New York Rangers Weekly Report: Tough Decisions Await the Rangers

New York Rangers Weekly Report No. 3

Weekly Review

There was a lot happening this week in Rangersland, so to keep it organized and easy to read I will break the week up into separate days.

Sunday (September 26)

Sunday was possibly the most boring day of the week, the only event being a preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Monday (September 27)

After the game in Detroit, John Tortorella announced that cuts would be made. Monday afternoon a list of eleven cuts was revealed, including players Mats Zuccarello, Dale Weise, Kris Newbury, Jeremy Williams, try-outs Alexei Semenov and Garnet Exebly, Wade Redden, and Chad Johnson. The other three players consisted of forwards Dane Byers and Evgeny Grachev, and defenseman Brandon Manning. The rosters cuts slashed the team down to 27 players.

Tuesday (September 28)

The big news on Tuesday had to due with injured veterans. Chris Drury began skating without stick or gloves to keep in shape, while Vinny Prospal and Michael Rozsival also returned to the ice.

Wednesday (September 29)

The only news on Wednesday was a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. It was an excellent performance by the Rangers preseason team and made decisions tougher for the Rangers staff who wanted to make cuts following the game. But due to the excellent competition, cuts were stalled and scheduled for Sunday night.

Thursday (September 30)

The big news on Thursday were trade rumors coming from various new sources, including Newsday's Rangers beat writer Steve Zipay. The Rangers were in rumored "discussions" with the Florida Panthers over center Stephen Weiss, while also taking calls about a possible trade for Michael Sauer. It is believed that the Phoenix Coyotes and Columbus Blue Jackets hold interest in Michael Sauer. Also in the rumor news, the Rangers had (have) interest in acquiring Sheldon Souray. According to Stan Fischler, the Edmonton Oilers had scouts at four of six Rangers preseason games. The Rangers were in talks with the Oilers, but nothing came out of the talks. There still holds a possibility of a trade before the season starts.

Friday (October 1)

On Friday, news broke out that Vinny Prospal will miss the first two weeks of the season with a knee injury. There is a good possibility that both Prospal and Drury are placed on the IR, maybe Prospal for long-term depending on the seriousness of the injured knee. Michael Rozsival is another injured veteran who missed out on most of the preseason, but he is believed to return before the start of the season.

On Friday, the Rangers won their preseason game against the Senators in a shoot-out. Prospect Derek Stepan was very impressive in this game, scoring a goal in regulation, and a goal in the shoot-out.

Saturday (October 2)

On Saturday, coach John Tortorella decided to give some of his better players the night off and call-up Mats Zuccarello and Dale Weise to play in Ottawa. While both Zuccarello and Weise played very well, adding on pressure to the Rangers staff, the Rangers lost their preseason finale 8-5.

Weekly Preview

Final Cuts

This week will start off with a buzz, as the Rangers make their final cuts sometime today. Tough decisions will be made, but excitement is all around for Rangers fans awaiting the "final" roster.

"Final" Roster

The reasoning behind the quotes on "final" is that John Tortorella has said that the Rangers are still open to trade and waiver-wire pickups as the offseason comes to a close. A final roster is not needed until Thursday (the NHL deadline) so anything is still possible.

Its Hockey Time!

In exactly eight days the New York Rangers will begin their 2010-11 NHL regular season. It was a long wait, but it is finally here.

Other

When the final roster cuts come out, I will have an update to this article, and a brand new article with the "final" roster. Tomorrow morning, I will be posting an "Offseason Review" article, which will include the final roster, my reaction to the final roster, and a final 2010-11 Rangers prediction.

That is all for now, but if you have any questions feel free to send me an email at [e-mail]

Thanks for the read, hope you enjoyed. As always, feel free to comment below.

Link to roster cuts:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/480786-nhl-new-york-rangers-make-more-cuts-roster-down-to-25