Happy New Year (And Can the Devils Keep This Up?)

Happy New Year to all of you Ranger fans and also to the unenlightened.  The team ended 2017 on a sour note with a shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings. How long will it take for the "should Pavelec replace Lundquist" speculation to begin?  The King made some spectacular saves, but he did let in his SGOTG (Soft Goal Of The Game) to Athanasiou in the first period. 

On a positive note, the team finished December with a record of 7-3-3, getting points in ten of 13 games.  They ares still playing .500 hockey on the road and need to improve on that.  By killing five Detroit power plays, they now have the third best penalty kill in the league and best in the East.  Also positive was the play of Vinni Lettieri who scored a goal in his NHL debut and actually got 3:07 on the power play (but why not Michael Grabner?).   Ondrej Pavelec was fabulous in his shutout win against the Capitals on national television. 

On the downside, the Chris Kreider blood clot issue is very troubling and could lead to a longterm absence.  Jesper Fast will still be missing a few games.   Lundqvist continues to let in one soft goal per game and has only won one of four shootouts.  Those points will be sorely missed in April. 

It looks like 2018 will be a wild ride.  Believe it or not, sitting one point out of first place in the Metropolitan Division as of today are the New Jersey Devils.  Everyone is waxing poetic about the speed of the team and the excellent work done building the team (yeah...winning the first overall pick in a lottery is outstanding work), but can they keep it up?

The Devils are in second with a record of 22-10-6 for 50 points.  How have they done it?  They have feasted on weaker teams while barely playing .500 versus top teams and they have played a slightly "soft" schedule.  So far, they have played teams who are in the playoffs (as of today) 17 times.  Their record is 8-7-2 and they needed to win three of those game in overtime or with a shootout.  That's eight regulation wins in 17 games.   Meanwhile, 21 games against the non-playoff teams, they are 14-3-4.   So, they have gotten 53% of the points available against the top teams and 76% against the bad teams.

The Devils have 24 games remaining against playoff teams and 20 vs. non-playoff teams. If these percentages hold, they will finish with 55 points the rest of the season.  That means that they finish with a total of 105 points, well above the 95 point threshold for making the playoffs in the East.

How does that compare to the Rangers?

The Rangers have a record of 20-13-5 for 45 points.  They have gotten comparable results with 42% of points vs. playoff teams and 71% of points vs. non-playoff teams.  The Rangers have 21 games remaining vs. playoff and 23 vs. non-playoff teams. If they remain true to form, they will finish with 51 more points out of 88 for a season total of 96....dangerously close to the 95 point "make the playoff" threshold.

The Metropolitan Division is still looking to be a dogfight.  No team in the Division can be considered out of the playoff picture with only ten points separating Washington in first place and Philadelphia in 8th place.  Scarier still is only five points separate the Rangers in the first wild card spot and Philadelphia. Carolina has played the fewest game and is one of the hottest teams in the league. The Penguins are in a mini-slump.  It doesn't take much to drop into the also-ran category.  A scarier scenario is that Florida continues it strong play and makes a move for the second wild card spot.  They currently sit with 39 points...only five behind the Islanders.

A huge issue for the Rangers is their power play.  Even with the return of Mika Zebanejad, it has not clicked going 0-15 in the last 5 games. Two of those games were shootout losses and a third was a one goal loss to Toronto.   Three timely PP goals in those games could have meant three additional points in the standings.  Three more points would have given the Rangers 48 points meaning 3rd place in the Division and a comfortable cushion of six points from being out of a playoff position.  Now, without Kreider in front of the net, it will be even tougher to score on the PP. 

Finally, can anyone determine what the heck is going on with Rich Nash?  He has been the most dominant offensive force on the team for weeks and has little to show for it.  Is he just snakebit or has he lost his ability to find the back of the net? It's very frustrating (even more so for him) and the team needs him on a hot streak more than ever.  It's like he is on a hot streak without scoring. 

Monday's high is predicted to be 19 degrees and sunny.  The Winter Classic should be a doozy and if anyone is going...dress warmly.  I will be watching on delay from Phuket, Thailand where it will be 85 degrees and gametime is 1am. Remember, the Rangers are undefeated (3-0) in outdoor regulr season games.  This will be the fifth outdoor game for the Blueshirts, the most in the league.  They lost an outdoor exhibition game to Los Angeles in 1991, a game that was played in Las Vegas. That game was played in September and the temperature was 85 degrees. 

Happy New Year to all!

