It’s Time for the Rangers to find out about Libor Hajek, McDonagh/Miller trade still haunting organization

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Derek

It’s Groundhog Day! Here in Staten Island, the good news is Staten Island Chuck didn’t see his shadow. This despite all the snow we got in the metropolitan area.

With the fun out of the way if you believe in the groundhog from one of my all-time favorite movies starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, it’s time to circle back to a trade the Rangers made at the 2018 NHL Trade Deadline. Believe it or not, it’ll mark three years on Feb. 26 since GM Jeff Gorton sent defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller over to the Lightning in exchange for forward Vladislav Namestnikov, Brett Howden, Libor Hajek, plus a 2018 first round pick (Nils Lundkvist) and conditional 2019 second round pick (Karl Henriksson).

Viewed at the time as a commitment to The Letter informing fans that the Rangers organization was fully committed to a rebuild in former coach Alain Vigneault’s last year before David Quinn replaced him, people were excited for what the future held. They were sellers at that deadline and the Lightning were looking for a good second left defenseman who could relieve some pressure from ace Victor Hedman. It made sense for Tampa, who also received Miller in an expanded deal that was surprising.

Nobody anticipated Miller being included in the trade. Surely, the Rangers had to pry one of the Bolts’ best prospects. There was hope they could get either defenseman Cal Foote or forward Taylor Raddysh. Instead, Gorton accepted former Lightning GM Steve Yzerman’s offer of former ’16 first and second round picks Howden and Hajek in the trade that also netted top nine forward Namestnikov and two draft picks that turned into D prospect Lundkvist and center prospect Henriksson. Both of whom are back home playing in the Swedish Hockey League.

Up to this point nearly three years later, the trade has been a disappointment. While Howden started out well as a rookie under Quinn in ’18-19 before hitting a wall, the 22-year old Calgary native has become a bottom six forward, who usually is on the fourth line and penalty kill. At the present, he’s centering the third line with Filip Chytil out. It’s an opportunity to prove he can be more than a role player who provides energy and wins face-offs. So far, he has one assist entering Thursday’s match versus Washington.

In 145 career NHL games, Howden has totaled 15 goals and 28 assists for 43 points. Not what they were hoping for from the number 27 pick taken in the ’16 NHL Draft. He was good for Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championship where he went 3-4-7 and plus-nine in seven games. That’s probably what intrigued Rangers’ scouts.

This isn’t a question of Howden’s work ethic. He gives it his all every shift and is a trusted shorthanded player. Quinn has used him at both center and wing. He tries different things because Howden is versatile enough to be moved around. It would be nice if he could become more productive.

A good teammate, Howden stepped up and fought Kasperi Kapanen at the end of a lackluster first that sparked the Rangers to a come from behind 3-1 win. Don’t think the players didn’t appreciate it in the locker room. They did.

I definitely am not alone in praising him for that scrap. The first period from the Rangers was lackluster and didn’t inspire much confidence with the Tony DeAngelo dark cloud hanging over their heads. Even if he picked on a player who wasn’t much of a fighter, Howden chose the right moment to wake up his team. They needed it. Not surprisingly, they responded well by getting the next three goals to get a much needed win. Hopefully, it’s one they can build on.

The other player in the deal that’s on the Taxi Squad, Hajek has not established himself yet as an NHL regular. Following a good ’18 WJC where he tallied a goal and seven assists for Czech Republic, the Rangers must’ve liked what they saw. A second round pick that went 37th in the ’16 Draft, the left skating defenseman was advertised as a young player who could be part of the rebuild.

If there was an alarming sign, maybe it was that he didn’t perform well in his first pro season. In 58 games for Hartford, Hajek had five assists and a minus-26 rating. They recalled him. In five NHL games, he scored his first goal and went plus-one with six penalty minutes. A good enough skater with some size, maybe there was potential.

The following season, Hajek played in 28 more games for the Rangers. However, he never really got untracked. He picked up five helpers and went minus-four with 12 PIM before being sent down. As it turned out, fellow rookie Ryan Lindgren beat him out to become a regular on the Blueshirts. He continues to excel while teamed with Adam Fox on the most trusted pair.

Meanwhile, Hajek has struggled since. After going 1-2-3 and a minus-10 with 14 PIM in 23 contests for the Wolf Pack, he started the ’20-21 season back home playing for Brno Kometa. In 10 games, he picked up two assists and was minus-five in Czech. He even got scratched. Maybe it’s a confidence issue.

Whatever the reason, the soon to be 23-year old who turns it on Thursday, hasn’t been able to crack a Rangers defense that now features vets Brendan Smith and Anthony Bitetto with Jack Johnson currently injured.

At some point, the organization needs to find out about Hajek. Is he already a bust? Can he be fixed? With Smith suffering an upper-body injury due to a head on collision with Brandon Tanev, would they consider dressing Hajek to play with Bitetto on the third pair against the Capitals? I’m unsure. If he doesn’t dress for the game with possibly both Johnson and Smith out, then he’ll be assigned to Hartford.

I don’t pretend to know what’s going on during team practices. What I do realize is that time is ticking on Hajek, who has been passed by former ’18 first round pick K’Andre Miller. The 21-year old plays with poise beyond his age and could be the anchor of the defense it hasn’t had since McDonagh left.

Other potential options for Thursday could be Tarmo Reunanen or Matthew Robertson. We’ll wait and see if they have to decide. It all depends on the status of Smith and Johnson.

