First Regulation Loss

The Pack’s first regulation loss came on October 30th at Place Bell in Laval against the Rocket. The Wolf Pack dropped a 4-1 decision to start their Canadian trip.

Igor Shesterkin stopped 20 of 23 shots for his first loss in North America. Tim Gettinger had the lone goal. Steven Fogarty also had the only assist in the contest.

Laval’s three-goal outburst in the third killed Hartford’s chances of winning the contest as the game was deadlocked at one entering the final frame. Despite a poor performance in the first followed by a good outing in the second, Hartford had a chance to win the game. The culprit for the loss? The inability to capitalize on opportunities. Hartford had three power plays in the third to put the game away. Instead, they were unorganized and let Laval build on the momentum from killing their penalties, which eventually led to the Rocket scoring. This was not going to be Hartford’s night. If the Pack converted on their opportunities, we could still be talking about being undefeated in regulation. That is interesting to note, considering the team is in the midst of a three-game losing streak.

Hartford’s Losing Streak

The Pack enters the weekend with a run of 0-1-0-2. The losing streak tells a tale of two stories that are unfolding with the group. The first tale is that Hartford could still be undefeated if they were able to score in shootouts. In three shootouts, Hartford has yet to score a goal. During the team’s first regulation loss, if the Pack were able to bury their chances, especially on the power play, the first regulation loss could’ve ultimately been a win. All of these mistakes are costing Hartford points. This is okay because prospects must face adversity if the group wants to perform better in the latter stages of the season. If there is a lack of adversity early on, it may bite them in March or April.

The other story is the lack of scoring. After the call up of Filip Chytil, you could tell that Hartford was relying heavily on the prospect. Without him, the offense is missing a player to finish the plays. No one has stepped up to the plate offensively for Hartford. The offense has tapered lately and is not putting up points as they should be. The attack is beginning to be a weak spot for Hartford, which is a bit concerning, considering the roster moves done to bolster up the forwards.

Roster Moves

Matt Beleskey was injured in Saturday’s contest against Belleville. As a result, forward Ryan Dmowski was called up to Hartford on Sunday.

Ryan Gropp had his suspension lifted last Saturday and reported to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.

After a three week hiatus of not playing, Gropp will have a hard mountain to climb if he wants to return to Hartford for another opportunity. Refusing to report will leave a bad taste in the mouths of Rangers’ management, as Gropp continues to plummet down the organizational depth charts.

Gropp must perform well, find his confidence, and also earn the call up to Hartford if he wants a second opportunity from the Wolf Pack. He will face competition against other forwards in Maine, and the scratched forwards in Hartford for a chance to play with the Pack.

The prospect is in the final year of his entry-level deal with New York. He has to impress and prove to the Rangers that he should stay. Otherwise, he will not be renewed, like we have seen in the past with players who did not develop, I.e., Adam Tambellini.

Ty Ronning Debuts in New Season

Another player who has struggled is Ty Ronning. He has two years remaining on his deal. After a year shuffling between Hartford and Maine that was riddled with injuries and struggles, Ronning is looking at a new direction for his development.

His first taste of the action was on October 30th against Laval. The prospect struggled on the ice and had a quiet game. Kris Knoblauch did not like the play of Ronning and has sat him for two straight games since. The season is still young, and hopefully, Ronning can have a breakout year with Hartford. He has upside still but was unable to produce magic at the AHL level.

One Timers

• Joey Keane is 4th in the AHL for points among rookies. The defenseman has 8 points in 11 games.
  • Keane has goals in the last two games for Hartford. The prospect continues to impress, especially on the offensive aspect. On defense, he continues development and tries to learn from his defensive errors.
• Steven Fogarty has points in the last 3 of 4 games with Hartford collecting two goals and two assists.
• Cristoval Boo Nieves has two assists in the last four outings with Hartford.
• Patrick Newell registered his first goal in the professional ranks on Saturday against Belleville. You can check out his goal here.
• Nick Ebert had a goal and an assist against his former team on Saturday night.
• Hartford’s penalty kill ranks sixth in the league, operating at 88.6%. They gave up five goals while short-handed.

Wolf Pack Talk: Forever Blueshirts Radio

You can check out my interview about all things Wolf Pack here.

Upcoming Games

Hartford will have another weekend of three games in three days. The Pack enter the weekend with a record of 8-1-0-3.

Friday, November 8th vs. Hershey Bears at 7:15 pm, XL Center

• The first of six meetings in the season series. Last season, Hartford dropped the series 0-5-1.
• The Bears enter the weekend with a record of 6-4-1-1 for 14 points in the Atlantic Division.
• The Bears have won two of their last three outings and are 2-3 in the previous five games.
• Mike Sgabrossa leads the Bears in points with 11. He has five goals and six assists in 11 games.

