The Rangers Half-Rebuild Continues With Questionable Player & Personnel Decisions: Two Ranger Back-Up Goalies Become Starting NHL Goalies In Three Years, Derek Stepan Joins Dan Girardi As The Latest Salary Cap Victim, Thoughts on Stepan, Wrong Coach Fired, Lundqvist Continues To Get a Free Pass, Fan-Friendly 2017-2018 Schedule, NHL Draft, Snowflake Hockey Fans Get Offended By Trump Voting Players & Anticipating Free Agency Next Week

What’s up everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. For a season that’s over and with the summer officially here, you would think we would have some down time as Ranger fans. That isn’t the case, as the Rangers have started work on destructing their 2016-2017 team and continue to build around the highest paid & one of the oldest goalies in the NHL, for the 2017-2018 season.

I just finished blogs on Girardi & Lindberg and you would think those big moves would hold you over. However, immediately after Lindberg was selected by Vegas, the Rangers had a monumental Friday. It’s been a huge couple of days, as the Rangers made trades, fired a coach, released their schedule and had a draft. This blog will get you current with all the latest on-goings, from my perspective.

In case you missed them, here are the last few blogs I’ve done:

The NHL Awards Show/Vegas Golden Knights Roster Reveal Blog: Vegas Officially Becomes The Strongest Expansion Team Ever, See Ya Lindberg, The Night Connor McDavid Took the Torch From Sidney Crosby, The Dumbass Islanders, Great Night For John Tortorella & His Goalie, Holtby’s Wife Has More Cups Than the Caps and More


Thank You Dan Girardi: Dan Girardi’s 11 Year New York Ranger Career Becomes The Latest Victim of the Salary Cap Era, My Personal Favorite Dan Girardi Memory, What Dan Girardi Meant to NYR Fans, Comments From Iron Man Dan, Looking Where Dan Girardi Plays Next Season, The Lundqvist Question No One Can Give Me An Answer To, Derek Stepan Next To Go & More


BCBS Update: The Pittsburgh Penguins Win the Stanley Cup & Could Be Back Next Season, Brutal Officiating Ruins The Best Playoffs in Sports as the Refs “Catfish” the Predators, Mike Milbury’s Racist Vibes, Hagelin/Etem, Latest NYR Rumblings, The Most Unique Belmont Stakes Live Experience Review You’ll Ever Read, Jeremy Roenick Autobiography Book Review & Much More


This weekend made me hate Henrik Lundqvist more than usual. If you’re ready for one of my rants on the diva, carry on. If you’re offended that someone speaks the truth on the most overrated player on the team today, then continue to send me your hate tweets/emails! I would say I apologize in advance for doing the same old “shtick”, but this isn’t shtick & losing Raanta and Stepan pissed me off for different reasons.

The Rangers traded Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta on Friday. Let me first give you the official details on that trade:

This comes from NHL.com and was written on Friday afternoon, around 1PM:

CHICAGO — The New York Rangers got younger and opened NHL salary cap space but created some holes in their lineup Friday by trading center Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta to the Arizona Coyotes for 21-year-old defenseman Anthony DeAngelo and the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft presented by adidas.

Stepan has four years remaining on his contract, which has a $6.5 million annual salary cap charge, and Raanta has one year and $1 million remaining on his contract, according to CapFriendly.com. DeAngelo has two years remaining on his entry-level contract, which carries an $863,333 cap charge.

“It was an opportunity for us,” Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton said. “Obviously we have some salary cap issues, so we had that to worry about. And the opportunity to go in the top 10 [in the draft], there are some players we like that we wanted to get in there. Anthony DeAngelo is a player we’ve liked and a certain type of player that we don’t have. When you put all those things together, I think that’s the biggest reason why [we made the trade].”

Gorton said the Rangers like DeAngelo because he’s a right-handed, puck-moving defenseman. He had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 39 games with the Coyotes this season, and 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 25 games with Tucson of the American Hockey League.

It’s possible DeAngelo could play on the Rangers’ top defense pair with Ryan McDonagh, but Gorton said that hasn’t been decided because the defense is a work in progress, an indication New York could make more moves.

“He’s a guy that can run a power play, he’s young and can really skate,” Gorton said of DeAngelo. “He can do a lot of things we need, and the way the game is played today, we like him going forward.”

The Rangers used the No. 7 pick on forward Lias Andersson, and with their own pick, No. 21, drafted forward Filip Chytil.

The Rangers hadn’t had a first-round pick since the 2012 NHL Draft, when they selected defenseman Brady Skjei at No. 28. They hadn’t drafted in the top 10 since 2010, when they selected defenseman Dylan McIlrath at No. 10.

However, Gorton said he was reluctant to give up Stepan and Raanta.

Stepan, 27, had 55 points (17 goals, 38 assists) in 81 games this season and six points (two goals, four assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He has 360 points (128 goals, 232 assists) in 515 games during seven NHL seasons, all with the Rangers.

