NHL 18 Franchise Mode :Expansion Edition

Jadenb · Dec 18, 2017

My new Seattle Sasquatch team won the cup in year 4, lines as such:

1st Line {E.Kane (83) K.Turris (86) R.Hoffman (92)}

2nd Line {A.Burakovsky (83) O.Lindberg(81) J.Silfverberg(82)}

3rd Line {S.Milano (82) R.White (76) C.Jarnkrok (79)}

4th Line {L.Bouma (76) C.Soderberg (75) A.Copp (78)}

1st Pairing {J.Brodin (85) J.Schultz (84)}

2nd Pairing {D. Pouliot (82) B.Coburn (81)}

3rd Pairing {J.Edmundson (80) T.Liljegren (78 “C”)}

Goalies {J.Korpisalo (87) J.Bernier (78)}

Only lost 5 games the entire playoffs and won both the Clarence S. Campbell bowl and Stanley Cup in OT at our home arena! Cody Glass was injured with a concussion halfway through the playoffs, he would be in White’s spot and White in Soderberg’s spot. R. Hoffman (A.K.A Russ Hoffman) is a franchise right wing sniper I drafted in year 3. It was a deep draft, really been enjoying this expansion run over my previous Houston Comets franchise which I kept signing players way past their prime to fill in depth roles until my young guns developed, needless to say I was fired in year 3 with no appearance in the playoffs.

Con. Quarters (SEA 4)(EDM 1)

Con. Semis (SEA 4)(ANA 1)

Con. Finals (SEA 4)(DAL 1)

Cup Finals (SEA 4)(NYI 2)

Jadenb · Dec 23, 2017

Year 5 turns out to be bittersweet for the ‘Squatch. 91 PTS not enough for that final wild card spot. (CHI 95 PTS) Ended up going for Mikko Rantanen to play with Hoffman down the road. Didn’t hurt my 1st team (Traded a MED Elite RW) Basically he wouldn’t ever have gotten 1st line time with Russ Hoffman who is now a 95. I’m losing Silfverberg and Kane to free agency because they aren’t interested in extensions. I revamped the defence core with a young, undrafted LOW Elite D-man Theodore Furchner. Signed Dumba and Traded for Cam Fowler. I also have two defensive prospects one being LOW Top 4 and likely will be in the top 6 this year and a MED Elite Russian. Should be a better year, in free agency, our main focus is going to be replacing Silfverberg on that second line and maybe going out for a top line centre. Auston Matthews might be available but he will be tendered. Jack Eichel was signed as a restricted free agent by Nashville the precedent year, overall I haven’t needed to trade players to divisional rivals just yet which is very beneficial long term.

kinger8998 · Dec 24, 2017

New York Rangers Expansion Mode

2017-2018 NHL Season

Preseason

BREAKING NEWS: Newly appointed GM Brant King makes first move, convincing Joel Lundqvist to join team on 1-year deal.
Sept. 16th, 2017
Joel Lundqvist, who just won the World Championships with his brother Henrik, now comes over and joins the Rangers in a surprise deal. The former 3rd round pick has been in the Swedish League for about a decade. He likely fits in as the Rangers 4th line pivot.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Years/AAV
Joel Lundqvist 77 35 N/A C 1/0.650M
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In nets the Rangers are set until their franchise cornerstone Henrik Lundqvist hits a steep decline or retires. The backup position is a battle between the newly signed Ondrej Pavelec and newer signed Marec Mazanec, but you'd have to assume that "Pavs has the inside track with his $1.300M salary.

On defense from the outside looking in, there are 4 locks. Ryan McDonagh, Brady Skjei, Kevin Shattenkirk and Brendan Smith. Other than those 4, veteran Marc Staal, Nick Holden, journeyman Steven Kampfer, offseason addition Tony DeAngelo, trade acquisition Ryan Sproul and prospect Ryan Graves. The Rangers really want DeAngelo to make the jump as he was a key piece in the Stepan deal, but they won't force it. If one of the 3 younger D (DeA, Spoul, Graves) make the team, there would most likely be a trade involving Nick Holden. Marc Staal, who has an albatross contract, is the closest thing to a lock out of those other 6 just because of his contract.

Let's make this easy:

Locks - Rick Nash, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, Michael Grabner, J.T Miller, Kevin Hayes, Jesper Fast, Jimmy Vesey.

Competing for 11th/12th/13th F - David Desharnais, Joel Lundqvist, Paul Carey, Boo Nieves, Peter Holland, Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Vinni Lettieri.

Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson may put up a fight, but the belief is that the Rangers want them to play big minutes in Hartford. Vinni Lettieri is up because of his speed, but the rest of his game needs polishing so he's as good as the first cut. That leaves 5 forwards for 3 spots. Joel Lundqvist probably wouldn't have signed without a guaranteed roster spot and playing time so he should be considered a shoo-in. David Desharnais and Peter Holland are both adequate depth forwards and could easily play a 4th line role, but one must wonder if the more tw0-way player in Paul Carey. Boo Nieves is a wildcard as he's young but fast and polished and with a good showing he could surprise. Lot's of competition here.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Holland 76 | Chytil 75 | Buchnevich 82
Nieves 76 | Desharnais 77 | Fast 79
Lettieri 74 | Andersson 75 | Hayes 82
Vesey 79 | Lundqvist 77 | Carey 77
Kreider 84

Holden 81 | Sproul 77
Staal 80 | DeAngelo 77
Graves 75 | Kampfer 75
Smith 82

Pavelec 79
Mazanec 76

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1 (PHI)	2-1 NYR	Hayes (1), Buchnevich (1)	Pavelec (.965 SV%) (1.00 GAA)	Disappointing that the only 2 players to score were locks.
2 (PIT)	4-3 NYR (SO)	Chytil (1), Andersson (1,2)	Pavelec (.912 SV%) (2.77 GAA)	Nevermind disappointing...2017 1st rounders show up big in 2nd game!

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BREAKING NEWS: Rangers make first cuts, Boo Nieves and Ryan Graves among others fall victim.
Sept. 21st, 2017
Vinni Lettieri was also cut. Michael Grabner was recalled as roster begins to take shape.

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
3 (NYI)	6-3 NYR	Grabner (1,2), Chytil (2,3), Hayes (2), Buchnevich (2)	Mazanec (.930 SV%) (3.00 GAA)	Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil both with 3 points again... making a real case here
4 (CBJ)	2-1 CBJ	Andersson (3)	Mazanec (.905 SV%) (2.03 GAA)	Andersson again!

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BREAKING NEWS: Ryan Sproul and Peter Holland are only cuts after Game 4.
Sept. 24th, 2017
J.T Miller and Kevin Shattenkirk were both brought back up to the NHL roster.

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
5 (WSH)	6-3 NYR	Kreider (1), Staal (1), DeAngelo (1,2), Miller (1,2)	Pavelec (.880 SV%) (3.oo GAA)	Chtyil with 3 assists, Andersson with 2.

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BREAKING NEWS: Paul Carey cut from roster, Jimmy Vesey eerily close to same fate.
Sept. 27th, 2017
Jimmy Vesey has been given his warning. With Andersson and Chytil playing so well, the youngster had a meeting with coaches about his play, and how it needs to be picked up or else he'll lose his roster spot.

Ryan McDonagh, Brady Skjei and Mats Zuccarello were all recalled.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Kreider 84 | Chytil 75 | Buchnevich 82

Miller 84 | Andersson 75 | Hayes 82

Vesey 79 | Desharnais 77 | Zuccarello 85

Grabner 81 | Lundqvist 77 | Fast 79

Smith 82 | Shattenkirk 85
Holden 81 | DeAngelo 77
Staal 80 | Kampfer 75
McDonagh 87 | Skjei 85

Mazanec 76
Paveelc 79

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
6 (NJD)	6-1 NYR	Fast (1), Kreider (2), Miller (3), Zuccarello (1), Buchnevich (3), Shattenkirk (1)	Mazanec (.961 SV%) (1.00 GAA)	Final cuts to be made.

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BREAKING NEWS: Jimmy Vesey and Marek Mazanec made final cuts, Nick Holden to be traded.
Sept. 29th, 2017
In a shocking outcome, rookies Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson both made the NHL roster after incredible training camps. They are obviously not expected to produce as much as they did, but they will be expected to contribute offensively. Unfortunately for Jimmy Vesey, he was outperformed by said rookies and will begin his 2nd pro season in the AHL. Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash were recalled. David Desharnais and Joel Lundqvist will presumably share 4th line C roles.

On defense, Tony DeAngelo made a good enough impression to earn a 3rd pairing role, pushing Nick Holden to the point of 7th D or trade piece. He is more valuable as a trade asset. That leaves Steven Kampfer as the teams 7th D for the season.

Marec Mazanec, who performed admirably in the preseason was also sent down. Henrik Lundqvist was recalled.

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
7 (CAR)	3-2 NYR (SO)	Chytil (4), Zibanejad (1)	Lundqvist (.931 SV%) (1.86 GAA)	Final roster looked good in first game together.

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Regular Season

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers sign former Stanley Cup Champion Steven Reinprecht.
Oct. 9th, 2017
In a depth move, veteran Steven Reinprecht was signed to play a teaching role in the minors for the youngsters. He could see some ice time in New York barring a slew of injuries but it's very unlikely.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Years/AAV
Steven Reinprecht 74 41 N/A C Playmaker 1/$0.625M
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Quarter Season Review

Record	Home	Away	GFPG	GAPG	PP%	PK%	Div.	Conf.	NHL	Playoffs?
16-4-0	10-3-0	6-1-0	3.95 (1st)	2.40 (T-10th)	23.3% (5th)	82% (T-16th)	1st	1st	1st	Yes.

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Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	12-4-0	.916	2.75	1
Ondrej Pavelec	4-0-0	.963	1.02	1

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There is definitely no controversy in nets, Henrik Lundqvist is their guy. He has another level to get to but he's notoriously known for being a slow starter so his average SV% is nothing to worry about. But, Ondrej Pavelec is performing admirably in the backup role. Completely unsustainable yes, but an incredible showing and he's earning the trust of his teammates.

On defense, Kevin Shattenkirk comes as advertised. He is the only defenseman with a negative +/- but he leads them in points. Ryan McDonagh and Brady Skjei are a formidable 1-2 punch on the left side as both are gifted with great speed and vision. Brendan Smith has lived up to his new contract with dependable defensive play while also chipping in some decent offense. Tony DeAngelo hasn't put up the offensive numbers expected, but he has the highest +/- of all defensemen, showing a defensive leap in him game that used to be a knock on him. Marc Staal has been much better than anyone could have expected, but he is still likely to be bought out because of his contract. Nick Holden got into 1 game due to a Smith injury but is still on the Trade Block. Steven Kampfer has not yet played.

The Rangers have the Rick Nash they wanted. Sitting 2nd in NHL scoring, Rick Nash has had a resurgence. He is easily the Rangers MVP. Filip Chytil leads all rookies in scoring and is currently the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy, with Lias Andersson not far behind. Mats Zuccarello and J.T Miller each have a PPG pace, while Mika Zibanejad has developped into the #1 center the Rangers needed him to. Chris Kreider has found consistency, looking at a real possibility of 35-40 goals if he doesn't slow. Pavel Buchnevich, although underperforming, still shows the signs of being the Rangers elite gamebreaker in the near future. Kevin Hayes, who shifted back to his natural RW position, has found balance in his game again. To round things out, the 4th line of Grabner-Lundqvist-Fast have been dependable defensively while chipping in great offensive numbers. David Desharnais has not yet found his way into the lineup.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Rick Nash	20	14	12	26	+16	10
Mats Zuccarello	20	7	15	22	+10	2
Filip Chytil	20	6	16	22	+3	0
J.T Miller	20	9	11	20	+14	8
Mika Zibanejad	20	2	14	16	+14	4
Chris Kreider	20	9	6	15	+2	2
Lias Andersson	20	5	9	14	+8	8
Pavel Buchnevich	20	5	8	13	+7	0
Kevin Hayes	20	6	6	12	+5	8
Kevin Shattenkirk	20	5	7	12	-1	4
Michael Grabner	20	5	3	8	0	2
Joel Lundqvist	20	3	5	8	+3	4
Ryan McDonagh	20	0	8	8	+12	27
Brendan Smith	19	1	5	6	+9	14
Brady Skjei	20	0	5	5	+11	8
Jesper Fast	20	0	5	5	-1	2
Marc Staal	20	1	2	3	+13	4
Tony DeAngelo	20	1	1	2	+17	2
Nick Holden	1	0	0	0	0	0
David Desharnais	-	-	-	-	-	-
Steven Kampfer	-	-	-	-	-	-

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First Half in Review

Record	Home	Away	GFPG	GAPG	PP%	PK%	Div.	Conf.	NHL	Playoffs?
30-8-3	16-7-2	14-1-1	3.63 (1st)	2.32 (3rd)	18.4% (15th)	84.7% (4th)	1st	1st	1st	Yes.

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Trade Deadline (3/4)

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers acquire pending UFA Filppula for Holden.
Trade Deadline Day
With the Rangers offense going stagnant in the last few days, they decided to shake things up, Valtteri Filppula brings a veteran presence to the club and presumably fits in on the 3rd or 4th line. He is a pending UFA and has no impact on next seasons cap, as did Nick Holden. This was just a need for need swap, Rangers needed a shake up offensively, Philadelphia needed a D.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV
Valtteri Filppula 81 33 N/A C 2 way F 63 GP
9G-21A-30P
-18 ... 16 PIM's 1/$5.000M
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BREAKING NEWS: Rangers part with Hayes, acquire Bennett from Flames.
Trade Deadline Day
Kevin Hayes is the first to fall victim to a cap crunch. The right winger just became to expensive and the Rangers have too many guys to pay. Sam Bennett, a former 4th overall pick, has struggled to find his footing in Calgary and looks to break out under the bright lights of New York City.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV
Sam Bennett 78 21 Low Elite C/LW Playmaker 63 GP
6G-14A-20P
+5 ... 10 PIM's 2/$1.950M
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Post Deadline Lineup
LW | C | RW
Bennett 78 | Zibanejad 85 | Miller 84

Nash 83 | Chytil 75 | Zuccarello 85

Kreider 84 | Filppula 81 | Buchnevich 83

Grabner 81 | Andersson 75 | Fast 79

Lundqvist 77 | Desharnais 77

Staal 80 | McDonagh 87

Skjei 85 | Shattenkirk 85

Smith 82 | DeAngelo 79

Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Paveelc 79

Rest of Season + Season recap

BREAKING NEWS: Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo accept contract extensions.
March 2nd, 2018
The Rangers checked off 2 things on their to do list. Brady Skjei and Tony DeAngelo both accepted deals that will keep them in Rangers sweaters for 2 more years. The young defensemen are integral parts of the teams promising blue line.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV
Brady Skjei 85 23 Low Elite D 2 way D 64 GP
8G-19A-27P
+18 ... 28 PIM 2/$4.975M
Tony DeAngelo 79 22 Med Top 4D D Offensive Defenseman 64 GP
4G-8A-12P
+15 ... 2 PIM 2/$1.500M
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BREAKING NEWS: Miller, Nash agree to terms with Rangers.
March 5th, 2018
The Rangers are locking up their key pieces. Rick Nash, although he has slowed considerably, is still the Rangers most dominant player and their MVP so far this season. Meanwhile J.T Miller is the Rangers most versatile forward. He can play all 3 positions and now plays on both special teams units after being added to the PK.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV
J.T Miller 84 24 Med Top 6F F 2 way F 66 GP
14G-31A-45P
+9 ... 23 PIM 3/$5.750M
Rick Nash 83 33 N/A LW/RW Power Forward 66 GP
33G-27A-60P
+28 ... 32 PIM 2/$4.750M
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[/QUOTE]

BREAKING NEWS: McDonagh concussed, will miss start of playoffs.
April 8th, 2018
In the second last game of the regular season Ryan McDonagh took a nasty hit from Cal Clutterbuck of the Islanders and went into the boards hard. The Rangers captain sustained a concussion and will miss 1-2 weeks, which includes the start of the playoffs.

Click to expand...

