Thinking Defensively

The 2008-09 season was one of the very best in New York Ranger prospect history but if the first couple of weeks are any indication; then folks we are going to have a whole lot of fun here. How can one not like an evening when only 2 prospects are playing and both wind up earning stars for their efforts?Hello Chris DoyleIt took an extra 4 games but Chris Doyle finally made his 2009...

by Adam GretzFiled under: Capitals, Rangers, NHL Fights, NHL VideosThe last time Donald Brashear was involved in a Rangers vs. Capitals game, he was suiting up for Washington and facing the wrath of fans in New York for knocking out Blair Betts in a playoff game. On Thursday night, Brashear was on the other side of the matchup and trying to win some fans in Madison Square Garden...

Sink or swim. Like many high-priced free agents before him, Marian Gaborik was held to the highest standards before ever stepping foot on Garden ice. If he succeeded, he would garner the respect of the Garden faithful. If he failed,...

With highlight-reel preseason goals, Rangers rookie Artem Anisimov is an early Calder contender, according to The Hockey News.

Marian Gaborik scored his first two preseason goals with the Rangers, including an unassisted short-handed tally in the second period, and Christopher Higgins snapped a tie with 1:10 left to lift New York to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Throughout the pre-season, New York Ranger writers and fans have turned their attention to youngsters Matt Gilroy, Michael Del Zotto, Artem Anisimov, Evgeny Grachev, Chad Johnson and Enver Lisin. These players have stood out because they’re getting the job done, have shown a lot of poise and are making it extremely difficult on both coach Tortorella and the rest of Rangers’ management...

After all the changes and personnel shifting that occurred in this off season for the New York Rangers' organization, the question that needs to be asked is this: Is this team really all that different? Rangers' general manager Glen Sather seems to be convinced that there is a formula to this.  So, it seems he hits a lab, adds a pinch of high-talent winger, some leadership...

Update 1:35 PM: Looks like Sanguinetti was sent down to the Wolf Pack. From Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants: From Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants: It’s evidently a very bad sign if you’re a Rangers’ player and John Tortorella has a little on-ice heart-to-heart with you after practice. He had one today with defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti and the Rangers’ first-round pick...

From Adam Kimelman at NHL.com: When John Tortorella was hired as New York Rangers coach in February, he had a 21-game training camp to see which players could mesh with his style of play and which couldn’t. Offseason roster changes have left a group that better reflects what Tortorella would like to see from a team—more up-tempo play and a little more offensive flair...

Sean Avery on Tuesday underwent an MRI exam that made him "a little nervous going in" but showed no major damage to the right knee he sprained in a freak morning-skate collision with Ryan Callahan the day before.

All that change has led to a new look for the Rangers, who have made it to the playoffs the past four seasons, but have not made it out of the second round. However, this team is sorely lacking in depth and talent amongst their forwards and defensemen and Tortorella has his work cut out for him if this team is going to be successful.

Vinny Prospal, Enver Lisin and Ryan Callahan scored in a span of just 5 minutes, 12 seconds in the opening frame to give the Rangers a 3-0 lead against beleaguered goalie Daniel Larsson. Detroit is 2-2 in the preseason.

Good afternoon folks. I’m taking a lunch break to bring you guys the latest New York Rangers news, notes, opinions and more from the following links: - Rangers Report - Blue Notes and here - Ranger Rants - NewYorkRangers.com - SNYRangersBlog.com and here - Blueshirt Banter (Great season preview) - Battle Of NY

Throughout the summer and the early part of the pre-season, all hockey fans have read their season previews and predictions from various hockey writers, news sources and bloggers. Some of you have come to agree with the pundits while others are in disbelief, which is understandable because some of the predictions seem a bit off base. With that in mind, I figured...