Dear Glen Sather: This dude is a beast. Love, 5-hole.com

It’s that time of the season again.  Yes, the annual trading frenzy as fading teams try to get something worthwhile for their unrestricted free agents.  The NHL trade deadline is March 4.  Take a look at this list of the top 50 UFA’s from the 8 worst teams in the league.  I like the Maple Leafs’ big power winger Nik Antropov.  And, with a cap hit of just over $2 million, I hope the Rangers like him too.

Let’s take a look at the games tonight.  We have some good matchups (i.e. Rangers-Ducks, Wings-Coyotes) and some complete mismatches.  Speaking of mismatches… in my opinion, the standard play for the *Gimmie* is to bet on the biggest mismatch, which would presumably be the safest bet.  Tonight, we have the Canadiens taking on the Thrashers (#5 vs #29) and the Capitals playing the Senators (#4 vs #28).  While we all agree on the picks (Habs and Caps), none of us picked either team as our gimmie.  Does that mean we smell upsets?  Or do we all just hate the Habs and we’re just too afraid to pick the inconsistent Caps on the road?  In other news, Eric picked the Hurricanes as his gimmie against the Penguins.  He must know something I don’t.

On to the picks!

#12 Anaheim Ducks @ #9 New York Rangers

Eric – Ducks – This is what happens when you take Korpikoski AND Prucha out of the lineup, Tom.
Marc – Rangers – The Rangers handled the Ducks nicely when they played in Anaheim.  Plus, Dawes owns Pronger.
Rory – Rangers – We live in hope.

#5 Montreal Canadiens @ #29 Atlanta Thrashers

Eric – Canadiens - The Habs’ road record (12-7-2) is better than the Thrashers’ home record (8-13-2).
Marc - Canadiens - Even with Halak in goal, the Habs are a better team than Atlanta in pretty much every facet of the game.
Rory - Canadiens - Come on now.

#4 Washington Capitals @ #28 Ottawa Senators

Eric – Capitals – A day after spoiling the Islanders’ bid for their first win of 2009, the Caps head north to take on an equally crappy team.
Marc – Capitals – It’s inauguration day, and in the battle of North American capital cities, we will win!  U-S-A! U-S-A!
Rory – Capitals - Ovie has a Twitter!  Which Eric and I now follow.

#19 Carolina Hurricanes @ #15 Pittsburgh Penguins

Eric – Canes – “The Flower” is gonna get blown away tonight. *gimmie*
Marc – Penguins – The Canes are tempting, especially with the way Cam Ward has been playing.  But, I’m going with the Pens here.
Rory – Canes - Meh.

#24 L.A. Kings @ #17 Minnesota Wild

Eric – Wild – Because I can.
Marc – Wild - I love the Wild and I love Backstrom.  What?  Backstrom might not start???  &*#@.
Rory – Wild - Kings = Suck.

#20 Columbus Blue Jackets @ #18 Edmonton Oilers

Eric – BJ’s – Mason is quite the goalie.
Marc – Oilers – Steve Mason came back down to earth against the Canucks.  I like the Oilers in Rexall Place.
Rory – BJ’s - Hehe… BJs.

#3 Detroit Red Wings @ #13 Phoenix Coyotes

Eric – Red Wings – The Coyotes have quietly moved into 6th place in the west.
Marc – Red Wings – Detroit has beaten Phoenix in Phoenix 7 times in a row.
Rory – Red Wings - Go Flying Tires! *gimmie*

#16 Vancouver Canucks @ #1 San Jose Sharks

Eric – Sharks – Gonna be a close one.  Edge to Sharks.
Marc – Sharks – Somehow, I was able to pick the Sharks first regulation home loss in 11 months. Thanks Kipper!  Tonight, the Sharks take care of business against the Canucks. *gimmie*
Rory - Sharks – Eff you, Mats Sundin!

