Round 1

Pick 10:  Dylan McIlrath, Defenseman, Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) – “Big Mag Truck” McIlrath plays a lot like his nickname would indicate.  The 6’4’’ 212 lbs young fellow throws his body around to intimidate smaller players, not afraid to be sent to the box.  Sometimes his tough guy mentality gets the best of him, drawing 19 fighting majors during his first 2 seasons of WHL competition, on his way to over 270 penalty minutes.  While he is certainly raw and could use some discipline, McIlrath will help the provide big hits and toughness the Rangers squad has been lacking in recent seasons.

Round 2

Pick 10: Christian Thomas, Right Wing, Oshawa Generals (OHL) – Quite simply, Thomas is a scorer.  A year after managing only 8 goals, Thomas posted an impressive 41 scores last season for the Gennies, including a franchise record 4 short-handed goals, while netting 44% in shootouts.

Round 4

Pick 10: Andrew Yogan, Left Wing/Center, Erie Otters (OHL) – Coming off an injury shortened season in which he scored 55 points in only 63 games, Yogan’s broken foot may be a blessing for the Rangers who were able to added a talented young player later than he might have otherwise been selected. (more…)

If the Rangers are to rebound in 2010, the hopes of the Madison Square Garden faithful lie largely in the glove-clad hands of Marian Gaborik.  The free agency score of the summer for the Blueshirts, the multidimensional Right Winger reportedly turned down a 10-year deal re-up with Minnesota, laden with cash and incentives, before deciding to make New York his new home. In the first year of the 5-year deal he reached with the Rangers, Gaborik lived up to the billing, leading the squad far and away in both goals and assists, setting a career high of 86 points.  Gaborik netted 42 goals, tying his career mark, while notching 44 assists, his personal best, though ultimately the Rangers’ season expectations fell short. (more…)

The 2009-2010 season was simply a down year across the entire Rangers organization.  With the big club finishing outside the playoffs looking it for the first time in a long time, the Rangers’ affiliate club, the Hartford Wolf Pack, managed a similar feat on an even bigger scale.  Last season saw the Wolf Pack end their year early for the first time since moving to Hartford in 1997.  That makes 12 consecutive successful seasons, highlighted by the 99-00 Calder Cup victory, in which the Wolf Pack was among the AHL’s premiere teams.  Just a year after finishing 1^st in the Atlantic Division, the Wolf Pack floundered to 6^th place in a very competitive season for the division.  At 36-33-6-5, Hartford was competitive on any given night, but ultimately unable to scrap together a true contender.  By comparison, the 2002 season featured a Wolf Pack team that won only 33 games and accumulated 86 points (just 3 points higher than last year’s 83), but managed to pull out a 3^rd place divisional record and secure a playoff berth in a down year for the Atlantic Division.  The 3^rd place mark had been Hartford’s lowest until this past year, consistently finishing in the top 2 divisionally in 10 of 12 seasons. (more…)

The New York Rangers made their biggest off-season splash this year to date signing Left Wing Alexander Frolov to a 1-year deal estimated at $3 million.   The cap conscious figure is truly a testament to the city of New York, a long time desired destination for Frolov, who left a reported $20 million on the table in an offer to return to his native country of Russia and star in its top level league, the KHL.  Playing with LA his entire 7-year NHL career, Frolov felt it was time for a change, opting to head east for the chance to live in New York, his alleged favorite city.  Perhaps a future in Russia is not entirely out of the question, however, as Frolov was signed to just a 1-year deal, with reports of longer offers out there.  It seems at least for the time being the 28-year old winger wants to keep his options open, but for now he is ready to continue his career in the NHL with the Rangers.

How the Rangers will use Frolov remains to be seen, though one would certainly think he will see his fair share of ice time.  To maximize firepower, the Rangers may consider pairing Frolov on the same line as Right Wing Marian Gaborik, the club’s top scorer just a year ago.  The Blueshirts currently feature only one other Russian on their roster, Center Artem Anisimov.  It’s likely Frolov will see himself skating with Ansimov as well, as countrymen are often featured alongside each other in an effort to ease a new player’s transition and maximize natural playing styles.  The combined line of Frolov, Gaborik and Ansimov would be the Rangers’ best. (more…)

All good runs must come to an end.  The New York Rangers faced that sad realization during the 2009-2010 season that saw the franchise sitting on their hands come mid-April despite finding their way to the post season in each of the previous 4 go-rounds.  Remarkably consistent over the prior 4 year span, the Rangers saw their seasonal point totals vary only marginally ranging from a high of 100 in 2005-2006 to a low of 94 in 22006-2007, while ending the year 3^rd in the Atlantic Division for 3 straight campaigns before its 4^th place finish in 2008-2009.  This past year ended with the Rangers on the outside of the Stanley Cup chase looking in, despite putting up numbers not too different from its more successful predecessors.  If this is the beginning of a decline for the Rangers, the Madison Square Garden faithful enjoyed only a moderate peak, culminating in a series of decent regular season performances and never advancing further than the Conference Semifinals in the Blueshirts’ Cup quest. (more…)