As far as the remaining prospects in the McDonagh/Miller trade, Lundkvist is a promising skating right defenseman who can provide offense. Not the biggest in stature, he played on Sweden in two World Junior Tournaments. In 2020, he tallied eight points (1-7-8) over seven games. He’s fared well in Sweden registering nine goals with 14 assists for 23 points this year after going 11-20-31 in ’19-20. The Blueshirts need to sign him this year.

Henriksson missed the ’21 WJC due to COVID-19. Sweden definitely could’ve used the two-way center. In seven games at last year’s tournament, he had a goal and two helpers. Henriksson plays for Frolunda in SweHL. Thus far, he’s gotten into 32 games and recorded six assists with 16 PIM and a minus-one rating. He probably needs more time to develop. Especially due to the pandemic which is so unpredictable.

As for Namestnikov, the Rangers moved him over a year ago to Ottawa. They received a fourth round pick in the upcoming 2021 NHL Draft. I doubt you’ll ever see Nick Ebert. Namestnikov moved on from the Senators to another rebuilding team in the Red Wings where ironically Yzerman is in charge. Go figure.

While McDonagh played a key role helping the Lightning win a second Stanley Cup last year, they dealt Miller to the Canucks. Since then, he’s become a top line forward for Vancouver. Miller admitted that he worked harder on his commitment to the game and learned from past mistakes that often saw him benched by Vigneault.

At 27, the former ’11 Rangers’ first round pick is a point-per-game player since joining the Canucks. After setting career bests in goals (27), assists (45) and points (72), he proved himself with 18 points (6-12-18) in the playoffs. A sore spot previously for him with the Rangers and Lightning. He’s off to a good start with 10 points (2-8-10) in nine contests entering Tuesday’s match against Montreal.

Here’s the thing. Wouldn’t a skilled player like Miller look good on the current Rangers roster? With an average cap hit of $5.25 million through 2023, he’s one of the biggest bargains in the NHL. Who would’ve guessed it? I always knew he was capable of more than he showed in the Big Apple. The 56 points he put up in ’16-17 was proof. But another postseason without a goal and the team reaching a decision in ’17-18 lead to his dismissal.

He didn’t even last long in Tampa following a promising start. Maybe he really needed a kick in the ass. It happens sometimes in sports. A change of scenery can wake up an under performing player. I’m happy for Miller that he got his act together.

In regards to that trade, there are still many question marks surrounding it for the Rangers. Unless things change, the deal could be viewed as one of the worst in club history. Hopefully, one of the players they got back can change the perception.

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Sabres season also postponed through the 8th (at least)

Posted on February 2, 2021 by hasan4978

As a Devils fan, I feel compelled to apologize to Sabres fans in general and NHL fans at large for the entire season being jeopardized by whatever the heck happened with our franchise in the last week. Thing is, it’s impossible to know who exactly to blame at this juncture. Clearly one, if not both games this weekend should not have been played. Certainly the Sunday game should have been nixed after two new additions to our COVID list this weekend followed Mackenzie Blackwood (who seems to be patient zero) being placed on the list last week.

Buffalo already has two players on the COVID protocol list themselves as of today, including Taylor Hall – with almost certainly more to follow. It’s unlikely a positive result would show up just three days after our first game with the Sabres if it was an in-game transmission but at this point postponing their games is the right call at last by the NHL. If the Sabres start getting confirmed cases and it gets contract traced to our game then it could be pretty much game over for the NHL in 2021, presuming it’s shown that (unlike other sports so far) you can have in-game transmission.

Aside from the fact that the Devils added five new players to their own COVID list (while Blackwood came off, yippee) including poor Jesper Bratt who’d just gotten out of mandated quarantine, what’s become annoying is that clearly there’s more evidence someone dropped the ball here. And if that someone was the Devils they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Especially after it came out that the Sabres are very angry with both us and the league for the lack of transparency around our COVID situation.

I can’t blame anyone involved with the Sabres for being annoyed, their schedule has been disrupted due to factors beyond their control. I don’t want to assume this is our fault but let’s be real, coach Lindy Ruff and GM Tom Fitzgerald have gone back to the Lou Lamoriello days of giving out as little information as possible. If it comes to lineup decisions, you gotta watch the pregame warmups to figure out lines and scratches. Injury updates? Hah, we still haven’t gotten the straight story on the Nico Hischier injury with the latest rumor – from an overseas paper – being a broken fibula. Why you would choose to be secretive about an injury that will be fully healed anyway by the time the player returns to the lineup is beyond me, but that’s gamesmanship.

Playing fast and loose with info on COVID cases would be a different ball of wax though. This is a whole new level beyond normal gamesmanship, which is why I don’t want to assume we did anything untoward. But it would only be a step away for us as opposed to maybe two or three steps away for a more transparent team. If it’s found we did anything wrong, I pretty much wouldn’t begrudge the NHL any punishment they choose to hammer us with.

It is clear the league themselves dropped the ball in letting Sunday’s game go on though, whoever’s decision it is on postponements or cancellations. Nothing good could have come of it when you had two straight days of an active player testing positive, and one of them having played in the Saturday game. Protocols and judgement all around – from the league to teams to individual players themselves – have to improve if the NHL doesn’t want to embarrass themselves further by having the season get postponed when every other season including the NBA has managed to power through.

