I know, I know - The Sky is falling and doom is near!
So - Predict which of the following scenarios (or invent your own) will materialize before the deadline - and in that case in what order
Rangers feel they are out of playoff race and open a firesale selling off their most tradeable assets:
Jagr
Shanny
Avery
Rozie
Mara
Straka
Rangers call up Dawes, Moore and Baranka replacing Malik, Hollweg and Prucha which are all traded
Tom Renney is fired
Slats is fired
Rangers resign Hank, Avery, Girardi and Rozie. Or none of them
Al Montoya is called up and Hank is dealt at the deadline (for Malkin and J Staal)
Al Montoya is called up and Vally is sent down
Hollywood is waived
Malik is waived
Hossa is waived
Cally is waived
Hollywood is dealt for a low pick
Malik is dealt for a prospect/pick
Cally and or Prucha and or Dawes are dealt for a larger forward
Dawes is recalled and starts scoring big time
Slats gets desperate and starts selling assets. Pick your choice (and weep):
Montoya
Sangs
Sauer
Dubinsky
Anisimov
Bourret
Cherepenov
Staal (insane)
Hank (insane)
Prucha
Dawes
Girardi
Moore
Byers
Hutch
Pock
The Rangers acquire a top 2 defender at the deadline + 2 new forwards - resulting in a final berth in The playoffs
We get our sniper, QB PP defender and two-way grinder
No changes are made - the team turns around and goes far nonetheless.
No changes are made - early exit from PO or do not get there altogether
Decisive changes are made and they blow it altogether
Peter Forsberg signs with New York in February. He either lifts the Cup or gets career-ending injury in his 3rd game
Eric Lindros makes a comeback in blue
Mikael Nylander is reacquired and gets Jagr going with Straka
The Caps make the playoffs. The Rangers do not
Both Matt Cullen and Mikael Nylander have more points than any other Rangers - including the two new 7 million dollar centermen
The Rangers ownership gets fed up and appoints newly designed & computerized majority vote on the HF Boards to coach and manage the team for the rest of the year
Malik is traded for a prospect/pick or just waived, Hollweg waived, Hossa relegated to 4th line.
Either just a minor trade of Prucha is made, or Prucha is packaged with Bourret/Anisimov and Montoya in exchange for a top 2 dman.
If Cally doesn't pick his game up by the end of the month he'll be sent down for the remainder of the season or traded. Would only get back into the lineup if Straka or Shanny are injured, which seems very possible.
None of these are very positive, so I'll make a bold prediction that would greatly help us: Cherepanov has a falling out with Omsk and signs a deal just in time to play for the rest of this season with the Rangers. Coincidentally right before a new Russian law is passed that prohibits such things -- he knows that if he waits, he'll be stuck there for another season.
Cherepanov has a falling out with Omsk and signs a deal just in time to play for the rest of this season with the Rangers. Coincidentally right before a new Russian law is passed that prohibits such things -- he knows that if he waits, he'll be stuck there for another season.
And for the book - I do not mention Colton Orr. His enforcer role is necessary on the team in this division rivalry - he has been playing better, winning most of his fights and his attitude/judgement has improved. I do not see him being a factor in the playoffs, but face it, for the money he makes for his limited role - he is OK. I find it ridiculous however that some people find his To be or not to Be totally decisive on the Rangers result of success or failure. A total non-issue imo. But he can just as well stay until PO time
Either a minor trade (i.e. Prucha/Dawes/Callahan/Montoya/etc. packaged for something), or no changes at all are made, and the Rangers have a 2nd-round exit from the POs, barely missing the ECFs.
I still have a strange hunch that Prucha and a couple of prospects will be packaged to Phoenix for any of Morris, Boynton, or Jovo, depending on who the prospects are that the Rangers give up.
im just hoping they dump malik/hossa for something or waive them, and bring back dawes. we have the tools to get things done, we just cant have guys like hossa who cant finish if their life depended on it and crybaby malik on this team anymore.
i would love to see hossa banished completely out of the nhl.. he's the biggest waste of a roster spot going..
malik should either be played or traded at this point, sitting him is just festering a bad situation..
callahan needs to be sent down until he gets his game back, 1 goal/point for the season not what was expected..
dawes should be on the team end of story.. renney has to come to realize that at some point..
the 4th line is utterly useless, after seeing hollweg board horcoff last night i've just about had it with him..
avery needs to get his head out of his rear and start playing the game he played up until the completion of the atlanta series..
how strudwick is put into this lineup over malik, baranka, or pock is insane.. he can hardly even skate.. great team guy but not what this team needs right now..
i'm just sick of this flip flopping of good and bad streaks.. we are just as good ON PAPER as anyone out there but in reality it either has something to do with chemistry or something to do with coaching tactics.. a change needs to come and i don't want to see it be at the expense of a talented young player, and i certainly do not want to see rucinsky back here..!
Last year we whined enuff about Ozo, Kaspar, the Wards & Hall, Orts, Isbister, Krog and SWISHHHHHH -they were gone in a flash
So far - nothing has changed this year.
If I get it right - Malik, Hossa, Prucha(??), Struds(?), Cally (??) and Hollywood probably await the same fate sometime soon?
Maybe even Jagr
WOW - it ainīt easy being a Ranger
Last year we whined enuff about Ozo, Kaspar, the Wards & Hall, Orts, Isbister, Krog and SWISHHHHHH -they were gone in a flash
So far - nothing has changed this year.
If I get it right - Malik, Hossa, Prucha(??), Struds(?), Cally (??) and Hollywood probably await the same fate sometime soon?
Maybe even Jagr
WOW - it ainīt easy being a Ranger
And I guess soon - with half the season and only 2 goals to show for it - Sean Avery will soon be on the "undesireable list" as his arbitration was ugly and he might go elsewhere if Shanny leaves.
Hmmm - if Avery were to leave next year - along with the above mentioned 6 "undesireables" + Jagr does not make contract goals and cannot pick up option (ie probably means going elsewhere/retiring), Straka retires, Shanny retires, Rozie goes UFA and we retain Lundquist, Tyutin and Girardi - we could have up to 11-12 new faces next year here.
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