The Rangers Tribune

2011 Trade Deadline Day Open Thread

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New York Rangers GM Glen Sather and the rest of the general managers in the National Hockey League have only several hours to make any moves they want to before today's 3 p.m. deadline. To cover this crazy day here on The Rangers Tribune, I felt it would be best to put up an open thread. Basically the way this will work is whenever a big trade goes down, I will update this post and include the details of the transaction below. In the meantime, anything you guys want to discuss, whether it's rumors, trades or anything pertaining to hockey, feel free to do so in the comments. I will check in every now and then and join in on the conversation when I have a chance.

In the case that the Rangers make a trade today, a new post will be up on the site dedicated solely to that trade. You can then carry over the conversation to the comments section of that post, but I will also still update this one with any moves made by other clubs around the league.

So have fun with this guys and please, any rumors you read that have substance, post it in the comments and maybe I will put it on the site. Until then, stay tuned and keep tabs on the site for any breaking news/trades!

Oh and one more thing. For up-to-the-second news and analysis, also be sure to follow Rangers Tribune on twitter. Or of course you could just take a gander over at the live stream of my tweets located on the sidebar of the site.

(most recent trades towards the top)

[3:20pm] Trade: The Washington Capitals have acquired center Jason Arnott from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for David Steckel.

[3:02pm] Trade: Per TSN, the Rangers have acquired John Mitchell from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 7th round pick.

[3:00pm] Trade Deadline has arrived, however more trades may trickle in.

[2:55pm] News: Brad Richards via text to ESPN says "nothing going on"

[2:30pm] Trade: Dustin Penner to L.A. Kings for Teubert, 2011 1st round pick and a conditional pick.

[2:00pm] Trade: Campoli and a conditional 7th round pick to CHI for Ryan Potulny and conditional 2nd roudn pick.

[12:00pm] Signing: Jimmy Howard re-ups with Red Wings for two years at $2.25M.

[11:50am] Trade: Florida trades Dennis Wideman to Washington for a prospect + pick.

[10:50am] Trade FLA trades Dvorak and a 5th rder to ATL for Bergfors and Rissmiller.

[10:05am] Signing: LAK Justin Williams signs 4 year deal worth $14.6 million, per TSN.

[9:17am] Rumor: Brad Richards only willing to waive NMC for one team.... that team speculated to be NYR, per TSN.

[9:10am] Rumor: Anisimov and #1 prospect now asking price for Brad Richards, per Larry Brooks.

[6:53am] Rumor: Brad Richards likely not being moved if asking price doesnt change, per TSN.

[Sunday] Trade: BUF acquires Brad Boyes from STL for a second round draft pick.

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Rangers Acquire John Mitchell from Maple Leafs; Richards Stays a Star

In a trade being announced just after the 3 p.m. deadline, TSN reports that the New York Rangers have acquired depth center John Mitchell from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2012 seventh-round pick. Mitchell, age 26, has recorded 2 goals and 1 assist in 23 games played with the Leafs this season. As of late, he has been playing in the AHL, though, with the Toronto Marlies.

My guess is that GM Glen Sather maybe would like to have Mitchell as the team's extra forward as opposed to Kris Newbury. As of now, this is the only move the Blueshirts have made on this rather quiet trade deadline day.

In other news, star center Brad Richards will remain a Dallas Star at least until July 1. There were rumors throughout the day that the Rangers were pursuing Richards, but GM Joe Nieuwendyk would not lower the asking price. So, if Brad Richards does end up coming to the Big Apple it will be this summer as a free agent.

Also be sure to check out our Trade Deadline Day Open Thread for details on the biggest transactions of the day.

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Biron Out Indefinitely with Fractured Collarbone, Talbot Recalled, Drury Done for Season

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Andrew Gross is reporting via twitter that back-up goaltender Martin Biron is out indefinitely with a fractured collarbone suffered this morning in practice. In his place, the Rangers have recalled Connecticut Whale (AHL) netminder Cam Tabot for the time being.

