The Rangers Tribune

Around the NHL: Shanny Giving New Rules a Test Run

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Former New York Ranger and NHL great Brendan Shanahan, in his new job with the league, will be running his own camp over a week-long period in the month of August to test some new rules and regulations suggested by himself. On hand will be a handful of prospects from around the league and the general managers of each club will be in attendance to watch as well. Shanahan feels that while the players change and the game changes, so should the rules.

In an article on NHL.com, the suggested rules that will be tested during the August camp fueled by Gatorade are explained. The prospects will take part in numerous scrimmages and drills to give everything a test run and those tests are listed below.

The morning scrimmage Wednesday, Aug. 18, will display the USHL's "hybrid" icing rule that enables on-ice officials to whistle the play dead when they determine the race to an iced puck will be won by the defensive team, precluding a dangerous collision at the end boards.

Believe it or not this works, and I would know because this is how I grew up playing the icing rule in pee-wee and bantam hockey. Just last year we saw an example of what collisions during an icing touch-up race can cause. Remember when Callahan was injured against the Boston Bruins because he was trying to beat out an icing against Zdeno Chara? Yeah, perfect example. Cally's leg was pinned against the boards by Zdeno and he missed a good week or two at a crucial time late in the season.

The Wednesday afternoon scrimmage will focus upon the effect of changing the markings on the ice. A bigger crease, wider blue lines, painted line-change zones in front of each bench, face-off dots down the middle of the ice and a second "verification goal line" behind the goal line will be among the visual changes. The prospects also will be prohibited from icing the puck while shorthanded.

A bigger crease is going to cause problems for players like Sean Avery and Tomas Holmstrom, who thrive on being able to get in the goalie's face. It will give the netminder more room to move around and to cut down angles. I wonder if the elimination of the trapezoid has also been discussed.

For Thursday's morning scrimmage, one of the two referees will be stationed off the ice. No-touch icing will get a look. And on offside infractions, the face-off will be moved into the offending team's zone with it being prohibited from changing lines. On face-off infractions, the opposing center will be able to choose his subsequent face-off opponent. On delayed penalties, play won't be whistled dead until the offending team gets the puck out of its zone.

I think having a referee off the ice is a very smart idea. How many times during a game do you get up from your couch and yell "where was the call, ref?". That is usually due to one of two things: a) Sidney Crosby is the one committing the penalty, or b) (the more common one) the ref is caught up in the action and misses something that happened behind him. Having a ref off the rink gives him a fan's perspective, where everything that goes on can be seen. This may also cause problems for Sean Avery.

The final scrimmage, Thursday afternoon, will be played in two halves utilizing various special-teams innovations that will be deployed by coaches Ken Hitchcock and Dave King. For the 4-on-4 overtime, the teams will switch ends, requiring longer line changes. Overtime will proceed from 4-on-4 to 3-on-3 to 2-on-2 to a shootout.

While some suggested rule changes may seem counterproductive, I do believe Shanahan came up with some great ideas here. Among the ones I liked the most were the no-touch icing, wider blue lines (will prevent many offside calls), and a referee being stationed off the ice. These are all adjustments the National Hockey League should consider in my opinion.

Also, it is good to see that 'ol man Shanny is still putting that hockey-centered brain of his to work.

A Great Honor

I talk a lot about how this site has grown in just a year and a half and how we are very grateful for it taking off much quicker than your routine fan blog. But I am not a person who toots his own horn without some proof and usually I give it to you. But this past week we have received one of the greatest honors yet, and that was being rated the 16th best hockey website on the entire worldwide web according to top100hockey.com. In May the Rangers Tribune was 80th on the list and now, just three months later, we are 16th. That is incredible to put it lightly and we are very thankful.

Just think about all of the websites that have have been submitted to the ranking (probably thousands) and we sit at 16th. We are honored to represent the New York Rangers and their fans like that. It truly means a lot.

