Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
In a stunning move, the Devils have acquired defenseman PK Subban from the Predators. The 30-year old star blueliner was said to be made available by Nashville, who wanted to dump his salary to clear cap space to make a splash in free agency this July. Supposedly, they’re after Matt Duchene.
In getting the game’s biggest personality, the Devils didn’t give up a whole lot. Going to the Predators is defenseman Steven Santini, prospect Jeremy Davies, New Jersey’s 2019 second round pick and their 2020 second.
After landing top prospect Jack Hughes last night with the top pick, GM Ray Shero made a splash by acquiring the top pair right defenseman. Subban has three years and $27 million remaining on his contract.
Not long ago, Subban was considered one of the game’s premier defensemen. A Norris winner in ’12-13 for the Canadiens, he spent his first six seasons with Montreal. It was during the summer of 2016 that a fantasy hockey trade was made with the Canadiens sending Subban to the Predators for Shea Weber. At the time, most observers loved it for Nashville due to Subban being younger and not having as long a contract.
Subban helped lead the Preds to its only Stanley Cup appearance in 2017. He posted two goals and 10 assists for a dozen points in 22 postseason games. Nashville lost to the Penguins for the Cup.
In ’17-18, Subban had a big year scoring a career high 16 goals including 11 even strength, while adding 43 assists for 59 points in all 82 games. He finished third for the Norris.
This past season wasn’t as good for him. In an injury riddled season, he dropped significantly to 31 points (9-22-31) in 63 games. In a first round elimination to the Stars, Subban had a goal and two assists while struggling in his end.
The big question is how motivated will he be. A trade like this should rejuvenate him. Especially after all the criticism and rumors.
Now that he’s a Devil, Subban will be asked to be the man on a blueline that needs him. New Jersey missed out on Jacob Trouba, who wound up with the Rangers. This looks like an answer by Shero to rival GM Jeff Gorton.
Shortly after 8 PM (well 5 in Vancouver), the Rangers waited patiently for the Devils to make it official by selecting consensus top pick Jack Hughes. To their credit, they played the poker game well by using all three minutes before having GM Ray Shero give way to Martin Brodeur, who announced the 18-year old American center.
Once the suspense was out of the way, it was finally the Rangers’ turn to make their highest selection in an NHL Draft ever. Unless you want to count Brad Park in the 1966 Amateur Draft with the future Hall of Fame defenseman also going number two. Too bad they eventually packaged him with Jean Ratelle and Joe Zanussi to the Bruins in exchange for Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais.
When GM Jeff Gorton stepped up to the podium along with the Rangers management which included new Team President John Davidson, former architect Glen Sather, chief scout Gordie Clarke and coach David Quinn, he didn’t mince any words. Gorton wasted no time by quickly announcing Kaapo Kakko from TPS Turku, Finland as the second pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
What does Kaapo Kakko want #NYR fans to know about him:
There was no acknowledgement of Vancouver being gracious hosts. He didn’t congratulate the Blues on finally winning their first Cup. Gorton doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’s comfortable doing such stuff. Other GM’s like Lou Lamoriello might be. The bottom line is Gorton is here for one purpose. To continue improving the Rangers as they prepare for Phase Two of the rebuild.
It’s an exciting time for Ranger fans. By all accounts, they won last month’s NHL Lottery by moving all the way up to number two to get their man in Kakko. The Devils were always gonna be in the top three based on the odds. So, it wasn’t a great shock when they beat out their close Hudson rival for the top pick where they got their guy in Hughes.
“I couldn’t be more excited about where we are sitting right now.”
The thing is by adding the physically gifted Kakko to a young talent pool that eventually will include K’Andre Miller added to Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, Vitali Kravtsov and Igor Shesterkin, this team is going to be fun to follow. Let’s temper expectations for next season. Sure. Adding Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox should help bolster the blueline. Especially if they don’t do something foolish like trading Tony DeAngelo.
It’s possible that by training camp, both veterans Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith could be gone. If that comes to fruition, only Marc Staal will remain as the elder statesman with a couple of years left on his contract. The rest of the Ranger defense could be projected top pair Brady Skjei and Trouba, DeAngelo, Fox, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren. They already relinquished the RFA rights of Fredrik Claesson, making him unrestricted.
My one question is how much does management value keeping a vet like Shattenkirk around if Fox struggles to establish himself early. That’s why he might not be going anywhere for now. It’s more likely Smith gets bought out. A solid citizen, who filled in on the fourth line admirably, he’s expendable. Quinn used him up front and on the back end when called upon.
There are other roster questions that will soon be answered. Will Chris Kreider still be a Blueshirt? Even though he didn’t go last night, it’s uncertain he’ll be retained with a year left on his contract. He’s gonna go from making $4.625 million on average to somewhere between $6.5 to 7 million next year. As much as I would prefer to keep him, it’s thought that the organization has already decided on his future. It doesn’t look like he’s staying.
What about Jimmy Vesey and Vladislav Namestnikov? Vesey’s name has been tossed around the rumor milk with a few teams interested. The Sabres could be a possible destination. They can use more depth up front. Wouldn’t that be ironic?
There’s even some talk about key restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich. He improved under Quinn by setting a new career high with 21 goals. In 64 games, he went 21-17-38. The 24-year old Russian forward would be a good player to keep. He has good chemistry with Mika Zibanejad and should improve on his next contract. It depends how the Rangers view him.
