What Are Brad Richards' True Intentions In His Free Agency?

So If you're a Rangers fan and have been following them closely since about last year, you've probably heard speculation about Dallas Stars center Brad Richards and his impending free-agency just two days away. Richards has already spoken out about how he does not wish to play for the Stars any longer, and is going to a new team once July 1 comes around. The only people who seem to be targeting him anymore are the Rangers, as they are the bona-fide front-runner for acquiring him. But what is Brad Richards expecting if he comes to New York?

A friend of mines father who had been paying attention to the Richards situation and has been around for the chaos that comes with the Rangers signing free-agents said that Richards isn't looking at New York because they're a rising contender for the Cup, he is looking to get paid the big bucks in the closing years of his NHL career. Initially, I thought that would be a ridiculous claim, but it got me thinking: what if that really is the reason Brad Richards wants to sign with the Rangers? It's well known around the NHL that the past Rangers free-agent signings haven't been stellar by any stretch of the imagination, as the trend goes. Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Wade Redden have all been mediocre when they came to the Rangers, yet they managed to get bigger contracts than most other players on the lineup who produce way more then they did. Does Brad Richards want to come to the Rangers only because he knows that they'll pay the big bucks like they did to Redden, Gomez, and Drury?

It's not a ridiculous concept when you really think about it. He already has a Stanley Cup, and a Conn Smythe Trophy under his belt, and he just hit 31-years-old two months ago. Perhaps Richards feels he's on the decline, and wants to make the most of his situation by milking the Rangers into a big contract for the remaining years he has in the NHL. It may not be his first thought coming into free-agency, but it's certainly in the back of his mind.

Perhaps I am wrong, though. Perhaps Richards feels as if he could be a really good asset to the Rangers team and help lead them to the promised land. Rangers fans would love to hear such a thing, but there's bound to be money on the mind when Richards put that pen to paper on July 1 and signs what could be his potential final contract in his NHL career.

EA's NHL: What Your Team Selection Says About You

Like any other hockey fan, I like to enjoy some leisure time by playing some of EA's NHL series on my coveted gaming system. I normally like to just play a quick game between another person, and like most online communities, a majority of player I face are huge jerkoffs. Having played NHL 11 over and over again against multiple douches, I've noticed a trend among the type of players, and their playing style coincides with what team they choose when selecting the match up. Some people are fun to play as, and pick their favorite team like me (a majority of the time I play as the Rangers), or they choose a random team regardless of stats (is this a good time to mention my 7-game win-streak with the Thrashers?). However, others you can pinpoint their personality by the team they select/their lobby mannerisms. Here's a full breakdown of the social phylum of the EA's NHL franchises online community:

If a Person Selects The Team in First Place In Real Life At the Time


Chances are they suck, and are looking to compensate for their lack of skill by selecting the best team. A majority of my time this season went into playing the same three teams because people don't have enough faith in their own skill. Here's a pro-tip for all those people: the teams good stats does not make up for the lack of skill and motor functions you fail to possess. Any player can select the real-life first place team and win, selecting them on a consistent basis shows that you admit you suck at the game.

If a Person Shuffles the Preset Lines to Put the Best Players on the Top Line


This one pretty much goes with the first one; the person sucks at the game and wants to compensate for their suckage. Again, this is not real-life, and shuffling the lines will only marginally help you if you are bad at the game, like most people who do this are. Anybody who has a competent understanding of the basics of the game can score a hat-trick with Donald Brashear if they tried hard enough.

If a Person Plays as the Pittsburgh Penguins


Something about choosing the Penguins makes everyone who plays as them become like them. The Penguins are widely regarded by NHL fans as being one of the most whimpy teams in the league, thanks in majority to their centerpiece Sidney Croscussion...er... Crosby.

Press "Y" to be a bitch.

The people who choose the Penguins are some of the holiest of the assholes you'll find online. The Penguins are the team that the guys who will spend more time diving to get the puck from you then actually on their feet will choose to play as.  These are the people who will do nearly anything (diving, spamming the hook button) to win, no matter how womanly their play style is.

A Breakdown of the New York Rangers Draft

The NHL Entry Draft was this weekend, and it came with its share of exciting events. There were a few trades, and an unveiling of the name of the Winnipeg franchise, which will be called the Jets again. I'm not as knowledgeable one the draftees, but I figured I'd analyze them for what I think they'll be worth.

With the #15 pick, the Rangers took right-winger J.T. Miller. Originally, it was thought that the Rangers were going to pick a center, but the Rangers opted to go with Miller instead, which is not a bad thing. Miller is described in his profile as a "consistent, hard-working defensive-forward who always makes life tough on opponents," which is something the Rangers could greatly use, especially among forwards. Another notable feature to Miller is the fact that he lead the American World Juniors team in points with 13 on their way to winning gold two years ago. This is very promising because the Rangers have managed to pick up quite a few of the members from that team (Derek Stepan, Ryan Bourque and Chris Kreider to name a few). Down the line, it is possible to see all of these players who won gold on the ice together again. This time, in a different red, white and blue jersey though.

Next up was Steven Fogarty at the #72 pick in the 3rd round. the Rangers had to make a trade up in order to get this pick, as they made a deal with St. Louis. The Rangers got their pick, while the Blues got Evgeny Grachev from the minor league system of the Rangers. Fogarty is the center everyone thought the Rangers were going to get first, but they managed to pick him up in the 3rd round. Fogarty played for the Edina Hornets, as well as his school in Minnesota. He is described as "well conditioned" and a good play-maker. A play-maker is what the Rangers need on their top line to center Gaborik, therefore this seems like a solid pick as well.

