Why the NHL Should Take Good Notice of the Hagelin-Richards-Gaborik Line

Tonight in Madison Square Garden, the Rangers took on the Carolina Hurricanes and managed to put up four goals on the 'Canes which lead to a win to the score of 4-2. All four goals from the Rangers came from their top forward unit consisting of Carl Hagelin on left-wing, Brad Richards in the middle, and Marian Gaborik on the right. Brad Richards had two goals, and Hagelin and Gaborik split the other two.

Not going off of just one night of performance, but this line has the potential to be the next big threatening line in the NHL. Carl Hagelin is being mentored every single game that he plays with Richards and Gaborik, and is thriving with them. Not only that, but he is fueling the veterans as well. Tonight, Hagelin had two assists on both Brad Richards goals. Gaborik had two assists on one Richards goal, and Hagelin's goal. There is chemistry on this line, and it is obvious.

Ryan Callahan Becomes the 26th Captain of the New York Rangers

"Come next October, Callahan will be wearing the 'C' on his jersey, mark my words".

That was a quote from an article I wrote during last season entitled "Why Ryan Callahan Should Be Made Captain". And I am so happy this prediction came true.

Ryan Callahan has been appointed the 26th captain of the New York Rangers, filling the void after veteran Chris Drury's contract left the position open. It was released today that Callahan would get the 'C' and both Brad Richards and Marc Staal would be getting the assistant captains. It has been a debate that has been going on non-stop since the word of Drury's buyout was in the works who should get the 'C', especially if your a member of the New York Rangers Group on Facebook, and there were rumors that it may be headed to newcomer Brad Richards for his experience and skill. But the Rangers went with what seemed like it fit, and that is Callahan.

Callahan has become the poster-boy for this new groups of young and talented Rangers. He exemplifies what it means to play in New York, and what is expected by his examples. Callahan showed he would do nearly anything to win last season after going down to injuries twice while trying to block shots from Kris Letang and Zdeno Chara. Not even the man who can shoot the hardest slapshot in the NHL strikes fear in the heart of Callahan, and that heart is what makes him such a perfect captain for the Rangers to have. He works 100% every single night, and will never ever quit.

So let this add to your new season excitement Rangers fans! Theres a new sheriff in town, and his name is Callahan.

Rangers Sign Brad Richards

It's pretty much official, Brad Richards is coming to Broadway to play for the Rangers next season.

The 31-year-old has reportedly signed a nine-year contract for $6.5 million this morning, after sleeping on his decision last night, while the Rangers were hard at work signing Mike Rupp from the Penguins, and re-signing Ruslan Fedotenko. Yesterday, Richards was flooded with offers and contracts from teams like Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Calgary. The Rangers said they would be willing to match any contract that came to Richards, but ultimately Richards took a discount and left money on the table with the other teams to play in New York.

What does this mean for the Rangers cap situation? Initially, the idea of matching any contract that came forward from another team was petrifying, as it was reported there were some $9 million dollar contracts being mentioned. However, since Richards took the lower amount of money than that, it leaves New York with a bit of wiggle-room that the desperately need in order to sign Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Michael Sauer, Artem Anisimov and Brian Boyle who all become restricted free-agents next summer.

However, most fans in New York won't be totally satisfied until he produces for the Rangers. Which is not out of the realm of possibility that he certainly will. Richards has gotten better with age, and has scored more points than games hes played over the past two seasons. There's not a doubt in my mind that he can produce, especially being paired up with Marian Gaborik. Richards won't be a goal scoring wizard on the ice, but he is a fantastic set-up man which is just what Gaborik needs. Along with having a history of winning the Stanley Cup with coach John Tortorella in Tampa Bay, Richards can get an idea of what the Rangers' system will be like and what the coach will expect from him.

In all, I am fairly excited, but tentative at the same time. I pray for this to finally be the contract that is worth the nine year while. I pray for Richards and Gaborik to become so cohesive that they know where each other is on the ice at all times, like some kind of hockey sonar. I pray this leads the Rangers to bigger and better things without sacrificing the home grown talent. And I pray Richards has one of the best runs of his career in New York.

Welcome to the Rangers, Brad.

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.