Rangers sign college free agent Ryan Haggerty

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Derek
Ryan Haggerty signed as a college free agent with the Rangers. www.timesunion.com

Ryan Haggerty signed as a college free agent with the Rangers.
http://www.timesunion.com

The Rangers dipped into the college free agent pool signing Ryan Haggerty. The 21-year old undrafted forward concluded his junior year with R.P.I of the ECAC. The Stamford, Connecticut native blossomed into one of college hockey’s top finishers scoring 28 goals and adding 15 helpers totaling 43 points this season. That led the Rensselaer Engineers. In Conference play, he tallied an ECAC-leading 14 goals with 10 assists and 24 points in 21 games. Ten of Haggerty’s 28 markers came on the power play and he also led R.P.I. with six game-winners.

Over a three-year collegiate career, Haggerty has 47 goals, 27 assists and 84 points in 106 contests. Listed at 6-0, 200, he’s a right handed shot who can snipe. If there is one thing the Rangers lack, it’s a righty finisher. He signed an NHL deal which means he can’t be assigned to Hartford. Haggerty will join the Rangers this weekend following the road trip. For a bit more on Haggerty, who prior to three years at R.P.I. spent 2010-11 with the U.S. National Development Team tallying seven goals and eight assists for 15 points, The United States Of Hockey editor Chris Peters tweeted out some more helpful info.

I was able to find some video of Haggerty scoring a power play goal versus Cornell on YouTube. Nice goal horn.

Having a player who can score on the off wing should help. The question is when will we see him. Considering the Rangers continued inconsistency following the Martin St. Louis acquisition, Alain Vigneault should consider it. You can’t keep waiting on guys to produce. They’re in a race and aren’t guaranteed anything. I wonder if they have the guts to give Haggerty a look. Only time will tell.

Posted in NY Rangers, Prospect Watch | Leave a comment

New York Puck: Video review of Rangers loss to Hurricanes

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Derek

Rather than do a conventional recap, I’ll just give a brief summary of both BONY teams. Being that I missed the Ranger debacle in Carolina, I didn’t get to see any lowlights. Thankfully, I found the first two Hurricanes goals on YouTube courtesy NHL Video. Along with the rumblings from fan bloggers and fans on Twitter, that was enough. Against an opponent they beat last week in Raleigh, the Rangers forgot to show falling 3-1 to the Canes.

It was a dreadful night for Marc Staal. Facing brothers Eric and Jordan, he went minus-three. On the first two goals against, it was more his fault than partner Anton Stralman. Let’s take a look at the Canes’ first goal scored by Jiri Tlusty.

On the play, the Rangers get caught scrambling. Following an Alex Semin backhand try that goes into the corner, he quickly recovers the puck pushing it up the wall to a pinching Andrej Sekera. Sekera moves it back down to Jordan Staal trapping three Blueshirts including Marc Staal, who goes to Semin instead of allowing Derek Stepan to take him. Both players went to Semin leaving Jordan Staal alone to gather the puck and create a two on one down low. He held the puck which froze a sliding Stralman allowing Tlusty to bury a perfect set up. No chance for Henrik Lundqvist.

Astonishingly, Kevin Klein was the lone goal scorer. He actually got his first before Michael Del Zotto. Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot assisted. Still tied at one, another Staal brain cramp led directly to brother Jordan’s game-winner. The “top line” of Stepan, Chris Kreider and Rick Nash were again victimized. Here is a closer look at what transpired.

With under two minutes left in the second period, Stepan was unable to keep the puck in at the left point. Staal and Stralman were back. However, Staal missed the puck off the glass in the neutral zone trapping him. With the other three forwards stuck in the Carolina end, that left Stralman on his lonesome to again defend a two on one between Jordan Staal and Tlusty. This time, they worked a give and go with Staal on the receiving end of a Tlusty feed for a tap in.

Those two goals indicate how out of sorts the Rangers were. Facing former Conn Smythe winner Cam Ward, all they could muster were 25 shots. Even for the struggling netminder who has lost his starting job to Anton Khudobin, that’s a light night. Since being acquired at last week’s trade deadline, Martin St. Louis has one assist in four games. Ryan Callahan has two. They need St. Louis to be a difference maker. Their next game is at Minnesota tomorrow. That won’t be easy. Zach Parise is on fire and the Wild are in their own playoff race.

