The New York Rangers only came into the 2011 NHL Entry Draft with four picks, but managed to acquire two additional selections to draft some interesting prospects for the farm system. Selecting at 15th overall, there were several ways the Rangers could have gone and in the end, had a draft that could either boom or bust. There are some question marks, but Gordie Howe and co. made those selections for a reason. Clark is very good at seeing the potential of players and their ability to grow, as the Rangers' fans have gotten used to over the past years.
The Rangers started out on Friday night with a choice. There were several forwards available at the 15th overall pick such as Tyler Biggs, Joel Armia, Mark McNeill and Matt Puempel. Instead, the Rangers chose J.T. Miller out of the US National Team Development Program. Regarded as a two-way player that is strong on both sides of the puck, Miller put in a great performance for the United States at the U-18 tournament with 13 points. He has drawn comparisons to Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks, which are strong indications of the two-way play that may be to come. He is the ideal player for John Tortorella's hard fore-check and responsible defensive play as well. Miller has committed to the program at the University of North Dakota next season, where he will face very physical competition. He joins a great program that produced NHL players such as Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, Travis Zajac, T.J. Oshie, Drew Stafford and Matt Greene.
Without a pick until the fourth round, the Rangers were keeping their eye on one prospect in particular. The staff had pinned Steven Fogarty as a late-1st to 2nd round draft pick, but it caught their eye when he kept falling through the ranks. It is hard to gauge the projection of a high school player, but Fogarty has a very big 6'2" 194lbs frame. The Rangers traded falling prospect Evgeny Grachev to the St. Louis Blues for the 72nd overall selection in the 3rd round in order to select the talented young forward. The 18-year old played for Edina High School last season which is very well regarded for its hockey program, and he plans on playing a year in the USHL before starting his college career at Notre Dame. This could suggest that Fogarty has his eyes set on turning pro after only a one or two seasons of college hockey, which could prove well for his development. His combination of hands, size and speed could turn into a strong player in a John Tortorella system down the road.
With their 4th round pick, the Rangers went to the WHL to draft an outstanding forward prospect. Michael St. Croix was being compared to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins almost a year ago, but due to inconsistencies fell to the fourth round where the Rangers chose him. The shifty Edmonton Oil Kings pivot has good speed and excellent hands, leading him to a great second season in the Western Hockey League where he posted 27 goals, 48 assists and a +28 rating. The +/- rating is the most notable stat for St. Croix because the year before he posted a -21 rating. If the 5'11" forward can add some muscle and some strength, he may be a steal at #106 for the Rangers.
Shane McColgan was a highly regarded prospect that projected to go as early as the first round in the 2011 Entry Draft, but questions about his size and inconsistencies made him drop down to the fifth round. Though that may seem like a steep drop, the speedy forward still has a lot to offer from his 5'8" 165lbs frame. Though his point total dropped from 69 in 2009-10 to 66 in 2010-11, his +/- rating saw an increase of 18 as he went from a -15 to a +3 with the Kelowna Rockets. At 134th overall, McColgan has offensive skills and a bit of a temper that could allow him to make it to the next level.
The Rangers didn't have to wait long for their next pick, as they held the 136th overall pick as well. With the selection they chose imposing defenseman Samuel Noreau out of the QMJHL. The 6'5" defenseman is not known for his offense but for his play on the defensive side of the puck and for his toughness. He scored a grand total of five goals and ten points last season, but racked up 141 PIMs and was a good fighter in the Q. At 18-years old, he will probably play at least two more years in Juniors before turning pro.
The Rangers final selection came in the 6th round at 172nd overall. Glen Sather traded Nashville a 2012 6th round pick for this selection and the team selected Slovakian defenseman Peter Ceresnak. A two-way defenseman with size, the 6'3" 209lbs Ceresnak played for one of the worst teams in the Slovak Junior circuit. Ceresnak is more than likely going to enter himself into the European draft for the CHL and will come over to North America to play the rest of his junior hockey. There, the Rangers can keep a close eye on him and make sure his development goes along as best as it can.
Overall, the Rangers covered all of the bases in this draft. There are several high risk picks in Fogarty and McColgan, while 1st rounder J.T. Miller is all but destined to become a two-way threat in the Rangers top-6. Michael St. Croix has great hands and offensive upside, while the Blueshirts also picked up two defenseman with right handed shots. There was not a lot more that the Rangers brass could do, and they did an excellent job with the picks they had and acquired. With Tim Erixon acquired for two 2nd round picks, the Rangers picked up a possible top-5 draft pick as well. In the next four to five years these players will show if they warranted their selections in the entry draft, but the future looks bright with these young hockey players.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Flyers Wheeling and Dealing a Day Before the Draft
The Flyers made headlines the day before the draft, trading two of their top forwards away in order to have salary cap space to make moves and sign Ilya Bryzgalov. On the way out are center/right winger Jeff Carter and their captain, center Mike Richards. Carter was traded to Columbus for young winger Jakub Voracek, the eight overall pick and a third rounder, while Richards was sent to Los Angeles for prospect Brayden Schenn, robust winger Wayne Simmonds and a second round pick. By sending out the two forwards, the Flyers shed $11.023M (www.nhlnumbers.com) off of next year's cap and that, combined with the rise of the salary cap to $64.3M allowed them to sign goaltender Bryzgalov to a 9-year/$51M contract ($5.67M cap hit). All three of these teams made positive strides towards the future, but which ones came out ahead?
