David Quinn is the new man in charge. With that, there may be and should be, a change in mentality and style of play for the New York Rangers.

As Johnluke mentioned in his article on the new coach, accountability and fairness will be enacted into this team. Another new implementation will be the communication. Quinn has a storied history with former players like Kevin Shattenkirk and the kind of personal connection he shares with them.  

Especially with the younger players, communication with young guns Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson and even the young defensive core like John Gilmour and Neal Pionk will be crucial.  

Neal E. Boudette of the New York Times elaborated in his story on Quinn, that a change in toughness and strategy may be applied.

“As the Terriers’ coach, Quinn employed a style of play based on puck possession and aggressive forechecking.”

With that being said, there are some skaters on the free agent market, that can fit that kind of playstyle. Of course, if that is the direction.

Patrick Maroon 

Patrick Maroon fits the hard, tenacious and aggressive forward that Quinn is talking about. Another thing he adds is veteran experience on the left side for 24-year-old Jimmy Vesey and 26-year-old Chris Kreider. Last season, he spent time with Edmonton for 57 games, before being traded to the playoff-seeking New Jersey Devils for 17 games. With Edmonton, Maroon played admirably with contributing 30 points (14G and 16A) and holding a plus/minus of +5. At 54%, he held the highest CorsiFor percentage of skaters with 50 or more games with Edmonton. He was also a force while on the ice, registering 119 hits.

His usage and performances weren’t eye-opening once he moved to New Jersey. In the 17 games, he tallied 13 points with three goals and ten assists. His usage was primarily as an aggressive player, seeking to drop the gloves to turn the tides in a matchup.

Maroon also has experience playing under Quinn’s leadership during the 2016 World Championships. Quinn was an assistant coach for the team. Having that prior experience, though for a short while, is definitely a plus.

Coming off of a one-year deal worth around $1.6 million, acquiring Maroon could be for a reasonable price. My expectation would be a little more, at $1.8 million for one year.

James Van Riemsdyk 

The Middletown, New Jersey native grew up as a fan of our beloved New York Rangers. As he is about to nearly hit a decade in the league, coming home may be an option for the soon to be 29-year-old.

Van Riemsdyk provides some quintessential abilities that the Rangers could need in the future. He can score in bunches, with five seasons of 20 goals or more, and netting a career-high of 36 tallies last season. At 6’3″, he is the same height as both Vesey and Kreider, which means that three of the four lines have a long stick to poke and pry the puck away.

In addition to the active stick on defense, JVR is very careful with the puck and maintaining possession. With Toronto last season, he held the highest CorsiFor on the team with 55.6%, beating out 11 other skaters that played more than 70 games. On top of controlling the puck, he can get the puck to the net, with 57.5% of his 248 shots getting to the opposing goaltender.

Ian Cole

On the defensive end, I have expressed my predictions for the lines back in early April. But, I believe one more member can be comparable to Quinn’s coaching style. Kevin Shattenkirk had a great quote on his former and now current coach, which was reported by Colin Stephenson of Newsday.

“He lets you make plays, but you have to make the right plays,’’ Shattenkirk said. “He doesn’t want to take away your creativity at all, but there’s a time and place for trying to be too cute and trying to make the right play at the right time in the game. He’s a defenseman at heart, and he harps on team defense; that’s an area that, for me, he did so much for me in college, to focus on my individual skills and from a team standpoint, making sure the team was sound structurally and in good position and working hard to defend.’’

The Rangers have a plethora of highly skilled puck movers and offensive defensemen. But, what about Ian Cole from Columbus to hold the fort on the back end? Revered for his strong defensive plays and willingness to block a shot, Cole can be a great addition to the blueline. In eight seasons on the NHL level, he has blocked 685 shots, including his career high in 2016-17 with 194, plus an additional 62 in the playoffs. This is something the Rangers don’t really have right now, especially after buying out Dan Girardi last summer. Cole is a defensive minded player that is willing to sacrifice his body, whether it is game one or game 82. This is what this rebuilding team needs to consider. Skjei and Staal led the Rangers in blocked shots with 119 and 96 last season, respectively, which is noticeably less than 2016-17 team leaders. During that season, Girardi, McDonagh, and Klein had 166, 160 and 123 respectively.

Quinn has expressed that he wants to focus on the defensive end. He had a concise quote with WFAN and Mike Francesa via sny.tv, on what he wants to develop with the defensive core.