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Lundqvist wins 300, ties Giacomin

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Derek
Net Trapped: In a hilarious moment, Henrik Lundqvist picks up the net after it fell trapping him while Anton Stralman watches. Lundqvist won number 300 and tied Ed Giacomin in shutouts. Frank Franklin II/AP Photos

Net Trapped: In a hilarious moment, Henrik Lundqvist picks up the net after it fell trapping him while Anton Stralman watches. Lundqvist won number 300 and tied Ed Giacomin in shutouts.
Frank Franklin II/AP Photos

Perfection. That can best describe Sunday’s 3-0 Rangers win over the Red Wings. Facing another must win, they scored three times on Jimmy Howard and got a special performance from Henrik Lundqvist. Needing a victory to reach 300, Lundqvist stopped all 30 Detroit shots to not only become the second goalie in franchise history to win 300 joining Mike Richter. But also pitched his 49th shutout tying him with Hall Of Famer Ed Giacomin for the team lead.

”It’s a great feeling to be up there with those guys,” a pleased Lundqvist perfectly stated. ”This organization has been around for so long, so to be up there with them, it’s very special, and I am proud just thinking about it.

”It’s a lot of fun when you think about it, and I started thinking about it after two periods – why not go for the doughnut in this game and reach 300 wins? It was a good challenge for me.”

At 32, Lundqvist will soon be at the top by himself in wins and shutouts. He needs two victories to pass Richter (301) and one shutout to pass Giacomin. Not too shabby for the former 2000 seventh round pick who will become the highest paid goalie beginning next season. He’d struggled lately winning one of his last four starts with a 3.77 GAA. With Alain Vigneault once again going to him, Lundqvist delivered a big performance helping lead the Rangers to a second consecutive win. Making his fifth straight start, he allowed two goals or less for the second game in a row. A trend that must continue.

With 17 games left, the win moved the Blueshirts up to second in the Metro Division a point up on the idle Flyers who lost in overtime at Toronto Saturday night. The 74 points are three more than the Blue Jackets, four better than the Capitals and five clear of the Devils. The loss for the Wings dropped them out of the wild card with 18 games remaining. By virtue of three more regulation and overtime wins (ROW), the Jackets sit eighth. Detroit currently has the longest playoff streak. They’ve qualified for the postseason 22 straight. The Red Wings haven’t missed the playoffs since 1989-90. There’s a chance they could in their first year in the East.

Ironically, the Rangers swept the season series winning all three games against a team that’s owned them historically. It was Lundqvist’s second straight shutout of the Red Wings. He also blanked them on Jan. 16 making 38 saves in a 1-0 win also at MSG. That’s 68 consecutive shots he stopped. Of course, it helps not to see Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. In that one, Mats Zuccarello scored the only goal with 5:58 left in regulation of what was a classic goalie duel between Lundqvist and Howard. This time, our goalie got stronger support including two goals from rookie Chris Kreider. Both his tallies came in the third period from Friday’s hero Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh.

”He’s the best goalie in the world, best around the league, and we’re lucky enough to have him on our team,” Kreider praised of his goalie. ”It’s kind of his style to get a shutout for his 300th win.”

”He’s been the face of the franchise and will continue to be,” Brad Richards said. ”He’s only been in the league eight or nine years, and it seems like 30 or 40 wins each year.”

There’s no doubt Lundqvist is the backbone of a franchise that’s qualified for seven of the last eight postseasons. He’s always been there to cover up for his team’s mistakes. This has been his most challenging year. He’s been inconsistent despite improving to 24-20-4. Usually, he dominates. But in a season that didn’t start well before signing a record extension that’ll pay him an average of $8.5 million through 2020-21, Lundqvist has struggled at times leaving many wondering if maybe giving that kind of money was too much. Especially with understudy Cam Talbot proving so valuable. Make no mistake. If they are to go anywhere this Spring, it’ll fall on the broad shoulders of Lundqvist.

Brian Boyle started the scoring 5:14 into the contest. He cashed in his fifth when the Boston College standout got to a John Moore rebound and beat Howard. Dominic Moore also picked up a helper. Since Glen Sather acquired Dan Carcillo from LA, the fourth line has been a constant. They have contributed the occasional goal while being reliable defensively and supplying strong penalty killing. Boyle has played that role since he got here. Also an ex-King, it doesn’t matter who the coach is. Boyle always gives max effort and hustles. He might not be beloved due to not being able to fight for his size. But the man has been a good Ranger. He wins faceoffs, especially in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill. An unrestricted free agent this summer, he might be worth re-signing. You always need those types.

