Blue Notes

Rosival is not the only right-handed shot on D (Girardi).

Meszaros is an RFA that Ottawa is likely to re-sign. Any chance they can trade for Shea Weber?

I'd like to see Potter get a long look in camp.

Paying 3 mil for Orpik would be huge mistake, he is of the Aaron Ward skill set and that does not need to be over paid for. The reason for Redden or Campbell is to solidy the one HUGE area of need and that is PP. Once the PP is solidified this team can begin to move towards 3 goals per game and the rest is history. The Rangers need to create a consistent offensive flow, and to do that the PP is a NO1 issue, then a power forward to play on first or second line is next. I would also take Stuart before Orpik all be equal yet that is still a high price for that type of D man. Hainsey or Commodore can answer the need for the physicality in front of net. Malone is a gamble a 3 mil or so per on a long term contract. It took him almost 3/4 of this season to finally hit his stride, so the question will still remain as to if he is a maturing prospect or a flash in the pan, I bet he is maturing so he would be a grat addition.

"...Until Sanguinetti is ready." Right, by Rangers standards Kane and Crosby will be nearing 30 by then.

HEY - he doesn't have to be God Almighty perfect to play and produce in this watered-down, over-expanded semi-professional league right now! You mean we keep Malik or Rozsival another year too long to further forestall Sanguinetti's overdue promotion. For a team with an impotent power play last year, to further delay the promotion of the best minor league D point man in captivity is preposterous. This young man scored more goals down there, than most Ranger forwards scored up here.

Ranger Rob

do you know there is a difference between "junior" and "minor" league hockey?

Or are you here again just to make yourself look like a buffoon?

Orpik will make at least 4m given the hype surrounding him. Malone will also get 4m+, as well as Avery.

I like what I see from Brad Stuart. He will easily get 4-5m though. The money is better spent on him than Rozsival. If not, I'm sure it's realistic to see Liles getting up to 4m.. again, better than Rozsival. No more Rozsival, please. He's a defensive liability his entire career, be it here or Pittsburgh.

Commodore/Stuart should be the physical d Sather is looking at.

The PP QB should be Streit/Liles.

Promote a guy from Hartford like Sauer/Potter (assuming healthy and will make the team out of camp) and sign a bruiser like Kurt Sauer for cheap.

Dude you are usually right on time with some sense of reality. As to Sangunetti, his jump to Hartford will be a big one and after this season he should be able to show up at camp and make some noise, so 09/10 season would be the anticipated debut of Bobby at the Garden. That being said the Rangers can't simply sit around for a season and wait for the Big FA and Bobby in 09/10, they have to solve the needs for 08/09 and those needs are pretty self evident and the answers are very available. Hopefully Slats is not considering over paying for Orpik and making the Aaron Ward mistake again. Liles is at 1.4 mil now so he is probably looking at just under 4mil and would be a value addition to the PP. Streit is a very interesting player yet I beleive that Gainey is going to get him to reup. I still think that Slats is going to go high and take Redden or Campbell, as both are going to succeed and ultimately they are not gambles. Campbell is a big time player and would hit teh spotlight in NY pretty good. And he has been getting the Drury invite for sometime now, I believe he is the one Slats is going after. He is going to get in the 5mil range or so and he is worth it, so it is better to go with chalk than to bet on a long shot especially with this Rangers team. Just imagine what this years Ranger team could have accomplished with a consistent PP.

Hainsey is going to be the priority, while working on getting Pitkenan from Edmonton. Hainsey/Staal.
I really think Sather is going to make a move here defensively.

Now is Stuart worth 3.5mil? Umm, Yup! I'd rather have Orpik and not resign Rozsival.
I'd also think we'll see a number of our young 3rd pair d-men because Bobby is going to start in Hartford. I'd bet we see him in Dec-Jan. Nothing like a good christmas rookie under the tree. :)

Is Stuart worth 3.5m? Yes. Is he worth 5m...as well as he's been playing, on the free market? Yes. Rozsival is going to want 5m and I hope Sather isn't dumb enough to give it to him. Pitkanen wants 5m+ and he's barely worth 3m, and we'd have to trade up for him before even signing him! Hainsey would be a solid signing though.

Here's my logic:
By re-signing the aging Czech national team, the Rangers will not get any closer to the cup. Jagr is a dominant force, as we've seen, and unless there's an equal or comparable scoring threat on the Rangers, we're doomed. Straka, Malik and Rozsival are replaceable, as is Prucha.

Funny that in the 2 most important games of their careers so far neither Malkin nor Crosby were able to produce a point.

Malone will get over 4 million, maybe over 5.
I wouldn't mind him to be our only forward UFA signing.

