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Category: New-York-Rangers

Rangers Roster Out Of Balance

by Paul on 11/19/09 at 09:38 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

Let’s face it. The Rangers are in trouble. Not only are they plagued by roster deficiencies that have been exacerbated by a couple of injuries with which the organization seems unequipped to cope, but nearly every team in the East that finished behind them last season seems improved, perhaps dramatically so.

The Islanders are better. The Thrashers are better. The Lightning is better. The Senators are better. The Sabres are better. And they are all harder to play against than the Rangers, every single one of them.

See, that’s the most disturbing part of the season, the most disturbing part of the way the team has been constructed and, to an extent, the way it has been coached. This mix of personnel selected almost entirely on skill level and skating ability by head coach John Tortorella and GM Glen Sather is as passive as a hockey team gets.

continued

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LeBrun Responds To Questions

by Paul on 11/17/09 at 02:20 PM ET
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Pierre LeBrun answers some email…

I am a Rangers Fan and have big problems with what’s happened the past year with their team. First of all, Glen Sather has been here for long enough, that he no longer gets any passes in my book....

They have the two most hated players in the game in Avery and Brashear, and Avery looks lost in this system. They have no center to play with Gaborik. Basically, this team is getting worse year to year, and I am sick of it.<

LeBrun:  My, my, haven’t we become a little greedy in Manhattan? Have we already forgotten that this franchise rode a seven-year, non-playoff streak entering the lockout? Since then, four straight appearances in the postseason....

I do agree, this team is not championship caliber at this point. The majority of Cup champions are built down the middle, and the fact is, the Rangers don’t have a bonafide No. 1 center....

more answers from Pierre…

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Afternoon Line

by Paul on 11/17/09 at 01:54 PM ET
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We all know about Forsberg’s long and distinguished career, but at this point in time, the last thing the Rangers need is a washed-up Swede trying to make a big buck with one last swing around the NHL.

-Stan Fischler at Game On.

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 Tags: Peter+Forsberg,

Early Rangers Report

by Paul on 11/16/09 at 09:27 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

What they’ve been, for the most part, is whatever Henrik Lundqvist, Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and the first power play unit have allowed them to be on any given night.

“I think we’ve shown that if we give our best we can be right up there, but that if we don’t it could be tough for us,” said Lundqvist, who was superb throughout Saturday’s 2-1 shootout victory in Ottawa. “It’s good that we’ve seen both sides already.

“We know that we have to be aggressive in order to be successful, but not to the point where we want to be going back and forth and trading two-on-ones all game or all year. That’s not the plan. We’re still learning. We’re still developing an identity. I don’t think we’ve established who we are yet. I don’t think we’ve figured it out. I know that I have to play better. I think our whole team can play better. But I think we’ve seen we can be a very good team when we’re at our best, and that gives us some confidence that we have something to build on.”

read on

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Rangers Must React To Goalie Crashing

by Paul on 11/12/09 at 08:24 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

So Henrik Lundqvist, who may or may not return to net tonight at the Garden against Atlanta, says that the right thigh or groin injury he’s nursing was not sustained during the couple dozen times he’s been crashed into and knocked down in the crease.

Even if that is the case, however, the goaltender told The Post yesterday that the Rangers will have to begin retaliating in some manner if he continues to be a target of onrushing attackers.

“I don’t think it’s been as bad the last little while, but I know it’s been a lot more than last year, and if it continues, of course we have to stand up and respond,” The King said. “As long as we get calls, I don’t mind getting hit if we get power plays, but if we don’t get the calls, then we have to respond to it.”

continued

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Rangers Go As Gaborik Goes

by Paul on 11/11/09 at 08:15 AM ET
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from Jay Greenberg of the NY Post,

The more things change, the more they stay the same for the Rangers. Two seasons removed from the daily grind of checking Jaromir Jagr’s pulse, they now will go as Marian Gaborik goes.

Different personality. Different coach. Similar reliance on one player to carry the offense, however, and in Gaborik, not quite Jagr’s ability to do so.

Gaborik broke 40 goals just once in eight Minnesota seasons and 35 goals twice, though admittedly with a Jacques Lemaire harness attached. John Tortorella wants Gaborik, off to a fine start with 12 goals and 10 assists, to go, go, go, and the Rangers, a healthy 11th in the league in goals scored thanks largely to their 11 in two meetings with dreadful Toronto, will succeed as he does.

continued

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 Tags: Marian+Gaborik,

Lundqvist Nursing Lower-Body Injury

by Paul on 11/10/09 at 03:19 PM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

Henrik Lundqvist has been scratched from his scheduled start here tonight against the Flames.

Head coach John Tortorella, who on Friday named The King as his goaltender, claimed he was simply, “giving Hank rest,” but the goaltender received extensive treatment in the medical room following the morning skate.

It is believed that Lundqvist is nursing a lower body injury; perhaps a sore groin.

continued

update 4:24pm, forget this story, I had a brain freeze and posted an outdated story.

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 Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist,

Glencross Gets 3 Games For Hit On Drury

by Paul on 11/09/09 at 01:36 PM ET
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per Bob McKenzie’s Twitter,

Three-game suspension for Curtis Glencross for the hit on Drury.

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 Tags: Chris+Drury, Curtis+Glencross,

Lundqvist Out With Minor Injury

by Paul on 11/07/09 at 04:13 PM ET
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from Steve Zipay of Blue Notes,

Less than 24 hours after coach John Tortorella declared that Henrik Lundqvist would start the final game of this three-game trip, he reversed gears and said backup Steve Valiquette would be in the nets for his second consecutive game. “Vally is going. It’s just rest for Hank,” was all Tortorella would say, but the Rangers No. 1 goalie is fighting a nagging injury.

Lundqvist (8-5-1, 2.52 GAA) mentioned the other day that the ice pack on his “stiff” right upper thigh/groin was for something minor, and indeed, both goalies participated in the skate at the Saddledome and Valiquette left the ice first while Lundqvist chatted at center ice with Sean Avery and other players. In the dessing room, Lundqvist removed his equipment and disappeared for treatment for more than an hour. When he emerged he said that was pretty confident that he would play against Atlanta on Thursday, a nine-day layoff.

continued

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 Tags: Henrik+Lundqvist,

Rangers Interested In Forsberg

by Paul on 11/05/09 at 09:19 AM ET
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from Larry Brooks of the NY Post,

The Rangers are among the handful of NHL teams watching Peter Forsberg very closely when the 36-year-old free-agent center tests his chronically injured right foot in the Karjala Cup tournament that opens today in Sweden and will conclude over the weekend in Finland, The Post has learned.

“Yes, we have interest in Forsberg,” GM Glen Sather said. “From the reports we’ve been getting, the foot is much better than it was a year ago.

continued…

According ot Lyle Richardson and George Malik, Forsberg would have to clear NHL waivers in order to sign with an NHL team.  Something to keep in mind if it gets to that point.

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 Tags: Peter+Forsberg,

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