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| Original Photo Credit: AP |
The Rangers had a busy weekend at the 2011 NHL Entry Level Draft this past weekend, as they added six new players and traded away LW Evgeny Grachev to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a third round draft pick. The Rangers started off the draft by selecting 18-year-old, US-born forward J.T. Miller with the 15th overall pick in the draft.
Here are all the Rangers' draft picks they made over the weekend, courtesy of NewYorkRangers.com.
Round 1 - LW J.T. Miller (No. 15 Overall)
Round 3 - C Steven Fogarty (No. 72 Overall)
Round 4 - C Michael St. Croix (No. 106 Overall)
Round 5 - RW Shane McColgan (No. 134 Overall)
Round 5 - D Samuel Noreau (No. 136 Overall)
Round 6 - D Peter Ceresnak (No. 172 Overall)
Remember, the Rangers traded away their second round pick for Tim Erixon and gave up a third rounder in the Bryan McCabe trade. The only other trade the Rangers made at the draft was with the Nashville Predators - the Rangers and Preds swapped sixth round picks with the Rangers getting Nashville's 2011 sixth rounder in exchange for the Rangers' 2012 sixth rounder.
Rangers GM Glen Sather also had a rare interview with members of the media in which he revealed some interesting things. Sather said that Evgeny Grachev's agent requested a trade because Grachev didn't feel the Rangers' system was right for him and he wanted a fresh start elsewhere. Apparently, Sather had been trying to move Grachev over the course of the past year and the Blues were the only team with any real interest. I think it's a shame Grachev couldn't have been more mature and simply worked harder to be able to make it work with the Rangers. I still think the kid has a lot of raw talent, but Sather's hands were tied here with Grachev wanting out and his stock continuing to plummet around the NHL. I just really wish we could've hung onto the kid because I think he could've been a big part of the team's future.
Sather also said he didn't expect any of the Rangers' restricted free agents to sign before July 1, but that five of the Rangers' six restricted free agents have been extended qualifying offers - Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Brandon Dubinsky, Mike Sauer and Artem Anisimov. The only RFA to not get a qualifying offer was Matt Gilroy, who will test the open market. Sather said the Rangers would like to bring Gilroy back at a cheaper price, but he'll likely want to go elsewhere where he can get more playing time.
Sather would not discuss anything about Chris Drury being bought out, saying he hasn't talked with Drury in a while and adding, "I assume he feels fine."
The Rangers would like Ruslan Fedotenko back, but Sather said he's not a top priority right now. Sather wants to wait until after free agency opens to see how much cap room the Rangers have left after making all their signings. I fully expect Feds to be brought back, and I think they'll come to terms on something. Sather obviously wouldn't say so, but it sounded from this like the Rangers will let what happens with Brad Richards dictate the rest of their signings.
The Rangers may also add a veteran defenseman, again, depending on cap space left over.
Sather also said that the Rangers will open the next three seasons in Europe. I'm not really crazy about this to be completely honest. The whole jet lag thing is certainly something to worry about when you have long trips like that to start the season off.
Finally, the Rangers opened their 2011 Developmental Prospect Camp today, highlighted by top prospects Tim Erixon, Dylan McIlrath, Carl Hagelin, Ryan Bourque and Christian Thomas. The Rangers' new 2011 draft picks will also be joining camp later on in the week. It's a good way for these kids to get their feet wet on what to expect at a John Tortorella training camp.
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