Trade Deadline Drama, Epic Collapses, and Winning Streaks

Everything seems to be falling into place for the New York Rangers. Well, almost everything.

Yesterday was the NHL Trade Deadline, the biggest non-athletic event in the League. Always filled with hope, heartbreak, drama, and despair, the Deadline didn't fail to deliver this year. But before I go into all of that magic, I'll take you through the past two weeks of the New York Rangers' season.

When we last left the Boys in Blue, they had put together a pretty solid run, going 6-4-2 in their previous 12 and compiling an overall record of 28-24-7. Looking forward two weeks, the Rangers have played 5 games, winning 4 of them, and earning points in all 5. They've had two wins over Buffalo – who they're fighting with for a playoff spot – one win over Florida, and one over their first Western Conference opponent, the San Jose Sharks. Their only loss came in the shootout after blowing a 5-0 lead against Montreal (more to come later). Besides this one meltdown, the Rangers have played solid, playoff-form hockey. It seems that they've finally found their rhythm, going 10-3-2 in their last 15 games. They've moved up into a tie for 6th place in the Eastern Conference, good for 3rd in the Atlantic Division – only 8 points behind the leading Devils (who hold on to a 1 point lead over 2nd place Pittsburgh).

A big reason for this improved play has been the offense. Since struggling to find their scoring touch early in the season, the Rangers have scored 22 goals in their past 5 games – good for 4.4 per game. Aside from the Montreal game, the Rangers have continued their strong defensive play, allowing a total of 10 goals through 5 games – good for a 2.0 per game.

Henrik Lundqvist has started all 5 of these games, posting a shutout against the Panthers and one-goal efforts against the Sabres and Sharks. Since sitting out back-to-back games against the Flyers and Capitals, Lundqvist has nearly returned to his “King Henrik” status, facing a total of 144 shots and stopping 134 of them – a save %age of .931 and a GAA of 1.97; take out the collapse against Montreal, and Lundqvist's numbers improve to a save %age of .946 and a GAA of 1.26. Though his stats may not match his early numbers, he's played great hockey – combine this with the Rangers' resurgent offense, and you've got a winning formula.

As for the offense, New York seems to have finally found Jaromir Jagr some linemates – without needing to trade for them. Over the past several games, Jagr has been paired with agitator Sean Avery and rookie center Brandon Dubinsky. The linemates have combined for 21 points in the past 5 games. Avery has scored 6 (4G, 2A), Dubinsky with 7 (3G, 4A), and Jagr leading the way with 8 (2G, 4A). It appears that Jagr is happy with this combination. Not only is he finally producing the numbers, but he also seems more to be more motivated on the ice, which has been Jagr's problem since coming to New York. The second line of Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan, and Nigel Dawes has also quietly contributed, combining for 15 points in the past 5 games. The third line of Chris Drury, Martin Straka, and Ryan Callahan have also combined for 16 points in the past 5 games. It's clear that the offense is starting to click from top to bottom, starting with Jagr and trickling all the way down to the third line. Apparently I was wrong about trading Jagr – it seems he's still got his scoring touch, and he's ready to contribute to a Blueshirt push to the playoffs.

Speaking of trades, now onto the Trade Deadline. It was a rather busy day, and I'm going to cut right to it. Here are some of the more notable deals (none of which were made by the Rangers):