Still not sure which defenseman UFA I want because I haven't seen enough of them. But criterias that are a must are size, strength, and physical play.

I don't want Campbell, Hainsey or Pitkanen.

Keep Rozival for under $4 mil. a yr for 3 yrs. He might light it up when his number one option to pass (Jagr) leaves. I'd stay away from overpaying for the bigger names and go with a Liles, Streit, Commodore, Kalinin...etc. No one player can fix this "Powerless Play." It's on Renney and his staff. We were loaded with talent and had no issue with this thing last season when we we didn't have as much as firepower. When looking at the forwards up for grabs I'd like to see Huselius and Ryder on each wing for Gomer, maybe Vrbata and trying Prucha for a decent amount of icetime the next go around. It's time not to rely completely on Jagr for offense, he won't be here forever, maybe never. Any thoughts on forwards worth not overspending for???

OK, doing great down in Miami.....

I'd stick with Hainsey and consider making an offer to Boumeister. I'd also far prefer they offer Mara $2-2.5 million to stay than pay Rozie more bucks. Mara is a second or third pair guy and is more steady than Rozie, who IMO is also a second or third pair guy. And sign Jagr already. Not as concerned about Avery....

On a completely different note, a musical one - no pun intended - Steve, have you had the opportunity yet to listen to the Grateful Dead's comprehensive box set The Complete Fillmore Recordings from 1969? They only made 10,000 of them, and that was 3 years ago, and they're now impossible to get unless you're able to download a copy online (which you are. I just did.) I cannot recommend a box set any more highly than this, especially to someone who I believe (if I recall correctly) likes the Dead. Just incredible.

I know it's hard to critique a player for not being at their best when playing the best...BUT, I do feel that this finals series has taken some of the lustre off of Malone and Orpik. If they can't help Pittsburgh beat Detroit then why give them big $$ to not help us win next year? Is Stuart only looking so good because he is on a team like Detroit?? I don't have the answers but I hope Sather is taking all this into consideration as he prepares to open up Dolans wallet.

I wish I knew more about Hainsey. He seems like a nice fit as he is big and has an offensive side. I've liked what I have seen of Commodore in the past, but are his best days behind him already? I know I will support what ever Rangers are on the ice next year, I just hope Slats makes the best choices!!!

LETS GO RED WINGS!!!!! MAKE THAT BABY #87 CRY SOME MORE!!!!!

No one can ever know what Sather is looking at, because he never shows his hand to the media, yet I believe he is clearly focused on Redden and Campbell. The other concern is the Rangers continuing as a puck possession team and in order to do so they must re-sign Jags. Regardless of a downturn in scoring, Jags is still the main reason the Rangers are a puck possession team and this can't change. I fully expect Sather to sign Prospal to replace Straka and give Jags a countryman to work with. Commodore is probably a targeted D man as well, and with the Edmonton trek Pitkanen is on the radar. When the smoke clears I beleive that Sather will fill the QB PP D man, Power forward and 2-3 role players to upgrade the 3rd and 4th lines. The question for tonight is will the Pens lose all sense of discipline and simply implode from frustration, should they go scoreless in the first we just might see their heads explode like scanners. Can NBC get a gm in Det is the next big question, surley NBC didn't sign on for 2 gms in Pitt and a barbeque. How can u get a game when the gap between these teams is so large?

PS I think that any role players Slats is looking at need to have a CUP on their resume. SO, start looking at FA's who are on a Cup. These role guys only need two yr window, so bringing in some wily vets with good energy and a pedigree would be a good thing for this team. This would allow the mix of youth to get a well balanced knowledge of what it is going to take on a nightly basis to prepare for a deep playoff run. Let the Pens spend the big bucks to keep their guys (Orpik and Malone), imagine if the Pens have to invest 10 mil in these two guys. I doubt they would. Rangers can find plenty of value elsewhere and not go in Pitt direction.

Shea Weber.... make an offer...Nashville wont match. The farm system is deep enough that they can afford to give up the pick.

I think the Rangers need a big, intimitating Defenseman more than they need a PP QB.

alright... i'm tired of the 5 year old ****... people trying to be cool and acting like me....

I'm done with this crap...see you guys in October.

The Rangers need to find creative ways to circumvent the salary cap. There must be ways of funneling licensing dollars or lucrative endorsement deals to out spend other teams. There must also be a way to blackmail the referees so that start looking the other way and giving the Rangers a break.

We could move Staal to right wing and Jagr back on defense. I know more about hockey than anyone else on this board. Sather should hire me as a consultant. I'd have this team skating with the 'Cup in my first year behind the bench.

The NHL has it out for the Rangers we sould be 82-0 and Cup champions EVERY year! How dare the NHL not just award us the Stanley Cup every year in September.