BCBS For 7/27: “HiJack” Eichel Mania Ramping Up; Time Running Out on the Sabres, NYR Qualify RFA’s; Igor’s Pay & Does Chytil Stay? NYR May Have an “Identity Line” Yet, Yegor “Trivia Question” Rykov, Baby-Sitting Kakko; Patrik Nemeth In/Brendan Smith Out, NYR Book Cover Art Released & More

The front and back cover art for my upcoming “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” book is complete. More on the book at the end of tonight’s blog.

Greetings and salutations everyone and welcome to another blog here on BlueCollarBlueShirts.com. It’s nearing “shit or get off the pot time”, in the Rangers pursuit of landing Jack Eichel. For the Sabres, if they want to make a move, the sands of the hourglass are no longer in their favor.

As of this writing, Jack Eichel remains on the Buffalo Sabres roster, but for how much longer? To answer that question – well that’s anyone’s guess. While people can guess and speculate on what the Rangers may give up for Eichel, this much is known – if the Sabres can’t move Eichel by noon of July 28th, the potential haul that the Sabres are looking for right now will have decreased.

It should be stated that not only are the Rangers still in the mix for Eichel’s services, but other teams have also been linked as a potential suitor for Eichel, including teams such as the LA Kings and the Minnesota Wild. While I’ve previously discussed the pros and cons about the Rangers acquiring Eichel on this site, (where I really don’t want to see the Rangers mortgage their future and cripple their salary cap for Eichel) I just have a beer gut-feeling that the Rangers will land Eichel. After all, rarely do you see the Rangers out of the big game hunt. With Chris Drury’s Rangers looking to be in “WIN-NOW” mode, I just feel the end result is Jack Eichel searching for a new jersey number to wear in the Big Apple.

According to all reports, including a report from Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet; the Sabres are sticking to their guns in their ransom demands of Eichel. Perhaps the Sabres are trying to force the Rangers and other teams to out-bid each other and themselves. Whatever the case, the longer this game of chicken goes, the odds that the Sabres get the best package available will lessen.

Once the calendar flips to July 28th and the clock strikes high noon, the Sabres may not find a gun-slinger in front of them to do business with. After all, that’s when the free agency period opens and if the Sabres aren’t going to budge, teams around the league will look and spend elsewhere, as they fill out their 2021-2022 season rosters.

And if Eichel isn’t traded – what a freaking mess for the Sabres, a Sabres franchise that’s currently messier than the bottom of a porto-potty. No joke, I think the toughest job in all of the NHL right now, is the job of a Buffalo Sabres season ticket representative. The Sabres, who were bad enough already, have given their fans no hope this off-season. This also includes the Sabres drafting of Owen Power, an Owen Power who is expected to play at the NCAA level next season, rather than in a city that desperately needs something positive to happen. (And as talked about in the past, the Sabres fan base is one of the strongest in the league and they deserve better.)

Whether or not Chris Drury has given up on his talks with Buffalo for Eichel is unknown. What is known is that on Monday July 26th, Drury made a few decisions, decisions which not only impacted the Rangers, but decisions which also impacted the Rangers AHL affiliate in Hartford too. I’ll have more on this below.

Elsewhere in Rangerstown, after Larry Brooks of the New York Post reported that the Rangers are moving on from Brendan Smith; Brooks, on Monday, also reported that the Rangers are looking to fill Smith’s former slot on the club with Patrik Nemeth. Of note, the Nemeth signing can only become official starting on Wednesday. That said, Brooks has been batting 1.000 since Glen Sather returned to a role of power, and there’s no reason to question the reporting out of Brooks.

While we await news on Eichel one way or the other, let’s get into everything else that hasn’t been covered yet on this site. However, up first and as usual – the PLUGS segment.

Here are my last few blogs in case you missed them:

BCBS For 7/25: Chris Drury and NYR Complete A Never Ending 2021 NHL Draft, Rangers Finally Buy-Out Tony DeAngelo, Drury’s Toughest Decision Yet To Come; Mika Zibanejad vs “Hijack” Eichel, The Fabulous Micheletti Rumor, Supporting Drury & More


 

BCBS For 7/24: One Captain Happy Trades Another Captain Happy; Pavel Buchnevich Goes From Blueshirt to Blue Note, Buchnevich & Vesey vs NYR History, Seeing Through Chris Drury’s Plans; Drury Loading Up On Tough Guys & Stanley Cup Experience, Rangers Use Draft Pick For Themselves and not on Jack Eichel, Goodrow Interview, Wolfpack, Jeff Gorton, NYR Rink of Honor Book Update & More