• Marian Hossa, Hal Gill to Pittsburgh Penguins

• Brad Richards to Dallas Stars

• Brian Campbell to San Jose Sharks

• Cristobal Huet, Sergei Federov to Washington Capitals

• Chris Simon to Minnesota Wild

• Ruslan Salei, Adam Foote to Colorado Avalanche

There were several other deals made, but these six involved the biggest names and the biggest teams. I'll focus on the biggest one before moving on to the deals pulled by Glen Sather and the New York Rangers. Obviously Marian Hossa was the highest profile player moved at the deadline. Seeing him shipped to Pittsburgh was a bit of a surprise. After hearing talk of Ottawa and Montreal, the Penguins came out of nowhere right at the deadline, sending forwards Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, and Angelo Esposito, along with a 2008 first-round pick to Atlanta for Hossa and forward Pascal Dupuis. One of the most dynamic wingers in the game, Hossa is slated to play alongside phenom Sidney Crosby (when he returns from a high ankle sprain). The acquisition of Hossa vaults Pittsburgh into the position of front runner to win the Atlantic Division. After all, they're only 1 point out of first, and they have 2 of the most talented players in the game – Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Throw Ryan Malone, Petr Sykora, and Jordan Staal, and you've got one of the most potent offenses in the game. The Penguins also have great goaltending, featuring Ty Conklin and Marc-Andre Fleury. It'll be tough for the Rangers to compete with that lineup, but with the talent the Rangers have (at least on paper), they'll find a way to pull it off. Also, there's always the chance that Hossa does not pan out in Pittsburgh. He also hasn't been the greatest playoff performer. Only time will tell who truly got the better deal – Atlanta did acquire some quality young talent. We'll see how it all plays out.

For the Rangers, the moves they made were rather insubstantial. Sather pulled only two deals, and they are as follows:

• David LeNeveu, Fredrik Sjostrom, Josh Gratton, and a Conditional draft pick to Rangers; Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa to Coyotes

• Christian Backman to Rangers; 2008 fourth-round pick to Blues

Compared to the blockbuster deals of (Marian) Hossa and Richards, acquiring Sjorstrom and Backman seem like a drop in the bucket. But upon further review, the Rangers did exactly what they needed to do. I was wrong in claiming that they needed a big move to spark their play; on the contrary, I feel that disrupting the chemistry on the ice and in the locker room would be a detriment to the momentum the Rangers have gained. I think Henrik Lundqvist said it best: “I think we definitely have what we need. We just need to bring it out every night. And when we do, we’re right there. We can beat anybody, I think.” The moves the Rangers made were more geared toward depth and improving the farm system. Sjostrom is an improvement over (Marcel) Hossa who never really found his groove in the NHL. LeNeveu was a projected NHL starter when he was drafted, but several inconsequential seasons have limited his opportunities. Gratton is a grinder who may see some NHL time, but he's probably a career AHL player. Moving Montoya was the right move, in my opinion. He had already lost the starting job in Hartford (AHL), and his value was slipping each day. He would never have seen any action at the NHL level. Though the road to the NHL will be no easier with Phoenix, Montoya's opportunities are greatly opened out west. Finally, the acquisition of Christian Backman provides the Blueshirts with some much needed defensive depth. With Paul Mara out for a few weeks with facial injuries, Backman should step in and provide a very physical presence to a blueline corp desperately in need of a hitter. Though it didn't happen, I thought the Rangers would have swung a deal for John-Michael Liles or Dan Boyle. After the Avalanche had gotten Foote and Salei, I was convinced that Colorado was preparing to move the American defenseman East to the Rangers. I was incorrect, and Liles stayed with the Avs. Had Boyle not resigned with Tampa Bay, the Rangers would have been his first choice. It would have been great for the Rangers to obtain a puck-moving defenseman to quarterback their powerplay, but I think that they've got what they need already in place. They traded minimal aspects of their team, especially in the youth department, to acquire basic depth. Rather than reverting to the Rangers of the late 1990's, they kept their farm system intact, showing their well-placed confidence in a solid squad with a legitimate chance to take the division.

Just to quickly discuss the Montreal Disaster...after sprinting out of the gate to a 5-0 lead midway through the 2^nd, the Rangers suddenly stopped playing. Over the remainder of the game, the Blueshirts surrendered 5 unanswered goals, capped by Alexei Kovalev's powerplay marker to tie it with less than 5 minutes in the 3^rd. OT failed to provide a winner, and the game moved to shootout. Saku Koivu provided the only goal of the breakaway display, beating Lundqvist with the 2^nd Montreal shot. Though the Rangers failed to capitalize on an opportunity to cement their playoff position and gain a vital 2 points, they still managed to come away with a point. Any fears of mental repercussions in future games were quickly silenced when the Rangers rattled off back-to-back wins over Buffalo and Florida. But what went wrong in that historical collapse? It's unclear exactly what went through the players' and coaches' minds during the second half of that game, but it is clear that hockey is as much of a mental game as it is physical. The Rangers can't afford to sit back and wait for the playoffs to fall into their laps. They need to come out hard every night, fight for every puck, and grind out every minute out of the game. The have the talent on their roster to make a deep run; they have the experience as a club to succeed in the playoffs. Only a few more weeks will tell if they're the real deal.