Saturday, November 9th vs. Belleville Senators at 7:30 pm, XL Center

• The second and final meeting of the season series. Hartford dropped the first game 5-4 in the shootout last Saturday.
• Belleville enters the week with a record of 4-6 for 8 points, which puts them seventh in the North Division.
• Drake Batherson leads the Senators in points with ten. He has three goals and seven assists in nine games.

Sunday, November 10th vs. Providence Bruins at 3:05 pm, Dunkin Donuts Center Providence

• The first of ten meetings against the Bruins. Last season Hartford went 5-3-2 against Providence.
• The Bruins are behind Hartford in the division by 3 points entering the weekend. Hartford will face the Bruins for three straight games, beginning Sunday.
• Providence has a three-way tie for the team lead in points. Former Ranger Paul Carey, Peter Cehlarik, and Alex Petrovic all have ten points.

There is real promise this season in Hartford. Despite suffering the first loss of the season on Sunday in the shootout, the Pack managed to collect three of the possible four points last weekend. Let’s get down to business on what lays ahead!

Let’s Talk: The First Loss

You have to give the Wolf Pack credit in Sunday’s contest against Rochester. Despite grabbing a 2-0 lead, Rochester fought back and brought the game to overtime and the shootout session. You may ask, why give the group credit for blowing a two-goal lead?

Rochester is one of the top teams coming into the season with a few key additions. The Wolf Pack, despite a young core, stepped up to the plate and fought Rochester in all aspects of the game. Despite the early struggles for Hartford, the Pack never gave up while Adam Huska was holding down the fort, especially in the first period when the flood gates could have opened for the Americans, generating stellar chances. The Pack had a hard time controlling Rochester, especially with their puck movement.

Next comes the second period. The continuous efforts rewarded forwards Filip Chytil and Cristoval “Boo” Nieves. The first goal by Chytil was set up perfectly by Danny O’Regan. A cross-crease pass that was effective when Rochester’s defense broke down on the play. The second goal by Nieves was on a partial breakaway after a great pass by Matt Beleskey. Despite the initial save, Nieves tapped the puck in on his own rebound.

Rochester struck early in the third to set the tone for the final frame. Despite the initial goal, the Pack continued to battle Rochester defensively and offensively. The offensive opportunities were persisting. The effort was there. However, as the group was getting worn out, Rochester was outplaying the Pack in some aspects of the contest. The Pack’s defense got sloppy, made mistakes, and not a lot of good defensive coverage. Rochester eventually scored at the end of the third with the net empty. The reaction by the Pack? Frustrated. They did not take the goal given up lightly. Off to overtime.

We defended it well, but we just could never get the clear we needed there.

Kris Knoblauch – Howlings.net

The lone goal in the shootout came from Huska’s former UConn teammate Tage Thompson to give Hartford their first loss of the season.

Despite the outcome, improvements have to come despite an overall solid effort by the group. It will be interesting to see how the Pack respond to their first loss on Friday when they face Springfield.

There are going to be some growing pains. Everything will not be easy. The lesson tonight was that we have to keep pressing even though we have the lead. We have to play smart, and keep putting the pressure on.

Kris Knoblauch – Howlings.net

Chytil Bangs Door For Call Up

Filip Chytil had a great weekend in Hartford. His performance, in my opinion, warrants him being the first call up when the Rangers need another forward. In the points column, the prospect collected three points (2G, A). In Saturday’s game against Springfield, the forward was flying. He led the team in shots with eight and had multiple opportunities offensively. He utilized his speed to his advantage and helped contribute defensively. In his shifts, he was ready to play. He has a mentality of winning and show the Rangers that he wants to be up. Sunday was more of the same – he was noticeable and produced a goal. I cannot imagine the prospect being with Hartford for long.

Roster Move

On Wednesday afternoon, Hartford reassigned forward Ryan Gropp to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.

Gropp played one game in Hartford, which was last Sunday after being a healthy scratch for the previous three contests. The forward needs playing time, which he will get in Maine.

UPDATE: Gropp Suspended

According to Larry Brooks, the Wolf Pack has suspended Ryan Gropp for failure to report to the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.

One-Timers

• Adam Huska and Igor Shesterkin had another weekend split of being in net. I assume the upcoming weekend will bring the same. Both goalies have played impressively.
  • Shesterkin: He played on Saturday against Springfield. The prospect was comfortable in net and made impressive saves. Shesterkin stopped 17 of 18 shots for the win.
  • Huska: A strong outing on Sunday against Rochester. Despite the loss, the young prospect kept the team in the contest in moments where Rochester was pouring it on in Hartford’s defensive zone. He faced 35 of 37 shots in regulation. In the shootout, he stopped one of two shooters.
• Nick Ebert, who the Rangers acquired in the Vlad Namestnikov trade, debuted in Sunday’s game, replacing Joey Keane.
• Ryan Gropp took Gabriel Fontaine’s spot on Sunday.
• Congrats to Vitali Kravtsov on notching his first point on North American ice on Sunday. He recorded the secondary assist on Cristoval “Boo” Nieves’ goal.
  • There was a report that the forward may return to the KHL. However, there is no confirmation on what will happen.
• The list of players who have not contributed this season is down to only a few. The following players have not yet recorded a point.
  • Mason Geertsen, Ville Meskanen, and Nick Ebert.