Would they use Buchnevich as part of a package to pry William Nylander from Toronto? The Maple Leafs are in a bind due to leading scorer Mitch Marner, who wants to get paid too dollar over the long-term. If there’s a deal to be done, I’m sure Gorton will explore it.
In the meantime, the Rangers showed off their new toy to very pleased fans who turned out at the Draft Party last night.
#NYR fans, welcome Kaapo Kakko to the Blueshirts family!
Following the Devils doing a nice touch by having Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur introduce first overall pick in American center Jack Hughes, the Rangers wasted no time.
General Manager Jeff Gorton didn’t even thank Vancouver or congratulate the Blues. Not sure why. But he cut to the chase and selected Finland forward Kaapo Kakko with the second overall pick.
It’s official. The Rivalry is back. How long it takes both the Devils and Rangers to reach the playoffs remains to be seen. What I do know is this is a great night for the Hudson Rivalry.
Listening to the excitement from Hughes after he went first to the Devils was great. He was “fired up!” I wish they would’ve had Kathryn Tappen interview Kakko. He speaks English well as evidenced by the dry humor he showed the day before. Instead, new Team President John Davidson glowed over Kakko and for good reason.
It’s definitely an exciting time to be a Ranger fan. With a young crop that now features Kakko along with Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, Adam Fox, Vitali Kravtsov and Russian goalies Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin, there is a lot to like going forward.
No news on the trade front yet. Chris Kreider and Jimmy Vesey have been mentioned as possibly getting moved. We’ll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, P.K. Subban is supposedly on the block.
Not getting caught up in semantics of “shopped” vs. “listening” — been there, done that, circa June, 2016 — but P.K. Subban’s name is out there floating around in the trade-sphere. NSH believed to be looking to clear cap space for either UFA shopping (Duchene?) or Josi extension.
A day before tonight’s NHL Draft, the news was sad about Ryan Callahan. Due to a debilitating back injury, the popular former Ranger will be forced to call it quits.
BREAKING NEWS: Julien BriseBois stated today that forward Ryan Callahan has been diagnosed with degenerative back disease and recommended that he no longer play professional hockey.
It stinks. The prideful 34-year old from Rochester was a blood and guts, classic overachiever. Selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the ’04 Draft, the 127th overall pick proved to be the kind of hard working player who would go through a brick wall to help his team win.
I can recall watching him represent Team USA at the 2005 World Junior Championships. In assessing Callahan, I could tell what type of player he would be. Seeing him outwork opponents on the forecheck while do a solid job on the penalty kill, I projected him as a third liner who fans would love.
Maybe it was just my sixth sense. I knew he would make the Rangers. That he did it following a dominant AHL season in which he scored 35 goals and had 55 points with 74 penalty minutes, speaks volumes about his work ethic.
Never the biggest in stature, the 5-10, 187 pound right wing became a staple on the classic Black and Blueshirt teams. Callahan did whatever it took. Going from a role player in the early days to a top six forward, who sacrificed his body for the good of the team, he became a fan favorite.
Known as Cally to teammates, coaches and fans, he eventually became the captain of the team. A tremendous honor for a gritty player, who hit hard and blocked shots even if it wasn’t always wise. Example number one would be diving in front of a Zdeno Chara shot to get the Rangers back to the playoffs in ’10-11. He broke his ankle and missed the first round against the Capitals. A series they lost in five games.
They won the big game 5-3. That’s what mattered most. Especially a year later after losing to the hated Flyers in a shootout that ended their ’09-10 season in Game 82. In the 60 games he played that season, Callahan wound up second in scoring with 23 goals, 25 assists and 48 points. He played primarily with Artem Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky. Better known in these parts as the Draft Line.
A year later, he was a big part of coach John Tortorella’s club that overachieved by winning the Atlantic Division. In fact, they finished first in the Eastern Conference with a 51-24-7 record. Good for 109 points. In a good year where free agent addition Brad Richards helped improve team scoring along with top finisher Marian Gaborik, Callahan set career bests with 29 goals and 54 points in 76 games. That included a team-leading 13 power play goals and nine game-winners, which tied him with Richards for first on the team.
Even though they lost to the bitter Hudson rival Devils in six games during a competitive Eastern Conference Final, it was a positive step for a franchise that hadn’t gotten that far in the postseason since the ’97 run fueled by Wayne Gretzky and Mike Richter.
Following a second round disappointment to the defending champion Bruins in 2013, Tortorella was replaced by Alain Vigneault. Playing in the final year of his contract, the Rangers captain said all the right things despite it being a distraction. With his role decreasing under a coach who preferred more speed and skill, Rangers GM Glen Sather opted to keep defenseman Dan Girardi by re-signing him. That spelled the end for Captain Cally. He was dealt to the Lightning along with a pair of first round picks for Martin St. Louis and a second round pick on March 5, 2014.
It was a bittersweet day for fans. While some foolishly sided with the Rangers, who leaked Callahan’s contract demands as a way to use PR to turn some against him, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. It was like all the hard work and sacrifice he put in was forgotten.
As it turned out, it was better for both sides. St. Louis came over and helped lead the 2014 Rangers to their first Stanley Cup appearance in 20 years. There was the emotional goal he scored on Mother’s Day following his Mom June’s death. It sparked the team to its first ever 3-1 comeback, also beating the Pens for the first time in the second round. Ultimately, they came up a little short that June.
Ditto for 2015 when they ironically were eliminated by Callahan’s new team in a gut wrenching seven games in a very odd Conference Final. The road team won five of the seven including the final four. It was bizarre.