For right now, I'll leave you all to the season at hand. The Rangers play their first game after the deadline tomorrow night, February 28^th, at Carolina @ 7:00pm. They look to continue their improved play and solidify their playoff lives with a win over a tough Southeast opponent. I leave you all to contemplate the Penguins' acquisition of Marian Hossa, the new Life of the Rangers' offense, and just how successful an Eastern team can be against the powerful West. Til next time...

Shocking Events, Deadlines, and Blood

I'm here to write about something very near and dear to me. I'm talking about events that have occurred over the past week. A bit of sadness, a bit of hope and speculation, and just a tiny bit of anger and upset.

No, fellow William & Mary students, I am not talking about President Gene Nichol's resignation.

Rather, I am talking about the great game of hockey, specifically the NHL (and even more specifically, the New York Rangers, though this won't be exclusively Blueshirt-focused).

I realize it's been a very long time since my last post – almost a full month. I told myself I'd be better about updating this when I started. But even though I was motivated multiple times to make this entry, I couldn't sit down and formulate my thoughts. But after the past week or so, things are a bit clearer.

Well, in the world of the New York Rangers, a whole ton of stuff has happened over the past month – but nothing that I speculated on. The Rangers have still yet to make a move, and the trade deadline is approaching very quickly (though the New York Mets did acquire Johan Santana, but I digress...). Jaromir Jagr is still wearing Broadway Blue, as is embattled defenseman Marek Malik. In the past month (well 28 days), the Rangers have gone 6-4-2, and their record currently stands at 28-24-7. Not terrible. But not great. And certainly not great enough for them to make a realistic push into and through the playoffs.

Even their most valuable player, stand-out goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, has experienced a sharp decline in his play. He's gone 4-4-1, with a GAA of 2.43 and a Save %age of 0.904. These numbers are all worse than his overall season averages, as well as a major decline from his numbers at the beginning of the year. During Lundqvist's slump, backup Stephen Valiquette has performed admirably, shutting out the Flyers twice and falling in overtime to the Southeast Division-leading Hurricanes.

Back to the slump. There are several reasons why Lundqvist could be faltering at this point in the season. He's started the majority of the games for the Rangers, so perhaps his body is fatigued. It certainly appears this way. It could be the mental pressure of getting the Rangers back into the playoffs after an improbable surge last season. Or perhaps it could be his Father. Back in Sweden, Lundqvist's Father is recovering from a brain aneurysm. Lundqvist refuses to acknowledge that his Father's health is related to his play – but it's hard to believe it's not a contributing factor. Playing hockey, especially goalie, is as much mental as it is physical. The failing health of a loved one weighing on your mind is enough to distract even the greatest athlete. Also, contract negotiations have been swirling around Lundqvist. Due to be a restricted free agent over the Summer, the Rangers finally agreed to a contract today – 6 years, $41.25 million. Maybe the new contract will relieve some of the pressure from Lundqvist. Now he can concentrate on just playing the game. Having back to back games off could certainly help, as well.

Enough about Henrik Lundqvist. I'm confident he will regain his true form soon. It's really not Lundqvist I'm worried about. It's Jaromir Jagr. Yes, I addressed him in my last post, and I do believe he's still an issue now. Since my last post, Jagr has been even worse than Lundqvist. He's posted only 2 goals and 5 assists (7 points) in 12 games, including a 7-game long pointless drought. This is not the production a playoff team needs from their Captain and scoring threat. At the end of the season, Jagr will be an unrestricted free agent, and there hasn't been much talk about moving him before the deadline. At this point, I don't think he's going anywhere. Which is definitely a negative for this team. He's aging, and he's obviously past his prime.