Season Recap

Record Home Away GFPG GAPG PP% PK% Div. Conf. NHL Playoffs?
53-25-4 25-14-2 28-11-2 3.33 (1st) 2.43 (2nd) 15.5% (29th) 82.6% (T-6th) 1st 1st 1st Yes.
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Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 41-20-3 .919 2.48 2
Ondrej Pavelec 12-5-1 .932 1.96 3
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Henrik Lundqvist was incredible this season. His numbers do him an injustice. But Ondrej Pavelec. No one expected him top be this good. He's made himself worth an extension.

The Rangers have the best signing of the 2017 offseason. Kevin Shattenkirk finished the season with the 4th most points among d-men. Other than the star offensive defenseman, Brady Skjei was the next best D on the Rangers. His play actually might've made captain Ryan McDonagh expendable as a trade chip in the near future. Brendan Smith had his best season of his career, keeping his PIM's down and his +/- up. Marc Staal had a great season for the expectations but still is overpaid. Tony DeAngelo started to heat up offensively and is locked down for 2 more years so the Rangers hope to see continued improvement. Steven Kampfer posted 0 points in his 5 appearances.

The Rangers offense clicked all season long. Mats Zuccarello set a career high in points, Rick Nash made his return to elite status and Filip Chytil should win the Calder Trophy after leading rookies in points. Not to mention Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich who all posted career highs as well. Deadline acquisitions Valtteri Filppula and Sam Bennett had varying degrees of success; the latter excelling and the former struggling. J.T Miller was steady as ever, playing the best 2 way hockey he's played. The 4th line of Grabner-Andersson-Fast all play fast hockey and are a key part to the Rangers success.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Rick Nash 82 39 33 72 +31 44
Mats Zuccarello 82 24 43 67 +29 11
Filip Chytil 80 24 42 66 +34 2
Kevin Shattenkirk 82 11 51 62 +29 12
Mika Zibanejad 82 20 40 60 +22 24
Chris Kreider 82 27 29 56 +26 52
J.T Miller 82 19 36 55 +15 33
Pavel Buchnevich 82 17 31 48 +23 9
Valtteri Filppula 82 (19) 11 (2) 25 (4) 36 (6) -18 (0) 18 (2)
Brady Skjei 82 9 26 35 +30 51
Michael Grabner 82 16 16 32 +5 10
Sam Bennett 82 (19) 10 (4) 21 (7) 31 (11) +7 (+2) 12 (2)
Lias Andersson 82 11 20 31 +8 20
Ryan McDonagh
81 8 21 29 +31 53
Jesper Fast 82 8 12 20 +4 8
Tony DeAngelo 81 5 10 15 +15 4
Joel Lundqvist
50 5 10 15 +1 8
Brendan Smith 73 4 9 13 +17 38
David Desharnais 20 1 10 11 +11 0
Marc Staal 77 2 6 8 +27 22
Steven Kampfer 5 0 0 0 +2 0
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Record Home Away GFPG GAPG PP% PK% Div. Conf. NHL Playoffs?
46-30-6 23-16-2 23-14-4 2.77 (4th) 2.40 (11th) 17.2% (13th) 82.2% (25th) 3rd 4th 6th Yes.
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Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Steven Reinprecht 80 16 53 69 +19 20
Jimmy Vesey 82 20 45 65 +22 31
Peter Holland 75 22 38 60 +9 10
Paul Carey 82 14 43 60 +19 42
Vinni Lettieri 82 11 39 50 -5 6
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Next Post: 2018 NHL Playoffs and 2018 Offseason

kinger8998 · Dec 26, 2017

New York Rangers Expansion Mode

2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 2018 Offseason

2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Presidents' Trophy Champion New York Rangers take on the once mighty Capitals in a 1st round playoff series. The Caps are used to being the team in 1st but the tables have turned. That being said, the Capitals are still dangerous with Ovi co.

The Rangers need to pay attention to Ovechkin who had 42 goals this season, while a key player for the Rangers is Rick Nash, who needs to rekindle his early season scoring prowess.

This should be one of the better goaltending matchups of the first round, with 2 former Vezina winners battling it out in Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby.

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Filppula 81 | Zibanejad 85 | Miller 84

Nash 83 | Chytil 75 | Zuccarello 85

Kreider 84 | Bennett 78 | Buchnevich 84

Grabner 81 | Andersson 75 | Fast 79

Lundqvist 77 | Desharnais 77

Smith 82 | Shattenkirk 85

Skjei 85 | Kampfer 75

Staal 80 | DeAngelo 79

McDonagh 87*

Lundqvist 90
Pavelec 79

* signifies injured

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	3-2 NYR (OT)	Bennett (1), Nash (1,2)	Lundqvist (.937 SV%) (1.98 GAA)	Big OT W!!!
2	3-0 NYR	Miller (1), Zibanejad (1), Smith (1)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%) (0.00 GAA)
3	5-4 WSH	Buchnevich (1), Filppula (1), Grabner (1). Nash (3)	Lundqvist (.861 SV%) (5.09 GAA)	Putrid defensive effort.
4	1-0 NYR	Miller (2)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%) (0.00 GAA)	HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK!!! McDonagh returns for next game.
5	2-1 NYR	Zuccarello (1), Miller (3)	Lundqvist (.966 SV%) (1.00 GAA)	Rangers close out series in 5. Onto the 2nd Round!
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Series Recap
Rick Nash and J.T Miller led the way on offense while Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding in goal as the Rangers dispatched of the Capitals in 5 games. Although, Brady Skjei, in the absence of McDonagh, was incredible leading the team with 6 points.

The Rangers held the Capitals to just 8 goals in 5 games, with 5 of those coming in 1. Just an incredible defensive effort.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Brady Skjei 5 0 6 6 +2 6
J.T Miller 5 3 2 5 +4 10
Rick Nash 5 3 1 4 +1 2
Chris Kreider 5 0 4 4 +6 2
Mika Zibanejad 5 1 2 3 +1 2
Kevin Shattenkirk 5 0 3 3 +1 0
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Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 4-1 .948 1.60 2
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The New York Rangers move onto the 2nd round and face the defending Cup champ Penguins. The Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 6 games series, that ended the night after the Rangers did. These teams have met in the Playoffs 3 times in the last 4 years, with the Rangers winning 2, but the Penguins taking the most recent.

The Rangers must find a way to contain Crosby and Malkin, which will be a job tasked to Ryan McDonagh, Brady Skjei and the incredible Henrik Lundqvist.

These teams faced 4 times in the regular season splitting the games 2-2.

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	3-0 NYR	Miller (4), Andersson (1), Nash (4)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%) (0.00 GAA)	Filppula injured, to miss 1 week
2	1-0 NYR	Miller (5)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%) (0.00 GAA)	Lundqvist with another shutout.
3	5-4 PIT (OT)	Andersson (2), Zuccarello (2,3), Chytil (1)	Lundqvist (.898 SV%) (4.56 GAA)
4	2-1 NYR	Chytil (2), Grabner (2)	Lundqvist (.971 SV%) (1.00 GAA)	Lundqvist rebounds with a great game.
5	2-1 PIT	Nash (5)	Lundqvist (.937 SV%) (2.05 GAA)	Offensive line changes made as Zibanejad injured. Out 3 weeks.
6	3-2 PIT (OT)	Skjei (1), Buchnevich (2)	Lundqvist (.927 SV%) (2.49 GAA)	Game 7 people...
7	3-1 NYR	Kreider (1), Nash (6), Miller (6)	Lundqvist (.962 SV%) (1.00 GAA)	Henrik Lundqvist with another game 7 heroic performance to carry his team to the conference finals.

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Series Recap
In dramatic fashion, as the Rangers bent with a 3-1 lead but didn't break, the Rangers emerged victorious and moved on to the conference finals 3rd time in 5 years. Rick Nash and J.T Miller continued to score for the Rangers while Lundqvist continued his dominance this postseason.

The Rangers survived the series without their #1 center Mika Zibanejad. Should the Rangers make it to the Cup Finals, Zibanejad would be back for that series.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
J.T Miller
12 6 6 12 +10 14
Rick Nash 12 6 5 11 +3 4
Brady Skjei 12 1 8 9 +1 8
Chris Kreider 12 1 7 8 +9 8
Mats Zuccarello 12 3 3 6 0 4
Mika Zibanejad 12 1 4 5 0 4
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Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 8-4 .948 1.63 4
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The Rangers survived a grueling 7 game series against the defending Cup champs and now they face Henrik Lundqvist's top competitor for Best Goalie in the world, Carey Price. The Canadiens all rolling high, having beat the Atlantic Division leading Lightning.

The Rangers need to find a way to beat Carey Price, everyone knows the Canadiens have troubles scoring so this could be a low scoring series. The Rangers will be counting on Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Valtteri Filppula and David Desharnais to collectively step up in the absence of Zibby.

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Kreider 84 | Filppula 81 | Buchnevich 85
Nash 83 | Chytil 75 | Zuccarello 85
Bennett 78 | Andersson 75 | Miller 84
Grabner 81 | Desharnais 77 | Fast 79
Lundqvist 77* | Zibanejad 86*

Skjei 85 | McDonagh 87
Smith 82 | Shattenkirk 85
Staal 80 | DeAngelo 79
Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Pavelec 79

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	4-1 MTL	Andersson (3)	Lundqvist (.889 SV%) (3.04 GAA)
2	2-1 MTL	Bennett (2)	Lundqvist (.920 SV%) (2.03 GAA)	Offensive changes.
3	3-2 NYR (OT)	Buchnevich (3), Deshernais (1), Nash (7)	Lundqvist (.939 SV%) (1.93 GAA)
4	2-1 NYR (OT)	Zuccarello (4), Kreider (2)	Lundqvist (.969 SV%) (0.77 GAA)
5	1-0 NYR	Desharnais (2)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%) (0.00 GAA)	Lundqvist taking series over...
6	5-2 MTL	Andersson (4), Grabner (3)	Lundqvist (.833 SV%) (5.14 GAA)	Game 7...
7	4-2 NYR	Andersson (5,6), Nash (8,9)	Lundqvist (.944 SV%) (2.00 GAA)	RANGERS WIN, AND THEY'RE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Series Recap
This was the series that the Rangers narrowly escaped. Without their first line center, they needed someone to step up and man did Lias Andersson ever do that. The rookie went cold in the 2nd half of the season but really exploded with 4 goals in the series and 2 in game 7!

Henrik Lundqvist had his first real adversity with 2 bad games in the series, but he righted the ship in Game 7 once again with another Henrik Lundtonian performance.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
J.T Miller
19 6 10 16 +12 14
Rick Nash 19 9 6 15 +1 4
Brady Skjei 19 1 10 11 +3 12
Mats Zuccarello 19 4 6 10 -5 6
Chris Kreider 19 2 8 10 +10 10
Sam Bennett 19 2 6 8 +3 8
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 12-7 .941 1.79 5
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The New York Rangers are looking to head down the 'Canyon of Champions" and host a parade in New York for the 1st time since 1994. In their way stands the Anaheim Ducks, who were the 5th overall team this season.

The Rangers get their top line center Mika Zibanejad back for this series, as well as 4th liner Joel Lundqvist, brother of Henrik, who is looking to win the Cup with his twin. For the Ducks, they return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the 1st time since 2007, when they won the Stanley Cup.

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	3-1 ANA	Shattenkirk (1)	Lundqvist (.903 SV%) (3.05 GAA)	Marc Staal broken leg, done for season.
2	2-1 NYR (2OT)	Grabner (4), Shattenkirk (2)	Lundqvist (.971 SV%) (0.72 GAA)
3	3-2 NYR	Grabner (5), Zibanejad (2), McDonagh (1)	Lundqvist (.948 SV%) (2.00 GAA)
4	5-3 NYR	Buchnevich (4), Shattenkirk (3), Chytil (3), Lundqvist (1), Bennett (3)	Lundqvist (.893 SV%) (3.00 GAA)	Down 3-0 in the 3rd, Rags score 5 unanswered. Unfortunately Zibbyretweaked inj. done for season.
5	4-2 NYR	Zuccarello (5), Chytil (4), Buchnevich (5,6)	Lundqvist (.955 SV%) (2.00 GAA)	Rangers shelled, Lundqvist wins Cup the way he's won his whole career... by carrying his team.
/	///	/////	///	////
/	///	/////	///	////

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Series Recap
The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 24 years. In proper fashion one would say as well, with Henrik Lundqvist stopping 42/44 shots when his team could only muster 19. That there is why he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Playoffs.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
J.T Miller
24 6 13 19 +14 16
Rick Nash 24 9 8 17 +3 6
Mats Zuccarello 24 5 10 15 -4 6
Chris Kreider 24 2 10 12 +11 12
Kevin Shattenkirk 24 3 8 11 -1 4
Brady Skjei 24 1 10 11 +4 14
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 16-8 .940 1.87 5
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

BREAKING NEWS: Filip Chytil wins Calder Trophy
NHL Awards
The Rangers rookie won the award after a 66 point season where he had 24 goals and 42 assists.

BREAKING NEWS: Ted Lindsay awarded to Rick Nash
NHL Awards
The Rangers veteran had 39 goals and 33 assists for 72 points.

2018 NHL Entry Draft

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers trade McDonagh, 1st, 2nd and 3rd for 1st overall pick in blockbuster deal.
NHL Entry Draft
In a shocking deal, the Rangers traded their captain Ryan McDonagh and three draft picks (1st, 2nd and 3rd rd.) for the 1st overall pick in the NHL Draft. With the Maple Leafs having the 1st overall pick, along with the pressure of having to win before Matthews needing a new deal, they felt that the polished McDonagh would help more than Rasmus Dahlin or Filip Zadina. This is an incredibly bold move by Rangers GM Brant King, trading his captain just 1 month after winning the Stanley Cup.

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers draft Rasmus Dahlin 1st overall.
NHL Entry Draft
The future star has big shoes to fill, but if anyone could do it, it would be him.

Round	Pick	Player	OVR	Age	Potential	Position	Player Type
1	1	Rasmus Dahlin	78	18	Med Elite	D	2 way D
5	155	Jan Jenik	55	17	Low Top 9F	LW	2 way F
6	186	Tristan Lannon	55	17	Low Top 9F	RW	Sniper

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers acquire Zetterberg from Red Wings in late draft deal.
NHL Entry Draft
What a shocker. In a late draft deal, when normally nothing happens, there came this. The Red Wings, who missed the Playoffs last year had their Captain request a trade with only one destination ... New York. After the Red Wings offering the Rangers many deals including Lias Andersson or Tony DeAngelo, they settled for defenseman Brendan Smith and a 1st Round Pick in 2019.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV
Henrik Zetterberg 84 37 N/A C/LW Playamker 80 GP
18G-30A-48P
+1 ... 8 PIM 3/$5.800M
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Nick Jensen 76 27 N/A D 2 way D 49 GP
4G-9A-13P
-7 ... 12 PIM 1/$0.710M
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Resign Phase

The Rangers entered the Resign Phase with approximately 12 million to re-up their key players. Among those players were Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Sproul, Michael Grabner, Valtteri Filppula and Ondrej Pavelec. Although, the Rangers just traded their captain Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith, 2 integral parts of their defense, so they could save some money for Free Agency.

The Rangers did not sign Michael Grabner, Valtteri Filppula and Joel Lundqvist. The tendered a QO to Jimmy Vesey. They also elected not to buy out Marc Staal.