The injuries piled up for Callahan following a very good ’14-15 in which he matched his career high with 54 points while registering a career best 30 assists with 24 goals. He did some damage against his former team in a emotion return to MSG by scoring twice on the power play. It was strange.
Even with the Lightning losing to the Blackhawks in six games for the Cup in ’15, Callahan saw his role decrease due to the meteoric rise of Nikita Kucherov. Still an effective player on the forecheck and penalty kill under coach Jon Cooper, he toughed it out for two more deep runs.
However, the Lightning never could get past the Conference Final again. They lost to the Pens and Caps in consecutive years. Then came the very disappointing first round sweep to the Blue Jackets, who ironically were coached by Tortorella. Callahan only got into two games.
For his NHL career, he finishes with 186 goals and exactly 200 assists for a total of 386 points over 757 games split between the Rangers and Lightning. He wound up with 254 points (132-122-254) and 268 penalty minutes in 450 games as a Blueshirt. For the Bolts, Callahan had 132 points (54-78-132) in 307 games.
His best postseason came during 2012 when he went 6-4-10 in 20 games with the Rangers.
If anyone suffers from mental illness, then you know the stigma attached to it. It can really suck. It kicked my ass recently in the form of a panic attack. Then a mini episode yesterday.
Having battled Panic Disorder for 14 years, I am better equipped to deal with it. However, the bouts with anxiety and depression can be such a chore. It makes you want to gouge your eyes out. You literally feel like you’re stuck forever in a dark hole with no end in sight.
You must continue to battle. Don’t ever give up. The brave words of Jimmy Valvano always stay with me. And he battled cancer, eventually succumbing to the horrible disease when I was a teenager.
Mental illness can be just as scary. For Robin Lehner, he struggled with it for a long time without getting help. After leaving the Sabres where he never quite was right, he finally sought out help. Having battled alcohol and substance abuse probably due to trying to cope like miraculous survivor Theo Fleury, the goalie finally came clean during his first season with the Islanders.
It resulted in an amazing turnaround that included him winning 25 games while posting a 2.13 goals-against-average (GAA), a .930 save percentage and career high six shutouts. In sharing time with Thomas Greiss, Lehner was a big reason the Islanders surprised so many by not only making the playoffs, but sweeping the Penguins to advance to the second round.
His performance got plenty of recognition by his peers and the league. He finished third for the Vezina which was awarded to Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy tonight.
Most importantly, Lehner was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy for the tremendous comeback season he had. He deservedly won the award and got plenty of cheers from a supportive crowd in Vegas. Here are the courageous words he said regarding mental illness:
Show this @RobinLehner clip to someone who needs it. 💛
"I am not ashamed to say I'm mentally ill. But that does not mean mentally weak." pic.twitter.com/3JTkWXjw3z
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) June 20, 2019
“I’m not ashamed to say I’m mentally ill. But that does not mean mentally weak.”
Those are fighting words every person who experiences this issue needs to hear. You are not alone. Thank you to Robin Lehner and congratulations to him on being a true champion for mental health.
As expected, the Hart and Pearson went to Nikita Kucherov. Mark Giordano finally took home his first Norris beating out Brent Burns and Victor Hedman. The Selke was won by Ryan O’Reilly, who edged Mark Stone with Patrice Bergeron finishing third.
Elias Pettersson took home the Calder by getting much more first place votes than runner-up Jordan Binnington, who was honored for the Playoff Moment.
Barry Trotz won the Jack Adams over Jon Cooper and Craig Berube. It was the second time he’s won it. The Lady Byng went to Aleksander Barkov.
In perhaps the most emotional moment, Carey Price came out on stage and surprised Anderson Whitehead with a Canadiens Price jersey and invited him to next year’s All-Star Game. Whitehead is the big Habs fan who lost his Mom to cancer. What a heartwarming story.
I was gonna post this about three hours sooner. But a unfortunate panic episode had me recovering with a cold shower following a workout. So, I kept myself occupied doing stuff I needed to do here.
What I’m about to say isn’t easy. I like Kevin Hayes. He was a good player for the Rangers. He matured into a quality two-way, second line center under coach Alain Vigneault. It sure explains a lot with the Flyers recently acquiring his negotiating rights from cash strapped Winnipeg, who had no intention of keeping him, or newest Blueshirt Jacob Trouba.
Normally, I’d be like whatever in regards to the new contract Hayes agreed to with the Flyers. Not this time though. So, before I go off on the lunacy that’s become the NHL market, please have a closer look at this signing.
PHI and pending UFA Kevin Hayes are closing in on a multi-year contract with an AAV of around $7M. Term expected to be at least six years, perhaps seven. Prepare to take another UFA off the board.
Now, you can imagine my astonishment when I finally logged into Twitter following the shower. To see TSN insider Bob McKenzie report that figure for Hayes really made me do a double take. Holy bleeping bleep!
I figured a good player like Hayes would top out at $6.5 million AAV. Instead, he’s gonna average a whopping $7.14 million over the next seven seasons in Philadelphia. Wow!
Please keep in mind this is a player who’s went over 50 points once in his first five seasons. The 27-year old ex-Ranger accomplished it in ’18-19 by combining to record 19 goals along with a career best 36 assists for a new career high of 55 points between the Rangers and Jets. Interestingly, he fared better on Broadway by going 14-28-42 in 51 contests before tallying five goals and eight helpers for 13 points in 20 games with Winnipeg.
In a tough six-game first round elimination to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Blues, he went 2-1-3 in a closely fought series that really didn’t feel like a Western Conference quarterfinal. That’s the sheer genius of this ass backwards league.
