Although the following article reprinted from SVT (Swedish public television) ends on a positive note, it doesn't allay fears that Henrik Lundqvist is fully recovered from the knee injury that prevented him from participating in the IIHF World Championships. In fact, those concerns are intensified because the Rangers' most valuable player was experiencing discomfort severe enough to require a cortisone shot nearly three months after their season ended.

 

The full article appears below (translation provided by Risto Pakarinen): 

 

Thirsty for success

Lundqvist wants to win with the Rangers

 

Henrik Lundqvist is getting ready for his sixth NHL season. On Saturday, he returned to New York City to try to win the Stanley Cup.

 

A somewhat beaten up body is trying to recharge, but there are no guarantees that his groin and knees will hold up.

 

Last year, the Rangers goalie played 73 games despite major problems with his groin and his knees. That’s what kept the ex-Frölunda goalie from the Worlds.

 

“I got a shot of cortisone a few weeks ago, and the knee feels good now,” “Henke” told SVT Sport.

 

He’s back at home, in the city he now calls his hometown: New York. And his goal is crystal clear:

“My goal is to win something with the Rangers before I retire, that’s my dream,” he says, smiling.

        

Listen to Part 2 the first "Ranger Greats/Ranger Crisis" Hockey Summit, recorded August 21 at Bar Nine in New York City.

Download | Duration: 00:22:14

        

100 RANGER GREATS co-authors Adam Raider (above, left) and Russ Cohen (center) were joined by RangerCrisis.com blogger and Blog Talk Radio personality Eddie (The Mouth) Gieck for the first "Ranger Greats/Ranger Crisis" Hockey Summit, recorded August 21 at Bar Nine in New York City. Topics included the Rangers' offseason activity, the state of the organization, media coverage of the team, some "show-and-tell," and Rangers trivia.

You can listen to Part 1 of this event here:

Download | Duration: 00:22:01

        

        

Rather than pursue jackpot-sniffing free agent Ilya Kovalchuk or swing a trade for injury-plagued Simon Gagne, the Rangers should sign restricted free agent (RFA) center Sam Gagner of the Edmonton Oilers to an offer sheet.

Here’s the deal: restricted free agents have been tendered a qualifying offer by their respective clubs and are subject to draft choice compensation and right to match. If an RFA player rejects that qualifying offer and instead signs an offer sheet with a new club, that player’s old team must be compensated with draft picks. The draft choice compensation scale is based on compensation offered by the new club.

So if Gagner, who earned $1,625,000 last year, were signed to a new deal paying him between $3 million and $4 million annually, the Oilers would get New York’s first and third round picks. Or, the Oilers could match New York’s offer and retain Gagner.

The question becomes, is Sam Gagner – a 20-year-old, former sixth overall pick who has yet to have his breakout season – worth it?

So far, the numbers do not inspire awe. He scored 13 goals and 49 points as a rookie in 2007-08, and followed that up with back-to-back 41-point seasons. “Are those the numbers of a top-six center?” asked one Oilers blogger rhetorically. “No.” In fact, a growing number of Oilers fans are ready to give up on the son former NHL All-Star Dave Gagner. Remarkably, he’s been characterized in those precincts as “overrated” and “soft in all respects.”

We disagree. This is a young player who has yet to take the next step in his development as a professional, but we suspect that time is fast approaching. Within the next two to three seasons, he could be scoring at a point-per-game pace. The Rangers would be wise to pursue this talented offensive player now at a time when his value is at its lowest.

Will it happen? Unlikely. Even if the Rangers were aware of Gagner’s potential and agreed that he would fill an important current and future role on the club, GM Glen Sather has close personal ties with Oilers president Kevin Lowe. Signing one of Lowe’s players to an offer sheet would be construed as a huge betrayal and could destroy their friendship. Former Anaheim GM Brian Burke learned that the hard way.

        

The Rangers sign free agent center Mark Pavelich. The Minnesota native was among several former members of the "Miracle On Ice" team who later played for the Rangers. The others were Bill Baker, Rob McClanahan and Dave Silk.

Pavelich is profiled in the book 100 RANGER GREATS, available wherever books are sold.

        

100 RANGER GREATS co-author Russ Cohen talks about the book, his reporting background and more in an interview at WhomYouKnow.com, a website celebrating arts and entertainment in New York City.

        

Phil Esposito, a former Rangers player and MSG Network analyst, is named Vice President and General Manager of the team, replacing Craig Patrick.

        

The Rangers hold a press conference at Madison Square Garden to announce the signing of free agent center Mark Messier, who had spent the previous three years with the Vancouver Canucks.