Stats Pack

Here are some statistics about the New York Rangers:

Standings

• They are third in points in the Metropolitan Division (41) and 5th in the Eastern Conference.  They are also four points out of first place in the Division and nine points behind Tampa for top spot in the East. They have a game in hand on Met Division top team Washington.
• They are second in the Met with 18 ROW and 4th in the Conference. 
• They are first in goal differential (+11) in the Met Division and third in the East.
• They have the most home points (31)  and wins (14) in the East, but they have also played the most home games.  They are averaging 1.5 points per home game, just behind Tampa and Washington. 
• Their ten road points is the fewest in the East, but again, they have played the fewest road games in the Conference. They are averaging 0.8 points per road game.  Only Buffalo is averaging fewer and they are tied with Pittsburgh, Florida and Ottawa.  

Scoring

• The Rangers are 6th overall in the NHL in scoring with 111 goals, 4th in the East.   They are averaging 3.26 goals per game, good for 7th overall and 4th in the East.
• Their +15 goal differential is the best in the Metropolitan Division. 
• The team is in tenth place overall defensively allowing 2.79 goals per game.  That's good for 5th place in the East.
• The Blueshirts are fifth in the NHL in 5v5 goals with 71.  
• The Rangers have scored 45 third period goals, tied for best in the East.   The team definitely improves through games.  Scoring by period is 27-25-45. 
• Scoring against the Rangers by period is pretty evenly split at 31-30-33.  
• The Rangers lead the league in empty net goals with 10, led by Michael Grabner's six, most in the league by far. 
• The Rangers need to score first.  When they do, they win 81% of the time.  They only win one third of the games when the opposition scores first. Of the top Metropolitan Division teams, only the Islanders have allowed the opposition to score first (22 times) more than the Rangers (18 times).  

Special Teams

• They have the ninth best power play in the league at 20.9%.  That's good for 6th best in the East and it should improve with the return of Mika Zibanejad. 
• Believe it or not, the Rangers have improved to the best penalty kill in the East at 83.5%, fourth best in the NHL.  They've killed 21 of 23 penalties in December, a 91% rate. 
• While winning faceoffs at over 50% all season, that number has dropped to 49.3%. 21st in the NHL.  That's another statistic that should improve with the return of Zibanejad. 
• When it comes to drawing penalties, the Rangers are exactly in the middle of the league with 110.   Seven of the top teams in the NHL are from the West, if that means anything.  Drawing penalties doesn't correspond to wins as only three out of the best ten teams in the league are in the top ten in gaining the man advantage.  
• I would argue that the Rangers should be drawing more penalties, especially with their power play.  They are doing a good job in staying out of the box, averaging only 7:52 minutes per game in penalties, 7th fewest in the league. 
• The team (post-Tanner Glass) is also behaving with only four major penalties and one game misconduct this season.  That's close to the fewest in the league. 
• Only Arizona and New York have failed to score a shorthanded goal this season.  Four teams have six. 
• Pittsburgh is the only team that has not given up a shorthanded goal while the Rangers have allowed only one.   That's much better than the Islanders who have given up eight. 
• The Rangers have spend 2:09 with a two-man advantage and have yet to score. 

Miscellaneous 

• A lot has been made of the fact that the Rangers are adept at protecting leads.  This season they have won all 13 games they have led after two periods.   St. Louis has been the best this season with 18 wins after leading for two periods and 16 teams other than the Rangers have not blown a third period lead by losing in regulation. 
• Perhaps more significant is that the Rangers are 7th best in the league at winning a game when trailing going into the third period.  They also escape with at least a point in 35% of the games they trail going into the third period. Only the Devils have a better percentage (42%),   
• That flawless record is reminiscent of a truly amazing run for the team when they were almost guaranteed to win a game they led.  In four seasons from October 2010 to April 2015, the Rangers went into the third period with a lead 139 times.  They lost only one of those games in regulation.  That's a 99% winning percentage. They lost six of those games in overtime or a shootout, meaning that they got at least one point in 95% of those games.  Amazing. 
• That spectacular record makes it all the more depressing that in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, the Rangers went into the third period three times with the lead against Los Angeles and only came out with one win, losing the other two games in double overtime. 

Conclusions

This is a sneaky New York Ranger team.  They've recovered from an awful start to climb to the top third of the Eastern Conference.   They are as deep as any team in the league and they have withstood injuries to some top players. Their much maligned defense has solidified and this has been a comeback year for Henrik Lundqvist.  There is much to be optimistic about and the rest of the season should be quite a ride.

LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT ADD:

Columbus beat Toronto and leapfrogged back into third place in the Metropolitan Division, leaving the Rangers as the first wild card team.  Don' t look now, but it appears that the Stanley Cup hangover has hit the Pittsburgh Penguins.  They are now tied for 6th place in the Metropolitan Division with the Philadelphia Flyers who have a game in hand.  Carolina is only two points behind Pittsburgh with two games in hand.

Also, watch the first episode of "Road to the Winter Classic" on NBCS or the NHL Network if you want to see  where Rick Nash lives and how he plays with his kids or if you want to meet Kevin Shattenkirk's dogs.  Seriously, there is some decent behind the scenes action in the Ranger lockerroom and some good on-ice/bench audio.  

Pacific Overtures

The Rangers played one of their most complete games of 2017-18 on  Tuesday night versus Anaheim at Madison Square Garden.  With 41 points and 18 ROW they moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division, ahead of Columbus.  They are four points out of first place and Thursday's tilt in Newark looms large as a battle for second place.

The win against the Ducks continued one of the most remarkable streaks that the Rangers have, their dominance of the Pacific Division.  Here's what they have done.

Season	W	L	OTL	SOL	Games	Points out of Possible Points
2017-18	6	1	0	0	7	12 of 14
2016-17	11	2	1	0	14	23 of 28
2015-16	8	3	3	0	14	19 of 28
2014-15	11	2	0	1	14	23 of 28

Amazingly, since the 2014-15 season the team has gone 36-8-5 against the Pacific Division notching 77 out of a possible 98 points.    Their pace this season is even better though they have yet to play a road game against the Pacific.  Home dominance is not unusual.  In three out of the last four years the Blueshirts have won six of seven home games against that Division.  

Their road record has been pretty solid as well.  Last season they were a perfect 7-0 on the west coast, 2-3-2 the season before and 5-1-1 in 2014-15.  

And the success has carried over the their play with the Central Division.  In the last three years, the Rangers have gone 25-13-4 versus the Central. Not as good as their Pacific Division record, but pretty damned good.  This season they have gotten off to a rockier start at 1-3-1.   That means that since the 2014-15 season they have a record of 62-24-10 against the West.  That's 144 out of a possible 192 points. 

So, why the success?   Your guess is as good as mine. Is the West a weaker conference?  Arguably yes, because two of the worst teams in the league reside in Colorado and Arizona. But are they really worse than Buffalo and last season's Devils?   

I suppose the only thing that Ranger fans can wish for is continued success in the next six road Western road games.  

Okay, okay...I know it is hard to get excited about Western dominance when we think back to June of 2014 when the Rangers had the glorious opportunity to win against the West and went 1-4.   Maybe that's why the team has played so well on the West Coast.

Who IS Paul Carey?

The newest Ranger scoring machine, Paul Carey, notched two goals against Anaheim.  It was his first two goal game in in the NHL and his four goals this season quadrupled his career total.  A little noticed signing in the off season, he was expected to be depth in Hartford, but has found a home on the fourth line.  In 32 NHL games over the prior four season he scored one goal and notched one assist.  In other words, he didn't set the world on fire.  He's a graduate of Boston College (like Kreider and Hayes) who was drafted by Colorado.  He then signed as a free agent with the Capitals who let him go this off-season.  He had a breakthrough season last year in the AHL, averaging a point a game with 24 goals in 55 games.  This season, besides his knack for scoring key goals, he has been a solid defensive forward with offensive ability who has meshed with Jesper Fast and Boo Nieves and for one night at least, with David Desharnais.  At any rate, it looks like a savvy signing by Jeff Gorton.  

Speaking of obscure minor leaguers, has anyone noticed who is leading the New Jersey Devils in scoring this season with twelve goals in 33 games?  That's after scoring five goals in 66 NHL games before this season.  The mystery man is Brian Gibbons and the parallels with Paul Carey are interesting.  He was also a Boston College  graduate who has bounced around the minors.  He had cups of coffee with Columbus and Pittsburgh before landing in New Jersey as a free agent.  Oh yes, he was also a a little noticed signing by the New York Rangers in summer of 2015.  He played one season as a depth forward in Hartford before signing with New Jersey and  he spent a year in Albany, before finding success this season. 

Sometimes it takes a few years to figure it out, let's hope it is the same for Paul Carey. 