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Hungry and determined Rangers get an important win over Penguins

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Derek

Igor Shestyorkin is congratulated by happy teammate Chris Kreider, whose power play goal stood as the game-winner in a well deserved 3-1 Rangers win over the Penguins. AP Photo by New York Rangers courtesy Getty Images

If ever a team needed a win, it was the Rangers in tonight’s Garden rematch against the Penguins. Coming off all the drama following the 5-4 overtime loss this past weekend that led to Tony DeAngelo’s dismissal, the Rangers sure showed a lot of grit and hustle to defeat the Penguins 3-1.

The win was their second over the last three and gave them five points of the last six. Their first victory versus the Pens in four tries improved them to 3-4-1 overall. While it’s not great, they’re hanging around in a competitive East Division. Something a pleased coach David Quinn was quick to point out in the postgame. He had reason to be happy. They showed a lot of hunger and determination to earn the win with a good third period.

Without Kaapo Kakko (COVID-19 Protocol) and playing with five defensemen the last two periods due to a scary collision between Brendan Smith and Brandon Tanev that likely put Smith in concussion protocol, the Blueshirts delivered an important win on home ice. Even if their opponent continued to struggle by taking the collar on six power plays, it was the pesky play of the guys in Broadway blue that earned this one. Their penalty kill was superb throughout and they got better at even strength as the game went on.

It started off slowly. A bit off track, the Rangers fell behind in the first period when Jason Zucker outmuscled K’Andre Miller to steer in a Chad Ruhwedel wide carom before Igor Shestyorkin could get back in time. On the play, Evgeni Malkin stripped the puck from Jacob Trouba and sent it up top for the wide Ruhwedel shot that an out of position Shestyorkin couldn’t recover from. With Miller unable to take Zucker, the forward stuffed home the puck before Shestyorkin got back for a 1-0 lead at 9:05.

But in a period where the Penguins drew two penalties for consecutive power plays, they failed to take advantage of either. After killing off a Jonny Brodzinski hooking minor with ease due to the lack of confidence from their opponent, the Rangers went back on the kill when Trouba lost a battle and slashed a driving Sidney Crosby with 1:11 left in the period. Once again, it was the aggressive penalty kill that got the job done by also denying the Pens on the last 49 seconds to start the second period.

In fact, the Pittsburgh power play was so futile that at one point, Chris Kreider went one on four and nearly scored shorthanded in the second. He definitely has looked better lately. He has more jump and is very noticeable. He would be a factor later on.

Newcomer Anthony Bitetto was solid in his Rangers debut. While he did take a minor penalty, the defensive defenseman from Island Park played a good game. He finished checks and didn’t make any glaring mistakes. Even after losing partner Smith to an upper body injury, Bitetto was still rotated in enough from Quinn so they didn’t over rely on the top four of Miller-Trouba and Ryan Lindgren-Adam Fox. In 20 shifts (14:51), he finished with four hits and two blocked shots. That included 80 seconds shorthanded.

For a while, it seemed like the Rangers couldn’t get anything going offensively. After testing Casey DeSmith with nine shots in the opening period that was more controlled by the Penguins, who got off 12 on Shestyorkin, there really wasn’t much happening. The middle stanza was tightly contested between a pair of fragile teams. The lack of confidence from the Pens on their power play came back to haunt them.

If there was a highlight during the game, it was the consistent play from the Rangers’ bottom six forwards. With Mika Zibanejad continuing to struggle at five-on-five and even on the man-advantage, it was the lunchpail work ethic of guys like Brendan Lemieux, Julien Gauthier, Kevin Rooney and Phil Di Giuseppe that were factors on the forecheck. Ditto for Brett Howden, whose fight with Kasperi Kapanen at the end of the first was a wake up call. When your top guns aren’t going, sometimes you need it from those hardworking secondary players.

In fact, it was that yeoman effort which got rewarded. On a delayed penalty with Panarin out as the extra man for a six-on-five, Ryan Lindgren worked the puck over to Panarin. He let go of a innocent looking wrist shot that took a weird hop right in front where a hustling Rooney was able to find the puck and bank it in off the goal stick of DeSmith to the the score with 2:18 remaining. He sure deserved it. It gave him goals in two straight. Not bad for a fourth line center, who’s been a solid addition to the penalty kill. Just like he was for the Devils.

Even after the tying goal, Lindgren got caught flat-footed and tripped up a driving Brandon Tanev with under a minute left. Ironically, it was the play of the Pens third line with Tanev, Teddy Blueger and Jared McCann that were their most effective. They were around the puck a lot and drew penalties. At five-on-five, Malkin still struggled despite picking up an assist on the Zucker goal. He hasn’t looked right.

If there was a key moment for the Blueshirts prior to the tying marker, it was when Sidney Crosby skated around Fox and sent one of those sizzling backhands off the crossbar. Afterwards, he smiled and shared a laugh with Fox. That’s how dangerous Crosby is. He has one of the best backhands I’ve ever seen. The accuracy along with the velocity he can get on it is something else. Shestyorkin should thank his goalpost for that because it proved to be important. So did this save on a sneaky Crosby.

With the Pittsburgh power play still firing blanks spanning the second and start of the third period, the Rangers started to take control. They began forechecking the Pens defense more. After not connecting on the first Ruhwedel penalty drawn by Lemieux, they pressed the action. Eventually, Ruhwedel made a mistake by sending the puck out of play for one of those mindless delay of game minors with 9:03 left.

After the stoppage, the Rangers finally made it work thanks to some execution between Fox and Kreider. Panarin got the puck over to Fox up top. With Kreider in position, he let go of a simple wrist shot that Kreider was able to tip in for a power play goal with 8:50 remaining in regulation. It gave him three goals over his last four. He’s heating up. I definitely think he deserves to be captain. But that’s not my call.

