B R O A D W A Y***B L U E S H I R T S

http://www.nydailynews.com/08-02-2006/sports/story/439852p-370532c.html


John Dellapina:Signing may leave out Leetch
That wide-open window for Brian Leetch to return to the Rangers closed significantly yesterday.
Following a month of curious fits and starts, negotiations between the Rangers and defenseman Michal Rozsival finally produced a two-year contract worth $2.1million per. The Rangers therefore have seven defensemen under contract for the upcoming season.

One is Sandis Ozolinsh, who is unlikely to be able to return from reconstructive knee surgery until January. And none of the seven is a power-play quarterback - a concern for a Rangers team that could be formidable with the man advantage having added Brendan Shanahan to Jaromir Jagr up front.

Leetch could fill that need. But the greatest defenseman in Rangers history has yet to fully decide whether he wants to play again next season or where.

Considering Leetch's refusal to sign with any of the Rangers' rivals and desire to remain in the Northeast so as not to uproot his wife Mary Beth and their three young children, his options appear limited.

He would like to return to the Bruins, with whom he signed last summer. But they are even more fully staffed on defense than the Rangers. A one-year deal with Edmonton is a possibility as former Rangers teammate Kevin Lowe, the Oilers GM, pursued Leetch in free agency last summer.-John Dellapina

http://www.nypost.com/sports/rangers/leetchs_ranger_return_takes_hit_rangers_larry_brooks.htm
Larry Brooks :

LEETCH'S
RANGER RETURN TAKES HIT


ROZSIVAL SIGNS TWO-YEAR DEAL


By LARRY BROOKS
August 2, 2006 -- The long-shot prospect of a Brian Leetch revival on Broadway became even longer yesterday upon the Blueshirts' signing of restricted free agent Michal Rozsival to a two-year, $4.2 million contract.
Rozsival, who will turn 28 early next month, led Ranger defensemen in scoring last year with 30 points (5-25) while tying Ottawa's Wade Redden for the NHL plus-minus lead at plus-35.

A right-handed shot who also led the club in ice time (22:27 per), Rozsival becomes the fifth varsity defenseman under contract, joining partner Marek Malik, Darius Kasparaitis, Karel Rachunek and free-agent acquisition Aaron Ward.

As The Post reported Sunday, Fedor Tyutin is working on negotiating a long-term deal with the club.

Thomas Pock and Martin Richter are expected to compete in camp for the seventh spot, though 19-year-old, 2005 first-rounder Marc Staal will be given every opportunity to force his way into the picture. (Sandis Ozolinsh, who re-entered the NHL/NHLPA Health Program following a DWI arrest in May, does remain under contract, but he is not expected to be ready to play anytime sooner than early December under the best of circumstances following post-season knee surgery.)

Thus, unless the Rangers intend to deal either Rozsival or Malik (who has two years remaining at $2.5M), it doesn't appear that there's a spot open for the 38-year-old, one-time franchise defenseman Leetch, who is reviewing his options as the premier unrestricted free agent remaining on the market. A return to Boston is not out of the question.

Including Ozolinsh's contract - on which the team will get Long Term Injury relief until he is cleared to play - the Rangers are just under $40M on the $44M cap. They do not appear to have an offer on the table to left winger Martin Rucinsky, who, The Post has learned, has recently begun contacting other clubs after miscalculating by rejecting the Blueshirts' one-year, $3.1M offer in late June.

larry.brooks@nypost.com


i hope Rucinsky comes to his senses and stays put.
even if its a 1 yr extension, for 1.5 mill & throw in some incentives.

bruinjam33 wrote:

Damn, never realized there were so many blueshirt faithful out here... We re-signed Hossa!!! Aren't you excited? haha... Haven't really read many posts yet, but what do you guys think about Sykora? Should we re-sign? He may take the spot of a young guy like Dawes or Immonen or push a guy like Prucha to the 3rd line. I really think Cullen needs to move to the 3rd line though. The D is looking decent, although I still would've loved to see Leetch back in blue... wishful thinking

hello & welcome - whatever part of the earth you are from !
the blueshirt loyalists cross all boundries and continents.

anyhow, more specualtion on the Leetch situation and the pros and cons for it , courtesy of Larry Brooks.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/rangers/leetch__rangers_need_each_other_rangers_larry_brooks.htm


LEETCH,
RANGERS NEED EACH OTHER

IT MAKES 2 MUCH SENSE:

A Brian Leetch revival on Broadway would be good for him and the Rangers, but doesn't appear to be in the works.

August 6, 2006 -- BRIAN Leetch isn't pounding the pave ment of the NHL carrying a sandwich board over his shoulders with the message, "Will Quarterback Power Play for Food." It isn't anything like that.
The truth of the matter is that Leetch, who for the last four weeks surely has been the premier free agent on the market, has chosen to remain uncommitted this summer even as he's received inquiries from a significant number of teams around the league.

But now Leetch, who in a remarkable coincidence made his NHL debut on the same Feb. 29, 1988 day the Rangers' 2006 first-round draft pick Bobby Sanguinetti, who grew up in New Jersey idolizing No. 2, was born, is about ready to get serious abut choosing a team for whom to play.

At 38, Leetch neither is the horse he's been throughout his decorated career, nor does he envision himself as one. Boston's mistake last year was thinking that he could begin the season playing 27-30 quality minutes a game without consequence. Rather, Leetch can be the unique missing piece of a contender's puzzle whose addition can complete the deal.