“I played the position myself, I love spending time on the aspects of playing D. We would do an awful lot of that at BU and the AHL. They are all important positions but if your defense can get pucks out of your end and do it quickly, you are going to have the puck a lot more.”

Kevin Klein 

Former New York Ranger Kevin Klein signed a one year extension to stay on with the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League. This comes from Swiss/German newspaper Aargauer Zeitung.

Klein, 33-years-old, retired from the NHL in 2017. He then signed a one-year-deal with ZSC, one week after announcing his retirement.

The defenseman recently contemplated retirement from professional hockey a few months ago, this time for good. According to Swisshockeynews.com, he was set to retire at the end of the last season, in which he played 45 games.

Klein registered 10 goals and 12 assists in the regular season and contributed 12 points in 17 playoff games. ZSC won the National League Championship.

Kovalev and Kundratek 

Over in the KHL, Kunlun Red Star, based out of china gained a set of rangers alums. Alexei Kovalev joins the coaching staff as an assistant coach and Tomas Kundratek signs on as well.

Kovalev is a player that many remember, as he began his story career with the blueshirts. Drafted in 1991 as the 15th overall pick by the New York Rangers and was a crucial part of the Rangers Stanley Cup run in 1994. He had 21 points over the 23 games of that playoff run.

At the end of the 2013, Kovalev retired from the NHL at the age of 39. He registered 1029 points in 1316 career games.

Since retiring, Kovalev has remained prominent in the hockey world with playing two separate seasons with Swiss National League B team EHC Visp in 2013-14 and 2016-17. During that 2016 season, Kovalev became the general manager of that very club he was wearing the sweater for.

Kundratek, 28, signed a one year contract with Kunlun Red Star as well. He was a third round pick by the Rangers in 2008, and only appeared in 16 Hartford Wolf Pack games before being traded to the Washington Capitals in 2011. In return for Kundratek, the Rangers received Francois Bouchard.  

During his time with the Capitals, he played 30 games over a span of two seasons and scored one goal. After his time in Washington and Hershey (AHL) ended in 2014, Kundratek signed on with KHL Dinamo Riga for one season. In 2015 he signed with HC Slovan Bratislava and finally in 2017 he played with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the KHL.

John Vanbiesbrouck 

Another Rangers great, John Vanbiesbrouck, has agreed to a position with USA Hockey as assistant executive director of hockey operations.

“I’m really humbled and honored to have this opportunity,” Vanbiesbrouck said. “I look forward to building on the foundation that has been put in place by Art Berglund and Jim Johannson, among others, and while I know I have much to learn, it’s a challenge that I’m really excited about.”

Vanbiesbrouck won 200 games over his 11 years as a New York Ranger. He split time in the 1989-90 season with Mike Richter and the rest was history. He had five 20 win seasons with his time as a Ranger.

There is something deeply engrained within the sports fan. Past passion, past excitement, past memories, past the ability to get oh so high from a trade that seems to go in your favor, right where irrationality meets frustration lays that dirty ugly five letter word, blame. The Rangers lose: polls run, who’s to blame? Beat writers search for the scapegoat, irrational fans go to their old favorites “That was definitely Girardi’s fault on defense and Stepan never put home that puck on the goal line.” But wait, it’s 2017. Those names are long gone, but still, the instinct is to blame and blame who or what’s comfortable.

The Rangers are seven games into the 2017-18 campaign, just a smidge under 10% of the season, and have to dig themselves out of a 1-5-1 hole that puts them dead last in the Eastern Conference. Let’s call a spade a spade here; it’s time to be concerned. The Rangers have upcoming matches against the Islanders, the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks, before finishing out their homestand that will see it’s finale introduce a new character, Derek Stepan the Coyote. Can you see the script writing itself going forward like I can?

In seven games, the New York Rangers have done everything they can do wrong. They’ve gotten off to poor starts and played extremely well in their comeback attempts only to fall short. They’ve let go of leads in games they’ve commanded, and they’ve commanded games to hit a brick wall disguised as a goalie. Bad penalties and bad giveaways have become the norm. Whereas in years past, if one thing went wrong, the team would shake it off and get back to work, things seem to have gone wrong and gotten worse, not better.

Going around, where’s the blame lay? Well, here’s some we’ve seen so far; AV has lost the room, Staal is still on the team, McDonagh isn’t playing well, or the personal favorite, the irrelevant Corsi statistic blaming a player.

