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Rangers opening training camp, takeaways from Day 1 |
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The Rangers officially opened training camp today. For those who place judgments on lines right from the get go, today provided an earlier insight into what we might see. Could we have. a favorite in the captain sweepstakes? New York to honor Rod Gilbert.
Lines
What can we take from the above, despite it being way too early to definitively state anything:
- Mika Zib is in his usual spot as the first line center. The contract debate will dominate camp and likely the season if no deal is done. Term and $ remain to be seen, but some speculation exists that a 7-8 year contract for maybe $8-9 million might be the landing spot between the parties, who each seem to be motivated to get a deal. This doesn't mean a contract will be signed, but middle ground appears to exist.
- Chris Kreider is on the top line, rather than getting moved to the third line
- Alexis Lafreniere is getting the chance to play right wing, as mentioned by Gerard Gallant in his press conference the prior day
- Kaapo Kakko slides into the second line right wing spot, filling a top-six spot expected by most of us. If he can take the next forward that many of us believe he can - and he clearly looks bigger and stronger - that will go a long way to replacing the scoring that was lost in the Pavel Buchnevich trade.
- Vitali Kravtsov is slotted on the third line. Laf seeing first line duty resulted in this placement for Kravtsov. This is not set in stone, since if Laf moves back to the left side and Kreider moves down, Kakko and Kratvsov would move up a line
- Filip Chytil opens camp at center, in line with expectations. Like Kakko, a step forward would help balance out the lineup, replacing what was lost in Buch and also remove a decent amount of the doubt that exists with Chytil in general.
- Barclay Goodrow opening on Chytil's left side is no surprise.
- The fourth line is fairly similar to what we thought. Morgan Barron will get a chance, though he is probable to begin the year at Hartford. Dryden Hunt, who I think earns a roster spot, is a longshot as well to be in the Opening Day lineup, same probably with Will Cuylle, who impressed in the rookie camp.
- The first two defensive pairs are the same as last season, though Adam Fox now has Norris on the back of his jersey, at least for today's practice. I wonder if we might see Miller-Fox and Lindgren-Trouba at some point
- Nils Lundkvist and Patrick Nemeth open as the third pair. That duo should be in a similar position opening night. Chris Drury and Gallant have sung Nils' praises, so unless something radical happens, he should build off his solid development camp and be in the lineup
Captain
Drury and Gallant have both spoken of the need/desire for a captain, with one to likely named before the end of training camp. Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba are all in the running with Adam Fox a candidate as well. Kreider has not always followed his own words and advice, but if you listen to him and how others speak of the impact he has had, he sure fits the captain description. His on-ice performance has been uneven to be kind, dominating at times and disappearing all too often, though that isn't always a determining factor as to who should be captain. But if the team is looking for someone who speaks the part - see below - CK20 sure seems to fit the bill.
Gilbert
The patch that the team will wear all season is pretty much a must. But that rightly is just the tip of the iceberg. First, during pre-game warmups on October 14, Rangers players will wear the white warm-up jerseys traditionally worn in the 60's and 70's, emblazoned with "Gilbert" and No. 7 on the back. Each player will sign their jersey, which will then be auctioned to support the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
Second, as noted in the press release, the team has created the Rod Gilbert "Mr. Ranger" Award, which will be presented annually, beginning with the 2021-22 season. The award will recognize the Rangers player "who best honors Rod's legacy by exemplifying leadership qualities both on and off the ice, and making a significant humanitarian contribution to his community." This is the first time the Rangers have created an award since 1988, when the organization introduced the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award and the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award. Well done by the organization.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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