Rangers sign Marian Gaborik to 5-Year, $37.5 Million Contract posted by Jeff Ponder

As expected, the New York Rangers have made a splash in the free-agent sweepstakes.  Rangers GM Glen Sather announced late Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms with star free-agent, Marian Gaborik.  

The Slovakian right-wing had a troubling season in Minnesota last year, playing in only 17 games caused by a nagging hip injury.  Even though his time was limited, he was still able to scrape together 23 points.  Gaborik has had surgery since then and the Rangers are hoping that he can return to his old form.

Gaborik's best year came in 2007-08 when he amassed 42 goals and 83 points in 77 games played.  He was always a bright spot for the Minnesota Wild, until the State of Hockey saw the likes of Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard.  He will join a Rangers lineup that has been depleted since losing to Washington in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs.  Markus Naslund has announced his retirement from the NHL, while Scott Gomez has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens and Nik Antropov is on the free-agent market.

This is a smart move for the Rangers.  Acquiring Gaborik for the top line can only help a struggling Rangers team.  The only downfall is Gaborik's recent injury history.  If Gaborik can stay healthy, this may prove to be one of the best signings of the off-season.Continue reading "Rangers sign Marian Gaborik to 5-Year, ..."

Rangers Trade Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto to Canadiens for Chris Higgins, Doug Janik, Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko posted by Jeff Ponder

Analysis:  The biggest name in this deal is obviously 2-time Stanley Cup winner Scott Gomez.  Being signed through 2013-14, this Alaska native has been a slight disappointment for the New York Rangers.  Being signed in the summer of 2007 to a 7-year, $51.5 million deal, Gomez has registered 128 points in two seasons with the Rangers, which is a little lower than the Rangers had originally expected.  In 2005-06, Gomez registered 84 points in 82 games with the New Jersey Devils.  He is still a top-line center, but Montreal will be hoping that he can earn his paycheck with better point totals for the remainder of his contract.

Going with Gomez is 22-year old winger Tom Pyatt.  Being selected in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Rangers, Pyatt is known for his offensive instincts and good hands, but has yet found a way to crack the Rangers' lineup.

Defenseman Mike Busto will also be joining Gomez and Pyatt in the deal.  In 2007, Charlotte Checkers head coach Derek Wilkinson said that Busto's "skill set is getting better, but his intensity level needs to improve, and he has just got to get a little more assertive. The talent is there now, the drive just needs to match it."

Going to New York, Chris Higgins, much like Gomez, had a bit of an off-year in 2008-09.  Higgins registered just 23 points in 57 games for Montreal, while nursing hand and groin injuries throughout parts of the season.  Higgins' best year came in 2007-08 when he notched 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points.  He can still be a top-6 forward if utilized properly.
Continue reading "Rangers Trade Scott Gomez, Tom Pyatt ..."

Habs Can Lock Up a Playoff Spot Tonight in New York posted by Julia Borgini

The Montreal Canadiens can lock up a playoff spot tonight with a win against the New York Rangers in New York. They gave away their first chance to lock up the spot last night with a 3-2 loss against the Senators, but can redeem themselves tonight. Gainey is putting in Andrei Kostitsyn and Matt D'Agostini, while sitting Georges Laraque and Gregory Stewart. 

The Habs can also make the playoffs tonight with a bit of outside help, but they would be best served by just winning the game outright and earning the berth directly. They were on a 3-game win streak up until the game against the Senators, so a win tonight would help bolster their confidence going in to the home stretch.

The Canadiens Move Up to Seventh in the Playoff Race posted by Julia Borgini

Saturday night's 6-2 convincing win over the Toronto Maple Leafs provided the Canadiens with a little breathing room in the race for the playoffs. They moved up to seventh in the Easter Conference standings, with 4 games to play.

THE GOOD: Montreal wins 6-2 against Toronto. Three goals scored on the power play. Balanced scoring as Kovalev, Latendresse, Tanguay, Higgins, Gorges, and Lapierre all score. Halak solid in net for a flu-ridden Price, who's also playing well of late.

