1. There’s obviously no recap coming for last night’s game, but there’s still plenty to discuss as the preseason winds down with tomorrow’s finale at the Garden before the games begin counting in a week. I have been surprised with the play of the defensive group thus far in the preseason, although coming off last season, any improvement would be drastic. Just based on my observations, Clendening has won a job head and shoulders over McIlrath to start the season, although with AV and the coaching staff considering the possibility of moving Holden or Skjei to the right, I’m not sure if that’s truly going to be the case. Speaking of Holden, I find it interesting that given the new system he has to learn coming over from Colorado, he hasn’t played more.
2. Pirri got time at center last night against the Isles, and I wonder if there’s a spot there on this lineup for him over Hayes who didn’t have a great night on the dot and historically hasn’t during his tenure in NY. It solves an issue the Rangers have with Lindberg out to begin the season and Jooris out with a groin issue. There’s also a fair chance Jooris doesn’t make team altogether. But with Hayes, a lot like JT Miller when he began his Rangers career as a center, the long term future for him is probably on the wing.
3. If there’s anyone but Mika Zibanejad who has you the most excited to watch this season, check your pulse because I’m beginning to believe Gorton orchestrated a masterful trade in obtaining the young center. Upon reading some Ottawa based blogs, it seems as though that Ottawa brass believed that Zibanejad was never going to reach his full potential in Ottawa as a 30 goal/30 assist player in the league, although his numbers have been trending in that direction. There is a belief on my part that the Rangers were the benefactor of the Senators self-imposed salary cap, choosing to move Zibanejad now which enables them sign Kyle Turris and Mark Stone to large contracts at the end of next season. There is also the issue of the Rangers having to renew Zibanejad next summer, who can already command money north of what Brassard currently makes.
4. Regardless of what you think of Dan Boyle, who is expected to retire today with the San Jose Sharks, had a remarkable career with a rough ending in New York last spring. Some of his criticisms on-ice were warranted but most of his issues off-ice mainly perpetrated by the NYR beat writers, were not. He got an unfair shake right from the start, being seen as the guy that replaced the popular Anton Stralman directly following the Cup run, broke his hand in his very first game as a Ranger, a mysterious illness later that winter and off-ice issues last year that got him shredded, unfairly at times in the tabloids. Boyle will be remembered as the last “old guy” in the Glen Sather era Rangers full of post-prime, overpaid players which fell just short of the ultimate goal. Anyway we hope that Boyle finds his post hockey career better than the crap he had to deal with here. Not quite a hall of famer, but a pretty solid career regardless.
(Photo credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty)
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