-There will be far fewer posts today, probably just covering big trades and the Rangers picks. Round 2 should be starting any minute now.

-Sheesh, if I knew it started at 10 instead of 9:30, I would have gotten an extra 30 minutes of sleep.

-Rangers Select Derek Stepan in round 2

-”Derek is a very good skater who accelerates quickly, pulling away from his opponent. He is quick on the forecheck and he possesses a surprising reach. He has very good hands with a quick-release shot and excellent passing. He is a smart player who will continue to improve.”

- Patterns his game after Dallas Stars’ Mike Modano – “I like the way he makes things happen and is just a natural goal scorer”.

- His nickname is “Dstep” and if he wasn’t playing hockey he would be a tap dancer.

- Yeah, look at the thing I just wrote…It is legit…Oh Jesus…

-Atlanta took Paquette in the 3rd. Great pick for them

-Isles took David Toews in the 3rd, superb pick for them.

-Jyri Niemi taken by the Isles, man, they are having a great 2nd and 3rd round.

-And now the isles also took Petrov, wow, awesome draft for the isles here not counting the first round.

-Evgeny Grachev taken by the Rangers in round 3

-”Evgeny is a power forward with a good physical presence and ability to come up with the puck in traffic areas. He displays strong puck skills and the ability to make plays all over the ice, but needs to improve his acceleration and overall speed.”

-Grachev is a very good pick, this one I like….finally.

-Rangers traded up to #90 and took Tomas Kundratek

-”The 6-1, 180 pounder was a member of the Czech Republic’s world under-18 squad in 2007, and followed that up with an appearance for his country at the 2008 WJC in his home land. He produced one goal, two penalty minutes and a minus-1 rating in the tournament… has already appeared in 36 games in the Czech Republic Extraliga, and could be a full-time member of HC Trinec in 2008-09… has some offensive potential, sound instincts for the defense position and is also right-handed–an added bonus… ”

-Seems like a good pick.

-Carolina just drafted Michael Jordan, first basketball, then baseball, now hockey?

-Dale Weise a Ranger, taken in the 4th round, we traded up to grab him…

- The Predators swung their third trade of the day sending the 111th pick to the NY Rangers for the 201st pick and the Rangers’ fourth round pick next year. So apparently thats how we got Weise. Not sure how we got Kundratek.

-5th Round pick about to happen for the Rangers…

-Apparently Rangers dealt Bourret for the #90 pick, if so, just a disgusting move for the Rangers. You don’t give up on the kid so quickly. Give him at least 1 more season before you give up on him and move him for a 3rd rounder.

-Rangers take Chris Doyle in the 5th, a point a game player in the Q.

-”In his second QMJHL campaign, he placed second on the Rocket with 63 points in 63 games. He also finished second with 27 goals… participated in the 2008 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Edmonton… the 6-0, 193 pounder was rated 130th among North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings… has two-way potential but must play with greater consistency–both with and without the puck–in order to maximize his value as an NHL prospect… needs to add bulk so as to become a better pro…”

-Rangers made their 6th round pick, but not sure who they took just yet since the board is currently empty…

-Mitch Gaulton: 6′ 210lb D-man

-Barring a trade, that should be it. Im done, and very tired, only 4 hours of sleep last night, me thinks its time for a Saturday afternoon nap.

Rangers Review | Comments Off

Everyone, myself included, believes you generally go with Best Player Available in a draft. You don’t draft for need, you draft whoever is the best player left on the board. So with all that said I am going to sound very hypocritical when I say I don’t particularly care for the pick of Michael Del Zotto from Oshawa. Why? Because we already have a better version of Michael Del Zotto from Oshawa, his name is Bobby Sanguinetti, from Brampton, soon to be Hartford, and shortly thereafter in New York playing along side Marc Staal.

While I havent seen Michael play, I have done some reading and looked at a few videos on youtube and looked at some stats, and heres what I have come up with…WE ALREADY HAVE A BETTER VERSION OF THIS KID IN OUR SYSTEM!! Bobby plays a better defensive game from all accounts (though certainly no Lidstrom, hes at least adequate in his own zone which Michael is not…yet), Bobby is a bigger goal scoring threat, and really, Bobby played on teams where he was the primary offensive attacking option on many nights. He was close to the top in terms of point production, ranking 3rd on his team where no player broke 100 points, Del Zotto was 5th on the Oshawa Generals team that featured 2 100+ point players, one of whom being 1 John Tavares, breaker of Wayne Gretzkys records. Looking at Del Zottos stats, you see that a lot of his numbers are from assists, not goals. Thats ok, most defenseman, and NHL players in general work out that way, but when you have a 1 man offensive blitzkrieg like John Tavares on your team, and you see 47 assists, you wonder how many of those are simply Michael passing the puck to Tavares, and Tavares going in and scoring all by his lonesome, and Michael picking up a point. All I am saying is, when I look at Del Zottos stats, and I look at Sanguinettis stats, Sanguinettis stands out more because he was looked at to be “the man”, Del Zotto didn’t have the same pressures if you ask me.

Secondly, the Rangers have a clear area of concern throughout the organization, THEY DO NOT HAVE A BRUISER! Del Zotto appears to be willing and able to make hits, but he isnt a Teubert, or Petrecki, or Orpik kind of a player who will murder players, THAT is what we needed. Maybe Del Zotto might have been the best player available, and maybe I have no right whatsoever bitching about the pick, but I see John Carlson on the board, and I read what I have read about the kid, and I have to ask myself, why the Rangers passed on a kid with so many tools, and who is capable of being that bruiser with some offensive upside?

This pick just does not make any sense to me. Who knows, maybe Del Zotto will combine with Sanguinetti to form a lethal power play pairing the likes we havent seen since Zubov and Leetch lit up broadway 14 years ago. Maybe Staal, Sanguinetti, Del Zotto, and Michael Sauer will be one of the most feared bluelines in the NHL in 4 or 5 years because of how versatile, and complete they are as a tandem. All I know is, if it were me, Del Zotto would not be the player I would have taken. I just think we could have done better organizationally. Maybe not better in terms of talent, but better for the organization.

For a guy who has been looking forward to this day for months now, I find myself quite disappointed.

Rangers Review | Comments Off