Blueshirt Boggle

Heatley an Oiler

Well, stud winger Dany Heatley was almost a Ranger, but in the end it appears he will be a quasi-Ranger (also known as an "Edmonton Oiler.")

TSN is reporting that Heatley has been asked to waive his no trade clause in a trade that would involve:

• Andrew Cogliano, Ladislav Smid, and Dustin Penner

At face value, this seems like a surprising move for the Oilers as they are sacrificing two youthful players and a once-potent scorer for a head case in Heatley.

However, what must now be recognized is GM Glen Sather's unwillingness to part with youth. Ottawa wanted Brandon Dubinsky and another young player and Sather wouldn't budge, a nice change from the past decade.

Now, the Rangers have considerable cap space to pursue a player like Vinny Lecavalier or perhaps a free agent such as Marian Gaborik or Marian Hossa.

Unfortunately, that came at the expense of a good guy in Scott Gomez who truly enjoyed being a Ranger.

More in the morning as noon begins unrestricted free agency...

The Lecavalier Factor

While we await any further news or details tonight, there may be one other factor to consider in all of this.

Is it possible that the Rangers are actually in talks regarding Vinny Lecavalier out of Tampa Bay not Dany Heatley?

While the Rangers have more of a need for a big-time winger, if Brandon Dubinsky must be involved in any trade wouldn't it make more sense to trade a center for center, rather than center for wing?

The Gomez trade already acquired a top-4 winger for your extra center so losing another center would defeat the purpose of having two top-4 wingers.

And while the Rangers have several players who can play center, they lack the punch and consistency that Dubinsky and Chris Drury provide at that position.

So while you sit and anxiously await the fate of Dany Heatley, don't be shocked if a player from the south comes north.

More to come...

Source: Heatley deal being finalized

A source has been told that Dany Heatley will be a Ranger before midnight tonight. The Gomez deal has apparently freed enough cap space for the move to be made.

Rick Carpinello has also reported the Heatley deal to be done.

The source stated that Brandon Dubinsky was involved in the deal though that remains to be seen now that Gomez has gone.

Dubinsky, an RFA, was tendered a qualifying offer.

Steve Zipay of Newsday has also heard Dubinsky's name as part of the Heatley deal.

I have a hard time believing that only because it begs the question: what's the point of wingers without top centers?

With the movement of Gomez, Dubinsky and Chris Drury instantly become your top two centers.

Artem Anisimov and perhaps a player like Lauri Korpikoski (a natural center) could fill the third and fourth lines. Or Blair Betts could be re-signed, though it's an outside chance.

More as it develops...

Breaking News: Gomez to Montreal for Higgins (UPDATED: 5:35)

In shocking news, TSN and RDS is reporting that Scott Gomez has been traded to the Montreal Canadiens for winger Chris Higgins.

Thanks to John Ragus of NYRNation for the tip.

Gomez was making $7.4 million per year with 4 years remaining while Higgins was earning $1.9 million and was a restricted free agent.

More to come...

UPDATE - 5:22

TSN is reporting the trade as the following:

"The Montreal Canadiens have acquired centre Scott Gomez winger Tom Pyatt and defenceman Mike Busto from the New York Rangers in exchange for winger Chris Higgins and defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko from the Montreal Canadiens."

UPDATE - 5:35

Here is the official release:

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has acquired forward Chris Higgins and defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forwards Scott Gomez and Tom Pyatt, and defenseman Mike Busto.

Higgins, 26, has skated in 282 regular season contests with Montreal, recording 84 goals and 67 assists for 151 points, along with 96 penalty minutes.  The 6-0, 205-pounder has eclipsed the 20-goal mark three times. In 2007-08, he established career-highs in games played (82), goals (27), assists (25), points (52), power play goals (12), game-winning goals (five), and shots (241).

He led Montreal in shots, tied for second on the team in power play goals and game-winning goals, and ranked third in goals. He was also one of only three Canadiens to skate in all 82 games during the season.  Higgins registered 11 points (six goals and five assists) in the first 13 games of the season, and went on to surpass the 20-goal plateau for the third straight year.

