Start Singin’ the Blues…
Club: New York Rangers
Fantasy Impact Rating: Cool
Superstars: None
Big Producers: Scott Gomez, Nikolai Zherdev , Chris Drury
Mid-Level Flyers: Markus Naslund, Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden
Rookies/Prospects: Alexei Cherepanov, Lauri Korpikoski
Sleepers: Brandon Dubinsky
Avoid the Hype: None
Analysis:
With Jaromir Jagr signing in Russia this season, Martin Straka signing in Europe, Sean Avery signing in Dallas, and Brendan Shanahan not signing at all (just yet), it’s safe to say that New York’s younger talent will be called upon heavily this season to produce. From a fantasy perspective, it just may not be worth the risk.
Nikolai Zherdev joins the men in blue this season and hopes to pick up where he left off last season in Columbus. Zherdev finally showed the hockey world that he is well worth the hype that surrounded him early on by totaling 61 points last season for the Jackets. It’s taken him a few years to come into his own, and he very well could match the numbers from last season, however, consider him a 2nd option at right wing on your fantasy team until he shows us that last year wasn’t a fluke, and that he’s here to play. Scott Gomez will be to Zherdev’s left and should be front and center on the power play again this season. Gomez transitioned well from New Jersey to New York and should easily retain the 70 point performance that he put together last season. Gomez could easily be used as a number one center on any fantasy team, especially if your drafting strategy has you drafting wingers and/or tenders in the early stages.
There is significant chatter about Markus Naslund rejuvenating his career in New York this season and there are many expecting a significant increase in production. Smarter managers shouldn’t buy into this claim whatsoever. Naslund will be entering his 15th year in the National Hockey League and while he probably still has something left in the tank, claims of a 70+ point seasons seem to be a bit of a stretch. Treat Naslund as a 2nd or 3rd option at left wing to start the season and look for a 50-60 point performance this year.
Captain Clutch Chris Drury notched 25 goals and added 33 helpers in his debut season with the Rangers in 2007-2008. He’ll see time on the power play again this year, but may find himself in limited company when it comes to production type players. Drury should be centering Ryan Callahan and Nigel Dawes this season, who combined last year for 42 points between the two of them. It’s a weird situation, and the best way to approach it is to not go out with the intent to draft Chris Drury. If you’re two centers deep, and you’re comfortable with your wingers, it would then be appropriate to consider him. He’s a great player in a tough spot this season, so take note.
Michal Rozsival and newcomer Wade Redden hope to provide a reasonable dosage of points from the blue line this season. Rozsival tallied 38 points last season and was almost the only serious offensive threat the men in blue had from the point. He’ll get some help this season with veteran Wade Redden lining up at his side. Redden also tallied 38 points last year in Ottawa, but has been on a bit of a production slide since the lockout year. Both players should contribute fairly well to the Rangers’ power play, and should be considered as 2nd options at defense.
Brandon Dubinsky took off at the end of the regular season last year and should be a decent sleeper this season. Granted, he’ll be on the 3rd line to start the season, but that’s where he was playing last year when he went on his tear. Use Dubinsky as a platooning utility player until you can see some significant production from him. He may be worth packaging in a trade if he gets hot at some point this season.
If you’re hoping for rookie talent to save the Rangers, you may want to look in the direction of Alexei Cherepanov or Lauri Korpikoski Cherepanov was the Brady Quinn of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He fell to 17th overall and was scooped up by New York with the hopes that he could produce in a Rangers uniform as well as he did in Russia. The only problem is that he’s got one more year to go on his Russian contract, so unless he decides to create a stir and opt out early to join the Rangers, make him as a top priority if you’re in a keeper league. Lauri Korpikoski may have a serious shot at cracking the Rangers’ lineup this year, and could move his way up to the 2nd, possibly even the 1st line if he plays well enough. Being a left winger in a system that has mediocre talent all the way through the depth chart at left makes this a really unique situation.
Goaltending:
Situation: Rock Solid
Grade: A-
1. Henrik Lundqvist
2. Stephen Valiquette
Henrik Lundqvist may have been New York’s best defender last season. The only thing that Lundy has got goin’ against him is that the defenders in front of him are still in need of improvement. He’s a superstar goaltender that will easily disappear somewhere in the first round of your draft. With Montoya out in Phoenix, don’t expect any pressure from a backup whatsoever.
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