No matter which way you split it, everyone is to blame, and that is a fact at this point. Recently, there have been whispers of unsettlement as far as Head Coach Alain Vigneault goes. Questions have justifiably been raised: “Has he lost the room?” (I can answer this simply: yes he absolutely has but that’s not really the problem.) However, there’s one sneaky character flying under the radar here that needs to be held accountable. I’m going to call him out, show you why, and then proceed to explain why he is absolutely comfortable with how things stand.

Enter Jeff Gorton, the disciplined negotiator who bent Kevin Shattenkirk to his will in negotiations. The shrewd man at the helm who dealt an aging center the team didn’t need and could replace for a #7 overall pick and a defensive prospect. The stern navigator of the ship who refused to overpay for Shattenkirk at last year’s deadline and instead paid less for Brendan Smith, a move I like by the way. Jeff Gorton has gotten the biggest room for error of any GM in any major professional sports team in New York. He’s been able to operate to the herald of beat writers, while in essence stripping the team bit by bit, piece by piece with the greatest built-in reason, the salary cap.” Let’s take a look back at the three-year track record of Jeff Gorton though.

Gorton officially replaced Glen Sather as Rangers GM on July 1, 2015, a mere few weeks after the Rangers coming a game shy of a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. That team was made up of players like; Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis (was heading into retirement), Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Carl Hagelin, JT Miller, and Jesper Fast as team’s wings. Up the middle, the roster had Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore, and the blue line contained Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Klein, Dan Boyle, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and Keith Yandle. Not to leave out a superb back up goaltender in Cam Talbot.

Carl Hagelin will be “Asset #1” and Cam Talbot will be “Asset #2” in this explanation. Now, it’s no mystery that sometimes teams need to make difficult decisions with their personnel. However, in Jeff Gorton’s first test as New York Rangers General Manager, he was tasked with converting those two assets into assets that fit the team’s financial needs. Asset #1 was a proven commodity, yet he was traded to Anaheim for Emerson Etem, a completely unknown and unproven asset. The Rangers traded the 59th and 179th picks in that year’s draft to Anaheim in the same trade in return for the 41st pick; essentially valuing the drop-off between Hagelin and Etem to be equal with the addition of the commensurate draft picks. With the 41st Overall pick of the 2015 draft, the New York Rangers selected LW Ryan Gropp. Now to make matters worse, it was rumored that Hagelin was willing to re-sign with the Rangers for the $3.5 million they were budgeted for, but the organization still chose to move on from the fastest guy in the league. Okay…

Now onto Asset #2, Cam Talbot. Let’s dispose of the “we should’ve kept Cam” talk immediately. It wasn’t possible. Rumors were flying around that the Rangers may have a top 20 overall pick returning for him. Florida offered Jimmy Hayes, but Jeff Gorton made the move to Edmonton, where Cam has gone on to be a Vezina candidate. Looking back, Gorton should have pulled a Sakic and known what he had in Talbot, who had another year under contract to boot and held out for what the team needed. A team that was a win away from back to back Cup Final appearances did not need was draft picks. The Rangers traded Cam Talbot to the Edmonton Oilers for the 57th, 79th and 184th pick in that year’s draft. Draft picks are awesome if they work, and I applaud the strategy but let’s take a look at what those picks became.

Pick 57: Rangers traded away to Buffalo for Pick #62 and #113

Pick 62: Robin Kovacs

Pick 79: Sergei Zborovsky

Pick 113: Brad Morrison

Pick 184: Adam Huska

So in his first test, Jeff Gorton turned a “could’ve re-signed, missed him for a year and replaced him with a lesser version Michael Grabner” Carl Hagelin and a soon to be Vezina Trophy candidate with one year left on his contract Cam Talbot for Ryan Gropp (just cracked the Wolf Pack roster), Robin Kovacs (left Hartford for SHL), Sergey Zborovskiy (playing with Rangers ECHL affiliate Greenville), Brad Morrison (playing his 20 year old season in the WHL) and Adam Huska (UConn). As a result of trading off those assets, the team got worse. As the 2015-16 season got underway, the Rangers struggled with an up and down season, noticeably missing speed in the lineup just at the same time as Carl Hagelin was sent off to Pittsburgh to be a key component of a team making and winning a Stanley Cup final. As the season concluded, more “Assets” came into Jeff Gorton’s hands, namely Keith Yandle.

