One knock against LA is the travel. For a young player with young kids, the lighter travel of the East, especially the Atlantic Conference, is a big boon.
LA hasn't exactly been willing to jump headfirst into the UFA market in the past.
One knock against LA is the travel. For a young player with young kids, the lighter travel of the East, especially the Atlantic Conference, is a big boon.
LA hasn't exactly been willing to jump headfirst into the UFA market in the past.
But I'm sure management believes that this is the closest they've been to a competitive team in a long while, that maybe that one big move will put them over the top. With LA amount of money is not the issue, it's just a matter of willingness to spend the money, like you said, but given their gradual improvement... and a good core of young stars in place, they may change their philosophy and make that one move they feel will put them over the top, and I believe they will be very much in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes.
I think that these are Kovalchuk's most likely destinations, in order of most likely to least likely:
Los Angeles
New Jersey
Boston
Frankly, as much as I want the Rangers to get Kovalchuk, I can necessarily put them in the mix as of now because I am not sure Sather has the gall to ship Redden to the minors. Should Redden be demoted/traded for patatoes, then that is a signal to me that Sather is making a major push to get Kovy. I am not sure if I'd put NY ahead of LA, but he will make it really close (again all based on the unlikely premise that Redden is disposed of).
But I'm sure management believes that this is the closest they've been to a competitive team in a long while, that maybe that one big move will put them over the top. With LA amount of money is not the issue, it's just a matter of willingness to spend the money, like you said, but given their gradual improvement... and a good core of young stars in place, they may change their philosophy and make that one move they feel will put them over the top, and I believe they will be very much in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes.
I think that these are Kovalchuk's most likely destinations, in order of most likely to least likely:
Los Angeles
New Jersey
Boston
Frankly, as much as I want the Rangers to get Kovalchuk, I can necessarily put them in the mix as of now because I am not sure Sather has the gall to ship Redden to the minors. Should Redden be demoted/traded for patatoes, then that is a signal to me that Sather is making a major push to get Kovy. I am not sure if I'd put NY ahead of LA, but he will make it really close (again all based on the unlikely premise that Redden is disposed of).
I don't understand why people are so uncertain that Sather is going to be willing to bury Redden. Sather's shown he's willing to make multi-million dollar player disappear. See Holik, Bobby; Kasparitis, Darius.
The young core in LA may also hurt an attempt to sign a superstar. Unlike the Rangers, we don't have young players on entry level deals that are going to be paid like stars in the future. LA is going to have to pay Doughty and Johnson sooner rather than later. Doughty's making ~$2m now, and unless he gives a discount, is going to be making $7m+ within a couple of year.
EDIT: And I'm not saying LA won't sign him, I'm just saying it's far from a definite, and with $2m more for the Rangers to play with, much less likely today than it was two days ago.
I don't understand why people are so uncertain that Sather is going to be willing to bury Redden. Sather's shown he's willing to make multi-million dollar player disappear. See Holik, Bobby; Kasparitis, Darius.
The young core in LA may also hurt an attempt to sign a superstar. Unlike the Rangers, we don't have young players on entry level deals that are going to be paid like stars in the future. LA is going to have to pay Doughty and Johnson sooner rather than later. Doughty's making ~$2m now, and unless he gives a discount, is going to be making $7m+ within a couple of year.
EDIT: And I'm not saying LA won't sign him, I'm just saying it's far from a definite, and with $2m more for the Rangers to play with, much less likely today than it was two days ago.
I just have a gut feeling that he won't do it. It just seems like the Redden situation is so much worst because the contract is more unmanageable that it can be shooed away as quickly. I would love to see Redden gone, but there is no evidence that Sather is even considering that as a viable option for the team moving forward.
One of Marleau or Demitra will be a Ranger this summer which makes me want to puke.
Kovy will go west or at least should he'd strive in LA I think.
at least Demitra will only be signed to a 1, MAYBE 2 year deal. His numbers won't be bad if he stays healthy. Could be a lot like the Prospal signing, because I don't see him having many suitors and I don't see him getting more than 2 mil per.
I just have a gut feeling that he won't do it. It just seems like the Redden situation is so much worst because the contract is more unmanageable that it can be shooed away as quickly. I would love to see Redden gone, but there is no evidence that Sather is even considering that as a viable option for the team moving forward.
Why in the world would Sather come out and say that he's going to bury Redden? That's so contrary to good business practice that I can't even fathom it.
Nonetheless, read between the the lines from Tortorella's exit day interviews and a reasonable inference is that Redden has played his last game in a Blueshirt.
people are off their rocker to be putting McDonagh in their opening day lineups. The guy hasn't even expressed interest in signing with us, and made it sound like he was doing us a favor by going to prospect camp. Gilroy or Sanguinetti will be in that spot. Potter or Sauer will have it before McDonagh does.
people are off their rocker to be putting McDonagh in their opening day lineups. The guy hasn't even expressed interest in signing with us, and made it sound like he was doing us a favor by going to prospect camp. Gilroy or Sanguinetti will be in that spot. Potter or Sauer will have it before McDonagh does.