Higgins appeared in 57 games with the Montreal Canadiens this past season, registering 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points, along with 22 penalty minutes.  He tied for second on the team with two shorthanded goals, and placed sixth on the club with 151 shots despite missing 25 games due to injury.

In addition, he led the Canadiens in goals (five) and shots (40) during the month of November.  He tallied his first career hat trick on November 11 vs. Ottawa to cap off a season-high, four-game scoring streak that began on November 1 at the New York Islanders, registering six points (four goals and two assists) over the span.

As a rookie in 2005-06, he led Montreal with three shorthanded goals.  In addition, Higgins has registered six goals and five assists for 11 points in 22 career postseason contests with Montreal.

The Smithtown, New York native was originally Montreal’s first round choice, 14th overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

McDonagh, 20, skated in 36 contests with the University of Wisconsin Badgers of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) this past season, registering five goals and 11 assists for 16 points, along with 59 penalty minutes.  The 6-1, 212-pounder established career-highs in assists (11), points (16) and penalty minutes (59) in his second season with the Badgers.

The St. Paul, Minnesota native was originally Montreal’s first round choice, 12th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Valentenko, 21, split the 2008-09 season between Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL).  The 6-2, 220-pounder collected one assist in eight games with Dynamo Moscow after beginning the season in Hamilton, where he tallied two assists in four games.

The Nizhnekamsk, Russia native was originally Montreal’s fifth round choice, 139th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Gomez, 29, appeared in 77 games with the Rangers this past season, collecting 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points, along with 60 penalty minutes.  He was acquired by the Rangers as a free agent on July 1, 2007.

Pyatt, 22, appeared in 73 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) this past season, registering 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points, along with 22 penalty minutes.

Busto, 23, skated in 54 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) this past season, recording three goals and eight assists for 11 points, along with 41 penalty minutes.

Olympic Trials: Drury, Gomez, and Callahan asked to join Torts

Just as Head Coach John Tortorella was named Associate Coach of the U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team yester, three of his players were named to the camp roster today.

Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Ryan Callahan were among the 34 players asked to participate in the camp to determine the roster for this year's 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Brian Burke exclaimed that the US would be major "under dogs" and the "youngest team there."

One name that was left off was Brandon Dubinsky. The Alaskan-native had a strong season and seemed a definite possibility for the upcoming camp.

This will be Drury's third go at the Olympics as he participated in 2001-02, and 2005-06.

Gomez was part of the 2006 Olympic roster and also played in the World Hockey Championships.

This will be Callahan's first international event.

More to come including Day 2 from Prospect's Camp where media was denied access given tomorrow's "D-Day" for free agency.

Stick around to see what Sather and his staff were mulling behind closed doors...

Rangers Prospect Camp: Day 1

Greenburgh, NY - Day 1 of the Rangers prospect camp at the MSG Training Center was all about one aspect of the game: conditioning.

In attendance at the camp included Rangers Head Coach John Tortorella, General Manager Glen Sather, and former Ranger Adam Graves, who was assisting with the on-ice activities. 

26 rookies and prospects were invited to the camp which began on Monday, June 29 in Greenburgh, NY. The players were divided initially into 2 groups, the first of which took the ice at 9:30am and included the likes of the Rangers 2009 first round draft selection, Chris Krieder, as well as second round pick Ethan Werek, former first round pick Michael Del Zotto, and newly acquired defensive prospect Ilka Heikkenen.

Group 2, which took the ice about 30 minutes later, included third round pick Ryan Bourque, and OHL Rookie of the Year for 2008, Evgeny Grachev. 

The early portion of the practice was devoted to skating. Players took part in sprint drills, which included taking several sets of laps around the length of the ice while wearing heart rate belts.

Grachev stood out for his size and skating stride, though was not necessarily fleet of foot. Bourque, however, was very quick as was Kreider. Both seemed to possess the speed the Rangers have been searching for.