Don't know exactly how Biron broke his collarbone or how long he will be out, but you just hate to see something like this happen to a guy like Marty. He has a such a big heart and is probably one of the better locker room personalities on this team. It's unfortunate, but I would think this may keep him out for the remainder of the season - just a guess.

GM Glen Sather told Gross that the price to acquire a back-up goaltender was pretty steep, and that he thinks the back-up will only play around one to two more games this season anyway, with Lundqvist having to secure this team a playoff spot in the final month or so as usual.

Biron posted a record of 8-6 with the Rangers this season, and played in a total of 17 games. He has a save percentage of .923 and a GAA of 2.13.

Sather also confirmed that captain Chris Drury (knee) is likely done for the season.

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Pregame Notes: Lightning at Rangers, 2/27/11

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Remember how I said it was time for the New York Rangers to start winning consistently a few games ago? Well they will have a chance to do that when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden this afternoon. The Blueshirts are coming off back-to-back wins against the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals this past week, and while in seventh place in the East now, are only trailing the sixth place Canadiens by three points. This is there chance to play catch-up, and as it's been said multiple times in the locker room, the team's ultimate goal is home ice advantage.

The Rangers will face a challenge in this afternoon's matinee, though, as they have yet to beat the Lightning this year. Today will be the fourth and final match-up between the two clubs this season, and all three prior have been Tampa wins - two of which came in extra time. They've come so close to beating them a couple times, especially in that forever-lasting shootout towards the end of December. Today the Rangers hope they can finally get over the hump.

Rangers Lineup:

Dubinsky - Anisimov - Callahan
Prospal - Boyle - Christensen
Wolski - Stepan - Zuccarello
Avery - Newbury - Prust

McDonagh - Girardi
Gilroy - Sauer
McCabe - Eminger

Lundqvist
Biron

Scratches: Ruslan Fedotenko (shoulder), Marc Staal (twisted knee), Marian Gaborik (concussion-like symptoms), Chris Drury (knee)

I'd except Henrik Lundqvist to make his eighth straight start in goal today after yet another solid performance between the pipes against Washington. Remember, although the Rangers clobbered the Caps 6-0, Henrik still had to be good when making his 35 saves. Tampa is a team that New York has a severe urgency to beat, so I would definitely go Hank in goal and then start Biron Tuesday against the Sabres. I don't make the call, though, so stay tuned for coach Tortorella's official decision.

All indications are that newly acquired defenseman Bryan McCabe (wearing #28) will make his Ranger debut in this afternoon's contest. The trade was officially announced around 3 p.m. yesterday, which means he probably knew at least an hour or so before that. That should've given him plenty of time to gather his things and jump on a plane out to the Big Apple.

Tortorella has yet to work with McCabe in practice, so I would look for the coach to put Bryan in all different scenarios today to see how he will best fit in. This includes the powerplay, where the Rangers hope McCabe's booming slap shot will create more scoring opportunities from the point. For more on the veteran defenseman and what he will add to the lineup, be sure to read my article from Saturday evening.

Ruslan Fedotenko will not be in the lineup after re-injuring his shoulder on Friday versus the Capitals. After a month of not playing, it did not take long for John Erskine to drill Feds right in the same shoulder in only the second period of that tilt. The Rangers haven't announced the severity of the injury, just that he more than likely will not play today.

Same goes for Marc Staal, who has still not practiced since twisting his knee Tuesday in Carolina. According to people around the team, Staal seems to be walking fine off the ice, which seems a bit strange to me. Not going to speculate though, just leaving it at that.

This means rookie Ryan McDonagh will again be on the top defensive pairing with Dan Girardi. He held his own just fine on Friday, and like I said, actually played better than I expected.

Marian Gaborik still hasn't skated either since his "concussion", which is not even being called a concussion anymore. Since all of the tests came back clean, Tortorella is labeling Gaborik as day-to-day with "concussion-like symptoms". Not sure what the difference is, but either way he won't be suiting up in this one.

Scouting the Lightning:

The Lightning currently hold the second place spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 36-18-7 on the season. They are on a two-game winning streak entering this game, but lost three straight prior to that. They haven't been playing their best hockey since the All-Star break, but have managed to maintain that spot atop the Southeast Division nonetheless.