THE BAD: Tanguay coughing up the puck to Toronto's Boyd Devereaux, who scored a short-handed goal in the third period.

THE UGLY: The blue line took a serious hit when both Schneider AND Markov left the game with 'upper-body injuries'.

THE RESULT: Montreal is in seventh, 3 points ahead of the eighth place Rangers and Panthers (who are now tied.) They still have one game in hand against both of those teams, and sit only 1 point behind the sixth place Penguins. The Canadiens finish off the season with 4 games in 6 nights, with two of those games against the Rangers and the Penguins.

Hold on to your hats everyone, it's going to be a wild finish.

A Numbers Game. posted by Roland Lesterlin

Mike Ribeiro was drafted in 1998, 45th overall by Montreal.  His quiet career in Montreal culminated in 2003-04 with 65 points.  He fell off to 51 the following year.  Dallas grabbed another mediocre center for their almost good team.  His first year in Dallas saw an eight point improvement over his previous year, but nothing to write home about.  He probably went undrafted in almost all but the deepest fantasy leagues.  For those of you who still see him on your waiver wire, you must look to the heavens and smile.  This guy has found a playing partner in Morrow.  He is a seriously gifted hockey player.  In the last seven games he has 7 goals and 5 assists.  But that is not the thing I want to actually talk about here.  It is his shooting percentage.  Are your ready?  Just over 38% of his shots are finding the back the net.  Just to put that in perspective, Ilya Kovalchuk put 336 shots on net last year.  If Ribeiro had done that with his shooting percentage, he would have scored 128 goals.  Alright, there is no way a player can keep up that sort of percentage…right?

When you watch his game, you come to realize that he is instinctually a great passer.  He sees the ice very well and tends to look for his teammates.  When the pass isn’t there, he shoots or rolls the back behind the net to set up the play again.  This guy is a high percentage shooter.  He will hit the open net and with Morrow playing like a man on a contract mission, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ribeiro continued his career year with over 80-90 points by the end.  I bet he will be drafted by almost every league next season.  So, if an idiot in your league decides to make room for Voros by dropping Ribeiro, just laugh your way to the bank, or bar or whatever prize your league winner gets.  The winner does get something in your league, right?

I’m Back… and so are the Rangers with Gomez and Jagr united!! posted by Roland Lesterlin

I know that my absence was grieved by many a reader, however I was on a vital mission of unimaginable importance.  Leaving that aside for the moment, let us return to the subject at hand.

Scott Niedermayer put on 8 shots in his first game back.  Not bad.  In his second game, he helped Anaheim shutout San Jose while picking up an assist on the powerplay.  This just shows what kind of player Scotty is.  Anaheim is a serious threat to repeat for the cup now.  For all you waiver wire addicts, Teemu Selanne has started hitting the gym pretty hard.  Usually when you’re retired and just had a kid, you might be working out with diapers… rarely do you start working out like a professional athlete.  If Scotty puts up respectable numbers, I know Teemu will come back.  To be part of a team that wins the cup twice in a row is just too much a temptation for someone who loves the game like Mr. Selanne.

The New York Rangers gave Lundquist a shut-out tonight.  The king only had to make 5 saves through the first two periods.  Granted, he had to make considerably more in the third, this was a team shutout.  The first goal happened so quickly, I hardly had time to grab a beer.  A travesty not to cheers a great Rangers goal, but fear not…the ritual is indeed unbroken.  By the end of the game, it warmed my heart to see both free agent acquisitions and a goalie receive the top three stars.  A great game, Rangers!

Jarome Iginla is on fire!!   Whatever he’s eating on the road, give the man more of it.  He is just dominating the ice.  Fighting, scoring goals, picking up such beautiful helpers, this guy just loves it.  Iginla said after the game, “It’s one of the most enjoyable little stretches I’ve been on since being here.”  Yeah, for your fantasy owners as well.  Keep up the great work…(sigh) I have a soft spot in my heart for Calgary.  Oh, and Miikka Kiprusoff has 6 wins in a row.  It happens every year.  Christmas must be when Miikka finally shakes off the cobwebs from summer.  I see some serious shutout hockey in his future.