It’s also noteworthy that for some inexplicable reason, Hayes had his ice-time dramatically cut by Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice in the middle of the series. Eventually, it went back up in crunch time. Hayes didn’t perform badly considering how Maurice handled him. I really felt that the veteran bench boss did both his team and Hayes a disservice in that first round defeat. They rented him for the sole purpose of going far in the postseason much like last year. It was a puzzling decision.
Anyone with a pulse knew there was no chance Hayes was sticking around. The Jets had too many other key players. So, they took back a fifth round pick from the Flyers for Hayes’ rights. When deals like that go down, the team that acquires the player wants to sign them. So, it’s no surprise Hayes is officially a Flyer and off the market.
Now, is he worth that insane $50 million over seven years?
Excuse my humor. 😁 This really isn’t aimed at Hayes either. I respect what he did in NYC. He was also very honest about how much he struggled in his sophomore year due to thinking he’d arrived. I knew about it through a source. Let’s just say he wasn’t doing the best he could and leave it at that.
He recommitted himself and improved leaps and bounds between his third and fourth year. He’s a three zone player, who can be trusted at five-on-five, power play and penalty kill. It’s not like he won’t help the Flyers playing behind Sean Couturier and between Nolan Patrick.
You want to blame someone for this contract? Look no further than what the Islanders gave Brock Nelson. He also went over 50 points for the first time in his career due to an increased top six role under coach Barry Trotz, mostly because of John Tavares’ departure. Nelson got an AAV of $6 million over the next six years. At least it’s for one less year.
Also 27, the former Isles 30th overall pick in the same 2010 Draft as Hayes, who went number 24 to the Blackhawks, Nelson has scored at least 20 goals in four seasons. However, here’s the rub. In 480 career games, he’s totaled only a dozen more points (124-117-241) than Hayes (92-137-229), who has played in 99 less games.
If you do the math, it helps explain why Hayes got what he did compared with Nelson. Essentially a million more. They’re different centers. Hayes has totaled 67 even strength goals, 14 power play goals and six shorthanded goals over his five-year career. By comparison, Nelson has 100 even strength goals, 23 PPG and just one shorthanded goal in a six-year career.
The assist breakdown for Nelson is 90 even strength, 26 power play and one shorthanded. Hayes comes in at 99 even strength, 23 power play and seven shorthanded.
Based on that, you can conclude that Hayes is the more complete player, which further justifies the money he got. The issue is the Flyers gave him seven years. One more than Nelson, who’ll be 33 when his contract expires in 2025. More reasonable than Hayes’ deal that’ll take him through 2026 when he’ll be 34 by its conclusion.
That’s assuming he doesn’t become a cap casualty by either trade like former Ranger teammates Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan, or bought out. Remember Scott Gomez? Yeah. I went there because it’s basically the same contract. Crazy.
The NHL market dictates what players get paid. Even when it doesn’t make a whole lot of fiscal dollars and cents. That’s why so many teams lock up their young franchise players with ridiculous contracts that actually are worth it in most cases due to their talent. Crosby, anyone? Remember that contract Ovechkin got? Now, it’s a huge bargain and has been for quite some time.
Who would you rather have entering 2019-20? Proven superstars like Crosby and Ovechkin, who have carried their teams to championships while still being at peak level. Or rather Artemi Panarin, who despite dynamic talent, hasn’t accomplished much with his first two teams (Blackhawks, Blue Jackets) despite some excellent statistics in four NHL seasons. He’s gonna break the bank just like former Norris winner Erik Karlsson.
You know. The superb offensive Dynamo who just got a very long max contract to stay in San Jose for a very high AAV of $11.5 million thru 2027. As much as I love and admire Karlsson, he’s already breaking down. What’s he going to look like in a few years? That’s the huge risk the Sharks are taking. They know time is running out on delivering a Cup. So, they went the extra mile. Good luck.
So, what does all this June madness mean for Chris Kreider? I hate to be the harbinger of bad news. But he’s probably played his last game as a Ranger. 😕
What exactly could he command if he hits the market next summer? He is still on a cap friendly deal worth an average of $4.625 million that expires in 2020. That bargain is coming to an end and it could be sooner rather than later.
Why? In his sixth season, he eclipsed 50 points for the second time. While the very physically gifted Kreider hasn’t been consistent, he’s had at least 21 or more goals in four of the past five seasons. That includes matching his career mark of 28 set in ’16-17 when he also established a career best 53 points. Had he not needed blood clot surgery during ’17-18, he would have at least 20 goals in five straight years. Over 58 games, he went 16-21-37.
What could a player of Kreider’s caliber get in a player’s market? Due to escalating salaries, I don’t think he will settle for the proposed $6.5 million AAV I envisioned. Why should he? He’s more than a numbers guy. Anyone that’s followed him knows better.
Not only does Kreider bring strong five-on-five play due to possession. He also is a force in front of the net on the power play where his size and net presence can create havoc for opposing goalies. The ironic part is he’s never scored more than seven power play goals in any year. But he does such a good job screening that it takes away a goalie’s vision. He might not always get credit for scoring on the man-advantage. But you better believe he has a lot to do with some of the goals scored.
At 28, the former Rangers ’09 first round pick has developed into a leader on a young, rebuilding roster. Personally, I’d love nothing better than to keep him. That’s up to both Jeff Gorton and John Davidson to decide.