Yandle, an offensive minded 45 point scoring defenseman in his prime who would be commanding a $6 million per year contract. Knowing that Yandle wouldn’t be re-signed, Gorton could have moved him at the deadline for players and pieces that benefitted the team immediately and in the future. Instead, he let him play the season out and taking “Asset #3” and flipping him down to Florida for a 2016 6th rounder and a conditional 2017 4th rounder. This is the same Keith Yandle that cost the Rangers a first round pick, a top 6 defenseman, and a top prospect in Anthony Duclair. Gorton did make some good pickups in the offseason that year such as Jimmy Vesey and Michael Grabner but my point is in his handling of assets, not signing players.

Fast forward to 2017, an offseason in which the Rangers blue-line came under question. Dan Girardi or Marc Staal were due for greener pastures and as such Dan Girardi was bought out despite the fact that Girardi had a much better year and playoffs than Staal had. Girardi was also more of a tradeable asset than Staal, as Tampa Bay had no problem paying the man to come and play. The defense needed to be revamped like the offense had been the year before. They brought back Brendan Smith as their 3rd defenseman and with Brady Skjei emerging as an elite scoring defenseman, a top three of McDonagh, Skjei, Smith looked pretty solid.

That’s when Gorton fumbled the ball yet again on Asset #4, Derek Stepan. The Stepan trade was one that was heralded by many as a shrewd move that had to be done. But the common theme I’m finding here is that when there’s a move that has to be done, Gorton is going to screw it up. The Rangers traded a luxury they had in a solid backup goaltender Antti Raanta alongside the team’s first line center Derek Stepan to Arizona for Anthony DeAngelo and the 7th overall pick. While on its face the deal seemed great, the actions following the trade make it look like a giveaway.

Anthony DeAngelo is an offensive defenseman that needs a lot of work in his own zone. Add in Brady Skjei, and it’s pretty rare to have two potential 40 point defensemen on your blue line as is. Now, the 7th overall pick got fans very excited and it should, but the team opted to go with Lias Andersson. Andersson, a very talented player, was a reach at #7 however and the rationale behind it was this: “we may not have gotten the highest ceiling guy available, but we got the guy with the best chance to crack the roster this season and help the team.” With that explanation, I was all for it. Now as we move forward through the offseason, Gorton goes out and signs Kevin Shattenkirk, an admirable acquisition, but one that came with a few flags, primarily his less than average defensive zone play. This was a 40+ point defenseman who never in his career played top pairing minutes and could essentially be considered as Keith Yandle with less defensive ability. So why is it one year you don’t need that player and then the next you do? The money freed up from the Stepan trade was used on this signing, but did it strengthen the roster with the addition more than it weakened it with the subtraction? No.

To add to the cluster, the sole reasoning of drafting Andersson over a player that the organization has been searching for like Casey Middlestadt, who will need a year or two of college hockey before being an impact first line center in the NHL, was his year one availability. The Rangers didn’t even choose to give him the nine games to prove himself in the NHL before sending him back, so despite what their scouts said, the team felt he was not ready for the NHL.

When Jeff Gorton has assets and has a competitive team, his objective should be that of Glen Sather. Ryan Callahan was an asset under Sather, and he leveraged that asset to improve the roster at that moment. Sather didn’t trade assets for picks, he traded assets and picks for more assets.

Now, I understand that Jeff Gorton is also tasked with restocking the cubbard with prospects, but he’s done so at the cost of the Rangers roster and at the cost of robbing his coach of the personnel he needs. His trades have not worked out yet by any stretch of the imagination; and n the three drafts Gorton has been at the helm, where he’s acquired pick after pick, not one player has cracked the NHL roster or gotten close to sniffing it yet.

Right now all the anger and vitriol is pointed at Alain Vigneault for this team’s horrible play so far, and in many cases, rightfully so. However, here is where it get’s worse. Nobody is pointing their finger up at Gorton yet, and nobody will as long as there is a scapegoat in place. AV has lost the room, that’s a given at this point. However, AV is a good coach so with the right pieces and support he would be successful. Gorton thus far has botched the job. If or when Gorton chooses to say sayonara to AV and the next coach has the same issues with the misgivings of the team’s personnel, the next head to roll will be Gorton’s. And it’s with that knowledge that Jeff Gorton will continue to “stay out” of the AV issue and do nothing until he is absolutely forced to. AV, while with plenty fault of his own, is Jeff Gorton’s scapegoat for his mistakes thus far and will remain so.