 

BCBS For 7/23: Barclay Goodrow Officially Signs with the Rangers; Why Goodrow is a Great Addition, The Rangers Announce Their 2021-2022 Schedule (Hello Seattle!), E.A.T. Podcast Appearance, NYR Bids Adieu to Brendan Smith & More


On Sunday July 25, Pavel Buchnevich posted a goodbye note to fans of the Rangers on his personal Instagram account. Photo Credit: @BUCHA89

To wrap up on one of the bigger stories of this Rangers off-season; Pavel Buchnevich posted the above message, where Buchnevich thanked Ranger fans for the last five seasons. Just writing that previous sentence feels weird, especially after my last blog where I talked about the arrival of both Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey. I can’t believe that was five years ago. Time flies when you’re not winning Stanley Cups!

As said last blog, and as I’ll say it again here – while I know many fans are upset about this Buchnevich trade, I’m trusting the Drury “pro-cess” here. While you can say this about any off-season and for any franchise in sports; for the Rangers, now more so than ever, I truly believe that everything Drury and the Rangers are doing at this present time are all small moves for the greater sum/good. Unlike other fans who are one step off of the ledge and looking down – I remain faithful and believe that Drury is not only building a playoff team, but a playoff contender as well. Call me optimistic or delusional if you must, but only time will tell and I think I’ll be proven correct over time.

Moving on!


Until Drury gives me a reason to question him, I’m on Team Drury! And before you bring up the name of “Pavel Buchnevich”, I don’t think you can evaluate any of these moves until at least the mid-way point of this upcoming season.

In our first piece of Rangers news from Monday, at 10:20AM, Larry Brooks, the only reporter on the Rangers beat who breaks news, tweeted out the following:

Photo Credit: @NYP_Brooksie

In news which was later confirmed by the NHL themselves, and as expected, the Rangers qualified their top two restricted free agents of this off-season in both Igor Shestyorkin and Filip Chytil. Let’s take a look at each player individually.

In the case of CZAR IGOR, you regular readers know that I’ve been touting praise about Igor ever since 2017, when I first started following Igor’s career in the KHL. Without question, one way or the other, the Rangers are bringing Igor back. It’s just a matter of how much and for how long.

The Rangers could always do a bridge deal with Igor and then run the risk of Igor soon becoming an unrestricted free agent. Perhaps the smarter deal is to lock up Igor long-term, and like goalies of Rangers past, create a whole new era around their net-minder. In a perfect world, Igor would follow a great legacy of Rangers goaltending, legacies which include Davey Kerr, Chuck Rayner, Gump Worsley, Eddie Giacomin, Mike Richter and Henrik Lundqvist.

Of course, and stop me if you’ve heard these three words before – “THE SALARY CAP” will play a major factor in what the Rangers decide next.

I’ll spare you from another one of my rants on the salary cap, but yeah, in a cap-less world, the Rangers would give Igor the money and the years. In today’s world, the Rangers are going to have to decide how much of the salary cap Igor should take up.

I’ve seen different numbers rattled around from the various reporters that are out there, (both NYR and NHL scribes) suggesting as low as $4M a season and as high as $7M a season for Igor. For as much of a fan that I am of Igor, that $7M figure sounds crazy.

Perhaps the biggest concern for Drury and the Rangers are Igor’s health issues. At the same time, you could also blame Igor’s injuries on bad and dumb luck. A small minor concern could also be Igor’s poor starts to games during the 2021 season, where after giving up an early goal or two, Igor then buckled down. In addition, (and I’m just trying to give you every angle here) like many Rangers from the 2021 season, perhaps Igor’s poor starts were just the result of that crazy and no training camp 2021 season.

In the full effort of disclosure here, I admit to being a day one CZAR IGOR fan.

Gun to my head, I think the Rangers forego the whole bridge deal with Igor and wind up agreeing to a five-year deal worth $25M overall. Igor and his agents will probably look for $6M a year, but when compared to other goalies around the league of Igor’s stature, $5M AAV seems like a fair figure for both parties. In any event, Igor will be a Ranger next season.

When it comes to the other “big” Rangers RFA in Filip Chytil, I’m not as confident with Filip Chytil returning to the Rangers as I am with Igor. In fact, by this time Wednesday, I could see Chytil going the other way in a trade for Jack Eichel.

