Well now that I am settling into the Autumn, in addition to getting my NFL fix on, I'm making sure to watch all of the Rangers' pre-season games. I figure it would be nice to share some early thoughts on the team and a few players imparticular.

The team as a whole - Fast. That's all I can think of. By all accounts, this squad has come to camp in great shape. And while we haven't seen the probable starters together yet in the two games against Ottawa, I am amazed at the speed they are able to generate. Last night's Gomez-Naslund-Zherdev line simply flew through the neutral zone a few times, and Saturday's Drury-Prucha-Dawes line was quick all over the ice. This is also true for a bunch of other players, but those lines stood out to me.

The Defense - Not overly impressed yet. Michal Rozsival and Dmitri Kalinin looked awful in their respective starts. Wade Redden had an ok game, despite getting dusted by Brad Isbister of all people. Marc Staal was decent in spite of Rozy, and Dan Girardi had some impressive plays as well. In my opinion, Thomas Pöck looked like he should get that 7th spot (if not higher up over Kalinin). As for the team's first round draftee defesemen, Bobby Sanguinetti and Michael Del Zotto . . . neither will make this team of course, but Del Zotto shows poise and skill while Sanguinetti looked, well, bad. Sangs will get some good experience in the AHL this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Del Zotto improves.

Brandon Dubinsky - He gets his own paragraph. According to all reports, he has been the best player in camp, and from what I have seen he has been the team's best player in both games. His puck control remains fantastic, he's tough to knock off the puck, he has two goals, an assist, and has hit a post. His stride is explosive as anyone on the team. I hate to jinx him like this, but I wouldn't expect a sophomore slump, and I predict we could see him log first line minutes again some time this season.

Nedved v. Anisimov v. Betts - Forget Anisimov. He has a lot to work on in what will be his second season in Hartfford. I thought he was better in last year's camp. Betts continues to do what Betts does, but it may not be enough anymore. Tom Renney has stated a desire to improve the production from the lower lines, and Blair Betts won't cut it. Which leads us to Nedved. As much as I hate to say it, he looks very good. He snapped off a goal last night, and hit a post another time. He's skating very well, and looked positionally sound. I'm curious to see where this goes.

The Power Play - Amazing that you take away two of the most prolific scorers in the game's history in Jagr and Shanny, and it looks better. I liked the cycling and the puck movement. If that Prucha-Dawes-Drury line ends up as one of the man-advantage combos, they are going to have to score some ugly goals from just above the crease. With players like Redden, Rozsival, Girardi, Mara, Staal, and even Pöck, the point should be directing much of the play, but it still seemed very forward-oriented. I think this will improve as everyone becomes more familiar with the system.

The new guys - I think Naslund is going to be fine, and seems to have a little chemistry with Gomez. Zherdev has incredible skill and wicked shot, and he played hard last night, even throwing the body around. Unfortunately, he's going to frustrate fans with his Kovalevesque fancy pants stickhandling with turnovers. Hopefully he picks up on his linemates' experience and focuses on moving forward.

I'm not sure what to make of the Voros, Orr, Fristche, Rissmiller group. Voros has gotten a long look, and hasn't been bad. Orr definitely improved his skating, but still has hands of stone. I haven't seen enough of Fristche or Rissmiller to form an opinion. Freddy Sjostrom in in danger of not making the team.

Goaltending - Eh, does it matter? Lundqvist was barely tested last night, and Valliquette is the sure backup, even if he looked not-so-good on Saturday. They'll be fine.

Overall - So far so ok. Not thrilled. I'd like to see the whole team together. I think throwing those first two lines at teams will have them spinning from the speed. Then put a Dubinsky-Callahan-Whoever line out there to pound them a little, then add a slightly higher skilled fourth line than we are used to, and you could have a dangerous club. IF the defense and Henrik hold up.

Remember, these are EARLY thoughts. More after tonight's performance against Tampa Bay.

HDH

Toby the Great and Other Stories

NHL Tickets NY Rangers Tickets New Jersey Devils Tickets

Web Hockeybird.com