Even though they had the better of the play, Shestyorkin still had to come up with nine saves in the period. That included a tough one through traffic that he fought through to find. He still looks like he’s not all there. But that could be due to lack of repetition.

Overall, Shestyorkin had a good game finishing with 25 saves. That included 17 even strength, seven power play and one shorthanded. He had one nice clear while on the penalty kill. An area he excels at. It’s high time he got consecutive starts with an aggravated Capitals visiting MSG on Thursday following blowing a three-goal lead in a 5-3 loss to Boston.

A Gauthier hold on Jake Guentzel behind the net handed Pittsburgh a sixth opportunity on the power play. Even though it looked better, they could only muster two shots including a Malkin drive that Shestyorkin kept out. Even with John Marino and rookie Pierre-Olivier Joseph getting power play duty, it didn’t matter. The Pens have no confidence on it. That was a big reason the Rangers won. They wanted it more.

The play of the game was made by Miller. On a dangerous Pens chance where Trouba collided into Shestyorkin leaving him down, Miller hustled to make a diving block of a shot ticketed for the top of the net. If he doesn’t make that play, who knows what happens. It was outstanding. Even on a night he fought it, the rookie defenseman stayed focused enough to stick with it. He really bailed out Trouba and Shestyorkin.

Mike Sullivan lifted DeSmith with over two minutes left. But the Rangers did a good job protecting the lead. Something that’s been a bugaboo. Trouba threw a good check on a frustrated Malkin and Miller made a good defensive play. It led to Panarin coming out two-on-one with sidekick Ryan Strome. He wanted to get the puck over to Strome for the empty net, but the pass was deflected.

However, a hustling Panarin picked up the loose puck behind the net and came around and fired it into the open net as the buzzer sounded. It indeed counted with 0.6 seconds left to give the Bread Man a three-point (1-2-3) night. He danced his way off with happier teammates.

What a difference 48 hours make. Even the past several due to what happened. That’s all in the past now. The Rangers have a chance to build on the win. It won’t be easy against Washington, who lost for the first time in regulation. However, if there’s ever a time where the team needs to come together, this is it. There won’t be a game this Saturday due to a COVID-19 breakout with the Devils. Their next three games are postponed.

This was a character builder for the Blueshirts. It came at the right time.

THREE STARS OF GAME

3rd 🌟 Kevin Rooney, Rangers (game-tying goal at 17:42 of 2nd, 2 blocks, +1 in 13:36 including 3:46 shorthanded)

2nd 🌟 Artemi Panarin, Rangers (goal, two 🍎, +1 in 19:37)

1st 🌟 Chris Kreider, Rangers (4th of season on power play for GWG, 3 SOG on 5 attempts in 17:56)

Key Stats of Game

Blocked Shots

NYR 20 (Fox 5, Miller 3)

Pens 13 (Marino 3)

Face-offs

Pens 34 (Crosby 16-and-7)

NYR 14 (Howden 4-and-6)

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Rangers confirm DeAngelo played final game, Kakko added to COVID-19 Protocol list

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Derek

In about as truthful a press conference as they could have, the Rangers have moved on without Tony DeAngelo. Both Team President John Davidson and General Manager Jeff Gorton confirmed that the troubled player has played his final game for the team.

DeAngelo cost himself due to his selfish actions following Saturday’s loss to the Pens. The altercation with goalie Alex Georgiev was unacceptable. It was childish and the organization had seen enough. They had to move on.

Davidson also began the presser by calling out the Rangers blog that flat out made up a story about DeAngelo and K’Andre Miller. That never happened. It was refuted by Miller’s agent last night. In fact, it was the mature rookie defenseman who broke up the fight. He also was one of several teammates who reached out to DeAngelo via text.

As hard as it is for some of the players who had good relationships with DeAngelo, this move is for the best for all parties. You just can’t have this kind of distraction on a team. Especially around young players who are still learning.

Apparently, a frustrated DeAngelo couldn’t get past coach David Quinn benching him stemming from the unsportsmanlike conduct he took for slamming the penalty box in the first game. That really became an issue for the team. Davidson revealed why.

It goes without saying that at this point in his NHL career, DeAngelo should’ve been able to handle the situation better. Plenty of good players have gotten healthy scratched throughout the league. The Flyers recently sat out Travis Konecny. Alain Vigneault explained why. Konecny returned yesterday. It happens. Davidson was very honest about the soon to be former Ranger, who unfortunately was his own worst enemy.

You can have all the talent in the world. But if you don’t have it together, things can unravel pretty quickly. DeAngelo is a classic case of a troubled person who went from a career season where he posted 15 goals and 53 points, earning a new contract, to losing his job. It’s uncertain if he’ll ever play another NHL game.

Unsurprisingly, no team was interested in picking up his contract that pays him an AAV of $4.8 million through next season. Gorton did confirm that they’re not interested in terminating the contract. Rather they’d like to see if they can find a place for DeAngelo to play via trade.

I’m on the record as saying I think it would be best for DeAngelo to take a step away from the game. He needs help. If he admits a problem and gets it, maybe he can save his NHL career. Right now, I’m not sure what will happen. Before he just decides to go to Russia and play in the KHL, he needs counseling for his anger management issues.

Interestingly, Quinn who left most of the discussion to management, indicated that his former player was well received by teammates. That isn’t surprising. DeAngelo competed hard and always had his teammates’ backs in the heat of battle. He turned himself into a good player.

In fact, Quinn did reach out to DeAngelo on Sunday evening.

