I just want to point out that I correctly predicted that once Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden were signed, Tyutin was likely the guy on the way out. Go me.

As pleased for me as you must be, you’re likely far more pleased about the fact that the Rangers just acquired forwards Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche from the Columbus Blue Jackets, in exchange for defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.

I wasn’t happy with Glen Sather’s work yesterday, but I’m ecstatic right now. I absolutely love this trade. The Rangers gave up a decent, but underachieving defenseman in Tyutin, as well as a talented but inept blueliner that doesn’t belong in the NHL in Backman, and in return acquired a young, talented, potential 30-35 goal scorer and a serviceable young forward. That’s quite a deal.

Nikolai Zherdev, the fourth overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft, is one of the most talented offensive players in the National Hockey League. He’s a wizard with the puck and he has a terrific shot. He’s the type of guy that’s capable of creating an end-to-end rush that…well, ends with the puck in the other team’s net before anyone can figure out what just happened. He’s young, he’s fast and he’s exciting.

That said, he does come with his fair share of flaws.

His attitude has been questioned multiple times, as has his dedication to the game. He was a training camp holdout prior to the 2006-07 season and his performance defensively has been criticized often, for good reason. He’s a cherry picker.

Right now, though, I don’t care about any of that. The New York Rangers needed an offensive player and now they got one. They got a 23-year-old whose game can still develop, and one has to hope that the smart and supportive staff that Sather and Tom Renney have compiled can have a positive impact on Zherdev. This kid has all the potential in the world and with the proper guidance, he should be able to harness it.

If there is one point of concern, it is how Renney will treat Zherdev on the ice. The biggest reason Zherdev was probably traded is because he isn’t a “Ken Hitchcock” player. Ken Hitchcock, he Blue Jackets’ head coach, has always admired gritty, two-way forwards, something that Zherdev is not.

Renney too has a preference. His is defense. We’ve seen it these last two years and we’re bound to see even more of it. Renney is all about defense, so it will be interesting to see how much freedom he allows Zherdev. Renney is a smart coach, though. I imagine he’ll find the correct balance.

Because of his defensive mindset, Renney might miss Tyutin, but I think he’ll get over it. Tyutin definitely has some likable qualities. For one, he’s physical and he’s hard-hitting. He’s also very intelligent and calm when it comes to getting the puck out of his own zone. Still, it just didn’t seem like Toots’ game was going anywhere. The Rangers had high hopes for the former second round pick, but he didn’t seem like he was ever going to achieve them. His offensive game wasn’t developing, and he wasn’t good enough defensively to be a significant shutdown defender. There’s no doubt that Tyutin had a nice chemistry with Dan Girardi, but of the two, I expect Girardi to develop into the better player, and I’m sure he can find some chemistry with Rozsival or Redden.

Additionally, I was never a fan of the contract Slats gave Tyutin. I guess the deals that guys are getting yesterday and today may prove me wrong, but I don’t think Tyutin is worth $2.84 million a season. It wasn’t a drastic overpayment, but it was overpayment. In my opinion, at least.

As for Backman…where do I even begin. I really, really dislike the way he plays. Sure, Backman has some talent offensively, but that talent rarely shines through due to his absolutely atrocious decision-making. For that short period of time that Backman wore Ranger Blue, every time he touched the puck in his own zone, I had to hold my breath. He coughed up the puck in front of his own goal more times than I can count, and when that did occur, one of two things was sure to happen next. Either the opposition scored, or Backman took a horrible penalty.

How the Blues ever gave this guy a salary of $2.3 million per year is beyond me.

I don’t even want to think about Backman anymore. Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

All right, I’m good.

Along with Zherdev, the Rangers acquired Fritsche, a center who is currently a restricted free agent. Fritsche, almost 23, is a speedy two-way player who can chip in 10-15 goals, but he has battled shoulder injuries.

Honestly, I’m not sure where Fritsche fits in with the Rangers, as they seem more than set at center. Similarly, with the signings of Pat Rissmiller and Aaron Voros yesterday and the number of young guys in Hartford like Dane Byers and Greg Moore that seem ready to step up to the NHL, there aren’t many openings on the third and fourth lines.

The team’s plans for Fristche remain to be seen, but quite frankly, that’s rather insignificant. Zherdev is the story here.

Still, this positive transaction aside, I’m guessing the Rangers aren’t done yet. I have to imagine that another scoring forward will be brought in, though I have no earthly idea who it might be. So far, they’ve got Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Zherdev, Fritsche, Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes, Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Blair Betts, Freddy Sjostrom, Rissmiller, Voros, Colton Orr, Ryan Hollweg, Lauri Korpikoski, Greg Moore and Dane Byers. First of all, obviously not all of those guys will make the team, but those are the possibilities.