Let's start with the Flyers, who received the most assets in these deals. In Voracek, there's the potential for a top-6 winger that now makes Ville Leino expendable. Leino's productive season means that he will probably land a big payday come July 1st and the Flyers could not afford a $3.5M, multi-year contract for the Finnish winger. Voracek is coming off of a season in which his production dipped by four points and he faced a lot of inconsistency. With a fresh start, a new contract and a new coaching staff to work with, Voracek can fill in the top-6 hole that is there. Wayne Simmonds comes from LA and he will instantly be a fan favorite in Philly. The agitating winger plays an aggressive and physical style that will be welcome among the Flyers team. After breaking out with 16 goals, 40 points and a +22 +/- rating in 09-10, Simmonds struggled last season with only 30 points and a -2. He may have been asked to calm his play, as when his production dipped his PIMs did as well. Playing the grinding game that the Flyers do, look for Simmonds to break out in 2011-12. The other forward acquired in the LA deal is Brayden Schenn, who was impressive enough to initially stick with the Kings for the first few games in the season before being sent back to Juniors where he would receive prime playing time. He registered 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in only 27 games, showing that he has nothing left to prove in the WHL. The Flyers could very well expect Schenn to step into the lineup as their third line center behind Claude Giroux and Danny Briere next season. In addition to players, the Flyers also ended up with a 1st round pick, a 2nd rounder and a 3rd round draft selection. Before tonight, the Flyers had shipped out their 1st rounder in a trade with Toronto for Kris Versteeg, but now sit with the 8th overall pick. The Flyers do not have a lot of strong offensive prospects, so I feel that they may target a forward such as Ryan Strome or Mika Zibanejad. With all of the extra cap space, GM Paul Holmgren invested a nine-year deal in Ilya Bryzgalov. This is a boom or bust deal for the Russian netminder who has been dominated in the past two post-seasons by the Detroit Red Wings. This move will prove its worth in the next few years while Bryzgalov is still in his prime.
The Columbus Blue Jackets come out of this trade with a very strong scoring forward in Jeff Carter. The Jackets lacked goal scorers last season and Jeff Carter is among the elite in that category, tallying 115 goals over the past three seasons. Columbus has struggled to develop their offensive talents, with players like Nik Zherdev, Nikita Filatov, Stefan Legein and Gilbert Brule failing to succeed after high draft selections. This may have been a smart move because the Jackets get a proven goal scorer who knows how to put the puck in the back of the net. While Jake Voracek is a good, young and talented winger with the upside of a top-6 forward, he more than likely will not be as good as Jeff Carter is. The 8th overall pick was going to land Columbus a good prospect, but this draft is not deep with game-breaking talent and while adding another prospect to the pool is always good for teams, Columbus desperately needs to win now as opposed to in the future, having only been to the playoffs once in their existence.
It was rumored that the Los Angeles Kings were going to pursue Brad Richards because they needed depth with skilled centers. Well, Rangers fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief because the Kings have found their center and it isn't the Richards you want. In what came as somewhat of a surprise, the Flyers shipped out captain Mike Richards to Hollywood. This solves the Kings most glaring need down the middle, as having a platoon of Jarret Stoll and Michal Handzus is not going to solve the need for a second line center. With Richards now in the fold, the Kings have a dangerous and gritty second line with him and Dustin Brown. Factor in Dustin Penner and that is one of the best second lines in the NHL. The Kings payed a heavy price with Schenn and Simmonds on the way out, but LA is poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup as soon as next season with the addition of Richards' skill set. The only repercussions of this trade may be when Ryan Smyth is traded to a team in Alberta, more than likely the Oilers. They simply cannot afford Smyth's $6.25M cap hit, though his actual salary is lower. Trading Smyth to Edmonton may bring back a higher pick than the one they sent to Philadelphia, leaving them in a strong spot to continue to develop talent through the farm.
In the end, every team got what they wanted. Philadelphia got the cap space it needed to sign a reliable starting goaltender, Columbus got the scoring forward that the team so desperately needed and LA got the second line center that they have been coveting. In the end, each GM can be happy with what they did through these trades, as all of these moves will have major effects on the teams in the 2011-12 season.