Leading 1-0 after two, Kreider doubled the margin when he finished off his 15th just 14 seconds into the third. Another BC product who had a big day registering his first multi-goal game since recording a hat trick in a 5-2 home win over Vancouver on Nov. 30. Since a three-point effort on Jan. 21, he entered with only two points over the last dozen. Kreider has been taking some bad penalties. He took another before recovering for two goals in the third five minutes apart. His second of the period came at 5:14 when he took a Stepan dish across and had all day to sweep it past a sliding out of position Howard. Both tallies came from American teammates Stepan and McDonagh.

All that remained was whether Lundqvist would put a stamp on No.300 with his 49th shutout. Detroit fired 12 shots but couldn’t beat him. When the buzzer sounded, Dan Girardi went across the ice and got the puck. That’s what a future captain does.

”He’s one of the best, and he was extra solid today like the Olympics,” said former Swedish teammate Daniel Alfredsson. ”We didn’t execute well at all. We just couldn’t get it done.”

All part of a special day for Hank and the Rangers.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (2 assists, more dominance from a Norris darkhorse)

2nd Star-Chris Kreider, NYR (2 goals-15, 16)

1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (30 saves-4th shutout of season-franchise tying 49th ties Giacoming, 300th career win trails Richter by 1)

 

 

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Ruutu saves the day against his former team

Posted on March 9, 2014 by hasan4978

IMG_1395[1]

With the noose tightening around the Devils’ necks following a disgraceful no-show in Detroit on Friday night, last night’s game against the Canes was an absolute must-win.  Losing would have all but eliminated the Devils, putting them five points behind the Rangers with a game in hand for the last division spot and four points behind the Wings (with two in hand for Detroit) for the final wild card spot.  Showing urgency – particularly in the early part of the second period – the Devils jumped out to a 4-1 lead and got starting Cane goaltender Anton Khudobin pulled.  As has been the case so many times with this team under Pete DeBoer though, they inexplicably lost the lead before the newest Devil (Tuomo Ruutu) dramatically rescued his team from the abyss with a storybook ending.  New Jersey’s 5-4 win wasn’t artistic, but it was critical – keeping us within shouting distance pending other teams’ games in hand.

Even with our typical defensive foibles late in the game, at least I felt better after last night’s game than I did after Friday’s fiasco in Detroit (a 7-4 loss which wasn’t even that close), the first time Cory Schnieder had ever given up as many as seven goals in the NHL.  With all the recent Martin Brodeur-created publicly contreversy around the goaltending situation it was an ill-timed blow up for Schnieder, who hasn’t found his groove since the break yet.  Granted, he didn’t get much help from his team, who totally stunk the joint out for 55 of the 60 minutes and punted away any good that was accomplished in Tuesday’s emotional home victory.  Still, between the Devils’ inconsistencies and MB30’s all-too-public crying these days I was pretty much tired of everything and everybody these days.  Of the starting lineup yesterday, Jaromir Jagr was the only one who deserved – and got – my applause, which included MB30.  Normally I’ll go out of my way to stand up and clap for MB30 and stay up until the anthem, but last night I only stood up for our other HOF’er to be, then sat back down till the anthem.

Given my antagonistic mood, the Devils needed to score early to get me into the game, which they did at 4:25 with Ruutu figuring in prominently in this goal – threading the needle past Khudobin and defenseman Jay Harrison to find Travis Zajac wide open for a his eleventh goal of the season…a tap-in that even Zajac (who seemingly invents ways to miss open nets) couldn’t help but put in unless there was a hole in the ice, I joked during the game.  Despite being outshot 10-6 in the first period, it was actually the Devils who had the better chances – but Khudobin stopped Ryane Clowe on a breakaway, made a brilliant save on a Steve Bernier deflection and another good one on a Patrik Elias attempt off a two-on-one.  Early in the second period we peppered Khudobin in a period where we wound up with seventeen shots total but as tends to be the case when one team gets chances and fails to take advantage, the other team invaraibly makes them pay.  Jeff Skinner‘s game-tying goal at 6:21 was one of those ‘fluke by design’ plays which started when Andrej Sekera missed the net with a shot, only for it to bounce right to Skinner, who put the puck in off Mark Fayne‘s elbow.

