Thought this was a pretty cool pic (via Blueshirt United) of the Rangers locker room with the motto "Every Wants To Win...Not Everyone Is Willing To Prepare To Win"...


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Update, 2:15 p.m.:
Ryan McDonagh will be joining Stepan and Kreider on Team USA.

Original Post:

Stepan joins another Rangers prospect Chris Kreider on Team USA.

...Stepan seemed to run out of gas in the playoffs, but when you're as young as he is the more playing time the better. Hope he gains a lot from the experience.

For more on Rangers participating at the Worlds click here and here.

The Worlds run from April 29 thru May 5.

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Lyle Richardson at Spector's Hockey says the lack of quality talent in this summer's UFA market could possibly spur Rangers GM Glen Sather to venture into the trade market for help and Colorado Avalanche center Paul Stastny could be a possibility if Avs management were to decide to move his contract.

Richardson adds that Colorado will probably want Callahan and/or Dubinsky as part of the return for Stastny who had 22g, 35a last year.

Stastny's contract which pays him $6.6 million per year will expire in 2015.

...i like Stastny but not for $6.6 million for the next four years. I'm hoping the Rangers can sign Callahan and Dubinsky for that amount combined.

...man I really wish I was still blogging about the Rangers in the playoffs not silly trade rumors like this.

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Update, 9:53 a.m.:
David Shoalts of the Toronto Globe & Mail reports that if the Tom Gaglardi, a Vancouver businessman, purchase of the Stars goes through, Brad Richards will stay in Dallas.

...while the move obviously gives the Dallas organization some stability it didn't have, I'm still not sure I'm completely behind what Shoalts is selling. The Rangers have something that Dallas can't offer and that's a chance to be reunited with Torts.

Original Post:
Jesse Spector at the Daily News reports that while the Rangers didn't mention him by name Brad Richards will be their main target this offseason...

"Richards would address two needs for the Rangers, primarily finding a consistent center for Marian Gaborik, who dropped from 42 goals in his first year on Broadway to 22 this season...it also would provide a boost to a power play that finished the regular season 1-for-29, then went 1-for-20 in five playoff games. Richards is an accomplished power-play performer, with 22 of his 49 assists this season coming with the man advantage."

Here's Torts on what the Rangers could do free agency wise this summer...

"It doesn't have to be a trade," Tortorella said Monday. "If that right piece is there, maybe in free agency, yeah. I think we - I felt we really stuck with it through the trading deadline this year, we kept our kids, and the kids kept on growing. So I think our foundation has grown, and there is a chance to add that piece to our foundation that isn't a kid, that will help you in a position, then sure. And let's not upset the building process and get rid of all our kids for a maybe."

Spector adds that to get Richards, who will be demanding big bucks, under the cap it sounded like the Rangers were going to buyout Chris Drury which would save them $3 million next year (Rangers would still have to pay Drury $3,716,667 next season, and $1,666,667 in 2012-13)...

"It's amazing he was able to come back when he did," Tortorella said of Drury, who returned from knee surgery to score a key goal in the regular-season finale. "But we have to make decisions for what's best for the organization moving on. .. . It's certainly not mine, my total decision, but I have my thoughts. These are all conversations we have to have."

According to Spector, chasing Richards also makes it highly unlikely the Rangers will bring back free agent forward Vinny Prospal, while Derek Boogaard and Wojtek Wolski also could be buyout candidates.

Larry Brooks at the New York Post has more on a Richards pursuit here.

...with the way everyone is talking I really don't see a scenario where the Rangers don't go after Richards. It seems like they have enough options to get him under the cap, so I guess it is up to him if he wants to come to Broadway.

...for whatever reason these type of high profile free agent moves never seem to work out for the Rangers so I'd love to see them offer a shorter (3-4 years) instead of a 5-6 year deal.

..would love to hear your thoughts.

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...Anisimov had been rumored to be playing at the Worlds but he confirmed yesterday that he wasn't.

...smart move to keep Hank out of the Worlds. Hank's knees always seem to be an issue in the offseason (see cortisone shot last year), so not playing should keep further stress off his knees.

Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh are undecided for Worlds.

For what other Rangers have decided regarding Worlds click here.

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Jesse Spector at the Blueshirts Blog reports that both Ryan Callahan and Brian Boyle, restricted free agents, said that they expect relatively easy resolutions to their contract situations.

While another RFA Brandon Dubinsky, who had rocky negotiations with the Rangers two years ago, had this to say about upcoming talks with the Rangers...

"I'd like to get it done as quickly as possible. I think the Rangers want me, and I want the Rangers. So at the end of the day, we may as well not waste each other's time."

...like I've been saying, would love to see all three back I just don't want Sather to be paying Cally & Dubi like they're first lne guys and Boyle like he's a 25-30 goal scorer.

Here's more from Henirk Lundqvist and Chris Drury on breakup day...

For more breakup day quotes go to Rangers Report and the Blueshirts Blog.

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Bruce Berlett at CTWhale.com reports that Mats Zuccarello went to see a specialist yesterday to determine if he would need surgery on his broken left hand. No word on what the recommendation was.

...either way, MZA will have plenty of time to recoup and be ready for training camp.

Berlett also reports that Michael Del Zotto, who will be celebrating his 21st birthday in Las Vegas on June 24th, almost came back for Game 3 of the Whale's first round playoff series after missing 25 games with a broken finger...

"I almost played in Game 3, but the doctor wouldn't give me clearance at the end for fear that I might break the finger again," Del Zotto said. "In two days, it'll be eight weeks since the injury happened, and if I'd know it was going to take this long, I would have had surgery."

...good to see them playing it safe with Del Zotto, no need for him to further injure himself to play just a few games. Hope the person who recommended no surgery isn't the same person MZA is seeing b/c it sounds like he gave the wrong advice.

