The $$$ issue now is a thing with an empty MSG. There is no normal revenue and profits coming in because of the pandemic. The Rangers missed the playoffs for the 4th straight year, and I am guessing JD was not guaranteeing it for next year either. No playoff $$$ was unacceptable to Dolan during a pandemic, its not difficult to understand. Couple that with the Rangers paying almost $19 million for players not even on the active roster just sealed their fate.
- TommyGTrain

Dolan is a billionaire heir to the Cablevision dynasty. The Rangers and Knicks are tantamount to action figures and video games that we got as kids

This seems to be the only logical conclusion to make, unless JD was sleeping with Dolan's mistress. Ya neva know
- climbdenali12

if there was video, would you watch?

if there was video, would you watch?
- jimbro83

You would with your Hillary Flesh light

if there was video, would you watch?
- jimbro83

i'd pay to watch a video of Dolan watching it

I think the firings were based on a difference in philosophy.

JD and Gorton were preaching patience and a very long vision into the future. It is clear they wanted another couple of years to complete the rebuild.

Dolan didn't want to:
1) wait another 2 years for guys like Cuylle, Schneider and Robertson to develop.

2) watch the Islanders destroy us for another 2 years.

3) pay millions of $$$ in buyouts to erase JDs and Gortons mistakes.

Dolan wanted playoff $$$ next season to bring in some much needed revenue in a pandemic economy.

I am upset that JD got fired but I can see why Dolan did it. Its not an outrageous position to take.
- TommyGTrain

And watch Panarin, Kreider, Zib , and Trouba waste away on a non playoff team

Dolan is a billionaire heir to the Cablevision dynasty. The Rangers and Knicks are tantamount to action figures and video games that we got as kids
- picklerick

while your parents were raking in the cash to make ends meet the most important thing in your world was those action figures...Dolan is still just that kid.

I think that $6M isn't even noticed if Dolan is looking at gate returns from a full building every game. Without that money, every expense looms larger than usual.
- Tonybere

I believe Dolan was willing to stay out of the Rangers business had they made the playoffs. But when they got absolutely DESTROYED by the Islanders and basically finished off our hopes of making the playoffs, then Dolan felt compelled to act. He probably demanded that JD fire Gorton and promote Drury. JD said no and that was it.

if there was video, would you watch?
- jimbro83

I'd pass

The writing had to be on the wall for Gorton since the day they made Drury Associate GM

Who knows, Maybe Dolan told JD "Fire Gorton, and I am going to be more involved from now on" and JD says Frakk this

in Friedman's 31 thoughts, he had this nugget:

"Chris Drury is pretty popular. Not sure what he’s going to do with his front office, but there’s a lot of interest in working for him, and, by extension, the Rangers"

[quote=jimbro83]


I am sure JD was popular and people wanted to work for him too.

[quote=TommyGTrain]

Friedman also says Drury's agents when he played are Eichel's agent and they also have very good relationship

additionally he says there were lots of talks last summer between Rangers and Sabres for Eichel, but Rangers refused to move #1 overall

be interesting to see if Gorton or JD or both actually do end up in Buffalo

I believe Dolan was willing to stay out of the Rangers business had they made the playoffs. But when they got absolutely DESTROYED by the Islanders and basically finished off our hopes of making the playoffs, then Dolan felt compelled to act. He probably demanded that JD fire Gorton and promote Drury. JD said no and that was it.
- TommyGTrain

For a while this was a beautiful thing that he was too focused with destroying the Knicks that the Rangers were left to do the right thing.

Not to stray too far from the JD/Gorton topic but does anything think there's a possibility the divide started to grow with the whole Hank situation? Obviously there wasn't room for him here, but I remember being truly baffled when Washington announced he wouldn't play this season and kind of threw the Rangers medical staff under the bus about his heart condition. If we keep him and put him on LTIR he's not on the cap, we can go out and spend money, get a player, etc. Instead we buy him out, only for him to be on LTIR with another team this year and have to carry that 5.5 million. I know we would have been paying him one way or another but that 5.5 Million could have been that Center/Grit we were looking for all year.

Not to stray too far from the JD/Gorton topic but does anything think there's a possibility the divide started to grow with the whole Hank situation? Obviously there wasn't room for him here, but I remember being truly baffled when Washington announced he wouldn't play this season and kind of threw the Rangers medical staff under the bus about his heart condition. If we keep him and put him on LTIR he's not on the cap, we can go out and spend money, get a player, etc. Instead we buy him out, only for him to be on LTIR with another team this year and have to carry that 5.5 million. I know we would have been paying him one way or another but that 5.5 Million could have been that Center/Grit we were looking for all year.
- newenglandpuck

dont think one $5.5m player wouldve made the difference, but point taken on the larger picture

