Valley wants to be back
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- March
- 12
Stephen Valiquette said he hasn’t had any discussions with the Rangers about a contract for next season, but that he wants to be back.
Neither of these revelations should come as much of a surprise. One, given the other free agents on the team’s roster, the backup goalie might not be much of a priority right around now. And the team probably already has a good idea that Valiquette isn’t interested in walking away.
Just much does Valiquette like being a Ranger? This is how he described it to me:
“The staff is the best in the league. It’s the best facility. The best plane. The best food on the plane. The best workout facilities. The best coaches. There isn’t one negative aspect of being a New York Ranger. The quality of life is great here.”
In other words, he’s pretty miserable.
Truth is, the Rangers have stumbled on a gem with Valiquette, not only because he’s capable of stealing a game from time-to-time, but because he has no ego to speak of, and is happy to be the starting goalie’s biggest supporter. That’s not a common combination of traits.
And given all that, you wonder if Valiquette’s success opened the door for Al Montoya being shipped out of town. Valiquette shot down that theory when I asked him, and Tom Renney only said the combination of Henrik Lundqvist and Valiquette allowed the team to feel comfortable making the deal.
Obviously. But I would have to think holding on to Montoya would be much more important to the Rangers if Valiquette turned out to be a disappointment this season.
As we know now, though, that hasn’t been the case, and my guess is the Rangers will feature the same goaltending tandem in 2008-09 that they do now. And unlike some of his teammates, Valiquette doesn’t sound like he’s going to push the Rangers too hard when it comes to a new deal.
“No,” he said when I asked him if there’s been any talk so far. “But should I be like Sean Avery and tell you what I think I’m worth?”
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 7:05 pm by Sam Weinman.
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Josh Thomson Josh, who is 26 and a native of Carmel, graduated from Boston University in 2002 and began working for The Journal News the following March. 
tell me about it.. I havent been this excited to see them skate since the first few games
Salty;
Center ice had two channels dedicated to the Caps game last night, and one of those channels had a split screen with one camera just following Ovechkin all night. Kind of cool watching him work away from the puck.
Chris F – I said the bit about trading crosby. The comment alone does not explain the thought process. But don’t ever think that any player can’t be moved. That’s all. Not worth discussing further.
Ovechkin cam? I saw the end of the game where he almost repeated his goal on his back. But this one just missed an empty net for the hat trick. Guy’s ALL heart. Not one bad thing to say about him.
blueshirtbulletin has a write-up about Soryal. Sounds like a combo of hollweg, orr, avery. I guess the organ-i-zation is seeing the benefits of finding tough guys with hands. Just a matter of time until you find another quality one. At this point it looks like we sifting through what’s out there.
The Caps new uniforms are pretty sweet, I must admit. Got that perfect combination of freshness and old school. Not flashy, just fresh. I hope they get good over the next couple of years, I want to see Ovechkin overshadow Crosby. Until we sign Crosby at 28, of course.
Just a few quick hits based on what I’ve read here…
Good to see alot of people apologizing to Vally, because when the CuJo rumors were going around, people were acting like Valliquette was garbage. I pointed out a few times how well he played, and he keeps proving it every start he gets. 1 stinker all year is pretty good.
I’d take Jagr back and a huge discount, with bonuses. something like what Doodie mentioned, but capping out at a lot less than 7.5. I think the absolute limit would be $6 million.
Straka and Shanahan both need to retire. Honeslty, I’m tired of seeing gys out there because of the name on they’re jersey, regardless of production. Straka has done nothing lately, and Shnahan’s even strength game is falling apart. I’m 100% on board with Prucha replacing either one, just to give them a break.
People who are saying they’d resign Shanny to be a 3rd/4th liner-PP-SO specialist are nuts. We have Prucha, who can do the same thing and is 14 years younger and makes $3 million yes. People forget how money he was in the shootout, and what a weapon he was on the PP. As long as Shanny and Straka are bocking him, we’ll never know what we have in the kid. Is he a 30-goal/50 point guy? Or is he what we’ve seen this year?