The Third Ten Games

Thirty games into the season, the Rangers just concluded their most successful ten game sequence.  The prediction here was ten or twelve points with an outside shot at 14.  They exceeded expectations and finished with 15 points.  Ranger fans should be very encouraged by the play of the team, however there are some big time "buts" if you look at their record. 

The biggest issue is that they are playing in the Metropolitan Division.  There is little doubt that, like last year, five teams from the Met will make the playoffs with only three from the Atlantic.  The  problem is that this year there are SIX quality teams in the Met Division including the Rangers.  Even with one of the best records in the league since Halloween, the team is still on the cusp of the playoff bubble.  If the season ended today the Rangers are in the playoffs .  They have the same number of points as the Penguins (35), but they get the playoff nod as they hold two games in hand.  

The second big "but" is the fact that the Rangers have played twenty games at home and only ten on the road.  That is the most lopsided total in the NHL, by far. After the Dallas game, the Rangers have 21 more games at Madison Square Garden and 31 on the road. Yikes.  They should be grateful that the January 1 Winter Classic game against Buffalo is on the schedule as a road game, but will be played in New York at Citifield.   The bottom line is that the team will need to win a lot of their road games the rest of the season.  More on that later.

The Ten Games

Although they finished 7-2-1 with 15 points, they easily could have finished with with 17.   The sequence started with a solid 3-0 shutout vs. Ottawa.  They followed that with a dominant road game in Carolina 6-1.  Game three was an overtime win 2-1 vs. Detroit.  After Chris Kreider tied the score midway through the third period,  it was Mats Zuccarello's overtime winner on a brilliant rush and feed by Brady Skjei.  They won the next game vs. Vancouver in a shootout after coming back from 2-0 deficit.  It was a seesaw game  with Jimmy Vesey the hero with the tying goal and the shootout winner.  Game five could have been one of the feel good wins of the year, but after coming back from a 3-0 deficit, the Rangers let the Panthers win the game in the last minute and gave away a badly needed point.  The 5-1 win against Carolina was deceiving, with the game a one goal nailbiter until the last few minutes.  The next game was the 4-3 win in Pittsburgh that they had no business winning. Another comeback in the next game in Washington went for naught when they let the Caps score two late third period goals.  They followed that with a dominant performance over New Jersey and followed that by a horrible effort that resulted in a shootout loss to Dallas. 

So, they dominated three games, stole one win and stole one shootout point.   They gave away at least two points in a couple games and won three close ones.  Let's look at the positives. 

They really didn't have a stinker in the entire ten game stretch, though their effort against Dallas sort of qualifies .  That's a positive.  Also on the positive side is that they did this without Mika Zibanejad for five games (and counting)  and also were without Ryan McDonagh for four games.    Boo Nieves has established himself as a solid fourth line center and the balanced scoring continues. They now have fourteen players with ten or more points, the most in the league. 

Another positive step is that Ondrej Pavelic started two of the ten games and was 1-0-1 with a GAA of 1.60 and a save percentage of .955 in the two games. If that is the real Ondrej Pavelec, the questions about the Ranger back up goalkeeping will be answered.  There has been a lot of criticism of Pavelec's 3.04 GAA and .914 save percentage....it's important to note that  in his five starts, his GAA is 2.87 and his save percentage is .922.   That compares well to Henrik Lundqvist's 2.69 GAA and .916 save percentage.  

They've also been winning with  anemic scoring from the defense.  Ranger defensemen have scored nine goals this season with five from Kevin Shattenkirk. Only four teams in the NHL have had their defense score fewer than five goals.  Believe it or not,  in thirty games the Buffalo Sabres defense has scored ONE goal.  The other teams with fewer than nine goals are Detroit (5),  Vancouver (6) and Carolina (8).  What do these teams have in common?  They are all not in the post-season.  Despite their balanced scoring, the defense needs to step up. Ryan McDonagh leads all NHL defensemen with the most assists (15) without scoring a goal. 

Conclusions

For all of their faults, the New York Rangers are one of the better teams in the NHL. Although they are tied for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division, they would be third in the Atlantic and Pacific Divisions and in fourth place in the Central Division.,  They are doing this without the benefit of a schedule heavier with games against this year's bottom feeders (Arizona, Buffalo, Edmonton and Ottawa). The team has shown a remarkable ability to come back from deficits (though their habit of allowing early goals is incredibly disturbing).  The team is deep and has withstood injuries to key players.  The bottom line is in the Metropolitan Division, every game matters. 

