Thank god it's hockey season. After all the speculative bullshit that gets tossed around the internet during the dead months of summer, finally there is something worth while to talk about. Naturally though, there is going to have to be some pain endured by Rangers fans as we will have to watch Crosby and the rest of Bettman's lovers raise their championship banner (hopefully it isn't televised). Where were all these black and gold wearin' ladies when the Pens were bankrupt and destined for Kansas City?..

Ever the optimist, I think the Rangers are an improved team. Even without Marian Gaborik they're deeper up front with the additions of Higgins, Kotalik, and Prospal. My greatest concern though is the defense. As much as I love the idea of Gilroy and Del Zotto getting significant time, they're both rookies playing in a difficult system. On top of that, Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival flat out suck at this point. They were abysmal during the pre-season and if their piss poor play continues, the Rangers will be in serious trouble. I guess I'm not such the optimist after all?..

Players to watch for: Matt Gilroy and Michal Del Zotto are in the fire now. They're both going to play their first regular seasons games and it comes against the defending Stanley Cup champions. I think Gilroy will make an immediate impact, but in my opinion Del Zotto is on an extended nine game tryout. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will be able to force the Rangers brass to keep him for the year. My eyes will be on #97 and #4 all night. Also, as will be the case every game (that he actually plays), I'm stoked to watch Marian Gaborik. Despite the injury problems, the sky really is the limit for this guy.

As for the Penguins, well my utter hatred for them is undying. If Donald Brashear really wants to win over the hearts and minds of the Blueshirt faithful he can start by throwing an elbow at Sidney Crosby. Even though cheap plays aren't condoned here..

What to expect: As always when the Rangers play in the Igloo, expect to spend the majority of the game in the penalty box. Bettman's demons will be out in full force and if anyone sneezes on a Penguins player it will be two minutes. The Rangers penalty kill that is missing Blair Betts (congrats on the Philly job) and Freddy Sjostrom will be tested early and often. Conversely, I expect the Rangers power play to show significant signs of improvement over last year. Could I actually hear Sam Rosen say 'It's a power play goal' - let's frickin' hope so.

Check out Rangers Rants for any updates prior to the game.

As per Andrew Gross:

Word coming in that the Rangers are reducing their roster to 22 by sending 19-year-old wing Evgeny Grachev, who had a goal in this afternoon's 4-3 loss to the Capitals and, one day, no doubt will be a top six forward in the NHL, to Hartford

Smart move. If Enver Lisin did not perform as well as he did during the pre-season, Grachev most likely would have made the team out of camp. Even though Grachev played well enough to make the team, he's clearly still very raw and could use the 20 minutes a game he'll receive in Hartford to develop. At this point in his career it's best to be cautious and take it easy. There's little doubt that he'll at some point suit up for the Rangers this season but there really is no good reason to rush him into the lineup.

With the lineup now trimmed to 22, it looks like for the time being Aaron Voros and Brian Boyle will be playing in New York. Although Boyle really did show much of anything that would warrant him making the team, he enables the Rangers to put Vinny Prospal on the wing and give Artem Anisimov the third line center spot. With that said, I'm ecstatic the Rangers spent a third round pick on Boyle.. As for Voros, I have no problem with a guy who busted his ass all summer to get into better playing shape on the team. As long as he works hard and gives every shift everything he has, he has a spot in my book.

On the defensive side of the puck, it looks like the Rangers are going to carry seven defenseman. My guess is that the Rangers brass are going to evaluate how Michael Del Zotto performs during his first nine games with the team before making the final decision. Whatever decision they make though they better get right, because if MDZ plays 10 games in the NHL he's ineligible to be returned to London and because of his age he cannot play in the AHL.

First of all, let's just get this out of the way..

Yes I'm an asshole for not updating regularly the past two weeks or so. I just started classes and moved into a new house at school. I've been doing what a normal 21 year old should be doing, getting shit faced and waking up in strange places. Sadly there hasn't been much time for blogging but I assure you we're open. I'll be updating regularly as usual from here on out.

As for the game itself, Marian Gaborik was once again impressive every single time he was on the ice. Between his speed, his uncanny quick release, his incredibly soft hands, and his knack for being in shooting lanes he is a severe force to be reckoned with. Gaborik shined against the Caps 'A' squad last night but as will always be the case with him, there is always the lingering thought of 'what if he get's injured'. In this new, exciting up tempo system Torts has installed, it is not without reason to think Gaborik can bang in 50 if he can stay in the lineup regularly.

The Redden and Rozsival signings look worse than ever now that Matty Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto are shining. Gilroy in particular has outplayed the two expensive veterans and if this were a true Darwin system, it's doubtful that either Redden or Rozsival would survive the last cuts. I could write a whole article raving about Gilroy, he has stepped in and has played with a veteran's confidence. Last night he made a play deep in the Caps zone and busted his ass back to break up Ovechkin's attempt one on one with some nice stick work. It's amazing how Gilroy who is fresh out of college hockey has more confidence and is markedly more decisive on the power play than either Redden or Rozsival. The same can be said for Michael Del Zotto as he looks most comfortable with open ice and the puck on his stick. Del Zotto nearly sprung Gaborik with a pass from the defensive zone for a breakaway, unfortunately the pass was too strong for Gabs to handle but it was a good example of the vision the 19 year old has.

