Which Remaining UFAs Make Sense for Rangers
| FORWARDS | ||||
| NAME | 2011-12 TEAM | STATS | SKINNY | |
| Shane Doan | Phoenix | 79 GP 22-28-50 | Longtime Coyotes captain has started talking to other teams but is still not in any hurry to leave the only franchise he's ever played for | |
| Kristian Huselius | Columbus | 2 GP 0-0-0 | Injuries wiped out most of 2010-11 and almost all of last season for 33-year-old after he averaged 26 goals from 2006-07 through 2009-10 | |
| Jason Arnott | St. Louis | 72 GP 17-17-34 | He's now 37 and isn't the offensive force he used to be, but the 400-goal scorer is still capable of providing points and leadership | |
| Tom Kostopoulos | Calgary | 81 GP 4-8-12 | Feisty fourth-line forward gives everything he's got, will stand up for teammates and even contribute a little bit offensively | |
| Mike Knuble | Washington | 72 GP 6-12-18 | 40-year-old forward looking for a new home after dropping from 24 goals in '10-11 to six this past season | |
| Tomas Holmstrom | Detroit | 74 GP 11-13-24 | The 39-year-old isn't the scoring force he once was, but he remains an unmovable force in front of the net on the power play | |
| Andrew Brunette | Chicago | 78 GP 12-15-27 | Soon-to-be 39-year-old may have a tough time finding a new home; he scored only 12 goals and 27 points last season after scoring 22, 25 and 18 goals in the previous three seasons | |
| Jason Blake | Anaheim | 45 GP 7-5-12 | Now 38, Blake is coming off a serious injury and his worst offensive season in a decade | |
| Mathieu Darche | Montreal | 61 GP 5-7-12 | Late-blooming 35-year-old's offensive production dropped sharply in '11-12 | |
| Jochen Hecht | Buffalo | 22 GP 4-4-8 | 35-year-old German is a reliable checker who can contribute offensively but missed most of last season with concussion-related problems | |
| Brian Rolston | Boston | 70 GP 7-17-24 | The 39-year-old was reinvigorated when he landed with the Bruins last season, scoring 15 points in 21 games | |
| Daymond Langkow | Phoenix | 73 GP 11-19-30 | 35-year-old center has 1,090 NHL games and 270 goals on his resume, but is no longer a top-six forward | |
| Dominic Moore | San Jose | 79 GP 4-21-25 | Veteran center turns 32 in August; could be headed for 10th NHL team. He's still useful as a role player in the right situation. | |
| Radek Dvorak | Dallas | 73 GP 4-17-21 | Still a useful third-liner and checker who can contribute a little offense as he approaches 1,200 games played | |
| Petr Sykora | New Jersey | 82 GP 21-23-44 | Made Devils at camp and proved his scoring touch hadn't disappeared | |
| DEFENSEMEN | ||||
| NAME | 2011-12 TEAM | STATS | SKINNY | |
| Brett Clark | Tampa Bay | 82 GP 2-13-15 | Points dropped from 31 to 15; minus-26 rating was also a big drop from 2010-11. But he blocked 199 shots and even at 35 is still useful as bottom-pair defenseman. | |
| Carlo Colaiacovo | St. Louis | 64 GP 2-17-19 | Solid second-pair defenseman who can move puck well but has had injury problems | |
| Matt Gilroy | Ottawa | 67 GP 3-17-20 | 2009 Hobey Baker winner has nice offensive skills but has yet to turn them into a regular berth on an NHL blue line | |
| Jaroslav Spacek | Carolina | 46 GP 5-10-15 | Big blueliner still possess a big shot, and is reliable defensively - plus-64 last seven seasons | |
| Pavel Kubina | Philadelphia | 69 GP 3-12-15 | Not the offensive force he was when he was younger, but still has size and a big shot | |
| Michal Rozsival | Phoenix | 54 GP 1-12-13 | Hampered by injuries last two seasons and no longer a big offensive force, but solid in his own zone | |
| Scott Hannan | Calgary | 78 GP 2-10-12 | Never a big offensive force, but OK in own zone and can still play 20 minutes a night | |
| Steve Eminger | N.Y. Rangers | 42 GP 2-3-5 | 2002 first-rounder was effective third-pair defender before injuries hit | |
| Kurtis Foster | Minnesota | 51 GP 4-10-14 | Big shot but has never matched offensive numbers he put up with Tampa Bay in '09-10 | |
| Milan Jurcina | N.Y. Islanders | 65 GP 3-8-11 | Big guy with a big shot but coming off career-worst minus-34 season with Isles | |
| Chris Campoli | Montreal | 43 GP 2-9-11 | Smooth-skating 28-year-old defenseman wasn't retained by Montreal after missing nearly half of the 2011-12 season with a freak hamstring injury | |
...to me the only thing left for the Rangers to do is re-sign Del Zotto and add a depth defenseman. And looking at this list, despite coming off a terrible year, Brett Clark is a guy who I think would fit in perfectly with the Rangers young defense. A veteran who blocks a ton of shots and can be signed on the cheap. What else could you want from a 6th/7th defenseman. Unless of course you want to see a return of whipping boy Michal Rozsival.
...another intriguing name on that list of UFAs is Dominick Moore. A friend of mine actually mentioned him to me as a possible depth signing this past weekend. If the Rangers don't end up acquiring Doan, there will still be an open spot in the line-up until Gaborik returns from injury. Moore, now 31, knows the organization and the city and since leaving the Rangers has had a ton of playoff success with Montreal and Tampa Bay. He could also be very useful on the Rangers penalty kill which has lost a lot of personnel this offseason (Dubi, AA, Prust and Feds).