Soon after, the Devils’ offensive avalanche finally started to fall on the Canes, when our PP broke the deadlock at 8:34 after Damien Brunner put home a backhanded rebound from a Marek Zidlicky shot for his tenth goal of the season.  Just twenty-three seconds later the Devils doubled their lead when Clowe and Adam Henrique got behind the Canes’ defense with Clowe getting the puck to Henrique, who beat Khudobin with a slick backhander top-shelf.  It can’t be overstated how hot Henrique’s been since the break, with nine goals, two assists and a +7 in six games since the Olympics.  While Henrique’s tear has bumped his goal total to twenty-three for the season, he was having a very middling start before the break (14 G, 13 A and a -1 in 59 games) but thankfully someone told him it’s May 2012 again.  While Henrique’s first goal last night extended his goal-scoring streak to a team record-tying six games in a row, his second goal seemingly put the game away when Elias left a nice drop pass that Henrique fired home through a screen shorthanded at 12:51, making the game 4-1 and prompting the Canes to put in the ghost of Cam Ward.

Ward’s had a rough go of it aside from a couple of good seasons, and his stellar playoff runs in ’06 and ’09 (mostly built off our backs).  So much so he’s actually been replaced by Khudobin as the starter in Carolina for the moment.  With him in the game now and a huge lead, I admit it I got cocky and screamed something to the effect of, ‘Ward, you suck…it’s mop-up time for you buddy!’  I should have known better, especially given this team.  While I still don’t believe Stan Fischler‘s axiom about a three-goal lead being the worst in hockey, somehow it winds up being true all the time with this team.  Plus I forgot we were still on the PK, and the Canes got back the goal they gave away shorthanded when Harrison beat Brodeur with an unscreened wrister thirty-three seconds later.  Though the game remained 4-2 through the second intermission, I still had an uneasy feeling given our suddenly leaky defense, and the fact MB30 wasn’t exactly living up to his public talk.  Early in the third, my worst fears started to be realized at 4:41 when Brunner literally threw away a power play chance, turning around and making a blind pass across the point that was intercepted for a shorthanded chance by Nathan Gerbe that the diminutive ex-Sabre put home, beating Brodeur as if this was a shootout.  Even that goal was nothing compared to the Canes’ tying marker, a great solo effort by Alex Semin combined with horrid efforts from Bryce Salvador ‘defending’ him and MB30 in stopping the puck at 12:39.  Although I knew the Canes were tying the game when it got to 4-3, it was at this point I was broken and just hoped the Canes would get this over with before another hideous shootout.

Almost out of nowhere, the Devils re-took the lead just fifty-one seconds later when a Zidlicky shot rebounded to Ruutu, who beat his old teammate Ward through traffic.  At this point I was more bemused than anything, reminding me of the 8-5 game against the Rangers in ’09 where I was so annoyed my reaction was more a sigh of relief and just hoping the roof wouldn’t fall in again.  Despite some hairy moments late, there was no second reprieve for Carolina last night and the Devils escaped…barely.  After the game, I went up to the goal bar briefly to take this picture of the Hockey Night Live crew doing a rare road trip, prompting a joke from Al Trautwig about how they were at the Prudential Center, ‘the house Dano built’.  If it wasn’t a good game on the whole, it was certainly a meaningful one for Ruutu, whose two-point effort was praised in the postgame by coach DeBoer:

“It was a great game for him,” Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. “With what he’s gone through – his wife and family are back in Carolina and she’s expecting a baby – he’s got a lot going on with all the travel’s he’s done. We wouldn’t have won tonight without him, so it was an exceptional effort.”

New guy heroics aside, the Devils are going to have to clean up their mistakes defensively if they’re going to go on any kind of a winning streak to save their season.  It’s easy enough to scapegoat Eric Gelinas (who only played one PP shift in the third period) and the kids didn’t look great at times, but it’s not as easy to explain away the various foibles by our veterans, or the lack of backchecking from the forwards lately.  It seems obvious we’ve been sacrificing defense for offense since the break, but if we’re going to do that then the goaltenders need to be on their game.  And neither Cory or MB30 were on their games the last two nights, although as has been the case this season the MB30 voodoo magic came through again, as MB30’s gone to 3-0 since the break while Cory’s at 1-2, and seemingly MB30’ll get his wish and play Tuesday and next weekend going into the stretch drive.  Our upcoming three-game road trip is critical, especially Tuesday’s game against the Flyers, who we’re chasing for one of the automatic division playoff spots.  After our trip to Florida to play the Panthers and Lightning next weekend, the Devils only leave the tri-state area twice the rest of the season, for one-game trips to Ottawa and Carolina in April.  Hopefully there’ll still be something to play for by then.

