Bleeding Blue

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far. With just a little less than 3 months before the puck drops on the 2008-09 season , the NHL has released the upcoming schedule. Gone are the 8 games against each divisional opponent…instead there are 6. I liked the 8 game scheme, but this way we get to see more of the talent that the “other side” has to offer. Most of us has heard of the emerging stars, now we can actually see them play. 

As we already knew, the Rangers will open up on the other side of the world in Prague, CZ. If you want to go, the Rangers are offering packages (around $3,000.00) here.

Newsday - NHL new schedule: Rangers, Islanders play 6 times

NY Post - RANGERS INK DAWES FOR 587G

NY Daily News - It’s official: Rangers will open season in Prague against Lightning

NY Times - For Rangers, First Stop on Schedule Is Prague

Ever since he took that stupid boarding call in game 3 of the RANGERS-PENS series…you know, the game where we stormed back after being down 3-1…tied it at 3, and whammo, braindead Hollweg took ANOTHER boarding major. How many times was he going to do this? His energy was always welcome, but his inability to control himself outweighed the positive….so hit the bricks Hollweg…its about time! 

One other thing. Jason Strudwick was signed by the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the week. He was the exact opposite of Hollweg, meaning he always used his noggin. He was also a great leader for both young and old players alike. Goodbye, and good luck Struds.

Articles:

Newsday - Rangers send Hollweg to Toronto for draft pick

Post - HOLLWEG SHIPPED TO LEAFS

Daily News - Rangers trade Ryan Hollweg to Maple Leafs for fifth-round draft pick

I’m too choked up to write anything about Jags leaving. Naslund will ease our collective bleeding. New locale will spark him, and he’ll probably get more goals than Jags had this season. He comes in knowing that it’s Drury’s and Gomez team. Kalinin bolsters our pathetic defense even more. Oh, and they resigned Mara for one year as well. I don’t mind this move because Mara was willing to shoot at least once in awhile.

Sorry, it is summertime, so I am a little slow to post. But, that all changed when I heard Avery was heading out of town. He was probably my favorite ranger in the 17 months he played here. He always played on the edge (we knew he did that when we got him), and gave our team an added dimension that you only hope can be recaptured somehow. So, he now brings his baggage (both literally, and figuratively) to Dallas…4 yr deal worth around 15 mill per. Would have loved to have him back, but at that cost…is he worth it. Hard to say. He has completely disappeared in both second round losses in the playoffs….against Buffalo, he shot off his mouth, then never backed it up, and against the Pens, he was invisible except for the first game, then ruptured his spleen. We’ll see how the fine folks in Dallas handle him. 

We can also say goodbye to Backman, and Tyutin. Backstrom drove me crazy with his hooks and holds in the playoffs, and Tyutin, just never took off as the defenseman he was supposed to be. Coming back in the trade, we get Nicolai Zherdev (a potential superstar), and Fritsche (a 4th line player). 

We can say nice to see you again to Michael Rozsival. He’s back adn deservedly so. He logged to most ice time per game for us last year. He plays through injuries, good puck mover, and a steady defenseman overall.

Say hi to Wade Redden. He is not the same player he was when on the Island. He is another steady defenseman. When I heard that the rangers were targeting him, I was fine with it. We’ll see who he pairs up with (Roszival?)?????

We also picked up 2 young guys – Voros (Minnesota) and Rissmiller (San Jose). Both 4th line players. Voros can fight!

Articles regarding Super Pest Avery:

Newsday - Controversial Avery leaves Rangers for Dallas

Post - BLUESHIRTS KEEP FAILING TO SCORE

Daily News - Avery leaves Rangers; Jagr in limbo

NY Times - Avery Taking His Popular Style to Dallas

Articles regarding Tyutin/Backman trade:

Newsday - Rangers on youth movement by adding forwards

Daily News - Rangers get Nikolai Zherdev from Blue Jackets for Backman & Tyutin

Articles regarding Rozsival and Redden:

Newsday - Rangers sign defenseman Redden, keep Rozsival

Post - BLUESHIRTS LAND REDDEN

Daily News - Rangers keep Michal Rozsival, ink Ottawa’s Wade Redden

NY Times - As First Step, Rangers Fortify Defense

Stay Tuned….