Player (Status)	OVR	Age	Potential	Position	Player Type	Stats	Years/AAV	Thoughts
Rasmus Dahlin (Unsigned)	78	18	Med Elite	D	2 way D	N/A	3/$0.925M	Biggest signing. 1st overall draft pick and already going to be a star.
Ondrej Pavelec (UFA)	79	30	N/A	G	Hybrid	21 GP 12-5-1 .932 SV% 1.96 GAA	2/$1.350M	Great signing at a low cost. Played amazing last season and not a better option in FA.
David Desharnais (UFA)	77	31	N/A	C	Playmaker	20 GP 1G-10A-11P +11 ... 0 PIM	1/$0.900M	Depth player last season, but with departure of Grabner and Lundqvist could assume regular spot.
Boo Nieves (RFA)	76	24	High Bottom 6F	C	Playmaker	78GP 16G-28A-44P -4 ... ^ PIM (AHL)	3/$0.875M	Could make jump to NHL this year as depth forward. Good to lock down young guys with potential like Nieves.
Ryan Sproul (RFA)	78	25	High Top 6D	D	Offensive D	82 GP 11G-14A-25P +28 64 PIM	2/$1.900M	Sproul is a real contender to crack the NHL roster this year with slimmed down blueline. Good low cost bridge deal.
Marek Mazanec (RFA)	76	26	Med Backup	G	Hybrid	73 GP 41-27-5 .914 SV% 2.33 GAA	1/$0.875M	Stabilized goaltending situation in Hartford (AHL) last season, and is a good guy to keep around should Rangers run into injury.
Sean Day	70	20	Med Top 6D	D	2 way D	N/A	3/$0.775M	Stock has fallen considerably since being granted exceptional status but still has NHL potential. Good choice to sign him to ELC.
Calle Sjalin	62	18	Low Top 4D	D	2 way D	N/A	3/$0.850M	Another good choice to give ELC to. 5th rounder in '17 is a dark- horse candidate to be steal of '17.
Tarmo Reunanen	65	20	Med Top 6D	D	Offensive D	N/A	3/$0.875M	Another ELC. Could one day make NHL; but long ways away.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Free Agency

The New York Rangers entered Free Agency with $6.110M in cap space to add with. Their shopping list includes 1 or 2 defensemen and maybe some forward depth, but nothing ludicrous as the contract would have to be tradeable in case the forward fails to make the team.

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers ship away yet another 1st rounder, get RFA Morrissey from Jets.
July 1st, 2018
The Rangers needed a defenseman, the Jets couldn't sign theirs. This trade works out for both sides as the now contending Jets can flip the Rangers pick for a rental, while the Rangers revamp their blueline. After the trade, Rangers GM Brant King subsequently signed Morrisey to a new deal. The Rangers pick was in 2020, while they also received a 3rd in 2020.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV
Josh Morrissey 81 23 Low Elite D 2 way D 79 GP
5G-6A-11P
+14 ... 37 PIM 5/$4.500M
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Player	OVR	Age	Potential	Position	Player Type	Stats	Years/AAV	Thoughts
Kevin Bieksa	79	37	N/A	D	Defensive D	81 GP 2G-0A-2P -18 ... 33 PIM	1/$1.850M	Curious signing, but necessary. The Rangers want Bieksa to be the ying to Dahlins yang on the 3rd pair, but this blocks chances for Sproul/Graves to make team. Give and take I guess.
Scott Kosmaschuk	74	24	High Bottom 6F	RW	2 way F	82 GP 11G-24A-35P +3 ... 56 PIM (AHL)	1/$0.850M	Kosmaschuk wanted to test market, but after seeing the other grass, he decided the one he already knew was greener.
Tyler Bertuzzi	74	23	Low Top 9F	LW	2 way F	82 GP 18G-18A-36P +4 ... 86 PIM (AHL)	3/$0.800M	Just an AHL signing to round out depth.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Next Post: 2018-2019 NHL Season

Jadenb · Dec 26, 2017

Year 6... another cup for Seattle!

Lines:

{M.Rantanen (88) A.Wennberg (88) R.Hoffman (95 “C”)}
{A.Burakovsky (85) K.Turris (83) C.Hudon (82)}
{S.Milano (82) C.Glass (81) K.Lind (79)}
{N.Popugaev (78) J.Compher (78) K.Tunney (78)}

{M.Dumba (87) C.Fowler (88)}
{T.Furchner (86) J.Schultz (83)}
{D.Pouliot (81) T.Liljegren (80)}

{J.Korpisalo (87) L.Domingue (78)

Korpisalo wins his second Conn Smythe and we do it again against the New York Islanders...In Game 6...In Overtime! The exact same as 2 years ago. Series went as such:

Con. Quarters (SEA 4)(CGY 2)

Con. Semis (SEA 4)(ARI 1)

Con. Finals (SEA 4)(STL 3)

Cup Finals (SEA 4)(NYI 2)

Jadenb · Dec 27, 2017

Year 7. Second round exit. Down 3-0 to the powerhouse Oilers but come back and force game seven...only to lose. A couple new faces in the lineup, but relatively the same core. Locked up a few more players to long term deals with clauses. 113 point regular season. Probably time for a re-tool soon as the top 4 isn’t getting any younger and Korpisalo is approaching 30 with an expiring contract in 2 years.

Jadenb · Dec 30, 2017

Year 8

Uneventful, made a final push for the cup before a re-tool, knocked out in the first round against Edmonton (again) as the first seed in the pacific. A couple cost-cutting moves and a new contract extension for three more years with the Sasquatch, the lines look like so for year 9:

{M.Rantanen (89) A.Wennberg (89) R.Hoffman (95)}

{A.Burakovsky (84) N.Hordichuk (85) V.Arvidsson (82}

{S.Milano (82) C.Glass (82) K.Tunney (77)}

{T.Laitnen (77) G.Odelien (78) D.Schremp (77)}

{B.Skjei (88) J.Carlson (86)}

{T.Furchner (87) M.Dumba (85)}

{A.Malkin (79) T.Liljegren (81)}

{J.Korpisalo (88) M.Ruusu (77)}

Carlson was acquired as a rental, we were heavily pursuing him. He got an extension a few weeks before we finalized a deal and ended up being a pillar in the second half of our season so I decided not to move him at the draft. Most of our top 6 and top 4 have clauses of some sort. We basically have a 4-5 year window to win cups before a massive rebuild. I have 3 more years with the Sasquatch, might move teams if we can’t formulate a couple good playoff runs in that time. One of our owner goals is to win the presidents. Last 2 years it has been win the conference. Never accomplished that. Our lineup lost some depth this year so that will be a tough challenge. Extended Korpisalo for 6 more years.

Jadenb · Dec 30, 2017

kinger8998 said:
New York Rangers Expansion Mode

2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs and 2018 Offseason

2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Presidents' Trophy Champion New York Rangers take on the once mighty Capitals in a 1st round playoff series. The Caps are used to being the team in 1st but the tables have turned. That being said, the Capitals are still dangerous with Ovi co.

The Rangers need to pay attention to Ovechkin who had 42 goals this season, while a key player for the Rangers is Rick Nash, who needs to rekindle his early season scoring prowess.

This should be one of the better goaltending matchups of the first round, with 2 former Vezina winners battling it out in Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby.

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Filppula 81 | Zibanejad 85 | Miller 84

Nash 83 | Chytil 75 | Zuccarello 85
Kreider 84 | Bennett 78 | Buchnevich 84
Grabner 81 | Andersson 75 | Fast 79
Lundqvist 77 | Desharnais 77

Smith 82 | Shattenkirk 85
Skjei 85 | Kampfer 75
Staal 80 | DeAngelo 79
McDonagh 87*

Lundqvist 90
Pavelec 79

* signifies injured

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
1 3-2 NYR (OT) Bennett (1), Nash (1,2) Lundqvist (.937 SV%)

(1.98 GAA)
Big OT W!!!
2 3-0 NYR Miller (1), Zibanejad (1), Smith (1) Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)

(0.00 GAA)

3 5-4 WSH Buchnevich (1), Filppula (1), Grabner (1). Nash (3) Lundqvist (.861 SV%)

(5.09 GAA)
Putrid defensive effort.
4 1-0 NYR Miller (2) Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)

(0.00 GAA)
HEN-RIK, HEN-RIK!!!

McDonagh returns for next
game.

5 2-1 NYR Zuccarello (1), Miller (3) Lundqvist (.966 SV%)

(1.00 GAA)
Rangers close out series in 5.

Onto the 2nd Round!

/ /// ///// //// ///
/ /// ///// //// ///
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Series Recap
Rick Nash and J.T Miller led the way on offense while Henrik Lundqvist was outstanding in goal as the Rangers dispatched of the Capitals in 5 games. Although, Brady Skjei, in the absence of McDonagh, was incredible leading the team with 6 points.

The Rangers held the Capitals to just 8 goals in 5 games, with 5 of those coming in 1. Just an incredible defensive effort.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Brady Skjei 5 0 6 6 +2 6
J.T Miller 5 3 2 5 +4 10
Rick Nash 5 3 1 4 +1 2
Chris Kreider 5 0 4 4 +6 2
Mika Zibanejad 5 1 2 3 +1 2
Kevin Shattenkirk 5 0 3 3 +1 0
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 4-1 .948 1.60 2
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The New York Rangers move onto the 2nd round and face the defending Cup champ Penguins. The Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 6 games series, that ended the night after the Rangers did. These teams have met in the Playoffs 3 times in the last 4 years, with the Rangers winning 2, but the Penguins taking the most recent.

The Rangers must find a way to contain Crosby and Malkin, which will be a job tasked to Ryan McDonagh, Brady Skjei and the incredible Henrik Lundqvist.

These teams faced 4 times in the regular season splitting the games 2-2.

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
1 3-0 NYR Miller (4), Andersson (1), Nash (4) Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)

(0.00 GAA)
Filppula injured,

to miss 1 week

2 1-0 NYR Miller (5) Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)

(0.00 GAA)
Lundqvist with

another shutout.

3 5-4 PIT

(OT)
Andersson (2), Zuccarello (2,3),

Chytil (1)
Lundqvist (.898 SV%)

(4.56 GAA)

4 2-1 NYR Chytil (2), Grabner (2) Lundqvist (.971 SV%)

(1.00 GAA)
Lundqvist rebounds

with a great game.

5 2-1 PIT Nash (5) Lundqvist (.937 SV%)

(2.05 GAA)
Offensive line

changes made as
Zibanejad injured.
Out 3 weeks.

6 3-2 PIT

(OT)
Skjei (1), Buchnevich (2) Lundqvist (.927 SV%)

(2.49 GAA)
Game 7 people...
7 3-1 NYR Kreider (1), Nash (6), Miller (6) Lundqvist (.962 SV%)

(1.00 GAA)
Henrik Lundqvist with another game 7

heroic performance to carry his team
to the conference finals.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Series Recap
In dramatic fashion, as the Rangers bent with a 3-1 lead but didn't break, the Rangers emerged victorious and moved on to the conference finals 3rd time in 5 years. Rick Nash and J.T Miller continued to score for the Rangers while Lundqvist continued his dominance this postseason.

The Rangers survived the series without their #1 center Mika Zibanejad. Should the Rangers make it to the Cup Finals, Zibanejad would be back for that series.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
J.T Miller
12 6 6 12 +10 14
Rick Nash 12 6 5 11 +3 4
Brady Skjei 12 1 8 9 +1 8
Chris Kreider 12 1 7 8 +9 8
Mats Zuccarello 12 3 3 6 0 4
Mika Zibanejad 12 1 4 5 0 4
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 8-4 .948 1.63 4
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The Rangers survived a grueling 7 game series against the defending Cup champs and now they face Henrik Lundqvist's top competitor for Best Goalie in the world, Carey Price. The Canadiens all rolling high, having beat the Atlantic Division leading Lightning.

The Rangers need to find a way to beat Carey Price, everyone knows the Canadiens have troubles scoring so this could be a low scoring series. The Rangers will be counting on Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Valtteri Filppula and David Desharnais to collectively step up in the absence of Zibby.

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Kreider 84 | Filppula 81 | Buchnevich 85
Nash 83 | Chytil 75 | Zuccarello 85
Bennett 78 | Andersson 75 | Miller 84
Grabner 81 | Desharnais 77 | Fast 79
Lundqvist 77* | Zibanejad 86*

Skjei 85 | McDonagh 87
Smith 82 | Shattenkirk 85
Staal 80 | DeAngelo 79
Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Pavelec 79

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
1 4-1 MTL Andersson (3) Lundqvist (.889 SV%)

(3.04 GAA)
2 2-1 MTL Bennett (2) Lundqvist (.920 SV%)

(2.03 GAA)
Offensive changes.
3 3-2 NYR

(OT)
Buchnevich (3), Deshernais (1),

Nash (7)
Lundqvist (.939 SV%)

(1.93 GAA)
4 2-1 NYR

(OT)
Zuccarello (4), Kreider (2) Lundqvist (.969 SV%)

(0.77 GAA)
5 1-0 NYR Desharnais (2) Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)

(0.00 GAA)
Lundqvist taking

series over...
6 5-2 MTL Andersson (4), Grabner (3) Lundqvist (.833 SV%)

(5.14 GAA)
Game 7...
7 4-2 NYR Andersson (5,6), Nash (8,9) Lundqvist (.944 SV%)

(2.00 GAA)
RANGERS WIN, AND THEY'RE GOING TO THE

STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Series Recap
This was the series that the Rangers narrowly escaped. Without their first line center, they needed someone to step up and man did Lias Andersson ever do that. The rookie went cold in the 2nd half of the season but really exploded with 4 goals in the series and 2 in game 7!

Henrik Lundqvist had his first real adversity with 2 bad games in the series, but he righted the ship in Game 7 once again with another Henrik Lundtonian performance.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
J.T Miller
19 6 10 16 +12 14
Rick Nash 19 9 6 15 +1 4
Brady Skjei 19 1 10 11 +3 12
Mats Zuccarello 19 4 6 10 -5 6
Chris Kreider 19 2 8 10 +10 10
Sam Bennett 19 2 6 8 +3 8
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 12-7 .941 1.79 5
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The New York Rangers are looking to head down the 'Canyon of Champions" and host a parade in New York for the 1st time since 1994. In their way stands the Anaheim Ducks, who were the 5th overall team this season.

The Rangers get their top line center Mika Zibanejad back for this series, as well as 4th liner Joel Lundqvist, brother of Henrik, who is looking to win the Cup with his twin. For the Ducks, they return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the 1st time since 2007, when they won the Stanley Cup.

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
1 3-1 ANA Shattenkirk (1) Lundqvist (.903 SV%)

(3.05 GAA)
Marc Staal broken leg, done

for season.

2 2-1 NYR

(2OT)
Grabner (4), Shattenkirk (2) Lundqvist (.971 SV%)

(0.72 GAA)

3 3-2 NYR Grabner (5), Zibanejad (2), McDonagh (1) Lundqvist (.948 SV%)

(2.00 GAA)

4 5-3 NYR Buchnevich (4), Shattenkirk (3), Chytil (3), Lundqvist (1), Bennett (3) Lundqvist (.893 SV%)

(3.00 GAA)
Down 3-0 in the 3rd, Rags

score 5 unanswered.
Unfortunately Zibbyretweaked inj.
done for season.

5 4-2 NYR Zuccarello (5), Chytil (4), Buchnevich (5,6) Lundqvist (.955 SV%)

(2.00 GAA)
Rangers shelled, Lundqvist

wins Cup the way he's won
his whole career...
by carrying his team.

/ /// ///// /// ////
/ /// ///// /// ////
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Series Recap
The New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 24 years. In proper fashion one would say as well, with Henrik Lundqvist stopping 42/44 shots when his team could only muster 19. That there is why he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Playoffs.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
J.T Miller
24 6 13 19 +14 16
Rick Nash 24 9 8 17 +3 6
Mats Zuccarello 24 5 10 15 -4 6
Chris Kreider 24 2 10 12 +11 12
Kevin Shattenkirk 24 3 8 11 -1 4
Brady Skjei 24 1 10 11 +4 14
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 16-8 .940 1.87 5
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

2018 NHL Entry Draft

Round Pick Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type
1 1 Rasmus Dahlin 78 18 Med Elite D 2 way D
5 155 Jan Jenik 55 17 Low Top 9F LW 2 way F
6 186 Tristan Lannon 55 17 Low Top 9F RW Sniper
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Resign Phase

The Rangers entered the Resign Phase with approximately 12 million to re-up their key players. Among those players were Anthony DeAngelo, Ryan Sproul, Michael Grabner, Valtteri Filppula and Ondrej Pavelec. Although, the Rangers just traded their captain Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith, 2 integral parts of their defense, so they could save some money for Free Agency.

The Rangers did not sign Michael Grabner, Valtteri Filppula and Joel Lundqvist. The tendered a QO to Jimmy Vesey. They also elected not to buy out Marc Staal.