You really think he'd be paying out of his own pocket to go to prospect camp if he wasn't at all interested in signing with the Rangers?
EDIT: I think a much more plausible concern is that he's not going to have a spot in the NHL for 2-3 years due to our defensive prospect depth. Thus, his train of thought is something along the lines of "why sign with the Rangers now and spend 2-3 years in Hartford when I can stay one year in Wisconsin and then jump right into the NHL with a team that doesn't have as many young d-men."
EDIT: I think a much more plausible concern is that he's not going to have a spot in the NHL for 2-3 years due to our defensive prospect depth. Thus, his train of thought is something along the lines of "why sign with the Rangers now and spend 2-3 years in Hartford when I can stay one year in Wisconsin and then jump right into the NHL with a team that doesn't have as many young d-men."
I doubt Girardi will be a Ranger long term, Roszival will be gone sooner than later, Redden's already as good as gone, and I don't see Sauer, Williams, Kundtratek or Potter or any of our second level defensive prospects panning out for the Rangers before they're moved. Gilroy doesn't get re-signed next season. That leaves you with
Staal-Del Zotto
Mcd-Sangs
?-?
We may have depth but the 4 guys I have penciled in are the only ones I get excited about actually making a difference int he NHL. Gilroy and Valentenko are the only other ones I think could have marginal impact.
These are all things I'm sure Mcd, his family, and his "family advisors" are well aware of. If McD is the real deal like everyone thinks he is, there shouldn't be any problem with him outshining the other prospects we have.
Potter is a UFA, Sauer is constantly injured, and McDonagh's defense is significantly better than Gilroy's or Sanguinetti's.
at an NHL ready level, that simply isn't true IMO. Maybe down the road it is, but Sanguinetti and Gilroy are both better options than McD for next season.
if im not mistaken the Rangers payroll a year or 2 before the lockout was like 90 million or somewhere around that. tickets were cheaper then too. Rangers can EASILY afford to dump Redden in Hartford.
Why in the world would Sather come out and say that he's going to bury Redden? That's so contrary to good business practice that I can't even fathom it.
Nonetheless, read between the the lines from Tortorella's exit day interviews and a reasonable inference is that Redden has played his last game in a Blueshirt.
I'm not saying he would come out and say it, all I am saying is that there is nothing to would lead me to believe otherwise that come opening night Wade Redden would not be on the roster. All I am saying is that I don't think Sather has the courage to admit this mistake (somehow he found a suitor for Gomez so he didn't need to say that was a mistake) but there won't be any suitors for Redden, and those other players you mentioned (Holik, Kaspar, etc.) pale in comparision to the size of this mistake, therefore I find it much harder to believe that Sather muster the courage to dispose of Wade to the minors much less.
if im not mistaken the Rangers payroll a year or 2 before the lockout was like 90 million or somewhere around that. tickets were cheaper then too. Rangers can EASILY afford to dump Redden in Hartford.
I'm not saying that they can't do it FINANCIALLY, I am saying that Sather can't do it PYSCHOLOGICALLY. I don't think Sather has the nads (to find a less offensive term) to do such a move.
I'm not saying that they can't do it FINANCIALLY, I am saying that Sather can't do it PYSCHOLOGICALLY. I don't think Sather has the nads (to find a less offensive term) to do such a move.
?????????? they buried a guy who wore an A on his shoulder only a few years ago...I dont think you have to worry about sathers nads.
imho, the bad part about this extra 2 mil is that NJ is now going to be real aggressive in keeping kovy there....which, imho, is a worst case scenario for us.
Tavares, Kovalchuk, Parise, Crosby, Malkin, Carter, Richards....our division is going to be a nightmare for the next decade.
imho, the bad part about this extra 2 mil is that NJ is now going to be real aggressive in keeping kovy there....which, imho, is a worst case scenario for us.
Tavares, Kovalchuk, Parise, Crosby, Malkin, Carter, Richards....our division is going to be a nightmare for the next decade.
Agreed, the extra cap space helps NJ as much as it helps us... definitely a risk.
Like I said, I don't really have any logic to base my conclusion on, but I just have a feeling Ranger fans, including myself, will be very disappointed to find Wade Redden on the opening night roster next year.
I hope wear Redden turns into a Russian guy that wears number 71, and plays left wing on our 2nd line however.
imho, the bad part about this extra 2 mil is that NJ is now going to be real aggressive in keeping kovy there....which, imho, is a worst case scenario for us.
Tavares, Kovalchuk, Parise, Crosby, Malkin, Carter, Richards....our division is going to be a nightmare for the next decade.
I might be wrong, but I don't think Kovalchuk has any intention of signing in NJ.