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Rangers comeback win over Canes crucial, East Playoff Race

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Derek

Clearly, they needed a win in the worst way. It didn’t matter how they got it. Even if it was against a fading division opponent, the Rangers took advantage of some gifts scoring four times in the third period to post a crucial 4-2 win over the Canes Friday night in Raleigh. For two periods, they couldn’t beat Anton Khudobin. At that point, he stopped 26 and the Carolina hosts led 1-0 on a Jordan Staal tally back in the first.

Frustration was building. Having already killed a two-man advantage, the Rangers also had to kill off a Daniel Carcillo interference minor during the second. A fourth consecutive penalty from returning diminutive forward Mats Zuccarello early in the third proved to be a turning point. Entering play, they scored two shorthanded goals to gain a point in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Maple Leafs in Martin St. Louis’ Ranger debut Wednesday. Ryan McDonagh and Dominic Moore scored. It would be McDonagh again tallying for a second straight game shorthanded thanks to a nice cross ice feed from Rick Nash. It was 11th of the season.

But before they could gain momentum, Jeff Skinner got behind the defense and was hooked from behind by Anton Stralman leading to a penalty shot. Anyone who’s seen Henrik Lundqvist this season knows he can’t stop a beach ball when facing an attacking player one on one. Odd considering all the shootout success he’s had for his career. Before he even moved, Skinner rifled one home for his 24th restoring a one-goal Carolina lead with 7:53 left. A furious Lundqvist shoved the puck out of the net. This season, he’s allowed all four shooters to beat him on penalty shots. Toronto OT hero Tyler Bozak did it last game. Whatever the problem is, he needs to fix it soon.

Nine seconds later, Chris Kreider got into it with Brett Bellemore post scrum leading to matching roughing minors. That put the teams at four on four opening more ice. It benefited the Rangers who responded well to adversity. On a great keep from John Moore, who played one of his better games, Nash took a Derek Stepan pass and centered for a cutting Moore but the puck never touched his stick. Instead deflecting off a Cane in front for Nash’s team-leading 20th. The big goal came 1:17 after Skinner’s penalty shot goal tying the game with 6:36 remaining.

Carolina gift wrapped the victory by taking two delay of game minors 32 seconds apart. After Ron Hainsey was already in the box, a diving Bellemore accidentally cleared the puck over the glass giving the Rangers a five on three. Despite Kirk Muller’s protests that St. Louis hooked Bellemore down, the Rangers were patient with the puck before finally cashing in. They had trouble getting shots through against the Canes’ triangle. But after playing catch with Brad Richards, St. Louis settled the puck down and threaded the needle across to Stepan for a power play goal with 2:46 left. Stepan’s 11th came from St. Louis and Richards. For St. Louis, it was his first point as a Blueshirt. It came in the clutch. Exactly what you expect from a former Hart winner who has a penchant for delivering timely goals. This time, it was his playmaking allowing him to record his 33rd assist of the season.

Following a Dan Girardi clear that Zuccarello helped chip out, Carl Hagelin sealed it by scoring into an empty net at 19:19. He played a key role killing penalties. Hagelin logged 2:30 while shorthanded. He got 25 shifts and played 14 minutes. With former captain Ryan Callahan now a Lightning, Hagelin has an even larger role. Already a key penalty killer, he’s one of the team’s best two-way forwards. Two days after playing with St. Louis and Richards, he saw time on the third line with Derick Brassard and Benoit Pouliot. Alain Vigneault opted to try Zuccarello with St. Louis and Richards. The trio had solid chemistry.

Lundqvist had to make one last big stop when the D fell asleep allowing Drayson Bowman to break in. But Lundqvist made a huge glove save with 22 seconds left. Maybe that will be a confidence boost. He’s struggled on breakaways. Given the high risk style the Rangers are playing, there are going to be moments when they need their franchise goalie to come up big. Especially if Vigneault isn’t going to play Cam Talbot much down the stretch.

