there yet.  Once that's done however, the focus quickly shifts.  The finishing touches become critical because without them you can not complete the job and achieve your ultimate goal: a finished product.  Lundqvist, Jagr, Gomez, Drury, Shanahan and Avery are the foundation and frame of this team.  We've completed the first and most important step of the project (Avery's not signed yet but he will be).  Now, however, the focus shifts to the finishing touches.  Without them, we can not complete the project.  It's all relative.  It's no longer about getting close.  On Broadway, it's about finishing the job.      

More Fallout From The Cullen Trade

The more I think about the trade of Matt Cullen back to Carolina, the less I like it.  Sam Weinman posted a blog entry the other day and I think he hit the nail on the head.  At the end of his post, Sam wonders whether the Rangers "really thought through what they'd be missing" by trading Cullen.  Did the Rangers consider how loosing both Cullen and Ortmeyer would effect the penalty killing unit?  What about how the loss of these players would effect ice time distribution?

Cullen was obviously not a core player for the Rangers.  He was, however, a great penalty killer.  Ditto for Jed Ortmeyer who is also gone.  Conventional wisdom says that the loss of two of the teams top penalty killers is more than offset by the acquisition of Drury and Gomez, both of whom are excellent penalty killers.  Unfortunately for the Rangers, it's not that simple:

In the "New NHL" a lot of time is spent on specialty teams.  Is it wise to expect Gomez and Drury to be able to take the lions share of ice time at even strength and on the power play AND on the penalty kill?  Are these guys going to play 25 minutes a night for the entire season and playoffs?   The potential problem is only compounded by the fact that the Rangers are often undisciplined taking far too many penalties.

I agree that Drury and Gomez are probably better penalty killers then Cullen and Ortmeyer.  But that's only half the analysis:  Last season, the Rangers top three penalty killers (in no particular order) were Ortmeyer, Betts and Cullen.  Ortmeyer and Betts did not get any power play time.  Cullen got some time on the power play prior to the acquisition of Sean Avery.  After killing a penalty, the Rangers were able to send out a top offensive line to regain some of the momentum lost as a result of being shorthanded.  That line would be well rested as none of its players were on the ice killing the penalty.  By trading Cullen and loosing Ortmeyer, the Rangers have lost that advantage.  If Drury and Gomez have to kill penalties, they won't necessarily be ready to hit the ice on that first shift at even strength.  Who will the Rangers be able to send out on the ice to regain that momentum?  Will Renney mix and match his non-penalty killers for the first shift at even strength?  Is it wise to disrupt line combinations after every penalty kill?  What about the earlier question posed regarding managing ice time? 

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not saying that Cullen and/or Ortmeyer were "core" players for the Rangers.  All I'm saying is that in today's NHL you can't expect your top players to do it all.  10+ years ago, Messier, Graves and Leetch could get the most even strength ice time while at the same time being the top penalty killers and power play specialists. In today's game more time is spent on specialty teams.  Additionally, more and more teams are rolling four lines to keep all players rested and fresh.  A team that relies too heavily on its top two lines will be at a disadvantage.  Especially over the course of a long season and a long and grueling playoff tournament.  Like I said, the more I think about the Cullen deal, the less I like it.  I wonder if the Rangers "really thought through what they'd be missing" by trading Cullen?