I know what Shanny brings to the room, but it’s time for that page to turn because Drury and Gomez can have that same influence. I think it’s painfully obvious that Straka is just done. Nothing wrong with that, the guy is one of the hardest workers on the team, has a small frame and takes lots of abuse. It’s OK that he’s getting old and isn’t contributing, but there’s absolutely NO reason to sign that guy, that I can see.
Do you think that minor concussion that Straka had is effecting him? Much like Shanny’s concussion effected him last season?
LOL
Prucha does not replace Shanahan. Sorry dude.
Salty – At this point in Shanahan’s career, if he’s going to play on the 3rd or 4th line and just get PP and SO time, I’d much rather have a player 154 years younger, making $3 million less. No one mentioned the word “replace”.
I meant 14 years. I know Shanny’s old, but not that old!
Wiikman is on an AHL contract. As long as he’s with a Rangers affiliate in the AHL, they have the exclusive right to purchase his contract. But technically, he’s Hartford property, not NYR.
i could be completely wrong but isnt one of the stipulations in jagrs contract winning the stanley cup? doesnt that trump all the other stipulations like getting 84 pts etc.? heres hoping! =D
adam – it’s just winning a playoff round. not the cup. in addition to 84pts.
I think the concussion took alot out of Straka, yea.
are you 100% positive beer me? id like to see you back up your statement buddy!
by the way, i really think bobby sanguianetti has to make this team next year, hes our PP QB of the future and i think he could be comparable but better than mike green of washington, you guys think our D has been contributing a lot this year just wait untill bobby S. joins our squad and staal gets more confidence in his shot, holy moly!!!
Sanguenetti will need at least 1 full season in Hartford. Defesnemen take longer to develop, and I’d rather not ruin the kid by having him burned night in and night out by the likes of AO, Sid, Hossa, the Big 3 in Ottawa, Malkin, etc.
I can wait one more year for the kid to develop.
Sam…Are you working today? WTF. We need a new thread.
I know that when Prucha27 starts pining for Prucha to get into the lineup, it’s time for a new thread.
Pru27, you make a good point about D needing to develop and all….then you say Prucha should be in this lineup to take the place of our leading goal scorer. To give him a rest for a game or two, maybe yes, fine. But to replace Shanny….challenge!
adam – it’s a fact. win a playoff round and score 84pts to trigger the extension year.
Thought this was an interesting comment. I was listening to Barry “the Mullet” Melroses’ pod cast for the NHL. You can find it on ESPN.com. and he stated
“The playoffs in the East should be good, not because the teams are great, just because no one knows who will win.”
What does he consider a great team? I think the East is by far the more competitive conference and the Atlantic is probabaly one of the toughest divisions in any sport.
Just venting.
The Rangers’ captain can trigger an option year if any of the following scenarios occur:
If the Rangers win a playoff round this season and Jagr scores 40 goals during the regular season.
If they win a playoff round and he scores 84 points during the regular season.
If he wins the Hart (MVP), Art Ross (scoring title) or Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) trophies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/11/AR2007101102188.html
Newman – There you go with your spin again. I already said that Prucha should be in the lineup to give the either Shanny or Straka a rest, and I said that I’d rather have Prucha in the lineup than Shanny or Straka NEXT year, especially if Shanny is going to be a 3rd/4th liner/PP/SO specialist.
By the way, our leading goal scorer has a whopping 7 goals in his last 20 games. Only 4 at even strength.
Prucha27 and Newman- Staal did not go to hartford for a year of development, i think at the very least the rangers will bring him to camp next year and will give him a long hard look, he is just lighting up the OHL now, and while his offense has always been there ive read reports that state that his defense has been a revelation this year as you can see in his -16 from last year and his +7 this year
I hate to say it PRUCHA27 but Prucha blows. Ever since he did his knee he has been crap. He has absolutely zero scoring touch. Prucha replace Shanny… I mean that is just silly to even think it. I love the little guy but he hasn’t done much in a looooong time.