There were two things I routinely said about Chytil throughout the course of the 2021 season. One, I don’t believe that Chytil is a natural center and I think that Chytil would be better off on the wing. Two, I said that I felt like Chytil would be traded this off-season.

For Chytil, a guy who doesn’t win face-offs on a team that had the lowest face-off win percentage in all of the NHL last season; to me, Chytil is expendable. While perhaps the Rangers sign and trade Chytil, if Chytil stays – I just don’t see where Chytil fits on this team anymore.

You guys know I hate the “PROPOZED LINES” shit, but when it comes to the Rangers, RIGHT NOW, you have Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Strome, Barclay Goodrow and Kevin Rooney as the four best centers on the team. Again, who knows what happens with this roster, (and the Eichel thing is a factor, at least until Wednesday) but where does Chytil slot in? Even if Mika or Strome are moved for Eichel (as talked about last blog, the Rangers could deal Strome outright, while Mika would have to waive his NMC and a third team would have to be involved, since Mika isn’t waiving his NMC to play in hockey hell in Buffalo) a combination of Mika, Strome and/or Eichel would account for your top two centers.

Barclay Goodrow just got paid. He’s playing. For the money he’s being paid, it’s hard to envision Goodrow as just a fourth line checking center. More than likely, Goodrow will be a third liner.

When it comes to whoever the fourth center for the team may be, you have Morgan Barron, a Morgan Barron who is more natural as a centerman than Chytil. You also have Kevin Rooney. While Rooney and Goodrow could flip-flop on the wing and on the same line, all of this does limit Chytil’s worth and playing time with the Rangers.

If you’re a Chytil fan and want to go glass half-full here; in your wildest dreams, do you see Chytil as the second line center of this team, which would be the best case scenario for Chytil personally? While Chytil would love that, that might not be best for the Rangers.

Of course, another option is to flip (not Filip!) Chytil to the wing, where even then, the Rangers have a glut of wingers. It’s why the Rangers traded Pavel Buchnevich in the first place. With Panarin, Kreider, Lafreniere, Kakko and Kravtsov pretty much guaranteed top minutes, once again, at best, Chytil would find himself on the third line and as a winger. And if the Rangers decide to make their third line a check line (more on this to come) then what are you paying Chytil for? To play 5-8 minutes a game?

So yeah, my prediction is that we won’t see Filip Chytil on the Rangers next season. Of course, I’ve been wrong before! As I say way too many times on this site – “we’ll see!”


Whatever happens with Chytil, I put my trust into Chris Drury. Photo Credit: MSGN and Mike S. aka “The King of All Drury Pix”. (This pic won’t bother Mike’s Christmas.)

As you may have read elsewhere already, since I’m late in getting this blog up; of the names NOT qualified by the Rangers on Monday, Yegor Rykov’s name stands out the most. As a result, Yegor Rykov will never be known for what he did on the ice with the Rangers. Instead, Rykov is now known solely as one of the answers to a trivia question, with that question being “Name the two players involved in the first ever trade made between the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils.” Yegor Rykov is one answer and Michael Grabner is the other answer.

On February 22nd, 2018, and for the first time in the storied “Battle of the Hudson” rivalry, the Rangers and Devils did business together. The trade saw the rebuilding Rangers deal Michael Grabner to the Devils in exchange for Yegor Rykov and a second round pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. (The Rangers would later trade the pick to Ottawa, a pick who Ottawa then used to select Jonathan Tychonick – a Tychonick, who like Rykov, has never played one NHL game as of this writing.)

For a while there, many prospect experts pegged Rykov as a future member of the Rangers blue line. Due to injuries and the pandemic, these plans never came to fruition. Also bumping down Rykov’s stock/value to the Rangers was the fact that the Rangers have a cabinet busting with young defenseman right now. At the end of the day, with the Rangers having so many young d-men in their system, it became a numbers game for Rykov and he drew the short straw.

All the best to Rykov and the others who weren’t qualified on Monday. The NHL can be a cruel business.

While Rykov won’t be playing with the Rangers next season, it’s expected that Patrik Nemeth will.