Two years ago, if someone told me that by starting a blog I would have thousands of people reading my opinion, I would be able to interview one of the most important people to walk this earth in Wayne Gretzky, and I would be able to meet so many amazing Ranger fans I would have told that person that they have lost it. But here I am in 2010 with all of that and more under my belt, in addition to being ranked 16th overall by Top 100 Hockey. I cannot explain how incredible it feels. But this is not about me. This is about the readers and the Rangers/Hockey community that we serve.

You, the reader, by clicking one of our links or by typing our address in that bar at the top of your page each day is what makes this site run. It is what makes me so very proud to write about this team day in and day out and it is what makes me proud to be a Blueshirt fan. So we thank you, readers, for the unbelievable support you have given us and all that we ask is that you keeping on reading and giving us feedback. This has been a magical experience that will continue until my fingers can no longer type on this keyboard. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Eighth Seed Here We Come

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Sad, but true. That is about the absolute highest possible point the Rangers will likely reach this season. With the addition of Alexander Frolov this past Tuesday the belief is that the Blueshirts will have a better chance at making a run at the playoffs in 2010-11. If I were a betting man I would have bet against them even coming close to the playoffs until Frolov was added, and even so I am still skeptical. Once again general manager Glen Sather has worked his magic and done his best to put together a mediocre squad that possibly will sneak into the postseason. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the same approach we have witnessed ever since the lockout.

Now I have no problem with this as long as the following holds true: Sather was completely, and I mean without a single doubt, sure that none of New York's prospects were ready to make the jump to the National Hockey League. If Frolov is just a stop-gap for this year until youngsters are ready next year, that is fine by me. But if a young player in juniors or the AHL is ready and has to stay down because of Frolov, then that aggravates me.

Sather eventually has to commit to whether he wants to build a playoff team or a Stanley Cup team and yes, there is a difference. The difference is much greater than many believe, actually, and it all has to do with depth and role players. The Rangers have stars in Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, and Henrik Lundqvist. On their way to stardom are Artem Anisimov and Michael Del Zotto. Other than that, the team is not all that impressive.

Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky are secondary scorers but can be very streaky. Sean Avery and Chris Drury score once in a blue moon even though the effort is always there. Besides the players that I listed in the "star" or "on their way to stardom" categories, there is no, and will not be any consistency on this team.

Frolov should help chip in a few here and there but based on what he produced last year I have not placed my expectations too high. The defensive squad as a whole is unreliable and by all means you cannot count on the offense to bury the needed goal. This squad is not built to make it past the first round playoffs, and just making it there would be considered luck.

Look at the Blackhawks, look at the Flyers, look at the Penguins. They are all built in layers looking sort of like this:

Stars

Secondary Scoring

Role Players / Gritty Players

I know it feels like Middle School social studies class with the social pyramid here but that is the best way of explaining it. The stars are the most important but the least abundant. Secondary scoring comes next and is a little more dense than the stars. Following them are your role players or gritty players. It is a nice even distribution that will give you a shot at Lord Stanley's Cup.

The Rangers' problem is that the middle group - secondary scoring - is completely missing from their pyramid. Or if it is in fact there, it is extremely weak and unstable, eventually causing the top level - stars - to collapse from the lack of support from the lower level. That is just about the most precise way of describing the New York Rangers and their struggles.

“True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed.”

            ~American Novelist Tom Robbins

That is another problem of the Blueshirts'; they do not have the ability to adjust. While I partly blame the coaching staff for that, the personnel does not help much either. The skill is not there to adjust their game, make changes for each opponent. The Rangers can only play one variation of hockey and if the opponent can stop it, there are no other options. Remember back to the Sunday afternoon game where it was do or die for the Rangers against the Boston Bruins? New York lost that game because of their inability to adjust. That contest is a perfect example.

All of this factors in when you want to make a run at the Stanley Cup. You need stability on all levels, you need to be able to make changes, and most of all consistency is key. Without all of those, the highest point you are chasing is the eighth seed, just like our New York Rangers.