And to be honest I really do not see where all the Shanny ire has come from. The guy has been a solid pick up for the Rangers over the past two years. PRUCHA27 what you are forgetting is what Shanny brings to the table every night. What he brings to the lockerroom everynight. The way he works with the young guys on shooting and the way he keeps hammerheads like Avery in check. The team is better just having him around. He is the true voice of this team too. Everytime he speaks he says the right thing.
I would rather have Shanny at 80% then Prucha at 100% 8 days a week and twice on sunday!
BTW – I can’t believe Brook’s write up in the Post today saying power play specialist Prucha should be inserted to help save the power play. Is he kidding. Did anyone else read his article and think WTF….
ahhh thank you beer me as you have proved me wrong, well heres hoping that he wins the conn smyth then, because then that means we would have won the cup =D
i personally think that this season was lost from the beginning for prucha, in his rookie year he was skating on the first or second line and this year he was on the 3rd line and not seeing any power play time
next year prucha will have his time to shine when some of the incumbents will leave
but one thing that does worry me when prucha was asked after his first year howd you score 30 goals, he said it was luck, maybe it was? haha
Parros – So let’s just keep Shanny until he’s 45. That’s laughable. No one is knocking what he did last year, or what he’s done this year. But you can’t keep the guy around forever because of his “leadership”. That’s why you sign the Gomezes and Drurys.
And Parros – No one who’s made it to the NHL and had back to back seasons with 20 or more goals “blows”. Also laughable.
It’s not about proving people wrong sometimes adam. Sometimes.
I wouldn’t mind seeing prucha on the PP this weekend. The real problem with it is this. If he is inserted in the lineup to give someone a rest this weekend in sunny FLA, and put on the PP, then you’re messing with the PP units that will be together going down the stretch and into the post season. Which won’t include Prucha(unless due to injury). We’ve been trying desperatly to get the PP going all year. So if you throw him out there now, and it works…then what happens when the players who will be in the lineup the rest of the way take the PP back? You have to change it all back again.
PRUCHA27 – obviously agreed bro…. but this is still this year. I thought you were saying prucha should play now. Next year is a different story. But with that said…. think I would still rather have Shanny at 40 then Prucha at 26. Just speaking flat out not taking pay and contract and all that into consideration. Not saying that the Rangers NEED Shanny to be successful next year – just that if given the option I would take Shanny over prucha in a heartbeat.
ahhh thank you beer me as you have proved me wrong, well heres hoping that he wins the conn smyth then, because then that means we would have won the cup
.....
In that scenario I think Jagr would just retire anyway…
prucha27 – This is the best advice I can give you. Make sure you record the games this weekend. There’s a great chance that it will be the last time you see him skate with the team until september.
PRUCHA27 – he’s got 7 this year… that blows!
Prucha doesnt blow, He has a ton of fight in him but the thing is We have players that are better than him. Nigel Dawes for one. Prucha just hasnt done enough for the time he has been in simple as that.
Sam, Rangers practice today?
Prucha27 youre pretty much fighting a lost battle. Maybe if you changed Shanny to Straka, you might have some arguement…
Reminder: This is an organization that has gone out of its way to keep JASON STRUDWICK around because of what he brings to the table as a person, not a player.
Rangers get Liles in the off season, yay or nay?
Prucha does have a ton of fight… He is a hard working player. But I got a ton of fight too. Does that mean I should be playing for the Rangers! No one is saying we hate Prucha and we should burn him at the stake. Love the guy… he just hasn’t done anything for the Gers in too long a time and as RobZ pointed out – others are.
Vally is the man. He’s one of my fav Nyr players, just because he’s so cool. He’s definitely my fav backups this team has ever had since i got into them. Him and Hank are good together. Weekes was a loser ! He always had it in for Hank after he stole his job, and even though he never admitted it, he was always bitter about it. It really brought down his game. Vally knows his role, and he’s more then happy to be a backup. RE SIGN HIM !!!
BTW
Anybody see Laraque’s pathetic cheap shot elbow to Patesch. I hate Lacrackhead. They brought out a stretcher but they didn’t need it, cause eventually he got up. But Sabs might be down another D man. This guy had a rough week, first Avery bitched him, then Lacrackhead tries to kill him. NHL is gonna hand out there 4th suspension in 2 days. Jeez louise, my knee’s !!!