Patrik Nemeth is expected to be on the Rangers third defensive pair next season. Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press

On Monday afternoon, Larry Brooks reported that the Rangers will be signing defenseman Patrik Nemeth on Wednesday. For Brooks’ story, check out: https://nypost.com/2021/07/26/rangers-expected-to-sign-patrik-nemeth-in-nhl-free-agency/

The future and expected signing of Nemeth goes along with what Chris Drury has been doing all off-season, as Drury loads up on brutes and sandpaper types. Nemeth, who turns 29 years old next season, is a veteran of the Western Conference, where Nemeth has played for the Dallas Stars, the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche. (FYI: Nemeth had two separate stints with the Avalanche.)

As Brooks said in his article, Nemeth is here for his “GRIT” factor, and isn’t here to produce offensively like an Adam Fox. In addition, like Brendan Smith before Nemeth, it’s expected that Nemeth will play a mentor role for another aspiring Ranger.

As noted 76767868967896 times on this site, Brendan Smith took Kaapo Kakko under his wing, where Smith drove Kakko around, helped Kakko adjust to life in the NHL and was a sounding board for the young Finnish player. This was all Smith becoming a team-first guy, after Smith’s nonsense with Vinni Lettieri during the season prior.

I bring this up for one reason before getting into Nemeth. With Smith officially gone, I saw some fans saying that the Rangers should sign another player of Finnish descent, just to get Kakko going. To that I say – hogwash. The 2021-2022 season will be Kakko’s third season. He’s no longer a freshman or a sophomore. The hand-holding stuff, or at least the idea of it, needs to be shelved. It’s time for Kakko to stop crawling and to start running by himself. That said, this same theory doesn’t apply to Nils Lundkvist.

Nils Lundkvist is officially signed by the Rangers and if things go right, Lundkvist will make his NHL debut during the 2021-2022 season. Photo Credit: NYR

I should preface the following with two things that I’ve said in the past. One, it’s not a guarantee that Lundkvist will be a Ranger next season, as who knows, Lundkvist could be part of an Eichel trade. Two, if Lundkvist isn’t traded, it isn’t a guarantee either that Lundkvist makes the Rangers out of camp. Perhaps a start in the AHL with the Wolfpack would be better for Lundkvist. Again, who knows?

If Lundkvist can make the team ahead of schedule, as K’Andre Miller did last season, it’s expected that Lundkvist would join Nemeth on the third pair. After all, with Fox/Lindgren and Trouba/Miller pretty much a lock as the top four of NYR d-men, there’s no other place for Lundkvist.

Just like Smith once did for Kakko and just like how fans are now suggesting that the Rangers sign a Finnish player to hold Kakko’s hand; Nemeth, who is Swedish, could be a good mentor and sounding board for Lundkvist. In fact, that’s probably why the Rangers, who have a ton of options for the third LD position, went with Nemeth.

People may not like to hear this or admit it, but hockey is deep-rooted in patriotism and features many international customs. Like a high school cafeteria, there are also cliques, whether it be the Russians hanging out with Russians, Americans hanging out with Americans, and/or in this case, Swedes hanging out with Swedes. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just natural. After all, if you were sent to a different country that didn’t speak your native language, you’d gravitate to someone who spoke your language and knew your customs too.

With a fellow countryman to talk to, and someone who could show him how things are done in America; Nemeth would be great for Lundkvist and great for Lundkvist’s transition as an NHL player playing in North America. As far as their potential chemistry together? Well that’s left to be determined. However, in a best case scenario, perhaps just like Marc Staal once recently did for Tony DeAngelo – perhaps Nemeth can be your classic stay-at-home defensive defenseman, which in turn, will allow Lundkvist to roam free offensively.

In either event, welcome to the Rangers Patrik Nemeth. And oh, while bringing up DeAngelo’s name here, just a quick “what if?” on DeAngelo.


With their futures once in question, both Duclair and Bennett signed the best contracts of their career with the Florida Panthers this off-season. Photo Credit: Florida Panthers

As we wind down here, I want to share with you two stories of redemption.

During the last off-season, Anthony Duclair partook in what many considered a fool’s mission, when as a free agent, Duclair decided to represent himself in contract talks rather than hiring an agent. At the end of the day, Duclair may have sacrificed some bucks and term, where Duclair ultimately settled on a one-year deal worth $1.7M with the Florida Panthers. At the time of Duclair’s signing, anyone in the league could’ve signed him, including the Rangers.

Fast-forward to July 15th. Duclair, who banked on himself, proved fortunate, as Duclair re-upped with the Panthers for three years, where Duclair will now earn $9M overall. For a man who was turning into a jersey collector, Duclair has finally found a home, at least for the time being.

