NYR NEWS & NOTES 12/23

OFFICIAL:
Chris Summers and Magnus Hellberg have been loaned back to the Hartford Wolf Pack. (AHL Transaction Wire) 

Magnus Hellberg

Summers and Hellberg were called up last Friday on emergency recall after Antti Raanta was hurt against Minnesota.

Since being called up, Summers has played in three games, is a minus two, has 4 PIM, 5 shots, 4 hits, 1 blocked shot and an average of 15:23.

Hellberg came in to replace Henrik Lundqvist against the Capitals and stopped 4 of 6 shots in 20 minutes.

Chris Summers

Raphael Diaz will stay in North America this season but signed a 5-year deal in Switzerland that starts next year

Raphael Diaz will finish this season with the Rangers organization but has signed a five-year deal to return to Zug in the Swiss league starting next season. (Zug via PHT)

Diaz's contract with Zug has an out-clause in his Swiss contract to return to the NHL if a team signs him to a one-way, two-year deal. (Zug)

Diaz has only played 10 games for the Wolf Pack this season and hasn't played since suffering an injury on 11/15.

Alain Vigneault said that Diaz would have been called up when Brady Skjei was, but Diaz was hurt.

The sense from other GMs is that the Rangers may try and shake something up

Craig Custance spoke with other NHL General Managers who have the sense that Jeff Gorton is "looking to do something to shake things up" after a less than impressive season so far. (ESPN Insider)

One person told Custance to "watch the Rangers." (ESPN Insider)

Custance says that the Rangers may have interest in trading Dan Boyle but Boyle has no interest in leaving the Rangers. (ESPN Insider)

Other NHL GMs believe that the Rangers would move Keith Yandle, despite his cap hit of $2.625 million, "for the right price." (ESPN Insider)

Adam Rotter: The idea of the Rangers wanting to do something isn't surprising but the possibilities of what they could do are limited. Jeff Gorton is going to need to be creative if he wants to do something to "shake things up." Cap space is limited, the Rangers need to keep their prospects and picks and there are guys locked into no-move and no-trade clauses. Things will be difficult if the Rangers want to do something, but the biggest shakeup possible would be if the guys currently on the roster play better.

Getting Kevin Hayes and Chris Kreider going, would be like adding two top-six forwards. Getting Dan Girardi back to being Dan Girardi would be like adding a top-four defenseman. It's everyone. The Rangers can keep all of the same players but become a much different team if their guys get going.