2009-2010 New York Rangers Season Preview and Predictions

(Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images)

In an offseason that has seen the likes of Scott Gomez, Paul Mara, Nikolai Zherdev, Markus Naslund, Nik Antropov, Colton Orr, and Blair Betts leave, it has become obvious that this is now John Tortorella’s team. After being hired after the release of Tom Renney, Tortorella has implemented a new, up-tempo system of play into an otherwise defensive-minded squad.

However, given the personnel Torts had to work with, he could not maximize the full benefits that his system of play can yield, and therefore his system resulted in a lackluster showing in the second half of the first round playoff series against Washington. Entering his first full season as Rangers head coach, Tortorella has promised better results with a revamped squad of players.

One of the main problems the team had last season, as many Rangers fans know, was a lack of scorers. Glen Sather fixed that, but not without making a few moves first. The first casualty of the Tortorella Era was Scott Gomez, when on June 30, 2009, it was announced that he was shipped to Montreal for Chris Higgins and Ryan McDonagh. Although Higgins had an injury-riddled year, he is very happy to be in New York and is determined more than ever to take his play to the next level.

Just one day later, with Gomez’s $7.3 million cap hit off the books, the New York Rangers signed superstar winger Marian Gaborik to a five-year contract worth $7.5 million dollars with a no-trade clause. Although Gaborik has a history of nagging injuries, his ability to get behind the defense and finish his opportunities should help the Rangers’ scoring woes in a big way. His wrist shot and lightning fast release should also yield a high number of power play goals, which would surely help a Rangers power play that was ranked 29th in the NHL last season.

In addition to the big-ticket signing of Gaborik, Donald Brashear, Brian Boyle, Ales Kotalik, Enver Lisin, and most recently, Vaclav Prospal, have been added to the team via free agency and trades. With the exception of Brashear, who was signed as an enforcer to replace Colton Orr, all of these players should help jump-start the offense and provide a strong supporting cast around the core of Drury, Dubinsky, Higgins, Avery, Gaborik, and Callahan.

I will get to more detailed predictions on the offense later, but now, I would like to discuss the state of the Rangers’ defense for the coming season. After being signed to a ludicrous six-year, $6.5 million/year contract, Wade Redden has quickly become a scapegoat for the Rangers’ fanbase for his untimely turnovers and apparently nonchalant attitude. Once Tortorella took over for Renney, Redden seemed to turn it around, playing a solid second half of the season. Returning to the Rangers defense are Rozsival, Staal, and Girardi.

The next two spots, however, are open for the team’s defensive prospects for the taking. With the departures of Paul Mara and Derek Morris to other teams via free agency, how these two spots are going to be filled is anyone’s guess. Hobey Baker award winner Matt Gilroy, Michael Del Zotto, Bobby Sanguinetti, Finnish import Ilkka Heikkinen, Michael Sauer, and Corey Potter will all make strong cases in training camp to be inserted into the Rangers’ defensive corps.

There have been rumors that the Rangers are attempting to sign either Francis Boullion or Dennis Seidenberg to fill one of the slots in order to not rush a young defenseman into the NHL. Although finding a veteran to play on the bottom pairing makes sense, both players are seeking multi-year deals, something the Rangers should not give out to an aging defenseman with a lot of defensive prospects knocking on the NHL’s door in the near future.

This officially concludes the journalistic part of the article, and instead, this begins the part of the article that I will write my personal predictions for this upcoming season. Let’s start with the roster on opening night. I expect the lines to look something like this:

Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Higgins-Drury-Kotalik
Avery-Anisimov-Callahan
Brashear-Boyle-Lisin
Voros

Staal-Girardi
Redden-Gilroy
Potter-Rozsival
Heikkenen

Lundqvist
Valiquette

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