Player (Status) OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV Thoughts
Rasmus Dahlin

(Unsigned)
78 18 Med Elite D 2 way D N/A 3/$0.925M Biggest signing. 1st overall draft

pick and already going to be a star.
Ondrej Pavelec

(UFA)
79 30 N/A G Hybrid 21 GP

12-5-1
.932 SV%
1.96 GAA
2/$1.350M Great signing at a low cost. Played

amazing last season and not a
better option in FA.
David Desharnais

(UFA)
77 31 N/A C Playmaker 20 GP

1G-10A-11P
+11 ... 0 PIM
1/$0.900M Depth player last season, but with

departure of Grabner and
Lundqvist could assume
regular spot.
Boo Nieves (RFA) 76 24 High

Bottom 6F
C Playmaker 78GP

16G-28A-44P
-4 ... ^ PIM
(AHL)
3/$0.875M Could make jump to NHL this

year as depth forward. Good to
lock down young guys with
potential like Nieves.
Ryan Sproul (RFA) 78 25 High

Top 6D
D Offensive D 82 GP

11G-14A-25P
+28
64 PIM
2/$1.900M Sproul is a real contender to

crack the NHL roster this year
with slimmed down blueline.
Good low cost bridge deal.
Marek Mazanec

(RFA)
76 26 Med

Backup
G Hybrid 73 GP

41-27-5
.914 SV%
2.33 GAA
1/$0.875M Stabilized goaltending situation

in Hartford (AHL) last season, and
is a good guy to keep around
should Rangers run into injury.
Sean Day 70 20 Med

Top 6D
D 2 way D N/A 3/$0.775M Stock has fallen considerably since

being granted exceptional status
but still has NHL potential. Good
choice to sign him to ELC.
Calle Sjalin 62 18 Low

Top 4D
D 2 way D N/A 3/$0.850M Another good choice to give ELC

to. 5th rounder in '17 is a dark-
horse candidate to be steal of '17.
Tarmo Reunanen 65 20 Med

Top 6D
D Offensive D N/A 3/$0.875M Another ELC. Could one day make

NHL; but long ways away.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Free Agency

The New York Rangers entered Free Agency with $6.110M in cap space to add with. Their shopping list includes 1 or 2 defensemen and maybe some forward depth, but nothing ludicrous as the contract would have to be tradeable in case the forward fails to make the team.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV Thoughts
Kevin Bieksa 79 37 N/A D Defensive D 81 GP
2G-0A-2P
-18 ... 33 PIM 1/$1.850M Curious signing, but necessary. The
Rangers want Bieksa to be the ying
to Dahlins yang on the 3rd pair, but
this blocks chances for Sproul/Graves
to make team. Give and take I guess.
Scott
Kosmaschuk 74 24 High
Bottom 6F RW 2 way F 82 GP
11G-24A-35P
+3 ... 56 PIM
(AHL) 1/$0.850M Kosmaschuk wanted to test market,
but after seeing the other grass, he
decided the one he already knew was
greener.
Tyler Bertuzzi 74 23 Low
Top 9F LW 2 way F 82 GP
18G-18A-36P
+4 ... 86 PIM
(AHL) 3/$0.800M Just an AHL signing to round out
depth.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Next Post: 2018-2019 NHL Season

I don’t like the McDonagh deal...

Jadenb · Dec 30, 2017

Year 9...Stanley Cup!

Aquired Brett Howden at the deadline along with a couple picks for my first. Rantanen tore his MCL before the playoffs and went down for the rest of the playoffs.

{A.Burakovsky (84) A.Wennberg (89) R.Hoffman (94)}

{S.Milano (82) N.Hordichuk (86) V.Arvidsson (83)}

{T.Laitnen (78) C.Glass (82) B.Howden (80)}

{D.Schremp (78) G.Odelein (78) K.Tunney (77)}

{B.Skjei (88) J.Carlson (86)}

{T.Furchner (87) T.Liljegren (82)}

{A.Malkin (80) M.Dumba (83)}

{J.Korpisalo (88) M.Ruusu (77)

Con. Finals (SEA 4)(COL 3) [Was down 3-1]

Con. Semis (SEA 4)(EDM 0) [Finally beat EDM!]

Con. Finals (SEA 4)(WPG 1)

Cup Finals (SEA 4)(FLA 2) [Florida is very good]

Korpisalo wins his third Conn Smythe. After Derrick Pouliot left, he was the last player from the original expansion draft. Skjei and Liljegren both got new contracts. Skjei has 5 years and Liljegren got 6. Skjei’s comes with a no move clause and Liljegren has a no trade clause on his. Odelein and Ruusu refused extensions and I bought out Matt Dumba’s $7.0M contract that had two years left. He struggled in the regular season and had a decent playoffs. A.J. Aubry will be more than ready to take his spot on the top 6 next year. Carlson was a plus-33 this year so I decided yet again to not move him at the draft. I signed Burakovsky to a 4yr/$16.0M dollar contract with a no trade clause. I released most of my AHL veterans to sign some fresher vets to help develop the prospects. Oh yeah, we were one point shy of the presidents trophy which was an owner goal. I still have 2 years left with Seattle on my contract, unless another deep playoff run happens, the likelihood of me renewing there will be small.

kinger8998 · Jan 1, 2018

scrapping rangers GM ruined it with dahlin trade, very unrealistic and i was just waiting for someone else to point that out before i restarted...

Jadenb · Jan 2, 2018

Year 10:

41-32-8, awful. Knocked out on 6 in round 1 by the Jets. You’d think with the lines below we’d go further.

{M.Rantanen (89) A.Wennberg (88) R.Hoffman (94)}

{A.Burakovsky (82) N.Hordichuk (87) V.Arvidsson (83)}

{L.Beaupre (82) C.Glass (82) B.Howden (80)}

{S.Milano (81) W.Jenks (80) K.Tunney (77)}

{B.Skjei (89) J.Carlson (84)}

{T.Furchner (87) T.Liljegren (82)}

{A.Malkin (80) A.Aubry (80)}

{J.Korpisalo (88) H.Foster (81)}

I feel my time has dwindled down in Seattle, no guarantees but it is a contract year and the team is looking dull. Carlson retired which was very bad. At least I got my concessions to level 5! I drafted a franchise goalie this year (there were 10 in the 1st round) 17th overall. I made a 5 player trade with Montreal here it is:
SEATTLE AQUIRES
*Nikita Scherback RW (85)
*Phillipe Myers D (80)
*Nick Kerdiles RW (79)
*2028 MTL 5th

MONTREAL AQUIRES
*R.Clarke D (68) “MED Top 4 D”
*S.Turris C (66) “LOW Top 6 F”
*SEA 2028 2nd
*SEA 2028 3rd

I released Arvidsson and Milano. Hordichuk got 3 more years. He wanted 12 million for 5+ so I said screw that. I want to go to three teams primarily if I don’t re-sign with Seattle, Boston, Washington or Detroit. Maybe Toronto but we’ll see. Pacific is off limits to me and a good team like Dallas would be the only team to persuade me central. I am Canadian so at some point I want to come to Canada and manage a Canadian team. 10 years in and Vegas hasn’t had a .500 season yet never mind playoffs. Relocation down the road for them?

Jadenb · Jan 3, 2018

The decision has come.

Earlier today in a Press Conference, Seattle GM announced he wouldn’t be returning next year.

“I just needed...uh...a change of scenery. I...uh...think complacency had set in and...uh...a new team would help with that.” Was simply all he said

The team he will be joining is the historic Boston Bruins in the Atlantic division.

Notable players

*Cam Horton LW (89) “MED Elite”
*Alex Tuch RW (85) “EXACT Top 6 F”
*Par Orszagh D (85) “EXACT Elite”

Jadenb · Jan 4, 2018

Boston Bruins 2029-2030 season opening lines:

{C.Horton (89) V.Tarathukin (85) A.Tuch (85)}

{R.Lintner (83) K.Webster (82) G.Bergevin (83)}

{E.Svechnikov (80) E.Willsie (81) L.Palin (81)}

{D.Jass (78) J.Hawryluk (79) N.Corazzini (79}

{P.Orszagh (85) E.Reich (82)}

{R.Wilson (83) B.Carlo (82)}

{A.Vitale (78) M.Hedstrom (78)}

{S.Guerra (81) S.Supis (76)}

Ed Willsie was the 2028 1st overall pick. I had to sign a depth defenseman to a 1 year 21M dollar contract. It’s a little unrealistic but it’s going to be only this year. I guarantee a playoff run in the next three years. The core of Cam Horton, Peter Orszagh and Ed Willsie is really flashy, we just need pieces to fill some role positions. Cam Horton is a nice 1st line power forward that can kill and play on the power play. We are 2-3-1 after 6 games with that lineup. Guerra isn’t bad actually. He is listed as a MED Starter. We shouldn’t be in the basement this year but likely far from a playoff berth.

Jadenb · Jan 5, 2018

Trashing the Sasquatch bruins gm mode. Starting a new one with a deeper log.

tezgm99 · Jan 15, 2018

Bought it over Christmas and finally decided to fire it up over the weekend...boy is it different to NHL 15 on the PS3 :laugh:

Created the Montana Storm, and, after going through the draft (we picked 5th and went with Yamamoto, Vancouver won the lottery) and free agency, our opening day roster was:
P. Berglund - N. Bonino - J. Jagr
M. Grabner - C. Tierney - E. Dadanov
J. Zucker - B. Richardson - T. Ennis
S. Matthias - M. Kruger - A. Shaw

A. Martinez - S. Vatanen
M. Ekholm - K. Shattenkirk
P. Wiercioch - S. Johns

J. Halak
M. Subban

We went 6-1-0 in preseason which was a shock and started the year off in similar fashion. Alas, injuries and the other teams seem to have figured us out and we're a couple days before the trade deadline with a 23-27-11 record. I'm probably going to look at moving Jagr (who is nearly a point-per-game beast so far) and maybe Martinez...see if we can get some decent returns and drop into a top 5 pick (we'd currently be selecting 7th).

Edit 1: Got my record wrong...and I made the trades mentioned above:
to SJS - J. Jagr
to MTA - 2nd (2018 from CGY), Noah Rod (21 y.o. C GRN, low bottom 6 potential, 70 overall)

to WSH - A. Martinez
to MTA - L. Johansen (20 y.o. TWD, med top 4 potential, 61 overall), T. Chorney (30 y.o. TWD)

Will update again after the season is done so there may be a 'edit 2' if this is still the latest post in the thread.

Edit 2: finished up with a 33-37-12 record so we should have had the 6th pick...but the Islanders jumped up to nab the 1st overall, ahh well.

sandviper · Jan 20, 2018

Created the Markham Wizards and put myself in the Central just to make it even number of teams. Finished dead last first 3 years by intentionally playing a 70OVA goalie. Made a LOT of UFA signings and trading at TDL for picks and by year 4 managed to still miss the playoffs, but now finished 21st instead of #32.

Won a cup in year 5 with this line-up.

Rychel (87, CPU generated) - Hischier (90) - Galchenyuk (89)
Karlsson (83, CPU) - R. Thomas (88) - Boeser (85)
Mueller (80, CPU) - Athanasiou (83) - Pasquale (83, CPU)
Lehkonen (79) - Danault (81) - Chytil (80)

Sergachev (89) - Dahlin (89)
Manson (83) - Liljegren (85)
Domi (78, CPU) - E. Bouchard (80)

Hart (87)

Thomas I snagged with a mid-2nd pick as well as Liljegren. Rychel was a low elite I got in the 7th round, so that was awesome. Starting year-6 and right at the cap with Hischier on his last year. May move Galchenyuk and his $9m cap hit. Got a high elite CPU generated RW I drafted who was already rated 79 on draft day.

Biggest obstacle for me this season is gonna be Dallas. They have McDavid (97) and Benn (91) on line one, Seguin (90) centering the second with Necas (89). They have Heiskanen (90), Brannstrom (88) and Burns (88) on D, and a 92-rated Korpisalo, who I ironically took in the expansion draft but flipped for Dallas’ first round pick. FML.

kinger8998 · Jan 20, 2018

Recap of Regular Season:

~ 48-25-9, 2nd Metro
~ Rangers sign twin Lundqvist; Joel
~ Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil made team. Former stuck for whole season, latter returned to AHL
~ Kevin Hayes leading scorer (82 GP, 22G-41A-63P); signed 8 year, $4.850M AAV extension
~ Brady Skjei signed 2 year, $5.500M AAV contract extension
~ Rick Nash scores 33 goals
~ Rangers send McDonagh, 2nd in '18 to Avs for Landeskog, Bigras and a 1st in '18
~ Rangers send Kreider, Bigras, 1st to Oilers for Yammamoto, Strome and a 2nd ('18)
~ Rangers send Jimmy Vesey and a 3rd '18 to Vegas for Luca Sbisa, Jason Garrison
~ Rangers trade Micahel Grabner to Preds' for Michael Cammalleri and a 4th '18.

New York Rangers Franchise Mode

2018 NHL Playoffs and 2018 Offseason

2018 NHL Playoffs

The New York Rangers head into the Playoffs as slight favorites over the Capitals to win this 1st Round Series. That edge is probably due to Henrik Lundqvist as the Capitals seem to have superior defensive and offensive depth. The key for the Rangers is shutting down Alex Ovechkin, who had almost as many goals (58) as the Rangers leading scorer had points (63).

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Nash 83 | Zibanejad 85 | Buchnevich 84
Landeskog 85 | Hayes 82 | Zuccarello 85
Miller 84 | Cammalleri 81 | Strome 81
Andersson 76 | Lundqvist 77 | Fast 79
Desharnais 77 | Erne 75
Skjei 85 | Sbisa 80
Garrison 81 | Shattenkirk 85
Staal 80 | Smith 82
Sproul 77

Lundqvist 90
Paveelc 79

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	5-2 WSH	Shattenkirk (1), Skjei (1)	Lundqvist (.833 SV%)(5.00 GAA)	Couldn't contain Ovi...
2	1-0 WSH (OT)		Lundqvist (.961 SV%)(0.98 GAA)	Capitals depth outlasts Rangers... Offensive changes
3	2-1 WSH	Zuccarello (1)	Lundqvist (.920 SV%)(2.04 GAA)	Rangers on brink of elimination.
4	2-1 NYR	Miller (1), Hayes (1)	Lundqvist (.970 SV%)(1.00 GAA)	Rangers hold off the Caps
5	2-1 NYR (OT)	Cammalleri (1), Shattenkirk (2)	Lundqvist (.970 SV%)(0.94 GAA)	What an incredible game, back and forth action
6	3-1 NYR	Zibanejad (1,2), Miller (2)	Lundqvist (.964 SV%)(1.00 GAA)	You cannot make this up folks, Rangers have come back from down 3-0 to force a Game 7.
7	2-1 NYR	Zuccarello (2), Zibanejad (3)	Lundqvist (.969 SV%)(1.00 GAA)	RANGERS WIN IN!!!! THEY'VE COME BACK FROM DOWN 3-0 TO WIN THE SERIES!

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Series Recap
Shocking the hockey world, the Rangers erased a 3-0 series deficit to win their 1st Round Series against the Caps. After being blown out in Game 1, the Rangers really locked down the fort, giving up just 7 goals over the next 6 games in a suffocating series win. Lundqvist and Holtby dueled it out and the better goalie ended up winning in this one, carrying the Rangers and their ragtag group to the 2nd Round.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Kevin Shattenkirk	7	2	2	4	+4	2
Mats Zuccarello	7	2	2	4	+6	0
J.T Miller	7	2	2	4	+1	2
Michael Cammalleri	7	1	3	4	+6	2
Mika Zibanejad	7	3	0	3	+4	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	4-3	.941	1.83	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Just as equally shocking as the Rangers 1st Round victory, is perhaps the Panthers. They upset the division leading Blue Jackets to move on. Although the Rangers dominated the Panthers en route to a 2-0-1 record in the Season Series, they cannot be taken lightly due to their own veteran defying age in nets, Roberto Luongo, and well as Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau.