Raanta, 28, a backup during his first four NHL seasons, went 16-8-2 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .922 save percentage and four shutouts. He is 47-23-9 with a 2.32 GAA, .917 save percentage and eight shutouts in 94 NHL games, including 78 starts, with the Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.

“The last seven years for me are a big part of my life and something I’ll never forget,” Stepan said. “I played some really fun hockey games at [Madison Square Garden]. It’s going to be something that I’m surely going to miss, but at the same time, this is a business. New York and Arizona made a business move and I’m starting my new life in Arizona. I couldn’t be more excited to get down there.”

The trade means the Rangers have about $20 million in salary cap space they can use to acquire players in trades or through free agency, according to CapFriendly.com. Gorton said he feels the trade market is good.

“There is more opportunity when you have cap space,” Gorton said. “It’s a big part of this trade.”

The Rangers have to use some of that cap space to replace two centers, Stepan and Oscar Lindberg, who they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.

Gorton said he considers Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes to be centers who should play in the top six forwards, so it’s possible the Rangers will look at depth centers rather than trying to make a splash for a No. 1.

“It’s hard for us to say what we’re going to look like right now,” Gorton said. “There’s a lot of different things on the table.”

Gorton said the Coyotes would not have made the trade without New York including Raanta, who projects as Arizona’s No. 1 goalie next season. He would replace Mike Smith, who was traded to the Calgary Flames on June 17.

Gorton said the Rangers were willing to trade Raanta because they feel there is a robust market for goalies who can step in and be Henrik Lundqvist‘s backup. Among the notable projected backup goalies expected to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 are Jonathan Bernier, Brian Elliott, Chad Johnson, Keith Kinkaid and Mike Condon.

“We’ve had success in this organization with goalies,” Gorton said. “I think [goalie coach Benoit Allaire] is a big part of it. The ability to go get somebody that can play behind [Lundqvist], I think we can do that. We see a number of names out there.”

King Raanta, like King Talbot, will get his chance to be an NHL starter. In other words, the Rangers had Lundqvist/Talbot/Raanta under contract over the last three years and decided to keep the oldest, the worst and the highest cap hit goalie of the three. Tell me how that makes sense? Photo Credit: @TradedNHLPlayer

I don’t even know where to start, because the fruit of this trade was picked at the NHL draft the same night. The Rangers got the 7th pick & Tony Deangelo, who may become the next Sean Avery for the Rangers, at least reputation wise. However, to talk about those stories, let me back up and talk about Stepan and Raanta first.

For both Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta, both were assumed goners after the season but for different reasons. I’ll tackle Derek Stepan first.

I’ve been writing about Stepan all season, the playoffs and the off-season. Good player, gave a lot of good years to the Rangers, always played hurt, was a good leader, was a great locker room presence and was universally respected by fans, his peers and the media alike. Unfortunately, he got Satheritis, which means Sather infected him with a bad contract and that means Stepan has to go.

I’ll ask once again – isn’t it funny that the man who gave out all these bad contracts, where his successor has to deal two of his alternate captains in Stepan & Girardi, is still the boss of the current GM of the Rangers? HOW THE FUCK DOES SENILE SATHER STILL HAVE A FUCKING JOB!!!???!!!

I’ve said this ad-nauseam – Senile Sather was the longest tenured GM in the history of NYC sports to never win a championship. His reward? Team President! The Rangers are lucky that more people care about the Mets, Jets and Knicks, because the amount of ineptness and mental retardation flying around the Garden is at an off-the-chart level. If the Rangers were in a true hockey market or the only team in town, Senile Sather would’ve been gone long ago and Dolan probably would’ve sold the team. To be a Rangers fan is to accept futility and mismanagement.

Stepan, who is only 27 years old, was traded because he makes $6.5M a year and has four years left on his deal. He is considered a bad salary cap hit. I’ve also talked about this a million times – it’s a shame that Bettman has created a league where more trades/decisions are based on player salary than player skill. If there was no cap, would Girardi and Stepan be moved? Probably not.

While Dan Girardi will always have that “warrior” reputation, Stepan was no slouch either. Remember when he broke his jaw three years ago and played with a cage? Photo Credit: NHL on NBC

I have no problem with Stepan being moved. I get it. It’s the business. It’s why I say the Rangers should try to get rid of the albatross in the 30 jersey. The teams that win Cups are the ones that have GM’s that treat players like NFL running backs. Once they have peaked, it’s time to get younger and move on. Sad and cold reality, but that’s business.

I will just never understand the people who say “Stepan, Girardi & Staal have to go”, but will say trading/moving on from Lundswiss is sacrilege. You can’t have it both ways.

