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With Rangers struggling with injuries on blue line, Michael Del Zotto, often a healthy scratch earlier in the season, logged 24:37 in Friday night’s loss at Washington.
Michael Del Zotto has gone from a regular healthy scratch to being referred to as a member of the Rangers’ “top three” by coach Alain Vigneault on Friday night, and that’s a positive development for the club, for Del Zotto, and for the defenseman’s trade value.
The tricky part is, while Del Zotto may be a trade chip, the team’s injuries and inconsistencies on the blue line make it awfully difficult to justify dealing a 23-year-old who logged a season-high 24:37 of ice time in Friday’s 3-2 loss in Washington. There’s more short-term value for the Rangers in sticking with the impending restricted free agent these next couple months, even if the money he’ll command this summer and the Rangers’ other needs eventually dictate Del Zotto be moved by the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
It’s said the Rangers would like to add another right-handed shot on defense, where five of their seven steady contributors are lefties, excluding Dan Girardi and Anton Stralman, but first they need their health. Stralman went down Friday night with an undisclosed ailment; Marc Staal will need time to adjust when he returns from his Dec. 7 concussion; Dylan McIlrath is waiting to have his injured left knee re-evaluated this week; John Moore loses too many battles at the net; and Justin Falk, while tough, is limited. (Team MVP Ryan McDonagh, anyone?)
The Blueshirts would have to up Del Zotto’s salary at the end of the year to keep him, but GM Glen Sather’s decision is further complicated by the injuries and his club’s mediocre play. Del Zotto’s recent improvement seemingly makes it easier to shop him, but at the moment, it also seems harder to let him leave.
Of course, however Sather proceeds with his defense, he also has almost $ 23 million committed to three players next season in Henrik Lundqvist, Brad Richards and Rick Nash and one more compliance buyout to use this summer. Richards has no goals in his last nine games. Nash has no goals in his last seven, and Lundqvist has allowed three or more goals in seven straight.
RED, WHITE AND BLUESHIRTS
Here are the Daily News’ updated projections for Rangers who will represent the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The U.S. team will be announced on New Year’s Day: Defenseman McDonagh (on team), right wing Ryan Callahan (on team), center Derek Stepan (on the bubble), left wing Chris Kreider (waits four more years).
FIGHT ON?
Why didn’t we think of this before: Instead of increasing the penalty for fighting to curb player injuries, why not just educate the fans on it instead? The Washington Capitals aired a video on the Verizon Center Jumbotron during the first intermission of Friday night’s 3-2 Rangers loss featuring CSN-Washington analyst and former Caps goon Alan May explaining how to fight and protect oneself during a scrap.
If the NHL is serious about player safety, it should come up with a method for punishing organizations for promoting fighting the same way Brendan Shanahan doles out suspensions to players for dangerous hits. Come to think of it, the NHL could just change the rules and up the penalty for fighting to a game misconduct, and then these videos — hopefully — would disappear.
MATTEAU, MATTEAU!
Devils prospect Stefan Matteau, the son of former Ranger hero Stephane Matteau, was named Team USA’s player of the game in its 5-1 win over the Czech Republic on Thursday and then scored in a 6-3 win over Slovakia on Saturday to open the 2014 IIHF World Junior championships in Sweden, where the U.S. is defending its 2013 title. Rangers prospect Brady Skjei, a defenseman the club selected one pick ahead of Matteau at 28th overall in the 2012 draft, also has helped anchor the blue line in both wins.
Team USA will face Germany on Sunday (9 a.m. ET) and Canada on Tuesday (11:30 a.m.), in games both televised on NHL Network, before the quarterfinals begin Jan. 2. The tournament runs through Jan. 5.
PRICED OUT
The NHL is reducing prices for the most expensive seats to its Jan. 25 Stadium Series matchup between the L.A. Kings and Anaheim Ducks at Dodger Stadium because those tickets have not been selling, according to the L.A. Times. Fans who already bought seats in those sections at $ 288 a pop will receive a refund equal to the difference of the initial and current pricing. Tickets also still are available for Rangers-Islanders at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 29, though the Jan. 26 afternoon match between the Rangers and Devils in the Bronx is sold out.
The league is hosting five outdoor games this season in addition to its trademark Winter Classic on New Year’s Day between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium. The NHL seemingly is testing how profitable the outdoor events can become before demand is stretched too thin. The schedule includes four Stadium Series games — including also the Penguins-Blackhawks game at Soldier Field on March 1 — and the Heritage Classic on March 2 between the Ottawa Senators and Canucks in Vancouver.
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