Didnt see this posted anywhere, from a few hours ago via Andrew Gross on twitter.
On Staal:
Quote:
“If somebody gives him an offer sheet, we’re going to match it.”
On Making More Moves:
Quote:
“We’re still moving forward; we’re not finished. There are other opportunities still out there, moves we’d like to make.”
On Voros:
Quote:
“We liked Aaron’s attitude, he was a good team guy,” Rangers GM Glen Sather said. “But with some of the acquisitions we made, he just didn’t figure into it going forward. It’s another opportunity for Aaron to get another contract.
On Youth:
Quote:
“Our philosophy is with any young guy that comes in and makes the team, we can move the older guys out if necessary,” Sather added when asked about the defense corps. “We’re not going to force feed any of these guys. We might have pushed (Matt) Gilroy too hard. We don’t want to hurt anybody’s confidence.”
Quote:
“Yeah, I think (McDonagh) is going to be a real good player,” Sather said. “McDonagh looks real good. The other kid from Russia is coming to camp and he’s got a chance.”
Quote:
“We still have some options out there,” Sather added about getting a top-line center. “Christensen came on very well last year and played very well, I’m not going to rule him out. At the same time, there’s no guarantee he’s going to be the guy to take the job. Prospal can play center. Stepan is smart enough to play there.”
Isn't it weird how Sather always sounds like a reasonable, well though out GM on the rare occasions he makes himself available to the media, and then he just goes out and makes moves that leaves everyone scratching their heads?
He 100% means Valentenko. The continued ignoring of Sauer is nagging at me though.
They might not see Sauer being capable of making the jump. Perhaps its the injuries or something, im not sure, but im am sure if hes still on the team he will get a look in camp.
Isn't it weird how Sather always sounds like a reasonable, well though out GM on the rare occasions he makes himself available to the media, and then he just goes out and makes moves that leaves everyone scratching their heads?
I think all the people that were like "OH NOES! There's no room for the kids!" when the Rangers re-signed Prospal and Christensen can breathe easy. Seems like they're really high on Stepan and they will certainly give him a chance to win a spot on the team. Christensen is by no means a lock to be the top line center.
He 100% means Valentenko. The continued ignoring of Sauer is nagging at me though.
They probably see something in Sauer that we do not... maybe he needs more development. I am sure once camp starts they will get a good look at him again.
I think the Rangers are pretty transparent on how they feel about young players. They gave Sanguinetti and chance and when he went back to Hartford, he was passed over for future promotion. Sauer didn't get a sniff all year. Of course, injuries complicated some of the timing but I don't think they are not giving certain guys a chance because someone stole their lunch money. Like 'em or not, Sather and his boys want to win very badly and they are putting the players on the ice each night they think give them the best chance of winning.
As much as I'd love to have Koivu here, I think Minny would be foolish not to lock him up long term--he is the face of their franchise. That said I am hoping that he will be a Ranger come next year
really like everything sather said here other than putting it out there that we will match anything staal is offered. key word being said, but i digress.
for the kids, hopefully stepan and grachev have strong camps because it sounds like they will be given every opportunity. i am personally really high on stepan. both are ready for the sink or swim test. grachev is physically ready, and i think his game is better suited to the nhl. much more cohesion on the ice for him to work with. he's not a creator, he's a finisher and he'll find more of those opportunities with higher level players. stepan i hope does some power skating this summer to get a little faster but he's so smart with the puck and thinks the game at such a high level i can't see him not being capable of handling the nhl game. he's also a very confident kid, so if he doesn't play/produce at the level he's accustomed to right away, i don't think it would stunt his development. i get the impression he's the type who will just keep working until he gets there. in that sense i see a lot of toews in him (not referring to playing style at all, just mental makeup). mcd i'm in between on. camp/preseason will tell us a lot. i think the ahl is a very good developmental league for defensemen as opposed to creative offensive players. pro speed and strength are much different than in college. we banked on gilroy's skating to allow him to succeed last year and that backfired. mcd is a completely different player and is definitely physically ready, its just a matter of how quickly he can adjust to the pace at the nhl level.
very intrigued to see the moves glen referred to if we make them. wish i could be a fly on the wall for those discussions. have to think roszival, gilroy, and maybe dubi? would be discussed for the right deal. ribeiro is a player i could see us looking into, don't know about his availability or cost though. redden's here to stay, nobody's touching that contract now that gainey's gone.
consider me a happy camper with the direction we seem to be headed though. for the first time in a long time it seems like there is a vision for this team.