Year after year, Gorton has taken away key components from AV’s machine and leveraged them into picks, only to replace those same components with lesser quality. The revolving door of “core player” replacement parts has eaten away at the dynamic of this once strong-willed and close-knit group. A top six winger, two top four defensemen, and your first line center; find me a team in the league that’s had a similar overhaul in their core in a three year period and come out stronger on the other end. This game of robbing Peter to pay Paul has finally caught up to the core of this team and organization … but hey, they got draft picks.

As fans, players, and coaches gear up for the start of the regular season, here are some things to look for as the journey for Lord Stanley’s Cup begins.

Sophomore Slumps?

There was much made of the play of the Rangers rookies last season, and for good reason. Brady Skjei introduced himself to the NHL by being a 200-foot defenseman with excellent skating ability and awareness in all three zones. Harvard free agent signing Jimmy Vesey put up 27 points in 80 games last year and should be able to shake off the first year “jitters” as he enters his second NHL season.

That leaves the much talked about, not so much played, Pavel Buchnevich; the young Russian was talked about a lot before last season and played solidly in his first campaign. After suffering an injury that kept him out of the lineup for a good chunk of the season, he was never able to regain his spot in the lineup, or in AV’s good graces. He was benched in favor of the lesser skilled Tanner Glass during the playoffs and was a fourth line player over the course of the year. I will concede that Glass was inserted not necessarily because of Buchnevich but as a way for Vigneault to wake up his team. But when a player in a speed and skill based system is benched for a player who fits a grind and grit system, it should force you to pause and reflect on why it happened.

And it seems that those moves from AV have jumpstarted Buchnevich for 2017-18. Buchnevich posted three points in four preseason games, and it appears as though he will be reunited with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad to start the season. This trio was productive for the Blueshirts early last year before both Zibanejad and Buchnevich went down with injuries.

Living Up To The Money

Speaking of Zibanejad, the Swedish center signed a 5-year, $26.75 million deal this summer and will be assuming the role as the team’s number one center. Zibanejad had an underwhelming debut season with the Rangers, especially when you consider he was injured for a good portion of the year. He put up 37 points in 56 games, which is not terrible, but he’ll need to improve on that pace over the full 82 games to truly be a first-line center.

The other big re-signing of the offseason was relative newcomer Brendan Smith. After being acquired from the Red Wings at the trade deadline Smith came in and provided a much-needed physical edge on the back end. He paired very well with the above-mentioned Skjei, and the two formed a dynamic duo in Smith’s short time on Broadway. Considering the moves Jeff Gorton made in the summer, Smith’s re-signing was a must. And with the rugged defenseman back in the fold, the Rangers have one of the best top-four groupings across the NHL.

A Deep Defense

If there was one thing that Jeff Gorton needed to do during the long summer break, it was to improve the defense. Yes, the Rangers were a little thin down the middle coming into camp, but the emergence of their first-round pick Filip Chytil has given Rangers fans a reason to be optimistic. When it came to the defense however, you were dealing with aging veterans Dan Girardi and Marc Staal; youngster Brady Skjei; oft-scratched Kevin Klein and Steven Kampfer; the progressively deteriorating play of Nick Holden; and team captain Ryan McDonagh.

Now that Girardi is in Tampa after being bought out by the Rangers and Klein retired from the NHL to play in Switzerland, the team’s defense looks as good as it’s been in a long time. Skjei and Smith will remain together on the team’s second pair. Marc Staal will probably start the year with Nick Holden, much to the chagrin of most Rangers fans. If AV has learned anything from last season, we hope it’s that he needs to have a shorter leash when players aren’t performing, especially his defensemen, and with Anthony DeAngelo waiting in the wings, he’ll be the next man up to replace a struggling defender.

Finally, we have the top pairing of captain Ryan McDonagh and the pride of New Rochelle NY, Kevin Shattenkirk. After signing a team-friendly four-year contract with the Blueshirts Shattenkirk will look to bring his brand of offensive skill and skating to Broadway. He also allows Ryan McDonagh to not have to carry the weight of the entire team on his shoulders. McDonagh had been the go-to guy on the power play, penalty kill, and at even strength. Now with Shattenkirk on the squad, the PP duties will be off of the Minnesota native and the captain can now relax on the ice. Furthermore, McDonagh will be able to step-up in the offensive zone, if he chooses, knowing he has a capable defender playing next to him.

