Big Questions for the Rangers

With the offseason comes rumors of trades, contract extensions, and buyouts.  The New York Rangers have a few interesting choices to make in the offseason.  Is it time to say goodbye to a few players and make room for the rising stars?  Let’s take a look at some players they will have to deal with during the offseason.

If you like to play casino games for fun, then put your money on Ryan Callahan.  He scored 23 goals and had 25 assists this year in just 60 games, both career highs for the RW.  He will likely be named Captain for the team and is probably a safe bet for a long term deal.  How much of a bump he gets will depend on how much they can squeeze under the cap.

Brian Boyle is indeed a big question mark for some.  He produced 21 goals and 14 assists this season, but some think it could be a fluke year.  Prior to this year, his career best total goals in a season was 4.  The only thing that might be a knock against a new deal is that he didn’t score a point in the offseason for the Rangers.   He will be back with the Rangers, and with a nice raise.  Hopefully he will prove to deserve it.

Brandon Dubinsky, the 24 year-old LW from Anchorage, AK may be the easiest deal out of the potential deals coming this off season.  Dubinsky came off a season that saw him put up 24 goals, and 30 assists in 77 games.  He has made it clear that he wants to stay with the Rangers.  As has been pointed out, Dubinsky should get a nice raise on the $1.85M that he made this past season, so this contract should be an easy winner.

You very well may not see either Derek Boogard or Chris Drury in a Rangers uniform next year.  Boogaard is still recovering from a concussion suffered in December and many feel that he will be dealt before the next season.  Chris Drury, the Rangers Captain, may very well have his contract bought out before next season.  His value to the team on the ice does not seem to coincide with the $7.05M salary he is set to get next season.  With Ryan Callahan the heir-apparent, expect Drury to dress somewhere else next year.

Fans of Drury and Boogard may not like the news just presented, but there comes a time where a team has to move on and go in a different direction.  It looks like the New York Rangers are moving forward with Callahan, Dubinsky, and company.  Of course, there is still plenty of offseason left and anything can happen.  For now, sit back and enjoy the fireworks.

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From Pavel Datsyuk first to Logan Couture last, comparing the 2012 All-Star rosters (Yahoo! Sports)

NHL All-Star Game lineups (Yahoo! Sports)

Puck Headlines: McDonald explains Ovechkin critique; does the NHL have an image problem? (Yahoo! Sports)

Be afraid: NHLPA has Scott Hartnell, Joffrey Lupul and others filming their lives (Yahoo! Sports)

Chatting with the amateur goalie that ‘ruined’ the 2009 NHL All-Star Game skills competition (Yahoo! Sports)