The Rangers have another big game tomorrow against the Red Wings at MSG. It’s a 12:30 start on NBC. I won’t be around. But will have a recap later. Currently, they’re tied for second with the Flyers in the Metro. Each club has 72 points and 30 regulation/overtime wins (ROW). Philadelphia is second due to one less game played. They make that up tonight with a visit to Air Canada Centre versus the Leafs. A busy Saturday schedule already has two games going with the Senators leading the Jets 5-2 trying to stay in the race. The Devils try to bounce back from a 7-4 loss at Detroit when they host the Canes. St. Louis’ former team the Lightning look to avoid four straight losses when the Bruins visit. The Caps play host to the Coyotes and the Blue Jackets are in Nashville.

EAST PLAYOFF RACE

Metro Division

1.Penguins 63 GP 88 Pts 37 ROW

2.Flyers      63 GP 72 Pts  30 ROW

3.Rangers   64 GP 72 Pts 30 ROW

Atlantic Division

1.Bruins       62 GP 85 Pts 39 ROW

2.Canadiens 65 GP 77 Pts 30 ROW

3.Leafs          64 GP 74 Pts 24 ROW

Wild Card

1.Lightning  63 GP 73 Pts 28 ROW

2.Red Wings 63 GP 71 Pts 25 ROW

3.Blue Jackets 63 GP 69 Pts 28 ROW

4.Capitals        64 GP 68 Pts 21 ROW

5.Devils           64 GP 67 Pts 27 ROW

6.Senators       63 GP 65 Pts 24 ROW

7.Hurricanes   63 GP 63 Pts 26 ROW

Posted in NY Rangers | Leave a comment

Bettman does the right thing, haters still stew

Posted on March 6, 2014 by hasan4978

Former Devil Ilya Kovalchuk is still a lightning rod around the NHL (TSN.ca)

As Derek already wrote about, the NHL surprisingly (or not, depending on your point of view) reduced the Devils’ already contreversial Ilya Kovalchuk contract penalty by cutting the $3 million fine in half and deciding not to take away our first-round pick entirely, instead just moving it to the end of the round with the caveat that we can’t trade the pick.  Originally the Devils were supposed to surrender a first-rounder in any of the next four seasons soon after the Stanley Cup Finals of that year.  With this being the fourth year since the punishment and the Devils not having given up the first yet, they took their final chance to appeal the ruling and won – at least in the respect that they do have a first-round pick now.  Whatever disagreements I have with Gary Bettman in other areas, he showed some fortitude in this case by doing the right thing despite dealing with a league full of whiners and hypocrites who clearly didn’t like the commish’s reversal and no doubt were salivating at the thought of us giving up a lottery pick for nothing this year.

I don’t doubt the Devils deserved some punishment for the initial contract, which was definitely more over the line than other contracts, but the level of the initial punishment (1st, 3rd and $3 million) was so over the top it was ridiculous.  Particularly given that nobody else was punished at all for other similar cap-busting contracts, including the Senators who the league didn’t do anything to even after Daniel Alfredsson admitted publicly his last contract in Ottawa was cap circumvention.  At least not until the new CBA which saw the retroactive implementation of cap recapture penalties, which do penalize teams capwise if players retire before their contract is up and they have below cap value salary years left on the deal, although you need to go to MIT to figure out the formula one uses to determine what the cap penalties are at what point in each player’s contract.

However, that only put everyone on a level playing field…the Devils’ Kovalchuk punishment in fact was a double punishment for us given Kovy’s early retirement this year left us with a $250,000 cap penalty for the next dozen years.  I might have blamed Bettman and right hand man Bill Daly for the initial ruling some but even then I realized to a degree that they were only attempting to keep the hounds at bay.  Especially when it came out after the punishment that many in the league thought that was too soft, that we should have been made to surrender a first-rounder immediately…which would have been disasterous as it turned out, since we wound up with the fourth overall pick that year.  One unnamed GM called our Kovalchuk contract ‘criminal’.  Other execs like Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and Caps owner Ted Leonsis weren’t shy about putting their names on the record bashing our deal.