If Hayes can get seven million over seven years, why shouldn’t Kreider ask for similar? It’s up to him. How much does he value playing here for possibly his entire career? He’s built strong relationships with Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal and a variety of other teammates.
I guess what it comes down to is does Kreider believe in what the Blueshirts are doing. He’s got maybe four peak years left. That’s if he avoids the injury bug. We know he’s tough. He played through it the final two months only missing three games. His production suffered. But the leadership he showed is something the newer faces can learn from. Ditto for his postgame interviews, which were always on the money.
The first time I saw Kreider was during the memorable 2010 USA run at the Under 20 World Junior Championship where they won gold. He and future Rangers linemate Stepan were terrific. I believed the former Boston College standout could reach 30 goals and 70 points. As it turned out, the 30 goals was realistic. But the seventy points wasn’t due to the style he plays.
To be honest, he’s never had a legit number one center who makes it easier for teammates to score. No disrespect to Stepan or Zibanejad. I’m merely talking elite centers.
When I reflect back on the three long playoff runs that began in 2012 when a young Kreider scored big goals before he even played an NHL regular season game, the Big Man has always been important to each postseason. Who could forget his impact against Montreal in the Eastern Conference Final that’ll always be remembered fondly by the Garden Faithful? Or bitterly by some nonsensical Canadiens fans, who still blame Kreider for what happened to Carey Price, and not Alexei Emelin.
I appreciate what Kreider has done here. If it’s indeed over, he totaled 133 goals with 138 assists for 271 points over 460 games. In the playoffs, he wound up with 23 goals and 14 assists for 37 points in 77 games. Of the 23 postseason goals, nine came on the power play and six were game-winners. The other 14 coming at even strength, proving that he was an effective player, who produced a good percentage during crucial moments. Here is my favorite!
We were in the house for that emotional tying goal in a do or die Game Five against the Capitals. I’ll never forget telling my brother they needed a miracle right before Stepan pulled up and fed Kreider for that one-timer past Braden Holtby. Kreider delivered!
We all know what followed. The Stepan drop to Ryan McDonagh in overtime and a wild celebration at The Garden. Then, hanging on for dear life after building a lead that dwindled in a crazy third period in DC. Lundqvist was unbelievable that night. He was still at his peak in besting Holtby in an amazing Conference Semifinal that felt like a different round.
Maybe it hurt them against Tampa. Given how many defensemen played hurt in the mind numbing third round, it definitely had an affect. That was the year to win too.
If the organization decides it’s in their best interest to move on from Kreider due to the increasing price on an extension, I can’t blame them. Unless he’s willing to take a little less to stay, I have a sinking feeling he’s gone.
It could come quick. Maybe as soon as the vaunted first round in two days at Vancouver. This is a deep draft. The Rangers traded away two of their draft picks to improve their blueline with the additions of Adam Fox and now Trouba. Would it really shock anyone if they dangled Kreider to trade back into the first round and get a center?
Maybe they wait until after this weekend. It probably makes more sense. The two sides have to be holding discussions. It’s critical. If they decide to move on from Kreider, that could free up enough room to go after Panarin. Even if I believe they can use a center instead.
Unless Jack Hughes falls into their lap, they’re a center short. As good as Kaapo Kakko is, I would prefer him play on the right wing where he can use his size, skill and strength to score goals. His tools are similar to Jaromir Jagr. It’s that impressive watching him control play. I’m not saying he’s in the same league as the legendary No. 68. Just that Kakko has a lot to offer if he’s a Blueshirt.
What Hughes would offer is a legit franchise center who can become a superstar. The likes of which we haven’t seen since Mark Messier came over from Edmonton. Only this would be an 18-year old first round pick at the very beginning. That doesn’t happen here. Neither does Kakko. This is unchartered territory for this fan base.
But before anyone goes overboard, they’re not ready to compete for the playoffs. It will depend on the maturation of young players including Hughes or Kakko, Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Brett Howden, Vitali Kravtsov, Fox, Libor Hajek, Alexandar Georgiev and Igor Shesterkin.
That doesn’t include K’Andre Miller, who’s at least a year away from the NHL. Nils Lundkvist is also another young defenseman the team grabbed in last year’s first round. There’s a lot to like, but quite a few faces and name plates will change by the time this team is finally ready to return to the postseason.
I don’t know what’ll happen the next few days. I do know Gorton will be busy working the phones. It’s gonna be hectic. Look at what’s happened already in other places. Here’s hoping they don’t deviate from the long-term game plan.
It never made any sense from the beginning. When the Rangers announced the trade last night for Jacob Trouba, the return the Winnipeg Jets got was for a better description, severely lacking.
So, how did they only wind up with Neal Pionk and the original number 20 pick in the first round that they sent to the Blueshirts with Brendan Lemieux to rent Kevin Hayes? Let’s take a closer look as to why.
Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff knew it was time to move Trouba. After completing a one-year contract in which the 25-year old defenseman made $5.5 million, he was a year away from unrestricted free agency in 2020. Considering that the Jets must sign young scoring forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor to big extensions, they were backed into a corner.
With other key decisions coming on Andrew Copp (RFA), who ironically enough is one of Trouba’s closest friends due to playing together since they were kids, they couldn’t afford the expected $7.5 million average the Group II American defenseman will command. For Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, who has more cap space available, it was a no-brainer.
