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So, I thought it would be fun to do a Rangers preview on here. I mean, I am sure there are some casual readers out there who might be unfamiliar with some of the new players. So here we go . . .

AGE: There are nine players on the opening day roster that are under 25 years-of-age. There are NO players over the age of 34 as of opening night.

The players are in alphabetical order, their jersey numbers on the left, age in parenthesis.

#19 - Blair Betts, Forward (25) - Came to the Rangers from Calgary in the Chris Simon trade. Worked hard at camp to earn a spot, possibly centering the third or fourth line. He has limited offensive ability, but hopefully will develop that. Prone to serious shoulder injuries. EXPECT Betts to stay with the club for the season if he stays healthy and continues to work hard.

#36 - Ryan Hollweg, Forward (22) - The Rangers eighth round selection in the 2001 entry draft. Though he is small at 5'10 and 200 pounds, he plays with an attitude and will stick up for himself and his teammates, and often plays with reckless abandon. He may be one of the few legitimate fighters, as Dale Purinton probably won't play on this team. EXPECT Hollweg to stick around and play on the fourth line if he doesn't kill himself on the ice first.

#81 - Marcel Hossa, Forward (24) - This is a tough one. The newest member of the team has great talent, but has been labeled as a problem in the locker room along with his work ethic being questioned. He has also historically played well during the pre-season, only to fall off when the real games start. He has the size and the talent to play in the NHL, and we can only hope a change of scenery and some guidance from Jagr and Rucchin sinks in. EXPECT Hossa to play on the second or third line early in the year, but he could on a top line if he continues to improve throughout the season.

#68 - Jaromir Jagr, Right Wing (33) - What needs to be said about Jaromir other than "Score, Score, Score". He is the star of this team, and in order for the Rangers to compete, he needs to be great. Jagr tends to get moody, and if they get off to a lousy start, he might get bored. Even though he is the highest paid player in the league, his cap hit is relatively light. If the Rangers are out of it early, don't rule out the possibility that he could be moved to a competing team with some cap room for the next few years (though is probably unlikely) EXPECT Jagr to start out hot, especially since he will be playing mostly with his friends and countrymen . . . but let's hope he doesn't become disinterested out there.

#6 - Darius Kasparaitis, Defense (33) - Darius worked hard during the lockout to try and convince management to not buy him out, and it worked. He very well may be named Captain of this team, and it would be deserved. He has worked well with the youngsters, and is very well liked among all of the factions in the locker room. EXPECT Kaspar to play solid D this season, and for several seasons after.

#24 - Maxim Kondratiev, Defense (22) - Maxim was on the border of being sent down to Hartford, but may have been saved by Purinton's horrible play. I would like to see him start a lot, but it is very likely that he will split time with Jason Strudwick and Michal Rozsival throughout. He could potentially be sent to Hartford for development at some point. EXPECT Kondratiev to make some mistakes during the season, but also expect some solid defensive efforts when he gets the chance.

#17 - Jamie Lundmark, Forward (24) - This is it for Jamie. He will be given the opportunity to play a lot this year, and needs to take advantage of every shift. He has put on some muscle and will most likely play a more physical game, but this team needs him to produce offensively. He has the talent, no doubt, but he needs to fulfill it. EXPECT Jamie to be bounced around from center to wing, from fourth line to first line . . . what he does with it is anybody's guess.

#30 - Henrik Lundqvist, Goalie (23) - This is the future of the team. He is the real deal. Lundqvist played well during the pre-season, and has shown that he can play against world-class talent. He will begin the year behind Kevin Weekes, but could very well end up the starter by the end of the season. EXPECT Henrik to start about 30 games, with most of them coming later in the year, unless Weekes surprises everyone and keeps the Rangers close to a playoff spot.

#8 - Marek Malik, Defense (30) - Malik is the biggest man on the team at 6'5 and 235 pounds. He has led the NHL in +/- in the past, and played a very solid positional defense. However, he has not looked very good at all in the pre-season for the Rangers. He signed a three year deal worth over $2.5 million per year, so don't expect him to go anywhere. We just have to hope the pre-season was an aberration, and that Malik will return to form. EXPECT Malik to be a solid defensive defenseman, unless he is exposed by the new penalty calling.

#18 - Dominic Moore, Forward (25) - Another Rangers draft pick (third round in 2000), who has spent a couple of seasons in Hartford and done well there. He essentially hustled his way onto this team, as he appeared to be all over the ice at all times. I am not sure if he has the scoring touch to be an offensive threat. He is a Harvard guy, so he presumably has the smarts that will help him adapt his game to the NHL level. EXPECT Moore to get some ice time on the third or fourth line, but he will have to work hard to stay here . . . I wouldn't be surprised if he is returned to Hartford at some point in exchange for someone putting up numbers for the Pack.

#10 - Ville Nieminen, Forward (28) - Ville has been described as an 'Esa Tikkanen with less talent' type player. He plays an agitating game, but has a tendency to take bad penalties and earn suspensions. EXPECT Nieminen to play hard throughout the season, and probably become a fan favorite.

#92 - Michael Nylander, Center (33) - Nylander has great skill and playmaking ability, but hasn't always shown a knack for scoring goals. He is one of the more experienced players on the Rangers, but he sometimes looks to make a pass instead of shooting. A couple of times during the pre-season he ended up losing the puck instead of firing away while he looked for the perfect play. EXPECT Nylander to center the first line between Jagr and Straka or Rucinsky . . . he will be here all year.

