Gaborik and Demitra played together in Minnesota as well as on the Sovakian Olympic team this year.
The 35-year-old Demitra scored three goals and 13 assists in just 28 games for Vancouver last season due to two shoulder surgeries to repair a torn labrum.
...this could be trouble as Gaborik has expressed his interest in the Rangers making a move this summer and now they're asking him about bringing in his aging, injured best friend. I know the Rangers want to keep him happy, but please not at the expense of the long term success of the team.
...not sure how this move complies with Sather's notion that the team will be giving the young guys a shot this season.
...while I don't like this news at all it is an amazing segue into tomorrow's guest blog post (Spoiler Alert).
...h/t to @tammys on Twitter.
Remember to follow me on Twitter & Facebook or e-mail me at nyrfan94@yahoo.com.
18 comments:
He better have 20g 25a type of chemistry with Gaborik... That would make me less infuriated about the fact that we didn't let a Rookie get into the club.
This team as it sits right now with the present day roster is contending for nothing other than a top 10 pick. Why not bring in an aging friend to make Gaborik feel better about the upcoming season. Its the Broadway tradition. Sinatra said it best-bring in the clowns.
You guys are clowns. The Rangers do not have any prospects that are ready to play center for Gaborik. Lets be serious, the Rangers could use Demitra. When Demitra played with Gaborik in Minnesota he had 64 points one year and 54 the next year. Some of you people even you Kevin are a little crazy over Christensen. He had only 26 points in 49 games. I would take Demitra over Christensen any day. I played ice hockey and I know what its like to know your line mate and how great it is to click. If Sather can get a contract that is cheap and a one year deal I am all for it.
Im cool with this too. The rangers wanna stay young but we also could use someone with experience now to help lead the young guys. You know Redden isnt guiding anyone. As long as the contract isnt crazy he would help.
I'm mixed on this... 1 year deal, and maybe we catch lighting in a bottle like prospal last season...
However, I have no problem with Christensen centering gaborik..
@ the king.... 26 pts in 49 games in a new system and not playing with gaborik the entire 49 games not to mention gaborik was hurt after the after the Olympic break is pretty solid.. Give this kid an entire season with gaborik now knowing the system and I'm sure you will see 50-60 PTs!!!
@Rick... This team can make the playoffs!!! 1st they missed the playoffs by a point last year... 2nd they now have an entire season with torts and are familiar with the system.... 3rd is chemistry, we finally did not make over the entire roster in the offseason like the past 2 years... Finally I think the defense will be much improved with MDZ a year older and wiser, everything points to redden being gone and McD now on the us line and a serviceable backup goalie the entire season.....
I am guessing a 6 seed this year barring major injuries!!!
yeah, they're not signing a legit top line center, so why not bring in demitra on the cheap (gotta think he would take $3M or less and that's the only way we sign him after we sign Staal for $4+ a season) and, like a few have already said, at least make things brighter for our star forward. If he stays healthy, you gotta figure he puts up 15-20 g's, 45-50 a's. After all, he led the olympics in scoring.
What's with everyone feeling that if we bring someone in that it'll hurt the long term future of the team?
It seems like no matter who is suggested to score goals or play center, people freak out as if we'll never play the younger guys...or somehow the young guys will disappear.
As it stands there's like one slot for a new guy this year, just look at the possible line combos.
There HAS to be another move made for a goal scorer or setup man, get ready everyone.
I know I'm probably in the minority, but I'm willing to take a step back the next two seasons.
What does bringing Demitra in for this season really do for the Rangers? Get them back in the playoffs for a round. While also holding back a player like Stepan.
Then what next season? The Rangers cap situation doesn't improve till the 2013 season. So despite plenty of good free agents being available next summer the Rangers again will not be able to afford them. Putting them in the same situation as now.
Build the system with young kids then when Drury, Rozy and Avery come off the books after the 2012 season add a few big time players to a young, established core.
That is how you run a successful franchise in the NHL, not quick fixes like Demitra.
Good point, but we cant sit and watch Gabby and Henrik wait for their team to be a winning one. They arent staal and stepans age. We have two of the leagues superstars we should play like it.
I hear you Dan. What I'm proposing won't be popular with fans or players like Gaborik and Lundqvist but I think it's necessary.
Unless he comes here for the same deal Prospal signed last year with the Rangers, I say pass on Demitra.
Sure, he'll make Gaborik feel better since he'll have his buddy on this team. But, that only works so well from the press box for a quarter of the season with an injury.
you cant trust these foreign media reports 99% of the time they are false, this idiot chesnekov had Kovalchuk signed sealed & delivered to the Kings 3 weeks ago. these foreign media outlets are mainly all propaganda. I put no solace in anything that was reported by this site. I would be willing to bet that Demitra would be a success playing along side Gaborik anyway he would do good as Prospal I'd bet.
"... like Gaborik and Lundqvist..." So it's basically a waste of having elite players on your team, in their prime.
There should be some semblance of a cup run EVERY season — at least from a player's perspective.
Rebuilding...yeah...it needs to get done but in the process why not make a playoff run for experience.
I hate thinking about throwing the season away already in the name of getting the young guys time on the ice.
Pavol Demitra stuns Russia - Shootout Olympic Goal .
I remember watching this game..this goal is sick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtcWbqUtBTA
Jack, while I would anticipate a step back with the young guys whose to say the Rangers can't be successful the next two years with young, enthusiastic players. It maybe contagious and some of the older guys may benefit from it.
...it's always a balancing act between developing players and putting together some semblance of a playoff team. A lot of fans are placing perhaps a little too much emphasis on how we need to develop these players. Like theking said, most of these young players are not ready to step in to the NHL, let alone team up with a world class player like Gabby. It's not as if we've drafted a player like Tyler Seguin in the past 5 years. Stepan will get his chances, even if we sign a player like demitra for ~$2.5 million. Just beware-you can't bank on all these top and esp. mid-level prospects panning out. With the exception of Dubes and Cally, over the past five years, the organization has not had great success fielding effective NHL forwards
(let alone reliable goal scores). The Rangers have a lot of talent coming out of the college ranks, but it's not a given they'll be 1st or 2nd line point scorers. I'm not for mortgaging your future just for the sake of staying somewhat relative in the near term, but it's important to sustain momentum each year. Look at the knicks. they're still gonna suck after 3 years of throwing in the towel to clear cap space for Lebron. Personally, I think it'd be a great move to use the cap space generated by burying/waiving Redden to sign a quality center like Demitra or someone else. That way you're also opening up a regular spot for a young D-man. Fire Sather
*stay relevant
Also, somewhat relevant to the conversation. Really looking forward to Anisimov's continued development. He's got such great touch, I think he can certainly surpass dubes and cally in the goal column as we go forward. hopefully he gets a little stronger, little more confident, and maybe a bit faster-prolly wishful thinking
This is what I said before, and I still stand behind it:
"If they could sign him for 1 year at 1 mil, I'd take him. He's had experience with Gaborik, and aside from the injury last season, is a proven centerman, who hasn't scored under 45 points since 1997-1998. Im sure the team is looking into it, but the only way to go about this is to put a bargain basement contract on the board, and if he decides not to accept it, let him walk. Don't sacrifice the cap space for someone whose age and body are working against him."
Hell, if we do sign him for a bargain contract and he does really well, we might be able to turn it around for draft picks at the trade deadline.
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