New York Rangers: Tim Erixon Deserves to Make Roster out of Camp

The Traverse City Tournament came to a close for the Rangers tonight after they were defeated by the Buffalo Sabres in the championship game. It was a tournament that showcased a lot of the Blueshirts' stars of the future. One of these stars is Tim Erixon.

Tim Erixon, son of former Ranger Jan Erixon, was rather impressive at the Traverse City tournament. Erixon was the top defensive prospect of the Calgary Flames. He was acquired in a trade that involved swapping draft picks, and he was a major pickup for the Rangers.

At the Traverse tournament, Erixon showed some real promise and skill and has made him a top contender for the Rangers' third defensive pairing.

This is how I still feel the bottom pairing will shake out. The pairing will be the wild card for the New York Rangers. No matter how you slice it, a young defenseman will play on this line with the potential of two occupying spots.

He is a defenseman who shows great promise and many hope he can make the team out of training camp.

Michael Del Zotto had a good rookie season, a subpar sophomore season and is looking to redeem himself. There is doubt that the coaching staff would love to see Del Zotto work with Richards on the power play as it is assumed that they would complement each other.

Del Zotto has shown he can contribute offensively, but he was often caught vulnerable in his defensive zone and when defending odd man rushes. Hopefully the additional AHL seasoning has paid-off for Del Zotto and the Rangers.

Erixon on the other hand, has a good shot and doesn't hesitate when it comes to shooting the puck. He was a good pivot on a Rangers power play that was pretty effective during the tournament. If Erixon can showcase his shot, his speed, and defensive stability during camp, there is no reason why he shouldn't make the team.

After watching this week, I think there are three players that are ready to compete during the Rangers camp, They are Carl Hagelin, Ryan Bourque and Tim Erixon.

Ryan Bourque, son of hall of fame defenseman Ray Bourque, really impressed many people during the tournament.

He was described by fans as a younger, smaller, and quicker Ryan Callahan. Bourque played with heart and grit and was an offensive catalyst. He contributed to the Rangers offense quite a bit during the tournament.

Carl Hagelin was another player who displayed his quickness, agility, penalty killing proficiency, and his power play skill. Hagelin is a player who will fight for a spot on the third line in training camp. He has the talent and determination to make it onto the team this year.

Hagelin and Bourque are two dynamic young forwards with speed. They can play on the power play, can kill penalties, and deliver that extra speed necessary when your tied late in the game and are looking for a goal.

They were very impressive and could all see some NHL ice time this season. The most likely two to make the team are Hagelin and Erixon but stranger things have happened before. Training camp opens on Friday so tomorrow I will have a story on the outside players and prospects that are invited to camp.

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Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist and New York Rangers Featured Columnist,

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