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Cammalleri 81 | Zibanejad 85 | Zuccarello 85
Nash 83 | Hayes 82 | Buchnevich 84

Landeskog 85 | Miller 84 | Strome 81
Andersson 76 | Lundqvist 77 | Fast 79
Desharnais 77 | Erne 75
Skjei 87 | Sbisa 80
Garrison 81 | Shattenkirk 85
Staal 80 | Smith 82
Sproul 77

Lundqvist 90
Pavelec 79

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	5-3 NYR	Hayes (2), Fast (1), Zibanejad (4), Skjei (2), Strome (1)	Lundqvist (.875 SV%)(3.00 GAA)	Offensive breakout compared to last series
2	4-3 NYR (2OT)	Fast (2), Miller (3), Zuccarello (3,4)	Lundqvist (.933 SV%)(2.18 GAA)	Defensive changes made, offense stays same.
3	4-1 FLA	Buchnevich (1)	Lundqvist (.871 SV%)(4.00 GAA)	Further defensive tinkering.
4	3-2 FLA	Nash (1), Zibanejad (5)	Lundqvist (.889 SV%)(3.04 GAA)	Lundqvist is struggling.
5	2-0 FLA		Lundqvist (.962 SV%)(1.00 GAA)	Rangers in trouble, lineup changes made.
6	2-1 NYR	Shattenkirk (3), Smith (1)	Lundqvist (.956 SV%)(1.00 GAA)	Rangers force Game 7 for second straight series...
7	3-0 NYR	Landeskog (1,2), Strome (2)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)(0.00 GAA)	Trade Deadline pieces come up big and the King of Game 7's does it again. Rangers are moving on!!!

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Series Recap
The Rangers were hot and cold in this series. After starting 0ut strong, they fizzled and then came back around to win the series. Henrik Lundqvist struggled mightily but came up big in the Game 7, where he does his best work. Trade Deadline acquisitions made their worth known when they scored all three goals in Game 7 to propel the New York Rangers to the Conference Finals for the 4th time in 7 years.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Mats Zuccarello	14	4	7	11	+5	2
Kevin Shattenkirk	14	3	6	9	+8	2
Mika Zibanejad	14	5	3	8	+2	8
Gabriel Landeskog	14	2	6	8	+6	4
Michale Cammalleri	14	1	6	7	+7	4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	8-6	.933	1.94	1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	1-0 NYR	Zuccarello (5)	Lundqvist (1.000 SV%)(0.00 GAA)	Landeskog injured out 1 wk.
2	2-1 MTL	DeAngelo (1)	Lundqvist (.900 SV%)(2.04 GAA)	Rangers offense is back into recession, although Landeskog comes back early for next game
3	3-1 MTL	Miller (4)	Lundqvist (.929 SV%)(3.06 GAA)	Offensive and defensive changes as Rangers get outshot 42-19.
4	4-2 NYR	Zuccarello (6), Hayes (3), Nash (2), Miller (5)	Lundqvist (.928 SV%)(2.00 GAA)	Hayes injured, out 1-2 wks.
5	3-2 NYR (OT)	Buchnevich (2), Zuccarello (7), Shattenkirk (4)	Lundqvist (.954 SV%)(1.61 GAA)	Andersson, who had taken over for Hayes, injured out for a month. Chytil recalled. Cap reasons forced Rangers to send DeAngelo down, Sbisa draws back into lineup.
6	3-2 NYR	Buchnevich (3), Lundqvist (1), Zibanejad (6)	Lundqvist (.923 SV%)(2.00 GAA)	RANGERS ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP FINALS!!!
//	///	/////	////	/////

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Series Recap
The Rangers are heading to the Stanley Cup Finals. Despite having been depleted by injuries to Landeskog, Hayes and Andersson this series, the Rangers found a way to pull through and advance past the Canadiens after a hard fought 6 game series. Henrik Lundqvist found his stride once again for the Rangers after a rough series against the Panthers, but the real hero in this series was Mats Zuccarello who had 3 goals, including 2 game winners.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Mats Zuccarello	20	7	8	15	+7	2
Mika Zibanejad	20	6	7	13	+3	14
Kevin Shattenkirk	20	4	9	13	+9	2
J.T Miller	20	5	6	11	0	14
Michael Cammalleri	20	1	9	10	+7	6

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	12-8	.936	1.89	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

This is it. The Rangers return to the Cup Finals trying to win the first Cup of Henrik Lundqvist's career. Against an inexperienced Jets team that wasn't expected to make it this far, it could be their best chance. Possibly the surprise of the 2018 Playoffs for the Rangers has been Michael Cammalleri. When the Rangers acquired him at the deadline, they expected him to be a depth rental piece, but after posting 14 points in 18 games during the regular season, and now 10 in 20 in the Playoffs, he could be worth a new contract. In order for the Rangers to cap off this incredible run with a Stanley Cup Championship, they'll need continued contributions from Cammalleri - and his future with the Rangers, if any, will depend on it.

Playoffs Lineup
LW | C | RW
Nash 83 | Zibanejad 85 | Buchnevich 84
Landeskog 85 | Cammalleri 81 | Zuccarello 85
Miller 84 | Chytil 76 | Strome 81
Desharnais 77 | Lundqvist 77 | Fast 79
Hayes 82*| Andersson 76*
Garrison 81 | Shattenkirk 85
Skjei 87 | Sbisa 80
Staal 80 | Smith 82
Sproul 78

Lundqvist 90
Pavelec 79

* - injured

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1	4-1 WPG	Landeskog (3)	Lundqvist (.900 SV%)(3.01 GAA)	Third period collapse leads to 4 unanswered goals by Jets. Zuccarello inj. Sproul takes vacant F spot.
2	2-1 WPG (OT)	Cammalleri (2)	Lundqvist (.948 SV%)(1.74 GAA)	Kevin Hayes is ready to play next game.
3	4-2 NYR	Landeskog (4), Fast (3), Zibanejad (7), Desharnais (1)	Lundqvist (.928 SV%)(2.00 GAA)	Mats Zuccarello returns ahead of Game 4.
4	3-1 WPG	Skjei (3)	Lundqvist (.938 SV%)(2.01 GAA)	Rangers on verge of elimination. Lineup in entirety is changed.
5	2-0 WPG		Lundqvist (.909 SV%)(2.00 GAA)	Rangers lose in Stanley Cup Finals.
/	//	/////	///	////
/	//	/////	///	////

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Playoffs Recap
In agonizing fashion, the Rangers have lost the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals to the Winnipeg Jets. Henrik Lundqvist did all he could, consistently getting peppered with 30+ shots a game, but the offense was streaky and the defense was unable to lock down the fort. On to the 2018 Offseason.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Mats Zuccarello	23	7	8	15	+7	2
Kevin Shattenkirk	25	4	11	15	+8	2
Mika Zibanejad	25	7	7	14	-2	14
J.T Miller	25	5	7	12	+1	18
Michael Cammalleri	25	2	9	11	+5	6
Gabriel Landeskog	24	4	6	10	+2	16
Brady Skjei	25	3	5	8	-3	22
Kevin Hayes	21	3	4	7	-5	12
Pavel Buchnevich	25	3	4	7	-8	2
Rick Nash	25	2	4	6	-3	4
David Desharnais	15	1	4	5	0	2
Jesper Fast	25	3	1	4	-3	0
Ryan Strome	25	2	2	4	+1	0
Anthony DeAngelo	6	1	2	3	+4	0
Lias Andersson	19	0	3	3	0	4
Brendan Smith	25	1	1	2	-4	10
Jason Garrison	23	0	2	2	+3	12
Joel Lundqvist	17	1	0	1	-3	0
Filip Chytil	5	0	1	1	0	2
Luca Sbisa	18	0	1	1	-5	10
Marc Staal	23	0	1	1	-5	8
Ryan Sproul	6	0	0	0	-2	10

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	13-12	.936	1.91	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

NHL Awards and Retirees

No Rangers won awards at the 2018 NHL Awards.

Retiree (Team)	Age	Stats
Jarome Iginla (Canadiens)	40	1636 GP 636 G 698 A 1334 P
Matt Cullen (Blues)	41	1425 GP 259 G 448 A 707 P
Brian Gionta (Penguins)	39	1006 GP 289 G 299 A 588 P
Kevin Bieksa (Ducks)	37	831 GP 66 G 212 A 278 P
Jason Chimera (Canadiens)	39	1115 GP 192 G 235 A 427 P
Michal Rosival (Blackhawks)	39	1027 GP 69 G 247 A 316 P
Ron Hainsey (Maple Leafs)	37	929 GP 50 G 204 A 254 P

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2018 NHL Awards

The TRADECENTRE broadcast team:
Host: James Duthie
Trade Breaker Desk: Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Gord Miller
Instant Analysis Panel: Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Dave Poulin, Martin Biron, Pierre McGuire
Trade Bait: Craig Button
Deadline Panel: Jamie McLennan, Aaron Ward
Also: Frank Seravalli

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duthie: Well here we are at the 2018 NHL Draft. What we know now is the NHL Draft Lottery was conducted this past week and here is the order:

Pick	Team
1	Pittsburgh Penguins
2	Vegas Golden Knights
3	Vancouver Canucks
4	Buffalo Sabres
5	Philadelphia Flyers
6	New Jersey Devils
7	Colorado Avalanche (via Ottawa Senators)
8	Toronto Maple Leafs
9	Minnesota Wild
10	Carolina Hurricanes
11	Arizona Coyotes
12	Nashville Predators
13	New York Rangers (via Colorado Avalanche)
14	New York Islanders (via Calgary Flames)
15	New York Islanders

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Duthie (cont.): Now we take you to Frank Seravalli.

Seravalli: Thanks James. You know it's quite incredible how a team with both Crosby and Malkin can have the 1st Overall Pick, but that's the world were in right now. Rumor has it that pick could be in play for a deal that blows the Penguins out of the water, but with Rasmus Dahlin on the line I'm not sure anything is enough. The Rangers, who just lost in the Stanley Cup Finals also have a lottery pick, 13th Overall, as well as their own at 30th. It will be interesting to see if they move one of those for help. But enough on Trade Speculation from me, let's take you to the Trade Breakers Desk for insider info.

McKenzie: From what I'm hearing, the Rangers are going to be one of the more active teams at the Draft, really wanting to finish the revamping of their defense that they kind of started last Deadline. They seem to be shopping RFA Ryan Strome who apparently has a hefty asking price coming off a below average season.

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers Trade Smith to Canadiens for 2 prospects, pick.
2018 NHL Entry Draft

To NYR To MTL
Charles Hudon Brendan Smith
Michael McCarron Peter Holland
5th '18 (LAK)
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Dreger: Sorry to interrupt Bob but I've got a deal to announce. The Rangers have offloaded Brendan Smith, and his contract that GM Brant King inherited from his predecessor, to the Canadiens along with Peter Holland for prospects Charles Hudon, Micahel McCarron and a late round pick in this years draft.
The Rangers like the ying/yang these prospects bring as Hudon (78 OVR, 24 years old, Low Top 6F) is faster and smaller who plays a skill game, while McCarron (76 OVR, 23 years old, Med Top 9F) brings a physical presence. The Rangers also like that Hudon has 1 year left on his deal at a reasonable $0.650M, while McCarron will be cost-controlled this offseason.
Since the Canadiens have just one legitimate top pairing D in Weber, they need to go defense by committee so this deal works for them, while also alleviating cap space for the Rangers. Win-win Trade here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Button: Well here we are at the end of the First Round. The Penguins selected Ramus Dahlin 1st overall. The Rangers decided to Draft for need with the 13th overall pick selecting dman Nicolas Beaudin (57 OVR, 18 years old, High Top 6D) when they had better forwards on the board. But with their 30th overall pick they selected Swiss forward Nando Eggenberger (51 OVR, 18 years old, Med Top 6F) who might be a riser when we check back in a few years.

Round	Pick	Player	OVR	Age	Potential	Position	Player Type	Thoughts
1	13	Nicolas Beaudin	57	18	High Top 6D	D	Offensive D	Reach at #13 but still good prospect
1	30	Nando Eggenberger	51	18	Med Top 6F	LW	2 way F	Good pick late in round one. Excellent find.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Duthie: Anyways folks that's it for us here at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, see you at the Trade Deadline.

Resign Phase

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers buyout Marc Staal, continue defensive turnover.
June 25th, 2018
The New York Rangers have bought out defenseman Marc Staal, freeing upwards of $3.000M in cap space. This move also leave Brady Skjei and Kevin Shattenkirk as the only defesnemen left from the Opening Night roster last season.

The Rangers now head into the Re-sign Phase with approximately $18.000M in Cap Space. They have multiple RFA's to resign including J.T Miller, Ryan Strome and Anthony DeAngelo. That is on top of their UFA's Rick Nash, Michael Cammalleri, Jason Garrison, Luca Sbisa and David Desharnais.

Player	OVR	Age	Potential	Position	Player Type	Stats	Years/AAV	Thoughts
Rick Nash	83	34	N/A	LW/RW	Power Forward	82 GP 33G-17A-50P +10 ... 38 PIM	2/$4.750M	The Rangers have a vacant captain spot and there is a very good chance Nash gets it. Also returned to 30-goal form last season.
J.T Miller	84	25	Med Top 6F	LW/C/RW	2 way F	82 GP 25G-23A-48P +11 ... 45 PIM	3/$5.000M	Young piece of the "new core". Great to buy 1 UFA year, and getting a 25 goal guy fro $5.000M is a great idea anytime.
Ryan Strome	81	24	Med Top 6F	C/RW	Playmaker	81 GP 8G-28A-36P 0 ... 4 PIM	2/$4.000M	This deaql probably marks Stromes last chance to legitimately give himself an opportunity to crack the Rangers Top 6F group. If not he will likely be traded by end of deal. Rangers can't afford to pay strictly a 3rd liner $4M.
Anthony DeAngelo	80	22	Med Top 4D	D	Offensive D	43 GP 1G-8A-9P +6 ... 4 PIM (NHL) ---------------- 13 GP 3G-6A-9P +5 ... 0 PIM (AHL)	3/$3.750M	Massive risk here by GM Brant King. A largely unknown quantity in Tony DeAngelo, who has just 82 NHL games to his name is now being paid almost $4.000M. There must be an expectation that DeAngelo is going to have a massive jump this upcoming season or else this deal will be the first true bad one of GM Brant King's tenure.
Luca Sbisa	80	28	N/A	D	Defensive D	71 GP 4G-4A-8P +12 ... 23 PIM	3/$2.950M	Struggled in Playoff's although made a good enough impression during Reg. Season to get new deal. Good 3rd pair guy to have, and can even jump up into Top 4 group.
Ryan Sproul	78	25	High Top 6D	D	2 way D	37 GP 1G-4A-5P +1 ... 6 PIM (NHL) ---------------- 42 GP 2G-8A-10P +10 ... 16 PIM (AHL)	3/$1.750M	This salary signifies the Rangers are banking on Sproul to make the jump next season to full time NHL duties. Yet another major risk as Sprouls only played 65 games at the NHL level to this point. Rangers are going young and skilled on the backend, so they better hope it pays off with deals like this one and DeAngelo's...
Adam Erne	76	23	Low Top 6F	LW	Power Forward	24 GP 2G-3A-5P -4 ... 9 PIM (NHL) ---------------- 40 GP 8G-15A-23P -11 ... 16 PIM (AHL)	1/$0.975M	Rangers are giving Erne one shot to make the NHL roster. He will be in quite the battle come training camp, and if he doesn't make it he will likely be Trade Bait.
Michael McCarron	76	23	Med Top 9F	RW/C	Power Forward	62 GP 12G-21A-33P -8 ... 48 PIM (AHL)	2/$0.975M	Recent Trade Acquisition Michael McCarron re-signs on the cheap. Big forward will likely have a shot at 4th line job in both years, but may not make it until second year of this deal. Former 1st rounder has time left to develop.
Boo Nieves	76	24	High Bottom 6F	C	Playmaker	82 GP 19G-47A-66P +13 ... 9 PIM (AHL)	2/$0.900M	Young Rangers draft pick has very good shot to be depth forward this season after breakout AHL campaign last year. Rangers are very high on this guy being a contributor in the years to come.
Marec Mazanec	76	26	Med Backup	G	Hybrid	69 GP 41-19-6 .917 SV% 2.25 GAA 5 SO (AHL)	2/$0.900M	Most likely backup candidate after Pavelec walks from Rangers. Good cap friendly deal. Cheap for a backup.
Ryan Graves	75	23	Med Top 6D	D	Defensive D	80 GP 10G-14A-24P +10 .. 51 PIM (AHL)	3/$0.850M	Rangers really like this guys heavy shot. Graves can shoot a puck and NYR lack a heavy shot from the point. Rangers will likely head to FA to round of defense for next season but in 2 years time, Graves could be huge contributor.
Calle Sjalin	62	18	Low Top 4D	D	2 way D	N/A	3/$0.900M	ELC. Could turn out to be one of the steals of 2017 draft. Keep an eye of his development.
Nicolas Beaudin	57	18	High Top 6D	D	Offensive D	N/A	3/$0.900M	ELC. 2018 13th overall pick is now one of Rangers most important prospects. Taken too high for sure, but still has considerable potential.
Nando Eggenberger	51	18	Med Top 6F	LW	2 way F	N/A	3/$0.900M	ELC. Late 1st rounder this year has a long ways to go before making NHL, but Rangers are invested in him. Player to watch for sure.