Regardless, it’s clearly over for him in NYC. What the future holds remains to be seen. He did it to himself. That in itself is sad. There’s nothing good about what happened. All the team can do is move forward.

The Rangers will attempt to do that tonight. They were dealt another blow when Kaapo Kakko was placed on the COVID-19 Protocol List. This doesn’t mean he’s positive. It just means he’s not able to play.

Forward Jonny Brodzinski was recalled from the Wolf Pack. He’ll suit up on the fourth line. Vince Mercogliano tried guessing the lines.

What we do know is it’s Igor Shestyorkin versus Casey DeSmith in net.

D looks like this:

Miller-Trouba

Lindgren-Fox

Bitetto-Smith

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Devils season suspended due to COVID

Posted on February 1, 2021 by hasan4978

Might as well post yesterday’s highlights again since it’s the last Devils highlights we’re getting for a few days at least. Because just as I feared after the positive tests (excuse me, COVID list additions) of Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac this weekend, the other shoe dropped today with four new additions to the COVID list – Pavel Zacha, Andreas Johnsson, Michael McLeod and Janne Kuokkanen. As a result, the Devils’ next three games have all been postponed indefinitely and their season will be paused for at least the next week.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1356363909347876865?s=20

It’s not as if the Devils are the first team to get games canceled this year either. So far by my count, the Stars, Sharks and Vegas (at least) have all had to have pauses and we’re only three weeks into the season. That doesn’t even count the Capitals’ protocol violation fiasco that shelved a lot of their key players. For all we know the Devils might have had one too with the amount of cases that popped up instantaneously. God knows the league’s more interested in keeping as much secrecy around positive tests as possible than in having adequate protocols to play an indoor sport in the winter when cases are spiking around the country.

There’s no one person to blame here although clearly our outbreak started with Mackenzie Blackwood last week and has now extended to six other players in a three-day span. All in all ten players are now on the COVID list including the necessary quarantines. And we don’t know yet what, if any protocols were violated or if – as seems to be the case around the league – they just aren’t good enough right now to get through a complete NHL season.

You can blame who you want, blame the NHLPA for opposing stricter standards, the NHL for not enforcing them or individual players themselves although I hesitate to get into the shame game when we don’t know the circumstances around every flunked test. And one other point I almost forgot…we’re about to find out whether the virus can spread in-game between teams now because the Devils just played a back-to-back with the Sabres when four of our guys popped with positive tests right after. The league is gonna get some blowback for letting yesterday’s game even happen if it turns out the Sabres get a rash of positive tests because of it.

On a related note, shame on the Devils Twitter for making a snow day joke out of our first postponement tomorrow. COVID is no matter to be flip about, just ask Marco Rossi. Even if the first-round draft pick says he’s optimistic about his return next year, the fact a 19-year old has to miss a whole season due to the virus speaks volumes over how serious it can be even for world-class athletes. And just how little we know of the long-term effects.

I admit I was probably wrong myself that the NHL would be able to get through a full season citing the NFL’s ability to do so against the odds. Then again I was also wrong in my fatalism that the NFL and MLB wouldn’t be able to do so, which means I should stay out of the prediction game when it comes to this. If there is one silver lining right now (besides the fact we are still early enough in the season to be able to squeeze in postponements) it’s that all of our other quarantined and returning from injury players can hopefully get back by the time we’re able to resume practice again.

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The truth about DeAngelo/Georgiev altercation, Quinn on the clock, Bitetto could debut tonight if game is played

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Derek

There have been so many stories regarding the Tony DeAngelo and Alex Georgiev dust up that occurred following the Rangers’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins on Saturday night. Many of the allegations have been proven false.

Unless it comes from a trusted source such as a beat writer or established reporter, there shouldn’t be any belief in what’s been rumored. A Rangers blog put out a false story that was refuted by K’Andre Miller and his agent regarding his first NHL goal. Contrary to that erroneous report, he did receive the puck after DeAngelo grabbed it and handed it to the training staff. Kudos to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski for doing some digging.

The less said about this ridiculous story, the better. That blog is lucky they won’t be sued for libel. Pushing such false propaganda for clicks to kick a player while they’re down is embarrassing. There’s nothing else to add.

Another rumor was that Chris Kreider punched DeAngelo after he made a wise crack to Georgiev in the Rangers locker room. It doesn’t sound like that happened. According to Elliotte Friedman, it was Georgiev who decked DeAngelo for whatever foolish comment he made. Good. There’s no place for such nonsense.

Interestingly, as reported by Larry Brooks of the New York Post this morning, it was Miller himself who broke up the altercation in the locker room. It speaks a lot to his character and maturity.

Don’t forget it was DeAngelo who was one of the first Rangers that backed Miller up following the disturbing Zoom Conference interview last summer. Whatever off ice issues he has, the rumored mistreatment of Miller is a total fabrication.

The truth is something that is of utmost importance. That’s why you only trust those who are much closer to the situation. You want the story to be accurate. It’s sad that there are fan blogs who will go out of their way to fabricate stories due to a bias against a player they don’t like. It’s wrong.

As far as what happens today, either a team puts in a claim for DeAngelo before noon or he’s still technically a Ranger. They can then try to trade him and pick up part of the contract that pays an average of $4.8 million on the salary cap through 2022. I doubt there will be any takers given the 25-year old’s baggage.