As you may know, during the 2021 season, the Rangers had many weaknesses, with their center depth being one of the biggest. Over in Calgary, centerman Sam Bennett was having issues with the Flames, where it was known around the league that Bennett wanted out. On April 12th, 2021, the Flames finally found a trading partner and sent Bennett to Florida.

Bennett, like Duclair, thrived in his new environment. On Monday July 26th, Bennett signed a four-year deal worth $17.6M overall with the Panthers. For both Duclair and Bennett, both of whom were considered to be mercurial players – these two overcame the scuttlebutt around them and are now paid and paid handsomely at that.

Why do I bring this up, outside of the facts that Duclair is a member of the Rangers alumni and because of the Rangers center issues? Easy – when the Rangers were having their issues with Tony DeAngelo, at the same time, the Flames were having their issues with Sam Bennett.

As noted numerous times on this site, the way Jeff Gorton handled Tony DeAngelo was one of the worst examples of poor asset management in all of Rangers history. Had Gorton not stood on his soap box and said that “DeAngelo will never play for the Rangers again”, perhaps the Rangers could’ve dealt DeAngelo to Calgary for Bennett straight up. Instead, we’ll never know.

Had the Rangers had Bennett on their roster, starting 8-10 games into the regular season, who knows? Maybe the Rangers make the playoffs in 2021. At the very least, had the DeAngelo situation been handled better, perhaps the Rangers would’ve been able to save cap space this season and avoided the need to buy DeAngelo out of his contract.

One more topic and a book update and we’re done for tonight!


BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – FEBRUARY 25: Nick Ritchie #21 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the first period of the game against the Calgary Flames at TD Garden on February 25, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

In an interesting development and for whatever reason, the Boston Bruins elected not to qualify restricted free agent Nick Ritchie on Monday. If you watched the Rangers at all during 2021, in most of the Rangers eight games against the Bruins, Ritchie gave the Rangers nightmares.

I have no clue what Drury’s plans are, nor do I claim to have any sort of inside track here. What I do know, is that if the Rangers could land Nick Ritchie, not only would he be cheaper than Blake Coleman, but Ritchie would be a perfect candidate for a Rangers “Identity Line”, a line that on paper, looks to presently include Barclay Goodrow and Sammy Blais.

Nick Ritchie is one of your typical “players that you love to hate on the opposition, but love if he’s wearing your sweater.” Similar to guys like Brad Marchand, Tom Wilson and Wayne Simmonds, while Ritchie may not possess the same offensive skills as these aforementioned players, (although 15 goals and 11 assists in 56 games played during the 2021 season isn’t nothing to sneeze at either) Ritchie would give the Rangers some jump.

That being said, while I’m sure Drury is aware of Nick Ritchie, so are the other general managers across the league.

A lot of what happens next in the Rangers future, and as mentioned repeatedly tonight, is whatever happens with Eichel. However, Ritchie wouldn’t break the bank and he would be a perfect bottom six forward for the Rangers.

Some fans may whine about the Rangers trying to get “too tough”, but of Ritchie, Blais and Goodrow, Ritchie would provide not only toughness and grit, but he could also rack up points too.

Again, who knows what Drury does, but the Rangers could do worse than Nick Ritchie.


After many beers and cursing at my computer nightly as it routinely freezed while writing; “The New York Rangers Rink of Honor and the Rafters of Madison Square Garden” book is near complete.

As you can see above, the cover art for my upcoming book is now finalized. I could upload this picture on Amazon and do a pre-sale date, but since this is a passion project rather than a project to fatten my bank account; I’m going to wait until the book is entirely done before accepting any money.

Also of note, if you look at the back cover, you can see everyone that’s profiled in the book. (And needless to say, there’s more to this book than just these profiles. Those profiles are just a way to get your beak wet!)

As noted before, if you want a signed copy of the book, either reply in the comment section below or email me. The last I checked, I’m up to 264 requests for a signed paperback copy, which I will sell direct to you off of this website through Venmo or PayPal. In other words, as of right now, I’ll order 300 copies and sell them here. If you want an unsigned paperback copy, that version will be 74 cents cheaper on Amazon. The book will also be a few dollars cheaper on Amazon/Kindle as an e-Book, where at this time, I’m not sure what the exact price-point for this version will be.