...who do you like from this list? Leave you thoughts in the comments section.
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what about holmstrom??? guy is a beast in front of the net, and could help the rangers PP. good 3rd line addition, plus he's swedish, so you know he's good...
@stevenV25 Ya I kinda love the idea of Holmstrom or Moore. I'm a big equipment guy and he wears that sick out of date Nike/Bauer helmet haha but in all seriousness one of the big things I've heard about him in past years is how good he is on the pk. Holmstrom is a horse...not joke intended...well maybe a bit. But he's the kind of net presence we have been really lacking in the past. I font think we'll regret either. LGR!!!
We could sign a decent defenseman with a big shot from the point ... or we could count on Nash to re-direct all of those off target MDZ shots ... either one or both of these will help the power play ... and sign Dominic Moore for the PK
@JamesMauldin Hysterical! I think we'll see Stralman get another look on the power play. Hopefully his strong play during the playoffs gives him confidence to excel this year on the point with the extra man.
I think another center would be useful for depth. Dubi and Artie could play both center and wing...none of their current wingers is really that versatile. So to me finding a nice swiss army knife kind of guy (not unlike a Mitchell) would be a very useful depth signing (though maybe the club sees Newbury in this role?)
@jasonshyer Thats not true, Boyle and Halpern both can play center and wing, as can Rupp
Halpern is the swiss army guy
I think we need to get ourselves into the Visnovsky situation. Isles have a 2nd rounder invested in him and that's not a lot to pay for the boomer we could use on the point. I know we're not exactly traditional trading partners with the Isles, but there looking at giving up the pick with no return. Isles aren't looking to contend this year, so it's not gonna bite at them in April, and after that he's a UFA anyway, so if youngsters are ready to step up, they can do it.
Makes more sense to me then digging through that boneyard. Homstrom has already said it's Detroit or nothing for him.
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no thanks to the whole list. the only intriguing person is arnott but im not sure he has the hustle.
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@IcyCup I agree as far as forwards go. Would love to see Miller, Thomas and Bourque fight it out for that last line-up spot. But on defense, I don't think they have someone in Hartford who could serve as 7th.
@KevinDeLury @IcyCup Miller I can see making a push, Thomas is a long shot, Bourque, no chance in my opinion.
He didn't have a god season the the AHL.
As much as I like bringing prospects in, the only one that we can say at this point that can be close to ready is Miller, and he is still only 19. He is not going to be on the team for 4th line minutes.
Bring in a veteran to give a shot to, or maybe Kris Newbury (still with the org, right?)
On D you go with Brett Clark, if anything, and hope Sauer recovers. In the AHL you'll have Blake Parlett as being the closest to a call up....better bring in a vet.
If he's OK with a camp tryout, I'd look into Huselius. Offense from the LW and familiarity with Nash. If not, lets one of the rookies battle it out for a spot.
@TheWrage Huselius
ASSETS: Has tremendous vision and playmaking ability. Is incredibly shifty and often makes opponents miss with their bodychecks. Possesses plenty of scoring prowess.
FLAWS: Is prone to getting hurt, and is a bit soft overall. Doesn't always keep his intensity level on high. Could still use more bulk on his 6-2 frame.
CAREER POTENTIAL: Fragile skilled winger with consistency issues.
now re-read all of that with the torts disposition in mind.
that assessment came from
http://www.forecaster.ca/thestar/hockey/index.cgi
there's also this...
Suspension due to sex scandal...
In 2005, Huselius and fellow Swedish hockey players Henrik Tallinder and Andreas Lilja were investigated on suspicion of sexual exploitation. In March 2005, all three players were suspended from the Swedish national team for one year, with Huselius and Tallinder being released by Swedish club Linköping and Lilja being suspended by Swedish club Mora for the rest of the season.
On February 9, 2005, a 22-year-old woman accused the trio of raping her. Two days later, police dropped their investigation due to a lack of evidence. However, a special prosecutor reopened the case in March, leading to the suspensions. Huselius and the others were cleared in June of that year after a special prosecutor ruled there was no evidence they forced the woman to have sex.
that's all from wikipedia. suspended but not convicted, ye,s but it stinks and has no place in this franchise.
so, in conclusion, i say "no" to the soft, inconsistant rapist with the wonky groin (pass on the obvious, easy joke here).
@TheWrage My thoughts exactly.
And please guys, Gilroy? Softer than charmin and already showed he what he had here, which wasn't much.
Just hope Sauer comes back and Stu is the 7th d-man
1 of the 3: Wouldn't mind giving Huselius a 1 year deal to see if he's got anythig left. Arnott would be a decent pick-up for 3rd line; mainly for leadership and Cup experience; Moore, nice 3rd liner, but not sure he's much different than some of the kids (i.e., Borque, Thomas, Miler). Don't know Kostopoulos, but sounds like a good replacement for Pruster, ditch that idiot Asham and sign him instead (pipe dream).
On D, Clark for a good vet presence or maybe even Foster to see if he can play 3rd pair mins but help out on PP. Wouldn't mind a return of Eminger either, as long as he's healthy.
Then again, I would be just as happy if none were signed and the Rangers gave open spots to the kids.
I have always liked Matt Gilroy you think hed be a fit? Whats up with Petr Sykora? Devils lost Parise seems pretty obvious they would want him back right?
Dominic Moore is a Ranger, hustle and grit.
do the dirty work on the boards, kill penalties and grind it out
his return would be very comfortable
for him and the the team..
This seams like a " no brainer"
@nickgrgas Would be nice to catch lightning in a bottle similar to Fedotenko a couple of years ago.
