Wednesday, February 29, 2012

February 29, 2012, Getting Nash-ty in Columbus column for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Getting Nash-ty in Columbus Print
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Written by Denis Gorman
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 02:08


Not only did Columbus GM Scott Howson fail to trade Rick Nash, he also revealed that his captain asked for trade. By publicly stating Nash's request, he likely made it even more difficult to complete a good trade for the Blue Jackets.

Denis Gorman


Scott Howson dropped a bomb Monday afternoon.


It was not the one most expected.


Howson was explaining to reporters during his State of the Blue Jackets’ Fractured Union following the NHL trade deadline why he did not trade Rick Nash. During his session with reporters, the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets noted that the 27-year-old franchise cornerstone had asked to be traded in January.


“It’s the right thing to do,” Howson declared. “It’s the truthful thing to do.”


It is also the equivalent of playing Russian Roulette with a bullet in each chamber. By going public with Nash’s request, Howson may have not only ruined his and the organization’s relationship with its captain, but also placed the Blue Jackets in a position of weakness when trade talks reconvene this summer.


Howson’s words are a signal to rival executives that they are now under no obligation to present offers built around top prospects for a player that has no interest in plying his trade in Columbus.


That's even if Howson is content to delude himself that a franchise will overpay for an unhappy player. The last time Columbus had a malcontent, Jeff Carter sulked his way into the organization dealing him to Los Angeles for Jack Johnson and a draft pick. That was Thursday.


“We’re not going to change our position,” Howson said of his asking price for Nash. “The price was high and I don’t apologize for that. It had to be high.”


Reportedly, he turned down an offer from New York Rangers GM Glen Sather in the deadline’s final hours that would have sent Brandon Dubinsky, a first round pick in June’s draft, and prospects Tim Erixon, J.T. Miller and Christian Thomas to Columbus for Nash.


It is believed that Howson was adamant that the only way he would part with Columbus’ all-time leader in 16 categories, including games played, points, assists and goals is if the Rangers surrendered a package that included,in some form, Brandon Dubinsky, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Del Zotto and Chris Kreider.


“The way the deals were falling out just didn’t make any sense for us. We like our team, we like where we are, we like the youth we have. We have a program in place [and] we want to stick with it,” Sather told the assembled media at Madison Square Garden nearly 75 minutes before the Rangers’ 2-0 win over the Devils.


The Rangers were one of five franchises reportedly on Nash’s list of teams to which he would accept a trade. It’s believed that Philadelphia, Toronto, San Jose and Los Angeles were the other preferred destinations.


Nash’s five will not change, his agent, Joe Resnick told TSN’s Bob McKenzie on Saturday.


“We’re hopeful a deal can get done prior to the deadline that is fair and equitable for the Blue Jackets," Resnick said. "However, if a deal is not reached, then the list of acceptable teams will not change at a later date."


Howson professed that the organization “understood what his preference is."


"His preference, as far as I know, is going to stay the same. We’ll all have to deal with that as we move forward.”


The overriding storyline in Columbus’ remaining 20 games in the season’s final six weeks will be how Nash views the organization in the aftermath will-he-stay-or-will-he-go saga.


“We’re going to do what’s best for our team," Howson said. "I have no questions about Rick’s character, the quality of person he is and the commitment he’ll give us over the next six weeks.


“We wanted to make sure that everybody understood where everybody was on this issue because it’s a very important issue for our franchise. I think things will continue to be amicable between Rick and the organization.”


He is either lying or naïve.


Because with his words Howson has almost certainly ended any future Nash may have had with the Blue Jackets and perhaps permanently damaged any hope the organization may have had for its future.


You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman

Photos by Getty Images

Last Updated on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 03:37

http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/columns/getting-nash-ty-in-columbus

posted by Denis P. Gorman at 2:24 PM

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

February 28, 2012, New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers game story for Metro Newspaper in NYC

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Lundqvist earns shutout over chippy Devils



DENIS GORMAN
NEW YORK

Published: February 27, 2012 10:12 p.m.
Last modified: February 27, 2012 11:28 p.m.
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The Rangers players implored management not to break up a team that entered the day with the best record in the Eastern Conference. They stated Rick Nash — or anyone else that management may have had their eye on — was unnecessary.


The Rangers began the process of proving their words to be true Monday night with a 2-0 win over the Devils at the Garden. The Rangers are 2-1-1 against the Devils this season with two games remaining.


“It is the tightest hockey team I’ve coached,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said.


