2017 Report Cards
A five-game playoff elimination is disheartening for any team, and the New York Rangers felt that loss when they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinals last year. The Rangers craved change after their elimination and the onus was on general manager Jeff Gorton to remedy it. That offseason,
2017 Report Cards
After a 2015-16 season that was widely considered a down year from his strong rookie season, Kevin Hayes turned his offseason training up a notch to help him rebound in 2016-17. He bounced back with 49-points (17 goals, 32 assists) in 76 games, a career high, after a 36-point campaign
2017 Report Cards
Jeff Gorton took a chance on free agent Brandon Pirri on August 25th, 2016. But it was the sort of late offseason gamble that many praised. Pirri was two seasons removed from scoring 22 goals in 49 games with the Panthers. He could play center, he had a hell of
2017 Report Cards
Who? Sigh. Where did it all go wrong? Coming out of preseason, Clendening was poised to be a major possession-driving defenseman. He played well while Dan Girardi nursed an injury and Nick Holden struggled (a nice way of saying "got deked out of his socks") ... but then when
2017 Report Cards
I’ve always been transparent about how I feel about Derek Stepan - which is to say that I’ve always had a hard time evaluating him. This has been the case back when he had a full head of hair as a rookie in 2010-2011. And it was true
2017 Report Cards
This might be uncomfortable for some of us, or tear-inducing for others, but one way or another it has to happen – it’s time to assess Dan Girardi’s performance during the 2016-17 season as a New York Ranger. You, like many of us, may already have your mind made
2017 Report Cards
Ryan McDonagh is the dream. A top prospect who turned out to be anything and everything he was projected to be. A guy the New York Rangers got in perhaps the greatest trade of Glen Sather’s career. (That link is a beautiful time machine from Jim’s breaking news
2017 Report Cards
Every season Henrik Lundqvist is expected to carry his team to the Stanley Cup and every season they fall short – not because of Lundqvist, but because the team in front of him is incomplete. The expectations are high every season because Lundqvist is a generational talent and when the Rangers’
2017 Report Cards
When the NHL season opens in October, Oscar Lindberg will be suiting up for just his third NHL season, and it will be his first as a member of the newly minted Vegas Golden Knights. Lindberg was drafted 57th overall in the 2010 draft by the Phoenix Coyotes, and joined
2017 Report Cards
Yes, it had to happen. While this report card probably won’t be the most cynical out of the bunch (that honor will probably go to Dan Girardi’s), I don’t know how many people will want to relive Marc Staal’s season, much less write about it. I
2017 Report Cards
Brad Shakes. Baby Skjei. Whatever you call him, the young defender playing his first full NHL season was the brightest spot on a blue line plagued by inconsistency, incompetence, and the inexplicable whims of Alain Vigneault. Regular followers of the blog and the podcast enjoyed watching Joe go from lamenting
2017 Report Cards
The New York Rangers acquired Nick Holden from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a fourth-round pick at the 2016 NHL Entry Draft – making the 2016-17 season his first in New York. The left-handed defenseman showed his ability to play on both sides, giving him more versatility in the lineup