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The Rangers also signed the following players:
- Daniel Catenacci (F)
- Ty Ronning (F)
- Adam Tambellini (F)
- John Gilmour (D)
- Tarmo Reunanen (D)

The Rangers allowed the following players to walk:
- Michael Cammalleri; mutual interest, just couldn't agree on price
- Ondrej Pavelec; wanted more playing time
- Jason Garrison; out of price range
- Joel Lundqvist; wanted to test market

Free Agency

The TRADECENTRE broadcast team:
Host: James Duthie
Trade Breaker Desk: Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Gord Miller
Instant Analysis Panel: Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Dave Poulin, Martin Biron, Pierre McGuire
Trade Bait: Craig Button
Deadline Panel: Jamie McLennan, Aaron Ward
Contributor: Frank Seravalli

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Duthie: Today is the day. Free Agent Frenzy 2018 commences now. What are we looking at here guys?

Button: Well we've got a relatively weak Free Agent pool this season. Thomas Vanek is your #1, and you've got a massive pool of teams chasing him. That pool includes the Devils, Knights, Rangers, Bruins and more. Second on our list is Evander Kane. Now why would a 26 year old be ranked behind a 34 year old? Vanek is looking for a 1-year deal, and teams are salivating over it. That's why there is so much interest in him. On defense we've got Jack Johnson as our top guy, in what is a disappointing Class of D for potentiel suitors. Teams like the Rangers, who were going to upgrade their defenseman via FA, have been left out in the open searching for trades.

McLennan: In nets the top of the crop is Jaroslav Halak, so not a good year for teams wanting a goaltender. After that comes guys like Hutchinson and Pavelec, backups young and old. This is just a plain below average year for Free Agency.

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McKenzie: Well here come the first signings trickling in. We've got two players coming off Stanley Cup Finals runs with the Rangers signing deals. Michael Cammalleri has signed on with Toronto and Jason Garrison has reached an agreement with the San Jose Sharks. Both those players were major contributors in the Playoffs for the Rangers, which definitely helped them get these deals.

Dreger: 2 more here. We've got Thomas Hickey signing the longest deal so far of the 2018 Free Agent Frenzy, inking a 4 year pact with the Carolina Hurricanes. More on that later.
And in other news we've got Uncle Leo, who has been replaced in Toronto by Cammalleri, signing with the Dallas Stars. Komarovs deal is for 3 years, which is quite the term for this year.

Miller: Jack Johnson has reportedly signed a 2-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. This is great news for the Knights who have inked the top Free Agent defender. This should greatly improve their shoddy defense and help them rise of out the basement of the NHL.
Also, the Coytotes, who haven't been happy with the goaltending of Antti Raanta, have signed Jaroslav Halak to probably compete in some sort of timeshare. Still not a viable solution for a team who wants to start making Playoff pushes though.

LeBrun: And here we have 3 of the biggest signings this offseason. We have Evander Kane, finally heading home to Vancouver where he's been linked to so many times before. The Canucks allowed Vanek to walk in order to make this signing happen. More on Vanek in a bit.
Speaking of returns home, we have Paul Statsny, after a 3 year hiatus in St. Louis has signed back on with the Colorado Avalanche, where he was drafted and began his career.
And Thomas Vanek, the biggest Free Agent of the season has officially signed with the New York Rangers. Just a 1-year deal, the Rangers were in big because of that term. I'll let the Analysts talk more about why but im hearing its around the $5.000M mark. After the Rangers seen there were real upgrades short term over what they had on defense they decided to bolster their offense.

Player	OVR	Age	Potential	Position	Player Type	Stats	Years/AAV
Thomas Vanek	84	34	N/A	LW	Sniper	80 GP 26G-33A-59P +14 ... 16 PIM	1/$4.850M

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Ferraro: Thomas Vanek once had that massive deal from the Islanders, and since then has just gone downhill. But here he is, the most highly coveted Free Agent of the year, yet again. Now he signs with a true Stanley Cup Contender who's offense went silent last year. This seems like a match made in heaven. Vanek could be juts what the Rangers needed. He can score, to the tune of 26 goals and can help a PP unit that really stuggled last season for the Rangers. The Rangers can look for defensive help on the Trade Market but they were never going to get a guy of Vaneks nature for nothing on the Trade Market. Great signing.

Biron: I know Halak isn't what he used to be, but I really like that signing for the Coyotes. A tandem of Raanta and Halak could definitely allow them to atleast make somewhat of a push. Neither of them is going to get them there alone but the two of them could shock the hockey world.

O'Neill: You know, Thomas Hickey is a very underrated guy. This Free Agent period his name finally became a known commodity. After signing the longest deal of this Free Agency, his contract and play will be under immense scrutiny for the Hurricanes. Although, I'm not so sure Carolina is the best place to be for a defenseman under this type of pressure. The Hurricanes defense is already packed with young up and comers so Hickey is going to be somewhat of a veteran mentor for them. It could be too much spotlight for a guy to handle who is just coming under it for the first time.

McGuire: Statsny has returned to Colorado. And he knows he probably shouldn't have left those 3 years ago because that massive contract got to him. Now, with a 3 year deal for a much more reasonable price in Colorado, he can probably succeed like he once did.
And Evander Kane, the ever scrutinized forward has gone home. Maybe he can finally sort out his off ice issues in Vancouver. His on-ice product was never in question, so maybe this is like a new beginning for a guy who has been through so many self inflicted wounds.

Next Post: 2018-2019 NHL Season

kinger8998 · Jan 21, 2018

New York Rangers Franchise Mode

2018-2019 NHL Season

Preseason

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers name leadership core, featuring Rick Nash as Captain.
Sept. 18th, 2018
With 2/3 of last years letters gone, the Rangers had to form a new leadership core for the 2018/2019 season. Veteran Rick Nash has been named team captain, while the diminutive Mats Zuccarello has gotten an 'A'. Former captain of the Colorado Avalanche, Gabreil Landeskog, has also received an 'A' for the upcoming season.

The New York Rangers situation is set in goal with Henrik Lundqvist, coming off a runner-up Vezina season, as the starter and Marek Mazanec as the backup. But, for the preseason the Rangers have called up Aleksandar Georgijev to give him some NHL action.

Locks: Brady Skjei, Kevin Shattenkirk, Tony DeAngelo, Luca Sbisa, Ryan Sproul.
Competing for 6th&7th D spots: Alexei Bereglazov, Ryan Graves, Steven Kampfer.
Just one of those 3 will be cut. Graves probably has an inside track due to his booming shot and prospect status.

Locks: Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Gabriel Landeskog, Mats Zuccarello, J.T Miller, Thomas Vanek, Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Strome, Lias Andersson.
Competing for 11th,12th,13th&possible 14th: Charles Hudon, Jesper Fast, Filip Chytil, Kailer Yamamoto, Michael McCarron, David Desharnais, Adam Erne, Boo Nieves, Vinni Lettieri
Very clearly there is a logjam up front for the Rangers. With 9 players competing for 3-4 spots there is something that has to give. Boo Nieves and Vinni Lettieri will likely be returned to Hartford unless they shock everyone. Adam Erne is really an unknown at this point because of his inconsistency. Michael McCarron and Charles Hudon will likely make the roster just due to the fact that they were acquisitions in the Smith deal. That leaves Filip Chytl and Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto is a long shot, but Chytil is a real candidate. That being said, with no Top 9 spots open it probably makes more sense to leave him in Hartford to develop. Jesper Fast and David Desharnais are both holdovers from last season and has inside tracks as roster spots.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Hudon 80 | Hayes 83 | Yamamoto 77
Erne 77 | Andersson 79 | Strome 83
Nieves 76 | Chytil 78 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | McCarron 77 | Fast 79
{Nash 83 | Landeskog 87 | Zuccarello 85}

Graves 76 | DeAngelo 82
Sbisa 80 | Sproul 79
Bereglazov 75 | Kampfer 75

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
1 (PHI)	5-2 NYR	Erne (1), Chytil (1), Lettieri (1), Sproul (1), Fast (1)	Mazanec (.909 SV%)(2.00 GAA)	5 different players score goals in 5-2 win.
2 (PIT)	2-1 NYR	Lettieri (2), Andersson (1)	Georgijev (.962 SV%)(1.00 GAA)	First cuts to be made.

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BREAKING NEWS: Yamamoto made first cut, returned to AHL.
Sept. 21st, 2018
This was inevitable. Yamamoto was never going to play this season for 2 reasons. He has some development left to do and with no Top 9 spots he couldn't do it on the NHL team. Him struggling to start the preseason just cemented the need for him to play in the AHL this season.
Meanwhile, Filip Chytil leads the team in preseason scoring with 1-2-3.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Hudon 80 | Hayes 83 | Strome 83
Erne 77 | Andersson 79 | Zuccarello 85
Nieves 76 | Chytil 78 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | McCarron 77 | Fast 79
{Nash 83 | Landeskog 87}

Graves 76 | DeAngelo 82
Sbisa 80 | Sproul 79
Bereglazov 75 | Kampfer 75

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
3 (NYI)	4-2 NYI	Nieves (1), Strome (1)	Mazanec (.871 SV%)(4.11 GAA)
4 (CBJ)	5-2 CBJ	Chytil (2), Hayes (1)	Georgijev (.881 SV%)(5.00 GAA)	Rough 2 games for Rangers, next cuts approaching.

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BREAKING NEWS: McCarron and Erne given the axe, roster gets closer to being a reality,
Sept. 24th, 2018
Adam Erne could see his time in New York coming to an end. After being beat of for a lineup spot last Playoffs, and now being demoted to the AHL, he is more valuable to the club as a Trade chip. Meanwhile Michael McCarron was expected to make the roster but has now been sent down to Hartford. It is possible he gets called up in the future but for now he'll be a top guy in the AHL.

Filip Chytil continues to make an impression with 5 points (2-3-5) in 4 games.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Miller 84 | Hayes 83 | Strome 83
Vanek 83 | Andersson 79 | Zuccarello 85
Nieves 76 | Chytil 78 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | Hudon 80 | Fast 79
{Nash 83 | Landeskog 87}

Sbisa 80 | DeAngelo 82
Graves 76 | Sproul 79
Bereglazov 75 | Kampfer 75

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
5 (WSH)	2-0 WSH		Georgijev (.923 SV%)(2.04 GAA)	Not a good offensive showing.
6 (NJD)	2-1 NYR (SO)	Lettieri (3)	Mazanec (.974 SV%)(0.92 GAA)	Great game from Mazanec. Penultimate cuts being made.

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BREAKING NEWS: Nieves, Kampfer and Bereglazov cut from roster.
Sept. 28th, 2018
Although tied for the team lead with 5 points (1-4-5), Boo Nieves was sent to AHL Hartford. It was a curious decision but one that was forced by the emergence of Filip Chytil, who is making the decision with him much harder. On defense, Steven Kampfer and Alexei Bereglazov have both been sent down to the AHL to form the first pairing.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Vanek 83 | Hayes 83 | Strome 83
Nash 83 | Chytil 78 | Zuccarello 85
Miller 84 | Hudon 80 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | Andersson 79 | Fast 79
{Buchnevich 87 | Landeskog 87}

Skjei 87 | DeAngelo 82
Graves 76 | Shattenkirk 86
Sbisa 80 | Sproul 79

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game	Score	NYR Goals	Goalie	Thoughts
7 (CAR)	12-4 CAR	Shattenkirk (1), Hayes (1,2), Vanek (1)	Mazanec (.571 SV%)(12.60 GAA) ------------------------------ Georgijev (.654 SV%)(11.81 GAA)	You cannot make this up. Rangers surrender 12 goals to Hurricanes. Complete disaster to end the preseason. Final cuts to be made in coming days.

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BREAKING NEWS: Rangers acquire Justin Braun from Sharks, part with Fast.
Sept. 30th, 2018
As the Rangers grew increasingly unsure about Ryan Graves' ability to handle a full time role, they started surfing the Trade Market. In the end, the took Justin Braun from the Sharks in exchange for prospect Adam Erne, Jesper Fast and a 3rd in '20. The Rangers by no means wanted to part with Fast but were forced to for cap reasons.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats (2017-2018) Years/AAV
Justin Braun 82 31 N/A D Defensive D 82 GP
4G-4A-8P
-3 ... 34 PIM 2/$3.800M
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BREAKING NEWS: Kampfer recalled to be 7th D, Lettieri made final cut.
Oct. 1st, 2018
The Rangers have decided to start Filip Chytil in the NHL again. Although, there may not be a fit as he's on the 4th line and would benefit much more from top line minutes in the AHL. So, with him being waiver exempt, it was a chance worth taking. If Chytil gets sent down, Lettieri will surely be recalled and assume his role on the 4th line.

BREAKING NEWS: Rick Nash sprains MCL, out for a month.
Oct. 6th, 2018
David Desharnais draws into the lineup while Filip Chytil assumes Rick Nash's role.

Record	Home	Away	GFPG	GAPG	PP%	PK%	Divison	Conference	League
25-12-4	11-5-3	14-7-1	2.80 (T-10th)	2.15 (2nd)	18.4% (19th)	80.2% (17th)	2nd	4th	4th

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Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	21-10-3	.926	2.08	2
Marek Mazanec	4-2-1	.925	2.01	1

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Henrik Lundqvist is once again providing the Rangers with Vezina calibre goaltending. The 36 year old netminder is performing at his highest level since the lockout shortened 12/13 season and is on pace for his most games since 2009-2010. His backup, Marek Mazanec has performed admirably in his limited ice time due to the Rangers being deadlocked in a race at the top of the Metro.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Kevin Shattenkirk	41	5	19	24	+12	4
Brady Skjei	41	1	22	23	+12	17
Tony DeAngelo	41	4	11	15	+12	2
Luca Sbisa	38	1	4	5	+12	16
Ryan Sproul	39	1	3	4	+4	6
Justin Braun	41	0	3	3	-3	15
Steven Kampfer	10	1	1	2	+4	2

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Brady Skjei and Kevin Shattenkirk headline a defense which is among the best in the league. Skjei is having a dominant season both offensively and defensively. Tony DeAngelo has seen a major spike in his offensive production which Luca Sbisa is providing the club with stellar defensive play. Ryan Sproul has lived up to his newest contract while Steven Kampfer has been adequate in his cameo performances. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Justin Braun has not been great for them. He must pick up his play heading into the second half or else he could be used as trade bait come Deadline or Draft.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Mika Zibanejad	41	14	18	32	+15	25
Gabreil Landeskog	40	10	19	29	+7	34
Thomas Vanek	41	13	14	27	+11	2
J.T Miller	41	11	14	25	+11	27
Pavel Buchnevich	38	8	15	23	+8	24
Mats Zuccarello	37	7	15	22	+8	0
Rick Nash	30	9	12	21	+8	10
Kevin Hayes	34	10	9	19	+6	12
Filip Chytil	41	4	15	19	0	2
Ryan Strome	38	6	7	13	+6	0
Lias Andersson	41	5	4	9	-5	2
Charles Hudon	41	3	3	6	-3	4
David Desharnais	23	2	4	6	-1	4

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Positives: Mika Zibanejad, Gabriel Landeskog, Filip Chytil, J.T Miller and Thomas Vanek have been incredible. Zib has popped and become a true #1 guy, while Filip Chytil has stepped up admirably when guys above him have been injured. Landeskog is well on his way to posting his highest points total since 13/14. J.T Miller has been a model of consistency while Thomas Vanek has been everything the Rangers wanted after signing him.
Negatives: Just about everyone else. Pavel Buchenvich was expected to take a much bigger step froward than this. Kevin Hayes is nowhere near the level he was at last season. Veterans Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello are both struggling relative to last season. Ryan Strome has been given every opportunity to establish himself but has failed miserably. Lias Andersson, Charles Hudon and David Desharnais have also all been underwhelming on the 4th line.