He is now the ultimate complementary defenseman, more valuable as a second-pair, 19-to-21-minute athlete who doesn't have to do the heavy lifting every night, and who, by the way, still runs a power play with the best of them even if his shot hasn't quite been the same since that 1997 playoff wrist injury.

Leetch was hurt twice last season, a knee and a groin, a year after which he - like the NHL - didn't play at all. Any number of North Americans who didn't compete in 2004-05 suffered by comparison last season, young and old alike, from Bill Guerin to Andrew Raycroft; from Martin Brodeur to Leetch. He was misused by since-dismissed Boston coach Mike Sullivan, under whom chaos had a corner stall in the club's room.

The first half of Leetch's career, during which he relied on brilliant skill and intuition, included two Norris Trophies. It's tempting to wonder how much better Leetch might have been over the last half of his career had he been in a stable situation, or had he been able to benefit from the same kind of coaching that, say, Scott Stevens experienced after he came to New Jersey.

Imagine Leetch being taught the subtleties by Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson and Pat Burns, instead of playing for a succession of coaches who, by any other designation, were interim occupants of the office on Broadway.

Which is to say that Leetch's decision- making process over these next weeks will be signifi cantly in fluenced by the coach for whom he'll play, the role he'll be asked to fill, and by the sta bility of the organization he'll choose to join. It won't be about cap space.

Dave Lewis is not only as good a coach as the Bruins have had in years - since Burns late last decade - he'd be as good a coach for Leetch as he's ever had. Yes, Boston has seven defensemen under contract, but they're not going to keep David Tanabe, and their remaining six, in addition to 30-minute man Zdeno Chara, will include Andrew Alberts and Milan Jurcina.

There are other teams; an assortment of teams that could attract Leetch as he ponders his future. But now, with training camp six weeks away, perhaps it is the past that beckons.

The best thing the Rangers have done this summer is avoid a major mistake that will come back to bite them in the cap. But it's difficult to see where the team has addressed the deficiencies that became apparent in the final weeks of last year's wonderful revival play.

True, neither Brendan Shanahan nor Matt Cullen is likely to ever try and pass the puck into the net, but the Rangers don't seem to have become significantly tougher to play against, they don't appear to have added a first-pass defenseman who can take advantage of the removal of the center line, and they don't look as if they have a point-man to quarterback the power play, even if Cullen can shoot it from the point.

Leetch won't come back for sentiment's sake. That's not what he's about and that's not what his final season(s) will be about, either. The Rangers are way beyond that, as well.

But the Blueshirts have a need on the blue line - no one can be sure about Karel Rachunek, and Marek Malik has value on the trade market if creating a spot becomes necessary - that Leetch can fill. Wouldn't it be nice if Peoples' MVP Jaromir Jagr were actually sprung now and again?

At the same time, the Rangers have what Leetch needs, too - a stable organization with a fine coach and a goaltender who gives the team a chance to win every night.

In much the same situation, Roger Clemens chose to go home again. The Rangers should give very serious thought to giving Leetch the same opportunity.

larry.brooks@nypost.com

funny, i thought they parted ways

http://newyorkrangers.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=2234


RANGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH MARCEL HOSSA
8/7/2006

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Marcel Hossa.

Hossa, 24, appeared in 64 games with the Rangers last season, recording 10 goals and six assists for 16 points, along with 28 penalty minutes. His 64 games, 10 goals, 16 points and 28 penalty minutes were all career-highs. Hossa also represented his native Slovakia at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia. In seven games at the World Championships, he picked up one goal and three assists, along with a plus-three rating.

In 2004-05, Hossa skated in 48 games with Mora IK of the Swedish Elite League, registering 18 goals and six assists for 24 points, along with 69 penalty minutes. While with Mora IK, he tied for second in goals (18) with his brother, Marian.

The 6-3, 220-pound forward has skated in 123 career NHL contests with the Rangers and Montreal Canadiens, registering 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points, along with 52 penalty minutes. In 2003-04, he skated in 15 games with the Canadiens, collecting two points (one goal, one assist), along with eight penalty minutes.

Hossa also skated in 57 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2003-04, where he registered 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points. As a second-year forward for Montreal in 2002-03, he established career-highs in assists (seven) and played in the 2003 YoungStars Game at All-Star Weekend in Florida, recording two assists.

Aside from his experience in the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2006 World Championships, Hossa has skated for his native Slovakia in several tournaments, including the 1999 (U-18), 2000 and 2001 World Junior Championships and, more recently, in the 2005 World Championships in Austria.

Prior to joining the professional ranks, Hossa appeared in 188 games with the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), registering 65 goals and 99 assists for 164 points, along with 182 penalty minutes. He led the Winter Hawks in scoring in 2000-01, collecting 34 goals and 56 assists for 90 points and was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team at the conclusion of the season.

The native of Ilava, Slovakia was originally drafted by Montreal in the first round, 16th overall, of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. On September 30, 2005, Hossa was acquired by the Rangers from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for left wing Garth Murray.

metsfan531941 wrote:

rangers suck LETS GO ISLANDERS


hehe

yeah but you guys, weather you like to admit it or not, are still being led by mad mike milbury.

best of luck