San Jose winning the Western Conference? LMAO

Vancouver in second? LMAO

Dallas ninth? LMAO

Oh yeah…….what was it you said?

Colorado-Despite all the All-stars on their team, i think theyll crack under the pressure like Dallas did last year, and lose out to division rivals Vancouver.

Hmmmmmmm, do you not recollect that Forsberg(one of the best “ever” all-around players in the NHL) wasn’t on the team last year? Oh yeah, he will be this year. Do you also not recall who cost Dallas so many games last year? hint hint hint–BELFOUR –he is gone this year!!!!

Anyway, Rangers original dpeth chart isn’t that good at all because their LW is Murray and Barnaby…but this is what you could see on the ice:

Nedved-Lindros-Bure

Dvorak-Holik-Lundmark

Murray-Messier-Samuelsson

Barnaby-(not sure who)-McCarthy

Extras: Ward, Donato, Fata, Oliwa

Or…if they sign Rucinsky:

Rucinsky-Lindros-Bure

Nedved-Holik-Dvorak

Samuelsson-Messier-Lundmark

Barnaby-Murray-McCarthy

I think Trotts will go ahead with the new Czech-line. I hope it fails since Lundmarks looks very good with Holik.

You talked a lot on Neil Smith trades. I hated them all, won us a Cup, but i think the Rangers would have won a Cup if they had all those players.

If Smith was still the GM, you’d see him traded Lundmark, Kloucek, York, Hlavac, Dvorak, Purinton, Brendl, 1st round picks, and other for Lindros, Jagr, and Bure.

You got to give Sather credit for making sharp deals on Lindros and Bure. To Sather, Kloucek wasn’t worth part of a package for Jagr. I know that Marchant is probably better than Murray, Messier, Samuelsson? I don’t know…i think Samuelsson will be better in the long-run. He is strong and very very solid at both ends of the ice.

But, i wouldn’t trade Kloucek just to get a better 3rd line player. It’s a Neil Smith move, not a Sather move.

I saw chemsitry with those players. They read each other quite well. When a player reads his teammates’ plays, on his line, that is part of chemistry. The other part is if they can finish those plays.

My point was that it’s not such a big issue as everyone makes it out to be.

By the way, Marchant is a better player right now than all four of your potential third liners. Messier is really going down hill, isn’t really a checking centre and never has been. (I am a huge fan, his 1990 Hart/Stanley Cup season was one of the best in my memory) You are stuck with Messier for the regular season until his true value shows up when/if you make the playoffs. I know Murray very well and trust me, Marchant is twice the player. Lundmark is a rookie and not a defensive player and I don’t need to say anything about Samuelsson. What the Rangers really need are wingers – that has to be one of the worst groups of LW’s in the league. Murray is your best LW right now and he wouldn’t even make the Oilers right now. The scoring lines are stacked on RW and the team is spilling over with elite centres but no LW’s. Overall I’d say the Rangers have a lot of scoring depth but they are short on quality defensive forwards and checkers.

Potential is an interesting thing and GM’s are often willing to trade potential for a proven commodity to win. Looking at previous Rangers/Oilers deals during the fire sale of the 90′s – the Oilers acquired Weight, Marchant, Steven Rice, and Louie DeBrusk. All had potential but Smith wanted Messier, MacTavish, Tikkanen, etc. You’ll note that some of the propsects turned out like Weight and Marchant while others turned into Rice and DeBrusk. All I’m saying is, yes, Kloucek has potential but the Oilers take the risk because Marchant is proven and Kloucek isn’t.

Give me a break, you are claiming to evaluate chemistry based on the preseason. I don’t care how well they are playing together right now. It is a whole different thing when the games start to mean something and they have to go to war together. The team has had a huge overhaul with turnover of the lineup and a new coaching staff. This team will have some chemistry problems to some extent. Tell me about chemistry after 15-20 games and then I’ll believe you.

Thornton only played 66 games and scored 22. If he plays 82 games he’ll blow 30 out of the water. We’ll see about Bonk, even if he is a 1st line centre, the Sens are still thin up the middle. They could use hometown boy Savard from Calgary.

West

1. Dallas- I expect a real fast start from this team. They have a solid group of forwards, and with guys like Modano and Guerin playing together, you can expect somethings. Note**- I am not responsible if Guerin beats Modano over the head with his stick before December.**(Final Standing-5)

2.- Colorado- Peter Forsberg will be healthy. That should say it all. Well except that I think that Forsberg was hoping that last year the Av’s would be towards the bottom of the playoff teams when he returned so that he could come back in one of those awesome cinematic sports scenes. That would go a little something like this:

Announcer: If the Av’s drop this game they will fall just under Minnesota for the 8th and final playoff spot. It’s hard to believe with such a talented team. They are about to drop the puck…. WAIT A MINUTE!!! COMING OUT OF THE TUNNEL……IT’S FORSBERG!!! FORSBERG IS BACK!!!!

