As you know, the San Jose Sharks today placed left winger Evander Kane on unconditional waivers today for “violation of the AHL COVID-19 protocols.” According to multiple reports, the Sharks are planning to terminate his contract, which carries a $7 million cap hit per season through 2024-25.
Should the Sharks be successful, Kane will lose $22.8M, according to CapFriendly, but once he clears waivers, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any NHL team; and, if he does so by March 21, he can play in the playoffs for his new team.
The Rangers absolutely should be in on Kane.
I’ll just take a lap around the rink to let that one sink in, for your responses are screaming through my mind as I type this. “No way — he’s bad news. Look at his marital situation and other off-ice concerns.” “Uh, no. The Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise and Buffalo Sabres didn’t want him. Now, San Jose is getting rid of him. No thanks.” “The Rangers are already loaded at left wing with Breadman, Kreids, and Laffy.” “The Rangers can’t afford Kane.”
Hey, everybody is entitled to an opinion, no matter how misguided. Think: Gary Bettman fining a team a quarter-million dollars for saying not-nice things about his crony, George Parros.
Character
Kane’s marital and other off-ice issues have nothing to do with him as a hockey player. And I’m not rehashing his rap sheet here because I don’t stomp players when they’re down, unlike Chris Pronger, Chris Simon, and Matt Cooke.
For all of the concerns about Kane’s character, he still notched 109 goals and 222 points in 391 games with Atlanta/Winnipeg II, 68 goals and 118 points in 196 matches for Buffalo, and 87 goals and 166 points in 212 contests with the Sharks. Thanks, Hockey Reference. What’s more, he’s got 99 goals and 188 points in close/tied games at 5-on-5.
Consider this, as well: According to Elliotte Friedman, Kane plans to file a grievance against the Sharks’ contract termination plans. If he loses, he’ll have close to 23 million reasons for wanting to sign on with another team and crush the opposition.
Sooo many teams
This is the stupidest argument for NOT signing a player who can help a team.
Seriously … how many teams did Wayne Gretzky play for? What about Alex Kovalev? Or Mike Gartner?
I just endured a mind-numbing exchange with someone on another social platform last week. That someone said he’s happy “the Rangers didn’t reacquire (Anthony) Duclair.” When I asked why, considering Duke has 101 goals and 210 points in 404 NHL games since being traded away by the Rangers, that someone replied “look how many teams had no use for him.”
“No use” for him? I look at it this way: multiple teams had use for him. And that’s how I’m viewing Kane. The man can score. Lol. In that someone’s mind, John Vanbiesbrouck probably sucked because he played for five NHL teams. Sheesh.
Locked-up left side?
Yes, I know the Rangers have Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafreniere on the left flank. But since when is having depth bad or moving a player to the opposite side unheard of? Just look how good the Rangers’ fourth line has been (NOT!) since Barclay Goodrow was promoted to fill in on the second unit.
Rangers can’t afford Kane
Actually, they can, depending on the type of deal he’s willing to sign.
According to CapFriendly, you’ll find there’s money to accommodate something in the $3-4M range. You can check here for yourself. You’d have to think that for a player who stands to lose all or even a chunk of the near $23M he had been set to receive, that a drop from $7M per to $3-4M isn’t unreasonable.
As for the term, the Blueshirts can probably go 1 or 2 years because, following this season, the only expiring contracts the Rangers need to address are those of potential UFA’s Ryan Strome and Kevin Rooney, and RFA’s Kaapo Kakko and Julien Gauthier. Of those four, only Strome stands to make big money.
Bottom line
The Rangers are a business. Winning is good for business. And if the Rangers win the conference or even the Cup with Kane, I doubt Blueshirts Nation will give a flying puck about Kane’s character.
Scrolling through Twitter the other day, I came across a post asking why Alexander Mogilny isn’t in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Good question, I thought. After all, the Russian-born winger scored 473 goals and 1,032 points in 990 games divvied up among the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mogilny, who wore No. 89 because he was drafted 89th overall and made his NHL debut in 1989, was an eight-time 30-goal scorer who led the league (with Teemu Selanne) in goals in 1992-93. Mogilny ranks 19th all-time in goals per game.
No. 89 also was solid on the international ice surface.
He won a world juniors silver medal in 1988 while leading the tournament in scoring and being named top forward. That same year he helped the Soviet Union win gold at the Olympics. In 1989 he earned gold medals at both the world juniors and world championship.
How is that not good enough for the HHOF?
Credit: NHLFandom Mogilny scored 76 goals in just his fourth NHL season.
The Mogilny post got me thinking: Why isn’t Mike Richter in the HHOF?