...if Del Zotto can get his head on straight and dedicate himself to the team next year it will be like the Rangers making a huge offseason transaction for free. I know a lot of Rangers fans have written him off, but I still think there's time for him to find his game again. He's just 20 years old. Would hate for the Rangers to give up on him too early and miss out on someone who could be their power play quarterback for the next 10 years.

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Bergen Record - Rangers' Marian Gaborik seeking balance

Bergen Record - Rangers' Chris Drury in limbo

New York Post - Time no luxury for Rangers

New York Post - Tortorella on fence about Drury returning

Daily News - Richards is Rangers' likely target

Daily News - Bondy: Clock ticking on Melo and Henrik

Daily News - Dubinsky wants deal done ASAP

Journal News - Older Rangers might not be back

New York Times - Status of Rangers’ Drury, Prospal and Avery Is Tenuous

Wall Street Journal - Now Coaching: Mark Messier's Father

Newsday - Rangers have plenty of decisions

Newsday - Staple: Sather must keep things moving forward

Newsday - Torts: Gaborik knows what he needs to do

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Update, 4:29 p.m.:
Here's video of Torts...



Original Post:
Rick Carpiniello at the Rangers Report has John Tortorella press conference...

On why Marian Gaborik struggled...

"I have no idea. You'll have to ask him. Again, I don't want to ... I know that's a big topic here, but I'm not going to dissect it completely. Some of that belongs between Gabby and I. So all I'm tell you guys on the subject of Gabby is he knows he didn't play up to his standard, we know, and he wants to get back to it. And I always look at players. When I see a young player improving, when he's a young guy, it's promising because he's improving. When I see a guy play at a level, you know that he has the ability to get back there, and I believe Gabby will."

Who surprised him this season?

"You start with the two kids who are playing 3 and 4 on our defense in McDonagh and Sauer. McDonagh coming out of college, Michael Sauer really having an injury-prone year the prior year and stepped right into camp and played very well at a very tough position. Stepan comes out, and we forget he's right out of college. We didn't know if he was going to be here or in Hartford or whatever. He had a very good year. He found it a different life in the playoffs. There was a different animal there. Brian Boyle, as I said to guys all year long, I thought he was going to Hartford. He had a really good year. Anisimov struggled toward the end of the year, I thought struggled in the playoffs. But for a young man, he's just beginning to understand what it is to be a pro, I thought he had some growth. I probably missed some guys. But we grew. It was a team that found its identity and stuck with it. And, again, we need to keep getting better, keep adding to that foundation."

On Michael Del Zotto getting back to the level he was as a rookie, and being the power play quarterback:

"There's a number of building blocks with Michael, and a number of defensemen that had pretty good rookie years ended up taking a step backwards. You accept that, and maybe change some things, and I don't want to get into specifics, but something has to change and you embrace the process. Because it's not an easy position to play. And I'm really anxious to see Michael, first of all get him healthy, and really anxious to see him in camp again. He's going to get a fair whack at it again in camp and I think there's mental maturity that goes with it. And as each player goes through the ups and downs that Michael has, I think he'll mature. I know I use it ad nauseum, the process. But that's what it is. These are young people. This is a young team that is still going through the process and for some of them, it's been a little herky jerky along the way, but that's still a process. It's how you handle those situations."

On if there comes a point where they say, “We’ve got a lot of kids now, we’ve laid the foundation, we’ve got a lot of second/third-line depth … maybe now we can trade some tomorrow for today”:

“It doesn’t have to be a trade, but if that right piece is there, maybe in free agency, yeah. Because I think we, and I felt we really stuck with it this year through the trading deadline. We kept our kids and the kids kept on growing, so I think our foundation has grown. If there’s an opportunity to add that piece that isn’t a kid, that will help you in a position, sure. But let’s not upset the building process of getting rid of all our kids for a ‘Maybe.’ I don’t think it has to be in a trade. It could be free agency. I haven’t looked at the free agency list (ED. NOTE: I thought about calling B.S. on him when he said that). We’ll have to look at that and that’s what we’re just starting to do now. But I agree with you. There’s timing in this stuff here. And I think as we’ve added a lot of kids this year and they’ve grown into some pretty big pieces to our team, you’ve got to look at that, maybe that top-line player, that top skilled guy. Sure, we’re going to look at that guy.”

...great insight by Torts and of course amazing job by Carp getting it to us.

...would love to hear everyone's thoughts on what Torts is saying.

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Update, 3:12 p.m.:
Carpiniello has full quotes here. While Andrew Gross of Rangers Rants has more from breakup day here.

Original Post:
Rick Carpiniello at the Rangers Reports gives us highlights of the Rangers breakup day...

- Marian Gaborik said he would love to have a set line next year, and mentioned that we all know who the free-agent centers are (read: Brad Richards) and that the team usually does what's needed to get the free agent help it requires. Gaborik also admitted that he struggled with Torts' system which he says was different from last year when he scored 42 goals.

...i hate excuses. Just put the puck in the net please.

- Henrik Lundqvist, who is undecided on the Worlds, says at 29, he's starting to think about how many more cracks he might get at the playoffs.

- Brandon Dubinsky said that he wants to be back, the Rangers want him back, so let's not waste each other's time in contract negotations.

...get er done.

- Sean Avery talked about not being able to commit turnovers and penalties and how that effected his game, and how he decided to just go back to the way he always played in the playoffs, and that "risk/reward" style is the way he has to play from now on.

...so it wasn't Torts' fault.

- Dan Girardi is looking forward to some healing time. He said he won't need any procedures, just rest.

- Vinny Prospal doesn't know what to expect, but wants to come back.

...sorry Vinny its been great having you on the team, but it's time to move on.

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