Upcoming Games

The Pack will enter the weekend with a pair of games on the docket.

Friday, October 18th vs Springfield Thunderbirds (Florida) at 7:15 pm, XL Center

• The second of ten games in the season series. Hartford was victorious in the first meeting on October 12th, winning 3-1.
• The Thunderbirds defeated Providence last Sunday by the final of 5-2. This was Providence’s first loss of the season. Springfield went 1-2 last weekend.
• This is the final game in the five-game homestand. Hartford is 3-0-0-1 at the XL Center thus far.
• Springfield is 2-3 entering the weekend.
• Listen – Mixr. Watch – AHLTV.

Saturday, October 19th vs Binghamton Devils (New Jersey) at 7:05 pm, Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena

• This is Hartford’s second game against a North Division opponent. The Pack begins a four-game season series with Binghamton. Last season, the club went 2-1-1 against the Devils.
• The trip to Binghamton is the first road game of the season for the group. Including Saturday’s game, five of the next seven will be on the road.
• The Devils enter the weekend with a record of 1-2-1.
• The player to watch out for is Chris Conner. The veteran on Binghamton notched six points (3G, 3A) in four games.
• Listen – Devils broadcast. Watch – AHLTV.
  • NOTE: Hartford does not broadcast away games unless noted otherwise.

Hartford’s training camp opened on Saturday to begin preparation for the Wolf Pack’s 23rd season in the American Hockey League. The new staff that was hired in the off-season by the Rangers will coach the hopefuls, a mix of prospects and veterans. This is Kris Knoblauch’s first year in the AHL, after coming over from Philadelphia (NHL) while Gord Murphy, and David Cunniff join the organization with a wealth of experience in the Minor Pro ranks.

The three new coaches will get a crack at breaking Hartford’s playoff drought, as the team has not had playoff action since the 2014-15 season, when they lost in 4 games in the Eastern Conference Finals to Manchester. Since then, Hartford have found themselves in the bottom portion of the standings annually.

Despite gloomy performances in six of the last seven seasons, the organization is looking ahead by completely revamping things for Hartford. There are returning prospects, who now have a year or two of experience at the pro level, in addition to new veterans with strong resumes at the AHL and NHL levels. The organization has also received new prospects coming from overseas, which adds more competition in both New York and Hartford.

The high level of potential talent in the organization benefits the organization as a whole, obviously. Depending how training camp shakes out for both New York and Hartford, we should see a highly competitive season and a change in performance for the better.

Rangers First Round Cuts

Announced on Monday, New York has trimmed their training camp roster by seven. The following players will join Hartford:

Forwards: Ryan Gropp, Ville Meskanen, Ty Ronning

Goaltenders: Tom McCollum, Francois Brassard

Announced on Friday, New York has trimmed their roster by four more.

Forward: Jake Elmer

Defensemen: Brandon Crawley, Vincent LoVerde, Darren Raddysh.

Matt Beleskey is expected to join Hartford’s training camp, if he is not claimed through waivers.

Additional moves will follow as preseason continues for New York. Preseason action for the Wolf Pack will begin next Wednesday against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Stay tuned for further updates.

Wolf Pack Training Camp Schedule

Announced by Chis Drury, the Wolf Pack training camp schedule was revealed. You can follow the schedule here.

Ryan Gropp has one more season remaining on his entry level contract with the New York Rangers. Today could be an interesting day in the young man’s career.

We have seen prospects in the past be written off in the final years of their entry level deals if they haven’t made it to the big club. Adam Tambellini and Ryan Bourque are two names that come to mind. Examining Ryan Gropp’s situation, he is in the same boat as the organization will have to make tough decisions due to the influx of young, talented prospects coming in.

From the development prospective, the forward has progressed in the past two seasons. Offensively he is able to put up a points as a depth forward, considering him playing on the second, third, or fourth lines (mainly third and fourth). Ryan Gropp may not be able to light up the opponents on a nightly basis, but he does pitch in periodically with a goal or assist. The 22 year old reminds me of Ty Ronning, with both having superior junior year seasons before turning pro. Ranger fans had high expectations for Ryan Gropp when looking at his play in the juniors.