If you’ve been following these book updates on this site all the way, we’re almost there. I think a 9/1 release date is looking more likely by the minute. I can’t wait to get this book into your hands.


Not only are Ranger fans awaiting news on where Eichel goes, so is every single fan of the NHL. Photo Credit: Getty Images/NHL

On Monday night, our buddies over at “The Blueshirt Undergound Show” returned with a new episode, where co-host Eddie G. is NOT as optimistic as I am about the Rangers chances during the 2021-2022 season. In fact, he’s anything but optimistic! However, and as usual, “The BSU Show” brought the laughs, entertainment and great discussion when talking about the latest in Rangerstown, USA. Plus, even if they don’t agree with my opinions, it’s always great to get different perspectives. And really, there’s nothing like an old-fashioned rant either!

To listen/watch the show, click the play button below:

If you haven’t already, subscribe to this blog for the next update:


I have no way of proving this, but I feel that Gerard Gallant has been providing his opinion on the recent Rangers moves. A lot of these new acquisitions feel like “Gallant Guys”.

Up next, we pretty much await news from either Elliotte Friedman, Frank Seravalli or Larry Brooks on Jack Eichel’s future. Once a decision is made, I’ll return. If nothing is done by Tuesday night, I’ll return Wednesday night, recapping the latest Rangers free agent signings.

Stay FABULOUS my friends.

As always here, thanks for reading and…

LET’S GO RANGERS!

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@NYCTHEMIC on Tweeter

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25 thoughts on “BCBS For 7/27: “HiJack” Eichel Mania Ramping Up; Time Running Out on the Sabres, NYR Qualify RFA’s; Igor’s Pay & Does Chytil Stay? NYR May Have an “Identity Line” Yet, Yegor “Trivia Question” Rykov, Baby-Sitting Kakko; Patrik Nemeth In/Brendan Smith Out, NYR Book Cover Art Released & More

  1. Goodrow✔️, Blais✔️, Nemeth✔️, Ritchie?, (in a heartbeat). When Neil Smith was hired, one of the first things he did was acquire Tie Domi and Kris King. The dynamic of the team changed virtually overnight. There were no more “easy wins” against the Rangers. If you were going to beat us, you had to earn it. Drury is doing exactly what I hoped he’d do. In a copycat league, you’ll see more GMs try to replicate the Tampa model – elite skill supported by bottom 6 grinders (we called them foot soldiers back in the day.) The only team to really challenge the Lightning were the Islanders and look how they’re built. I think Drury got the jump on his rivals here. In this salary cap world, these big, hard to play against, grinding players are becoming more and more valuable. Nick Ritchie? In a heartbeat!

    1. I’d love that third line if possible, guess we’ll see what Drury does but you could do worse than those three.

      You can totally see what Drury is doing here and I have no issues with that transparency.

      I think Tampa is in a class of their own. I know Montreal had a lot of luck during the way and the whole Canadian division thing, but I think they are the blueprint or at least someone GM’s should learn something from.

      I think my Tkachuk idea is fantasy land stuff, but if they could add him too, it would be something else.

  2. The never ending Jack Eichel drama continues on unabated. Now it’s Vegas as a would be trade suitor in the blogosphere. Vegas literally gave Fleury to Chicago for nothing,. There seems to be a feeding frenzy going on among GMs these past few days as teams look to shore up their rosters for the upcoming season.
    You are probably correct that Chytil may be the next Ranger playing somewhere else next season. There are a number of teams that could benefit from his services, but he doesn’t add enough to the Rangers. At 21 he likely has plenty of good hockey left in him, but you might be correct that it might be difficult to find a spot for him on the Rangers depth chart. The Rangers will have to be careful when they are shopping him.

    1. I still maintain if Eichel isn’t a Ranger by 12PM 7/28, it’s not going to happen at all this off-season.

      That Vegas trade was a joke.

      I have no clue what Drury has on his table right now, but yeah, I think Chytil is done. How about Larry’s new report, where Georgiev wouldn’t mind being traded right now? Makes sense for Georgiev, who won’t get a look as a starter here, barring something horrific happening to Igor.

  3. The Sabres want too much for Eichel and they don’t seem to accept that his value has taken a hit. I thought Buchnevich would be part of any Eichel deal so was disappointed when they traded him for Sammy. Well we will see what happens, Eichel is a good player but I am still kind of wary about trading for him especially if they give up too much.

    Congrats on your book!

