SB Nation
  • Google+

SB Nation New York

Stay connected for news and updates

Rangers Training Camp: Rangers Waive Todd White And Tim Kennedy

The New York Rangers have waived Todd White and Tim Kennedy.

  • Live
11 Total Updates since September 15, 2010
  • Important 7
  • Updates 11
  • All Updates 11

Rangers Waive Todd White And Tim Kennedy

According to multiple sources the New York Rangers have waived Todd White and Tim Kennedy. White, who was acquired in the Donald Brashear trade, and Kennedy were pretty invisible all pre-season; and didn’t impress the coaching staff at all.

By my count the Rangers now have over $4 million in cap space to play with this season, which is a lot more than originally expected.

Although Ranger fans might be sad to see Kennedy go—mainly because of his youth—he was thoroughly outplayed by Ruslan Fedotenko and Derek Stepan. As for White, not too much to say here, just another player who wasn’t able to impress.

Make sure to check out Blueshirt Banter for more.

Continue

Ruslan Fedotenko Signs One-Year Deal

According to Jess Spector, the New York Rangers and tryout Ruslan Fedotenko have agreed to a one-year contract. Fedotenko was the Rangers' leading scorer in preseason, scoring one goal and adding six assists for seven points in five games.

From Spector’s full story:

“Fedotenko was our leading scorer in camp, and he’s had a really good camp,” John Tortorella said this morning, before the contract was finalized. “Hockey-wise, his play speaks for itself.”

Because his preseason performance was so strong, there were other teams interested in Fedotenko, but he agreed to stay to open the season on a line with Sean Avery and rookie Derek Stepan that has found instant chemistry.

“For some reason, me, Aves and Feds just seemed to click the first game we played together,” Stepan said. “I feel like this is a good spot, and I’m excited.”

This really doesn’t come as a surprise, especially since he and John Tortorella already have a ton of chemistry from their Stanley Cup Tampa Bay Lightning Team in 2004.

Spector is correct that Fedotenko did have a huge amount of success with Sean Avery and Derek Stepan, and their line was one of the more successful lines for the Rangers.

In Fedotenko the Rangers get a veteran guy who will likely put up around 15 goals and add 20 assists, along with bringing veteran leadership for a guy like Stepan.

This contract, of course, leaves even more questions about who will and won’t be on the team when Chris Drury (finger) and Vaclav Prospal (knee) get back from their injuries.

Be sure to check out Blueshirt Banter for more.

Continue

Rangers Make 11 More Cuts, Trim Roster To 27

According to Andrew Gross the Rangers have made 11 more cuts, trimming the roster to 27.

From Andrew’s full story:

To Hartford:

G: Chad Johnson
D: Wade Redden
F: Dane Byers, Evgeny Grachev, Kris Newbury, Dale Weise, Jeremy Williams, Mats Zuccarello

Released from tryouts:
D: Garnet Exelby, Brandon Manning, Alexei Semenov

Still on Rangers’ roster:

G: Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist
D: Michael Del Zotto, Steve Eminger, Matt Gilroy, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michal Rozsival, Michael Sauer, Marc Staal, Pavel Valentenko
F: Artem Anisimov, Sean Avery, Derek Boogaard, Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, Erik Christensen, Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Alex Frolov, Marian Gaborik, Tim Kennedy, Vinny Prospal, Brandon Prust, Derek Stepan, Todd White

John Tortorella had said before yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings that cuts were coming, and they came today. Unlike the first volley of cuts, this list contains a few serious surprises.

Obviously Wade Redden wasn’t one of those surprises, as we reported his waiver status yesterday here. But to see Evgeny Grachev and Mats Zuccarello removed so soon is surprising. Although neither looked like they had a chance at cracking this year’s opening night roster, I thought that they would get a longer look.

The biggest surprises, however, came from the tryout list. If you are a player brought in on a tryout then you are playing for a contract, you don’t have one coming into camp. And if you get cut then you and the team part ways without any ties.

Semenov, who made the team out of camp last year and was offered a contract (which he had to deny because his wife thought he could get more elsewhere), played pretty well in his two pre-season games, and figured to fight for a seventh defenseman spot.

Exelby, who was supposed to bring serious ‘jam’ to this year’s defensive corps (if he made the team), was unimpressive and subsequently cut.

Obviously the real cuts start from this point forward. Make sure to visit Blueshirt Banter for more Rangers news and analysis.

Continue

Wade Redden To Be Placed On Waivers

According to the tweets of Larry Brooks Wade Redden will be waived at noon today:

NYP_Brooksie: Redden on waivers at noon.

So the biggest story of the New York Rangers offseason finally comes to an end. The Rangers — who have made it no secret that Redden was on thin ice with making the team — will waive him today at noon.

The team will automatically lose his $6.5 million cap hit, and he will be placed in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack. Unless, of course, another team picks him up from waivers; in which that team would assume his contract. Either way, the Rangers are off the hook for his contract.

Redden, 33, was entering his 14th NHL season, the last two of which he spent with the Rangers. He played in 75 games in 2009, with two goals and 12 assists.

WFAN posted a good explanation of the Redden move.

Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather said that placing Redden on waivers, and thereby removing his salary from the Rangers’ salary-cap picture, was the right thing to do for the team and will help the organization pursue its goal of giving younger players an opportunity to make the roster out of training camp.

“I told him at the end of last year that if he didn’t have a great camp this was going to happen,” Sather said of Redden, a two-time All-Star during his years with the Ottawa Senators, whose scoring production slipped to career-lows of two goals and 12 assists in 2009-10.