Funny I don’t remember the outrage from any of these guys when Roberto Luongo signed a deal until he was 43, or Marian Hossa signed a deal with several suspiciously cheap years tacked on at the end of it – among other dubious cap contracts that went unpunished.  Every GM in the league would have done the same thing if they could get a world-class player like Kovalchuk onto their roster and most proved it by skirting the NHL’s ‘spirit of the law’ themselves.  Yet these same hypocrites couldn’t wait to see us dropped under the guillotine.  Where I most faulted the league is the fact they punished us so harshly even after their own arbiter (Richard Bloch) admitted after overturning the contract that there was no overt evidence of collusion by the Devils.  With Kovalchuk having since went off to Russia jumping in rubles like Scrooge McDuck with gold coins, it seems obvious the league rethought the level of their punishment for our contract.  Though clearly they won’t admit the fact Kovy’s no longer in the NHL played a factor.  Others suspect it was the NHL doing new ownership a favor, especially since we filed the appeal in January and the league clearly had no love lost for former owner Jeff Vanderbeek.

Whatever the reason for the NHL’s reversal, I doubt the timing was coincidental considering it was announced the day after the trade deadline.  If it had been announced before, perhaps the waters would have been poisoned too badly for us to make any trades given that the babies who run the league are whining again about how Bettman did Lou Lamoriello a favor.  As if moving down in the first round, losing a third-rounder and being fined was a small inconvenience.  Depending on how you want to look at it, this either justifies or takes Lamoriello off the hook for keeping Stefan Matteau (the #29 pick) two summers ago.  For sure, it removes one of the black clouds from this season.  We might still be ashen if we miss the playoffs and lose what would have been a lottery pick under the new system, though going from anywhere around 10-16 to 30 isn’t anywhere near as bad as forefitting the pick entirely.

Posted in Devils, NHL | 1 Comment

NHL awards Devils first round pick, reduces fine

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Derek

7b40c-ilyakovalchuk

In a reversal, the NHL awarded the Devils a first round pick for this year’s draft. They also have reduced the $3 million fine to $1.5 million for the Ilya Kovalchuk signing in 2010. The stiff penalty was handed down for cap circumvention.

Having forfeited a third round pick in 2011, the Devils were also expected to lose a first round pick in one of the next four drafts. Instead, Lou Lamoriello held out until this year hoping for a different ruling. After the club applied for reconsideration, they won.

When the original ruling happened, it was controversial because the league never penalized any other team for similar contracts that violated the CBA. Now, this stunning about face is equally as controversial with many league executives protesting. Here are a couple of interesting tweets from TSN insider Darren Dreger on the matter.

Whatever the reason, the Devils now will pick 30th in the first round of this year’s draft. There hasn’t been any explanation which probably is adding fuel to the fire. Personally, I don’t have an issue with it. It seemed like classic overreaction at the time after the Devils and Kovalchuk reworked the contract. I’m sure Hasan will have more reaction later. So much for the notion the league was out to get the Devils.

Posted in Battle News, Devils | 1 Comment

Sabres and Kings swap prospects: Buffalo gets Hudson Fasching

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Derek
In a four player deal involving prospects, the Sabres acquired Hudson Fasching from the Kings. twincities.com

In a four player deal involving prospects, the Sabres acquired Hudson Fasching from the Kings.
twincities.com

During yesterday’s NHL Trade Deadline, one deal that might be overlooked was a prospect swap between the Sabres and Kings. The trade involved four players and two draft picks. The Sabres acquired Hudson Fasching and Nicolas Deslauriers from the Kings in exchange for Brayden McNabb, Jonathan Parker, a 2014 second round pick plus a 2015 fifth round pick.

Obviously considering some of the big names that moved, it’s easy to miss such a deal when it involves prospects. It’s certainly intriguing with new Buffalo GM Tim Murray using two of his many picks to acquire two young players he feels highly about. On a busy day he also claimed former Senator forward Cory Conacher, who will debut tonight versus the Lightning, Murray added a pair of new prospects that could affect the Sabres’ future.

Fasching is an 18-year old freshman currently playing at the University Of Minnesota. The Kings selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 Draft 118th overall. He’s made a seamless transition posting 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 31 games for the Golden Gophers. The Milwaukee native also represented Team USA at the U-20 World Junior Championship registering two goals and two assists in five games. He’s definitely a player on the rise that should be worth tracking.

Deslauriers is 23 and in his third AHL season. A former defenseman who’s been converted to forward, he was leading Manchester with 18 goals and had 21 assists totaling 39 points with 76 penalty minutes over 60 games. The former Kings ’09 third round pick (84th overall) has seen his production increase since the move up front. It’ll be interesting to see if the Sabres keep him there in Rochester.

