NYR TODAY THURS 7/7: Rumors, Notes, Alumni Birthday

RANGERS RUMORS ROUNDUP:
With the Rangers seriously facing a salary cap dilemma there is word that teams in the league are looking to take advantage as any offer for forward Rick Nash has come back at nowhere near worth his value. No specific teams have been identified but rumors of Kevin Shatenkirk from the St Louis Blues, Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks and Evander Kane of the Buffalo Sabres have all been mentioned. Whether there is any validity to these discussions has yet to be seen.

Although the Rangers have been said to received offers for centerman Derek Stepan the Rangers are "very reluctant" to move him. It is also said the Rangers have no interest on moving Captain Ryan McDonagh and have not been shopping around forwards Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes.

NYR NOTES:
Highly touted prospect Pavel Buchnevich is confident that he is ready to make the jump from the KHL to the NHL. Buchnevich says he is ready for the speed and rigors of playing on a smaller ice surface with more physical play when asked about his being ready he was quoted; "If I weren't sure I wouldn't come here."

Prospect Nicklas Jensen, acquired from Vancouver for Emerson Etem last season is looking to impress this coming September at training camp and make the Rangers Roster. Seeming to "find his game" after the trade, in 41 games with the Wolf Pack, Jensen registered 25 points (15 goals, 10 assists) and a plus-seven rating. Continuing his rejuvenated play into The Men's World Championships  Jensen tied for first among all skaters in the tournament in game-winning goals (two), and he led Denmark in goals and points. Now he looks to parlay the recent success into training camp and the 2016-2017 NHL season.

NYR Alumni Birthday 7/7 

Roman Ndur D (1999-2000)

RNYRF's RANGERS RUMORS ROUND UP 6/22

RANGERS RUMORS ROUND UP:

Speculation is the Rangers are looking to "reset" and not rebuild. GM Jeff Gorton is completely intertwined in making deals come this weekend or as some have said, he's "juggling about a 1/2 dozen balls in the air" looking to find the right pieces via trades. While the Rangers need to make salary cap room you may see popular names like Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and possibly Kevin Klein moved instead of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. The Rangers right now feel as though they still have an open window for a Stanley Cup run with Henrik Lundqvist in net and do not have a need to "rebuild" as some thought they might do but rather need to "freshen" up the locker room and find some "new blood" to inject some speed and fire into the rest of the team core.

More and more every day there are teams linked to Rick Nash with only one trade being speculated. A few sources have Nash heading to Anaheim for Cam Fowler who had a poor season last year for the Ducks. That rumor seems to be only speculation and has no validity according to those close to the Rangers situation. The teams said to have contacted the Rangers regarding Nash were, Nashville, Buffalo, Detroit, Montreal and San Jose along with Anaheim. Whether Nash is moved by this weekend or by July 1st it seems as though his days in a Broadway Blueshirt are numbered.

As far as Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider go, Stepan has been said to be garnering interest from around the league with only Minnesota being a specific team being linked. With Chris Kreider as a pending RFA with arbitration rights many speculate the Rangers may look to move the "spotty" Winger in favor of a pay raise due to his numbers during the final 1/2 of the 2015-2016 season.

With Steven Stamkos looking for a big payday it seems as though the Rangers will be out of the running unless Stamkos is willing to take a huge pay cut instead of the 11M per season long term deal he is said to be looking for.

Another name linked to the Rangers has been Kevin Shattenkirk. It seems very unlikely the Rangers will be able to pull off a deal for St Louis' Defenseman since the Blues just turned down a speculated trade with Boston for the 14th overall pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft. Shattenkirk is also said to be seeking a 6 year 42M contract heading into Free Agency at the end of the coming season and the Rangers would not be interested in making that type of offer with Girardi's and Staal's highly priced contracts with NMC's.

NYR TODAY WED 6/15: Yandle, Team/Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

Rangers Rumor Roundup:

Word is that the Rangers have not yet contacted pending UFA Keith Yandle about a new contract. It's said the Rangers must free up salary to fit under cap restrictions in order to sign Yandle. As of right now it would appear that Yandle will be testing the free agent market and sign elsewhere.

Today starts the first buy-out period along with First Club Salary Arbitration Notifications being due in by 5:00 PM New York time.




NYR BIRTHDAY

Mackenzie Skapski, Goaltender: Hartford Wolf Pack
Drafted: NYR / 2013 NHL Entry Draft,
Round: 6th (170th overall)
Height: 6' 3"
Weight: 191
Catches: Left
Born: Jun 15, 1994  (Age 22)
Birthplace: Abbotsford, BC, Canada










NYR Alumni Birthdays 6/15 
Jean-Francois Labbe G (1999-2000) Sandy McCarthy RW (2000-03,2004) Warren Miller RW (1979-1980) Leo Quenneville RW (1929-1930)

Today in NYR History June 15

1985: The Rangers select goaltender Mike Richter in the second-round, 28th overall, of the NHL Draft.