Should Redden clear waivers, the Rangers would be able to assign him to the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. He is in the third season of a six-year, $39 million contract.

In all honesty, Redden was a victim of circumstance. He was certainly not living up to his contract, but he was a serviceable defenseman making far too much money to survive. I bid him all the best, wish him congratulations on his new baby girl and hope that he has all the luck in the world in his future endeavors.

Wade Redden

#6 / Defenseman / New York Rangers

6-2

212

Jun 12, 1977

-- Visit Blueshirt Banter for more on this situation. 

Continue

Rangers Cut 25, Trim Roster To 38

 

As per Andrew Gross, the Rangers have made their first cuts of this fresh pre-season. From Andrew's full story:

To Hartford

G: Jordan Parise, Cameron Talbot

D: Lee Baldwin, Sam Klassen, Tomas Kundratek, Jyri Niemi, Blake Parlett, Nigel Williams

F: Chris Chappell, Devin DiDiomete, Brodie Dupont, Ryan Garlock, Chris McKelvie, Justin Soryal, Kelsey Tessier

 

To Juniors

G: Scott Stajcer (Owen Sound, OHL)          

D: Daniel Maggio (Sudbury, OHL), Dylan McIlrath (Moose Jaw, WHL)

F: Ryan Bourque (Quebec, QMJHL), Roman Horak (Chilliwack, WHL), Randy McNaught (Saskatoon, WHL), Christian Thomas (Oshawa, OHL), Ethan Werek (Kingston, OHL), Jason Wilson (Owen Sound, OHL), Andrew Yogan (Erie, OHL)

 

Nothing really pops out here. Fans may be upset that Ethan Werek, Ryan Bourque and Dylan McIlrath didn't get longer looks; but it is accepted that they needed more time to develop in their respective systems. 

 

For more on these roster cuts and other training camp moves check out Blueshirt Banter. 

Continue

Chris Drury Breaks Finger, Is Expected To Miss Four Weeks

Chris Drury broke his finger today blocking a shot, according to Andrew Gross:

Drury, 34, is expected to miss four weeks, meaning he will be absent for all six preseason games – which begin Thursday at Madison Square Garden against the Devils – and the season opener at Buffalo on Oct. 9. The Rangers play just three games the first two weeks of the season so Drury’s absence from the lineup – in a best-case scenario – could be minimal.

Drury scored 14 goals and 18 assists in 77 games last season, missing five games with a concussion after blocking a shot at Calgary on Nov. 7. Drury has a history of being able to play through some injuries, for instance, the broken hand which did not keep him out of the first-round playoff series against the Capitals in 2009.

This isn’t the worst news in the world for the Rangers, but it’s still not good. Although Drury isn’t contributing as many goals and points as his $7.1 million contract might make people expect from him, he is still a quality defensive presence on the ice and a leader on this team. 

Drury, as outlined above, shouldn't miss more than three regular season games, which really makes this injury minimal. Thankfully, or unfortunately for Drury, he can still skate; so he is still subject to John Tortorella's training camp grind. Although this will help his transition back to playing, since he won't be out of shape. 

The good news, as outlined by my colleague Dave Shapiro on Blueshirt Banter, is that highly touted prospect Derek Stepan will now get a longer look in camp. Stepan, who Tortorella has admitted will get a long look in camp, might get his chance right now to prove that he can compete on an NHL level. Since Drury will miss all six of the Rangers pre-season games, Stepan might get a chance to center the top line in some pre-season games. 

In the end, let's hope for a swift recovery for Drury and hope that the injury doesn't linger. 

In other injury news, Andrew Yogan (the Rangers 4th round pick—100th overall—in this year’s NHL entry draft) will be receiving surgery for a torn ligament in his shoulder.

This from Andrew Gross as well:

The Rangers also announced today that left wing Andrew Yogan, their fourth round pick this June, will undergo left shoulder surgery this week to repair a tear. Yogan said he suffered the injury last season while playing (and fighting) for Erie (OHL) and the Rangers said the extent of the injury was determined during team medicals on Friday. Yogan said he tried to strengthen the shoulder through the summer without surgery. The 19-year-old expects to be ready for the second half of the OHL season.

"It’s nothing too bad," Yogan said. "It’s a little frustrating but I’m not too worried about it. I’m still young. I’ll back back halfway through my season."

Yogan is a prospect who scouts agree has a ton of talent to be very successful in the NHL, but has to work on his work ethic. It’s not a big deal for him to miss half of the season (he plays in the OHL), so long as he can get healthy.

Continue

Sather: 'Impossible To Tell' What Roster Will Look Like

New York Rangers General Manager Glen Sather met with reporters today during training camp. He spoke about a wide array of topics, including his future, the salary cap and what he is looking for as the team structures its roster.

Here is his quote about the type of players he wants on the Rangers.

“Well I like 23 guys that are aggressive, come to play every night, they’re all hungry to win, determined to win, respectful, win every game. If anybody tells you at this time of year they know exactly the way the team is going to look, they’re just giving you some sense they know more than anybody else does. I think it’s really impossible to tell now. They’re so many good young kids that come in and take some veteran spots. At the same time, if the veteran is going to give his spot away, he doesn’t deserve to be. The more kids we have on this team, the better off we are. We want to keep the core the way it’s been growing the last couple of years. But that’s not to say some other young guy can’t take one of those guys job, then what you can do is trade him and find another asset to help you down the road. That’s the way your organization gets better.”

Continue