~The Rangers have a difficult decision to make with Del Zotto, he is ineligible to play in Hartford because of his age and if he plays 10 games in the NHL he would be ineligible to be returned to London. My guess is that the Rangers will play him nine games in the regular season to further evaluate him. At the very least Del Zotto has earned that right with his play in camp.

~Donald Brashear said he's going to win over the hearts of Rangers fans.. well last night was admirable Don but until it's going to take a helluva lot more than two scraps with Sugar Sugden to make you a Ranger. After the initial piss and vinegar that ran through my veins when Brashear was signed, I'm more open minded to Brashear wearing blue. But he is going to have to go above and beyond the regular call of duty to earn any measure of respect in my eyes.

~It was good to see Dubinsky back in his usual digs. Dubi looked like he was in mid-season form last night. As much as I like the idea of him centering Gaborik with Prospal on the wing, a line of Dubi, Callahan, and Higgins would be an interesting combo.It's going to be interesting to see what the Rangers do when Sean Avery returns. The Rangers have a log jam in the top six (a nice problem to have). Their best bet will probably be to put Dubi in between Gabs and Prospal to open a third line center spot for Anisimov. At that point Drury is on the second line with Callahan, Drury and Kotalik (possibly Higgins). The third line would then consist of Grachev, Anisimov, and Avery with Enver Lisin playing the role of Petr Prucha.

Glen Sather did the right thing, he gave Dubinsky the money he deserved and secured a strong building block for the franchise to a cap friendly deal. Nothing positive was going to be accomplished with Dubi holding out and Sather uncharacteristically refusing to open Jimmy Dolan's wallet. Now Dubi can get into camp and hopefully play Monday against the Wings when Marian Gaborik is expected to suit up for his first game. It's now pretty clear though that Sather really was trying to shop Dubinsky in a deal for Phil Kessel. It's more than likely not a coincidence that once Kessel was traded and signed, Brandon Dubinsky signed on the dotted line and had a new deal. I would have been pretty demoralized/righteously pissed if Dubi had been moved. In signing Cally and now Dubi, the Rangers have showed that they are committed to building from within. That's a very positive sign.

As for the contract itself, it's pretty much what I thought it would be. It's basically the same deal Drew Stafford signed a week ago and as  I said in a comment a couple days ago, it's a barometer for what Dubi should get.

The Rangers have handled Marian Gaborik with mittens and hot cocoa during training camp but he has finally participated in his first scrimmage with the team. It seems as though since he's been on the ice the past four days that whatever 'tenderness' he has in his groin has subsided. My sentiment on Gaborik remains unchanged, I don't think he should have been signed and I don't think he's worth the risk of a five year deal. But as always is the case with Gabs, when he plays he scores and he beat Henrik Lundqvist for the first goal of the scrimmage.

I caught bits and pieces of the game last night. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point that Matt Gilroy will make the club. He has played well in his first two pro-games (that was a beauty he scored on Danis) and Torts has had some positive things to say about him. There hasn't been nearly as much competition amongst the defenseman as I had hoped and thought there would be. Bobby Sanguinetti has been M.I.A and has yet to play in a pre-season game. If I had to make a mostly uneducated guess (I obviously have not seen any of the scrimmages and/or practices) I would say that Gilroy and Potter make the team. It doesn't seem like Del Zotto is 100% ready and their really is no need to rush a 19 year old into the NHL.

The training camp roster gets cut to 30 today, be sure to check Andrew Gross' site for updates on that.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former New York Rangers forward Nikolai Zherdev has agreed a one-year contract with Atlant Mytishchi of the Continental Hockey League (KHL), the Russian team said on Tuesday.

"Everything has been agreed and he should sign the contract on Wednesday," Atlant spokesman Gennady Nabatov said. Nabatov did not specify how much Zherdev would earn, saying: "It would definitely make him the highest-paid player on our team."

I really have to wonder how much bad advice from Zherdev's agent influenced him. Nikky had stated he wanted to stay in the NHL and there were definitely jobs to be had for him. He could have stayed with the Rangers for a respectable $3.25 million (which he later asked the Rangers if he could come back and play for that amount) and he could have joined his comrade Ilya Kovalchuk in Atlanta (my guess is he kept his price too high). Even though a gig in the KHL really isn't all that bad for Zherdev considering it will give him a better shot at making the Russian National Team (in theory), it ain't the NHL.  It's really a shame though because playing in the KHL probably won't help him develop his game because he will be able to get away with putting forth a half ass effort and dominating on talent alone. He's now going to fall into relative obscurity in the hockey world instead of becoming a perennial all-star. If he had just realized his talent and met his god given ability half way with some hard work, he wouldn't be in this position.

