Category: 2019-20 Rangers

2019-20 Rangers, Pavel Buchnevich

Pavel Buchnevich traded to St. Louis

Posted on by Adam Rotter

6 PM: Elliotte Friedman said on the NHL Network that this was a trade about the “bigger picture” for the Rangers and them looking at their desire to add grit and their salary cap as it relates to new deals for Shesterkin, Fox, Zibanejad and the players coming off entry-level.

3:50 PM: The Rangers have traded Pavel Buchnevich to St. Louis for LW Sammy Blais and a 2022 Second Round pick.

Blais, 25, is 6-2, 205 and had 8 goals, 7 assists, and 103 hits last season in 36 games for St Louis.

In his career, he has 17 goals, 18 assists with 366 hits, and an average of 11:31 per game in 119 games.

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2019-20 Rangers

How the Rangers are finishing in NHL Awards

Posted on by Adam Rotter

All-Star Teams

Adam Fox finished 3rd for the All-Rookie team for defense, with 3 points.

Mika Zibanejad finished tied for 6th with one Third place vote at RW.

Tony DeAngelo finished in 13th for defense.

Norris Trophy

Tony DeAngelo finished tied for 12th, with one fourth place vote and two fifth place votes.

Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award

Jeff Gorton finished in 8th place with two Third Place votes.

Lady Byng Trophy:

Mika Zibanejad finished 8th in the Lady Byng voting, netting 5 First Place votes, 4 Second Place votes, 10 Third Place votes, 7 Fourth Place votes and 7 Fifth Place votes.

Artemi Panarin finished 16th, netting 2 First Place Votes, 0 Second Place votes, 2 Third Place votes, 1 Fourth Place vote and 4 Fifth Place vote.s

Selke Trophy:

Artemi Panarin finished tied for 16th in the Selke Trophy voting, netting a 1st Place Vote and two 5th Place Votes.

Mika Zibanejad tied for 30th place with two 5th Place Votes.

Jack Adams Award:

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy has won the Jack Adams Award for 2019-20, edging out former Ranger coaches Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella.

David Quinn finished tied for 12th in the voting with Dallas’ Rick Bowness. (NHL Media)

Quinn received one Second Place Vote and two Third Place votes. (NHL Media)

2019-20 Rangers, 2020 Return To Play

What Mika Zibanejad and others have said following the end of the Rangers season

Posted on by Adam Rotter

Mika Zibanejad and some of his teammates have posted messages on social media following last Wednesday’s elimination by Carolina.

 

2019-20 Rangers

What David Quinn said after the loss in Game 1

Posted on by Adam Rotter

David Quinn met with the media on MSG and said:

  • On the offense being stubborn, “I thought as the game went on with got better with that mentality but I thought, really for the first 30 minutes we were slow and didn’t think we really played at a pace. They set the pace and tempo and it look to long for us to respond. The game got better for us as it went on. We just gotta to find a way to get more inside, we were too perimeter. We gotta fight our way, being tough isn’t running people, isn’t hitting people, it’s getting to the net, getting inside people and too often we were on the perimeter today. I liked our will, we battled. It just wasn’t enough.
  • On Igor being unfit to play, “We are not sure he will be ready for game two. I thought Hank had a good night.”
  • When did you know Igor wouldn’t play, “last night.”
  • On the first period today, “I thought we played a team that was pissed off because we beat them four times during the year. Obviously, the first shift or second shift we lose one of our best players, they get a goal because of it and Williams gets in a fight with Stromer. I liked how we responded, we certainly weren’t knocked off our game but when you play a team that you have had success against they are going to come out with more hunger and piss and vinegar and they certainly did. I liked the fact that we kind of rope-a-doped in the first and are only down 1-0 and gave ourselves a chance. They got the PP goal, we come back and make it 2-1 and it’s a hockey game. Some things we can take out of tonight but we’ve gotta be better and we will address the things we’ve gotta be better with starting tomorrow.”
  • On Kakko and Chytil moving up, “For sure, we’ve all touched on how good both of those guys have looked. I thought Gauthier had a good night too, thought he looked good. Those guys earned their ice time and opportunity but we need everybody, we can’t just have 10-12 guys being on their game, we need everybody being on their game. Good to see those guys in their first playoff game play the way they did.”
  • On the PP, “we were just too slow. I’m not gonna sit here and talk to you about some seam pass we could have made or one guy should have gone here or there, we were just too slow. Their PK is aggressive, we know that and done well against it. We just weren’t ready tonight to play at a pace, we  got into PP mode instead of hockey mode.”
  • On not having any drama in camp and then having some , “Without question. There is no doubt that when you give up a goal a minute-five into the period and you lose Quickie, that it has an emotional impact on your team.  They get the goal because he doesn’t have his wits about him, Slavin goes backdoor, a play Quickie usually makes. He’s just not mentally ready to make it and he’s hurt and they get the first goal. Not only did we lose our best player but a goal was scored because of it. Our special teams, our PK was pretty- but we gotta do a better job clearing pucks on our PK. It’s a big reason why we spend so much time in our own zone, it’s not the structure it’s the fact that we aren’t clearing pucks hard enough and our PP has to be quicker. When you get off to that start and you lose to a team four times, you are going to be pissed off and I think everybody is pissed off when a series starts but they heightened theirs.”
2019-20 Rangers, 2020 Return To Play

What John Davidson said about Henrik Lundqvist, returning to play, David Quinn and more

Posted on by Adam Rotter

Rangers President John Davidson was a guest on The Micheal Kay Show on Wednesday and said:

  • On if he’s been in touch to the players, “I talk to some players, for example, Strome and his wife just had a little one, had a great conversation with him about that. Talked to Hank the other day in Sweden, David Quinn, our head coach, has been trying to get back on the ice for a month and a half now, he’s talking to guys all the time and they are all over the world. Not just the players, but the training staff, scouting staff, coaches and I try to stay in touch with as many as I can. We’ve had a multitude of Zoom calls with our scouting staff on the pro and amateur side to try to interview kids, young people who are going to be drafted, to try and get a feel for them, that has been very good to do. Our management staff, we’ve had Zoom calls with some management from other sports, just to go through different things and try to get better as an organization. There is a lot of us trying to take advantage of the situation we’ve been afforded because of this situation and do things that can make you better, we’ve all been doing that.”
  • On who will start in goal in the playoffs, “That is the coaches decision, they will make that when we get to it. In talking to Hank the other day, I know he has started skating, Sweden has been more open than most countries, he is planning to get ready. Shesterkin and Georgiev both of them, I know how hard they train and what they do. This is going to be a unique situation, our training center will open in the near future, it’s going to be very strict and in turn, if we open around July 1 for training camp, I want all three guys to be ready. It might not even matter who starts, even though the first round will be shortened to five games to get into the playoffs, you just don’t know who is going to get through camp, who is going to pull a groin muscle. Something could happen somewhere along the line so I want three guys ready and the coaches to make that decision as to who starts.”
  • On what he has learned about Hank and his commitment for the Rangers, “No question, I envision the day, whenever it comes, that he rides into the sunset that he stays and works in NY with the Rangers, that would be a great thing to see. I remember, when I look back at the Rangers and doing TV, the first day that Hank showed up in training camp, I think he was 23 at the time. I leaned against the glass, where the media still to this day watch practice, and go ‘that is a goalie, that guy is ready’ and sure enough he has gone on with his career. It’s hard, guys like myself have gone through this, I had to retire because of injury, I’ve seen Marty Brodeur, a lot of guys, the time comes eventually and I’m not saying the time is now for Hank, but somewhere when you get into your late-30s that decision has to be made. I look at him work every day, it’s A-Plus, first class and he has handled himself very well. I will say this, that the communication with Hank, Benoit Allaire, David Quinn, myself and Jeff Gorton has been very very good. We all have a certain amount of respect that he has earned and we will see where it all goes. We are also in a position, we have to be very forward and honest, we are trying to build a team that will move on and be a championship team, that is the goal, we are working our way through this thing. I have an immense amount of respect for Hank, he has been extremely professional with everything we have done to this point.”
  • On how long it will take for players to get ready, “I think it’s at least 2-3 weeks. You can’t just go in there, gung-ho, and go hard, to get guys ready to play a game. I think it’s important to understand that soft-tissue injuries are going to be very important, groin injuries, pulled muscles, that is something you have to be very aware of so you have to ease yourself in. I think there might be a couple of exhibition games before the play-in tournament starts. Our guys have been doing yoga, virtual classes, having slide boards sent over to wherever they are living in the world, they are working and doing their programs. Various guys have ways to get into gyms, other guys can’t because their country won’t allow it, some have that built into their own garages. It’s all different everywhere you go but our training staff has been very good and in communication all the time so they have a running tab of who is doing what. Our guys are committed about returning to play.”
  • On if the Rangers can make an impact when things start up, “I think that is why our guys are so excited. During the year, for the first 30 games or so, we were a porous hockey club, giving up a lot. After the game against Edmonton where we gave up but came back, we went into Calgary and lost by a goal and then I think everybody said that it was enough and that we had to start keeping the puck out of the net otherwise we have no shot. We go into Vancouver and we lost 2-1 but we were by far the better team and everyone sensed that this is how we need to play. We can score, lets keep the puck out of the net. That combined with surprises and Lindgren comes in, Fox comes in, Panarin was great, Zibanejad kept getting better, Strome had a good season, younger guys, veteran guys, it all seemed to fit. Our guys feel real good about this, there is something special about this group and if we can recapture and get everyone up to speed the way they were at the time of the pause, I like our chances playing against anybody. There is something about the presence of understanding that we are a good club and that you battle for each other, we may not have the depth some organizations have yet, we are working on it, but I think we are going to go in and play our tails off.”
  • On how free agency and the offseason will work, “It’s not been settled, they are working with the players to find a formula that will work. Escrow, it’s a 50/50 business for the players and owners and if you lose a bunch of money it’s 50/50, owners lose, players lose and looking into next year there is the possibility of a huge escrow loss and that isn’t good for anybody. The league is working with the players to try and formulate something that will take the burden off this group of players, it’s not their fault there is a pandemic. Are they supposed to pay the escrow all at one shot just because they were the guys that played at the time of the pandemic? I think the league and players realize this and they are working on trying to formulate something that can work long-term and make everybody want to go back to work with a smile on their face. Hopefully that is the type of thing …there are a lot of details to be ironed out, there is free agency, contracts with players and scouts and coaches, everything from A-Z. They will probably slide it into later and give us some critical dates we can do our business with.”
  • On where the games might be played, “The one thing I do know is, three cities in Canada have offered their services and the Canadian law at the border won’t let anyone do anything – if you go into Canada you have to be quarantined for two weeks. If that doesn’t change we won’t be going to Canada and then we are down to seven cities. If that changes then I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the cities is in Canada and one of the cities is in the US. The one thing, the Canadian dollar is about 35% cheaper than the American dollar, so if you went up there and spent the money that it takes to make it work, that would be a big break, 35%, that would be interesting. If Canada won’t change or make an exception it will be two of the seven cities in the US.
  • On inheriting David Quinn and if he likes him, “I love the guy, I really do. Times change, coaches that are older have to evolve, I saw that with John Tortorella in Columbus. Everyone thought his career was done but he’s changed and moved along, he’s still Torts, but he understands the players. With David Quinn he has a little bit of everything, a great deal of passion, very good with young players, very good with older players. There is a special quality with that man that is neat. He has to retire early as a player because of Christams disease and just watching him work, I watched him with the Rangers when I was not with the Rangers and he pushes, pushes the right way, players respect him, there is a lot to like here. I don’t think he’s going to be a short-term coach, I think he has long-term passion which is really good.”
2019-20 Rangers, David Quinn