Their biggest problem is in the goal against category, as they have allowed just as many goals as they have scored this season. This is why, as opposed to others, I think they may be a quick out in the playoffs.

Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis lead the team in scoring with 78 and 73 points respectively. The next highest scorer? Teddy Purcell with 39 points (lol). There's quite a big gap there, but it should also scream to the Rangers that they will have a good shot at winning if they key on the Stamkos-St. Louis duo. The Bolts don't have much scoring beyond that.

Opponent Blog: Raw Charge

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Postgame: Rangers Miss Out on Big Points in 2-1 loss to Bolts

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Another one of these. It’s become quite common for the Rangers to “run out of time” in the third period as Sam Rosen always puts it. The urgency is not there for the entire tilt, only in the final few minutes, and even though they were able to find that crucial tying goal earlier in the year, they haven’t been so lucky as of late. It’s almost like watching the same movie over and over again, because at some point you just know how it is going to end. That’s what it felt like watching this afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden.

The Bolts got on the board five minutes into the game when Marty St. Louis’ one-timer on the rush flew right through the wickets of Henrik Lundqvist. It was a quick play and Lundqvist was moving when the shot was coming his way, but I felt that the All-Star goaltender could have stopped that one. If it was a high shot, no way, but it was right through his legs. Stick should have been down, but that’s just my opinion.

New York failed to convert on three straight powerplays in the first period, but it was the parade to the box for the Blueshirts that ended up costing them the game. The Rangers were called for six straight penalties – some good calls, some not – but the penalty-kill was spectacular. The Rangers’ only goal came shorthanded when Brandon Prust found a way to fight off a check and score on a breakaway. Credit goes to Ryan McDonagh for the perfect outlet pass on that play.

The Lightning were handed a 5-on-3 advantage early in the third stanza, and similar to the first Tampa goal, they were able to find the back of the net on a bang-bang play. St. Louis slid the puck through the high slot to a wide-open Vinny Lecavalier, who absolutely blasted a slapper top shelf. Unlike the first period tally, Lundqvist had no chance at all of saving that rocket.

Down 2-1, the Rangers brought their game to another level, doing all they could to tie it in the final minutes. They had a couple of good plays off the faceoff, including a set-up to newly acquired Bryan McCabe that almost did the trick, but Dwayne Roloson made some amazing saves between the pipes for the Bolts. And, as Sam Rosen is becoming famous for saying, the Rangers simply “ran out of time”.

Lundqvist played well enough that he gave the team a chance to win the game, especially when shorthanded. Once again he received a lot of help from the defensive squad in front of him and that limited the number of shots he faced to only 19. He’d probably like that first goal back, as could be seen by the look on his face after it went in, but the game didn’t come down to that. No way.

It was all about the penalties, which at least half of them I felt were not even penalties. Take, for example, the “interference” call on Brandon Dubinsky in the third period. Interference? It looked much more like a collision to me. Coach Tortorella was irate after that one and I cannot blame him.

It’s a shame when the officials decide such a close contest like this with weak calls. Let the players play; don’t try to steal the spotlight.

Defenseman Bryan McCabe was impressive in his Ranger debut. For not practicing with the team yet and not even getting a chance to sit down with Tortorella for a while, I thought he looked pretty damn good out there. There was undoubtedly some confusion in the final minutes there as to where he should be on the faceoff, but he communicates well with his mates and that helped.

For the most part he was in good position and had a few nice hits in the defensive zone. On the powerplay, I saw several times that he was calling for the puck so he could take the shot. Can you imagine? A point-man that wants to shoot the puck?! He’s going to be a great fight here, I can already tell, and I love that quite a few times he could be seen pumping up the bench. That’s great.

The Rangers had a big opportunity to gain some ground on the sixth place Montreal Canadiens this afternoon, but they failed to do so. This one hurts, but thankfully they take the ice again on Tuesday when they host the Buffalo Sabres at MSG.