The only thing I disagreed with was coach David Quinn’s treatment of DeAngelo following the first game. A humiliating 4-0 loss to the Islanders where they hardly showed a pulse. DeAngelo showed frustration after taking a penalty by slamming the penalty box and receiving an extra minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Quinn was pretty quick to make an example of a player who ranked fourth among all NHL defensemen in scoring with 53 points (15-38-53) last season. The decision to healthy scratch him didn’t make sense. It was an overreaction by a third-year coach with an axe to grind. That didn’t go over well.

With DeAngelo done and likely to be sent home because it’s the only thing that makes sense for the Rangers organization to move forward, it’s put up or shut up time for Quinn. He talks a big game in these press conferences. But why is this team never consistent? Why do they commit glaring mistakes and take bad penalties that put them in trouble? Why do they sometimes come out flat or blow leads?

It’s time for the excuses to end. If they do play the rematch later on a blizzard day in NYC, it’ll be Anthony Bitetto getting his first game as a Ranger paired up with Brendan Smith. We’ll see how the former Predator, Wild and Jets defenseman fares. The 30-year old is from Island Park, NY and grew up a fan of the Rangers. A defensive defenseman who’s posted 27 points in 183 NHL games, this is his fourth team. Good luck to him.

Julien Gauthier returns to the lineup in place of injured forward Colin Blackwell (LBI). He’ll join Brett Howden on the third line. I’d imagine Quinn will keep top pick Alexis Lafreniere on the first line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich while having Kreider stay on the third line.

I’m most interested to see Kaapo Kakko on line two with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. This is his chance to prove he belongs in the top six. We’ll see how he does. The fourth line consists of Brendan Lemieux, Kevin Rooney and Phil Di Giuseppe.

The top power play unit features Panarin, Zibanejad, Buchnevich, Fox and Kreider, who moves back onto it. Personally, I prefer him there because he brings the size and strength needed to distract goalies. Does Buchnevich play the point with Fox or possibly Zibanejad?

Lemieux could see power play time on the second unit. We know it includes Strome, Kakko, Lafreniere and lately Jacob Trouba. I’d like to see Miller get a look on power play two.

If the game is played, Igor Shestyorkin gets the start. He should’ve been in for Saturday following his first win last Thursday. It doesn’t make sense what Quinn is doing with the goalies. That needs to change.

That’s gonna do it for now. If you are traveling outside, be very careful and use extreme caution.

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The end of the road for selfish DeAngelo, who may have played his final NHL game

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Derek

Following up the shocking news of the Rangers placing Tony DeAngelo on waivers, I wanted to post my final thoughts on what happened. If you’re interested in hearing what I have to say, please refer to my Pushing Buttons podcast on DeAngelo and the Rangers above. I’ll be doing more of them moving forward.

Apparently, DeAngelo reacted very poorly to the 5-4 overtime loss to the Penguins on Saturday night. After being caught on for Sidney Crosby’s overtime winner along with a worn out Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad, DeAngelo was upset with goalie Alex Georgiev due to a miscommunication during the extended shift.

The important details are that an enraged DeAngelo got into an altercation with Georgiev. From what’s been reported by multiple sources including veteran beat writer Rick Carpiniello of The Athletic, it was very ugly. The less said about it, the better.

As I referenced in an earlier post I put up while I was out with friends who visited from Brooklyn, certain behavior can’t be tolerated. What DeAngelo did is unacceptable. It was detrimental to the team and just cause for the Rangers organization to find a reason to sever ties with the controversial 25-year old defenseman.

They had no choice. In subtracting DeAngelo, who a year ago set career bests in goals (15), assists (38) and points (53) over 68 games, the Rangers won’t be able to replace the offense the troubled player brought. His ice time isn’t easy to replace either. Especially playing one of the points on the power play. That now falls solely on Adam Fox, who must be signed long-term.

Who David Quinn decides to also use on the power play remains to be seen. He can opt for four forwards and one defenseman like he had with success last season. But will Jacob Trouba continue to be the defenseman on the second unit? Or maybe promising rookie K’Andre Miller should get a look if they realize his potential. He seems capable of handling it.

The top four will remain intact. You’ll have Miller with Trouba and Fox working with Ryan Lindgren. The third pair becomes sketchy with the choices of Jack Johnson or Brendan Smith with veteran Anthony Bitetto, who’s expected to get an opportunity in Monday’s rematch versus the Pens.

Will we ever see Libor Hajek again, or is he a bust? Have they given up on him completely? If so, they better hope they can sign Nils Lundkvist. Another small offensive right defenseman, hopefully he can help replace DeAngelo in the near future.

I have higher hopes for Braden Schneider, who looks like the big physical right skating defenseman this team hasn’t had. He will get experience in the AHL. Matthew Robertson and Tarmo Reunanen are the other D prospects to keep an eye on.

In closing the chapter on DeAngelo, he had a checkered past. The organization knew that and tried their best to work with him. He got every chance. Just when it seemed he was on his way to having a successful NHL career with the team reluctantly giving him a two-year contract worth an average cap hit of $4.8 million, he goes and pulls this crap.

This isn’t about the political commentary other misinformed fan bloggers think it is. This was due to the player not keeping his head. It’s not anything to celebrate or be happy about. It’s an embarrassing day for the Rangers, who must now move forward.

Maybe one less distraction can be a positive. The team is a mess. DeAngelo was far from the only problem. Zibanejad being a serious concern given how out of sorts he’s looked at the start. Is it due to Covid or just a lack of timing? He hasn’t been anywhere near the lights out number one center we saw last year.