Vanek 83 | Miller 84 | Strome 83

Chytil 78 | Andersson 79 | Hudon 80

Desharnais 77

Skjei 87 | Sproul 79

Braun 82 | Shattenkirk 86

Sbisa 80 | DeAngelo 82

Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Mazanec 76

Second Half of Season

Trade Deadline

The TRADECENTRE broadcast team:
Host: James Duthie
Trade Breaker Desk: Bob McKenzie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun, and Gord Miller
Instant Analysis Panel: Ray Ferraro, Jeff O’Neill, Dave Poulin, Martin Biron, Pierre McGuire
Trade Bait: Craig Button
Deadline Panel: Jamie McLennan, Aaron Ward
TradeCentre Contributors: Frank Seravalli

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Duthie: Here we are at the 2019 Edition of Tradecentre. This year we expect a flurry of Trades as teams try to position themselves for a Cup run that hasn't been so unknown in long time. The Penguins appear to be favorites but they haven't pulled away and theres a group of teams behind them, including the Rangers, that are just to inconsistent to read. What are we looking at here for action Craig?

Button: Well we have the Rangers trying to be active once again. They aren't happy with the way the way they've come into the Deadline, losing three straight. You've also got the Canadiens, Penguins and the Sharks who are 1-2-3 in the league buying, while teams like the Sabres, Jets and Kings competing for last who should be sellers.

McKenzie: Sorry to interrupt Craig but I've got a deal to announce. The Rangers have dealt Charles Hudon, who was underwhelming during his stint in New York, to the Ottawa Senators for prospect Drake Batherson. The Rangers have a serious cap crunch headed their way and wouldn't be able to afford a raise for Hudon, and they didn't even feel he deserves one.

McGuire: This deal is a smart move by the Rangers, if they don't win the Cup this season they are going to be in a lot of trouble trying to win it next season. But they have to prepare for both possibilities.

Dreger: The Rangers are at it again folks. They have dealt Justin Braun to the Canadiens for Jordie Benn. 1-for-1 swap. We knew the Rangers weren't happy with Braun so this doesn't come as much of a shock.

O'Neill: Also Darren, the Candiens feel this isn't a downgrade and they have as good of a shot to win this year as they do next, so trading a pending UFA for a player with an extra year works good for them. As for the Rangers, they must be very satisfied with this deal because Braun struggled in New York, while they are the opposite of the Candiens. They want to get rid of $$ and term because of the big offseason forthcoming.

LeBrun: And the Rangers have made another deal. This time with the Buffalo Sabres. They have sent Marek Mazanec and a 5th '19 to the Sabres for Michael Hutchinson. Both backups have struggled so far this season. Mazanec started off strong but fizzed out as he played more, and the Rangers felt that with Lundqvists age they needed more stability behind him.

Biron: Oh boy, did the Rangers fleece the Sabres here. Hutchinson struggled in Buffalo because they fail to ice a competent team, while Mazanec struggled in NY because he's just not an NHL goalie. This is just an outright steal by New York.

Duthie: Anyways folks, thanks for watching. That is all the coverage we have for you on the New York Rangers 2019 Deadline. See you at the Draft!

Nash 83 | Hayes 83 | Zuccarello 85

Chytil 78 | Andersson 79 | McCarron 77

Desharnais 77

Skjei 87 | DeAngelo 82

Sbisa 80 | Shattenkirk 86

Benn 82 | Sproul 79

Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Hutchinson 81

BREAKING NEWS: Rangers and Buchnevich agree on big extension.
March 1st, 2019
Pavel Buchnevich hasn't been as good as expected this year, but the Rangers obviously have faith in him. They've signed the young forward to a 3-year extension worth a total of $23.7M. In 61 games so far this year, he has 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points.

Player OVR Age Potential Position Player Type Stats Years/AAV Extension Years/AAV
Pavel Buchnevich 87 23 Med Elite RW Playmaker 61 GP
14G-26A-40P
+12 ... 38 PIM 1/$0.925M 3/$7.900M
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Record	Home	Away	GFPG	GAPG	PP%	PK%	Divison	Conference	League
44-32-6	21-16-4	23-16-3	2.66 (T-19th)	2.49 (6th)	16.9% (24th)	80.9% (T-16th)	3rd	6th	11th

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Goalie	Record	SV%	GAA	SO
Henrik Lundqvist	36-24-5	.922	2.30	4
Micael Hutchinson*	3-3-0	.900	3.01	0

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* - with Rangers

A wasted season of brilliance from Lundqvist. While the team as a whole was just brutal for expectations, with exceptions, Henrik Lundqvist did his thing. But this team is about to waste it again. Michael Hutchinson was sub-par at best in his Rangers post deadline stint.

Player	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
Kevin Shattenkirk	81	7	38	45	+8	6
Brady Skjei	82	4	41	45	+10	41
Tony DeAngelo	75	5	21	26	+19	2
Luca Sbisa	77	2	6	8	+9	41
Ryan Sproul	73	1	7	8	+2	10
Jordie Benn*	18	0	3	3	+5	12
Steven Kampfer	26	1	2	3	-4	4

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* - with Rangers

The Rangers defense was actually quite pleasant. Kevin Shattenkirk had yet another 45 point season, his second in New York, and the Rangers other premier defenseman Brady Skjei had 45 points of his own (career high). Tony DeAngelo had a breakout season in his first full one, and should only get better. Deadline acquisition Jordie Benn settled in very nicely, and Ryan Sproul was exactly what was expected of him. Steven Kampfer got more action that usual, but struggled a bit with that.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Gabreil Landeskog 81 25 30 55 -1 60
Thomas Vanek 82 29 23 52 +24 19
Mika Zibanejad 82 22 29 51 +13 56
Mats Zuccarello 78 13 38 51 +10 7
Pavel Buchnevich 79 16 30 46 +7 46
J.T Miller 82 17 28 45 +8 45
Rick Nash 69 21 18 39 +1 30
Kevin Hayes 75 16 19 35 +6 36
Filip Chytil 82 8 23 31 -1 10
Ryan Strome 79 13 15 28 +6 6
Lias Andersson 82 10 7 17 -9 12
David Desharnais 26 2 4 6 -3 4
Michael McCarron 19 1 2 3 +3 12
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

The forwards can be separated into good, bad and ugly.

The Good: Gabriel Landeskog, Thomas Vanek, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello, Filip Chytil, Michael McCarron, Rick Nash.
The Bad: Pavel Buchnevich, J.T Miller, David Desharnais.
The Ugly: Ryan Strome, Kevin Hayes, Lias Andersson.

Some might question Rick Nash in the good, but over a full season he was looking at 25 goals and 46 points.
Some might question Pavel Buchnevich in the bad but much, much more was expected of him.
The Ugly is all ugly. Lias Andersson had a horrific sophomore slump, and both Ryan Strome and Kevin Hayes could've turned themselves into Cap cuts with their lackluster performances.

19th overall in GFPG is not good enough for a group like this. Changes will likely be made this offseason.

Next Post: 2019 NHL Playoffs and 2019 NHL Offseason

foe84 · Jan 21, 2018

in the middle of season 1 on NHL 18 with rangers. Realized I could trade jesse puljivari 78ovr (elite low) for filip forsberg 86ovr (elite low)...im stuck whether I should go through with trade. I saw something online where puljivari grew to a 92 at 26yrs old. Maybe i can toss zuccarello and 1st or 2nd rd pick.

I did pick up anthony mantha for grabner + late pick: i'll miss grabner's speed but part of getting younger.

tezgm99 · Jan 22, 2018

Alrighty then, since my previous post I have been playing around with the expansion draft and finally figured out that the numbers at the bottom for how many of each position you have picked means absolutely nothing and I screwed myself out of doing what Vegas did with trading for picks during the draft :ha:

In light of my spectacular silliness, the new GM is the man, the myth, the legend himself...John Scott.

Montana Storm: the reboot!

Bettman clearly didn't want a repeat of the whole 'Nashville incident' and Montana had the 3rd overall pick. Going with the old adage of building from the net out, the Storm selected Heiskanen having already taken Korpisalo from the expansion draft. Our other, hopefully, highly anticipated prospects were Suzuki (mid-first round) and Liljegren (early second round).

Young players that we hope will prove to be cornerstone pieces of the franchise going forward include; Brodin, Gaunce, Tierney and Vatanen from the expansion draft and Burakovsky (who we gave up a 2018 2nd round pick to the Capitals for during free agency). Players in their prime and veterans that the youngsters will look to for guidance include; Ekholm, Shattenkirk, Sobotka and Ward from the expansion draft while we picked up Dadanov and Jagr from free agency.

2017/2018 went as expected; poorly. We finished 3rd worst in the league, in front of Carolina and Vancouver. We got bumped to 6th in the lottery and, knowing we really needed a top notch center prospect, traded that and Ekholm to the Ducks for the 2nd overall pick (they acquired that from Colorado) taking Veleno. Our major signing in the offseason was snagging Turris in free agency and we bolstered our bottom 6 and defence with Chiasson and Del Zotto. We also made trades with the Rangers getting Bonino and Vesey.

2018/2019 was going similar...was a bit frustrated at the team not really showing any improvement. At the deadline we made moves for White and Phaneuf from Ottawa. It worked a treat and we won 15 of our last 20 games to vault up the standings and finish outside the bottom 10...progress, hurrah!

Let's see what 2019/2020 brings...

Franchise firsts:

first goal - Vladimir Sobotka, 2017/2018 opening night against Vegas at home in the Thunderdome.
first AHL player award - TBD
first AHL playoff appearance - 2017/2018. The Portland Alpines got knocked out in round 2.
first Calder Cup - TBD
first NHL player award - TBD
first NHL playoff appearance - TBD
first Stanley Cup - TBD

Cygnusx1018 · Jan 25, 2018

kinger8998 said:
New York Rangers Franchise Mode

2018-2019 NHL Season

Preseason

The New York Rangers situation is set in goal with Henrik Lundqvist, coming off a runner-up Vezina season, as the starter and Marek Mazanec as the backup. But, for the preseason the Rangers have called up Aleksandar Georgijev to give him some NHL action.

Locks: Brady Skjei, Kevin Shattenkirk, Tony DeAngelo, Luca Sbisa, Ryan Sproul.
Competing for 6th&7th D spots: Alexei Bereglazov, Ryan Graves, Steven Kampfer.
Just one of those 3 will be cut. Graves probably has an inside track due to his booming shot and prospect status.

Locks: Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Gabriel Landeskog, Mats Zuccarello, J.T Miller, Thomas Vanek, Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Strome, Lias Andersson.
Competing for 11th,12th,13th&possible 14th: Charles Hudon, Jesper Fast, Filip Chytil, Kailer Yamamoto, Michael McCarron, David Desharnais, Adam Erne, Boo Nieves, Vinni Lettieri
Very clearly there is a logjam up front for the Rangers. With 9 players competing for 3-4 spots there is something that has to give. Boo Nieves and Vinni Lettieri will likely be returned to Hartford unless they shock everyone. Adam Erne is really an unknown at this point because of his inconsistency. Michael McCarron and Charles Hudon will likely make the roster just due to the fact that they were acquisitions in the Smith deal. That leaves Filip Chytl and Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto is a long shot, but Chytil is a real candidate. That being said, with no Top 9 spots open it probably makes more sense to leave him in Hartford to develop. Jesper Fast and David Desharnais are both holdovers from last season and has inside tracks as roster spots.

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Hudon 80 | Hayes 83 | Yamamoto 77
Erne 77 | Andersson 79 | Strome 83
Nieves 76 | Chytil 78 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | McCarron 77 | Fast 79
{Nash 83 | Landeskog 87 | Zuccarello 85}

Graves 76 | DeAngelo 82
Sbisa 80 | Sproul 79
Bereglazov 75 | Kampfer 75

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
1 (PHI) 5-2 NYR Erne (1), Chytil (1), Lettieri (1), Sproul (1), Fast (1) Mazanec

(.909 SV%)(2.00 GAA)
5 different players score goals in 5-2

win.
2 (PIT) 2-1 NYR Lettieri (2), Andersson (1) Georgijev

(.962 SV%)(1.00 GAA)
First cuts to be made.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Hudon 80 | Hayes 83 | Strome 83
Erne 77 | Andersson 79 | Zuccarello 85
Nieves 76 | Chytil 78 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | McCarron 77 | Fast 79
{Nash 83 | Landeskog 87}

Graves 76 | DeAngelo 82
Sbisa 80 | Sproul 79
Bereglazov 75 | Kampfer 75

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
3 (NYI) 4-2 NYI Nieves (1), Strome (1) Mazanec
(.871 SV%)(4.11 GAA)
4 (CBJ) 5-2 CBJ Chytil (2), Hayes (1) Georgijev
(.881 SV%)(5.00 GAA) Rough 2 games for Rangers, next cuts approaching.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Miller 84 | Hayes 83 | Strome 83
Vanek 83 | Andersson 79 | Zuccarello 85
Nieves 76 | Chytil 78 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | Hudon 80 | Fast 79
{Nash 83 | Landeskog 87}

Sbisa 80 | DeAngelo 82
Graves 76 | Sproul 79
Bereglazov 75 | Kampfer 75

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
5 (WSH) 2-0 WSH Georgijev

(.923 SV%)(2.04 GAA)
Not a good offensive showing.
6 (NJD) 2-1 NYR

(SO)
Lettieri (3) Mazanec

(.974 SV%)(0.92 GAA)
Great game from Mazanec. Penultimate cuts being made.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Preseason Lineup
LW | C | RW
Vanek 83 | Hayes 83 | Strome 83
Nash 83 | Chytil 78 | Zuccarello 85
Miller 84 | Hudon 80 | Lettieri 76
Desharnais 77 | Andersson 79 | Fast 79
{Buchnevich 87 | Landeskog 87}

Skjei 87 | DeAngelo 82
Graves 76 | Shattenkirk 86
Sbisa 80 | Sproul 79

Mazanec 76
Georgijev 67

Game Score NYR Goals Goalie Thoughts
7 (CAR) 12-4 CAR Shattenkirk (1), Hayes (1,2), Vanek (1) Mazanec

(.571 SV%)(12.60 GAA)
------------------------------
Georgijev
(.654 SV%)(11.81 GAA)
You cannot make this up. Rangers surrender

12 goals to Hurricanes. Complete disaster to
end the preseason. Final cuts to be made in
coming days.
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Opening Night Lineup
LW | C | RW
Vanek 83 | Zibanejad 88 | Buchnevich 87
Landeskog 87 | Strome 83 | Zuccarello 85
Nash 83 | Hayes 83 | Miller 84
Chytil 78 | Andersson 79 | Hudon 80
Desharnais 77

Skjei 87 | DeAngelo 82
Sbisa 80 | Shattenkirk 86
Braun 82 | Sproul 79
Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Mazanec 76

First Half of Season

Record Home Away GFPG GAPG PP% PK% Divison Conference League
25-12-4 11-5-3 14-7-1 2.80 (T-10th) 2.15 (2nd) 18.4% (19th) 80.2% (17th) 2nd 4th 4th
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 21-10-3 .926 2.08 2
Marek Mazanec 4-2-1 .925 2.01 1
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Henrik Lundqvist is once again providing the Rangers with Vezina calibre goaltending. The 36 year old netminder is performing at his highest level since the lockout shortened 12/13 season and is on pace for his most games since 2009-2010. His backup, Marek Mazanec has performed admirably in his limited ice time due to the Rangers being deadlocked in a race at the top of the Metro.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Kevin Shattenkirk 41 5 19 24 +12 4
Brady Skjei 41 1 22 23 +12 17
Tony DeAngelo 41 4 11 15 +12 2
Luca Sbisa 38 1 4 5 +12 16
Ryan Sproul 39 1 3 4 +4 6
Justin Braun 41 0 3 3 -3 15
Steven Kampfer 10 1 1 2 +4 2
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Brady Skjei and Kevin Shattenkirk headline a defense which is among the best in the league. Skjei is having a dominant season both offensively and defensively. Tony DeAngelo has seen a major spike in his offensive production which Luca Sbisa is providing the club with stellar defensive play. Ryan Sproul has lived up to his newest contract while Steven Kampfer has been adequate in his cameo performances. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Justin Braun has not been great for them. He must pick up his play heading into the second half or else he could be used as trade bait come Deadline or Draft.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Mika Zibanejad 41 14 18 32 +15 25
Gabreil Landeskog 40 10 19 29 +7 34
Thomas Vanek 41 13 14 27 +11 2
J.T Miller 41 11 14 25 +11 27
Pavel Buchnevich 38 8 15 23 +8 24
Mats Zuccarello 37 7 15 22 +8 0
Rick Nash 30 9 12 21 +8 10
Kevin Hayes 34 10 9 19 +6 12
Filip Chytil 41 4 15 19 0 2
Ryan Strome 38 6 7 13 +6 0
Lias Andersson 41 5 4 9 -5 2
Charles Hudon 41 3 3 6 -3 4
David Desharnais 23 2 4 6 -1 4
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
Positives: Mika Zibanejad, Gabriel Landeskog, Filip Chytil, J.T Miller and Thomas Vanek have been incredible. Zib has popped and become a true #1 guy, while Filip Chytil has stepped up admirably when guys above him have been injured. Landeskog is well on his way to posting his highest points total since 13/14. J.T Miller has been a model of consistency while Thomas Vanek has been everything the Rangers wanted after signing him.
Negatives: Just about everyone else. Pavel Buchenvich was expected to take a much bigger step froward than this. Kevin Hayes is nowhere near the level he was at last season. Veterans Rick Nash and Mats Zuccarello are both struggling relative to last season. Ryan Strome has been given every opportunity to establish himself but has failed miserably. Lias Andersson, Charles Hudon and David Desharnais have also all been underwhelming on the 4th line.