“We’re certainly getting a really good player…it’s exciting.” – #NYR GM Jeff Gorton on acquiring Jacob Trouba
“He’s a big defenseman, he’s 25 years old, he can play against the best players, he has offense, he can kill penalties, he’s in the prime of his career…we jumped on it.” – #NYR GM Jeff Gorton on Trouba pic.twitter.com/567wxBVn7s
What about the other side? How did the Jets go from having so many interested suitors to them suddenly dropping out due to a complex situation that helped Gorton land the top pair right defenseman? None of the teams were permitted to talk to Trouba about signing him. So, instead of getting a much better return, Winnipeg basically got stuck due to other interested teams backing out.
Elliotte Friedman said on radio today before the Trouba trade that a lot of teams were in on Trouba and that the Jets were asking for a lot.
In a separate hit after the trade, he said multiple teams told him their package was better than what the Rangers gave up.
— #1 A'ja Wilson Fan (@Account4hockey) June 18, 2019
Basically, the Rangers got lucky here. That’s why Pionk and the original Winnipeg first round pick were enough for Gorton to steal Trouba. He still must be signed. It’s just a matter of time before it happens. As for Trouba, this wasn’t a case of him disliking playing for the Jets. On the contrary, he enjoyed his time spent there which included helping them beat the Predators in a sexy Western Conference second round match-up last year to advance to the first ever Conference Final in team history.
There was just no way for Winnipeg to keep a good player, who should definitely help improve the Rangers back end. Something Cheveldayoff alluded to in a piece that appeared on NHL.com.
“This was a necessary first step for us to take and we’ll move on to the next,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “With the opportunity not to get a long-term deal (with Trouba) in Winnipeg here, we just felt it was best to open up the door to the possibility of trading him and today’s the day we finalized it.”
We’d love to keep everybody, and we’d love to have enough cap space to sign everybody to the extensions that they deserve. We’d love to take another swing with the group we have here, but there’s realities in a hard-cap world, and we’re fortunate to have some great young players in our organization.”
And so, Trouba moves from Winnipeg to the Big Apple. Once he signs on the dotted line, he’ll become a key veteran who is a big part of the Rangers rebuild moving forward. Projected new partner Brady Skjei is familiar with him from their days representing Team USA.
How it all shakes out depends on the rest of the summer. Get ready for Friday night. The main attraction comes early on in the highly anticipated first round of the 2019 NHL Draft. The Hudson rival Devils are expected to select top American center Jack Hughes, which would leave highly rated Finnish forward Kaapo Kakko for the Rangers to grab at number two.
Having already signed Russian imports Vitali Kravtsov, Igor Shesterkin and Yegor Rykov, the Ranger organization are taking the necessary steps to becoming a real player in the future. Gorton has a tough decision regarding power forward Chris Kreider. The 28-year old veteran will enter the final year of a contract that pays him a cap average of $4.625 million through 2020. Both Gorton and new Team President John Davidson must decide whether it’s best to keep Kreider by extending him to a new deal that’ll range in the neighborhood of between $6.5 to $7 million AAV.
If they decide not to keep him, it’s possible Kreider could get moved as soon as this weekend. Who knows? They could decide to shop him for another first round pick and a prospect. Especially if it means filling another team need at center behind Mika Zibanejad. Youngsters Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson and Brett Howden aren’t ready for a top six role at the center position.
Much also depends on what else they decide to do. If you view the new Rangers blueline, the projected top three right D are Trouba, Tony DeAngelo and Adam Fox. If that’s indeed the case, it could be Adios Kevin Shattenkirk. Ditto for serviceable vet Brendan Smith.
Freeing up more cap space could still mean a run at Artemi Panarin. We’ll have to wait and see what their plans are.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Neal Pionk and the 20th overall pick in the 2019 #NHLDraft (originally from WPG). pic.twitter.com/rZTXYv4YG1
In an absolute stunner, the Rangers have acquired defenseman Jacob Trouba from the Winnipeg Jets. It’s what they gave up that is so shocking.
Apparently due to a cap crunch, the Jets were so desperate to get rid of the top pair right defenseman, who is a restricted free agent, that they only got back RFA defenseman Neal Pionk and recouped the first round pick (#20 overall) they gave up in the Kevin Hayes deal.
This is an unbelievable night for GM Jeff Gorton and new Team President John Davidson. Knowing they needed an experienced shutdown defenseman that could play the right side, they landed the 25-year old Trouba.
A good player they targeted along with the Hudson rival Devils and Red Wings, Trouba just completed his sixth season in Winnipeg. Originally a 2012 ninth overall pick by the Jets, the 6-3, 202 pound American established career highs in assists (42) and points (50) while playing in all 82 games for the first time.
He is the kind of solid skating and tough right defenseman the Rangers haven’t had since dare I say Dan Girardi. Only with much more talent than what the classic overachiever accomplished on Broadway before winding up where most former Rangers go, which is Tampa.
A complete player who can play power play and penalty kill while logging big minutes at even strength, Trouba averaged 22:53 of ice-time this past season. He blocked 171 shots and had 112 hits. The third time in his six-year career that he was over 100 in both categories.
It’s ironic that they just made the trade for him because I was casually on a salary cap website when I noticed Pionk listed under Winnipeg. I quickly checked the Rangers and sure enough, Trouba was already listed. I couldn’t believe it. Winnipeg didn’t get any other players. Not key Group II free agent right wing Pavel Buchnevich as I first tweeted earlier today.
I didn’t believe Pionk and the original 2019 Winnipeg first would be enough to get Trouba. I thought it would take a third piece. Instead, the Rangers took full advantage of the Jets’ complicated cap situation.