As I’ve said all along, I expected and had no problem with Stepan being moved. I’m on the record – I want the whole core broken up. It’s time to move on. Yes we got some great memories from this team, but we didn’t get the best memory possible. If you settle for failure and do the rah-rah-rah thing, that’s great and I don’t think any less of you. However, I would much rather be like a Penguins fan, and see my favorite hockey team win back-to-back cups. This core didn’t do it and this egomaniac diva goalie, that this team still continues to build around, needs to go just like anyone else.

While I expected Stepan and Raanta to both be moved this off-season, I didn’t expect them to be included in the same deal. Where Stepan was traded because of money, Raanta was traded because of skill.

The Rangers have traded their second consecutive goalie who will now be a starter in the NHL.

You know me – I’m on record. I wanted Talbot to be our starter. I watched/followed Talbot’s rise with the Wolfpack and knew he would be special. In the case of Raanta, he earned my respect with his play on the ice. While Talbot will always be my guy, Raanta made me look very smart and backed up all my theories with his strong play.

It drives me fucking nuts. Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta, who played less under Benoit Allaire than Henrik Lundqvist, are better than Lundqvist, RIGHT NOW. They are better salary cap hits. They post better numbers. Talbot was fourth in the  Vezina, while the King Cunt can’t even get a vote. They are better team players. Not one top 5 paid goalie has won a Cup in the salary cap era, yet the Rangers continue to bang their head against the wall and think something will change.

CAN YOU NAME ONE FUCKING STANLEY CUP WINNING TEAM, IN THE SALARY CAP ERA, THAT HAS WON A CUP BY BUILDING AROUND THEIR GOALIE? Chicago, fuck no. The Penguins? Sure, they got great goaltending from Murray, but they are built around being deep four lines. Oh and on the Penguins – can the Rangers learn anything from these guys? They win back-to-back Cups and deal a 3X cup winning goalie to Vegas, because they have a younger & cheaper goalie on board. What do the Rangers do, they stick with KING NOTHING! It’s fucking embarrassing.

Who else won a Cup in the cap era? LA. Sure, Jonathan Quick stole the 2012 Cup but LA was built around being big and kicking ass. It’s not the Rangers fault, that in Hank’s peak year, his Vezina season, Jonathan Quick was the better goalie of those 2012 playoffs. Oh yea – Quick was paid the 30th highest in the league that year. When he dethroned King Hair Gel in 2014, he was the 9th highest paid.

Save me the bullshit about “it’s the defense, it’s Staal, it’s Holden, it’s a meteor shower, it’s global warming, it’s Bill Cosby drugging people” – bottom line is you can’t win with a top paid goalie in this league and Lundqvist hasn’t even played like a top goalie in this league for some time! ACCEPT IT. The Rangers won’t.

Seriously – if I had the money, I would take a billboard ad right outside M$G, with a “Lundswiss Contract” Countdown timer. Some people chant “FOUR MORE YEARS” for a President they like up for re-election. I hang my head and say “ugh, four more years” as I drown my sorrows in a bottle.

Even this guy, with questionable public bathroom habits, knows that Lundqvist must go!

Just food for thought – the Metro division is so good that the last two Vezina winners came out of it. Of note, the highest paid goalie didn’t get one vote in either year!

We all know the Metro division is the strongest division in the NHL today. It’s like the Western Conference of the NBA. From Vezina winners, multiple 100 point teams, multiple President Trophy winners (3, NYR, WSH 2) and two Stanley Cups (Pitt), it’s hard to be atop of the Metro standings. Sure, once you get in the playoffs anything can happen and for the Rangers, if they ever want a shot at winning a Cup, they are most likely going to have to beat Pittsburgh.

Lundqvist has struggled mightily with the Penguins ever since Carl Hagelin was jettisoned out of here because of the salary cap. Knowing everything I’ve said, to make the same mistake you made with Talbot, when Lundqvist is even older and worse than he was when Talbot was traded, by trading Raanta, just infuriates me. Is selling Lundqvist merchandise more profitable than a Stanley Cup win? I’ll tell you what – Stanley Cup Winner merchandise will outsell any Lundqvist jersey. It will also make the ticket price hike easier to accept.

We all know that my dream of getting Lundqvist out of here wasn’t going to happen and Raanta would go. As I’ve said numerous times, Steve Valiquette, who would know these types of things, told me that if a back-up goalie has a chance to start elsewhere, it’s an unwritten rule that a GM makes a deal to give that goalie a chance. Any other team would’ve traded Lundqvist. Tampa did it with Bishop and your repeating Stanley Cup Champions, the Penguins, did it with Fleury. Only the Rangers are so fucking stubborn that they hold on to Lundqvist like he’s Jesus Christ himself.

My utter disdain and hatred for Lundqvist aside, I wish Stepan and Raanta the best of luck. I think it will be great if Raanta and Talbot are in the Vezina running, just like Talbot was this year, while Lundqvist continues his usual season of “slow start, terrible stretch, vagina injury, beat bad teams late in the season and then choke in the playoffs.”