The professional ranks is tougher for prospects, but he has adjusted his play accordingly. Instead of being the guy to produce nightly, he has taken a defensive role as former head coach Keith McCambridge assigned the prospect penalty kill and play with grittier line mates. He has shown flashes of good skating but has not put his game together entirely.

In December, the forward was demoted to ECHL Maine after having a quiet start in Hartford. The moves was meant to send him a signal and it sparked Gropp as he produced well with the Mariners. That earned him back his spot in Hartford and stayed with the group for the remainder of the AHL season.

While Gropp proved that he was better than playing in the ECHL, he still had a hard time earning more minutes in Hartford. With all the rumors swirling around the Rangers these days, could he be included as part of a package on a draft day deal? That is a distinct possibility, especially if the Rangers want to try and gain another 1st round pick today.

If the Rangers decide to keep Gropp, it will be because they want to see how he performs under new leadership in Hartford. However time is running out for the prospect that was taken in the 2015 draft as the 41st pick. The Rangers are about to add more elite talent in the organization along with signing potential AHL forwards on free agency to turn Hartford into a winner.

After winning four straight games, the Wolf Pack have hit a bit of a slump. Last week saw the Pack lose all three of their contests in regulation, as the once-surging club has stumbled and will look to break out of their slump this week. As a result, Hartford fell to seventh place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 11-12-1-2 for 25 points. The point percentage also dips below the .500 mark to .481. This week features two games against the impressive Charlotte Checkers.

Standing Updates

Here is a look at the standings entering the week.

Luckily for Hartford, they aren’t the only club on a losing streak, with teams ahead of Hartford dropping a few games as well. The standings have more spread than last week, however, Hartford is not out of the race for any of the top four spots. To tie with the fourth place Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Hartford is separated by five points. This would also tie them with the third place Springfield Thunderbirds who have the same amount of points. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are also in reach as well for the Pack. Any combination of the upper-tier teams losing in regulation, plus points collected by Hartford, will reduce the margins. The standings in the Atlantic Division shifts dramatically weekly. We will see how the standings look after this weekend.

Alexandar Georgiev Continues Playing

The young Rangers prospect has played in three straight games for Hartford.  Unfortunately, he has lost all three starts in net. For the season, Alexandar Georgiev is 2-4 with a 3.71 goals against average and a .884 save percentage while with the Wolf Pack.

Last week, the prospect has stopped 85 of  98 shots. The prospect gave up two goals to Bridgeport, five against Charlotte, and six against Hershey. The prospect came up big periodically in each game, while in other moments he wasn’t equal to the task.  He needs to find his groove again before getting recalled to New York.

Marek Mazanec has not played since November 18th against Rochester. The veteran goalie needs to play as soon as possible since he has not seen any game action in almost a month. Keith McCambridge had a good goalie rotation system until recently with Hartford’s winning then losing streaks. You do not want a goalie to not play for an extended period of time. Marek Mazanec could also get rusty as practice and warmups can only do so much for a goalie.

Defensive Struggles

Hartford’s blue line has struggled as of late. The group has not helped out Alexandar Georgiev in moments when each team is pressuring the club in the defensive zone. There have given up too many odd-man rushes and consistent breakouts from the opposing team. The core also does not do enough to block the passing lanes or make it difficult for the opposing team. They must improve and help the Pack break their losing streak.

Notable Notes

• Rob O’Gara struggled on the blue line on Friday against Charlotte. The veteran found himself a healthy scratch on Saturday against the Hershey Bears.
  
• John Gilmour had his first career tilt with Hershey’s Beck Malenstyn. The Rangers prospect dropped the gloves due to the play. Beck Malenstyn drilled Ryan Lindgren to the boards, aimed towards the head area and was given a five minute major for a check to the head. In addition, he was given five for fighting, plus a game misconduct. Gilmour answered the bell to protect his teammates. Props to John Gilmour stepping up. Ryan Lindgren did not return after the hit.
• Hartford will be on the road for five of their next six games.
• Hartford’s power play is ranked 11th in the American Hockey League.  The power play operates at 20.9%. The penalty kill is ranked 22nd in the league, killing 78.9% of penalties against.
• Hartford has played 26 of 76 games of the season. The season is chugging along with plenty of unknowns.

Transactions

• Cole Schneider and Matt Beleskey were called up to New York last week, but have been returned to the Pack.
• Hartford added Alex Kile and Terrence Wallin from Maine on December 6th.
• Ryan Gropp was assigned to Maine on December 3rd.
  

Rangers Prospects in Maine

The Maine Mariners continue to chug along in their inaugural season in the ECHL. The Mariners are fifth in the North Division with a record of 12-9-0-1 for 25 points. The Rangers’ ECHL squad is looking to climb higher in the standings with the help from Ranger prospects in Maine. Let’s take a look at a few highlights and stats.