The latter portion of the day was based more on game-like action, including breakout drills, breakaways and a 3 v. 3 scrimmage.  Each of the players worked through the simulations intended to provide a more "game feel" to the workout.

Camp ended around 12:00pm, and the players were due to report back by 6:00pm for a 3-mile run. 

Day 2 of the camp will again be heavily devoted to skating and conditioning. Included on the coach's agenda will be 45 laps around the ice, divided into 3 sets of 15. 

Following the on-ice portion, Tortorella explained his intention to create stronger minded players and that "soft thinking" would not be accepted.

Last season, former coach Tom Renney was praised for the condition his players were in during training camp. However, as the season wore on and into the playoffs, the players were both mentally and physically fatigued.

Tortorella vowed not to allow that to happen again.

We'll be covering camp all week so stay tuned for continuous updates...

- by Jason Akeson

 

Salary Cap Notes

Now that the NHL announced the salary cap of $56.8 million for the upcoming season, it is time to examine the Rangers precarious cap situation heading into free agency.

While most pegged the Rangers as right up against the cap, upon further investigation, they are not as strapped as it initially appeared.

The retirement of Markus Naslund as well as some inevitable free agent losses have provided the Rangers some cap relief and the ability to re-shape the team with several spots to fill and cap space to do it.

We attempted a salary cap review some months back, but with a few errors, so this time around we are basing our numbers around NHLSCAP.com.

Forwards under contract with cap hit (numbers rounded):
Scott Gomez - $7.4 mil.
Chris Drury - $7.1 mil.
Sean Avery - $1.9 mil.
Aaron Voros - $1.0 mil.

TOTAL: 4 players under contract. Combined $17.4 mil.
Players To Sign: 8

Defensemen under contract with cap hit (numbers rounded):
Wade Redden - $6.5 mil.
Michal Rozsival - $5.0 mil.
Dan Girardi - $1.6 mil.
Marc Staal - $0.9 mil.

TOTAL: 4 players under contract. Combined $14 mil.
Players to Sign: 2

Goalies under contract with cap hit (numbers rounded):
Henrik Lundqvist - $6.9 mil.
Steve Valiquette - $0.8 mil.*

TOTAL: 2 players under contract. Combined $7.7 mil.
Players to Sign: 0

TOTAL Committed salary for 2009 - 10: $39.1 mil.
TOTAL Player to Sign: 10
Remaining Cap Space: $17.7 mil.

Using these numbers as a rough estimate, the Rangers need to sign or promote a total of 10 players with a little under $18 million. This also doesn't take into account any trade possibilities (such as Dany Heatley).

Now let's have a little fun.

Let's assume that the following Rangers' forwards are re-signed:
Brandon Dubinsky - $2.5 mil.
Ryan Callahan - $2.5 mil.
Lauri Korpikoski - $2 mil.

That leaves 4 forwards left to sign and $10.7 mil. remaining.

Let's also assume for a moment that Artem Anisimov is called from Hartford:
Artem Anisimov - $0.9 mil.

3 forwards left to sign and $9.8 mil. remaining.

Looking at the free agent class, there is a lot of potential for one stud and perhaps a couple depth forwards. However, this is where Sather's shrewd trading tactics come into play.

If you can trade for a player like Heatley by alleviating the burden of a contract like Rozsival's, you are creating a top-line player without wasting cap space.

Then you are looking at a situation where you only need a couple forwards which can be supplemented from Hartford or second-tier free agents.

If a trade like that were to occur, you would need to sign a third defenseman, but two of those players could come from Hartford such as Corey Potter and Mike Sauer, both of whom make less than $1 mil. per year.

So while the task is not easy, it is certainly less daunting than in years past.

A couple of potential UFA's the Rangers may look at it if they don't trade for Heatley:

• Marian Gaborik - $5 mil./ year
• Brian Gionta - $5 mil. / year
• Chris Neil - $2 mil. / year
• Alex Tanguay - $6 mil. / year
• Taylor Pyatt - $2.5 mil. / year

If the Rangers do trade for Heatley, only players like Neil and Pyatt may be feasible as well as re-signing a player like Colton Orr or Freddy Sjostrom.