Next was Michael St. Croix, the first Canadian selection made by the Rangers. St. Croix is also a center, but is more of a scorer than Fogarty is. However, Fogarty stands at 6'2, and St. Croix is 5'11. St. Croix managed to get 35 more points than Fogarty in his last season in the WHL, but I'm not sure if St. Croix is what the Rangers need at this point in time.

Following St. Croix was Shane McColgan, also of the WHL. McColgan is a 5'8 right-winger who is described as "not afraid to go into the dirty areas on the ice". He sounds to me like a reincarnate of Theo Fleury, but it is very rare that the shorter end of players end up having huge success in their careers. I'm not going to count out McColgan now, but I think it's more unlikely we'll ever see him.

Samuel Noreau was the next draft pick by the Rangers. the first defensemen drafted by the team, Noreau is a presence to be seen standing at a staggering 6'5, 206 lbs. Noreau is what the Rangers are beginning to sculpt their team into; a big, physical team with physical players. With a 6'5 body, its not hard to join that crew. I do think Noreau will have NHL success, if not with the Rangers, someone else will certainly show interest in him.

The final pick of the draft was Slovakian Peter Ceresnak, a defenseman who also fits the new Rangers mold. Ceresnak stands at 6'3 and could be a good combination with Noreau when the time comes for them to prove themselves for the franchise.

In all, it seemed like a solid draft for the Rangers, but nly time will tell what becomes of these young men and their hockey careers.

And Thus Ends the 2011 NHL Season

The Bruins have won the Cup, and Vancouver is rioting again.

As a mainly New York sports fan, it's normally taboo for us to root for a Boston team. But today, I don't feel that same animosity that I do toward Boston with the Bruins. The Bruins battled, and battled, and hit, and checked, and stayed composed through the toughest times, having to win three Game 7's to win the Stanley Cup. They played their game, and never wavered in the face of adversity.

I didn't end up watching the game, but I'm looking at the replays and there are a few things I wish to comment on.

Numero Uno: Canucks; what happened? Sedins; where were you? What happened to this team that won the Presidents Trophy, and one of the goalies who was nominated for the Vezina in Roberto Luongo? Was Aaron Rome really a pivotal point in this teams performance, or was shutting down Nathan Horton the only game plan they had going into this series? Either way, one fact is certain in my mind: The Canucks got scared. The Bruins were noticeably tough and bigger than most of the Canucks, and they got intimidated. After seeing Dan Hamhuis go down early in the series, the players like the Sedins didn't want to risk personal injury and played conservative hockey. Had they showed some testicular fortitude and played with a reckless abandon, they would be the ones holding the Cup right now.

Numero Dos: Canucks fans need to chill, and quickly. After rioting after the 1994 series, it's now become a custom in the NHL that if your team loses, we expect you to act like savage neanderthals and break everything in sight. Is that really the reputation you want in this league? Also, during the Cup presentation, it upset me to hear as many boo's as I did. Yes, I understand the frustration of losing on home-ice, and having to watch the team who just beat you celebrate and spray champagne right in-front of you, but show a little class for Christ's sake. Not even Flyers fans were as disrespectful last year when the Blackhawks won the Cup on Philadelphia ice. The Flyers fans sat there and gave a gallant golf-clap to their team, and the team that won, and that's exactly what should be done. Now, whenever someone goes back and watches the replays of the Game 7, they're going to remember two things: how much the Canucks choked, and how sore the fans were afterwards.

In all, the playoffs this year were pretty good, but my attention sort of faded once it got deeper. There were no heavy underdog teams that came up through the ranks, and no team that overcame a miraculous deficit (although we had two teams come close). The Championship round also lost most of my attention. It was either I sat down and watched a 1-0 snoozefest, or a 4+ goal blowout. Game 2 was the only interesting game for me, but again, that's just my opinion.

Now, we wait on summer activities, like the Draft, and free-agency to open up. Congratulations to the Bruins, from The Clinic!

Chris Drury's Contract Buyout In The Works

Turn your watches, folks. Chris Drury's days as a Ranger are numbered.

There have been quite a few reports coming from different sources that General Manager Glen Sather is planning to buy out the final year of Chris Drury's 5 year, $32.25 million contract. The captain missed 58 games this season, and tallied just one goal, and four assists all year.

It is quite unfortunate for Drury's circumstance, because the only thing he's done wrong in the time of his captaincy was convince Glen Sather to overpay him after having a 30+ goal season when he was on the Buffalo Sabres. Drury had done what he needed to when it counted most, lets not forget the tying goal on his first shift in the last game of the season against the Devils. However, the Ranger have a new mindset. They are preparing for the free agency of Brad Richards, and allowing them more room to maneuver if Richards becomes too steep of a price. From a business standpoint, it's a very good decision for the Rangers to make.

This buyout will also relinquish the captaincy of the New York Ranger. Filling Drury's captaincy will not be an easy task, for he was such a good role model for the young talent on this Rangers team to have while he was there. The best option (as I've noted in an older article) would be Ryan Callahan. Many of the fans looked to Callahan as the captain of the Rangers this season because of Drury's prolonged absence. If the Rangers want to follow up their captain with another good captain, they'd be wise to pick Callahan.

As for Drury, his career won't end with the Rangers. Drury's clutch-ness and versatility, especially on the penalty-kill, could entice quite a few teams that need that final piece of the puzzle to make a complete team. Drury will go to another team, and he will go fast. Let us hope for their sake they get more than one goal and four assists though, because we all know Drury is better than that.

Au revoir, Chris!