Ryan Gropp in three games has two goals and one assist including the game-winning goal last week.

Brandon Halverson is performing well with Maine. He continues to make impressive saves and keeps the Mariners in each contest. The prospect has played in 14 games with a record of 8-5. His goals against average is 2.90 with a .921 save percentage.

Ty Ronning has four goals, two assists for six points in seven contests. 

Sean Day has found his offensive game with three goals, nine assists for 12 points in 14 games with the Mariners.

Upcoming Games

Hartford travels down to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Checkers twice.

Thursday, December 13th vs Charlotte Checkers (Carolina) at 7pm, Bojangles’ Coliseum

• This is the third of eight meetings against Charlotte. Hartford is 1-1 in the season series entering the week.
  
• Hartford has never won in Charlotte against the Checkers.
• Charlotte won their last seven of ten games, including a three-game winning streak.
• Hartford is 14 points behind the first place Charlotte Checkers.

Saturday, December 15th vs Charlotte Checkers (Carolina) at 6pm, Bojangles’ Coliseum

• The fourth meeting between each club.
• After Saturday’s game, Hartford will not return to Charlotte until March 23rd and 24th.
• Hartford returns home on December 19th to host the Providence Bruins.
  

It’s go time. The regular season for the Wolf Pack begins on Friday night. The club has finalized their roster, which has the potential to make noise in the American Hockey League. I’m excited about this season since the organization has stocked up for the farm and the youth movement has begun in the big club.

Preseason Outcome

Hartford defeated Bridgeport by the final of 2-1. Shawn St. Amant registered both goals for the Pack. Brandon Halverson started in net and stopped 21 of 22 shots.

“I really liked our compete to loose pucks,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said. “We did a good job using our speed in the offensive zone to generate second and third opportunities.”

The Pack looked impressive in the outing as they had multiple chances and good transition. The players were playing with energy and precision from puck drop to the final buzzer and the Pack outshot Bridgeport 43 to 22.

Finalized Roster

The Pack have two goalies, eight defensemen, and 14 forwards.

Goalies: Marek Mazanec, and Dustin Tokarski.

Defense: Chris Bigras, Sean Day, John Gilmour, Libor Hajek, Ryan Lindgren, Rob O’Gara, Brandon Crawley, and Vince Pedrie.

Forwards: Lias Andersson, Bobby Butler, Steven Fogarty, Gabriel Fontaine, Tim Gettinger, Ryan Gropp, Peter Holland, Dawson Leedahl, Michael Lindqvist, Ville Meskanen, Shawn O’Donnell, Ty Ronning, Shawn St. Amant, and Cole Schneider.

Lines will be determined later in the week when they approach Friday’s game.

Who’s Cut?

The following players were sent down to Maine of the ECHL.

Goalies (3): Brandon Halverson, Chris Nell, and Connor LaCouvee

Defenseman (2): Derek Pratt and Scott Savage.

Forwards (6): Drew Melanson, Jason Salvaggio, Riley Bourbonnais, Alex Kile, Mike Marnell, and Brady Vail.

Upcoming Games

Week one of the AHL season features two home games for the Wolf Pack, and the first road game will be in the following week.

Friday, October 5th vs Providence Bruins (Boston) at 7:15 pm, XL Center

• Hartford’s opening night.
• Providence has lost a few powerful players in the off-season from free agency.
• The first of ten games against the Bruins.  There are 20 points on the table in the season series.
• The Pack play Providence three times in October.

Sunday, October 7th vs Laval Rocket (Montreal) at 3:00 pm, XL Center

• Hartford plays Laval twice, one home and one away.
• The Rocket struggled last season. The organization lost ten games to finish the 2017-18 season for 58 points. They had the least amount of points in the league.
• The Pack will finish the season series within a ten-game span. The next outing will be on Wednesday, October 17th in Laval.
• The Pack went 0-1-1 in the season series last year.

Watch and Listen

You can listen to the Pack on the iHeartRadio app on your mobile device. On the desktop, you can listen through here. The Pack is on News Radio 1410 WPOP Hartford.

To watch, there is a cheap way! Follow the action on AHL TV. Hartford’s package to watch every game is $59.99. For home or away games with Hartford, the pricing drops to $39.99. There is also a monthly pass of $19.99 or a daily pass for $6.99.

AHL Rule Changes

There are minor tweaks this season for the AHL. However, the biggest change is when a team takes a penalty. This raises the stakes higher.

76.2 – Apparently a late addition: When a penalty leads to a power play, they will still face off in the defensive end of the penalized team. But now, the team going on the power play will get to pick at which dot they’ll face off, and the defending team won’t get to change after that. (Even if that draw comes to the neutral zone, whether because the team going on the power play iced the puck, or because its defensemen joined a scrum below the dots, the team going on the power play still gets to pick the dot.)