Powering Up the Power Play

When it comes to the Rangers special teams, and specifically the power play, there are different facets that need to be inspected. Who will be on each five-man unit? Will AV and Scott Arniel change the breakout scheme, as we alluded to on FullTilt Radio this week? Will the players finally stop passing up opportunities to get the puck to the net instead of trying to find the perfect pass?

The Rangers PP has been a struggle for the last few years, to put it mildly. Since the 2011-12 season, the Rangers man-advantage ranks 22nd across the NHL. Needless to say, it’s not good. In my mind, the Rangers biggest problem has been the breakout. After the Red Wings had a lot of success using the “drop-pass” in the 2000s it started becoming widely used across the NHL and the Rangers were no exception.

Here’s the thing though, the Rangers don’t and have never had the personnel the Red Wings had. The Red Wings power play units consisted of guys like Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Brian Rafalski and Chris Chelios. We are talking about a two current Hall of Famers (Lidstrom/Chelios), two or three potential future Hall of Famers, and two US Hockey Hall of Fame Members (Chelios/Rafalski). The Rangers have had good players, but never that level of talent.

The Rangers’ biggest asset is their speed and with Alain Vigneault wanting to play an up-tempo, high-energy style, it would stand to reason that he should continue that when there is more room to utilize that speed. When the puck gets dropped back, only two players of the five are in motion. The way I see it, the Rangers using the drop-back pass can be summed up in this line from the movie Dodgeball:

The Rangers have a combination of size and speed in their forward group that is being grossly misused by the coaching staff. Here are two ways that I think the PP can improve just by changing the breakout; because let’s face it, if you don’t get the puck into the zone with the extra man, it doesn’t matter who is on the ice.

One way is to have all five guys come up the ice together. Let’s take a unit of Zibanejad, Zuccarello, Kreider, Shattenkirk, Skjei. Shattenkirk is the man behind the net as the quarterback, Zibanejad and Skjei are on one wall and Zuccarello and Kreider are on the other wall. Shattenkirk can make a pass up either wall and allow the guys receive the puck with speed, to get set in the offensive zone.

And I think this is a good starting point. You can run simple variations on this as well. One way is to have the two inside skaters skating in a crossing pattern across the neutral zone, while there is still a presence along the wall. This way Shattenkirk will have four options to pass to, all occupying different areas of the ice.

A second variation would still include the drop pass, but it would happen much earlier. Here, and I know it’s messy, but you have the two inside players curling behind Shattenkirk as he skates past faceoff dots in his own zone. As he gets to the blue line, he drops it back and then a quick pass is made; either along the same wall or to the outer players cutting towards the middle of the ice. In this scenario, even a bad pass up the middle would give players the chance to at least deflect the puck into the zone and negate an icing. On a crisp pass here, you have a 2v2 at a minimum coming in with speed.

If the Rangers are going to have the kind of season that sees them playing hockey late into the spring, they will need to improve on their power play from the back end.

Will The King Get Back On His Throne?

It was talked about all last year; have we seen Henrik Lundqvist turn to the back nine of his career? In this writer’s opinion… the answer is no, but we’re getting close. That isn’t to say that Henrik is a scrub all of a sudden, but you’d have to think that his window is closing, and closing fast. The backbone of the organization’s run of success over the last 12 years and the winning-est goaltender to come from Europe, King Henrik will be turning 36 in March.

Henrik looked more than mortal last season. He posted a career-worst 2.74 GAA and a .910 SV%. Some of that can be attributed to the porous defense in front of him, but Henrik gave up four or more goals 14 times during the 2016-17 regular season.

Henrik is still going to give the Rangers a chance every night he is on the ice. He showed he can still be an all-world goaltender as we saw at the IIHF World Championships in May. And the Rangers improved defensive group will certainly help him this year, but if Henrik is going to reclaim his throne, he will need to turn back the clock just a few years.

Prediction

In a year where the experts have been saying no playoffs, I say otherwise! The Rangers, to me, are more than just a playoff team, but they are a serious contender in the East. They have a revamped defense that is as deep as any in the NHL. They have young forwards that have a lot of promise and will be looking to make the next step and they have a goaltender who is a first ballot Hall of Famer that is missing that giant jewel on his crown.