Then, you have Quinn’s indecisiveness over Georgiev and Igor Shestyorkin, which is hurting the team. In net, you need stability. Alternating them doesn’t allow either to gain confidence or get into a rhythm. It should be Shestyorkin’s net to lose. If he plays well tomorrow, he must be in for the next start.

There also is the injury to sparkplug Colin Blackwell. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. He was playing so well that Quinn had him on the second line with Panarin and Ryan Strome, who seems to be coming out of it. Combined with the loss of third center Filip Chytil, it’s not a good situation. Center depth remains an area of concern.

One final thing. If he doesn’t play another hockey game in the NHL, DeAngelo has no one to blame but himself. Given some information I know through an anonymous source regarding his off ice issues, he really needs to seek help. It isn’t healthy to carry around the anger he has. Whatever he does, that should be top priority.

The hockey continues for the Blueshirts tomorrow night. Hopefully, it won’t be A Mad Mad World.

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Devils circle the wagons in Buffalo

Posted on January 31, 2021 by hasan4978

Riding a three-game losing streak heading into this afternoon’s rematch with the Sabres, the Devils got even more bad news before the game when Kyle Palmieri was placed on the COVID list, joining Travis Zajac (added yesterday) and Mackenzie Blackwood (added a week ago) as suspected virus absences, to go along with the quarantining Aaron Dell, Sami Vatanen and Connor Carrick with the latter on the list due to being away from the team because of his wife expecting while the former two finally getting their visas and expected to join the team sometime in the next week. Even Nico Hischier has started skating and seems to be finally on the mend, not a moment too soon since we’re losing guys faster than they come back.

At the moment however, the starting lineup looked more like a preseason game where you’d only have a few vets at a time play and the rest kids trying to make the team. Starting in goal where Eric Comrie made his team debut after Scott Wedgewood had played the previous five games. It’s okay, I never heard of Comrie before last month either (he of the 4.07 GAA and .873 save percentage in nine career NHL starts). Heck I’ve barely heard of Mikhail Maltsev – a 4th round pick in 2016 – who made his NHL debut today, replacing Palmieri in the lineup.

Ironically it was another more ballyhooed 2016 draftee that stole the show this afternoon in Buffalo with two goals including a spectacular breakaway just twenty seconds into the game, off of a nearly ice-length feed from PK Subban. Full disclosure, I haven’t been a believer in Mike McLeod ever, starting from when he was drafted. It always seemed like his offensive touch was lacking and he never had enough other tools besides speed that could play at the NHL level. However this year McLeod’s come out with a vengeance, both in reinventing himself as a guy who can bang on the fourth line, and in maybe, just maybe finding a scoring touch. Coming into this season McLeod didn’t have a single goal in 33 NHL games and just five assists, and his AHL scoring numbers weren’t much better.

After today’s game and some other recent performances I’m starting to believe, and maybe in more than just McLeod.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1355942103394775047?s=20

Scoring his first NHL goal five days ago surely took some pressure off, and after adding an assist in yesterday’s shootout loss he – and fellow fourth-liners Nathan Bastian and Miles Wood – caused havoc all afternoon against the Sabres. Listening on the radio, Matt and Chico (can’t remember which of them said it) invoked the Crash Line of the glory days and also compared the current fourth line to the incoming snowstorm that’s going to hit the north Jersey area later on this evening. I can’t say I disagree with the latter, they’ll have to show more scoring touch over time to measure up with the Crash Line which had two guys on it that later played consistent top six minutes for the Devils. Can say, Wood and McLeod get to that level someday? Right now I’m more confident in the former than the latter, but they’re both playing well.

If you think I’m spending an inordinate amount of time on the fourth line well read on but in fact it was the de facto first line that combined for the Devils’ second goal, with just under seventeen seconds remaining in the first with a resurgent Andreas Johnsson getting his second goal in two games, albeit a flukish goal that deflected in off the winger from a rebound of a Ty Smith point shot. However, good things happen when you go to the net as Johnsson did there, and his goal also gave Smith his seventh point of the season as he continues to build on a nice rookie season.

Midway through the second period the Devils had a chance to put a firmer grip on the game but after Pavel Zacha’s painful miss of an open net you could just feel the immediate momentum shift, and BANG the Sabres roared back into the game with successive goals from Curtis Lazar and Rasmus Dahlin less than ninety seconds apart. Predictably Dahlin’s goal came on our penalty non-kill, which has been almost as brutal as the powerless play this year. Going 0-3 on the PP and 2-4 on the PK suggest there is still a lot of room for improvement on our not-so special teams after today’s game.

Perhaps the only good thing is it gave the Devils another opportunity to show their resilience and they staggered Buffalo with yet another late-period goal, this one by Wood with less than a second remaining on the clock after putting home a rebound from his own shot. If you’re familiar with US Hockey’s Miracle On Ice win over the Russians, Wood’s goal was almost a carbon copy of Mark Johnson’s game-changing goal in the final second of the first period – breakaway, shoot it on the goalie, deke him out on the rebound.

This game was always going to be one of fits and starts though, given the questionable talent level and goaltending on the ice for both teams. Our powerless play again gave it up less than four minutes into the period when Rasmus Ristolainen scored to tie it at 3, and this after Johnsson had cut short a power play of our own getting a penalty off a second faceoff violation. As Chico pointed out on the radio though, when you have a new-ish rule and a winger who’s not used to taking faceoffs, sometimes you just have to remind them to get conservative on the second faceoff.