The Pack has to be smart when taking penalties. Otherwise, this could bite them in critical moments in the game. This is being tried in the AHL, and if successful, it could be in the NHL down the road.

Moments ago, the Rangers announced the next round of roster cuts as the team gets ready for the 2018-2019 season.

Of the four players under contract trying to make the club, Gilmour was the only one, you could argue, that had a legitimate shot at making the roster after last season’s audition at the end of the season. But with Brady Skjei and veterans Marc Staal, Fredrik Claesson, and Brendan Smith all looking to crack the opening night lineup, Gilmour is best served playing top minutes down in Hartford.

Drew Melanson and Olympian Bobby Butler were released from their corresponding tryout opportunities and are also heading to Hartford.

The Rangers announced moments ago that they have hired former Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk as an amateur scout.

Konowalchuk coached Rangers prospect Ryan Gropp in Seattle before leaving the club to join the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach. The Rangers have not had a lot of success drafting from the WHL, with the most notable former prospects to come from the league has been Brandon Dubinsky, Dylan McIlrath, and current up-and-comer Ty Ronning. Hopefully, Konowalchuk’s experience within the WHL as a coach will translate to his scouting career and bring the Rangers some high-end talent.

The Wolf Pack’s active losing streak is at four.  The club has dropped their last eight of ten games.  They are below .500, and lost critical ground in the playoff race.

The season could be on the line after this weekend.  Hartford began to struggle after numerous call ups and injuries.  The ever changing roster gave the club difficulties as chemistry began to weaken.  The results are beginning to show.  Entering this weekend, Hartford is 26-27-5-3 for 60 points.  They are sixth in the Atlantic Division.  The Charlotte Checkers are in fourth with a record of 33-24-0-3 for 69 points.  They also hold down the last playoff spot.  The Pack are in the midst of a three game series with Charlotte.

Recent Struggles

Last weekend was rough to witness.  The Pack was able to get one out of six points.  In each of the three games, the Pack fell early and was unable to comeback except on Friday night against Springfield.  Even in that game, the Pack lost seconds into overtime.  The goalies began to struggle in net as Hartford had rookies in net.  Chris Nell and Brandon Halverson played majority in the ECHL.  Charles Williams was signed when Brandon Halverson was injured.  He as well played mostly in the ECHL.

The defensive core was modified and the new players were unable to get chemistry going on the blue line.  In the last three games, the defense gave up 15 goals.  That is a stat they need to address as soon as possible.

The offense is on a downward trend.  The forwards figured it out on Friday, while on Saturday and Sunday they were snake bitten.  The offensive in the 2017-18 season has been inconsistent.  There are moments when the offensive is hot, then go on a cold streak.  After analyzing all the variables, each factor contributed in Hartford’s recent struggles.

Why playing Charlotte this weekend makes or break the season?

The Checkers hold down the last playoff spot in the division.  They are nine points ahead of Hartford and played one less game.  Charlotte is a stronger club than Hartford and can go on lengthy point or winning streaks.  The Wolf Pack have two more opportunities to go against the Checkers.  If the club wins both this weekend, then the deficit is five points.  If they lose, then the gap goes to 13 points.  That would be a tall order to complete.  The Wolf Pack then would have to win out their 15 games remaining in the season while hoping the Checkers go on a lengthy losing streak.  The season is still alive, but after this weekend, the playoff hunt was hurt incredibly.

Roster Moves, Injury Report

• Forward Shawn O’Donnell, defenseman Joey Leach, and goalie Charles Williams were released from their professional tryout agreements.  Marek Mazanec could be possibly be returning from his lengthy groin injury.  If so, that will be a huge help to Hartford for the upcoming weekend.
• Dawson Leedahl and Brandon Halverson were reassigned back to Greenville of the ECHL.
• Ryan Gropp has returned from his injury.

Upcoming Games

Friday, March 9th vs Charlotte Checkers at 7:15 pm, Bojangles’ Coliseum

• The seventh of eight meetings in the season series.  This is the second of three straight games against Charlotte.  The Wolf Pack dropped Sundays match up, 4-3.
• Hartford is 2-4 in the season against Charlotte.
• The Checkers have won two straight and is 6-4 in the last ten games.
• The American Hockey League top goal scorer, Valentin Zykov (28 goals, 16 assists for 44 points) had the game winning goal, his third goal in two games.

Saturday, March 10th vs Charlotte Checkers at 6:00 pm, Bojangles’ Coliseum

• The last game in the season series.
• Finishes the three straight games against Charlotte.
• Hartford is 12-14-3-3 on the road.
• Charlotte is 18-9-0-1 at home and have won their last six of seven home games.