Winnipeg is in a tough spot due to both Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine being due significant raises as key restricted’s. Plus vet defenseman Tyler Myers is unrestricted and they want to re-sign him. Brandon Tanev and Ben Chiarot are also UFA’s. Pionk is a RFA. But will be much cheaper than what Trouba would’ve cost.
The Rangers will have to pay Trouba the much rumored $7.5 million AAV he wants. Or somewhere in that neighborhood. Considering his young age, he’s in his prime.
That makes this acquisition a home run for the organization. Now, they finally have the top pair right defenseman they so desperately needed to anchor the back end.
Brady Skjei will remain on the top pair and finally get a legit player to work with. That’s as long as they jell. It also means Tony DeAngelo could be staying. He’s a restricted free agent this summer. As a second pair D with Hobey Baker finalist Adam Fox competing for a roster spot this Fall, it could signal the end for veterans Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith. Smith is expected to be bought out while rumors were rampant that Gorton couldn’t find any takers for Shattenkirk on the trade market.
With young blueliners such as Fox, Libor Hajek and Ryan Lindgren all possibilities in September along with Yegor Rykov, the Rangers blueline could have a very different look. Wait until 2018 first round pick K’Andre Miller arrives.
Things are looking up in Manhattan and we are still a few days away from the NHL Draft.
While next weekend will certainly be one of the most exciting non-game related weekends in local hockey history with both the Devils and Rangers getting potential franchise players in the first two picks of Friday’s NHL Draft, drafting Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko is just the beginning of pivotal offseasons for both neighboring teams. For the Rangers it’s about continuing the rebulid while for the Devils, things are getting much more gray. This will be a pivotal offseason determining whether the organization is committed to taking the next step or if the progress that’s been made over the last few years gets shelved yet again in favor of an even longer rebuild. Why is this such a pivotal offseason?
Two words: Taylor Hall.
With the Devils’ MVP up for a new contract after 2019-20, this offseason should determine which direction the Devils are going. If Hall re-signs and the Devils sign/trade for improvements to the roster then clearly they’re ready to take the next step toward competing while Hughes and 2017 #1 overall pick Nico Hischier are still on ELC’s, and Hall is still in his prime. If Hall does not re-sign and gets traded then it’s a clear signal we’re stepping back and waiting even longer, an approach that won’t exactly give the fans or players like Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac warm fuzzies. Patience is one thing, but at what point do we take the next step towards trying to win? Our excuse that Lou Lamoriello left us in such a bad state evaporates with each offseason, we’re now going into year five with Ray Shero and all we have to show for it is one playoff appearance, a supposedly better farm system and oodles of unused cap space. Plus from a business perspective, this isn’t Montreal where you breathe hockey 24/7. There’s too many other alternatives for the entertainment dollar in this market to go through a decade-long period of near irrelevance.
Left unsaid – till now – is door number three, Hall not resigning but not being traded before the season either. I call it the ‘if you have time, use it’ solution in a sardonic manner after one of Lou’s famous quotes here. Although it wouldn’t exactly be ideal to go into camp with Hall’s contract status providing the dreaded d-word…distraction, it’s not the most inconcievable scenario either. Could you really blame Hall if he wants to take a wait-and-see approach to see what direction the team is willing to go before he commits long-term? While Devil fans have waited since 2012 to see another playoff series win, Hall hasn’t even won a playoff series since his career began in 2010. If Shero thinks he can improve the team during the season and will get contributions from younger players already in the organization, I could see him waiting it out a bit to try to convince Hall to go along with the team’s current direction.
At some point the team will have to fish or cut bait if it comes to it though, not trading Hall at the deadline and risking getting zero back for him next July would be damaging to a franchise that’s already seen star wingers Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise walk away for nothing. Their double-barrelled departure arguably set the Devils back five years. While the Isles were at least able to survive losing John Tavares in the short-term with an overachieving season, you can’t really say it’ll help them long-term either. Waiting through free agency and the start of next season probably wouldn’t damage his value much, especially if a sign-and-trade could be worked out a la Mark Stone.
What happens with Hall could set a tone or establish one if he re-signs after Shero makes one or two big moves to bolster the talent on the roster. On the one hand ,contending seems far away after one of the franchise’s worst-ever seasons, but on the other hand with a healthy Hall, Hughes coming aboard and a couple other substantial improvements this organization has major bounceback potential. If a rebuild 2.0 is the result of this offseason though, then you have to also trade pending UFA’s Sami Vatanen and Andy Greene. Greene, especially deserves to be on a contender if he wants to waive his NTC (though he could also decide being a lifetime Devil is worth sticking around for) while if Vat – coming off a poor 2018-19 – isn’t in the team’s future plans, it’s best to get something for him if you’re not going to go all in on taking the next step forward by the 2020 trade deadline.
Chief on the team’s shopping list are another top six winger, and a top four (if not top two) left defenseman. Secondarily, the team could use another back six forward or two and another back six RD. If Shero can pull those moves out of wherever using our extra picks and/or our approximately $25-30 million in cap space, then this team will be dramatically better off. Especially if the goaltending holds up the way it did in the second half of last year after Keith Kinkaid was exiled to Columbus, with a healthy Cory Schneider and rookie Mackenzie Blackwood splitting the workload and being most of the reason for what little success we did have in 2019. Of course, if we have another offseason of ifs and buts leading to nothing substantial for a second straight offseason, then things get dicey.