I want Nyr to get Campbell is the off season. I really like how he’s playing with the Sharks. He’s looking good.
CHRIS F.
I think Liles is locked up for another year or two.
staal, girardi, toots, liles, Rozy, Backman, struds(7th). Bobby S….back and forth to fill in for injuries. Or poor play.
I’d take it.
I think I’m over trying to get Brian Campbell. He’s a great player, but I think his asking price will be to high.
And I’m not even totally sold on the dmen I listed above. I still would like to add a hard hitting dman that can clear guys from the front of the net.
Parros – I see what you’re saying, but contract and other factors do need to be involved. To pay Shanny $x millions to play on the 3rd or 4th line and be a PP/SO guy makes no sense.
ALso, there’s ZERO reason that Prucha can’t replace Straka in the lineup right now AND in the playoffs. Straka is doing nothing right now.
Obviously Dawes is outshining Prucha right now. He’s a good player. If he hits a sophomore slump next year, everyone will jump off his bandwagon the same as they jumped off Prucha’s. I’m not saying Prucha should play over Dawes, and I still think Prucha is a comparable player to Callahan. I’m just saying Straka has brought nothing to the table in the past 5+ games and there’s no reason you can’t throw Prucha on that line and give him some PP time with the #1 unit. He fits on that line better than Shanahan, because he goes to the net, Shanny doesn’t. Prucha can even go to the 2nd line with Gomez and Dawes, with Drury manning the point. Drury failed on the point earlier when his whole game was in shambles. I think he’s more confident there now.
Actually. Chris Pronger might get suspended for the rest of the league. he stomped on a Canucks foot last night, or appeared too. The league will look at the video. Given Pronger’s past with cheap shots, it wont be good for him. He better check that anger out, but what do you expect he looks like Arnold (I wont spell his name) Negger, with that gap in his teeth.
Parros and Prucha, my comment has sparked some discussion between you both, and I think you’re both at the extreemes, meanwhile, I meant to be somewhere in the middle.
I said Shanny as PP/SO specialist, but I would want him compensated as such. So Prucha, your argument that Prucha would be paid 3/4 million less fails, because I would only want him if he were being paid 3/4 million less than he is now. As for Prucha being money in the shootout, that’s just false. Prucha went 0 for 6 last year. He is 1 for 3 this year and was 1 for 3 his rookie year. That makes him 2 for 12 lifetime. He officially sucks in the shootout.
That said, Shanahan can no longer play an effective even strength role over an entire season. And if the choice is between having Shanny at full cost (aka, his current salary or close to it) and not havibng him at all, I choose not having him at all, and spending the money to bolster our defensive corps.
Now, buckmeister has accused me of being in Sather’s pocket because I said that. Well, allow me to retort:
First, Baranka sucks. He is another middle to bottom pairing defenseman. We have 6 of them for 4 spots. I’m talking about a top guy. So forget Baranka.
You also mention Sanguinetti. Well, Two problems with him. First, he is going to spend at least one year in Hartford because he is lousy defensively. Second, he is an offensive defenseman, and the type of defenseman I think we should be trying to acquire is a hard hitting shutdown defenseman. Our defensive corps is too soft overall, and we lack a defenseman capable of individually shutting down star players.
So yes, spend the money to bolster our defensive corps.
As for bashing Valliquette, I will continue to do so. It’s nothing personal against the guy. I think he’s a good teammate and an adequate stand-in. But I still think we should get a veteran back up because I think it will make Lundqvist better. Do you think Hank can learn anything from Vally besides how to keep a bench warm? A solid veteran can teach Hank about maintaining composure, focus, and maybe a thing or two about the actual playing of the position (PUCKHANDLING!!!). So, no, I am not for bringing back Valliquette for another season.
“Wiikman is on an AHL contract. As long as he’s with a Rangers affiliate in the AHL, they have the exclusive right to purchase his contract. But technically, he’s Hartford property, not NYR.”
