Rangers season preview

The puck has dropped on the 2008-09 NHL season. And I have the Center Ice package so I don't have to rely on the amateur production of Versus! Oh baby!

The Rangers have advanced to the playoffs three straight years but have not gotten past the second round of the playoffs since 1997. That was so long ago, I was still living in New Jersey, a sophomore at St. Joe's High School. As their second round series against Pittsburgh wore on, it became evident to me the Rangers did not have the speed or the goal scorers to win the series. And they fell in five games. Since then, the roster has turned over drastically.

Subtractions:
Martin Straka: A soft Czech player who was only there to please Jagr. Goodbye, good luck in Europe.
Fedor Tyutin: Tough to trade a good young defenseman. But I don't think he lived up to expectations. He wasn't especially great on offense or defense, and the Rangers have other young d-men like Bobby Sanguinetti and Michael "Carlos" Del Zotto rising quickly, so I feel he is replaceable.
Ryan Hollweg: Good fighter, good comedian, not much else.
Brendan Shanahan: Hall of Famer, great leader, but does not have the endurance at 42 years old to play with this team.
Sean Avery: Tough to lose. A pest with talent, who became an icon in is 1.5 seasons on Broadway. Perhaps he would have worn out his welcome, but his grit and energy is not easy to find.
Jaromir Jagr: Great one, now playing in Russia. He only has so many years left, but he was the captain and scored a lot of big goals for the Rangers. With him gone, they don't have that marquee position player. But perhaps that could be beneficial. Too many times, other Rangers stood still and watched Jagr, like they expected him to create everything on offense. That will not happen now.

Additions:
Wade Redden: This will either be a boom or a bust. A very good offensive defenseman, signed for 6 year to shore up a power play that finished 22nd last year. His numbers have declined over the last few years. How will he react to New York City? If he doesn't thrive, the Garden faithful will turn him into their whipping boy. Think Tom Poti, for a lot more money.
Aaron Voros: Big tough forward, signed for grit, energy, to replace some of that spunk Avery took over to Dallas. Grew up a Rangers fan in Vancouver, can't be a bad thing.
Markus Naslund: Since he played in western Canada for so many years, I never really watched him. Many say his best days have passed him by. Well, as I observed the first two games in Prague, I was amazed by his stick-handling and quickness. For two years, I think this will be a solid signing.
Dmitri Kalinin: Could well turn into the new Marek Malik, without the crazy shootout goal. Has not looked particularly sharp on defense, but I won't jump on him just yet. Why the team has three spare forwards instead of two spare forwards and a seventh defenseman absolutely befuddles me.
Dan Fritsche: Has not suited up for the first two games. But I want him to get an opportunity. He is a good penalty killer, has a good hard shot, and can hit.
Pat Rissmiller: Scratched for the first two games as well. Paid him a million bucks and I doubt he will play much.
Nikolai Zherdev: I can't wait. We traded Tyutin and the "legendary" Chrsitian Backman for Fritsche and him. I have seen the highlights and I think he will be a superstar. A dynamic 23-year-old winger, who reminds me very much of a young Alexei Kovalev or Milan Hejduk. If he can learn when to pass and involve his teammates, he can be special. I expect 35 goals from him.

Holdover Forwards:
Chris Drury: The captain. Captain clutch. In his second year, he has the opportunity to lead the second youngest team in the NHL. He didn't really have the one signature moment or goal like he had in Buffalo and Colorado, but I think he has one in him.
Scott Gomez: Just getting used to him after he played in New Jersey for so many years. A solid 2-way center who will flank Naslund and Drury.
Brandon Dubinsky: The young future superstar. In his second full season, he dominated training camp. Scored the game-winner in the opener in Prague on the PP. Don't know what he will turn out to be, except he should be a reliable contributor for years to come.
Ryan Callahan: My fave. A scrappy, hard-working two-way right winger. Hasn't racked up the points though. If he can add about 20 goals to go along with his motor, that will equal a very valuable player.
Nigel Dawes: The wild card. Has struggled so far, but has shown flashes of becoming a good goal scorer. Can he be consistent though? If he doesn't respond with a yes, I could picture him getting traded.
Petr Prucha: Starting to lose my faith in him, though he's only 26. After 30 goals two years ago, his production has steadily slipped. I think he's more likely to get traded than Nigel.
Lauri Koripikoski: Scored a goal in his first NHL game last year; a playoff game no less. Has earned the third line center role, skating with Callahan and Prucha.
Blair Betts: Fourth-line center, who kills PP's and excels on face-offs. Does the little things well.
Colton Orr: The most improved Ranger of the last two years. Used to be he was only on the ice to hit and fight. But his skating has progressed, and he is really one of those players who can change the momentum of a game.
Frederik Sjostrom: Became a crowd favorite after being acquired at the trading deadline. But has become a victim of the numbers game. Can he get an opportunity to play?

Holdover defensemen
Michael Rozsival: Resigned for four years. A good two-way defenseman, who I never want to see on the PP, as he seems to fear shooting the puck. Fine for the second line.
Marc Staal: The phenom. Brothers Jordan and Eric are already in the NHL. Jared is on his way to Phoenix. Scored a huge goal against New Jersey that essentially gave the Rangers a stranglehold on their playoff series. Good size, good instincts, good skating, good shot. An all-around solid player. Oh, did I mention he is only 21 years old!
Paul Mara: I was very happy the Rangers resigned him for one year. He has a good slap shot, it rarley goes on net, but it is hard, and isn't afraid to hit hard.
Dan Girardi: Very reliable, stay at home d-man. Not a Beukeboom-thrasher type, but he has vision. He always seems to be in the right spot at the right time to make a big defensive play.