What David Quinn said on the radio today

Posted on by Adam Rotter

Rangers coach David Quinn was a guest on Hockey Central at Noon today and said (Sportsnet):

  • On how he’s doing right now, “we are doing well, it’s been a tough time for everybody worldwide, not just the people in New York but New York has been hit the hardest. We were in Colorado when this all happened and supposed to fly to Arizona the next day but we got re-routed to New York, landed in Westchester and I’ve been holed up in Westchester ever since we landed, on I think the 12th of March.”
  • He’s only been back into Manhattan once, to swing by his apartment to pick up things before going back to Westchester.
  • (They go through his career from player to coach)
  • On Mika Zibanejad’s 5-goal game, “It was so electric in the building that night. Regardless of what was going to happen, what went on the last 6-7 weeks for us was so important to our development as an organization and where we want to get to. Mika Zibanejad, I was telling everybody when I took this job a year ago, I don’t know if people realize how good this guy is. We are so fortunate that our two star players, and we have a lot of good ones, but two guys that have obviously separated themselves, Mika Zibanejad and obviously Artemi Panarin, what makes it all so exciting is the type of people they are. One thing I remember about that night, not only did he score five goals, but in a game of that impact, with that atmosphere, against the Washington Capitals, with our season on the line every night when you are in that playoff push, he scores a goal every which-way possible. He scores with a minute and a half to go to make it 5-4 and the roof almost blows off the building and then Ovechkin ties it and 30 seconds into OT Panarin makes an unbelievable pass to Mika and he gets the fifth. I wasn’t there, but it’s amazing to listen to the people that have been around the Rangers for awhile, they hadn’t heard the building that loud since, I think 2015, when in Game 7 they beat Washington to go the Eastern Conference Finals. Stepan scored the OT winner at the Garden. Whether it was Marc Staal or Hank, they had never heard the building that loud since that night.”
  • Brian Burke interrupts with a pet peeve about why Zibanejad was on the ice when Washington’s net was empty, (laughing) “I should have called a freakin time out, is what I should have done. Well he’s a good defensive player too, so I got to put him out there….he’s a hell of a player, but the night, the magnitude, the five-goals, it wasn’t a 7-2 win, this guy scores five goals against the Capitals in a game of that magnitude, it was just an incredible night and so happy for him and obviously a huge two points that night.”

Brian Burke said of the Rangers “I think they are way ahead of schedule. The letter shocked everyone for its frankness. When the GM says to their most important customers that it might be a tough couple of years, folks, but we are going to do it right and right now. They are back in the thick of things 18-months later, it’s pretty impressive. Made some good moves in the offseason, they have done a lot of good things right. Jeff Gorton is a real quiet leader, he doesn’t do a lot of interviews, doesn’t want a lot of praise, he just likes to win. Hired a coach that raised some eyebrows, not that David Quinn isn’t a quality coach, everyone knows that, but not a lot of experience as an NHL head coach, so that raised eyebrows but he’s been patient, taught these guys, they re-signed Kreider. Done a lot of things right.”

Burke said of Artemi Panarin as an MVP candidate, “he’s in the conversation but I don’t think he can win it, there have been too many better performances. That is the problem when you are a winger, usually those awards go, or often go, to centers because they get more points or defensemen because it’s acknowledged that it’s a harder position to play. Wing is the easiest position to play and just racking up goals often isn’t enough to get a major award like that. You look at what they have done, it’s a series of things. The goaltending has emerged, the Trouba trade was a good trade for them, an upgrade. Pionk is a good player, a different kind of player. The Panarin signing, they have done…DeAngelo has really emerged as a a player, they have done a lot of incremental steps that have resulted in them being back in the hunt.”