There wasn’t much in terms of offense for two of the NHL’s premier defensive-oriented clubs. The teams combined for 28 shots total, 15 for the Rangers and 13 for the Devils. The 13 shots against is a season low for the Rangers. The previous low was 17 allowed against Tampa Bay in a 4-3 win on Feb. 9.


“It was tight. The neutral zone was key for both teams,” Marian Gaborik said.


The game-winning goal came off the stick of Carl Hagelin at 16:59 of the first period. Martin Brodeur failed to clear the puck from the defensive zone and the Rangers were able to cycle and forecheck for one of the few times in the match. Hagelin slipped behind Mark Fayne at the top of the crease and snapped a quick one-timer over New Jersey’s Hall-of-Famer to be.


“I tried to get a shot off,” Hagelin said of his 11th goal of the season. He is tied with Artem Anisimov for fifth place on the team in goals scored. “I tried to get it up high.”


Hagelin assisted on Ryan Callahan’s empty-net goal at 18:54 in the third.


Brodeur finished with 14 saves while Henrik Lundqvist recorded his NHL-leading eighth shutout of the season.


If the first period was testament to the skill that the league wants to highlight, then the second was an ode to the historical hatred the franchises share. Players on both sides exchanged headlocks after whistles. Brandon Prust and Eric Boulton paired off in a long bout behind the Devils goal line at 16:52. David Clarkson and Mike Rupp were even assessed unsportsmanlike conduct penalties at 17:00 for exchanging words in the faceoff circle before the puck was dropped.


“The whole game was a playoff feel,” Rupp said.


After his unsportsmanlike penalty expired, Clarkson fought Brandon Dubinsky with 33 seconds remaining in the period. Clarkson had been given a 10-minute misconduct at the 4:58 mark of the period following an on-ice conversation between he and Dubinsky that saw a linesman have to skate, and then pin, the Devils right wing to the Seventh Avenue corner boards.


“Dubinsky went after [Ilya Kovalchuk]. I went out and said something, went to line up, he slashes the stick and I got a 10 [minute misconduct],” Clarkson said.


To instigate the fight with Dubinsky, Clarkson leapt into the Rangers’ winger. Along with the five minute major for fighting, Clarkson was penalized for charging. Clarkson finished with 19 penalty minutes and 11:14 of ice time.


“I don’t know,” Clarkson said of the charging penalty. “I was going down the wall full speed. The puck wasn’t there and he kind of cut me off. That penalty, I don’t mind but the 10 [minute misconduct] kind of sucked.”



Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.



http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1110774--lundqvist-earns-shutout-over-chippy-devils

posted by Denis P. Gorman at 12:44 AM

Monday, February 27, 2012

February 28, 2012, New York Rangers notebook for Metro Newspaper in NYC

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Rangers Notebook: Nash too costly, Scott joins


DENIS GORMAN
NEW YORK

Published: February 27, 2012 9:01 p.m.
Last modified: February 27, 2012 9:07 p.m.
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Rangers general manager Glen Sather did his due diligence and inquired about Rick Nash and others Monday.


But in the end he found the cost to augment the Eastern Conference’s best club too high on a day in which only 16 trades were made. Thirty-two players and 11 draft picks were exchanged in the transactions.


“We talked to a lot of people today,” Sather said when he met with reporters nearly 75 minutes prior to Monday night’s game against the Devils. “The way the deals were falling out just didn’t make any sense for us. We like our team; we like where we are; we like the youth we have. We have a program in place [and] we want to stick with it.”


Sather would not divulge the specifics of the conversations the Rangers held with other organizations. Instead he characterized the costs for adding players as “a bit high,” before noting that “so many teams are in the [playoff] hunt. The teams that [aren’t] in the hunt, they were trying to get as much as they could to maximize their assets.” The only two teams that are not alive in the playoff race are Columbus and Edmonton.


Interestingly, Sather hinted that Chris Kreider would soon join the organization without actually mentioning the 20-year old center by name.


“We have some other people that will probably turn pro at the end of the school year,” Sather said. Kreider has scored 45 goals and 83 points in three seasons with Hockey East power Boston College. This season he has 36 points (19 goals and 17 assists) in 34 games. The Rangers selected Kreider with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2009 draft.


Scott on board


The Rangers’ lone deal was to acquire John Scott from Chicago for a fifth-round pick. Sather envisions the 6-foot-8, 270-pound Scott as someone who can bring size to both the defense and forward corps.


“He gives us a little more depth at defense [and] he’s a huge guy upfront if we want to play him upfront,” Sather explained, along with noting the Rangers will play 17 games in March. It is a stretch that includes home games against the Bruins, Islanders and Devils, and a visit to the Rock.