I really have to wonder how much the Rangers actually value Brandon Dubinsky. When Gaborik was acquired earlier in the summer, Glen Sather was quoted as saying that he believes Brandon Dubinsky has first line center potential. Is that really the case Glen or were you just blowing smoke up the fan bases collective ass? Rumor has is that Dubinsky and his agent want around $1.4 million with the Rangers offering about $750k. In the grand scheme of things that is not much of a difference, especially because the Rangers have extra cap space and don't appear to be looking to make any serious moves (FINALLY THE HEATLEY SAGA IS FINISHED). There is no reason for Sather to play hard ball this way with Dubinsky, it doesn't benefit anybody. All it is accomplishing is souring a relationship with a player who could be a corner stone of the franchise while also holding him back from training camp which really does not benefit the team. I'm not going to jump on Dubinsky's back and say he doesn't deserve an extra $750k. The Rangers are paying Donald Brashear $1.4 million to box for five minutes a game, they can afford to pay Dubinsky the same amount. Ryan Callahan earned a new contract last season and I think it's more than fair to say that Brandon Dubinsky has earned one as well. The Rangers are willing to toss millions at free agents, but why are they so reluctant to secure the futures of their own talent?

Not a great start to training camp as this is valuable time lost where Dubinsky could be beginning to develop some chemistry with Marian Gaborik. Oh wait, silly me, Gaborik hasn't participated in any on ice activities because he has a 'tweaked groin' and according to Torts is 'tender'. It's sad that I'm going to have to get use to hearing about the condition of another man's groin on a weekly basis. Before I run off into a tangent about how I think Gaborik should never have been signed, I'm going to go out on a limb and say Dubinsky gets a new deal. Although there are the perpetual Phil Kessel rumors, if anything gets done with him, it will be the doing of Brian Burke.

The people who lost their lives in the tragic attacks of 9/11 and the soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since, will never be forgotten. For those service men and women who are fighting overseas, be safe and come home soon. Hopefully the patriotism that was displayed following the attacks will return sometime soon..

Andrew Gross has the scoop on the schedule..

Day 1 (tomorrow): meeting at 7 a.m. and then into medicals. On ice for sprint testing - three-lap sprints with the players broken into groups repeated six times with the rope (check yesterday's stories, blogs, tweets) stretched to 150 feet. Sprints should be in the 40-second range. Three-mile run in the evening except for players such as Ales Kotalik and Marian Gaborik who are being protected against potential injury such as shin splints, etc.)

Day 2 - Strength tests and then aerobic skate on ice, 15-lap skates repeated three times in groups. Each 15-lap segment should be around the four-minute mark with eight minutes of rest in between.

Day 3 - Scrimmage for about an hour.

Day 4/5 (Tuesday, Wednesday) - vs. Bruins, at Devils. (likely minimum number of NHL required veterans will play)

Day 6 - First cuts

Day 7/8 - at Detroit, Boston

Day 9 - Second cuts

Wow - three 15 lap skates? There's really nothing more to say besides that is pure hell. A skate like that shows you who the competitors are, it's impressive to finish first, but it's even more impressive in my eyes to see a player really dig deep the last two laps and compete. I will say though that laps are much better than fishhooks, rainbows, or the Russian mile (w/e you're more familiar with). At least with the laps they're be able to keep their momentum.

Interesting to see that Gaborik is already being coddled by the club. Yes, they're being responsible. But it would have been nice if Sather didn't invest 5 years and $35 million on a player with glass hips.

Last night as I'm watching football and having some brew, I get an ESPN update sent to my phone that John Buccigross is reporting that Dany Heatley had finally been traded in a three way  deal to the Sharks. I guess ESPN breaking a hockey story is too good to be true after all. The story was squashed by allthree GM's. As Kings GM Dean Lombardi so eloquently put it, the deal was 'complete bull'. I'm sure Buccigross had a reason for breaking the trade, have to give him some props for having the sand to stick his neck out on a big story like that. It's too bad he was wrong because it would have taken Heatley out of the Eastern Conference and it in no way involved the Rangers. I still expect Heatley to be moved, most likely in a trade similiar to the one initially reported. Just speculating but The Heater saga hopefully will be over today or tomorrow.

"Right now, obviously, nothing is officially done or it would have been announced by all parties. What I heard earlier tonight was that it was a three-team trade. First I had heard it was going to be tonight or tomorrow. Obviously they want to move him before training camp. So I sniffed around and my best source, who's been perfect for me, mentioned he got an email from a front office personnel member. He forwarded me the email, and it's a pretty significant name (laughs) in the NHL, and I thought 'Boy, I would have gone on it just with my initial source, because he's been great for me.' Then he showed me this email, and it was completely supporting it. So I was surprised when it hasn't come through tonight. Now, things are complicated, there could be other parts to it, but I still believe he will be moved. But it appears, as I was told, is not going to happen tonight anyway."

Phil Kessel's own mini saga probably will come to a close in the next few days as well. It's been reported that Kessel is looking to sign an offer sheet and Brian Burke no doubt is licking his chops at the prospect of stealing him from a division rival. I can't see hi9m sacrificing a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick for Kessel though. Especially because the Leafs are not a win now team and that 1st round pick could very easily be a top ten again. Either way I would think Kessel's days with the Bruins is finished.

Btw, Ryan Hollweg was offered a tryout with the Pheonix Coyotes. Maloney just loves his ex-Rangers.. (h/t to NYR Blog).