As has been the case for most of this young season however, when one guys screws up another steps up to bail them out, or in this case three when Crash Line 2.0 scored their second goal of the night and everyone got into the act, starting with a Bastian hit that won the puck, and a Wood feed to a wide open McLeod in front for his second goal of the night. Amazing when you can double your career NHL goal total in your 42nd career game. McLeod’s second of the night stood as the game winner and Wood finally sealed a back-and-forth game with an ice-length empty netter for his second of the game as well. Four of the five goals came from our <cough> fourth line which was more or less like a second line by the end of the night.

With the win, the Devils picked up three of a possible four points in Buffalo, doing what they needed to do to try to stay afloat until the cavalry comes back. Of course in this of all seasons, will any team ever really be at full strength? It would be nice to get our starting goaltender and a top six center back at least and go from there. Vatanen’s addition would help too, although Matt Tennyson’s been a hold the fort guy on D even that’s more than can be expected from a career fringe guy. Of course it’s nice to have a staff that can actually get the most out of its younger players for a change. It’s also nice to be about 15% of the way through the season and not be out of the race yet, unlike last year.

Of course this year being what it is, and having two new COVID absences in the span of thirty-six hours puts our immediate schedule (another two-game road series, this time in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Thursday) in jeopardy. That is if you even know what the rules are on the NHL postponing games, I don’t. There have already been games postponed this year, you would think multiple cases on the same team constituting a breakout would increase the chances of a schedule delay but the NHL, like seemingly all sports leagues, seem content to play it by ear and not have a hard and fast rule on x number of new cases means y in terms of rescheduling. Which only adds even more uncertainty to what already exists not knowing whether guys are on the COVID list because of a positive test or a close contact.

eNJoy the ride seems more fitting of a moniker by the day, this season’s been a roller coaster so far.

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Rangers put DeAngelo on waivers

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Derek

The Rangers have placed Tony DeAngelo on waivers. He is making an average of $4.8 million on the salary cap and signed through 2022.

It is interesting that the organization didn’t make a separate tweet for DeAngelo. That seems strange on the surface. It also is a bit perplexing that they’d take such a drastic action this early into the season. They’ve only played eight games.

It is true that DeAngelo is off to a lousy start. He’s been caught on for too many goals against. Coming off a career season where he was a big contributor offensively at five-on-five and the power play, DeAngelo earned his salary. However, he has underperformed like quite a few teammates with Mika Zibanejad in particular struggling mightily.

Early on, DeAngelo slammed the penalty box after disagreeing with a minor penalty. That earned him two games off with coach David Quinn sending a message to the defenseman. He registered his first point on an Artemi Panarin power play goal. But as I noted in the game recap last night, he had a nightmarish game.

However, this move can’t be only hockey related. Something must’ve happened off the ice following last night’s game. You don’t just waive one of your key players who along with Adam Fox, are the key offensive defensemen on the roster. Especially given the power play role. Even if he isn’t the best defensive player, there’s no way they would do this unless he did something detrimental to the team.

It’s far too drastic. If he goes unclaimed, then DeAngelo can clear waivers. Will he even play another game? If it really is that bad as is being rumored, probably not. And if he did do what’s being said, then he should never play another game for the team. Some things can’t be tolerated.

We’ll find out soon enough what DeAngelo’s status is.

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A telling quote from Chris Kreider

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Derek

Following the overtime defeat to the Pens, Chris Kreider perfectly summed up why the Rangers lost. Hint: It had to do with the style they rely too much on. A style that isn’t conducive to winning hockey games.

“That’s just winning hockey. No team in the league can just throw their sticks out there and play east-west and try to skill their way to wins. You gotta go north at some point. There’s not enough space, there’s not enough time. You gotta make their D turn. You gotta make them go 200 feet. [Instead], we’re turning pucks over the lines, turning pucks over in the neutral zone, not making them dig pucks out of corners.”

Until they become harder to play against by adjusting to a North/South style over the all too predictable East/West crap that leads to lazy turnovers and makes it easier on opponents to come back, it won’t matter who’s in net. At some point, the light switch has to go off.

This is exactly how they played under Alain Vigneault towards the end, leaving Henrik Lundqvist out to dry. It’s been similar under David Quinn. The structure isn’t always there. Like Kreider also noted, they play well in spurts. Hardly enough consistency to be successful.

As for the narrative that it’s all the goalies’ fault for the 2-4-2 start, Lundqvist used to give up the same bad goals his last few years. That’s why they made the switch to Igor Shestyorkin with Alex Georgiev backing up last year.

Anyone who thinks it’s easy to replace a great goalie when there are higher expectations, doesn’t get sports. There was always going to be more pressure this time for both netminders.

I disagree with Quinn on rotating each. It’s not working. He has to go with one player and ride them. It should be Shestyorkin after the numbers he put up in the first dozen starts of his NHL career. He’s supposed to be the heir apparent. Why he didn’t start Saturday remains strange.

With a poor defense that’s struggling, it doesn’t make things any easier. Neither do all the glaring mistakes this team makes at inopportune times. It’s too early to judge the goalie situation. They both need more time along with the team to gel. Only a handful of players have been good.

There also is the issue of Mika Zibanejad. He’s been invisible in these games. With only one goal on the power play and numerous turnovers and lost face-offs like the one to Sidney Crosby that led to the Jake Guentzel tying goal, he needs to be much better.

Either something is wrong or he hasn’t found his rhythm yet. Until Zibanejad gets back on track, the center ice position poses a problem for the Rangers. They miss Filip Chytil.

Kreider is correct about how they have to play. Sometimes, less is more. Making the simple and smart plays matter.

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