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Video: Tortorella Expresses Disgust with Officials

Quite a lively press conference from head coach John Tortorella following today's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. While I cannot blame him for what he said, the league may look into this and maybe bring the hammer down.

Anyway, here's the video courtesy of Jesse Spector of the Daily News:



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No Deal for McCabe Yet, Rangers Don't Need Him

I'm sure many of you woke up to a barrage of "McCabe to Rangers" rumors this morning. Based on what I have seen personally, it is getting out of hand, so I felt it was necessary to clear things up for you and bring out the truth on the current situation. According to multiple (legitimate) outlets, there is no deal currently in place to bring Bryan McCabe to the New York Rangers. I repeat, no trade has been made by GM Glen Sather to acquire Bryan McCabe.

However, Arthur Staple of Newsday confirms that McCabe is willing to waive his no-movement clause if it meant being traded to the Rangers. This by no means is saying that a deal is done, just that New York is a destination that McCabe is willing to be traded to.

Those, my friends, are legitimate sources, so I can guarantee you that what you just read is pure fact. Now I can't believe I have to say this, but Wikipedia and Facebook are NOT legitimate sources. Yes, there are people running around saying they saw trades "confirmed on Wikipedia". Give me a break.

Anyway, I honestly do not think the Rangers need McCabe at this point. I was sort of in the middle when this rumor first came out, but after seeing how well young defensemen such as Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh played last night, there is no need to acquire a veteran like McCabe. The goal this season was to develop the youth, not make a run at the Cup. Sather should stick to the original plan.

Here's the original McCabe rumor from earlier in the week, by the way.

As a side note, Kris Newbury has cleared waivers but is practicing with the Rangers today since Ruslan Fedotenko (shoulder) appears to be out.

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Rangers Acquire D Bryan McCabe (Update: Del Zotto Assigned to AHL)

As per TSN, the New York Rangers have officially acquired defenseman Bryan McCabe from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Tim Kennedy and a third-round draft pick in 2011. McCabe will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The 35-year-old blue-liner adds a veteran presence to a rather young defensive corps and will be an asset to the team if/when they make the playoffs in a couple of months. Personally, I don't have a problem with the trade itself because the Rangers did not have to mortgage their future in order to go through with it, however there is going to be an odd-man out on defense for the remainder of the season (two when Staal returns). That, though, is up to coach John Tortorella.

As for Kennedy, I am happy he was traded because he was reportedly miserable down in Connecticut (AHL). The Blueshirts didn't have much use for him anyway.

More on McCabe later, but have at it the comments folks. What do you think of the deal?

UPDATE: According to the AHL transactions page, the Rangers have assigned defenseman Michael Del Zotto to the Connecticut Whale in order to make room for McCabe.

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McCabe Expected to be Key Asset in Rangers' Now Confirmed Playoff Push

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Earlier today the New York Rangers acquired 35-year-old defenseman Bryan McCabe from the Florida Panthers (original post here). The veteran blue-liner was a target of GM Glen Sather's for at least a month leading up to the deadline, as he felt the Blueshirts' young and inexperienced defensive corps was lacking something - something that McCabe would instantly add to the lineup and help this team in their push to the playoffs. The move was not necessary and I think I have made that quite clear over the past few days. However, Sather obviously wants more out of this season than just youth development. He wants to do some damage in the playoffs and he wants to make a run for it all. McCabe is one step forward in that direction.

Before being traded to the Rangers, McCabe played 48 games with the Florida Panthers this season. In that time he recorded five goals and seventeen assists for a total of 22 points, and also was a plus-3 rating. He averaged between 21 and 22 minutes of ice time per game with the Panthers, which is about what Ryan McDonagh is getting now-a-days on the Rangers. I make that comparison because it likely means McCabe will assume a spot on the second defensive pairing here in New York. Factor in some time on the powerplay and Bryan may even see his minutes go up while playing under head coach John Tortorella.

McCabe is essentially a rental, as his current contract will expire this coming July when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He actually began his career as a member of the New York Islanders in the mid-90s, and over the years has made his way to the Canucks, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, and Panthers. But for now he will call New York home for the time being, and hopefully he will make the stay worthwhile.