Richter’s career seems to have been brushed off by the HHOF’s Selection Committee (comprised of former players, coaches, officials, team executives, and media). Even some Rangers fans insist Richter had “one great season but doesn’t have the numbers” and “got his due when the team retired his number.”
That’s all irrelevant, however, according to the criteria established by the HHOF itself.
The “Basis of Selection of Candidates” section on the HHOF website reads: “The following attributes provide the basis on which the election of nominees to Honoured Membership are to be considered: Playing ability, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to his or her team or teams, and to the game of hockey in general.”
Credit: Getty Images
Richter’s effort in Game Six of the 1994 Conference Finals against the Devils and Game Four of the Finals versus Vancouver is legendary.
Richter held off a furious Devils’ attack with the Rangers trailing 2-0 in the middle period and facing elimination. Eleven days later at a raucous Pacific Coliseum, Richter stoned the NHL’s leading goalscorer, Pavel Bure, on a penalty shot at 6:31 of the second period and the Canucks ahead, 2-1. Uplifted by “The Save,” New York went on to score three times for a 4-2 win and 3-1 series lead.
By the end of the 1994 campaign, Richter had a NHL-best 42 regular-season wins, 16 playoff victories, and four postseason shutouts — all Rangers’ franchise records. He also had a tidy 2.07 goals-against average in 23 playoff games.
Injuries, including a skull fracture and several concussions, forced Richter to retire after the 2002-03 season. By then, he led the franchise in career wins (301), total victories in a regular season, saves in one game, and appearances. He also beat Martin Brodeur in two playoff series, helping the Rangers defeat the Devils again in 1997.
In 2004, Richter’s No. 35 became the third number to be retired by the Rangers, following Rod Gilbert’s No. 7 and Eddie Giacomin’s No. 1. Richter was voted Rangers’ MVP twice and was a two-time recipient of the Players’ Player Award. Also, he won the team’s Frank Boucher Trophy as the Most Popular Rangers’ player four times, as well as the club’s “Crumb Bum” Award for community service and the Rangers’ Good Guy Award.
As for international play, Richter backstopped Team USA to a silver medal in the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, posting a 2-1-1 record and .932 save percentage. In 1996, he was named World Cup MVP after leading the United States to their only gold medal with a 2.43 GAA and .923 save percentage.
What’s more, Richter compares admirably with goalies already in the HHOF, including former Rangers Giacomin, Gump Worsley, and Chuck Rayner.
Credit: Getty Images
Giacomin’s Rangers career got off to a slow and disappointing start. But, he shrugged off the boos and developed into one of the NHL’s best and most reliable goalies, as well as a fan favorite among Blueshirts fans.
Eddie led the NHL in games from 1965-66 through 1969-70, and in 1970-71 shared the Vezina Trophy with Gilles Villemure. Giacomin and Villemure combined for another great season in 1971-72, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to Bobby Orr — EXCUSE ME, Joe! Make that No. 4 and the Boston Bruins.” “Fabulous, Sam.”
Over his 13 seasons in the NHL, Giacomin led the league in games and minutes four times, wins and shutouts three times, and saves twice. His 49 career shutouts for the Rangers rank second to Henrik Lundqvist. He won the team’s MVP award three times and the Boucher Trophy once.
Credit: Getty Images
Worsley made his NHL and Rangers debut in 1952-53, in which the Blueshirts won just 17 of 54 matches. Worsley won 13 of them, as well as the Calder Trophy.
Over ten seasons on Broadway, Worsley was one of the few bright spots. During that span, the Rangers had just two winning seasons, four playoff appearances, and finished in fifth place four times and in sixth (dead last) twice.
Remarkably, he played every minute of every game in 1955-56 and remains the last Rangers goalie to do so. He led the NHL in shots faced and saves four times, and in games twice. His 14,709 saves rank third among franchise goalies behind leader Henrik Lundqvist and Richter.
Worsley led the league in losses three times yet was a two-time all-star with New York, a testament to how highly he was thought of around the league. His teammates loved him, too. He was named team MVP twice and was a two-time recipient of the Boucher Trophy.
Worsley was popular with the press, as well.
Following a tough loss between the pipes for the Blueshirts, reporters asked Worsley which team gives him the most trouble. Without hesitation, Worsley matter-of-factly replied, “The Rangers.”
George Grimm’s fabulous book Guardians of the Goal tells of the goalie’s battles with coach Phil Watson. One time Watson told the press Worsley had a “beer belly,” clearly attempting to embarrass his goalie. When informed of Watson’s comment, Worsley is said to have calmly replied, “Beer is the poor man’s champagne. I’m strictly a VO (rye) man.”
