Greetings. We'll wrap up this busy month with your questions and commentary right here tomorrow at 2 p.m.
In the meantime, coupla things:
* After the Rangers return from Prague, they will play 15 home games in October and November, and have three easy (well, for travel) away trips: to Philly, Newark and Nassau County. Only two flights are required in October: to Detroit and Columbus.
In November, there are four trips, to Toronto, Washington, Ottawa---an afternoon game---and to Florida for games against Tampa and the Panthers around Thanksgiving. Not a killer. The toughest month? Looks like January: only four games at MSG.
* The re-signings around the league today include G Pascal Leclaire in Columbus and Valtteri Filppula in Detroit, no surprises. When Mats Sundin decides his future, there may be a flurry of moves in response.
* C David Skokan, who scored two goals and added six assists in six games---the fourth-highest total in the tourney---with the Slovakian team in the World Junior Championships, signed an AHL deal with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Skokan, 19, was the Rangers 7th-round pick in 2007.
* Mark Parrish, who scored 20-plus goals in four of five seasons with the Islanders, was bought out of his final three years by the Wild. A good guy from all accounts, but apparently his game has slipped. He did have 16 goals in 66 games last season, though, and will find a new home---though not in Rangers blue, I'm told.
Please stop by for the chat tomorrow; if you can't make it, post a question here in the morning and swing by to catch the replay....
Comments (7)
Survey time again please,
Which Hartford Wolfpack player will see the most NHL ice time this season for the Rangers?
I'm going with P.A. Parenteau - lead the team in points last season.
I am going with Lauri Korpikoski
I think Parenteau is a career AHLer
potter due to injuries to some of dmen along the way
J.P. Barry was just on Team 1040 in Vancouver and said Sundin has yet to decide if he wants to play.
The timeframe for his decision is not August 1st, it is sometime in August. As Barry said, anytime in August, sometime before training camp starts.
Barry thinks more teams will get involved if Mats decides to play and right now it is six teams that have interest. Teams have called him and said, we will make room if you give us some time.
Barry said the Rangers are one team that will not go away and Detroit is not in the running.
added 9:22pm, from David Shoalts of the Toronto Globe and Mail,
The Canucks have that $10-million-a-year offer, but Sundin has never been motivated by money and it is hard to believe he would be willing to put up with all that travel on a non-contender.
So that may leave it between the Leafs and Rangers, who have cap room but are not a surefire Cup contender.
In any event, Sundin has to decide soon. A lot of NHL GMs are on vacation right now, but in the next couple of weeks, arbitration decisions on players will start coming in and the GMs will have to finalize their rosters. They simply won’t have time to wait any longer for Sundin’s decision.
there is no way he's (Sundin) is com'n here...we simply do not have any cap space for him....he will no doubt go to MTL in my opinion and sign a one or two year agreement.....plus, we need to utilize that cap space $ for a d'man who might be available....not getting Orpik hurt Big time!
ok, real Dude here now
I just cannot wait until Sundin finally signs somewhere and we can stop reading abut him.
I do not know why the Rangers rumors continue to exist.
We would have to move heaven and earth to get him to fit cap wise.
It's absolutely impossible without trading one of Gomez, Drury, Redden or Rozsival.
And since none of those guys are going to be traded, Sundin is signing somewhere else.
PLEASE SIGN SOMEWHERE!
Is it me, or has Mats Sundin suddenly become a much better player in people's minds this summer than he actually is?
I wouldn't mind replacing Drury with Sundin for about same salary. Sundin is hungry for a Cup, Drury already won one.