Not to stray too far from the JD/Gorton topic but does anything think there's a possibility the divide started to grow with the whole Hank situation? Obviously there wasn't room for him here, but I remember being truly baffled when Washington announced he wouldn't play this season and kind of threw the Rangers medical staff under the bus about his heart condition. If we keep him and put him on LTIR he's not on the cap, we can go out and spend money, get a player, etc. Instead we buy him out, only for him to be on LTIR with another team this year and have to carry that 5.5 million. I know we would have been paying him one way or another but that 5.5 Million could have been that Center/Grit we were looking for all year.
- newenglandpuck

in general the Hank situation last year was weird, he got phased out after Shesterkin arrived and barely played, and then they throw him in in the bubble, then buy him out

there had to be some differing opinions about Lundqvist for sure

Not to stray too far from the JD/Gorton topic but does anything think there's a possibility the divide started to grow with the whole Hank situation? Obviously there wasn't room for him here, but I remember being truly baffled when Washington announced he wouldn't play this season and kind of threw the Rangers medical staff under the bus about his heart condition. If we keep him and put him on LTIR he's not on the cap, we can go out and spend money, get a player, etc. Instead we buy him out, only for him to be on LTIR with another team this year and have to carry that 5.5 million. I know we would have been paying him one way or another but that 5.5 Million could have been that Center/Grit we were looking for all year.
- newenglandpuck

I see what you're saying. But, IIRC, Hank's camp was upfront about the Rangers Medical staff knowing about his prior condition and that there were new developments in the last year that necessitated the surgery.
Then again, with Dolan, who the (frank) knows!

Not to stray too far from the JD/Gorton topic but does anything think there's a possibility the divide started to grow with the whole Hank situation? Obviously there wasn't room for him here, but I remember being truly baffled when Washington announced he wouldn't play this season and kind of threw the Rangers medical staff under the bus about his heart condition. If we keep him and put him on LTIR he's not on the cap, we can go out and spend money, get a player, etc. Instead we buy him out, only for him to be on LTIR with another team this year and have to carry that 5.5 million. I know we would have been paying him one way or another but that 5.5 Million could have been that Center/Grit we were looking for all year.
- newenglandpuck

Its very possible, ( always feel free to chime in! )

Dolan is a billionaire heir to the Cablevision dynasty. The Rangers and Knicks are tantamount to action figures and video games that we got as kids
- picklerick

"DADDY MY KNICKS ARE BROKEN!"

"Leave me the hell alone and go (frank) with the Rangers you annoying poop."

Not to stray too far from the JD/Gorton topic but does anything think there's a possibility the divide started to grow with the whole Hank situation? Obviously there wasn't room for him here, but I remember being truly baffled when Washington announced he wouldn't play this season and kind of threw the Rangers medical staff under the bus about his heart condition. If we keep him and put him on LTIR he's not on the cap, we can go out and spend money, get a player, etc. Instead we buy him out, only for him to be on LTIR with another team this year and have to carry that 5.5 million. I know we would have been paying him one way or another but that 5.5 Million could have been that Center/Grit we were looking for all year.
- newenglandpuck

Hank's cap hit would still have been on the books until opening day. That would have made it a really tight squeeze and there was no way of knowing his heart condition would progress to the point of surgery.

With that said, do you think there is anyway the Rangers offer Hank a contract to come in and be Igor's backup?

Hank's cap hit would still have been on the books until opening day. That would have made it a really tight squeeze and there was no way of knowing his heart condition would progress to the point of surgery.

With that said, do you think there is anyway the Rangers offer Hank a contract to come in and be Igor's backup?
- climbdenali12

It would be nice but I doubt it.

I actually do think he plays next year. His recovery has been nothing short of amazing.

It would be nice but I doubt it.

I actually do think he plays next year. His recovery has been nothing short of amazing.
- JRR1285

He'd be the first hockey player with that surgery to return to play if I'm remembering correctly but I think there's been a few at least D1 if not NFL players that have come back so it wouldn't shock me. He's going to put in the work to make it happen it's just a matter of getting cleared medically.

really the 2018 letter doesn't even make sense anymore in light of the firings
- jimbro83

And 2 messed up seasons to boot. Still don't get it.

Even my wife was pissed they fired JD.

And 2 messed up seasons to boot. Still don't get it.

Even my wife was pissed they fired JD.
- Fenrir

Yep. The timing of it was just so dumb.
With some time and corroborating info I am ok with Drury taking over for Gorts. No reason to release JD though, unless those on here are right and he said no to firing Gorton. And no reason to do it while the whole Wilson/Public Statement thing was going on. Drury would have been present for all the exit meetings anyway.

Capitals winger Lars Eller and New York Rangers forward Ryan Strome dropped the gloves with one another during Washington's 4-2 win over New York last Wednesday, a game that featured six fights in the first five minutes following what the Rangers felt was a cheap shot from Tom Wilson on Artemi Panarin in the clash two days prior.C

Nearly one week after the fact, Eller joined the Sports Junkies and when asked about the fight he said he had never spoken to Strome once before the two got into it.

"I never had a conversation with him before in my life," Eller said.

Eller's fight -- which was the final of the six in the opening five minutes of the first period -- happened right after a faceoff in which Strome, somewhat politely, asked him to fight.

"He just asked me during the faceoff, 'please fight me.' ... I can't remember if he said 'please,'" Eller said. "I think he was like 'I need one. Let's go. I need one.' I was like 'Alright, fine.'

"Once you drop the gloves and it's on, it's either hit or get hit. It's just that simple," Eller continued.