One could argue Worsley earned his HHOF credentials in Montreal, having helped the Canadiens win four Stanley Cups. But given the poor teams he played behind in New York, the fact he was a two-time all-star and managed to set a single-season team record for wins (32) before Giacomin came along (36) is amazing.
Much like Worsley, Rayner played behind some awful Rangers teams. The Blueshirts had a losing record in each of his eight seasons and made the playoffs twice.
However, one of those times saw Rayner almost steal a Stanley Cup championship for New York,. In 1950, he took the Rangers to double-overtime of Game Seven against the Red Wings, the league’s most potent team, before losing. That was a series where the Blueshirts played all seven games on the road, kicked out of the Garden by the circus.
And that was after a playoff upset of the Canadiens. In all, he had seven wins and a 2.25 GAA that postseason. He was rewarded with the Hart Trophy that season despite winning only 28 of 69 games.
Richter doesn’t have a Vezina and never led the league in GAA, save percentage, or shutouts. But he does have a well-earned Stanley Cup ring and his stats are close to (or better than) those of other Rangers goalies in the HHOF. More importantly, Richter exemplified ability, class, sportsmanship, and contributions to his team.
Richter also compares favorably with his contemporaries.
Ed Belfour won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars and twice led the NHL in GAA and save percentage and in shutouts four times. He earned two Vezinas and is a four-time recipient of the Jennings Trophy (given to the goalie having played at least 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it).
However, he also left Dallas after clashing with coach Ken Hitchcock. As a player, he was arrested several times on charges including criminal mischief, public intoxication, and resisting arrest. Not to kick a guy when he’s down but isn’t all that a reflection of questionable character? Also, each arrest was bad publicity for his teams and the NHL.
Yet, Belfour was elected to the HHOF in 2011 in his first year of eligibility.
Tom Barrasso won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins after breaking into the NHL with the Sabres in 1983-84. Having gone straight to western New York’s NHL franchise out of high school in Massachusetts, Barrasso won the Calder and Vezina trophies as the league’s best rookie and goaltender. A year later, he shared the Jennings Trophy with Bob Sauve for having allowed the fewest goals
Barrasso’s 369 wins rank third among U.S.-born goalies behind Ryan Miller’s 391 and former Ranger John Vanbiesbrouck’s 374. Richter is fifth with 301. Barrasso also helped Team USA win a silver medal in the 2002 Olympics.
Barrasso also ranks second on the Pens in wins and minutes played, and is among the top-5 in most statistical categories in Sabres’ history, which, as you know, boasts Dominik Hasek, Ryan Miller, Don Edwards, and Sauve, all of whom won a Vezina.
Yet, Barrasso is not in the HHOF. There seems two main reasons why: Some point to most of his success having come over the first decade of his career. Others note his surly nature with reporters, even those who came in peace. More on that below.
Belfour clearly had better numbers than Richter, and in some categories, it’s not close. However, the HHOF criteria include character and contributions to his team and the game. Richter never left the Rangers having to address any arrests or spats with team personnel. Contrary, he won numerous team awards and his two best friends on the Blueshirts were HHOFers Brian Leetch and Mark Messier.
Barrasso was a jerk to the media, according to most accounts. Here’s an excerpt from Mike Brophy, who in 2008 attempted to write a complimentary feature about the goaltender for The Hockey News:
“Barrasso was a surly, abrasive, and rude man.
“I got a little taste of his rudeness first hand a number of years ago when I phoned him to write a complimentary story about his return to form after a time when it looked like he was done.
‘Hi, Tom.’
‘Who is this?’
‘Mike Brophy from The Hockey News.’
‘How did you get my phone number?’
‘You gave it to me.’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘Yes, you did.’
“I did not and I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to find out how you got it. Goodbye.”
This was not a case of a reporter catching an athlete at the wrong time. My ex grew up in Pittsburgh and was a copy editor for a local paper there. She told me the beat writers and columnists oft-referred to the goalie as “Barr-asshole.”
Like Brophy, I believe Barrasso should be in the HHOF. If Belfour’s “character” wasn’t an issue for voters, then why is Barrasso’s? Further, like Belfour and Richter, Barrasso played in an era when scoring was sky-high. If being rude is enough to keep an otherwise deserving player out, then why doesn’t being an exemplary representative for one’s city, team, and the NHL compensate for numbers that are close enough to those of others already in the HHOF?
Which brings us to Richter.
Full disclosure: I am biased toward Richter.