NYR TODAY SAT 6/4: Rumors, Prospect Review, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

NYR Rumors Roundup:

On TSN's Insider Trading today, Bob McKenzie said that the Rangers are believed to be "wide open" for business. McKenzie said that other than Henrik Lundqvist and maybe Ryan McDonagh he believes that Jeff Gorton is talking to a lot of teams about a lot of players.
Bob Mckenzie's exact words were: "I would say that the New York Rangers are wide open for business. That is to suggest that outside of Henrik Lundqvist and maybe Ryan McDonagh, who may or may not be an untouchable, I've gotta believe that Jeff Gorton of the New York Rangers is talking to a lot of teams about a lot of players and saying 'hey, we want to shuffle the deck here a little bit. We are not rebuilding, maybe a little bit of a re-tool and he would like to get some younger picks and prospects' if he could' but they also have some cap concerns. Whether it's Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Derek Stepan, they are not giving these guys away. It's not a fire sale but I think that all of those names and just about everyone on the Rangers roster is wide open for discussion." (TSN)

RANGERS PROSPECTS REVIEW:
Robin Kovacs Right Wing: Rogle BK [SweHL]
Ht: 6' 0"  Wt: 172 Shoots: Left Born: 11/16/1996

Drafted by New York Rangers, Round 3 #62 overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft
Ranked by Hockey's Future as the Rangers number 8 prospect in the system Kovacas split his time between AIK of Sweden 1st Division and Rogle BK of Swedish Hockey League for 2015-2016. In 48 games the right winger tallied 21 goals and 14 assists with 54 penalty minutes and was a minus 5 on the season. Kovacs is a tenacious player of adequate size who continues to fill out. He gets off to very good starts, is not afraid to test opposing defenders and push them back while creating space for not only himself, but for oncoming attackers, as well. His passing seems just fine but it is his nose for the net that is so impressive. He has little inhibition finding places to be for strong scoring opportunities, both with and without the puck. The 19-year-old has yet to sign an entry-level contract with New York and is likely to remain in Sweden for at least one more season before joining the Rangers. His size and scoring ability suggest some potential and more should be known about his long-term potential if he can secure a spot in the SHL in 2016-17.


NYR Alumni Birthdays 6/4 

Alan Kuntz LW (1941-42,1945-46) Nick Kypreos LW (1993-1996) Jeff Toms LW (2001-2002)






Today in NYR History June 4

 
1963: Rangers acquire Jacques Plante, Don Marshall and Phil Goyette from Montreal for Gump Worsley, Dave Balon, Len Ronson and Leon Rochefort.

1968: Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion becomes the 12th coach in Rangers history.

1981: Herb Brooks becomes the 19th head coach in franchise history.

NYR TODAY FRI 5/27: Rumors, Alumni Birthdays, TDINYRH

RANGERS RUMORS ROUNDUP 5/27: Vesey, Stepan, Girardi, Yandle, Stamkos, Preseason Schedule

The Rangers are expected to be aggressively pursuing Havard's Jimmy Vesey who will be a UFA on August 15th. Vesey was ranked as the 14th overall prospect by the Hockey News Future Watch for 2015-2016 and was expected to join the Predators lineup. The 6'3", 195lb Left Wing tallied 24 goals, 22 assists and was a plus 11 in 33 games for Havard in NCAA play this past season.

Word is that the Minnesota Wild have incquired about Rangers centerman Derek Stepan. The interest in Stepan is said to be "serious" and they could be offering 22 year old defenseman Jonas Brodin and a forward in a package to score Stepan.

Numerous reports are saying that the Rangers will not look to use their buyout on defenseman Dan Girardi and will not ask him to waive his no move clause. Girardi is expected to once again remain as the Rangers number 1 defenseman on the right side this coming season. If bought out, the hit would affect the Rangers cap for the next 8 seasons which with the ever changing ceiling might hurt them worse in the long run.

Defenseman Keith Yandle is ranked as the top UFA come July 1st and is expected to be too expensive for the Rangers salary cap as he will possibly looking for a 7 year $45 million contract.

The Rangers are not expected to pursue free agant center Steven Stamkos this off season as Stamkos will be seeking a contract that the Rangers could not fit under cap restrictions. Stamkos is expected to be looking for a 7 year $70 million contract with incentives.










2016-2017 Preseason Schedule:
Both the Flyers and Islanders have announced their preseason schedules and both will play the Rangers twice.
Rangers will face Philadelphia in Philly on October 3rd and on October 6th at MSG. The Rangers will face the Islanders for the first time in preseason since 2007 on September 27th at MSG and visit Brooklyn on October 4th. All games have been scheduled for 7:00 PM Starts.

NYR Alumni Birthdays 5/27 
Jimmy Bartlett LW (1955-56,1958-60) Ike Hildebrand RW (1953-1954) Ray Sheppard RW (1990-1991)

Today in NYR History May 27
1994: Matteau!!! Matteau!!! Matteau!!!
Stephane Matteau, who had won Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals with a double-OT goal, swooped in and beat Scott Niedermeyer to the loose puck. Matteau then carried the puck behind the Devils’ cage and emerged on the other side, where defenseman Slava Fetisov was charging towards him. Matteau proceeded to put a wraparound shot off Brodeur’s stick and over the goal line at 4:24 of the second overtime to set off a wild celebration, both on the ice and in the stands at MSG a 2-1 victory in Game 7 for the Rangers! 4-3 series win for the Rangers sending them to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1979!

VIDEO:
Matteau!!! Matteau!!! Matteau!!! Howie Rose's legendary ‘Matteau!’ call