Reminder: NHL.com 30 in 30 Look At NYRangers Up Today!

Today on NHL.com they continue there look at 30 teams in 30 days with the New York Rangers.  The series has been a great look at all 30 teams in the NHL so I definitely suggest you take a look at it.

They have an article by Dave Lozo on how all the small changes might help in getting us into the playoffs this season.

They also have a look at Chris Kreider!

A brief history of the Rangers by Michael Stainkamp!

Dave Lozo had this to say about Michael Del Zotto: "Michael Del Zotto, of the 879 players eligible, only seven had worse plus-minus ratings than Del Zotto's minus-20. Struggles are to be expected from rookie defensemen, and Del Zotto was no exception. There were many times he was caught out of position by more experienced forwards, and the Rangers paid as Del Zotto learned on the job. But the talent is there, as evidenced by his 9 goals and 28 assists; only Buffalo's Tyler Myers had more points than Del Zotto among rookie defensemen. If Del Zotto can tighten up his defensive game, he could find himself in the Norris Trophy discussion in a few years."

They also have some of the best highlights from the Rangers season including Drury's backhand goal while kneeled on the ice and some more.  I would suggest all Rangers fans take some time and go check it out.

NYRangers Pound 4 Pound Prospect Edition: Devin DiDiomete!

Today I will be looking at 2 Rangers prospects separately in my NYRangers Pound 4 Pound series and first is fireball Devin DiDiomete.

This kid can definitely throw the punches. Devin was signed by the Rangers in 2008.  This upcoming season will be the last year of his 3 year contract.  It is not likely that this kid will play in the NHL this season and he might never but he definitely could fill the role of the enforcer that the Rangers have spent the last 2 seasons trying to find since Colton Orr signed with Toronto.

He played a combined 49 games between the ECHL and AHL last year.  In those 49 games Devin was involved in 25 fights.

Devin is not rated among the Rangers top 20 prospects by HockeysFuture but he is only 22 and has some time to grow.  In his last season in Juniors he put together 56 points in 56 games.  I could see Devin becoming the same style of player as Brandon Prust.  And Prust didn't break into the NHL until he was 23 and BP will be assuming his first full time role this season(most likely).

Here is Devin's Talent Analysis from HockeysFuture:

The left winger is gritty and tenacious, and plays with an edge to intimidate his opponents. He does have some offensive skill, and his play along the boards is excellent. Occasionally, he does take bad penalties, which will hurt his future progress. However, if he can harness his emotions and play a gritty, smart game, Didomete could be an effective two-way professional player.

Future: A potential third to fourth-line player, DiDiomete has the toughness and agitating ability that could earn him a spot on the Rangers roster in two to three years.

Tale Of The Tape:
Height: 5'11
Weight: 200
Age: 22
# of AHL/ECHL Fights: 50 (2 Seasons)
# of OHL Fights: 86 (4 Seasons)
Total # of Fights: 136 (6 Seasons)

Join me after this for some of DiDiomete's best fights....

Blog Update: My NYRangers P4P Schedule!

Since a lot of people commented, emailed and @ me on Twitter about my Derek Boogaard piece the other day, I have decided to do some more.  A lot of people asked for Brandon Prust and Sean Avery among other suggestions.  If you have any suggestions of your favorite players past or present but only Rangers email me or leave a comment or find a way to let me know.  I didn't really go to deep into the first one and will definitely do a little more research and build a deeper piece about each one since people seemed to like it a lot. 

Here is the Schedule I built for this week:

Tuesday: Brandon Prust
Wednesday: Sean Avery
Thursday: Callahan and Dubinsky
Saturday: Prospect Devin Didiomete
Saturday: Prospect Dane Byers
Sunday: NYR Best of 2009-2010
Sunday: Matthew Barnaby

So this Schedule is the plan for this week. I will do some more next week so send in your suggestions and on Sunday I will build a Schedule for next week!

Are The NYRangers Planning On Giving Redden A Legit Shot At Training Camp!!

All signs point to the Rangers sending Wade Redden down to Hartford during Training Camp.  They will most likely need the $6.5M cap hit to sign Staal and stay under the salary cap.  But Larry Brooks(who I hate) had an interesting line in his column the other day.

"What if Redden plays well in camp?" Well what if he does? Not only that but he said, "What if Gilroy/Eminger don't impress? And what if Staal isn't signed yet?"  All of those scenarios are likely and very possible.  The Rangers will be giving Redden a shot at training camp but is it a legit shot? Even if he plays well the Rangers will still need some cap space to sign Staal.  You would have to think Staal will be signed by opening night.

So in the end it isn't really a legit shot to stay as even if he plays at the top of his game, I do not see the Rangers dumping players just to fit him and Staal under the cap.  Unless they plan on dumping Rozsival in the minors or trading him.  I really cannot find a situation where he stays on the roster even if he plays well and better then others.  And once Redden is sent down, if we call him back up, some team has the opportunity to get him at half price through recall waivers.  Hopefully he continues to play like shit and we see him in a beautiful Hartford Wolf Pack jersey or whatever there new name might be!