By all accounts and logic, this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs was one of the most unpredictable in NHL history. From the beginning – which saw a shocking sweep of President’s Cup winner Tampa Bay and other first-round upsets of last year’s two Cup Finalists Washington and Vegas, as well as perennial contender Pittsburgh and West favorites Nashville and Winnipeg going down – to the very end of the playoffs which saw the unheralded St. Louis Blues go from worst to first in 2019…literally. An annual first or second-round playoff team that usually goes no further, the Blues weren’t on anyone’s radar as a real contender before the season, even less so in January after coaching and goaltending changes for a team that was still in last place in the NHL. To go from the lowest of lows to beating the favored Bruins in Game 7 at Boston for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup is a truly remarkable turnaround, spearheaded by a retread coach in Craig Berube and a journeyman rookie goalie in Jordan Binngton.
It’s stories like the Blues’ and Binnington’s that can seemingly only happen in the NHL. You certainly don’t get that in the NBA where the best teams or the best players (usually both) tend to finish on top. Even this year with the Raptors being a feel-good story, it’s not like they came out of nowhere and their acquisition of one of the best three players in the NBA led to their own improbable run. Baseball is a sport of the haves and have-nots more and more as teams favor the go big or go home approach, widening the parity gulf and creating more long summer days for a sport already struggling to attract the younger viewers. Football? Well you did have the Eagles and Nick Foles two years ago, in a story with some similarities to the Blues this year. Of course every NFL season in the end still comes down to whether you can beat the Patriots in late January or early February, and you’re certainly not coming from the worst record in the middle of the season to win a Super Bowl there.
I can’t say as I watched most of the playoffs, although I certainly did have the SCF Game 7 turned on from start to finish. Given I grew up on deep Devils’ playoff runs, maybe it’s inevitable it’d be hard for me to emotionally get into an increasing number of postseasons without them in it (and the one that they were in, was a quick cup of coffee appearance). At least there’s still Doc Emrick around to do the games, a touch of nostalgia in that sense. His call on one of Binngton’s great saves in the third period just before the Blues’ dagger of a third goal was typically classic. Doesn’t mean I don’t care who wins – certainly the Blues this year and the Caps last year with their stories of redemption and getting over the hump at long last appealed to most neutral fans like myself. I was also happy with the Blackhawks breaking their long drought in 2010, with the added benefit of them beating the rival Flyers to do it. It’s just hard to follow day in, day out when you have no real emotional attachment other than seeing the scores and who won.
I certainly did know about the spate of bizarre officiating decisions throughout the postseason, including the missed call in Game 5 that proved decisive in the Blues’ win there. It’s probably a good thing for the sake of potential contreversy that the Bruins won Game 6, despite the fact it spoiled the party for a few days in St. Louis. After all, bad call or not you can’t really blame anyone but yourself in the end when you lose three home games in the same Final. It also gave a chance for us to see one of the best fan watch scenes ever when Blues fans both filled up their own arena, and filed into Busch Stadium to the tune of 20,000 plus fans sitting out in the rain to watch their team win the city’s first Stanley Cup on the road after over fifty years of existence. Organized watch parties can be fun, I experienced a few of them during the 2012 postseason. Certainly more fun for this blogger than just going to a random bar.
Of course it’s more satisfying to see the team win in person. I got that ultimate thrill in 2003, because I’d bought a ticket for Game 7 in the middle of the series with the Ducks just in case and when the day came nothing was going to keep me away, and as it turned out I was quite ill with what turned out to be bronchitis. While my parents were worried about me going to the game I shot back this could be once in a lifetime (which indeed it has been to this point), I’m going – so I took medicine, some antibiotics and gutted it out, getting rewarded for it when the Devils prevailed for their third and currently final Stanley Cup. Thankfully my health was better in 2012 when I was at the Rock and ‘Henrique, it’s over!’ happened. Ironic that our seminal win against the Rangers to capture the Eastern Conference is known as much by Doc’s call as anything else, not to mention the fact we got deep enough in the playoffs so it was Doc making the call again.
Thankfully I was spared the ignominy later in that postseason of watching a Kings’ celebration in Game 5 when the Devils staved off elimination for a second straight game. Me and my friend certainly would have stayed though, even for an opposition ceremony. Of championship ceremonies, there’s nothing quite like the Cup presentation and skate-around. I didn’t really get the Boston fans who left before the presentation the other night, you’d think fans in an Original Six city would have more appreciation than most for a Cup ceremony. And heck, how many fans wouldn’t like the opportunity to boo Gary Bettman yet again? Of course since Boston became the city of champions in the 2000’s the spoiled moniker comes to mind. With the Mets and Jets (not to mention the Devils since 2012) there’s really little danger of me becoming spoiled as a sports fan.
That said it would be nice to start to get back on the road toward having some success in April and May. I’ll soon post a Devils-centric blog before free agency begins but don’t feel like previewing the draft itself. Ignoring the Internet-created drama during the World Championships, our pick still seems like it’s destined to be Jack Hughes, with Kappo Kakko heading to the Rangers for an insta-rivalry. The real suspense in our draft will be day two. With three second-round picks and two-third round selections the Devils have plenty of ammo to either move up, or use the picks as trade ammunition. Although there’s an argument to be made for keeping all the picks in a deep draft and letting scouting director Paul Castron add young prospects, I’d honestly be dissapointed if we made all our selections given said opportunities for trading up or using picks to add talent a la the Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson trades. Especially with the cap space we’re still banking.
Thankfully there isn’t much layover between the end of the Finals and the beginning of the offseason with the draft beginning next Friday and free agency in about two weeks, and my semi-hibernation from hockey can end. At least before the real hibernation from mid-July till early September when camps open.
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