The Rangers are tired of playing the waiting game, and appear to be ready to move on without Jaromir Jagr. The Rangers signed 5-time all-star left wing Markus Naslund as well as defenseman Dmitri Kalinin on Thursday.
Naslund's signing gives the Rangers a veteran presence on the #1 line, which is what Jagr has provided the Rangers with from the moment he got to New York. Kalinin is a young defenseman, age 27, who adds depth to a defense that lost Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman in a trade to Columbus in a deal for right wing Nikolai Zherdev.
As the Rangers continue to add pieces to their roster, it is beginning to look like there will not be any cap space, or even roster space to add Jagr. If Jagr doesn't come back, the door still could be open for a Brendan Shanahan return, as the choice is his for whether or not he wants it.
Today's Must Reads
At this point, the Ranger roster is missing one top 6 defenseman, but other than that, this could be your opening night roster for 2008-2009:
Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev
Dawes-Drury-Prucha
Korpikoski-Dubinsky-Callahan
Sjostrom-Betts-Orr
Redden-Rozsival
Staal-Girardi
Kalinin-????
Lundqvist
Valiquette
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2 months ago
Not a fan of this move at all. If you wanted to move on without Jagr that's fine but don't tell me you have a better chance of winning hockey games with Marcus Naslund.
from 2 months ago
That doesn't make sense, were they really suppose to go ahead with only one semi proven winger? Absolutely not they're a better team with him. It's better to have for two years at 8 than Jagr for two years 6 or 7. It was a move they needed to do. This is what Gomez and Drury signed up for, it's there team now.
2 months ago
Why then did Sather sign Voros and Rissmiller? And get Fritsche? I have this terrible feeling he's going to try and move one of our centers (being Dubinsky or Betts) for a high pick or a prospect. The Rangers have something like 15 useable NHL forwards (and that's without the kids from Hartford)! I like depth, but there's more to it than meets the eye. We talk about a youth movement, and speed and such... how does Naslund help with that? He's a pure scorer past the twilight of his career. I'd rather sign another hard nosed, 2 way player to mentor the kids, or maybe sign a top line player that has or had chemistry with players already on the roster. Naslund really only lit it up when he played with a guy who could clear space out for him (Bertuzzi). Who's he going to play with then here... Aaron Voros? He needs a physical prescence on his line... I could MAYBE see Naslund - Drury - Callahan. Behind them Dawes - Gomez - Zherdev? Yet again, Petr Prucha gets at most, 7 minutes a night? Same with Sjostrom. Maybe the two of them line up with Dubinsky to form a solid kid line that's given no ice time.
How do we know if Naslund will mesh with anyone? We risked $8 million to see if he could do what Jagr really couldn't. I'd have rathered kept that money. Again, I'm promising that Sather makes a trade here. Even if he scratched Hollweg and Orr on a regular basis, he'd have to take someone else out of the lineup. Time to be nervous...
from 2 months ago
I dont have the slightest idea what Sather is planning on doing with Voros, Rissmiller, Fritsche and all those.
2 months ago
Sather is an idiot...Jagr has far better numbers ...and is only a year older than Naslund..yet he couldn't sign Jagr for 2 years????? He let's Avery go..and Larouge just got a 4.5 million deal.He's a one way dimensional; player at best...and Avery can do it all but Sather couldn't budge??? He also acts like it was impossible to communicate with Jagr at all. Ridiculous!!!!! I've been a Ranger fan since '76 but this year...I don't know!!! All the best #68 and #16
from 2 months ago
I agree about Avery, but I can't blame Sather for signing Naslund. Jagr was dragging out making his decision on coming back, and if Sather had waited and Jagr said he was going to Russia, then the Rangers would be left with nobody. Also, if Jagr had signed for two years with an average salary cap hit of 7 million, and Jagr decided to leave or retire after 08-09, then the Rangers would be stuck with a cap hit of 7 million for 09-10, so it's tough to say that Sather shouldn't have signed Naslund.
2 months ago
Jagr did seem committed to 2 more years in the NHL. I think he would have taken the Russian contract right away if it wasn;t about the money.do you think he'll go back to Pittsburgh???
2 months ago
if pittsburgh is willing to pay him what he wants. i think from what sather said he felt he was going to russia.
2 months ago
From what Sather says it seems like he's never had a real converation with Jagr .What do you think Jagr will do? I think Russia is a last resort. why do you think the Ranger's didn't want to resign him? Why did they sign tutin to a contract mid=season yet stop talks with Avery????
from 2 months ago
Reports say that Jagr is going to Russia to Avangard Omsk. I think the Rangers didn't want to resign him because Jagr needed to feel like he was the main man on the team by being paid the most on the team, which the Rangers couldn't do under the cap and I feel still get the other parts they need to go to the next level next year. I feel that the Rangers didn't want Avery back as early as when there were the arbitration hearings before last year. Sather got Avery because at the time that is what the Rangers needed, but I don't think Sather wanted him long term, and definitely not for $4 million a year. I think Sather liked Tyutin, but the Rangers needed a speedy winger who could score (probably to play with Gomez) and that was the price they had to pay to get him.
2 months ago
what is this big deal about betts .. i dont get and never did ,and the way it looks , i never will ... all this guy does is block shots ,,, he isnt that good at face off , he has no checking game ... and if the net was empty he would miss ... lol i mean come on ,, for what reason are we keeping this guy around ... with the new blood we got coming in talking Voros, Rissmiller these guys are big guys that love to check ... tough guys witch we needed ... Dan Fritsche well , he is young and has very good potental ... what is he 6'1 i think around 210 ... but can move gd ... has a good stick and a quick shot , so , with proper coaching , he could be a great addition .... now u got the rookies ,, these guys tore it up in the other leagues , according to there stats ... yeah we no , its not the nhl , but these kids have been talked about alot ... and might turn out to be really good ... get rid of orr and betts , make room , get shanahan back and we have room for one more ... oer all the team looks ok ... naslund ,,, lol man who knows what were gonna get from him .... maybe its his time to turn it around .. wish full thinking maybe ... but as a ranger fan i can only hope ....
2 months ago
lmao u guys need to reread what u wrote ... lol jagr already made up his mind long ago ... toronto gave me a great offer and he refused it , it wasnt about money ,,, he was done here ... familly thing he wanted to go home ,,, now he is closer .... his dad wanted him there , building an ice rink or somethink ... lol forget jagr ... you dont know what u were gonna get this year from him either .. and it wasn't for naslund ... but zherdev ... who is only 23 ,, this kid puts up almost 30 gaosl every year ... and he isnt comsistant ,, imagine if he got good couching ... lol this kid is that good he can put up 50 gls every year... i am a huge fan of his ,,, watch alot of his games ... Fritsche is 23 as well and has alot of potental ... hes like 6'1 210 ... he can move and has a good quick stick ... these other guys we need as well as i said big checkers ... other then naslund , ( who we dont kow what he is gonna do ) the rtest of the team is gonna come together and produce .... they better not trade any off these guys and give them real chance to prove what there made of ... we dont want what the rangers did for the last 2 decades , get good guys then trade them before they hit the ice .... trust me , we have a solid team ,,, defence is better then ever now , we have young guys that can play together , fast guys too , so we aren't gonna be out skated or beat to the puck as much ... and my fav ... we got bigger guys to really check the hell out of anyone .... get over jagr , so , but we didnt lose much if u compare #s to zherdev ... and there was nothing anyone could do to keep im ,, i beleave that 100 % ,,, he was gone before the season started ,, mentally anyway ....
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