The Next Ten Games

The next ten games are split home and away with five of each.  They open on the road against a reeling Ottawa Senators team. They then play a tough six game stretch against playoff contenders.  Friday night features a home game against the Los Angeles Kings, currently riding an eight game winning streak.  They have a short turnaround with an afternoon game in Boston (only the third time they play back to back games this season).  They play Anaheim at home and then have a game in Newark.  That stretch ends with two home games against Toronto and Washington. They conclude 2017 in Detroit before coming back to New York for a "road" game against Buffalo on New Years Day.  The last game in the ten game sequence is a home game against Chicago.  Thanks to the holidays they play the ten games in 22 days, a manageable schedule. 

Let's be optimistic and predict fourteen points out of twenty.   There's no reason to believe that the team is headed for any kind of collapse and they have shown an uncanny knack to contend for points in games that seem lost.  The Dallas game is a perfect example.  The Rangers were outshot 33-10 over the first two periods. Dallas had 90 shot attempts in the game to the Rangers' 45.   According to the Corsica stat website, the expected goal total for the Stars was 4.31.  They scored once.  The Rangers keep this up, they will keep winning games even when they play badly.  And when they play like they should, then you can look at the Devils game where everything worked and they handled this year's miracle team handily.

No matter what, it is going to be a wild ride.  Let's see what the Blueshirts have up their sleeves. 

Home vs. Road

I've made a lot of noise about the home vs. road schedule.  The great news is that the Rangers are finally winning at home.  Don't forget that last season the Blueshirts were only one game over .500 at home (21-16-4).   They balanced that out with the league's best road record (27-10-2).  Since 2013-14 the Ranger have had one of the best road records in the NHL.  This season they are 4-6, they haven't been under .500 on the road in a full season since 2008-09.  

So, what do they need to do?  Last season it was 95 points needed to make the playoffs.  Due to the competition in the Met Division, let's say that the threshold is 100 point.  Here goes.

The Rangers have 35 points in 30 games.  Therefore, they need 65 points in the remaining 52 games.  Their point percentage so far this season is 58% (35 of 60) and they need to increase that to 61% (100/164).    Here's where the home/road record gets important.  This season the team has notched 70% of the available home points, but only 40% of the road points.   Lets say that they continue that pace of play at home.  They will finish with 31 more home points for a total of 59 points.  That means that they will need 41 total road points to get to 100. With eight road points so far, that means they will need 33 points in the remaining 32 road games.  That's a 52% point percentage, certainly do-able. 

Okay, is your head spinning?  Mine is.  To put it simply, if the Rangers can maintain pace of winning games at home, they need to be slightly over .500  on the road to get to the magic number.  They've done it in the past and they can do it again.   But they need to take care of business at home which they did not do versus Dallas.  The upcoming home games against Los Angeles, Anaheim, Toronto and Washington will tell us an awful lot about this New York Rangers team. 

Some Ranger News

As the Rangers gear up for their first December game after a very successful November, the team is making some news.

Mika Concussion

Yes, Mika Zibanejad has a concussion.  He apparently sustained it in the third period of the Detroit game on a hit by Darren Helm.  He was cleared to continue to play, but apparently had some delayed effects that resulted in his scratch from the Panthers game on Sunday although he skated in warmups.  The scary part is that there is no way of knowing when Mika will be ready to play again.  The good news is that this is his first concussion (as far as we know).  Although David Desharnais stepped up with three assists replacing him on the first line, his loss was felt on the power play and if this continues long term, the team will be hard pressed to replace his team-leading 22 points. Stay tuned. 

McDonagh Back?

On a good note, Ryan McDonagh will reportedly be back in action tonight after missing four games with an abdominal strain.  If he isn't 100% at game time, I would hope that they sit him out since they don't play again until Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.   

A Trade

The Rangers made a trade yesterday, sending recently acquired Adam Cracknell to the Montreal Canadiens for Peter Holland, a center who can play both wings.  Cracknell was a waiver claim from Dallas and didn't pan out.  The 32 year old played  four games with no points.  He was sent to Hartford where he had two goals in 15 games.  Good riddance. 