Now that these two are away from Lundqvist, they have a shot at a Stanley Cup, even with the lowly desert dogs of Arizona. Photo Credit: MSGNETWORKS

As far as the trade itself, it happened for several reasons. For starters, Arizona needed a starting goalie, so they wanted Raanta. They also have trouble making the salary cap floor every season, so they had to take a bad Ranger contract. Since Staal has a NMC, it was easier to move Stepan, whose NMC kicks in on July 1st.

For the Rangers, I thought the haul they took in was pretty pathetic. They got defenseman Tony Deangelo (more on him later) and the 7th pick in the draft. With the pick, the Rangers took another Swedish player, in Lias Andersson. Can someone explain to me the Rangers fascination with Swedish players? Any old time hockey player will tell you that Swedish players have a “soft” reputation.

I am not impressed with this trade because Andersson was projected 13th or higher in every mock draft from every person who follows junior, college and international hockey. Even before the Rangers took Andersson, NBC’s experts said something to the effect of “expect the Rangers to do something out of the box and not take the best player on the board.” WHERE IS THE FUCKING LOGIC IN THAT?

In essence, the Rangers traded a great player in Derek Stepan and an NHL starting goalie for a pick with not-so-high expectations and a young defenseman, who is alleged to have serious character issues and is now also playing for his third team in three years. Explain to me how that makes sense at all. Again – how is Sather the boss of all of this? What the fuck is this team doing?

Stepan was a leader for these Rangers and is someone who will be hard to replace.

One of my favorite memories of this season was something I talked about in a Rangers vs Devils game at the Rock this year. Raanta gave up a bad goal. Derek Stepan immediately skated up to him, said something and worked to calm him down. From there, Raanta had a great game and the Rangers would win the game, with a Zibanejad shot in overtime.

How funny is it that in the playoffs, Stepan did a similar thing with Lundqvist and Lundqvist had a hissy fit? No wonder why Stepan is gone.

To be fair – Raanta gave up a bad goal and didn’t have a hissy fit. Stepan just relaxed him. In Hank’s case, Hank was having his cunt fit, where if he saw a woman near him, he probably would’ve slashed her, as he’s done previously in his career. And people want to talk about Tony DeAngelo’s character!

Arizona, who has to be feeling the pressure from Vegas, got remarkably better with this trade. I can’t say the same about the Rangers, which is funny. The Rangers are a team doing rebuilding moves, but yet, think they can win a Cup with Hank right now. Which is it? If you’re trying to win a Cup right now for your precious piece of shit Swedish goalie, then why are you trading for draft picks? Why are you in salary dump mode? Why are you giving up veteran presence? Are you telling me that Stepan & Girardi are the reasons the Rangers haven’t won a Cup? On the other hand if you’re rebuilding, what the fuck is Hank still doing here?

I have many positive memories of Stepan and recently of Raanta, over the last few seasons and I thank them for that. I hope they continue to excel. How great would it be if Girardi signed in Arizona and the ‘Yotes win the Cup? Ha!

 

I’m 3500 words in and there is so much more to get into. This 430 AM alarm clock is going to suck once again!

Moving along and looking forward, Tony DeAngelo is the newest Ranger.

There are two things you’re going to hear about Tony DeAngelo. The first is that he’s a homophobic/racist/xenophobic. For all the details on why, check out this link: https://www.fiveforhowling.com/2017/1/1/14142204/anthony-deangelo-arizona-coyotes-suspended-three-games-physical-abuse-of-officials

The other thing you will hear is that he’s pro-Donald Trump, which to some snowflake fans,  means he supports Satan & Isis.

My quick take on these “character issues”. I like how supporting your American president is considered “controversial.” And people have the balls to cry at me for wanting Lundqvist out of here and say I’m not supporting the team! As long as he’s not supporting terror, I could give a fuck less about his stance on politics, as long as he delivers on the ice.

The second thing, is that he called someone a “cocksucker” and once again the liberal snowflakes got a cock in their ass about it. I did my rant on the word “fag” before on this blog. You can read my take on the word “fag” here: http://doinow.com/2717/

As I said in my take on the word “fag”, I don’t think it’s used as a gay slur all the time, but it is a word we could eliminate. That said, when it comes to “cock-sucker”, it’s the same thing as calling someone an asshole or a douchebag. So if DeAngelo is calling people a “cock-sucker” on the ice, is he doing it to attack someone’s sexual preference? I don’t think so. He’s using it to rile someone up. I just don’t think calling someone a “cock-sucker” makes you a homophobe. It’s not like he’s part of some wacky Bible Belt Church with their “GOD HATES FAGS” signs.

From using the word “cock-sucker” to supporting Donald Trump, it’s amazing what a pussy America has become, that they must now label DeAngelo as a “homophobe”, “irrational” and “xenophobic.” So much for practicing what you preach!  With these snowflake cupcake people, who look to be offended by anything, there simply is no tolerance/getting the other side, if you don’t have the same opinion as them.