I was a new sports reporter for a mid-sized New Jersey newspaper in 1997, when I was assigned the Blueshirts’ playoff series against the Devils and then the Philadelphia Flyers. I was greener than grass as a reporter, but when I approached No. 35 about doing a feature story, he treated me with respect, patience, and kindness, as if I had been covering him for years for one of NYC’s major newspapers. Of course by then, he didn’t have to be respectful, patient, or kind to even the most seasoned of reporters, never mind me.
Credit: Getty Images
By the time his number was retired in 2004, I had switched careers and was a school teacher (still am). But I was there with my brother on the night No. 35 was raised to the Garden’s rafters. I remember crying as I joined the chant of “Rich-ter! Rich-ter! Rich-ter!” roaring throughout the World’s Most Famous Arena.
It’s past time I get a chance to shed some tears at his display in the HHOF.
Brad Marchand may get his clothing from China, but he won’t be playing Olympic hockey there this winter. And the Boston Bruins winger is not pleased.
Marchand is a lot of things.
He’s an exceptional skater, puck handler, and point-producer — he’s got 742 of ’em in 825 NHL games (according to Hockey Reference).
He’s hockey’s supreme pest, dubbed by his haters as “The Rat”. There isn’t much he hasn’t done in accumulating his 840 NHL-career penalty minutes. Slew-footing, licking, embellishing, verbally assaulting opponents and officials, stick-stomping, and spearing all are prominent on his hockey resume.
He’s also correct in calling out the NHL and NHLPA here.
Boston.com
Since Gary Bettman became its Commissioner in 1993, the NHL has ignorantly and arrogantly decided what’s best for its players and fans. From the lockout in 2005 that robbed the hockey world of a season to spitting in the faces of hockey legends by replacing their names on divisions and conferences to generic labels to accommodate the “casual” fan to watering down the league via expansion, Bettman probably has more haters than Marchand.
I understand the NHL is a business and the league is trying to protect its assets. But it’s my opinion that the league is doing so more to appease team owners than out of concern for players’ health and safety. The almighty dollar wins out in almost every aspect of society, and the NHL is no exception.
Even if the players forfeited pay while in Beijing, as Marchand suggested, it seems the league has deemed the risk too high. I can hear the league’s suits on 6th Avenue now, “What if a player is severely injured during Olympic play and lost to his NHL team for the remainder of the season? How do we answer to the board of governors?”
My answer? 1. We’re in a pandemic; nobody can predict when a player might contract COVID-19 (or some variant). 2. What if a player severely injuries himself during the offseason while doing normal, everyday activities like riding a bicycle or routine training? 3. What if the sky falls? Seriously. Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow. Life is short.
I’m just as sick and tired as the Rangers center of COVID-19 forcing game postponements and players to the COVID protocol list. I understand how badly players wanna play (I was a well-below-average one, myself) and that fans desperately wanna see hockey (my winter break from work was to start with my daughter and me sipping hot cocoa while watching our beloved Blueshirts destroy the HabNots).
To borrow a phrase from Joe M., the New York Post did a “fabulous” job of scooping the competition for Strome’s sentiments (link below). Again, I can empathize with Strome here. I just don’t agree the NHL should be playing with players who tested positive but are asymptomatic; I’m no doctor but common sense and the fact the USA leads the world in COVID-19 deaths with 800K (as of Dec. 15) justifies extreme caution by the NHL.
Again, I get Strome (and others who want the NHL to proceed in pre-pandemic mode). And, yeah, the NBA and NFL are playing. But at what cost? From a competitive standpoint, the games are boring. Unless that is, you enjoy watching mostly healthy teams (see: Miami Dolphins and New York Knicks) destroy COVID-ravaged teams (see: New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Hawks).
Sorry, but I wouldn’t do cartwheels watching a healthy Rangers team obliterate a severely short-handed Islanders club. As much as I detest the Isles, I want the Blueshirts to beat the daylights outta a full-strength Isles team. This way, their crybaby, front-running fans can’t use COVID as an excuse.
And consider the reverse: Do Rangers fans really wanna peep a full Isles team pummel a Blueshirts club minus six or seven key regulars lost to COVID protocol?
The NHL trade deadline is just over a month away, but you’d never know it from social media, which now has Connor McDavid coming to Broadway in addition to Tomas Hertl, Joe Pavelski, Mark Giordano, and Claude Giroux to name a few. What’s next? Henrik Lundqvist will unretire and back up Igor Shesterkin after Alexandar Georgiev is traded? You just have to laugh. Or call it cabin fever from the Rangers’ winter break, which began on Feb. 1 after they spanked the Panthers and ends on Tuesday when they host the Bruins at the Garden. What else is there to do? Watch the NBA? Witness one accused PED abuser get into Baseball’s HOF while others accused are excluded? Talk about laughable.