I see the Blueshirts finishing in the third division spot around 100-106 points. I think the PP will improve with a true QB in Shattenkirk and Ryan McDonagh will have one of the best offensive seasons of his career. I can see this team going to the Eastern Conference Finals and giving the Penguins a run for their money as the beast of the East.

Time will tell and we at FullTilt will be here for the ride. For all the up to the minute Rangers news and updates, make sure to follow @FullTiltNYRBlog and @ZakFTNYR on Twitter!

Brandon Pirri has signed over seas in the Swiss National League, with the ZSC Lions. This is the same team that Kevin Klein signed with just last week. Brandon wasn’t a huge part of the Rangers team last season, he put up 18 points in 60 games. He is a lethal shooter, who just never was solid enough defensively to keep the minutes up. However at the beginning of the season, he looked good scoring 9 power play points and netting 3 game winners. This move to the Swiss league, isn’t too much of a surprise as he wasn’t going to get re-signed by the Rangers and there was much interest league wide. Remember as well just like Klein, moving to Swiss League, makes them eligible for the Olympics, and with NHL players not participating look for these player to express interest.

The Rangers have agreed to terms with their 2nd first round pick in this past NHL entry draft

OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with forward Filip Chytil on a three-year, entry-level contract. pic.twitter.com/b83yyKprpS

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 14, 2017

Speaking of first round picks…it appears Lias Andersson is aiming to make the team out of camp.

Per the Rangers website:

“That’s my goal to start with the team the first year,” Andersson stated. “It’s all about winning at this level. It’s not junior hockey anymore; it’s pro hockey and it’s all about winning. I’m coming to camp with a mindset to make the team and I gotta work for it.”

Head coach, Alain Vigneault stated that he would give Lias every opportunity but don’t get your hopes up he will make the team this season. Even if the Rangers fail to trade for a veteran center, prospects like Boo Nieves won’t just give up their opportunity to get that last center spot so easily.

Klein off to Europe

Kanadischer Verteidiger für den Zett!

Kevin Klein zu den ZSC Lions https://t.co/1qrFr90LmN

Bild: EQ-Images pic.twitter.com/e3zKGYepO3

— ZSC Lions (@zsclions) July 14, 2017

Latest On Bozak Rumor

I let you all know that the Rangers had kicked the tires on Bozak’s availability on July 4th.

#NYR have kicked the tires again on Tyler Bozak. Will have more soon @FullTiltNYRBlog for you soon. Would be a good move.

— FullTilt Rangers (@NYR_FullTilt) July 4, 2017

Larry Brooks hinted about the Rangers interest in Bozak and reports out of Toronto state several teams have interest in Bozak including NY, Pittsburgh, and Montreal. As of right now, there is no deal imminent.

Toronto however is going to be making a move to gain additional cap space after inking Marleau to the tune of 6.25M AAV. They will get some relief once they move several contracts to LTIR (Horton/Lupul), but still need to sign RFA, Connor Brown. So a move is coming.

Expect the Rangers to get more involved once they resolve the pending contract of Mika Zibanejad. This move is very much in play.

New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein will now don the title of ‘former New York Rangers defenseman’ as he announced his retirement today via Twitter. For many Rangers fans, Klein brought an edge and skill set that initially made him a favorite. No. 8 was acquired in 2014 for Michael Del Zotto from the Nashville Predators and played a key role in helping the Blueshirts reach that year’s Stanley Cup Final. 

What Klein meant to the Blueshirts:

One of Klein’s most admirable attributes was sticking up for his teammates. And while many said the nasty edge Dylan McIlrath used to bring was important, Klein brought a similar edge with a much higher skill set. In 2015-16 Klein matched his career high of 26 points (9G, 17A) and a +16 rating that had many believing he could play with Ryan McDonagh. This was proven false especially during the playoffs. However, Kevin Klein had many moments of big hits, big fights and big goals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKVjEd1L4Qw

What does this mean going forward?

Frankly, this means $2.9 million in additional cap space. Klein’s spot on the roster was in jeopardy especially with the signing of Kevin Shattenkirk. With this cap boost, the “newly found money” can be used to lock up Mika Zibanejad and/or get another center. The loss of Klein can be added to the losses of Derek Stepan and Dan Girardi; it means a loss of leadership and veteran presence while Jeff Gorton ‘retools’ his team. 

Klein Heading for Retirement?