It’s about as official as it gets! The Rangers are officially in sell mode according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.In his article, Brooks said that the Rangers were in official sell mode and would consider any and all offers. As it currently stands, and as Dan mentioned here, the Rangers will almost definitely trade Rick Nash and Michael Grabner at the trade deadline. In addition, I believe that the Rangers will also move some of their other pending UFA’s including Nick Holden and David Desharnais. However, only trading their UFA’s would not signify a re-build, it would simply mean that they are not contenders this year and are gaining future assets for expiring assets. As Brooks mentioned, the Rangers are going to consider offers for Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello as well. This means that the Rangers are fully embracing the need for change.

Options

If the Rangers are going to trade McDonagh and/or Zuccarello, they will do so at the trade deadline or at the draft. Both scenarios have their merits and a few intriguing options. Either way, the Rangers will be able to gain a significant return and quick start the rebuild.

Trade Deadline

As mentioned above, and in Dan’s article, the Rangers are going to be busy at the trade deadline. However, for the first time in years, the Rangers will be sellers. If Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello are on the trading block, there will be teams lining up to pay a king’s ransom for their services. Not only would they be two of the most attractive deadline pieces, they both have an additional year on great, team-friendly contracts. Any team that is able to trade for them would receive two playoff runs before having to worry about resigning them to more expensive deals. As such, those teams would have to have significant assets to spare. Here are a few teams that could make a move for McDonagh or Zuccarello.

Note: All deals only have the main pieces shown. Other pieces would be required to level the deals.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights have been the biggest surprise of the year. The expansion team currently sits two points ahead of Winnipeg for the top spot in the West with two games in hand. They are also just three points behind Tampa for the top spot in the entire league. In addition to being a surprise contender, the Golden Knights have plenty of cap space, roughly $8.5 million, and a number of very intriguing prospects along with draft picks that could interest the Rangers.  Although there are some indications that they will not be buyers due to their desire to build an annual contender, the allure of a Stanley Cup run might sway Vegas into the buyer category.

The Rangers could be very interested in some of Vegas’ assets. Additionally, Vegas could be very interested in New York’s assets. While Zuccarello is a great addition to any team, McDonagh is a better fit for the Golden Knights. They are currently a top team in the NHL, but the Knights do not have a true number one defenseman. Adding Ryan McDonagh as an extremely talented veteran presence would cement Vegas’ status as a contender and could elevate them into favorite status in the west.

A deal for Ryan McDonagh would have to start with Vegas’ 1st round pick and one or more of their young talented prospects. Amongst these prospects are Alex Tuch, Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, and Erik Brannstrom. Any of these prospects would be right at the top of the Rangers prospect list with Chytil, Andersson, and Shestyorkin. Tuch is big at 6’4″, 220 lbs and can play in the dirty areas of the ice in addition to great hands and vision. Glass and Suzuki are both skilled centers that were drafted in the first-round of this year’s entry draft. Each has high-level skills and would be a great piece to add to the deal. However, my favorite out of the group is Erik Brannstrom. A quick and skilled defenseman, Brannstrom impressed in the Swedish League as a 17-year old playing in a professional men’s league.

The deal: Ryan McDonagh for Vegas’ 2018 1st, 2019 1st (conditional) and Nick Suzuki

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto has not won a Stanley Cup in 51 years. However, they are getting closer after deciding to tear it down and rebuild under former Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan’s guidance a few years ago. Since then, the Maple Leafs have gathered an extremely talented young forward group with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, son of former Rangers center Michael Nylander. In addition players like James Van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri, Patrick Marleau, and Tyler Bozak give the Maple Leafs a deep forward group.

While the Leafs have an extremely talented forward group, they do not have a number one defenseman that can match up against players like Crosby, Ovechkin, and Kucherov in the Eastern Conference. Adding Ryan McDonagh to the mix would allow the Leafs to take the next step forward in becoming a true contender in the east.

As with the Golden Knights, the Leafs have a number of extremely talented prospects and young players that the Rangers would be interested in. Mitch Marner and William Nylander are the most attractive pieces at the NHL level. Both have shown the ability to compete at a high level in the NHL and would immediately give the Rangers a potentially elite talent. In addition to the roster players, the Leafs have great talents in Kasperi Kapanen and Timothy Liljegren down in the AHL. Kapanen is extremely fast and has offensive skills that would translate well to the Rangers speed game. Liljegren, another Swedish defenseman, was drafted just before the Rangers selected Filip Chytil and would have been taken sooner had he not been battling mononucleosis for half of his pre-draft season.

The deal: Ryan McDonagh for Toronto’s 2018 1st round Pick, William Nylander, and Timothy Liljgren

Carolina Hurricanes

Unlike the two teams mentioned above, the Hurricanes have won a Stanley Cup in recent memory (2006). However, they are also in last place in the toughest division in hockey. The good news is that they are only four points outside of a playoff spot while having issues scoring and stopping the puck. The Hurricanes have a young, strong defensive corps. However, they lack forward depth and have not received strong goaltending from Scott Darling.