Where was I? Oh yeah…like I said this team is a bunch of top quality players. (1)

3-Detroit: I have one problem with this team. It’s that at any moment there are like 5 guys on this team who could realistically die of natural causes. But that said….Cujo is no Hasek…….or is he. People keep saying they are downgrading in this position, but I think that has to be seen. (2)

4-San Jose: I LOVE this team. I started rooting for them when the Rangers traded Adam Graves across the country. (BTW Thank god for the NHL package on Direct TV) San Jose is a place where former rangers go to die…or rather to live. Graves…sundstrom…there are a few more, but I can’t remember at the moment. Offensively they have a great combination of goal scorers and defensive type forwards. IF Nabokov signs, they are in good position to make a serious run. (4)

At this point I will explain that I don’t follow the west as much as the east, and that should explain for the most part why I am ignoring divisions and such.

5. Vancouver: One of the best lines in the game today. A good young goalie. This is one of those teams that is now overrated because of their battle with detroit, and such, but overratted doesn’t mean they are bad. They are a solid team in a western conference where there are many teams that can interchange. (3)

6. Calgary- I don’t think Iginla will have the same kind of season. I do however think this team will be in a playoff position….until about february. Derek Morris was a very good player for this team. (9)

7. St. Louis- Uh,,they should be good. In all truth, they won’t be. (10)

8. Anaheim- Something of a sleeper team. Good Goalie, Oates, Kariya and Sykora playing together. Adam Oates is exactly what Paul Kariya needs. Also, on the block, meaning that by midseason they may have been sold to someone who cares enough about hockey to bring some help ino this shiznit. (6)

9. Chicago- Upon learning that his father is now Tumor Free Theo Fleury will have a fire lit in him. It is as of yet unconfirmed as to whether or not that fire will be from a crack pipe or not. Slow start sans Daze. Needs a real Goalie ( GOD DAMN IT! THIBAULT IS MY STARTING GOALIE ON MY FANTASY TEAM!!!!!)(7)

10. Phoenix- Uh. Slow start. Will be better. (8)

The rest you can have fun with……

East

1. NYR- Personal bias. Seriously though, expect the Rangers get off to a great start. In Early December they may even be the points leaders for the entire league (whoever is laughing will be shot). Then the wear and tear will begin. Lindros will miss 10 games in January. Messier will miss 7 games due to a mishap where someone tried to embalm him in his sleep. But Holik will do what the rangers got him to do. Take Pressure off Lindros and smack around the other teams big guns. Also, expect Brian Leetch to Return to form, in fact the Defense will improve to allowing only 33 shots per game. (2)

2. Carolina- Riding high on Stanley Cup fever, the Hurricanes will come out shooting. Seriously though, there are really only two teams who can win this division. (Although that won’t be the case next year) (3)

3. Ottawa- Solid team. ( I’m starting to get tired…..so my witty banter will come to an end.) (2)

4. Philadelphia- Stupid Flyers….they will win now…but in April…..errrrr…boom. (5)

5. Montreal- Blah Blah (4)

6. NJ- Brodeur is too good to miss the playoffs( 7)

7. Washington- Didn’t get better other teams got worse. (8)

8. Toronto-again, blah blah. lost cujo. Belfor is a tool. (6)

9. Islanders missing peca sucks for them.

The Rest …Some will contend. Some will not. Some will suck (Florida, I’m looking in your direction.) But these teams are all making consistent strides for the future….

SORRY FOOTBALL, and Hunger are distractiing me. I will probably comment later and make fun of my own picks.

HTR has expanded, and has been more successful since expanding its topics. Thank you very much, we appreciate it a lot.

HTR staff

Burns has been very disappointed with the offense. So far this team ain’t doing that well at all. No chemistry.

Rangers will not sign Dafoe.

1) In order for Richter to re-injure his knees, he’d have to do the same move two seasons ago. From side to side hitting the inside post too hard. He had an injury free season with his kness and they are much better than last season.

2) Dafoe wants $6 million a season, Cablevision won’t allow the Rangers to sign him.

Dafoe will most likely head to Chicago or the Flyers if Cechmanek keeps playing below average, as he said so himself calling his play “horrible” when interviewed.