Nedved and Pock Cut

The Petr Nedved experiment is over. Rangers Report spoke to Glen Sather about the two-time former Ranger, who was cut today. Last night's successful experiment of giving Lauri Korpikoski and Ryan Callahan a look at center ice confirmed for the Ranger brain trust that they should stick with their developing youth rather than going with the aging blast from the past.

As we noted during last night's game, Thomas Pock played himself out of an NHL job -- he is joing Artem Anisimov, Bobby Sanguinetti, Hugh Jessiman, Greg Moore, Dane Byers, Andreas Jamtin, Brodie Dupont, P.A. Parenteau, Dale Weise, and all the members of the taxi squad in being re-assinged to Hartford today as the Wolf Pack begin their training camp.

Still competing for the seventh defense slot are Corey Potter and Brian Fahey. Five forwards are still competing for the four remaining roster spots on the wing -- Aaron Voros, Dan Fritsche, Lauri Korpikoski, Pat Rissmiller, and Freddie Sjostrom. Miika Wiikman, ultimately headed to Hartford, will accompany the Rangers to Europe so they can have a fallback position in case of injury.

Ranger Rants, Rangers Report, Blue Notes, and Blue Seats have more from the MSG Training Center, including reconfigured lines that have Drury on the wing with Gomez and Naslund and Dubinsky centering Zherdev and Dawes, as first suggested this morning by Larry Brooks in the Post (who also reports that Shanahan is working out on his own at the training center).

At Blueshirt Bulletin+ today, we have an article on Korpikoski's bid to make the Rangers as the lone rookie left with a chance to break into the Rangers' forward lines -- click here to read it if you subscribe to Blueshirt Bulletin and have registered for BB+ access. If you need instructions on how to access BB+, write to us at [email protected]. If you are not a subscriber, E-mail us or click here to learn how to take out a subscription to get the magazine as well as BB+ access.

For more on Korpikoski, see Newsday. The Record has an article on Voros. In other reading today, game reports and game notes from last night can be found at the Daily News, Rangers Report, Ranger Rants, Blue Notes, NYR.com, NY Sports Day, and AP. The Journal News has an article on the competition between Nedved and Blair Betts written before this morning's news about Nedved being cut. Hockey Fights has the lowdown on last night's fisticuffs, highlighted by Colton Orr destroying something named Koci (Orr also had a breakaway that he set up for himself). The Vancouver Sun has an article about Markus Naslund. NHL.com has a feature on Rod Gilbert. Ranger previews from the Sporting News and the Hockey News.

The Rangers just announced the official cut list : "The club has released forward Petr Nedved from his try-out agreement and reassigned the following 16 players to Hartford (AHL): goaltender Matt Zaba; defensemen Mike Busto, Vladimir Denisov, Bobby Sanguinetti, and Mike Sauer; and forwards Artem Anisimov, Joe Barnes, Dane Byers, Brodie Dupont, Ryan Hillier, Andreas Jamtin, Greg Moore, Tom Pyatt, Justin Soryal, Dale Weise, and Tomas Zaborsky. In addition, defensemen Maxim Kondratiev and Thomas Pock, and forwards Hugh Jessiman and P.A. Parenteau will continue training camp with Hartford."

The wording on Pock, Jessiman, and Parenteau suggests that they are still on the Ranger roster, not the Wolf Pack's, which probably means that the Rangers are not yet ready to put them through waivers (if waivers are even required for the latter two). Interesting too that Kondratiev, who has been absent throughout pre-season, remains with the team. Not on the list but obviously sent to Hartford camp are players under contract directly to the Wolf Pack -- David Skokan, Sergei Demagin, Jordan Owens, Mike Ouellette, Chris Murray, and Dave Urquhart. No official word on remaining try-outs -- Lyon Messier, Tyson Dowzak, and Jeff Jakaitis. Also not mentioned is Antoine Lafleur -- as he has not been re-assigned to juniors, one has to assume he is going to Hartford camp.

Comments

[Roc]

Great Job Glen once again putting your ego before the team. Pat Rissimiller, Sjorstrom and Prucha should have all played themselves out of a job. However you cut the one guy that has played well. You hate being wrong don't you? Two goals a game is a disgrace!!

