All Quiet At MSG As Draft Approaches

The New York Rangers still sit with the fifth and 26th pick in the NHL Draft. Very few rumors or whispers have emanated from MSG with the proceedings to kick off Friday night in Buffalo. That is not surprisingly, though, as GM Chris Drury keeps a tight leash on information leaks, which is one of the few good aspects associated with the organization’s leadership. 

Presuming nothing changes between now and the draft, who New York selects will depend on what San Jose does at two. Most believe Gavin McKenna will go at one go to Toronto. After that, who the heck knows? The Sharks could keep their pick and select Ivan Stenberg, the best player left on the board after McKenna. Granted, the team would then have a lot of jam at forward. But that could be remedied by trading William Eklund for a top-four blueliner. 

If, for some reason, San Jose did not take Stenberg, defense certainly will be the focus. Chase Reid might be their target, filling a major need, though several other blueliners are in the mix. This is why San Jose could opt to move down, acquiring another defenseman cognizant that one of Reid, Carson Carels, Albert Smits, Keaton Verheoff, or Daxon Rudolph will be on the board if they move down a few picks. 

Moving up from 5 to 2 to get Stenberg should be in play for New York. He would immediately give New York potentially an elite top-six winger. In addition, Stenberg projects to likely be a star, providing the Rangers with an asset to build around. But San Jose and every other team in the draft also know this. Once we get past Toronto’s pick, which is expected to be McKenna, the draft could go in a variety of different ways, 

The Hockey Hall of Fame announced their inductees today. Patrice Bergeron, Cindy Curley, Carey Price, Pekka Rinne, and Keith Tkachuk were voted in from the players’ side. Brian Burke earned his spot from the builders’ side. None of the six had New York connections in their respective careers. 

One argument making the rounds in New York is whether the selection of Rinne helps Mike Richter’s Hall of Fame case. Dan Rosen points out that Rinne’s career more closely resembles that of Henrik Lundqvist, as the numbers, save for wins, are remarkably close. Richter only notched 301 wins due to injury, but did win a Cup and a World Cup goal, along with an Olympic silver medal. Several worthy candidates are remaining waiting for the call to the hall, which to date has proven to be challenging.