Yep, that's the big story of course. According to some comments from coach Tom Renney and Jagr himself, his 2006-07 debut may not be on October 5th.
According to Jagr, the decision rests with team doctors. Renney stated that there was "some doubt" regarding when his return would happen, but also that Jagr was "way ahead of schedule".
Darius Kasparaitis doesn't seem to be 100% either, and it has shown in his play. He needs to get his conditioning up, and fast.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team headed off to Puerto Rico for their third pre-season game. I was happy to see that the group included youngsters like Nigel Dawes, Brandon Dubinsky, Marc Staal, and Al Montoya. It will be nice to see how these guys mesh with the veterans that will be dressed.
In the Journal News article, Dubinsky articulates something I have believed for a long time regarding young players playing at the NHL level versus "more minutes" at the AHL level:
"I think the sacrifice of being in the NHL would be worth it to me because it's a lot more than games. It's practices, working out, living with all these guys," said Dubinsky, an Anchorage, Alaska, native who had a goal against the Devils' Martin Brodeur in the preseason opener. "Even from that you can learn a lot."
Colin Stephenson of the Star Ledger writes about Petr Prucha and the difference just a year makes.
The Rangers' website has training camp coverage, including updated rosters.
The next wave of cuts should come soon. I'd be interested to see what happens to borderline players like Lauri Korpikoski, Greg Moore, and Jarkko Immonen. Hugh Jessiman is likely to play in Hartford this year, but at least he is showing some progress.
HDH
Posted by Jim at September 22, 2006 02:57 PMeMail this entry!
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