Trade Deadline: Major and Minor Moves

Well Rangers fans, the trade deadline has come and gone. There were some suprising moves made. Lets get the big deals out of the way first. With a short analysis after each trade.

• Atlanta trades Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a 2008 first-round draft pick.

This is can either be a great move for the Penguins, or an awful one. Marian Hossa has never really shown up in the playoffs, and assuming the Penguins do not have a mjor meltdown, Hossa will need to step up. With Sid "the Kid", Malkin, Staal, and now Hossa, the Penguins will continue to be an offensive juggernaut. Pascal Dupuis is a solid two-way player, who is an asset on the penatly kill. The Penguins do however lose solid youngsters in this deal and a good prospect in Esposito. If Hossa ends up being a rental and the Penguins do not win the Stanley Cup, this will have been a bad move for Pittsburgh. Atlanta made out real well in this deal because Hossa was not going to resign, so at least they recieved something for him.

• Buffalo sends Brian Campbell and a 2008 seventh-round pick to San Jose for Steve Bernier and a 2008 first-round pick

This is a good move for the Sharks as they needed to sure up their defense. Nabakov (San Jose's goalie) has been superb all year. He needed defensive help though, and in the playoffs defense wins championships. On top of that, Campbell is a fantastic puck moving defenseman, which San Jose needs on their power play. Campbell is a free agent at the end of the season, and he could possibly be just a rental for San Jose. The sharks though now have all the tools for a possible Cup run. Look for the Sharks to finally make it out of the first round of the Playoffs. On the flip side, Buffalo finally recieved something for a player after watching stars Chris Drury and Daniel Briere walk away for free. Steve Bernier is young, solid offensive player. Put him on a line with Vanek, and magic will happen in Buffalo.

• Tampa Bay sends Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist to Dallas for Jussi Jokinen, Jeff Halpern, Mike Smith and a 2009 fourth-round pick

In the incredibly tough Western Conference, this trade puts the Dallas Stars up top. This could be a deal the brings that cup to Dallas. Brad Richards, who has already been a Stanley Cup MVP, will join the red hot Stars. Richards has experience for a Stanley Cup run. He value rangers from all aspects of the game. Great offensive player, great penalty killer, and a great faceoff man. He is an all around player, which only bolsters the Stars lineup. Johan Holmqvist is a capable backup for Marty Turcp. As Tampa Bay, they might have finally solved their goaltending problem. Mike Smith is young and has a lot of potential. After battling Turco for the number one goaltender spot in Dallas, Smith should be able to be the guy in Tampa. He posted a record of 12-9-0 in Dallas, with a 2.46 GAA and .906 save percentage. Jussi Jokinen is known for scoring in his young career, as well as being dependable in shootouts, while Halpern is a solid 3rd line player. This was a good trade for both teams.

• Montreal sends Cristobal Huet to Washington for a second-round draft pick

Looking to find a replacement for aging netminder Olaf Kolzig, the Capitals somehow managed to snag Cristobal Huet from Montreal. Washington is just out of their Southeast division lead, and have two games at hand against the leaders Carolina. Huet, who can be brillant at times, can give that push the Caps need to make the playoffs. The head scratching thing here is, Montreal, who seems to be playoff bound, is letting their hopes ride on rookie netminder Casey Price. This is a 20 year old kid, playing in Montreal, a city the eat, sleeps and breathes hockey. The kid has the tools, but it will be interesting to see if he can handle the pressure. If not, look for Montreal to turn to their backup, Jaroslav Halak.

• Columbus sends Sergei Fedorov to Washington for Ted Ruth

This was another interesting trade, as Washington made a big splash at the deadline. It would be interesting to see Sergei Fedorov along side fellow countrymen Alexander Ovechkin. "Alexander the Great" has once again lived up to his nickname, and playing with Federov might prove Sergei has some gas still left in the Tank. Columbus recieved Ted Ruth who is a defensemen at the University of Notre Dame. He was selected 46th in last year's draft.

Now to the Rangers deals. The Rangers had plenty of speculation heading into the trade deadline. Tradin Jagr, looking for a puck moving defensemen, and trading AHL goaltender/former first round draft pick Al Montoya. Here are the moves the Rangers made.

St. Louis sends Christian Backman to the New York Rangers for a 2008 fourth-round pick

The Rangers grabbed a defensemen, but not the one anyone anticipated. Backman is a solid defensement, which will help the Rangers. However, the Rangers still do not have a Dman to quarterback their powerplay. It will be interesting to see who Backman plays with, and how he handles New York.

Phoneix sends David LeNeveu, Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton, and a Conditional draft pick to New York Rangers for Al Montoya, Marcel Hossa.

This was an ok trade for the Rangers. Sjostrom is a solid 4th line player which can replace Ryan Hollweg, (which had me rejoicing) and Gratton is a tough guy. LeNeveu will be a backup to Lundqvist, but with Vallaquiette playing so well, LeNeveu isn't needed. It is good to see the Rangers part ways with Hossa, since he was a waste. Unfortunate that Montoya was traded so late, as his trade value was higher a long time ago, so his stock dropped. At least they got something though.

Time for the big playoff push, and as always LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Rangers Bounce Back

After a 3 day break, the New York Rangers were back at it on Saturday. They were looking to rebound after losing 6-5 to Montreal in a shootout, a game in which the Rangers led 5-0. An epic collapse to say the least, the Rangers needed to show they put that game behind them.

The Rangers had back to back games this past weekend. They played at Buffalo Saturday night and on Sunday night they were back in the Garden to play against the Florida Panthers.