Koivu is one of the best players in the league and very underrated (IMO), but honestly, people around the league know how good he is. He'll get a huge deal next year.
really like everything sather said here other than putting it out there that we will match anything staal is offered. key word being said, but i digress.
for the kids, hopefully stepan and grachev have strong camps because it sounds like they will be given every opportunity. i am personally really high on stepan. both are ready for the sink or swim test. grachev is physically ready, and i think his game is better suited to the nhl. much more cohesion on the ice for him to work with. he's not a creator, he's a finisher and he'll find more of those opportunities with higher level players. stepan i hope does some power skating this summer to get a little faster but he's so smart with the puck and thinks the game at such a high level i can't see him not being capable of handling the nhl game. he's also a very confident kid, so if he doesn't play/produce at the level he's accustomed to right away, i don't think it would stunt his development. i get the impression he's the type who will just keep working until he gets there. in that sense i see a lot of toews in him (not referring to playing style at all, just mental makeup). mcd i'm in between on. camp/preseason will tell us a lot. i think the ahl is a very good developmental league for defensemen as opposed to creative offensive players. pro speed and strength are much different than in college. we banked on gilroy's skating to allow him to succeed last year and that backfired. mcd is a completely different player and is definitely physically ready, its just a matter of how quickly he can adjust to the pace at the nhl level.
very intrigued to see the moves glen referred to if we make them. wish i could be a fly on the wall for those discussions. have to think roszival, gilroy, and maybe dubi? would be discussed for the right deal. ribeiro is a player i could see us looking into, don't know about his availability or cost though. redden's here to stay, nobody's touching that contract now that gainey's gone.
consider me a happy camper with the direction we seem to be headed though. for the first time in a long time it seems like there is a vision for this team.
i think the rangers moving dubinsky would be stupid because the rangers dont have another ready power forward in their top 6 as of now.... rangers are not a big team at the forward position either, getting ribeiro ehh not a fan of soft players who pretend to be hurt no matter how many points they score. grachev and anisimov are big but arent power forwards, just because the player has size doesnt make him a power forward. rangers need another big physical forward.
i wonder what it would take to get a Ryan Clowe type player. a big player with size that can score 15-20 goals and 50 pts, who on the rangers can do that
i think the rangers moving dubinsky would be stupid because the rangers dont have another ready power forward in their top 6 as of now.... rangers are not a big team at the forward position either, getting ribeiro ehh not a fan of soft players who pretend to be hurt no matter how many points they score. grachev and anisimov are big but arent power forwards, just because the player has size doesnt make him a power forward. rangers need another big physical forward.
i wonder what it would take to get a Ryan Clowe type player. a big player with size that can score 15-20 goals and 50 pts, who on the rangers can do that
sorry, should have elaborated on that point. didn't mean to imply i would encourage trading dubinsky or pursuing ribeiro, that was just me speculating who i thought slats may put on the table for deals and who may be available on the other side of them. i like dubi a lot, but he tangled with sather last summer and i don't think that went over well in the front office. as far as ribeiro is concerned, i'm not a fan at all of the way the guy acts and dives. but he is a solid playmaking center and i have to think that is one thing sather is looking into. they are a tough commodity to come by. personally, i'd prefer a guy like richards but i don't think we have the space for that right now. that said, sather is known to pull a rabbit out of his hat in trades, maybe he's got a nice surprise for us.
"I thought our defense wasn’t really our big problem on our team last year,” Sather said, adding the issue was the lack of scoring, other than Marian Gaborik. “We need to get a little more offense. We can’t just depend on Marian. As far as the defense, if somebody comes in and takes the job, so be it.”
Does Sather even watch the games? The defense was horrible last year. So far he hasn't done anything to improve the team.
"I thought our defense wasn’t really our big problem on our team last year,” Sather said, adding the issue was the lack of scoring, other than Marian Gaborik. “We need to get a little more offense. We can’t just depend on Marian. As far as the defense, if somebody comes in and takes the job, so be it.”
Does Sather even watch the games? The defense was horrible last year. So far he hasn't done anything to improved the team.
Maybe he feels that the reason the defense looked horrible is because we had very few forwards who could hold onto the puck and maintain possession. If he can somehow rectify that before the season starts the defense should look okay.