“We got some games this month against some pretty rugged teams,” Sather said. “He’s a real good factor to stop any of that kind of fooling around that happens in this time of year.”


The acquisition is curious as the Rangers possess physical elements in Mike Rupp, Brandon Prust and Stu Bickel. The Rangers lead the NHL with 48 fighting majors. Prust’s 11 fights lead the team. Rupp is second with nine fights and Bickel’s seven bouts rank third.


“They’ve done all the heavy lifting this year” Sather said. “If a situation gets to where someone gets hurt, [we] have another asset.” Scott has had four fights this year according to HockeyFights.com.


Richards deja vu


Perhaps more than anyone in the dressing room, Brad Richards knew the uncertainty that had engulfed Brandon Dubinsky and Rick Nash.


Richards’s name had been bandied about at the trade deadline last year as he was a pending unrestricted free agent and the then-financially strapped Stars were not going to be able to re-sign the center.


“You can drive yourself nuts, if you want. It’s not as easy [to ignore trade rumors] now with all the social media,” Richards said. “You just try to hope everything will work out the best for you. It’s part of the job.”



Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.


http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1110701--rangers-notebook-nash-too-costly-scott-joins

posted by Denis P. Gorman at 11:22 PM

February 28, 2012, New York Rangers NHL Trade Deadline news story for Metro Newspaper in NYC

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Rangers pass on Nash, keep Dubinsky



DENIS GORMAN
NEW YORK

Published: February 27, 2012 4:05 p.m.
Last modified: February 27, 2012 4:18 p.m.
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For the second-straight year, Rangers general manager Glen Sather was presented with a take-it-or-leave-it proposition for a superlative talent. For the second-straight year, Sather passed on a deal that potentially could have helped his team in the short term but may have damaged its future.


Brandon Dubinsky will remain a New York Ranger for the rest of the 2011-12 season as Sather and Columbus GM Scott Howson could not agree on the terms of a much-rumored mega-deal that would have brought Rick Nash to Broadway.


“I know this team wants me and I know how much I want to be here,” Dubinsky said after the Rangers’ early skate at the Garden Monday morning. “I’m pretty confident that at 3:01 p.m. Eastern Standard Time I will be a New York Ranger.”


Dubinsky’s name had been linked with Nash’s since the proposed deal became public knowledge. By his own admission, Dubinsky has not performed at the level he and the organization thought he would coming into this season. The winger has only scored six goals and 25 points in 57 games.


“I’m not going to get down on myself. I have a 21-game season ahead of me. It’s an opportunity for me to step up,” Dubinsky said. “Look, our team is in first place and for me not to have had the year I wanted to have says a lot about this team.


“When I do get my game back of where I’m capable of being at a consistent basis, I think this team will be more dangerous. It’s a challenge for me. I will go into the last part of the season and the playoffs with a chip on my shoulder and something to prove.”


That a trade was not consummated means Le Affaire De Nash will recommence this summer. Nash’s agent, Joe Resnick, told TSN’s Bob McKenzie Saturday that he and his client are “hopeful a deal can get done prior to the deadline that is fair and equitable for the Blue Jackets. However, if a deal is not reached, then the list of acceptable teams will not change at a later date.”


It is believed that Philadelphia, Toronto, San Jose and Los Angeles, along with the Rangers, are the five teams that Nash would accept a trade to. According to industry website Capgeek.com, Nash has both a no-movement clause (through the 2015 season) and a no-trade clause (2015-16 through 2017-18 season) in his contract.


It remains to be seen what Howson could extract from a partner by trading Columbus’ franchise player. Howson has reportedly demanded a young NHL player, prospects and draft picks in any deal for Nash. However, with Zach Parise and Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter unrestricted free agents and Suter’s partner, Shea Weber, a restricted free agent, a GM could determine that it is more cost effective to spend in the free agent market than to part with NHL players, high-end prospects and picks.


Last year, the Rangers were in a similar position on the day of the trade deadline, deciding whether to make a move for Dallas star Brad Richards. They passed on making a trade, but Richards was a free agent at year's end and signed him in the offseason.


The Rangers did make a minor deal, acquiring defenseman John Scott from Chicago for a fifth-round pick. The 6-foot-8, 270-pound Scott has played in 140 games for Minnesota and Chicago spanning four seasons and has recorded 231 penalty minutes. He has 48 penalty minutes in 29 games with the Blackhawks this year.



Follow Rangers beat writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.



http://www.metro.us/newyork/sports/article/1110454--rangers-pass-on-nash-keep-dubinsky

posted by Denis P. Gorman at 11:19 PM