Related posts:

1. 5-hole.com Pick ‘em – Bottom Feeders Delight – 12/2/08
2. 5-hole.com Pick ‘em – Marc is Mini-Kipper – 1/15/09
3. 5-hole.com Pick ‘em – Flipping a coin=better than Marc at Pick ‘em
4. 5-hole.com Pick ‘em – I got nothing – 12/22/08
5. 5-hole.com Pick ‘em – OMG! Controversy! – 12/23/08

After taking a very brief look at who is going to be available, I’ve come up with a preliminary list of a few players I’d like to see wearing a Rangers jersey next season.

Ryan Malone, LW, Pit
The 6’4″, 225 lb. winger would add much needed size and skill to the Rangers front lines. The fast and powerful forward would make a great complement to the quick and shifty Scott Gomez. Malone, who racked up 103 PIM this season, would also add some toughness to the Rangers. Malone is 28 years old, and recorded 27 goals and 24 assists this season. Current salary: $1.45 mil

Kristian Huselius, LW, Cal
Huselius is a fast skater with a scorer’s touch. He had 25 goals this season to go with 41 assists. He plays fearlessly on the boards, which when combined with his quickness, makes him a very dangerous forechecker. I would love to see the 29-year-old Huselius on a line with Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan. Current salary: $1.4 mil

John Michael-Liles, D, Col
The Rangers have had their sights set on this 27-year-old Defenseman for some time. It was rumored they were trying to acquire him at this season’s trade deadline but the price was too steep. Now that he will be an Unrestricted Free Agent, I expect Sather to go after him. At 5’10″ 185 lbs., he is smaller than your prototypical NHL defenseman, but he could be the power play quarterback the Rangers so desperately need. The offensive defenseman had 6 goals and 26 assists this season. Current salary: $1.4 mil

Related posts:

1. Rangers trade Tyutin and Backman to Columbus for Zherdev and Fritsche
2. Girardi signed to new deal
3. Something’s Gotta Give
4. Rangers Acquire Nik Antropov from Leafs
5. Where Are They Now? – October 31, 2009

Here’s a list of the Rangers unrestricted free agents and what they made this year. (Thanks to NHLnumbers.com… if you click on this link, you will waste a hell of a lot of time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)

Avery, Sean – $1.9 mil
Jagr, Jaromir – $8.36 mil
Malik, Marek – $2.5 mil
Mara, Paul – $3 mil
Rozsival, Michal – $2.3 mil
Shanahan, Brendan – $2.5 mil
Straka, Martin – $3.3 mil
Strudwick, Jason – $0.5 mil
Valiquette, Stephen – $0.635 mil

Out of that list, I think we’re more than likely going to be saying goodbye to Malik, Mara, Rozsival, Shanahan, and Straka. I think the Rangers would like to keep Strudwick and Valiquette if they can keep them for about the same salary. That leaves the 2 big questions: Sean Avery and Jaromir Jagr.

I’ve already made my case for Avery. If you want the short story, I think the Rangers should re-sign him. If you want the long story, click that link.

As for Jagr, I am undecided. He has proven he can still take control of a game and put the puck in the net… in spurts. The question is whether he can still perform at a high level for an entire season. And is he worth the high price tag? Keep in mind, the Rangers only paid Jagr $4.94 mil out of their own pockets. The rest was courtesy of the Washington Capitals. The reason I think the Rangers are not going to re-sign Jagr is that it seems like Jagr and the team are going in 2 different directions. Jagr prefers a European style puck-possession offense (even though it’s clear he doesn’t have the same power along the boards anymore), while the Rangers are moving towards a North American style of power hockey. I love the way Jagr and Dubinsky play together, so I do have some worries about the kid’s progress should the Rangers choose not to re-sign Jagr. But, I think Dubinsky is a talented center who would be successful with any wingers.

By the way, Sam Weinman wrote a great eulogy for the Jagr era.

Related posts:

1. Rangers @ Hurricanes – Game Preview
2. Where do the Rangers stand?
3. #2 Penguins vs. #5 Rangers – Series Preview
4. Rangers shuffle the lineup in practice today
5. Rozsival back, Gomez questionable tonight against Devils