Updated Lineup
LW | C | RW
Nash 83 | Zibanejad 88 | Buchnevich 87
Landeskog 87 | Hayes 83 | Zuccarello 85

Vanek 83 | Miller 84 | Strome 83
Chytil 78 | Andersson 79 | Hudon 80
Desharnais 77

Skjei 87 | Sproul 79

Braun 82 | Shattenkirk 86
Sbisa 80 | DeAngelo 82
Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Mazanec 76

Second Half of Season

Updated Lineup
LW | C | RW
Landeskog 87 | Zibanejad 88 | Strome 83
Vanek 83 | Miller 84 | Buchnevich 87

Nash 83 | Hayes 83 | Zuccarello 85
Chytil 78 | Andersson 79 | McCarron 77
Desharnais 77

Skjei 87 | DeAngelo 82

Sbisa 80 | Shattenkirk 86
Benn 82 | Sproul 79
Kampfer 75

Lundqvist 90
Hutchinson 81

Record Home Away GFPG GAPG PP% PK% Divison Conference League
44-32-6 21-16-4 23-16-3 2.66 (T-19th) 2.49 (6th) 16.9% (24th) 80.9% (T-16th) 3rd 6th 11th
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Goalie Record SV% GAA SO
Henrik Lundqvist 36-24-5 .922 2.30 4
Micael Hutchinson* 3-3-0 .900 3.01 0
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
* - with Rangers

A wasted season of brilliance from Lundqvist. While the team as a whole was just brutal for expectations, with exceptions, Henrik Lundqvist did his thing. But this team is about to waste it again. Michael Hutchinson was sub-par at best in his Rangers post deadline stint.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Kevin Shattenkirk 81 7 38 45 +8 6
Brady Skjei 82 4 41 45 +10 41
Tony DeAngelo 75 5 21 26 +19 2
Luca Sbisa 77 2 6 8 +9 41
Ryan Sproul 73 1 7 8 +2 10
Jordie Benn* 18 0 3 3 +5 12
Steven Kampfer 26 1 2 3 -4 4
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
* - with Rangers

The Rangers defense was actually quite pleasant. Kevin Shattenkirk had yet another 45 point season, his second in New York, and the Rangers other premier defenseman Brady Skjei had 45 points of his own (career high). Tony DeAngelo had a breakout season in his first full one, and should only get better. Deadline acquisition Jordie Benn settled in very nicely, and Ryan Sproul was exactly what was expected of him. Steven Kampfer got more action that usual, but struggled a bit with that.

Player GP G A P +/- PIM
Gabreil Landeskog 81 25 30 55 -1 60
Thomas Vanek 82 29 23 52 +24 19
Mika Zibanejad 82 22 29 51 +13 56
Mats Zuccarello 78 13 38 51 +10 7
Pavel Buchnevich 79 16 30 46 +7 46
J.T Miller 82 17 28 45 +8 45
Rick Nash 69 21 18 39 +1 30
Kevin Hayes 75 16 19 35 +6 36
Filip Chytil 82 8 23 31 -1 10
Ryan Strome 79 13 15 28 +6 6
Lias Andersson 82 10 7 17 -9 12
David Desharnais 26 2 4 6 -3 4
Michael McCarron 19 1 2 3 +3 12
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
The forwards can be separated into good, bad and ugly.

The Good: Gabriel Landeskog, Thomas Vanek, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello, Filip Chytil, Michael McCarron, Rick Nash.
The Bad: Pavel Buchnevich, J.T Miller, David Desharnais.
The Ugly: Ryan Strome, Kevin Hayes, Lias Andersson.

Some might question Rick Nash in the good, but over a full season he was looking at 25 goals and 46 points.
Some might question Pavel Buchnevich in the bad but much, much more was expected of him.
The Ugly is all ugly. Lias Andersson had a horrific sophomore slump, and both Ryan Strome and Kevin Hayes could've turned themselves into Cap cuts with their lackluster performances.

19th overall in GFPG is not good enough for a group like this. Changes will likely be made this offseason.

Next Post: 2019 NHL Playoffs and 2019 NHL Offseason

What are your settings?

North Dakota Dukes · Jan 26, 2018

I'm in my 5th year in the expansion mode creating the : North Dakota Dukes(with the North Dakota Jersey Below). I play every game and I enjoy it a lot. I lost in the Stanley Cup finals for the second year in a row and NOW this year, it is our time. Mostly for our respected veteran Patrick Eaves who has been the captain since the beginning and who will most likely retire at the end of the season. My team :

2021-2022
*(generated prospect)
Cody Glass (86) - Nico Hischier (91) - Lawrence Kahn*(90)
Brock Boeser (87) - Tyson Jost (86) - Drake Caggiula (81)
Kristian Vesalainen (78) - Sven Andrighetto (82) - Noah Jaspers* (78)(Rookie)
Patrick Eaves (72) - Spencer Cassivi* (80) - Yanni Gourde (76)

Kevin Shattenkirk (86) - Rasmus Dahlin (87)
Jett Woo (75)(Rookie) - Shea Theodore (85)
Jordan Subban (77) - Nick Holden (81)

John Gibson (87)
Juuse Saros (81)

Special thanks to Jason Demers, Andre Burakovsky, Darcy Kuemper and Jake Dotchin who played 4 great season with the Dukes.

Season Team Stats :
75-50-22-3

Season Players Stats :
name / game played / goal / assist / point
Nico Hischier / 73 / 32 / 61 / 93
Cody Glass / 65 / 43 / 33 / 76
Lawrence Kahn / 58 / 28 / 40 / 68
Rasmus Dahlin / 72 / 14 / 52 / 66
Brock Boeser / 75 / 23 / 34 / 57
Noah Jaspers / 75 / 24 / 27 / 51
Tyson Jost / 75 / 22 / 28 / 50
Sven Andrighetto / 75 / 25 / 20 / 45
Jett Woo / 75 / 8 / 30 / 38
Kevin Shattenkirk / 56 / 6 / 31 / 37
Jordan Subban / 75 / 10 / 24 / 34
Spencer Cassivi / 75 / 15 / 15 / 30
Yanni Gourde / 75 / 12 / 17 / 29
Kristian Vesalainen / 75 / 10 / 16 / 26
Patrick Eaves / 75 / 10 / 8 / 18
Shea Theodore / 70 / 1 / 13 / 14
Nick Holden / 75 / 4 / 10 / 14
Brandon Montour / 24 / 1 / 8 / 9
Iiro Pakarinen / 17 / 2 / 6 / 8
Christian Jaros / 2 / 0 / 3 / 3

John Gibson / 61 / 42 / 16 / 1 / 2,42 / 0,897
Juse Saros / 14 / 8 / 4 / 2 / 2,74 / 0,894

tezgm99 · Jan 27, 2018

Montana Storm Franchise

Our draft position stayed at 11th overall and we picked Dylan Gallant, a 18 y.o. RH OFD with medium top 4 potential. Seeing how much of a struggle it has been to meet the minimum cap number, we traded for Dustin Brown figuring that if Veleno is ready to go, Brown can then protect him on the 3rd or 4th line.

The big fish in FA was Blake Wheeler. The 32 year old wanted a 7 year deal for $6.8 million/yr...and no one was willing to do that, whether the contract length or price scared them off, I don't know. We waited a few days before offering 4 years at $7 mill/yr which Wheeler accepted. We're $8 million under the maximum cap so I'm fairly happy with that.

We'll be running with three rookies this year as Heiskanen played a decent chunk of last season (20+ games) so he doesn't count:

2019/2020 Opening Night Lineup:

C. White (82, SNP) - K. Turris (85, PLY) - B. Wheeler (88, PWF)
E. Dadanov (80, PLY) - N. Bonino (81, TWF) - A. Burakovsky (82, SNP)
C. Tierney (80, TWF) - V. Sobotka (80, TWF) - T. Hendricks* (78, PWF)
B. Guance (76, TWF) - J. Veleno* (78, PLY) - D. Brown (78, GRN)

J. Brodin (84, TWD) - S. Vatanen (83, OFD)
M. Heiskanen (81, TWD) - K. Shattenkirk (84, OFD)
D. Phaneuf (78, TWD) - T. Liljegren* (78, TWD)

J. Korpisalo (85, HYB)
C. Ward (81, HYB)

(* denotes rookie)

Depth players are A. Chiasson (78, PWF) and D. Pouliot (78, OFD)

The boys have had to deal with a few injuries (Turris, Sobotka and Heiskanen being the main ones) so far but we reached the halfway mark of the season with a 28-10-3 record, good enough for 1st in the division and Wheeler is the leading goal scorer with 17 while Turris is leading the way with 26 assists. Korpisalo has had 4 shutouts...I'm not seeing a real need to make any moves at the deadline at this point.

Most impressive - chemistry of the top line. They've combined for 101 points all up

Least impressive - Heiskanen. Our future top-2 d-man has yet to put up a single point thus far in 25 games played on the 2nd line pairing

44-15-4 at the trade deadline...we're taking a chance and trading Brodin who just isn't getting it done on that 1st line defensive pair for some reason. He's only averaging just over 1 shot per game with his 25 minutes of icetime and has the same amount of points (14) as Liljegren who plays only 17 minutes a night.

to CAR - J. Brodin, V. Ruutu (C GRN, 20 y.o), O. Lalonde (DFD, 20 y.o.)
to MTA - J. Slavin

GM Scott was quoted as saying, "We know we're taking a big risk by moving Jonas given our record, but bringing in Slavin should give us a bit more firepower on the blueline without compromising our defence much, if any. We hadn't signed either Ruutu or LaLonde yet, but I feel we have enough depth at center and defence to cover for them if need be in the future. It's not fun to trade anyone to be honest."

Asked whether he shopped around Heiskanen who is still pointless after 47 games played this season, Scott said, "Not really, no. We consider Hesk a critical part of this franchise and believe he can anchor the defence for a long time. He's got plenty of time to develop his game and being paired with Shat, I don't think you could ask for a better mentor at this stage of his career."

Regular season is over and your Montana Storm won the division (and conference) with a 52-23-7 record. Washington pipped us for the Presidents with their 52-22-8 season.

Leading scorers were Turris (18G & 53A in 78 games), Wheeler (31G & 36A in 82 games) and White (30G & 29A in 82 games) while Shattenkirk (7G & 43A in 82 games) and Vatanen (9G & 30A in 82 games) led the way for the defence. Korpisalo had a 40-19-6 record with 4 shutouts and a 0.921 save percentage.

Still waiting for Heiskanen's first NHL point...I would laugh so much if he managed it to clinch the Cup or something ridiculous.

Round 1 will be against the Preds...we'll see if some of the toughness the GM had in his career transfers down to ice level.

tezgm99 · Jan 27, 2018

Round 1 vs Nashville:

Game 1 (home) - NSH 2, MTA 3 (OT)
The goalies needed to be sharp as both teams put up over 30 shots each. Subban tied it up halfway through the 3rd, but Wheeler got one past Rinne 4 minutes into OT.

Game 2 (home) - NSH 5, MTA 2
Wasn't a contest. 4 goals in the first and Korpisalo's night was done after 15 minutes.

Game 3 (away) - MTA 4, NSH 2
Phaneuf was back from injury and the boys rallied around their goalie after a poor game 2. Despite being outshot 36-33, White effectively put the game away a couple of minutes in the 3rd when he made it 4-1.

Game 4 (away) - MTA 4, NSH 1
Fantastic defence tonight, allowing the Preds just 15 shots all game. Arvidsson made it 3-1 with 12 to play, but Tierney got the empty netter at the end.

Game 5 (home) - NSH 0, MTA 5
That's how you win a series! 3 goals in the second and the Preds looked lost out there.

Stud: T. Liljegren - 6 assists in the series and +4...not bad for the 3rd line!
Dud: R. Johanson - with just 1 assist in the 5 games and a -5, our guys shut him down well.

Round 2 vs Chicago:

Game 1 (home) - CHI 4, MTA 2
3 goals in the third and the Hawks pull off the comeback win.

Game 2 (home) - CHI 2, MTA 3
Chiasson played a blinder, tieing it up in the second and getting the GWG midway through the third. Liljegren also picked up 3 more assists.

Game 3 (away) - MTA 2, CHI 3 (OT)
The Hawks jumped out 2-0 and it was left to the 4th line (Chiasson again and Veleno) to force OT. Keith ripped one from the point to get the W for Chicago.

Game 4 (away) - MTA 1, CHI 2 (2OT)
Both goalies were, and needed to be, in top form as shots ended up 40-39 in our favour. It was Hossa who ended the game and take the Hawks to the brink of the conference final.

Game 5 (home) - CHI 4, MTA 3
The dream is over as the boys couldn't quite come all the way back from being down 3-0 after 14 minutes of play. Sobotka made it 4-3 with a minute to go, but that was all she wrote for the Storm as the Hawks move on.

Stud: T. Liljegren again - 7 assists in round 2 makes him easily our leading scorer for the playoffs.
Dud: B. Wheeler - having got 6 points in round 1, our star FA signing went pointless against the Hawks.

Stanley Cup champs for 2019/2020 are the Blackhawks who beat Washington in 6 games.

Edit: a conundrum...Rantanen is quite annoyed with his role on Colorado and wants out (he's down to 82 overall and has the light red frowny face for morale) while the Avs would take Heiskanen according to the trade block during the draft. We lost Phaneuf who retired so our defence is a touch thin, but Heiskanen has done pretty much nothing...I'll do the draft, get to free agency and then sleep on this one :huh:

tezgm99 · Jan 29, 2018

So I decided to pull the trigger on that move. In the end we picked up Rantanen and Fleury in exchange for Heiskanen, Burakovsky, Suzuki, DiPietro and Segal.

Neither Sobotka, Vatanen or Ward accepted my contract offers, wanting to test free agency instead. So we will have some new faces in the lineup.

Our projected lineup looks like this going into 2020/2021:

M. Rantanen (87, SNP) - K. Turris (86, PLY) - B. Wheeler (87, PWF)
C. White (82, SNP) - J. Veleno (81, PLY) - N. Bonino (81, TWF)
E. Dadanov (81, PLY) - C. Tierney (80 TWF) - T. Hendricks (80, PWF)
B. Gaunce (77, TWF) - M. Kruger (78, TWF) - D. Brown (78, GRN)

H. Fleury (86, TWD) - K. Shattenkirk (84, OFD)
J. Slavin (84, TWD) - T. Liljegren (80, TWD)
D. Pouliot (79, OFD) - T. Van Riemsdyk (80, DFD)

J. Korpisalo (86, HYB)
S. Varlamov (82, HYB)

No rookies to start the year for us.

To NYR	To MTL
Charles Hudon	Brendan Smith
Michael McCarron	Peter Holland
5th '18 (LAK)

NHL 18 Franchise Mode :Expansion Edition

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