On Saturday, the Rangers came out sharp, but so did the Sabres. It was a hard fought game the whole night. However, in the third period with the game tied at 3, with only 5:05 remaining, Sean Avery scored the game winner. The Rangers continued their dominance of the Sabres this season, as they have won all 3 games they have played. These two points were valuebale as it propelled the Rangers past the Sabres in the tight Eastern Conference. The Rangers moved into 6th place, while the Sabres ended up at the 8th and final spot. With 20 some odd games left for these teams, every point is needed.

Following this game, the Rangers went back to New York to tangle with the Florida Panthers. The Panthers were recently on the verge of competiting in the playoffs, but have dropped 4 of their last 5. The Rangers came out flying once again as they dominated this game from start to finish. They would win the game 5-0 with goals coming from Malik, Gomez, Dawes, Straka, and Jagr. Henrik Lundqvist, who started the night before in Buffalo looked solid in net, as he stopped everything that came his way. Lundqvist would make 23 saves to record his 8th shutout of the season.

The Rangers now have a break until Thursday, when they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina is a top their division and is 3rd in the playoffs, despited having only 69 points. The Rangers currently have 72, and sit 6th in the playoffs. Needless to stay, this is another important game for both teams.

On a side note, Jaromir Jagr has scored 2 times in the past 2 games. In the last 15 games, the Rangers are 10-3-2.

As always, LETS GO RANGERS

Rangers Lock Up King Henrik

Rangers fans can breathe a sigh of relief Wedsnesday, "King Henrik" has been signed to a six year deal. The star goaltender, who has finished in the Vezina voting in his first two years in the league, finally got a deal done. Terms have not been announced, but the Daily News has reported a finalized deal. It is believed Lundqvist will be making $6.5 million a year. His record this year stands at 24-21-5. "King Henrik" started on fire this year. In his first twenty-four games, the goalie was nothing less than spectacular. Lundqvist only allowed three or more goals once in those twenty-four games. Lately, Lundqvist has been struggling in net, which could stem from his father's aneurysm.

If you are a Rangers fan, you are estactic this deal is finally done. July 1st was coming way to quickly. If Lundqvist wasn't signed, he would have been a restricted free agent. Now, that has no chance of happening. He is only 25 years old, which means he will only get better. If the Rangers can sure up the blue line, they will be making noise in the playoffs for years. Even though he is young, his track record speaks for itself. He lead the Rangers to the playoffs after a 8 year playoff drought. As stated early, he finished in teh Vezina finalists in his first two years. He is the best goaltender the Rangers have has since #35, Mike Richter.

As stated before, the Rangers need to sure up their defense. Once Brodeur declines (which is hopefully soon), Lundqvist is arguably the best goalie in the league, behind only Vancouver's Roberto Luongo. Lundqvist is virtually unbeatable down low and his positioning is stellar. When the shot is on the ice and below is midsection, he is near impossible to beat. Teams need to beat him upstairs when he drops down. That is their best bet.

Rangers fan rejoice, King Henrik is here. He will be here for at least six more years.

Source about contract signing : http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3243637

Trade Jagr

Trade Jagr

The New York Rangers are struggling and the problem starts with their captain. The Rangers were preseason favorites to compete and win the Stanley Cup. However, if the playoffs were to start today, the Rangers would be the 8th seed, just barely making the playoffs. The Rangers are the lowest scoring team in the NHL, and Jagr (being a five time scoring champ), as well as captain deserves a majority of the blame.So far this season, Jagr has only managed 39 points, and only 12 of those being goals. Jagr can not seem to find chemistry with Scott Gomez or Chris Drury. These two guys are arguably the best at their position, and still Jagr continues to struggle.In order to make a postseason push, the Rangers should trade Jagr.

First, ever since Jagr was traded to New York, his salary has partially been paid by the Washington Capitals. This was apart of the trade. Jagr's contract ends this season, meaning if the Rangers are going to resign him, they will have to pay his large salary by themselves. Not to mention, when Jagr becomes a free agent, he can sign anywhere, meaning the Rangers could lose him and not get a thing in return. Another reason to trade Jagr is that teams are looking for an asses to their team for the postseason. Western teams, such as the Red Wings, Sharks, or even the Avalanche are looking fo a player of Jagr's caliber, while the Rangers can acquire those teams young guns, or other prospects. A third reason to trade Jagr, is that he is turning 36. The Rangers have a lot of youth in their farm system and on their actual professional roster. With players like Marc Staal, Brandon Dubinksy, and Nigel Dawes already on the pro roster, where do other young players fit in.? Trading Jagr would be a difficult decision for Rangers Management, but it is the right move. A major trade could be what a team needs to jump start them.

Article Used for reference:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3196519

Lundqvist Snubbed

Henrik Lundqvist was snuubed for this year's all star game. Plain and simple. The only other goalie that should have been a starter over Lundqvist, is Martin Brodeur. When Brodeur dropped out and a replacement was needed, Lundqvist was snubbed yet again. Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins was chosen in Brodeur's place.

This means the Goaltenders for the East were: Rick DiPietro, Thomas Vokoun, and Tim Thomas.

Lets compare Lundqvist's stats against Rick Dipietro.

Lundqvist - GAA: 2.33Wins: 21Shutouts: 7

DiPietro - GAA: 2.54Wins: 19Shutouts: 2

These are just general stat's. The other two goalies stats don't even compare to Lundqvist as well. It is shocking to see arguably the East's best goalie being snubbed.

For more Information : http://bleacherreport.com/articles/7380-NHL-New_York_Islanders-NHL_All-Star_Game_Rangers_Henrik_Lundqvist_Snubbed