Tony D is only 21 years old. Photo Credit: Wikipedia.com

Now how about Tony DeAngelo the hockey player? I can’t lie, I’m not familiar with his entire career, outside of what I’ve read. It was funny, I was reading one Ranger fan blog and the person copied DeAngelo’s WIKIpedia like he wrote it himself!

What I do know for a fact, is that the Rangers are DeAngelo’s third team in three years, which is concerning. I also know he’s been a career AHLer, with some time with the Coyotes, who are an AHL team themselves. I mean seriously, the Rangers couldn’t get Duclair back in this trade?

It was no secret that this year’s NHL draft class was a weaker talent pool than it has been in the last several years.  If you look at the cold hard facts, the Rangers traded a starting goalie and a 1st line center for an AHL defenseman & a middle of the pack player in a weak draft. Just doesn’t add up to me.

It’s too soon to figure out where DeAngelo fits in with the Rangers. Who knows what the Rangers will do in free agency.  Best case scenario, DeAngelo develops into a first pair defenseman and gets over whatever it is that has caused him to be traded twice in three years. Worst case, he is a career AHL player. I don’t know what to expect with DeAngelo, but all we can do is give him a chance.

Personally, I hope DeAngelo and his mouth brings the Rangers some controversy. Maybe it will help light a fire under their ass!

Please save me the “Tony DeAngelo character” talk when most NYR fans support a goalie who thinks it’s ok to physically assault a woman when he’s upset.

One thing floating around Twitter again is the story about Lundqvist being a woman beater. Did I fuel it? Perhaps. Anyway, like I posted last year, Stan Fischler wrote the above page in his “Rangers vs Islanders” book. It’s amazing how NYR fans will give Lundqvist a pass on contract issues and hitting women.

This is the same world that didn’t mind that Ray Rice savagely attacked his girlfriend. The NFL didn’t even care, until video came out. Hitting women is the act of the coward so it doesn’t surprise me that Lundqvist has no problem hitting a woman when he’s mad.

You may want to say this is an isolated incident, but just because Bill Cosby and OJ were innocent in a court of law doesn’t make them innocent either.

I will say, I did find it disgusting and hypocritical when people were crying about DeAngelo saying “cock-sucker”, but have no problem with a diva millionaire attacking an innocent woman doing her job when he was having one of his hissy fits. King my ass. More like Chris Brown.

Again, the world has changed a lot and it’s sad that people aren’t more taken aback by this. I think if this happened today, in the social media/viral clip era, King Tampon would’ve been suspended because of outside pressure. However, because there is no video of this, like Ray Rice, it doesn’t feel “real” to people. If you defend Lundqvist for his cunt-like behavior here, maybe you can sign your mother/daughter/sister up to be a punching bag for stressed out entitled work-visa millionaires!

The NHL draft was held Friday night, hours after the Raanta/Stepan trade. Photo Credit: NHL.com

The NHL draft has come and gone. Here’s what the Rangers did, courtesy of DraftSite.com:

1 7 Lias Andersson C HV71 (SHL) 5′ 11″ 198
1 21 Filip Chytil LW Zlin (Czech) 6′ 0.5″ 189
4 123 Brandon Crawley D London (OHL) 6′ 0.75″ 207
5 145 Calle Själin C Leksands (Allsvenskan) 6′ 1″ 179
6 157 Dominik Lakatos C Liberec White Tigers (Czech) 5′ 11″ 175
6 174 Morgan Barron C Sioux City (USHL) 6′ 2″ 195
7 207 Patrik Virta C TPS Turku (SM-liiga) 5′ 9″ 180

I can’t pretend and tell you like I know anything about these guys or have ever seen these guys play. To me, you can only judge drafts after three years, at the very least.  All I can do now is research these guys, but at the same time, I can’t form a stance on any of these guys, because I don’t know who the Rangers may have passed up on to draft this crop.

The only thing I saw from the experts who do know about these young players, is that Lias Andersson was taken way too early. I can’t even defend the Rangers because they are so inept with everything else. I just assume that they wanted a center since Stepan and Lindberg are outtie.

Two men who have won championships at MSG!

The Rangers and the league announced the schedule for next season this past Thursday. Since NHL.com is impossible to use, here is the complete schedule, courtesy of ESPN.com:

2018 Regular Season Schedule
OCTOBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Thu, Oct 5 7:00 PM 419 available from $166
Sat, Oct 7 7:00 PM 153 available from $178
Sun, Oct 8 7:00 PM 409 available from $105
Tue, Oct 10 7:00 PM 412 available from $70
Fri, Oct 13 7:00 PM 570 available from $79
Sat, Oct 14 7:00 PM 396 available from $137
Tue, Oct 17 7:00 PM 398 available from $105
Thu, Oct 19 7:00 PM 419 available from $126
Sat, Oct 21 1:00 PM 451 available from $114
Mon, Oct 23 7:00 PM 408 available from $75
Thu, Oct 26 7:00 PM 403 available from $75
Sat, Oct 28 7:00 PM 202 available from $114
Tue, Oct 31
  • vs
  • Las Vegas
7:00 PM 394 available from $91
NOVEMBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Thu, Nov 2 7:30 PM 667 available from $71
Sat, Nov 4 7:00 PM 793 available from $44
Mon, Nov 6 7:00 PM 406 available from $79
Wed, Nov 8 8:00 PM 394 available from $104
Sat, Nov 11 1:00 PM 402 available from $136
Wed, Nov 15 8:00 PM 532 available from $24
Fri, Nov 17 7:00 PM 570 available from $59
Sun, Nov 19 7:00 PM 404 available from $75
Wed, Nov 22 7:00 PM 74 available from $53
Fri, Nov 24 7:00 PM 408 available from $142
Sun, Nov 26 2:00 PM 403 available from $109
Tue, Nov 28 7:00 PM 412 available from $61
DECEMBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Fri, Dec 1 7:00 PM 395 available from $97
Tue, Dec 5 7:00 PM 230 available from $63
Fri, Dec 8 7:00 PM 509 available from $53
Sat, Dec 9 7:00 PM 395 available from $121
Mon, Dec 11 7:00 PM 391 available from $78
Wed, Dec 13 7:00 PM 583 available from $57
Fri, Dec 15 7:00 PM 394 available from $118
Sat, Dec 16 5:00 PM 1,398 available from $105
Tue, Dec 19 7:00 PM 391 available from $116
Thu, Dec 21 7:00 PM 70 available from $113
Sat, Dec 23 7:00 PM 374 available from $174
Wed, Dec 27 7:00 PM 377 available from $171
Fri, Dec 29 7:30 PM 760 available from $105
JANUARY OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Mon, Jan 1 1:00 PM 56 available from $126
Wed, Jan 3 8:00 PM 387 available from $151
Sat, Jan 6 8:00 PM 504 available from $45
Sun, Jan 7
  • @
  • Las Vegas
9:30 PM 958 available from $93
Sat, Jan 13 1:00 PM 378 available from $151
Sun, Jan 14 12:30 PM 217 available from $77
Tue, Jan 16 7:00 PM 389 available from $119
Thu, Jan 18 7:00 PM 371 available from $102
Sat, Jan 20 3:00 PM 619 available from $45
Sun, Jan 21 10:30 PM 458 available from $61
Tue, Jan 23 10:00 PM 76 available from $65
Thu, Jan 25 10:30 PM 684 available from $50
FEBRUARY OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Thu, Feb 1 7:00 PM 368 available from $103
Sat, Feb 3 8:00 PM 110 available from $106
Mon, Feb 5 8:30 PM 81 available from $78
Wed, Feb 7 8:00 PM 370 available from $123
Fri, Feb 9 7:00 PM 387 available from $88
Sun, Feb 11 3:00 PM 50 available from $119
Tue, Feb 13 8:00 PM 238 available from $119
Thu, Feb 15 7:00 PM 626 available from $84
Sat, Feb 17 2:00 PM 583 available from $57
Sun, Feb 18 1:00 PM 385 available from $114
Thu, Feb 22 7:30 PM 206 available from $66
Fri, Feb 23 7:00 PM 385 available from $105
Sun, Feb 25 7:00 PM 385 available from $110
Wed, Feb 28 10:00 PM 777 available from $55
MARCH OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Fri, Mar 2 9:00 PM 313 available from $37
Sat, Mar 3 10:30 PM 223 available from $111
Tue, Mar 6 7:00 PM 383 available from $91
Thu, Mar 8 7:30 PM 651 available from $70
Sat, Mar 10 7:00 PM 791 available from $45
Mon, Mar 12 7:00 PM 385 available from $91
Wed, Mar 14 8:00 PM 387 available from $148
Sat, Mar 17 8:00 PM 107 available from $76
Tue, Mar 20 7:00 PM 383 available from $104
Thu, Mar 22 7:00 PM 624 available from $92
Sat, Mar 24 7:00 PM 381 available from $128
Mon, Mar 26 7:00 PM 381 available from $130
Wed, Mar 28 8:00 PM 511 available from $52
Fri, Mar 30 7:00 PM 380 available from $116
Sat, Mar 31 7:00 PM 76 available from $53
APRIL OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Tue, Apr 3 7:00 PM 72 available from $113
Thu, Apr 5 7:00 PM 622 available from $84
Sat, Apr 7 3:00 PM 851 available from $113

 

 

 

 

 