Let's start with the Flyers, who received the most assets in these deals. In Voracek, there's the potential for a top-6 winger that now makes Ville Leino expendable. Leino's productive season means that he will probably land a big payday come July 1st and the Flyers could not afford a $3.5M, multi-year contract for the Finnish winger. Voracek is coming off of a season in which his production dipped by four points and he faced a lot of inconsistency. With a fresh start, a new contract and a new coaching staff to work with, Voracek can fill in the top-6 hole that is there. Wayne Simmonds comes from LA and he will instantly be a fan favorite in Philly. The agitating winger plays an aggressive and physical style that will be welcome among the Flyers team. After breaking out with 16 goals, 40 points and a +22 +/- rating in 09-10, Simmonds struggled last season with only 30 points and a -2. He may have been asked to calm his play, as when his production dipped his PIMs did as well. Playing the grinding game that the Flyers do, look for Simmonds to break out in 2011-12. The other forward acquired in the LA deal is Brayden Schenn, who was impressive enough to initially stick with the Kings for the first few games in the season before being sent back to Juniors where he would receive prime playing time. He registered 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in only 27 games, showing that he has nothing left to prove in the WHL. The Flyers could very well expect Schenn to step into the lineup as their third line center behind Claude Giroux and Danny Briere next season. In addition to players, the Flyers also ended up with a 1st round pick, a 2nd rounder and a 3rd round draft selection. Before tonight, the Flyers had shipped out their 1st rounder in a trade with Toronto for Kris Versteeg, but now sit with the 8th overall pick. The Flyers do not have a lot of strong offensive prospects, so I feel that they may target a forward such as Ryan Strome or Mika Zibanejad. With all of the extra cap space, GM Paul Holmgren invested a nine-year deal in Ilya Bryzgalov. This is a boom or bust deal for the Russian netminder who has been dominated in the past two post-seasons by the Detroit Red Wings. This move will prove its worth in the next few years while Bryzgalov is still in his prime.
The Columbus Blue Jackets come out of this trade with a very strong scoring forward in Jeff Carter. The Jackets lacked goal scorers last season and Jeff Carter is among the elite in that category, tallying 115 goals over the past three seasons. Columbus has struggled to develop their offensive talents, with players like Nik Zherdev, Nikita Filatov, Stefan Legein and Gilbert Brule failing to succeed after high draft selections. This may have been a smart move because the Jackets get a proven goal scorer who knows how to put the puck in the back of the net. While Jake Voracek is a good, young and talented winger with the upside of a top-6 forward, he more than likely will not be as good as Jeff Carter is. The 8th overall pick was going to land Columbus a good prospect, but this draft is not deep with game-breaking talent and while adding another prospect to the pool is always good for teams, Columbus desperately needs to win now as opposed to in the future, having only been to the playoffs once in their existence.
It was rumored that the Los Angeles Kings were going to pursue Brad Richards because they needed depth with skilled centers. Well, Rangers fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief because the Kings have found their center and it isn't the Richards you want. In what came as somewhat of a surprise, the Flyers shipped out captain Mike Richards to Hollywood. This solves the Kings most glaring need down the middle, as having a platoon of Jarret Stoll and Michal Handzus is not going to solve the need for a second line center. With Richards now in the fold, the Kings have a dangerous and gritty second line with him and Dustin Brown. Factor in Dustin Penner and that is one of the best second lines in the NHL. The Kings payed a heavy price with Schenn and Simmonds on the way out, but LA is poised to make a run at the Stanley Cup as soon as next season with the addition of Richards' skill set. The only repercussions of this trade may be when Ryan Smyth is traded to a team in Alberta, more than likely the Oilers. They simply cannot afford Smyth's $6.25M cap hit, though his actual salary is lower. Trading Smyth to Edmonton may bring back a higher pick than the one they sent to Philadelphia, leaving them in a strong spot to continue to develop talent through the farm.
In the end, every team got what they wanted. Philadelphia got the cap space it needed to sign a reliable starting goaltender, Columbus got the scoring forward that the team so desperately needed and LA got the second line center that they have been coveting. In the end, each GM can be happy with what they did through these trades, as all of these moves will have major effects on the teams in the 2011-12 season.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Rangers get Erixon, draft focus gets more interesting
Just earlier today, the Rangers made a deal with the Calgary Flames and acquired defenseman Tim Erixon and a 5th round draft pick in exchange for two 2nd round draft picks and forward prospect Roman Horak. In Erixon, the Rangers get a big (6'2", 190 lbs) defenseman who has excelled in the Swedish Elite League as a 20-year old. The Flames get two picks that they needed, as their early picks had been previously traded away. All of this was made possible when Erixon refused to sign a contract with Calgary, and Glen Sather swooped in and took advantage.