Second of all, though, they need some more experience there. There’s a lot of young guys in that group and I’d be shocked if at least one, if not two more veterans were brought in.

Jaromir Jagr and Mats Sundin are still possibilities, as are Pavol Demitra and Markus Naslund. Other names include Kristian Huselius, Ladislav Nagy and Miroslav Satan. I hope it’s Jagr or Sundin, as none of the other free agents are very appealing, but we’ll see. Maybe they make another deal.

On the blueline, the defense is taking shape with Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi, but that leaves two spots. The team signed minor league defenseman Brian Fahey today, and for what it’s worth, “rumor king” Eklund claims that Fahey, who spent the last few seasons with the Chicago Wolves, one of the AHL’s best teams. is going to play in the NHL next year because he is highly underrated.

Whether it’s Fahey or Tomas Pock or Bobby Sanguinetti or Corey Potter or another defenseman from Hartford, I think one of them is going to grab one of those two spots. I don’t think Paul Mara or Marek Malik will be re-signed, which means there’s still one spot. I think it’ll be filled through another signing.

My guess, the Rangers will sign former Oilers captain Jason Smith, who spent last year with the Philadelphia Flyers. There’s nothing to this, it’s just a hunch.

But remember, I was right about Toots.

Posted under 2008 Off-Season

The Rangers announced they signed Brendan Shanahan for another season. According to Larry Brooks it’s worth 2.5 million plus bonuses. Here’s the release:

Rangers Agree to Terms with Brendan Shanahan

New York, July 10, 2007 — New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Brendan Shanahan.

Shanahan, 38, skated in 67 games with the Rangers this past season, registering 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points, along with 47 penalty minutes. The captain of the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star Team finished the season tied for second on the Blueshirts with 29 goals, while his 62 points ranked fourth on the club. He also tied for first on the team with three shorthanded goals and 14 power play goals, and placed second on the Rangers with 295 shots on goal. Shanahan notched his 18th career hat trick on December 3 vs. the Islanders, and with his third goal of the game, became the second player in NHL history to score 20 or more goals in 18 consecutive seasons (Shanahan-18, Howe-22). In his Rangers debut on October 5 vs. Washington, Shanahan notched two goals and became just the 15th NHL player to reach the 600-goal plateau. In the 2007 playoffs, he collected five goals and two assists, along with 12 penalty minutes. His five goals tied for second on the team.

A veteran of 19 NHL seasons, the 6-3, 220-pounder leads all active NHL players in goals scored and is 12th on the league’s all-time goal scoring list with 627. Shanahan is an eight-time NHL All-Star and captured three Stanley Cup Championships while with the Red Wings in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He has appeared in 1,417 career NHL games with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings and Rangers, collecting 627 goals and 667 assists for 1,294 points, along with 2,425 penalty minutes. In addition, the two-time 50-goal scorer has scored at least 40 goals in six of his 19 seasons in the NHL and he is one of only 11 players in NHL history to have 12 seasons of at least 30 goals. In 2005-06, he registered 40 goals and 41 assists for 81 points, along with 105 penalty minutes and a plus-29 rating while skating in 82 games with the Detroit Red Wings. His 40 goals led the club and tied for 10th in the league, while his 81 points (24th in NHL) ranked third on the Wings.

In 167 career postseason contests, Shanahan has registered 58 goals and 68 assists for 126 points, along with 269 penalty minutes. In the 1997 playoffs, en route to capturing his first Stanley Cup, he led the Red Wings in goals (nine) and ranked second on the team in scoring with 17 points (nine goals and eight assists). The following season, in 1998, he collected five goals and four assists and helped Detroit win the Cup for the second consecutive season. During the 2002 Cup run, Shanahan tallied eight goals and 11 assists, along with 20 penalty minutes in 23 postseason games. Among all players in the playoffs that season, he tied for third in scoring with 19 points and led the league in power play assists (eight).

Internationally, Shanahan has represented Canada at several tournaments, including the World Junior Championships in 1986, The World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and the Winter Olympics in 1998 and 2002. In 2002, he captured the gold medal in Salt Lake City, Utah and won the Stanley Cup, and at the time, became only the third player in NHL history to win both in the same year.

The Mimico, Ontario native was originally the New Jersey Devils’ first round choice, second overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

Madison Square Garden, L.P. is owned by Cablevision Systems Corporation, and includes the New York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty (WNBA); the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League); MSG Entertainment, which includes concerts and events at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, and the Beacon Theatre; MSG Media, which is comprised of MSG and FSN New York; fuse, the music television network; and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.

Now the Rangers have to get the RFAs under contract, which isn’t too much of a problem and next season will be set.

Posted under Blog