I'm not saying Jagr's tenure with New York has been a total wash. Quite the contrary, in fact. Other than this season, Jagr has been the most dynamic player on the Rangers. He brought the team out of their losing ways following the lockout. His play pushed the team into two playoff appearances. He was the face of the franchise for two season. He was the leader and the inspirer, and he was (and still is) a great locker room presence. But unless he can put together an incredible stretch of scoring prowess (he must score 37 points in the remaining 23 games, and the Rangers must win a playoff round for him to gain an extension), it is likely his career with the Rangers ends with the season.

Out of all the players mentioned in my last post, none of them have been brought to Broadway, and bit's unlikely any of them will be. I don't foresee a lot of activity at the deadline, especially not with the Rangers. But there are two names I'd pay attention to, one on the Rangers and one off the Rangers. The first is Al Montoya. Montoya, the Rangers' first round draft choice back in 2004, was projected to be the number one goalie a few seasons down the road, filling the shoes of Mike Richter by providing the Rangers with a true Franchise goalie. But no one expected Henrik Lundqvist, a seventh round choice in 2000, to play the way he has. Now with the contract extension of Lundqvist and Valiquette's solid play, it looks like Montoya could be on his way out. He's posted strong numbers for the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), and he's still only 23 years old. But the longer he sits in the AHL, the lower his value becomes. Besides, a talent such as Al Montoya deserves a true shot at the NHL, and he's not going to get that with the Rangers. Along with Marek Malik, Montoya is the only Ranger I see moving at the deadline. The other name I see holding importance to the Rangers is Atlanta's Marian Hossa. At only 29 years old, Hossa is still in the prime of his career, and he's one of the most dangerous wingers in the NHL today. His numbers are down a bit this season, but there is no denying his all-star abilities. He's also due to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season; Atlanta continues to negotiate a contract with him, but in the case that they fail to sign him, I see Hossa either coming to the Rangers at the deadline (for possibly Jagr and Montoya) or as a free agent, replacing the departing Jagr. Either way, I think Marian Hossa will be a Ranger by the start of the 2008-2009 campaign. But for now, it's entirely possible that the deadline comes and goes without any significant trades by the Rangers.

Now for some little odds and ends about the past stretch of Rangers games...during those 12 games, the Rangers won the games that really mattered – Atlantic Division matchups. The Atlantic has been one of the most competitive divisions in hockey this season. The Rangers took care of business on this front, shutting out Philly twice and defeating New Jersey on the road. They got big back-to-back wins against the Atlanta Thrashers, and they won an impressive come-from-behind victory over Montreal, scoring 5 unanswered goals. With the 6 wins, however, came 4 regulation losses and two OT/SO losses. They dropped back-to-back games to the Bruins, who are tied for 9th place in the East with the Rangers. They lost games to Carolina and Washington, both only trailing the Rangers by 3 points. And they lost to the worst team in the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings, as well as defending Cup champ and Western powerhouse Anaheim Ducks. The Rangers could have separated themselves from the pack with victories over Boston, Carolina, Washington, and LA. A victory over Anaheim would've shown that the Rangers can compete with the best teams in the League. But up to this point, they have been and continue to be the definition of mediocrity in the League. A great team on paper, an average one on the ice. This pattern must change, and it must change now if the Rangers want any chance at a playoff berth.