#41 - Jed Ortmeyer, Forward (27) - What needs to be said about Jed? He gives 110% on every shift, and while he doesn't have as much talent as others, he makes up for it in heart and hustle. Jed will see a lot of time on the penalty kill, although he was one of the few Rangers other than Jagr to score in the pre-season. Ranger fans will root hard for him. EXPECT Ortmeyer to wear an "A' on his jersey (or at least he should) . . . and he will most likely win the Steven MacDonald Extra Effort award for the second straight season.

#16 - Tom Poti, Defense (28) - Eh. I am not a Tom Poti fan, and he really didn't show me anything in camp or the pre-season to make me believe he has improved the defensive side of his game. The fans at the Garden despise him (whether or not it is justified is debatable), and it must be hard for him to endure the constant booing. Poti played very well at the end of the 2003-04 season, and will have to get off to a great start to get the fans off his back. EXPECT Poti to be traded before the end of the year, if not much, much sooner. (Again, this is just my opinion, and I don't believe he will be very good. He is relatively inexpensive and is only signed until the end of the season . . . a contending team that needs a puck moving defenseman might be willing to part with a pick or prospect for him.)

#58 - Petr Prucha, Forward (23) - Picked up by the Rangers in the eighth round of the 2002 draft, Prucha has performed extremely well in the Czech leagues, earning him a pro contract in New York. He worked hard in the pre-season, and seemed to be involved in every play when he was on the ice. He had a tendency to lose the puck, but hopefully that will improve. We have read quite a bit about him from the Rodent, who said that Prucha's strength is not yet scoring goals, but in his ability to simply 'make things happen' when he is on the ice. Has been brilliant in the shootout. EXPECT Prucha to improve throughout the season, possibly earning some time on the top lines.

#39 - Michal Rozsival, Defense (27) - In my opinion, Rozsival was a very unnecesary pick up for the Rangers. While he is relatively young at 27, he is prone to very serious knee injuries. He has been mediocre throughout his career, and should probably not start over players like Kondratiev and/or Thomas Pöck (who will, by the way, probably be called up to replace one of the defenseman should someone be moved or injured). EXPECT Rozsival to be so-so at best, and if history is any indication, he will spend a lot of time on injured reserve.

#20 - Steve Rucchin, Center (33) - Rucchin is a solid veteran talent with great leadership skills. Fans of his former team, the Mighty Ducks, were upset to see him go. He is a solid two-way player who can play a physical game as well as set up scoring chances. He will spend a lot of time on the penalty kill. EXPECT Rucchin to work hard all season and earn the fans' respect, but he could be moved by the trade deadline to a contending team that needs his leadership and playoff experience.

#26 - Martin Rucinsky, Forward (33) - Martin has always played well when on Broadway, and I see no reason why that shouldn't continue. He will play on the top two lines all year, as well as the power play, and should put up some good numbers. EXPECT Rucinsky to be solid all year, but could be moved yet again come deadline time . . . this might be one of the reasons he was only signed to a one year deal.

#82 - Martin Straka, Forward (33) - Please see Martin Rucinsky above, except for the "when on Broadway" part. EXPECT Straka to play hard all year long, but with just a one-year contract is a candidate to be moved come March (if the Rangers are out of it, that it).

#34 - Jason Strudwick, Defense (29) - He is a big, rough fella, and he is not afraid to mix it up. With Purinton apparently gone, he will be the tough guy on the defense. Has virtually no offensive ability. If need be, he can be moved up to forward to play on a checking line. EXPECT Strudwick to be a utility player for the Rangers.

#55 - Fedor Tyutin, Defense (22) - Tyutin is considered the Rangers' top prospect right now, and seems to have the talent, poise, and confidence to live up to the expectations. He is not going to be Brian Leetch, but not many players are. EXPECT Tyutin to be a first or second pair defenseman in New York for many years to come.

#14 - Jason Ward, Forward (26) - Ward started out terrible in camp, but improved throughout, earning him a spot on the club. He is another big forward who works hard and isn't afraid to mix it up and be physical. EXPECT Ward to be on the roster for most of the season, but may be scratched for a number of games . . . he will probably not get much ice time for the year unless he plays like he did in the last couple of pre-season games.

#80 - Kevin Weekes, Goalie (29) - After looking awful in the first pre-season game, Weekes got much better as he went along. He has always put up decent statistics, but it really hasn't translated to wins for his teams. I think he has the potential to surprise people and steal some games for the Rangers, but I don't think it will be enough to push them to the playoffs. EXPECT Weekes to be the starting goalie through the first half of the season, but may be replaced by Lundqvist towards the end.

PREDICTION: While not optimistic, I am not nearly as pessimistic as some of the mainstream media outlets are. I do not think the Rangers will make the playoffs this year, but I do believe they may end up in 10th or 11th place in the conference. It is hard to finish last when you have one of the best players in the world on the team.

By the trade deadline, I expect the team to move some of the veterans for more draft picks or prospects. This season we will start to get a feel for what prospects will make and what prospects will not.

So there you have it. Keep in mind that the team may look very different at some point during the season. The Rangers have been the subject of several wild trade rumors making their way around the internet. As of right now, however, this is your team.

ENJOY THE SEASON!

HDH

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