A few weeks ago, Larry Brooks broke the news that Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein was leaning toward retirement. Klein went from being one of the more dependable Rangers defensemen to a nightmare in his own zone. He has been bugged by back issues that may have contributed to his decline and will be in the last year of his contract next season.

With Klein still undecided, the Rangers are in a bit of a pickle. They can wait and see what Klein does; but if he doesn’t decide for a while, the team could lose out on some much needed extra cap space for a free agent. If he decides to stay with the Blueshirts, the Rangers will have to decide if they want to keep or trade him. One thing seems clear though: Klein’s best days as an NHL defenseman are over.

Zibanejad Files for Arbitration

With the Rangers and RFA forward Mika Zibanejad unable to reach a deal before yesterday’s 5 PM deadline, Zibanejad filed for salary arbitration. The two sides can still avoid the hearing by making a deal beforehand. If the hearing does occur, it would be toward the end of July or the beginning of August.

A couple of things to think about. First is that Zibanejad cannot make less than last season’s salary. Second, a decision must be reached within 48 hours after the hearing. If the decision is “no”, Zibanejad would become a UFA.

Salary Cap

With the recent signings, the Rangers currently have just over $5 million left in cap space. Jeff Gorton has done a good job of managing the cap, most notably being able to sign Kevin Shattenkirk to a team-friendly deal. With Mika Zibanejad the only remaining player needing a contract, the Rangers should enter the dog days of summer with roughly $2 million in cap room. If Klein retires, that number jumps back up to around $5 million, which would give the Rangers just a little bit more wiggle room to sign another free agent or trade for a center.

Rangers Defense

Speaking of Shattenkirk, the Rangers defense went from one with significant questions to one with signs of hope and promise. The Rangers top-four goes from McDonagh, Staal, Girardi, and Holden at the start of last season to McDonagh, Shattenkirk, Skjei, and Smith. The Rangers have four reliable 200-foot defensemen who can play in all situations. The question now is who does Alain Vigneault put in the bottom pair. Marc Staal isn’t going anywhere because of his $5.7 million contract and his no-move clause.

So who pairs with Staal? It seems to be a contest between his linemate from last year in Nick Holden and newcomer Anthony DeAngelo. Holden had a strong start in his first year on Broadway, but his play rapidly faded after the All-Star break. Unless he can keep his game at a consistently high level, he won’t be in the lineup long.

As for DeAngelo, he has shown some offensive talents down in Arizona, putting up 14 points in 39 games last year. DeAngelo is a right handed shot with some good skating ability as well. If he were to be the sixth defenseman with Staal, it would force the veteran to improve his skating to keep up with his partner. In addition, Staal wouldn’t have to try and create offensively with DeAngelo playing opposite him.

Seeing the way Vigneault has operated, it would appear that Holden is going to start out as the sixth man with DeAngelo being the “odd man out.” But one can only hope that he gives his players a shorter leash if they struggle on the back end.

That’s all for now. Be sure to follow me @ZakFTNYR as well as the blog @FullTiltNYRBlog on Twitter for all the latest Rangers news!

According to TSN Insider Bob McKenzie, UFA defenseman Brendan Smith is closing in on a four-year deal with a $4.35 million AAV with the Rangers. Smith was acquired by the Rangers at the deadline last season for a second and third round pick from the Detroit Red Wings and brought a nice snarl and edge to the Rangers blueline. He formed a nice tandem with Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei toward the end of the regular season and playoffs.

With Smith now back in the fold, the Skjei and Smith pairing will remain intact for seasons to come. The term and money are both great and GM Jeff Gorton has pulled off another great move this summer by securing a key component of what is sure to be a revamped Rangers blueline come this fall. With McDonagh, Skjei and now Smith fully slated for top four blueline minutes, the Rangers have three good workhorses to anchor their defense.

What’s next?

This move leaves the Rangers with about $17 million in cap space, a great amount of money to have as free agency rolls around. And with Kevin Klein possibly retiring, that $17 million could become $20 million, leaving Jeff Gorton just a bit more money to improve his team. The possible signing of Kevin Shattenkirk is not out of the question, even with interest in him from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New Jersey Devils. Gorton will also use some of that money to sign Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast to new deals. Another center is not out of the question either.

Brendan Smith contract: 4 years / $17.4M with Rangers #tvasports

— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 28, 2017

As always keep it right here on FullTiltNYR.com and @FullTiltNYRBlog for all your Rangers news.