Welcome to a new era in Hockey blogging posted by Roland Lesterlin

 As with any new relationship, I understand your reticence.  Questions abound about my qualifications as a hockey guru.  My name is not synonymous with Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin or Jaromir Jagr.  You have not been a part of my phenomenal success in fantasy hockey; though admittedly I did not realized that San Jose's Jonathon Cheechoo would have only 4 goals in 28 games.  Luckily I traded him before he got injured for Maxim Afinogenov; another slumping forward who usually gets hot after the New Year.

Putting that aside, if you are interested in the finer points of waiver wire work or want advice on trades, I’m here for you.  If you want to discuss the fact that the New York Rangers have a league low 2.13 Goals per game average, I’m here for you.  The only thing you will never find here is praise for the New Jersey Devils.  Admittedly, I might discuss Brian Gionta’s rebound from his early season slump or how Martin Brodeur has regained his stellar form; but never will I say I even remotely enjoy Devils’ hockey (except when the Rangers hand them a 1-0 overtime loss).

Putting aside my petty prejudices, I will gladly add another distraction to your already procrastination-prone day.

Welcome to Roland’s Hockey blog.

Let’s get right into one of hockey’s biggest stories:  Scott Niedermayer, the great #27’s return!

The Anaheim Ducks must move at least $880,000 of salary to accommodate him.  For those of you with deep fantasy leagues, Todd Marchant has been a healthy scratch and might be finding his way to another team via re-entry waivers.  That would clear $1.2 million of cap space.  Is that enough to also accommodate another free agent, Teemu Selanne?  I would say no.  Selanne is retired, period.  He just had another kid and if any of you readers out there have children, you know that his mind is not on hockey right now.  He’s not coming back.  Sorry, Ducks Fans.

Thrashers pick up Antropov from Rangers

The Thrashers have signed free agent forward Nik Antropov, the player general manager Don Waddell says was his top priority in free agency.The Thrashers signed the 29-year-old Antropov to a multiyear deal on Thursday, one day after trading for defenseman Pavel Kubina.Antropov set a career high with 59 points and 28 goals with Toronto and the New York Rangers last season. He was traded to the Rangers on March 4.He had 56 points with the Maple Leafs during the 2007-08 season. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Wild sign Havlat to replace Gaborik

On the day Marian Gaborik left Minnesota for good, the Wild signed free-agent right wing Martin Havlat to fill the large hole in their lineup.Havlat, Chicago's leading scorer last season with 77 points, signed a six-year contract late Wednesday night. Gaborik, the first player drafted by Minnesota when the franchise began nine seasons ago and the Wild's career scoring leader, signed hours earlier with the New York Rangers, getting a five-year, $37.5 million deal. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Canadiens sign Cammalleri, Gionta (AP)

The Montreal Canadiens were busy again Wednesday with the signings of wingers Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta and defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill on the first day of free-agent shopping in the NHL. One day after acquiring center Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers in a six-player trade, the Canadiens signed Cammalleri to a five-year, $30 million contract, Gionta to a five-year, $25... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Canadiens sign Cammaleri, two others

The Montreal Canadiens were busy again Wednesday with the signings of center Mike Cammaleri and defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill on the first day of free-agent shopping in the NHL.One day after acquiring star center Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers in a six-player trade, the Canadiens signed Cammaleri to a five-year, $30-million contract, Spacek to a three-year deal worth $11.5-million, and Gill - fresh off a Stanley Cup title with the Pittsburgh Penguins - for two years and $4. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL

Gaborik signs deal with Rangers

The New York Rangers are already spending the money saved when Scott Gomez was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, handing it over to flashy forward Marian Gaborik.New York made its usual splash in the free-agent market Wednesday night by signing Gaborik, who scored a career-high 42 goals in the 2007-08 season with the Minnesota Wild. He was limited to 17 games last season due to injuries. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NHL