On a happier New York Rangers' note, Brian Leetch's #2 Jersey was retired on January 24th. Leetch was one of the greatest defenseman to ever play the game; as skilled offensively as he was defensively, Leetch was the consummate hockey player. He represented the New York Rangers, the Eastern Conference, the NHL, and the United States of America. Here are a few of Leetch's career highlights:

• 981 career points in 1,129 career games from Feb. 29, 1988, to March 2, 2004 (as a Ranger)

• Holder of more than 40 Rangers' Team Records

• Six-time Rangers' MVP

• 11-Time NHL All-Star

• Three-time U.S. Olympian

• Captain of 1996 U.S. World Cup champions

• Two-time Norris Trophy winner as NHL's best defenseman

• 1988-89 NHL Rookie of Year

• 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP

It's easy to see that Leetch was the best defenseman to ever play for the Rangers, and one of the best in the history of the league. He deserves to have his name and number immortalized in the rafters of Madison Square Garden. This was a special night for all involved, but one guest in particular was also honored on this night. Midway through his speech, Leetch made an announcement: fellow Rangers' great and former teammate Adam Graves will have his #9 retired sometime next season. Truly an honor for such a deserving individual. On and off the ice, Graves was the epitome of class and dedication. I look forward to another great ceremony next season.

The last thing I have to discuss here is without a doubt the most serious. As many of you may or may not know, a terrible accident occurred in the NHL on February 10. Midway through the third period of the Florida Panthers vs. Buffalo Sabres game, Florida forward Richard Zednik severed his carotid artery. As Zednik was skating in the corner of the Buffalo zone, teammate Olli Jokinen was leveled, causing him to fly headfirst into the ice – his skate catching Zednik in the neck. Zednik somehow got up and skated back to the Florida bench, clutching his neck, leaving a trail of blood behind him. The scene was gruesome, and the building went quiet. Zednik survived the incident, thanks to the great trainers and doctors in Buffalo. Though he lost a gallon and a half of blood, he's recovering very quickly, and he'll probably have the opportunity to return to NHL action next season. For those of you who haven't seen the incident, the video is below. But I warn you, it's a bit graphic – not for the faint of heart.

You see an injury like that, and you can't help think of Clint Malarchuk. A goalie for the Buffalo Sabres during the 1980s, Malarchuk had his jugular vein severed in a game against the St. Louis
Blues. Blood poured from his neck, and numerous people became ill, including players on the ice. Some audience members passed out, and some even suffered heart attacks. Because of the quick action of trainers, Malarchuk survived – he received 300 stitches to close his wound, and he returned to NHL action merely 2 weeks later. The video of Malarchuk's injury is below – this is even more graphic than Zednik's, I warn you of its content.

I just find it surprising that the league continued the game. It was obvious that the players were in shock, and for the remainder of the game, they were merely going through the motions. But Zednik is now doing much better – he's out of ICU, and from what I understand, requested Buffalo Wings and pizza today. I have faith that he will be able to return to the NHL, possibly even this season. But in an interview with Malarchuk, it became clear that it wouldn't be a physical impediment holding back Zednik – it would be mental. Malarchuk talked about nightmares, inability to sleep, and a constant feeling of uneasiness. He also says that "I feel sorry for Richard Zednik. But I also feel sorry for Olli Jokinen, the Florida Panthers and the Buffalo Sabres. There's not only one victim in this type of situation. Nobody gets out unaffected. You cannot be directly involved in something like that and not be profoundly affected by it. You cannot see something like that and not be profoundly affected by it. Thankfully, Richard Zednik will live. He'll play again. But what happened ... I can tell him from firsthand experience, it's something that never leaves you."

I feel that this injury give the League a very good reason to strongly suggest, if not mandate, throat guards. You never see many players wearing one at the professional level, but many younger players do. It's there to prevent a cut to the neck, to lesson the impact of a puck to the throat, and/or to soften the blow of an elbow or stick coming up in the wrong place. They may not be the most fashionable, but they certainly would be helpful in preventing many serious injuries.

And with that, I believe I will leave you. A very long post, for sure, but one that I had to make. Hockey is, as you can all tell, something I am truly passionate about. To close it out, I will just say thank you to the William & Mary Club Ice Hockey team for having me once again as a manager. Despite the season not going as well as we planned, we'll come back stronger from it next year, I'm sure of it. I would also like to take this time to declare my intention to play for the Tribe Hockey team either next Fall or next Spring. Wish me luck. On that note, I leave you to ponder the usefulness of throat guards, the impending trade deadline, and the future of Jaromir Jagr. Til next time...