New York Rangers: Breaking Down the Second Round of Cuts

Following last night's loss to the Detroit Red Wings, which showed how much the New York Rangers as a whole really lag behind the league's elite, 11 players were cut from training camp, being either re-assigned to Hartford (AHL) or from their tryout offers.

Arguably the most obvious cut was that of goalie Chad Johnson, who is returning to Hartford. He didn't have strong performances in his preseason appearances, and was essentially a lock for Hartford from the beginning of free agency once Martin Biron was signed to be the backup goalie. It was going to be Henrik Lundqvist and Biron from the start, and it was cemented this morning.

The other obvious was Wade Redden being sent to the AHL. The over-priced and over-the-hill defenseman cleared waivers to no one's surprise, and now has the option of reporting to Hartford or walking away from $23 million over the next four seasons to accept a contract from an NHL team for much, much less money. Redden appears to be prideful man, but $23 million is a lot.

Upfront we have Kris Newbury, Dane Byers, and Jeremy Williams feeling the axe and who will have to clean waivers to remain in the organization. Of the three, the only one I can see not passing through is Byers, but even he is a long shot. If all goes according to plan, all three should be back in Hartford.

The other three forwards being sent North to Connecticut are Evgeny Grachev, Mats Zuccarello, and Dale Weise.  I personally am surprised at all three. I really liked the fourth line of Weise, Derek Boogaard, and Brian Boyle in the first preseason game against the Devils on Thursday night, and saw potential in the three-some.

With regards to Grachev, when will this guy bring it throughout camp and finally breakthrough as a legitimate NHLer? Ever? For years now the sky has been the limit on Grachev, but he just cannot live up to his potential, and will at least start the season in the AHL. This was a guy who I had thought was sure to crack the roster and secure a spot. 

Zuccarello was sort of an enigma on this team in my opinion. By most regards, the Rangers are a small, unimposing team, and adding a player who's nickname is "The Hobbit" was a bit of a head-scratcher. He showed some promise in the preseason games he dressed for, though, and I'm a bit surprised that he was not given a longer look by the coaching staff. I do believe he will come up at some point this season.

The final three players were Garnet Exelby, Brandon Manning, and Alexei Semenov. Exelby did not have strong preseason performances, and I did not hear Manning's name once. 

Semenov on the other hand is an interesting story. This is his second consecutive tryout with the Rangers. Last year, he was offered a contract with the team but turned it down due to his wife's disapproval. He then spent a season in the KHL before returning to North America because of his team folding.

There are still four more cuts to be made before the season begins October 9th.