McNabb is the same age as Deslauriers. A defenseman who has a goal and seven assists in 37 games during two NHL stints with Buffalo, he tallied seven goals and 22 helpers for 29 points with 45 PIM in 38 games for Rochester. Ironically, McNabb was also taken in the same draft in Round Three 66th overall. Eighteen places ahead of Deslauriers. It’s basically an ’09 swap.

Parker is a 22-year old right wing who was playing in the ECHL for the Colorado Eagles. After posting only an assist in 11 games with Rochester, he had 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points with Colorado in the East Coast Hockey League. Undrafted, he’s spent parts of three seasons as a pro with Rochester, Gwinnett (ECHL) and Colorado. After tallying 45 goals and 41 helpers for Prince Albert of the WHL in ’10-11, he’s totaled 12 points (6-6-12) in 76 games for Rochester.

For parting with Fasching, LA receives good value getting back the second round pick they parted with for ex-Sabre Robyn Regehr. They also got a fifth round pick in 2015.

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Martin St. Louis debuts with Richards

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Derek

Martin St. Louis made his Broadway debut last night in the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime loss. Getty Images/media.nhl.com

Martin St. Louis arrived yesterday and took part in his first game as a Ranger. Wearing his trademark number 26, he ironically took 26 shifts playing 20:11 with three shots and a minus-one rating in the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime loss at Madison Square Garden.

While it wasn’t the end result he hoped for, St. Louis was reunited with former Lightning Brad Richards. After so many years apart, they didn’t miss a beat. From their opening shift together with Carl Hagelin, the new Ranger trio showed cohesion. Cheered loudly by the Garden, St. Louis nearly scored early off a great set up from Richards in the slot. But his one-timer was denied by Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier, who would later rob Richards off a St. Louis feed. Hagelin also was thwarted on another opportunity. The line combined for 10 shots and were the Rangers’ most dangerous at even strength.

For two periods, the Rangers were unable to solve Bernier. In fact, they fell behind 2-0 when Nazem Kadri rebounded home a Nikolai Kulemin shot two minutes into the third. It looked like St. Louis’ debut would be spoiled. But with Richards in the penalty box, the team scored two shorthanded goals 1:19 apart to tie the game. Ryan McDonagh banked in a shot off Dion Phaneuf’s skate and Dominic Moore converted a Derek Stepan pass off a two on one to tie it at two.

Eventually, the game went to overtime where Tyler Bozak converted in front at 1:51 beating Henrik Lundqvist for a second time. Earlier on, he was taken down by John Moore leading to a penalty shot which he scored on. A frustrated Lundqvist slammed his stick ending a night where the Rangers salvaged one point.

”Tonight was a gutsy comeback,” St. Louis said. ”Unfortunately we didn’t get the extra point, but I was happy to come here and just break the ice.”

”I always felt if I was going to leave Tampa, the first place I’d want to play would be in New York,” he added. ”It’s been in the back of my mind for a long time, but I wouldn’t trade those 14 years in Tampa for anything.”

Given a second chance after spending parts of two seasons in Calgary, St. Louis went on to become one of the game’s best players winning a Hart, Stanley Cup and an Art Ross. Ironically, the Cup came playing alongside Richards who was awarded the Conn Smythe during Tampa Bay’s championship in ’03-04. They don’t win without St. Louis, who forced Game 7 by beating the Flames in double overtime. In 970 games, he finished with 365 goals and 588 assists totaling 953 points.

Now, the 38-year old who also recorded a four-goal game in a Lightning home loss to the Sharks on Jan. 18 begins what probably will be the final act of a Hall Of Fame career. Closer to his home in Greenwich, St. Louis will try to lead the Rangers to a Stanley Cup. He’ll do it playing with his close friend on the same line.

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Video of the day: Gionta’s dramatic winner last night

Posted on March 5, 2014 by hasan4978

Unfortunately the NHL.com clip above doesn’t show Chico apologizing for getting excited…but does capture the emotion of the call and the crowd itself.  Watch as an unlikely combo – defenseman Mark Fayne and role player Stephen Gionta – combine for a huge goal that kept the Devils just one point behind Detroit and two points back of the automatic division playoff berth.

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