[Chris QCT]

Ooo... I have to hurry this up before the comments close:

I like the way they look so far. I'm looking foward to seeing a more complete team all in the same game to see how they all flow together (especially the D-pairings). But they look quicker, they're not trapping, and they're playing aggressive.

I would love to get a look at a Callahan/Dubinsky/Drury line together. The Prucha/Drury/Dawes line seems invisible to me so far.

I am so pumped for the season!!!

[cwgatti]

Forget Nedved & Pock. Did you really think they were gonna make the team? Shanny too. We gott package a few of the 14 Rissmillers we got and try to free up space for a real player. . . . .

[bcrt]

I can't wait until everyone realizes our team will be worse than last year.

[T_Bird]

I realized it when there were no changes since summer.

[paul]

a free comment... a rarity here...

[eric]

totally agree this team will miss the playoffs. i am a season ticket holder and am disgusted to see this roster. whos scoring for us consistently

[JBytes]

The only surprise cut, for me, is P.A. Parenteau. I like what I saw from him in the couple of matches he played.

[onetimer]

I like the roster as is. Maybe sentimentally, I wanted Nedved to make the team. In retrospect his own (non-committal) comments (as relayed through this blog and others) doomed him, I think. He sounded like he wouldn't be disappointed if he were cut. Anyway, I'd rather have Voros and Sjostrom for their skill sets; Rissmiller I don't know anything about, except that he played hockey at an eastern college (holy cross??). Orr simply is indispensible on this team, and according to the blogs improved on his skating.

dubi, have a good trip, go light on the fondue. I don't get msg (the channel), which is why I asked about taping the games in Bern. If anyone does plan to tape the 2 exhibition games, I'd love to get a dvd copy.

1timer

[;-)]

Longtime reader, but this is my first post. I'm very upset with what Sather has done to this team...

How do you let Jagr, Straka and Shanny go (three of the top scorers) and Avery (heart and soul)? I even thought not signing Sykora a couple years back was a huge mistake...

Now cutting Nedved...??? Rangers need goal production and Nedved can score... I was at both preseason games and was thoroughly impressed by this “old timer”

Maybe there is a lot of young talent on this team, but let’s not kid ourselves...this is going to be a rebuilding year. My bet is that the Rangers don’t make the 2009 playoffs...and I’d be very curious to see what MSG management is projecting for playoff ticket sales...

[Jameson]

There's no way this is a rebuilding year, this is what the salary cap era is like for a lot of teams. This team is still fairly old, Gomez, Naslund, Drury, Redden...etc.

While some of you seem to be upset with Nedved being let go, he was weak playing on the boards and on defense he was just kinda standing around. He scored two goals and had an assist playing against AHL defenders and AHL Goaltenders. He played well enough to be a 3rd or 4th liner on some NHL teams, but not here, and why sign him to a 2-way contract when we've got plenty of guys that are young and can benefit from the playing time in Hartford and still act as a good call-up if needed.

I think the top 9 forwards are pretty locked up no matter the combinations
C - Gomez, Drury, Dubinsky
W - Zherdev, Naslund, Dawes, Prucha, Callahan, and the last spot is between Sjostrom and Voros in my opinion.

The 4th line I think Orr and Betts are both locks, and then Sjostrom or Voros take the other spot. Rissmiller a healthy scratch I guess.

[Greg L.]

4th line is up in the air , im thinking that now holleweg is out the line will be changed this time around . Glen has voros , korpi and fritchie . Theses guys will push out betts . Just like Nedved s fate ..young guys are needed for speed and energy. The Rangers will be excellent , mark my words.

[Jxmarts]

"How do you let Jagr, Straka and Shanny go (three of the top scorers) and Avery (heart and soul)? I even thought not signing Sykora a couple years back was a huge mistake...

Now cutting Nedved...??? Rangers need goal production and Nedved can score... I was at both preseason games and was thoroughly impressed by this “old timer”

Maybe there is a lot of young talent on this team, but let’s not kid ourselves...this is going to be a rebuilding year. My bet is that the Rangers don’t make the 2009 playoffs...and I’d be very curious to see what MSG management is projecting for playoff ticket sales...