Live Chat Tonight at 8!

The Rangers Tribune will be holding its sixth weekly chat of the summer this evening at 8 p.m. right here on the site. In addition to looking at and analyzing the signing of Alexander Frolov, I want to get everyone's thoughts on line combinations because that seems like something that has been the cause of some heated debates lately. Also, I will be unveiling some of the new features that will be added to the site in September in preparation for the new season. We have some really great stuff planned and I would like starting letting everyone know about it.

So if you are available on this, what seems like it is going to be, cloudy/rainy Thursday night, stop by the chat beginning at 8 p.m. eastern time. See ya then!

Rangers Tribune Off-season Weekly Chat #6

Tonight Nick Montemagno analyzes the Alexander Frolov signing and takes a look at potential offensive line combinations. Also, readers will be informed about some of the new features coming to the site in September.

Frolov Discusses Coming to New York

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You have heard me continuously give my analysis on the signing of Alexander Frolov, you have seen his video highlights thanks to YouTube, so now it is time to get some thoughts from the man himself on signing with New York. Andrew Gross of Ranger Rants spoke with Alex yesterday via phone call and the former Los Angeles King sounded very excited.

On the free agency process and eventually picking the Rangers: "It was kind of difficult, the last three weeks,” Frolov said. “I had a couple of different proposals, some from Russia, some from the NHL. I was talking to (Rangers GM) Glen Sather and it was always me and my agent (Sergei Isakov) and my agent was really excited, too. I think it’s a really good fit for me. It’s a great team and a great opportunity to play good and enjoy it. Money-wise, I probably could have made more in Russia but, sometimes, you have to think about something else and I think New York is probably the best place for me to be right now."

I am wondering what he sees in New York besides the environment and playing at Madison Square Garden. The team is mediocre at best and will again struggle to get into the playoffs. I am hoping he sees it as an opportunity to help a team that needs offense. Otherwise I do not understand what was so appealing about the Rangers to him.

On staying in NHL, avoiding KHL: "First of all, I feel like I didn’t have a great season last season. There were different reasons why. I still love to play in the NHL and try to get in the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. I know what I’m capable of and I think this is why I stayed here. It’s really nice to be in New York and play for the Rangers."

On putting last year's struggles behind him: "I’m pretty confident. I’ve been in this league for a long time now, it’s like it’s my first or second year. I’ve been here a long time. I think I know what I can do. I think people around the league know what I can do. Last season, I had a couple of issues. I would say when you play a different role, play on the second or third line, you do have the power play but it’s the second power play. It’s kind of tough to produce 30-plus or 35-plus goals. I don’t know too many players who can do that. In my whole career, when I’ve had a chance, when I’ve had a lot of offensive time and opportunities, I always was producing. I’m pretty confident."

This is the big concern here, and that is whether or not Frolov can return to his former 30-goal form. He mentions how he was not really given the chance to produce last year with the Kings, and that is true. If you remember, yesterday I spoke about his powerplay time getting shortened. I do not think he will have to worry about that happening with the Rangers.

To read the rest of Gross' talk with Frolov, head over to Ranger Rants and take a look.

What Frolov Will Add

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Alexander Frolov and the New York Rangers did not seem to go together well in my mind originally, but now that the Blueshirts are about to ink him to a one-year deal I have no choice but to discuss what the Russian winger will add to the lineup. I will start off by saying that if you expect Frolov to be the next Marian Gaborik, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Alex may be a natural goal scorer but is nothing close to Gaborik's caliber. This is why he will instantly become the Rangers source for secondary scoring.

The 28-year-old left winger only recorded 19 goals and 51 points in 81 games last season with the Los Angeles Kings. Frolov's powerplay minutes were slashed greatly, which was part of the cause for his sudden drop in production, but other than that I think he is losing some of his touch. I still think he could net 20-25 but the days where he used to hit 30 are probably passed him.