Peter Holland has a much better upside. First, he is 26 years old and has had some success in the NHL.  As mentioned, he can play all three forward positions, but is a natural center.   A former first round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, he has bounced around quite a bit.  He's big at 6'2", 205 lbs.   A washout in Anaheim, he has seen his value decline.   In 2013 he was dealt to Toronto where he played parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs.  Always a minus player on a bad team, he had point totals of 25 and 27, scoring as many as 11 goals in 2015 as a fourth line center.  He was traded to Arizona where he had 5 goals in 40 games.  He was signed as a free agent by Montreal and has played the entire season in the AHL where he is averaging about a point a game.  His cap hit is the same as Cracknell's.   Here is what one website had to say about Holland when he was signed by Montreal:

"He’s got decent puck skills, and at least at the AHL level has shown good scoring ability, even if it hasn’t fully translated to the NHL level. He’s not likely going to be a gamebreaker for the Habs’ fourth line, but can chip in the odd goal which is a bonus for a line taking primarily defensive minutes."

Thanksgiving for November

The Rangers had a very successful month of November, going 9-3.   While the 18 points was not as good as the 21 points the team notched last season,   The Rangers has been very good in November since the lockout:

2017-18     9-3-0

2016-17     9-4-1

2015-16    10-4-0

2014-15     6-4-4

2013-14     9-6-0

The big difference is the number of games played with the 12 games this November the fewest in the last five years.  They also played the highest percentage (58%) of November games at home compared to the last five seasons.  Let's not get into the lost point on  Tuesday night, except to say that Brendan Smith and Nick Holden both has glorious opportunities to clear the defensive zone before the winning goal was scored.  Ugh.

The Rangers continue to be an offensive powerhouse while a bit on the porous side defensively. Their 3.24 goals per game is good for 7th in the NHL.  Their power play is 10th in the league at 21.4%.  They've moved into plus territory at +5 and their 81 goals are the sixth most scored by any team.  Their winning faceoff percentage is still north of 50%.  

Their depth continues to be their strength with 12 players at ten points or more and eight players with five goals or more.  Only the Toronto Maple Leafs have more players with ten points or more (13).  The Rangers have the most five goal scorers along with the Islanders and Vegas.  Imagine, best in the league in that category and second best in the number of ten point scorers.  

The good news is that the team is in a decent position when losing someone like Zibanejad.  Compare that to Washington where Alexander Ovetchkin has scored 24% of the team's 74 goals.  If Ovetchkin gets hurt, the Capitals are dead.  

Okay, before I get accused of being too optimistic about the Blueshirts, let's look at the defense. Only nine teams have allowed more goals than New York and their GAA is tied for 11th worst.  The penalty kill is firmly embedded in the middle of the league at 15th place (80.5%).  

The other warning sign is the schedule.  The Rangers have had a very generous schedule that has allowed Henrik Lundqvist to start 13 games in a row with at least two more to come.  When the schedule gets tighter we will be seeing more of Ondrej Pavlec and the jury is out on him.  So far, he hasn't been very impressive with a 1-4 record, 3.56 GAA and .889 save percentage.  Those are ugly numbers.  He hasn't been very lucky when relieving Lundqvist as two of his four losses came when the Rangers scored enough to erase the early deficit, but ultimately lost on goals allowed by Pavelec.  The latest was Tuesday night against the Panthers.  

While the Rangers 25 games played ranks in the middle of the NHL, no team is even close to the 17 games that the Blueshirts have played at MSG.  The Rangers will need to be the same successful road team.  After tonight, the Rangers will have only 42% of their remaining games at home.  That could be big trouble. 

Finally

Yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks announced that Derek Dorsett has to retire due to a chronic spinal issue.  It's ironic that he was off to the best start of his career with seven goals in 20 games.  Dorsett came to the Rangers in the Marian Gaborik trade with Columbus, along with Derick Brassard and John Moore.  This trade was is believed to be the first that involved two players with the same first name spelled differently.  Dorsett played one full season in New York as a fourth line player on the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2014.   While his scoring was not substantial (4-4-8), he did play a physical game and was the last Ranger to total more than 100 penalty minutes in a season (128).   

He was traded to Vancouver after that season for a third round pick (Keegan Iverson...who?) in what was a salary cap move that didn't and still doesn't make much sense. To replace him, the Rangers signed Tanner Glass (at a savings of $200k).  And THAT made even less sense.  In the two full years of Glassdom...Tanner was outscored by Dorsett 12 goals to five and 41 points to 13.  Glass also had 164 penalty minutes in two years while Dorsett had 362 penalty minutes. 

At any rate, he was an important cog on the fourth line along with Dominic Moore and Brian Boyle.  And now he has to retire prematurely.   So long Derek....