Posted by: ;-) "

If your goal is to make the 2009 playoffs, and your concern is playoff ticket sales, then bringing back last year's roster including Jagr, Straka, Shanny & Avery would probably be a surer bet. (Nedved however, hasn't had a productive season in the NHL for 5 years.)

But if your objective is to ultimately win a Stanley Cup, then you had to start reshaping this team's nucleus. It wasn't going to happen with a core built around an aging Jagr. The Jagr era had peaked, and if a Stanley Cup hadn't happened by now, it was never going to happen for that team.

[Ron Boesgaard]

Jameson: Still fairly old??

This team has only 3 guys on it over 30!!!!!

It got a lot younger over the off-season and now is the 2nd or 3rd youngest team in the league.

Fairly old?

No way.

[Jameson]

Greg L,
Betts has worn a A in every pre-season game, he's not going to lose his spot. He's also one of the best penalty killers in the league, he should be in the lineup.

[rocketnyr]

Betts has no place on this team. His defensive skills are redundant now with younger guys to take his place, and he's not a great faceoff guy. He provides zero offense, and that is why he must go.

[Orts41]

I know its the preseason and we don't want to go crazy about things, but we are in desperate need of some scoring help. Our team put goals up on the board at all. Naslund, Gomer, Zherdev, Drury, Dawes and Callahan have to pick up their games.

The Rangers may at some point need to look outside the organization for some scoring help, either through a trade, the waiver wire before the season starts, or other avenues. Shanny is looking more attractive as an option at this point because he does have a track record of consistently putting up points. Sundin is also looking better.

The best option would be to try to trade for a scorer - say Marion Gaborik, who doesnt seem to want to stay in Minny after this season. Send them Prucha, picks, Rissmiller, Sanguinetti (Del Zotto looks like the better of the two) maybe Sjostrom ,etc.

We need some proven scorers and some people who can do something with a power play.

Sather, do you hear me??

[Voodoo11]

I'm watching the NJ game and Chico is speaking about some audio where mike rupp was recorded last year during a fight (w/orr) or someone else on the bench and had some juicy quotes. Anyone know what this refers to and where we can hear it on the web?

[Ice]

The Rangers played like a bunch of guys who just made the team.

No time for panic.

This is why Betts shouldn't be a regular. The GM of the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings said: "Some teams play a fourth line that you know they can put out all winter and they're not going to score a point.We want some goals out of the fourth line. Because our defense gets the puck and moves it up, and we like to hang onto the puck, we need guys up front who can do something when the puck comes to them. If you attack the other team's net enough, sooner or later the puck has to go in."

[Jameson]

rocketnyr,
In Betts defense, the wingers Betts has had don't help one bit, Gomez wouldn't even provide offense with those guys. The addition of Rissmiller and Voros along with the off-season workout of Orr fits to make the 4th line much more offensively contributing.

And to say his defense is "redundant" and he doesn't bring anything with young guys on the team just tells me you're really overlooking how important having good penalty killers is. He's our 4th line center, it was the same last year but if we're really worried about our 4th line scoring goals something tells me the 1st three aren't doing a great job..

[Jameson]

Ice,
Since the Red wings did it we should definitely do it! I've never heard of teams having different recipes for success, that's just obsurd. The Wings clearly did it the only way possible.

Our 4th line should be a lot better this year, Orr won't play every night and then you'll have guys like Fritsche, Rissmiller, and Voros taking shifts there. That should mean a lot of goals(for a 4th line).

People get mad that Sather signed these guys, to be our 3rd and 4th line guys, which is what they are, and then continue to complain that our 4th line won't score points.

And who would you all rather have be the 4th line center? The only other guy with any NHL center experience is Dan Fritsche, Anisimov isn't ready, Korpikoski should be on the wing to maximize his offensive ability.

All the hate for Betts is stupid.

[Jameson]

Orts41,
One flat pre-season game and all those guys gotta "pick up their game"? Naslund and Zherdev both had nice goals last night, the goalscoring is going to come when pre-season is over. The Gomez line is going to be awesome, and I think Drury to Dawes is going to be a great connection no matter who's on the other wing.