Mats Zuccarello and Ondrej Pavelec would be of great interest to the Hurricanes. Pavelec has performed extremely well this year while backing up Henrik Lundqvist and could solidify the goaltending situation behind a strong defense. In addition, Mats Zuccarello would be a great addition to Carolina due to its lack of scoring ability. Zuccarello would be a great complement to Jeff Skinner on the Hurricanes top line. Skinner shoots the puck as much as anyone in the league while Zucc passes the puck as much as anyone in the league. They could be a match made in heaven that could spark the Hurricanes offense while Zucc would be able to provide a veteran presence for a team that does not have a ton of Stanley Cup Playoff experience.

The Hurricanes have a glut of young defensemen and prospects that could interest the Rangers in any rebuild, especially if Ryan McDonagh is traded this year. Amongst these are Julien Gauthier, Jake Bean, Nicolas Roy, and Martin Necas. Gauthier is the Hurricanes’ first-round pick from 2016 and has some serious skill and speed on the wing. In addition, Gauthier is big at 6’4″ and 220 lbs. and would be able to translate well to the physicality of the NHL. Bean is an offensive defenseman that has very good hands and skating ability. While he may need to fill out a bit, Bean should be very available considering Carolina’s defensive depth. Roy and Necas are both centers. Roy is a bigger center at 6’4″ and 208 lbs while Necas is 6’1″ but only 167 lbs. However, Necas has played in the Czech Extraliga, a men’s league, and performed very well. When he fills out, Necas has the ability to be an impact player in the NHL.

The Deal: Mats Zuccarello and Ondrej Pavelec for Carolina’s 2018 1st Round Pick, Jake Bean, and Martin Necas.

Draft Day

While there are many teams that would be extremely interested in Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello at the trade deadline, the Rangers would be best served by holding onto them until draft day. This year’s NHL draft is expected to be extremely deep. At the top of the list are a number of players that could become elite talents in the NHL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WeMHXRdbU8

Rasmus Dahlin

Dahlin is the unquestioned, consensus top pick barring any unforeseen developments before draft day. Drawing comparisons to fellow Swede Erik Karlsson, Dahlin is a generational talent that will be the foundation for whatever team is lucky enough to draft him. This is where the Rangers come in. The Rangers have extremely small chance of winning the draft lottery in their current position, approximately 2%. In the event that they don’t win the lottery, the Rangers could still make a deal to gain the top draft spot. With Rick Nash and Michael Grabner near guarantees to be traded, the Rangers SHOULD have at least three first-round draft picks heading into this summer’s draft. These picks, along with McDonagh and Zuccarello, would be the foundation for the deal.

The Deal: Ryan McDonagh, Sean Day, Ryan Gropp, one of the Rangers’ first-round picks, and the Rangers’ second-round pick for the number one overall pick (Rasmus Dahlin).

Top 5 Pick

In addition to Rasmus Dahlin, the 2018 NHL draft will have a number of elite talents available early in the first-round. Filip Zadina, Andrei Svechnikov, Adam Boqvist, and Brady Tkachuk are all elite level talents that are worth trading up for if the Rangers have the ability to. Boqvist will be the first defenseman off of the board after Dahlin is taken with the first overall pick. Zadina played on the same line as Rangers prospect Filip Chytil in the World Junior Championship and is another elite Czech forward that would be a huge addition to a Rangers prospect pool in need of high-end talent.

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

Additionally, Svechnikov and Tkachuk are both players that have the ability to be top line players for years to come. The Rangers have the ability to choose whichever player they would like to target if they choose to do so. With McDonagh and at least one of their first-round picks potentially gone to select Rasmus Dahlin, the Rangers would still have two first-round picks and Mats Zuccarello to highlight any additional deals for high end picks.

The Deal: Mats Zuccarello, Ryan Graves, and a 2018 first-round pick for the number three overall pick (Filip Zadina).

Conclusion

The Rangers have a unique opportunity to rebuild fairly quickly. The Rangers have a number of highly coveted talents, they have fallen out of true Stanley Cup contention, and the 2018 draft is extremely deep. The position that has presented itself should not be ignored in the false hope that the Rangers can be true contenders by just standing pat. The Rangers need to embrace the rebuild and gather elite talents to build the next Rangers championship team. Regardless of what exactly the Rangers do in the next six months, the Blueshirts should be able to quickly rebuild, within the next 2-3 years, maybe less with some luck, and return to contention in short order; provided they allow themselves to truly rebuild. Embrace it Rangers Fans, it’s time to sell.