The Rangers preseason action has come to a close, culminating with an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Ottawa Senators last night. John Tortorella and Rangers Brass are now faced with evaluating their regular season roster - who goes, who stays, and where does each player slot in?A couple of these decisions may be postponed for the time being, with both Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal slotted to start the season on the injured reserve, opening up two more spots on the offense for the plethora of forwards competing to find their way into the Rangers lineup (Tortorella has said he intends to carry 14 forwards to start the season).
Here's how I'd grade each player of note - which I'll define as players competing for either a spot on the team or a more important role with the club...
*I excluded both Mats Zuccarello and Dale Weise, who were sent to Hartford but brought up for last night's game. Expect both to start the season in the AHL.*
Brian Boyle: A+
Boyle is by far the most improved Ranger heading into this season. His skating has improved ten-fold, his execution along the boards was excellent, and he made things happen every time he stepped out on the ice. He threw his body around, made his presence known offensively, and stood out regardless of his ice-time or line mates (remember, a lot of his ice-time is spent killing penalties). Tortorella certainly took notice - Boyle wore an 'A' on his shoulder in last night's preseason finale, the only Ranger to have a letter that night.
Sean Avery: A
While Avery headed into camp as a certainty to line up with the Rangers this season, his role (i.e. ice-time and line mates) was certainly partially contingent on his preseason performance. He was excellent, both offensively and as a shift-disturber.
Derek Stepan: A-
Stepan had an excellent camp, whether it be lining up on the first unit or the third line. He was solid in all three zones, displayed his exponentially high hockey IQ, and did everything he needed to earn a roster spot, which seems to be guaranteed (at least for the start of the season) with Drury and Prospal injured. It will be interesting to see if he's okay with the speed and tempo of the regular season - he's far from fast, but has shown he can get to all the right places at all the right times. I'd be lying if I said Stepan doesn't have me foaming at the mouth.
Ruslan Fedotenko: A-
He certainly earned a spot - I'll be shocked if he doesn't receive a contract. He showed the ability to play very well on a third-line type of unit with Avery, and also showed that he can help the power play.
Artem Anisimov: B+
Outside of a weak first two periods of his preseason action, Anisimov was a very effective player. He ended last season on the fourth line (a very productive one, it should be noted), so a good camp was just what he needed in terms of confidence.
Matt Gilroy: B+
Gilroy was solid, sound, and confident from start to finish. I'd be shocked if he didn't start the season on the Rangers third d-pair.
Ryan McDonagh: B
McDonagh showed that he is ready to play in the NHL. He's sound positionally, has quick feet, and showed the ability to throw the body around a bit. He'll get caught running around at times to start, I'm sure, but that's got to be expected of a defenseman of his age making the jump from college.
Mike Sauer: B
Sauer did what he does best throughout camp - play hard, solid, mistake-free defensive hockey and use his body.
Pavel Valentenko: B-
I really like what I saw from somebody who I assumed was merely a "toss-in" as part of the Scott Gomez trade. While there were some times he got caught running around, and he took his fair share of penalties, his ability to throw the body and shoot the puck has led me to believe he can be a serviceable NHL defenseman down the line. He's a tough kid who is perfectly suited for the North American game.
Tim Kennedy: B-
Kennedy showed off much of the same that I saw in Buffalo - he's tough, smart, and has decent skills. He's a very versatile player who can slot in pretty much anywhere in the lineup. To be honest, I would've liked to have seen a little bit more offensively, although I wouldn't expect much more than 35 or 40 points even if he does find himself in the perfect situation.
Todd White: B-
White was good - solid, but unspectacular. Based on his age and the Rangers position with so many young forwards, I wouldn't mind seeing him as the odd man out once Drury and Prospal return. No slight to White or the effort he's given, just part of the business.
Erik Christensen: C-
Christensen had an up-and-down preseason...what a surprise. At times he was completely invisible; at other times he was wheelin' and dealin.' He's so inconsistent it's maddening - you see the flashes, but other times he's horrible.
Steve Eminger: F
He is beyond bad. A -4 in three games and it could've been a lot worse.
............
Here's how I would open up next Saturday versus Buffalo, assuming that Drury and Prospal cannot go (a safe assumption):
Alexander Frolov - Erik Christensen - Marian Gaborik
Brandon Dubinsky - Artem Anisimov - Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery - Derek Stepan - Ruslan Fedotenko
Tim Kennedy - Brian Boyle - Brandon Prust
Marc Staal - Dan Girardi
Michael Del Zotto - Michal Rozsival
Ryan McDonagh - Matt Gilroy
Henrik Lundqvist
Martin Biron
Spares: Todd White, Derek Boogaard, Mike Sauer
Injured Reserve: Chris Drury, Vinny Prospal
Cut: Steve Eminger, Pavel Valentenko
Reasoning & Notes...
- Start Christensen on the top-unit in a position where he can get off on the right foot. If he doesn't perform, he's a definite candidate to be riding the pine pony when Drury and Prospal return.
- Allowing Stepan to begin on the third-line with two line mates that he's been successful with during the preseason keeps the pressure off of his shoulders and supplies him with two very able wingers.
- It's not Torts' style to roll four lines, but his fourth line is a very good one - lots of interchangeable pieces to play with if he detects that his team needs a spark at some point in the game.
- No reason for Boogaard to dress versus Buffalo. I'd rather see someone like Kennedy, Prust, or Christensen in the lineup.
- When Drury and Prospal return, there will be some very tough choices.
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