Yeah thats what I was saying. He doesn’t have an NHL contract for this year, but rather an AHL contract. As you said they have 1st shot at signing him though.
And Prucha27, straka is doing something. Just because he’s not putting points up doesn’t mean hes not important to that line. Callahan and Drury are getting points because of what Marty is bringing to that line. The lines are clicking right now and there is no reason to bring Prucha in unless you wanna rest one of the older guys for a game or two. I like Prucha, he fits well with the future of this team, but he lost his spot to Dawes and a healthier Ryan Callahan so he must wait his turn.
If you watched Prucha this year, you’ll notice his offensive game was not there. Not sure if thats a product of playing with different centers OR the fact that he just couldn’t get it done. I mean to me it looked like he didn’t have that confidence with the puck that he had the last 2 seasons. Also its his 3rd year and the goalies adjusted to him.
Dawes might hit a sophomore slump, but not for a whole season. He’s too skilled and has such a great and accurate shot that its very doubtful he’ll have a really shitty 2nd year. Same for Dubi. Reason we hyped up Prucha is because he got a bunch of garbage goals on the PP that first season and we thought he was one of our top prospects/young players when in reality maybe we just overrated him. Either way I’d like to see him as a 2nd or 3rd line winger next year.
NEW POST
and it’s about Avery, so a lot of you should go and get your vaseline before you read it.
new post
To pay Shanny $x millions to play on the 3rd or 4th line and be a PP/SO guy makes no sense.
...
If you get the PP actually working, it makes a FEATHERLOAD of sense. The Power Play should have been this teams bread and butter this year. Can you Imagine if it was actually half the threat it should have been? We’d be golden.
Also, Shanahan is not meant to “go to the net” amymore. He’s a puck firing machine. He still has one of the best releases in the NHL. Look how well he’s been playing since he’s been rested. You use Shanahan sparingly, and you see better results. However Tom Renneys got him running around on the 2nd line, PP and PK…. no feathers he’s gonna get worn down.
Shanahan @ $3M w/ a couple of real incentives = no brainer. NO BRAINER!
Doodie – He’s 3-14 and the actually all have been shootout winning goals. He’s 1 of only 4 players to have scored for the Rangers in the shootout.
I’d really like to hear your definition of “suck” though, because your standards must be pretty high.
Look, like I’ve been saying. Prucha isn’t going to replace Shanahan. Butl et’s be serious, who can? You can’t go into the summer thinking that you have to replace a 600+ goal scorer and future hall of famer. You go out thinking “Who’s going to be my #2 RW, or #3 RW” and I think if Prucha has a strong camp, he can be either.
Either way, to keep Shanahan on the roster for SO’s, which may or may not happen, or to contribute to a PP that he’s currently not really helping, doesn’t make any sense to me. You like him in the locker room, hire him as a coach.
As for Vally, Lundy isn’t a rookie anymore. He doesn’t need a backup to coach him. We have Benney Allaire for that. Was Healy coaching Richter? Was Brygalov coaching Giguere? YOu think Gerger was “coaching” Ward after he was so bad that he lost his job to Ward? Even if you think Gerber was giving Ward advice, if you’re Ward, do you listen to that? I don’t.
A veteran b/u is in no way necessary to have a Cup winning goalie.
sorry – what is shanny being paid this year? and prucha?
“As for bashing Valliquette, I will continue to do so. It’s nothing personal against the guy. I think he’s a good teammate and an adequate stand-in. But I still think we should get a veteran back up because I think it will make Lundqvist better. Do you think Hank can learn anything from Vally besides how to keep a bench warm? A solid veteran can teach Hank about maintaining composure, focus, and maybe a thing or two about the actual playing of the position (PUCKHANDLING!!!). So, no, I am not for bringing back Valliquette for another season.”
We have (supposedly) one of the best goaltending coaches around in Allaire. I would think that he ought to be able to teach Henrik about puckhandling, composure and focus, no? I’m not saying that Henrik couldn’t learn from a veteran backstop, but who will be out there that is qualified to mentor Henrik?