Goaltenders:
Steve Valiquette: The Philly killer. Glad he is back.
Henrik Lundqvist: The King. The best there is. Signed for six years. Outstanding!

They have won their first two games. The speed they wanted is there. And the team is lively and exuberant, they will grow over this year and over the next few years. Right now, I have three big questions.

1) Will Glen Sather trade for another defenseman? I don't believe they have that physical d-man who can clear the crease on front of Lundqvist. Girardi or Staal could become that but they may not be capable just yet. With so many extra forwards, could they package two or so, and get another blueliner? Then again, every NHL team is looking for help on D.

2) Can their PP improve? Wade Redden, this is on you. He has to quarterback the PP, and he has looked better than most expected so far. But for years, we have watched pass after pass after pass around the corners and out to the blue line. They don't have guys who stand in front of the net and deflect slappers and slam rebounds home. Avery was starting to become that, but now someone new is needed. I hear Voros may get a chance. I'm all for it. In their first game they were 0-for-6 before scorming one with 5 minutes left.

3) Who will score? They lost a lot of goal scorers this offseason. Jagr was the guy who kept scoring in the big spots down the stretch last year. I don't know who will step up in that role this year. Gomez and Drury are not necessarily known for this, but they must do better than 16 and 25, especially with Straka, Avery, Jagr, and Shanny gone. Between, Zherdev, Callahan, Prucha, Dawes, and Dubinsky, I want three of those guys to score 30 goals this season.

As far as the season goes, I think Montreal, Washington, and Philly are better in the East. Pittsburgh has lost a lot of grit (Ruttu, Hall, Roberts, Malone) and have lost their top two defensemen for the first half of the season. I think the Rangers will finish 5th, like last year and make the Eastern Conference Finals, where Montreal will beat them.

I look forward to an exciting 08-09 season. And with the Knicks sure to be stinking it up again, they had better make it exciting. Let's Go Rangers!

Off topic posts

I need to take a break from the stuff I have been writing about and take a change in direction, if if only for one post.

Random news items

1) Karl Haist has won the World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-Off in Clarence, NY, on Oct. 4. He grew a pumpkin that weighed 1,075 pounds. How many pies could you get out of that? And what purpose does the pumpkin serve except a really weird lawn sculpture?

2) We are apparently running out of road salt. Come winter, some people are worried we will run out of salt for the roads. How are we running out of salt? I can see oil, I can see gold, I can see diamonds. How do you run out of salt? Are we eating too many pretzels and potato chips in the country?

3) Japan just hosted a unique fashion show. The models were 40+ year old adults wearing black tights and adult diapers. Yep, the whole purpose was to showcase adult diapers. Here's the deal. Adult diapers are an increasingly common item in Japan, home to one of the world's longest average lifespans. More than 20% of the population is over 65, and the country is forecast to have the globe's largest number of centenarians — 1 million — by 2050, the U.N. says. It gets worse. Speakers blared oldies hits such as "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Here's my favorite quote. "Diapers are something that people don't want to look at," said Kiyoko Hamada of the Aging Lifestyle Research Center, a leading organizer of the show. "But if you make them attractive, then people can learn about them more easily," she said.

More attractive? This is what we are working on; how to make diapers seem more attractive? I don't care how it is marketed, I don't care who is wearing it. The words diaper and attractive go together like me and cats. Like my father and a tall glass of milk. It just doesn't work.

4) Whose says the real estate market is in trouble? With a winning bid of $1.75, a Chicago woman has won an auction for an abandoned home in Saginaw, MI. Her bid was one of eight for the home. Think about that. Seven people bid LESS than that for a house! With the utility costs in St. Charles, I can't microwave a bag of popcorn for under $1.75! And she plans to sell the house immediately. Now I know nothing about real estate. But what happens if you can only get a dollar back for the house? That's a pretty bad return. And let's say someone offers $50. Fifty to one sounds good. But is it good considering the big picture?

5) An unidentified man smashed a 6-foot hole in the wall of the Name Brand Clothing Store in Tulsa, Okla., in August and labored through the night to bust open the safe, but according to the surveillance video, he finally gave up six hours later after making only a small hole in the safe. However, when the store manager arrived later that morning, he found the safe unlocked, probably the result of his forgetfulness the night before, and no contents were missing. Though the crime was unsuccessful, the manager offered to hire the robber, based just on his diligent work ethic.

Song picks
1) "Pour Me Another Tequila" Eddie Rabbitt
2) "Real Love" Doobie Brothers
3) "Play Born to Lose Again" Ronnie Milsap
4) "I'm Gonna Miss You Girl" Michael Martin Murphey
5) "Riviera Paradise" Stevie Ray Vaughan

Predictions and a recap

Here are my fair, unbiased, unswayed picks for the baseball postseason:
Angels in 5, Rays in 4, Dodgers in 4, Phillies in 3; Rays in 6, Dodgers in 6; Dodgers in 5

Wrigley Field amazed me. As loose as their fans were in the regular season, they were that tight for all of Game 1. That was stunning. They have been so raucous, so confident all summer long. Now the cold weather has descended. Loney hits the grand slam, I thought they were playing in an empty stadium. As Francesa said, it was like 40,000 Benigno's in the stands. They were like me when I watch the Mets, just waiting for the shoe to drop. By the way, how did Manny hit that pitch as far as he did? Let's see what the mentality of Mr. Zambrano is tonight. But I believe Chad Billingsley will become a household name after this game. I see 7 innings, 2 runs. I'm not saying the Dodgers will go up 2-0, but there will be no blowout tonight.

And Omar, our wonderful GM who has another 4 years in Queens, give Manny 2 years, whatever the price. I want him in here.