Boogaard And His Teammates Comment On Him And His Style Of Play!!

Dan David did an article today on the Rangers Website!  He goes in depth on Boogaard.  Boogaard comments on himself along with comments from Girardi and Gaborik.  Here is some of what they had to say:

"People, especially defensemen, won't want to play against him," said Rangers leading scorer Marian Gaborik, a longtime teammate and friend of Boogaard's during their years with the Minnesota Wild. "When he gets going and he hits somebody, it's scary."

"Boogaard speaks for himself," said Girardi, who faced Boogaard for the first time last season at Minnesota. "He will be a great force."

"There is a physical presence that I bring to the game and to the guys," said Boogaard. "It helps them play to the best of their abilities, and that's what showcases a team at its best -- when every player doesn't have to be worried about using their skill set because of another team." he continues "The thing is is that when I go out for a game, I'm not thinking I want to intimidate any one person," Boogaard said. "It's just me going to do my job night in and night out -- just by skating as hard as I can and by doing the right things on the ice. When that happens, good things will follow that as well. Maybe the intimidating thing is that I can skate and keep up with the play and hit guys, whereas a lot of other guys my size can't do that. Obviously, it was important that Gaby was there and I had played with him years before," said Boogaard. "Seeing what kind of teammate he is and how hard he works at what he does definitely entices a player to want to play again with a that kind of teammate and good friend as well."

Click here for the entire article!

Gaborik Endorsing His New Teammates!!

Today Gaborik finally came out of the woodwork to let everyone know that he is endorsing the signing of Derek Boogaard and the trade for Todd White.

On The New York Rangers official Twitter account Gaborik had some kind words for each of his former teammates. 

Gaborik on White "He can both very well defensively and offensively" he continued "I think he's going to be a good fit for us because he's a good skater and he's strong."

Then Todd White had some words about joining the Rangers that I am not quite sure are true but he said them anyway "They always have a hard-working team. Tortorella holds them accountable and they are a tough team to play against" he continued "I'm looking forward to being a part of it and helping out wherever I'm needed."

Then Gaborik had some kind words about former Minnesota teammate and Tough Guy Derek Boogaard "He opened up the ice for Wild scorers by putting fear into opponents. He's the best at what he does" he continued on "People won't want to play against him. When he gets going and hits somebody, it's scary."

While it is nice to hear Gaborik talk about his former teammates, what else did we expect him to say? It's not like he was going to bash his former and now current teammates.  But it is nice to see he endorses the deals and is on board with what the Rangers are doing.

It was also good to see that Todd White realizes that he might have a smaller role with the Rangers and that he will need to help out wherever needed. 

Hopefully they can find some chemistry here on the Rangers as well...

Free Agent Watch: Paul Mara!!

Paul Mara was a very reliable defensemen with the Rangers over the years.  He signed a one year deal with the Canadians which did not really work out very well as about halfway through the season he injured his shoulder and opted to have season ending surgery.  He would come at a relatively cheap price and would be a worth a shot to get the sixth D-Man spot.

Reasons I would go after Mara:

1.  He will have a cheap price tag probably around $1M-$1.5M and at that price I would have no problem bringing him back.

2.  The only problem I ever had with Mara's play is that he at times could take some dumb penalties but he always had great hustle to his game and always played with heart.

3.  While with the Rangers Mara always stuck up for his teammates which is something this current team may lack a bit of.

4.  He is still young at 30 years old and has shown some offensive ability in his 11 NHL seasons.

5.  He could be a leader on our team and definitely could wear the "A" with honor and help lead the new young core we have coming up.

Listen I am not asking this guy to come in and be a shut down D type guy but he is a reliable 5th or 6th D-Man who could be a leader on this team.  At around $1M I could not say no to this guy and if he does not play well then he could be benched for some of the kids we have coming up while still mentoring them to a degree.

Mixed Reaction Among Rangers Fans!!

Reaction about the Rangers direction as a franchise and the current offseason has been mixed amongst the fan base. A lot of fans seem to think negatively about everything the Rangers do but it seems as though for at least one offseason Glen has figured out what he needs to do to make the Rangers a better team. Granted it took him ten tries at it but that's for another discussion. While there is still plenty of time for Glen to mess up what he has done so far, it seems like the Rangers organization and team is heading in the right direction.

We got started early by signing Mats Zucarello Aasen to a two year contract, paying him $1.75M a year. This is a great signing as we scooped him up quick and this kid could be a dynamic player in the NHL someday. He has some speed and a goal scoring touch and played in the Swedish Elite League with some NHL veterans and they all held high praises for this kid. MZA put up some good numbers over there which should translate well to the NHL. MZA could make the opening night roster but playing a year or half a year in the AHL would not be bad for him as he will be able to get use to the NHL rink and how the game is played with out as much pressure.

Next was the re-signing of Erik Christensen who was a pleasant surprise last year after we claimed him off of waivers from the Ducks. He scored eight goals and added 18 assists in only 49 games. A big factor in the resigning was the fact that he had some pretty good chemistry with Gaborik which at times last year was hard to find. At only 925k for the next two seasons, this is a great deal for a player who has always had the potential to be a big time player in the NHL. One year in juniors he scored 54 goals and added 54 assists in only 69 games. He has also shown the ability to play at the NHL as when he was acquired by the Ducks in 08-09 he had nine points in only 17 games but they failed to find a spot for him the next season and he was placed on waivers. I can't really find any reason to be mad or upset about this trade as there really is not much the Rangers can lose in this signing.

Join me after this to read my take on the rest of our moves and my final analysis of Sather's offseason.

Rangers Training Camp Should Be Exciting!!

As we all know the Rangers have a lot of young kids who Blueshirt fans are looking forward to seeing on the ice at The Garden. They will all have for the most part have chance at winning a spot on the opening night roster. We also have a mix of veterans and young players who are already on the roster so it will not be easy for these rookies to make it. They will have to work hard, show all their skills and talents, and show Coach Tortorella and his staff that they really want a spot on the Rangers. All signs point to that creating a great training camp and pre-season as we will see all of our youngsters fighting it out to make the team and maybe even some veterans fighting it out to keep their spot. So I compiled a list of some Rangers rookies who will be fighting it out for a spot on the team and some players who will need to show they deserve to stay: