Nothing much is going on in the Rangersphere…can’t wait until July 1st!!! But, before we get to free agent signings, we have the draft to look forward to. Rumors are circulating that the Rangers want to trade up to a higher first round pick (2,3,4)….It will never happen. There are always rumors that teams will trade up, because EVERY team wants to. We’ll see what we can land.
Here is an article taken from Steve Zipays Ranger’s Blog….
“The Rangers’ top defenseman, Michal Rozsival, underwent successful arthroscopic surgery yesterday to repair a torn labrum in his left hip and is expected to fully recover by mid-July. Whether the 29-year-old Rozsival, an unrestricted free agent, will still be in New York at that point remains unclear.
The procedure, which Rozsival’s agent, Rich Winter, called a “little cleanup”, will have “no effect on his situation at all”, he said, and discussions between Rangers President Glen Sather and Winter are continuing. “Rozy would love to play there,” Winter said, “and Glen has said he would like to sign him. But he’s (Sather) dealing with a lot of moving parts.”
Rozsival, like Jaromir Jagr, a native of the Czech Republic, is just one of the team’s bevy of unrestricted free agents who can sign with other clubs on July 1. Jagr, Martin Straka, Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan, defensemen Paul Mara, Marek Malik and Jason Strudwick, and goaltender Stephen Valiquette also are unrestricted and it’s all but assured that that several won’t return.
Following a two-year, $4.2-million contract, Rozsival joins a slew of free-agent defensemen, including Brian Campbell, Wade Redden, Mark Streit, Ron Hainsey and Brooks Orpik, who will command substantially more than their current deals. Rozsival, who initially felt pain in the hip in late December, nonetheless finished tied for seventh in goals (13) and 21st in overall points (38) among NHL defensemen although he had a severe drop-off in the second half.
The Rangers’ decision-making revolves around Jagr, who received $4.9 million of his $8.1-million salary from the Rangers, with the Capitals, who traded him to New York, providing the remainder. If the veteran right wing accepts an offer from Sather, his price will determine who else can be accomodated under the salary cap.
Should Jagr decide otherwise, the Rangers will probably join the bidding for free agent Marian Hossa, who has averaged 40 goals a season when healthy, is seven years younger and, according to a person close to the Slovakian right wing, is interested in playing in New York.”
-Steve Zipay
More on Rosie’s surgery here:
Daily News - Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival scheduled for hip surgery