The Rangers, with approximately $7 million in cap space, probably will make a move or two on or before the March 21 deadline. But McDavid? Seriously? Edmonton already traded away The Game’s best player once — and that was before social media. Can you imagine how much MORE crap the Oilers would’ve received had news-media sites, Twitter, Facebook, etc., existed in August 1988? Sorry, but the Oilers aren’t sending No. 97 anywhere. If by some stroke of incredible stupidity they did, they should be kicked out of the NHL immediately because nothing says “amateurish” louder than a team trading the world’s top player twice. Besides, good luck to any club trying to fit his $12.5 million cap hit in each of the next four seasons.
Giroux isn’t coming to Broadway. Spare me the, “But the Flyers traded Lindros to the Rangers!” nonsense. Lindros had become such a giant mole on the Flyers’ rear, they’d have traded No. 88 for a bag of pucks and a month’s worth of cheesesteaks from Pat’s. Giroux, 34, has been in South Philly since 2008, is beloved by the fanbase, and has a career faceoff percentage of 55 (including 60% on nearly 700 draws this season). His cap hit this season, the last before he’s eligible for unrestricted free agency is $8.275 mill, so he won’t come cheap. Plus, he has a no-movement clause and hasn’t so much as whispered he’d be open to moving. What’s more, he’d likely come at the expense of Vitaly Kravtsov lighting up the Rangers for the next decade. Like McDavid did here? No thanks.
Hertl, 28, also is in the final year of his deal before he can leave the Sharks as a UFA. Like Giroux, he’s adept on faceoffs as evidenced by his career 53 FO%. Unlike the Flyers’ captain, however, he’s likely to command at least $6 mill per on his next contract, meaning he’d likely be a rental for the Rangers. Why a rental? Because after this season, New York has potential UFAs in Ryan Strome, Kevin Rooney, and Greg McKegg; meanwhile, Libor Hajek, Sammy Blais, Kaapo Kakko, and Georgiev are eligible for restricted free agency. Following the 2022-23 campaign, K’Andre Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, and Filip Chytil can become RFAs, Ryan Reaves a UFA.
The Rangers clearly can’t re-sign all of those players — and obviously won’t have to if some are traded.
They’ll keep Miller and Laffy because they’re very young and have less NHL experience than Chytil and Kakko (young as they both are). They also must retain Strome, who’s made magic with Artemi Panarin. The Blueshirts have too much invested in the Breadman to mess with that combo. The problem is, Strome probably will cost at least $6.5 mill per (and that’s with a “Broadway” discount) and he stinks on draws. In the playoffs, he’s won just 43% of his 77 faceoffs. And he’s the No. 2 center. New York’s top pivot, Mika Zibanejad, has won just 43.5% of his 460 playoff draws.
So, who do the Rangers go and get for a playoff run this spring?
For my money, I’d bring in another center at the deadline. Puck possession matters. Think back to the 1994 postseason: Craig McTavish’s draw against Pavel Bure with 1.6 seconds to go in Game 7 of the Finals remains the most important faceoff win in franchise history. Thus, here are my targets in no particular order of preference:
Nick Bonino, Sharks. Two-time Cup winner with the Pittsburgh Penguins … Won 50% of his 45 playoff draws in back-to-back championship seasons … The price is right; he’s signed through 2022-23 at $2.05 million per. Has a 5-team no-trade list. Are the Rangers are on it? I don’t know. I’ve scoured the internet but couldn’t find anything definitive. However, a positive in the Rangers’ favor could be that the 33-year-old Bonino was born in Hartford, Conn., and played at Boston University. Then again, given the taxes in New York, it could be a deterrent.
Credit: NHL.com
Cody Eakin, Buffalo Sabres. The 30-year-old has career faceoff percentages of 50.4 (regular season) and 52.5 (playoffs) … Has won 55% of his draws this season … Signed through 2021-22 at $2.25M.
Credit: Buffalo News
Boone Jenner, Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old, 9-year NHL vet has won 55% of his draws this season … Lifetime FO%’s of 54.2 (regular season) and 50.6 (playoffs) … Signed through 2021-22 at $3.75M.
Credit: NHL.com
Oh, Rats! Marchand Suspended — Again
Credit: NBC Sports
Bruins winger Brad Marchand this week was suspended for the eighth time in his NHL career.
This time, all he did was punch and spear the head of Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry. Both infractions after the whistle. Both while the referee was staring at him. Video here.
The NHL slapped him with a 6-game ban, but “The Rat” still feels he won the fight, telling The Athletic: “Was it stupid? Of course, it was stupid. I’m not denying that. I absolutely should not have done it. But suspension-worthy? I don’t think so.”
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