    You should have used Grammerly and you would have finished it in half the time………heh

    I hate those constant commercials on Youtube

    1. Going to do a new blog tonight, but I think the Sabres have shot themselves in the foot now. Only NYR could be a trading partner at this point, unless some other team moves mountains to accommodate that cap hit.

      No rush on the book, want it to be perfect as possible.

  4. I thought Brendan Smith redeemed himself last season and showed some much needed leadership so at least he leaves the Rangers on a positive note.

    I still cant figure what went wrong in his second Ranger seasons!

    Ok, you are too optimistic and delusional!

    Well you asked for it….heh

  5. Looks like Tony D will sign with Carolina.
    I seriously thought Tony might be surreptitiously blackballed by the league and wind up in the KHL so I am glad I was wrong about that. Boneheaded move by Gorton.
    Notice how all these hockey beat writers don’t even mention Tony in their lists of available players!
    Tony D did not kill himself!……heh

    That last comment was deleted from Yahoo by the content nannies

    1. Check out all the “Hurricanes season ticket holders” with dyed hair and identified pronouns on twitter saying they’re canceling their tickets. How did the least woke pro sport get these vile Antifa-like fans on twitter? I’m so happy for Tony, from all accounts a good guy. Good for Carolina, incidentally one of the more “woke” teams lately.

      1. Jeff
        Yea it is now routine for reporters to find one or a handful of woke fans on Twitter and use them as a stand in for the entire fan base to hype their political propaganda.

      1. Tony D getting informally blackballed from the league was a very real proposition in my opinion.

        This cancel culture shite is a top down social engineering political agenda and in general people who are canceled don’t come back.

        When the Pentagon goes woke, the CIA and every other government agency starts recruiting woke employees, every major corporation adopts woke politics even at the expense of business and earnings there is something more going on than just out of college blue haired meanies with odd pronouns pushing it by having temper tantrums on Twitter

        I am glad to see that did not happen with Tony D

        1. I always knew talent would conquer all and that TDA would always get a one-year deal for low money from someone. However, one more incident and that will be that.

          While it’s no longer our concern as NYR fans, I am under the assumption that TDA has to walk on eggshells moving forward – no more BS screaming at coaches or referees.

  6. So why is it a choice between Eichel and Zbad? How about neither? Eichel, at 24 years old would be fine at 10 mil for 5 years if not for his spine injury. With the future of the organization at stake, why take that gamble when you don’t have to? Extend Zibanejad, at 29 years old with a history of concussions at 9 or 10 million for 7 years? Why? With a new coach, a new system, the added role players, and our young stars now with another year of experience, why not go into the season with Z, Strome and Goodrow down the middle and see what shakes out? If things don’t go well, trade Z at the deadline for (I’m sure) a decent return. If you’re in the mix, ride Z; let him hit free agency and if the price is not to your liking, then let him walk. Yes the Isles lost Tavares with no return and it was a big deal at the time but that was pre-covid and pre-flat cap. The NHL landscape has changed dramatically. Money and cap space are much more valuable now. The Rangers could then use the money they save on Zibanejad in free agency a year from now. By then we’ll have a clearer picture of what our young stars are. Of course there’s the risk that there won’t be a good #1 center in free agency next year but it’s a much bigger risk to hamstring the organization for years to come with a damaged goods Eichel or a past his prime Zibanejad.

    1. Gotta find a number 1 center there somehow. You don’t win a Stanley Cup without one. If not Eichel and/or Z-Bad, who is your 1C?

      1. Well Z, for sure this year. If I’m Drury I wanna see how Z performs this season before I make any long term commitment. After this year, if it’s not Z then a free agent or trade. There’s bound to be a team that gonna be forced to trade a big salaried center to free up cap space. Adding a 10 million dollar long term cap hit in this environment is insane.

  7. The Rangers look to be opting for some inexpensive players with what the scouts call a good physical game.
    No one will fault Drury for adding some muscle to the line up. There were lots of surprising deals today and in a way I am glad that the Rangers did not make a whole bunch of surprising deals.
    DeAngelo was too talented and too young to be sitting at home and whatever his sins with the Rangers were all internal, so he is starting with a clean slate.

    1. Going to do a new blog tonight, but while I hope TDA does well, Father Fink Carolina! The whole TDA situation fascinates me, because this is really a story where crap on social media, most of it lies, all were assumed to be true, even after JD negated it.

      I still think NYR has to do something else outside of the moves from today.

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