On defense, the Rangers may look at:

• Mattias Ohlund - $4 mil. / year
• Jaroslav Spacek - $3.5 mil. / year
• Derek Morris - $4.5 mil. / year
• Mike Komisarek - $4 mil. / year
• Francois Beauchemin - $3 mil. / year
• Rob Scuderi - $2.5 mil. / year

Of course, depending on what happens to Rozsival, this impacts the Rangers' approach.

While there are lots of options this offseason, the Rangers may need to make a move or two to get the quality forward they are seeking.

Yet, if they don't make any trades, they will still have decent cap space to fill their voids with good players, but not the cream of the crop.

More this afternoon, including updates from Prospects Developmental Camp.

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates...

Draft Recap and Prospects Developmental Tournament

Thanks to all of those who followed us on Twitter this weekend for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

As we continue throughout the summer and into the next season, we will be updating here and on Twitter, so stay tuned.

The Rangers didn't make a major splash this weekend, but they did address some weaknesses in their system.

First, they selected center Chris Kreider at No. 19 from Massachusetts. The future B.C. Eagle, was ranked top skater in the draft, but he is still a couple years away from the pro-game. While the Rangers are deep at center, Kreider's speed could allow him to transition to wing.

Next, at No. 47, New York selected another center in Ethan Werek. The Ontario-native was a gritty forward in the OHL last season, amassing over 30 goals and 30 assists. Again, another center, but does play a strong north-south game, which the Rangers are lacking.

With their third pick, the Rangers took former Boston Bruin Ray Bourque's son Ryan Bourque. While he is again a center, his smallish frame can create some quick offense and does have some possibilty for offense in the QMJHL.

Other picks include center Roman Horak from the Czech Republic, goaltender Scott Stajcer of from the OHL, and defensemen Daniel Maggio from Ontario and Mikhail Pashnin from Russia.

The Rangers also traded a third round pick next season for forward Brian Boyle formerly of the King's AHL-affiliate Manchester Monarchs. Another B.C. alum, the forward was a late-first rounder in 2003.

And in a rare divisional trade, the Rangers picked up goaltender Chad Johnson from the Penguins in exchange for the 151st pick. Pittsburgh then picked Andy Bathgate, the 18-year-old grandson of the former Rangers Hall of Famer.

Something tells me the Rangers should have picked him just based on name alone.

Going into the draft, the Rangers had two assets to fill: goaltenders and scoring forwards. It seems that they accomplished that although they didn't really pick up a natural winger, perhaps their greatest need. Granted, at the age of many of these draftees they can easily be moved to wing.

Steve Zipay of Newsday has additional stats and analysis over at Blue Notes.

Now, some of these draftees and prospects will look toward this week's Prospect Development Camp. 

In attendance should be forwards Ryan Bourque, Max Campbell, Chris Chappell, Paul Crowder, Craig Cunningham, Trent Daavettila, Evgeny Grachev, Chris Kreider, Matt Maccarone, Luke Pither, Justin Soryal, Derek Stepan, and Ethan Werek.

Defensemen Luke Curadi, Mike Del Zotto, Tysen Dowzak, Mitch Gaulton, Matt Gilroy, Ilkka Heikkinen, Sammy Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, and Daniel Maggio.

And goalies Keith Kinkaid, Ben Scrivens, Scott Stajcer, Travis Yonkman

Blueshirt Bulletin will be covering the week from player interviews, practice analysis, and on-ice photos.

Stay tuned for additional analysis and Twitter updates...

Draft Coverage: (First Update) Islanders select John Tavares

After much anticipation, the Islanders selected John Tavares with the first overall pick.

Tampa Bay is on the clock...

First Major Update: Pronger a Flyer

TSN is confirming that the Anaheim Ducks have traded Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Details have yet to be disclosed.

This is on the heels of Scott Neidermeyer's decision to return to the NHL for another season.

More to come...