2018 Regular Season Schedule
OCTOBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Thu, Oct 5 7:00 PM 419 available from $166
Sat, Oct 7 7:00 PM 153 available from $178
Sun, Oct 8 7:00 PM 409 available from $105
Tue, Oct 10 7:00 PM 412 available from $70
Fri, Oct 13 7:00 PM 570 available from $79
Sat, Oct 14 7:00 PM 396 available from $137
Tue, Oct 17 7:00 PM 398 available from $105
Thu, Oct 19 7:00 PM 419 available from $126
Sat, Oct 21 1:00 PM 451 available from $114
Mon, Oct 23 7:00 PM 408 available from $75
Thu, Oct 26 7:00 PM 403 available from $75
Sat, Oct 28 7:00 PM 202 available from $114
Tue, Oct 31
  • vs
  • Las Vegas
7:00 PM 394 available from $91
NOVEMBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Thu, Nov 2 7:30 PM 667 available from $71
Sat, Nov 4 7:00 PM 793 available from $44
Mon, Nov 6 7:00 PM 406 available from $79
Wed, Nov 8 8:00 PM 394 available from $104
Sat, Nov 11 1:00 PM 402 available from $136
Wed, Nov 15 8:00 PM 532 available from $24
Fri, Nov 17 7:00 PM 570 available from $59
Sun, Nov 19 7:00 PM 404 available from $75
Wed, Nov 22 7:00 PM 74 available from $53
Fri, Nov 24 7:00 PM 408 available from $142
Sun, Nov 26 2:00 PM 403 available from $109
Tue, Nov 28 7:00 PM 412 available from $61
DECEMBER OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Fri, Dec 1 7:00 PM 395 available from $97
Tue, Dec 5 7:00 PM 230 available from $63
Fri, Dec 8 7:00 PM 509 available from $53
Sat, Dec 9 7:00 PM 395 available from $121
Mon, Dec 11 7:00 PM 391 available from $78
Wed, Dec 13 7:00 PM 583 available from $57
Fri, Dec 15 7:00 PM 394 available from $118
Sat, Dec 16 5:00 PM 1,398 available from $105
Tue, Dec 19 7:00 PM 391 available from $116
Thu, Dec 21 7:00 PM 70 available from $113
Sat, Dec 23 7:00 PM 374 available from $174
Wed, Dec 27 7:00 PM 377 available from $171
Fri, Dec 29 7:30 PM 760 available from $105
JANUARY OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Mon, Jan 1 1:00 PM 56 available from $126
Wed, Jan 3 8:00 PM 387 available from $151
Sat, Jan 6 8:00 PM 504 available from $45
Sun, Jan 7
  • @
  • Las Vegas
9:30 PM 958 available from $93
Sat, Jan 13 1:00 PM 378 available from $151
Sun, Jan 14 12:30 PM 217 available from $77
Tue, Jan 16 7:00 PM 389 available from $119
Thu, Jan 18 7:00 PM 371 available from $102
Sat, Jan 20 3:00 PM 619 available from $45
Sun, Jan 21 10:30 PM 458 available from $61
Tue, Jan 23 10:00 PM 76 available from $65
Thu, Jan 25 10:30 PM 684 available from $50
FEBRUARY OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Thu, Feb 1 7:00 PM 368 available from $103
Sat, Feb 3 8:00 PM 110 available from $106
Mon, Feb 5 8:30 PM 81 available from $78
Wed, Feb 7 8:00 PM 370 available from $123
Fri, Feb 9 7:00 PM 387 available from $88
Sun, Feb 11 3:00 PM 50 available from $119
Tue, Feb 13 8:00 PM 238 available from $119
Thu, Feb 15 7:00 PM 626 available from $84
Sat, Feb 17 2:00 PM 583 available from $57
Sun, Feb 18 1:00 PM 385 available from $114
Thu, Feb 22 7:30 PM 206 available from $66
Fri, Feb 23 7:00 PM 385 available from $105
Sun, Feb 25 7:00 PM 385 available from $110
Wed, Feb 28 10:00 PM 777 available from $55
MARCH OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Fri, Mar 2 9:00 PM 313 available from $37
Sat, Mar 3 10:30 PM 223 available from $111
Tue, Mar 6 7:00 PM 383 available from $91
Thu, Mar 8 7:30 PM 651 available from $70
Sat, Mar 10 7:00 PM 791 available from $45
Mon, Mar 12 7:00 PM 385 available from $91
Wed, Mar 14 8:00 PM 387 available from $148
Sat, Mar 17 8:00 PM 107 available from $76
Tue, Mar 20 7:00 PM 383 available from $104
Thu, Mar 22 7:00 PM 624 available from $92
Sat, Mar 24 7:00 PM 381 available from $128
Mon, Mar 26 7:00 PM 381 available from $130
Wed, Mar 28 8:00 PM 511 available from $52
Fri, Mar 30 7:00 PM 380 available from $116
Sat, Mar 31 7:00 PM 76 available from $53
APRIL OPPONENT TIME (ET) TV LOCAL TV TICKETS
Tue, Apr 3 7:00 PM 72 available from $113
Thu, Apr 5 7:00 PM 622 available from $84
Sat, Apr 7 3:00 PM 851 available from $113

Just a few quick thoughts as I hit the home stretch here:

  • What a very fan-friendly schedule this year. I’m not being sarcastic either. Many Friday & Saturday home games. If there is a negative to that, it means my StubHub trick won’t work as often.
  • I’m going to do more road trips than home games this year. I just had it with M$G & Lundswiss in general. I rather create new life experiences if I have to deal with another Cupless season.
  • I’m doing Vegas with my crew on 1/7 and I’ve heard about 100 other NYR fans say the same thing. This might be the hot ticket in town, even if it’s during the NFL playoffs.
  • There are many chances to do weekend roadtrips with this schedule. I got my eye on Tampa/Florida, Nashville, Montreal, Vegas and Boston. Depending on my word schedule and money flow, maybe I can add more.
  • Only 100 days til puck drop!
Related image
My fat ass with the legendary Jeff Beukeboom

6000 words and I’m still not done. I told you this was a busy week.

The Rangers announced on Saturday that Jeff Beukeboom has been fired as the assistant/defense coach of the Rangers and will be replaced by ex-NHL head coach and ex-Ranger, Lindy Ruff. Beukeboom will be retained by the team in another capacity, with rumors of him being placed as a scout. With the way the Rangers draft, I guess Beukeboom better pack his bags to Sweden now.

I hate, hate, hate this move. I have no problem with Ruff coming in, he has a great track record and knows the game. I have a problem with Beukeboom getting the ax (he coached in Hartford and seems like he wants an NHL HC job one day) instead of Scott Arniel.

In what world does Beukeboom get more blame than Arniel for the 16-17 season? For starters, the Rangers defense wasn’t exactly a murderer’s row, especially with the play of Staal & Holden in the playoffs. I would blame AV for leaving those two in for as long as he did.

Arniel is in charge of the powerplay and the PP was god-awful in the regular season for long stretches and was even worse when it mattered most – in the playoffs.

This is just another stupid move by the Rangers.

As far as Ruff, I do find it funny that the Rangers passed on him when they fired Torts and hired AV. Ruff, who was fired from the Stars, joins the Rangers as an assistant. The anti-AV fans are thinking that Ruff may be a coach waiting in the wings, but I don’t think that’s the case here. Time will tell I suppose.

Where will Shattenkirk wind up?

For right now, the Rangers have subtracted a lot of key talent from their team, in different ways, with Lindberg, Raanta, Stepan, Klein and Girardi all gone. The Rangers are now qualifying their restricted free agents, with only Skapski not getting an offer. With all the moves the Rangers have made, they now have $23 Million to play with, before going over the salary cap.

It’s also worth mentioning, with Stepan and Girardi gone, there is a vacancy in the alternate captain position. To me, Zuccarello is a no-brainer for this.

With the Stepan trade, the Klein retirement and Girardi buy-out, all being the key moves to free up money, Ranger fans will have to hold tight until July 1st, when free agency begins. From there, you can really assess the Ranger roster moves.

Obviously, the big prize for the Rangers seems to be Shattenkirk, but at what price? Will the Rangers overpay another defenseman to a long term deal, only to have fans crying for a buyout after two years?

If “winning a cup for Hank” remains the mantra, will the Rangers go after some of the older veterans in the league, that are free agents right now, on short term deals? We will find out on July 1st. Until then, everything is just speculation. After all, who had Stepan & Raanta going to Arizona for a bad return? Then again, these are the same idiots that traded Talbot for next to nothing, and turned Keith Yandle into meaningless picks.

As of right now, I don’t see how these Rangers compete with the Penguins next season for the Cup. They seem to want to rebuild but also want to compete. You can never be torn in this department, or you become a middle of the pack team, which in reality, is what the Rangers have been. Sure, they’ve had a few deep runs, but have nothing but painful losses to show for it.

Will Tanner Glass be back next season?

With an early start at work tomorrow and nearly 7000 words here, it’s time to put a bow on this. Things should slow down after free agency. I currently have a “Sawchuk” biography book that I’m looking to review, once I get the time.

As far as the next blog, unless something major happens, and who knows with these guys, I’ll be back once the Rangers make their first free agency signing.

Four Cups in 90 years, the worst owner in sports, a senile GM and a franchise dedicated to building a team around the same player for the last 12 years. It’s very hard to be optimistic about these guys, but still….

“Let’s Go Rangers”

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@NYCTHEMIC on the tweeter gimmick

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1 thought on “The Rangers Half-Rebuild Continues With Questionable Player & Personnel Decisions: Two Ranger Back-Up Goalies Become Starting NHL Goalies In Three Years, Derek Stepan Joins Dan Girardi As The Latest Salary Cap Victim, Thoughts on Stepan, Wrong Coach Fired, Lundqvist Continues To Get a Free Pass, Fan-Friendly 2017-2018 Schedule, NHL Draft, Snowflake Hockey Fans Get Offended By Trump Voting Players & Anticipating Free Agency Next Week

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