One part of his game that has been a mainstay on all of the teams listed above has been leadership. In fact, he was named captain of the Florida Panthers after only his first season there. He was well respected by the younger players and was looked upon as a role model and a mentor. In addition to adding other things to this Rangers lineup - which we will get to in a minute - he is going to be a great guy to have around in the locker room for players like Ryan McDonagh and Michael Sauer. I wouldn't even be surprised if Marc Staal and Dan Girardi quickly develop a bonding relationship with Bryan as well.

Now to discuss how McCabe will contribute on the ice.

First and foremost, coach Tortorella is most definitely going to use the Ontario native at the point on the powerplay. That's one of the aforementioned things that Glen Sather felt was lacking on this team, but McCabe will in fact be a threat with the man advantage. He has a hard shot that he knows how to get to the net through traffic, and based on the high number of assists he's tallied throughout his career, I think it's safe to say he knows how to move the puck around on the powerplay as well. Of course he will have to adjust to "Tortorella's powerplay", but the foundation skill is already there.

That's another positive about McCabe; he will not have to be taught much at all. See with guys like McDonagh and Sauer, being that they are in their rookie year, there is a lot of coaching going on during practice and even during games. That will not have to be the case for McCabe, as he will simply be expected to go out there and perform. I know he hasn't played a single game with the Rangers just yet, but the expectations will be extremely high from day one, which will most likely be tomorrow versus the Lightning.

As far as McCabe's play in the defensive zone goes, he is no Nik Lidstrom or Chris Pronger, that's for sure. At the same time, though, he is not going to be costing the Rangers goals either. He will get the job done in front of Henrik Lundqvist just fine, and that of course is in addition to contributing offensively as well. What I like about McCabe is that he plays with grit and with his heart on his sleeve. He'll protect Lundqvist and will even drop the gloves if he has to. In my opinion, you can never have enough of those types of players on one team.

Taking all of this into consideration, getting McCabe for Tim Kennedy and a third-round draft pick was an absolute steal by Glen Sather. Bryan will make this team stronger than they already are in more than just one area of the game. He's going to be a key asset in the Rangers' push towards the playoffs, and quite honestly, out of all the options out there to fill that role, he was probably the Blueshirts' best considering the cost. Hats off to Glen on this one.

Something tells me that Sather is not quite done just yet, though. As I said in the opening paragraph, the general manager has made it clear he wants to go far in the playoffs based on this acquisition alone, but McCabe only quenches one of the Rangers' many thirsts. There's still that high-scoring centerman that has yet to be brought here to New York, and with $3.8 million in cap room to play with after this trade, Sather is going to pursue all options before 3 p.m. on Monday.

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Video: Feel the Wrath of Dylan McIlrath

Even though it has been eight months since the New York Rangers drafted defenseman Dylan McIlrath in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, there is still some debate amongst the fans as to whether Gordie Clark should have went with Cam Fowler (now Ducks' property) instead of the bruising blue-liner from Moose Jaw. The argument may go on forever, but what I am about to show you will certainly get you to appreciate the first round pick a little more.

But first, allow me to set the stage. In Wednesday's OHL game between the Warriors and Broncos, Jordan Peddle of the Broncos decided to run Warrior goaltender Tom Heemskerk late in the game. During the following play, McIlrath didn't waste a single second in beating Peddle for what he had done. But that was not the only fight of the night, as there is also the one you can see below between McIlrath and Blanke.

If you tick this kid off, you are done - plain and simple. Take a look...

So not only did he immediately stick up for his goaltender (something the Rangers rarely do), but McIlrath also defended a fellow teammate when Blanke was looking for a fight. It takes a lot of courage to engage in a fight for a teammate when they are the one being challenged, but McIlrath didn't even think twice about doing it.

I personally cannot wait until this kid is on Broadway, and I couldn't care less about Cam Fowler because he won't be doing any of this. There, I said it.

I figured this would be a good way to start the day, getting away from all of the ridiculous trade rumors for a bit.

Shoutout to Mike from Bleeding All Blue for finding this video.

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