The Rangers now only have four picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, the 15th overall, 106th, 134th and finally the 136th. The Rangers need to now focus on drafting promising forward talent and also a goaltender. With the recent acquisition of Erixon, the Rangers now have two puck-moving defensemen (the other being Michael Del Zotto). There are also a staple of young defensive-minded players such Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh, Tomas Kundratek and Dylan McIlrath. With only four picks, taking at least three forwards to add to the prospect pool could only help. After losing Horak and Werek to trade and picking up Oscar Lindberg, the Rangers need to shoot for the stars with their 1st round pick. If there is a possibility for a high-scoring forward such as Joel Armia available at #15, then Sather and Co. have to go for it. I believe that the Rangers should draft a goaltender and take the long-term approach to developing him. With Henrik Lundqvist still under contract for three more season and Martin Biron the established backup netminder, there is plenty of time to groom a goalie for the post-Lundqvist era. Recent starters such as Jimmy Howard and Corey Crawford have emerged as legitimate NHL goalies after being groomed in the minors with patience, so there is no reason why the Rangers cannot do the same.
On the Flames end, they acquire both the Rangers' 2nd round draft pick and the Capitals 2nd rounder (acquired in the Bobby Sanguinetti trade). They now have both the 45th and 57th picks, in addition to their first rounder which is 13th overall. This is a change in philosophy for the Flames with new GM Jay Feaster, as the team's core is getting older. Both Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff are in their 30s, and they do not have much up and coming talent to replace them or add to the lineup. This is a new start for a Flames team that will start building from the ground up, replacing their expensive veterans with younger, more viable and cheaper options. An interesting turn of events from this trade is that Roman Horak is now paired with his linemate, Ryan Howse. Howse was a 3rd round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and has scored 98 goals in the past two WHL seasons. Adding a familiar face with him should aid in both of their developments, as the Flames could have a dangerous second or third line down the road that has a lot of chemistry.
This should signal the start of more trades leading up to draft day in late June. There are rumors that Jason Spezza could be moved, as well as the rights to Brad Richards if the Dallas Stars' ownership issues are not sorted out. There is a new team in Winnipeg with a wealthy owner looking to flex his financial muscles, and teams are looking to get a head start to next season. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals starts tonight at 8 PM EST, so don't forget to check that out. My prediction? Canucks in five.
The Rangers now only have four picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, the 15th overall, 106th, 134th and finally the 136th. The Rangers need to now focus on drafting promising forward talent and also a goaltender. With the recent acquisition of Erixon, the Rangers now have two puck-moving defensemen (the other being Michael Del Zotto). There are also a staple of young defensive-minded players such Michael Sauer, Ryan McDonagh, Tomas Kundratek and Dylan McIlrath. With only four picks, taking at least three forwards to add to the prospect pool could only help. After losing Horak and Werek to trade and picking up Oscar Lindberg, the Rangers need to shoot for the stars with their 1st round pick. If there is a possibility for a high-scoring forward such as Joel Armia available at #15, then Sather and Co. have to go for it. I believe that the Rangers should draft a goaltender and take the long-term approach to developing him. With Henrik Lundqvist still under contract for three more season and Martin Biron the established backup netminder, there is plenty of time to groom a goalie for the post-Lundqvist era. Recent starters such as Jimmy Howard and Corey Crawford have emerged as legitimate NHL goalies after being groomed in the minors with patience, so there is no reason why the Rangers cannot do the same.
On the Flames end, they acquire both the Rangers' 2nd round draft pick and the Capitals 2nd rounder (acquired in the Bobby Sanguinetti trade). They now have both the 45th and 57th picks, in addition to their first rounder which is 13th overall. This is a change in philosophy for the Flames with new GM Jay Feaster, as the team's core is getting older. Both Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff are in their 30s, and they do not have much up and coming talent to replace them or add to the lineup. This is a new start for a Flames team that will start building from the ground up, replacing their expensive veterans with younger, more viable and cheaper options. An interesting turn of events from this trade is that Roman Horak is now paired with his linemate, Ryan Howse. Howse was a 3rd round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and has scored 98 goals in the past two WHL seasons. Adding a familiar face with him should aid in both of their developments, as the Flames could have a dangerous second or third line down the road that has a lot of chemistry.
This should signal the start of more trades leading up to draft day in late June. There are rumors that Jason Spezza could be moved, as well as the rights to Brad Richards if the Dallas Stars' ownership issues are not sorted out. There is a new team in Winnipeg with a wealthy owner looking to flex his financial muscles, and teams are looking to get a head start to next season. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals starts tonight at 8 PM EST, so don't forget to check that out. My prediction? Canucks in five.
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