I think he will fit into the lineup nicely, though, most likely filling a slot on the second offensive line. Other than Gaborik no Ranger last year scored more than twenty goals so to have someone that is capable of doing so on the second unit will make a big difference. I know a lot of you are wondering if head coach John Tortorella will consider trying Frolov and Gaborik on the same line, and the answer is yes, I am almost positive he will. However, that would be foolish on Torts' part since he would only have one scoring line instead of two.

As I mentioned above, Frolov's specialty is the powerplay. Two years back he had 12 powerplay goals on the season, but only notched five in 2009-10. Nevertheless, the Blueshirts need any help they can get with the man advantage because what they throw out there on the powerplay unit now has serious trouble converting. That dreadful powerplay cost the Rangers numerous games last season, and essentially their season as well. If Frolov can add seven to ten more powerplay goals that would be fantastic.

Now of course the good comes with the bad and there are a lot of knocks on Frolov. The first thing that is often questioned about him is his character and desire to win. Much like former Ranger Nikolai Zherdev, sometimes Alex does not give it his all on the defensive side of the puck or when he has to backcheck. That is a problem right there that will not please John Tortorella. Zherdev watched most of the game from the bench when that happened and I am sure we will see Frolov do the same if he ends up signing here.

Secondly, consistency has become a struggle for Frolov. He will be hot for a stretch of games and then go a stretch where you do not notice him. That is again very similar to Nik Zherdev. Inconsistent players is not what New York needs right now being that they have a boatload of them already. They need scorers and that is what Frolov is, it is just a matter of how often he will do it.

All in all, Frolov will be a smart addition since he will give some aid to the ailing offense. But is he enough to make a playoff push?

Rangers (Officially) Sign Frolov

If you have not heard already, the New York Rangers have officially signed Russian left winger Alexander Frolov to a one-year deal worth $3 million. Frolov, who turned down a 4 year, $20 million offer from the Kontinental Hockey League, was an unrestricted free agent the Rangers have been targeting for a while now.
For more on Frolov and what he will bring to the lineup, check out my piece on him from this morning.

Confirmed by TSN

YouTubing Alex Frolov

In this day and age, I know one of the first things most fans do when a new player is acquired is check him out on YouTube. Well, I decided to do it for you this time. Below are a collection of videos I found that show some of Alex's best, just so you can get an idea of his talent level. Enjoy!

09/10 Highlight Reel:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxCiYpWco-U]

Frolov "Undresses" Anton Stralman:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_6T2cJK96g]

Spin-O-Rama Assist:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAM4_BP95h0]

Ultimate Highlight Reel:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrCviuDlRtY]

Rangers Talking with Frolov (Again)

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The Rangers Tribune: bringing you news at all hours of the day, or in this case, night. That is right folks, it is currently 12:15 a.m. but that does not stop me from bringing the latest to all of the site's dedicated followers. The news is not entirely new, but has been "reactivated" if you will. Dmitry Chesnokov has reported that the New York Rangers have again been in contact with free agent forward Alexander Frolov's agent. The Blueshirts are "very interested" in fact, so I am wondering if they are closer to making a move then we think.

Earlier this month the Rangers and Frolov crossed rumor paths a few times as general manager Glen Sather was reportedly showing some interest in the Russian winger. I said that he should do his best to ignore the urge to overpay for Frolov, who is basically an aged version of former Ranger Nikolai Zherdev. Although Glen apparently does not have a lot of will power based on how quickly he pulls the trigger, he also does not have a lot of cap room and that may stop this acquisition in its tracks.

28-year-old Alex had a down season last year so that may work as an advantage in negotiations, but if the trend of descending production continues, pursuing him is not worth it. Frolov is not necessarily a John Tortorella player either; he would simply be there to add some goals in the secondary scoring column behind Marian Gaborik, but again, it is unclear if he will be capable of doing so.

The Rangers are expecting a bounce back year from Frolov, but that is not guaranteed in the contract.