Here are 11 Rangers points from The Maven.
1. The explosive arrival of Matt Rempe last season made life – call it a job – difficult for likable but lower-key Jonny Brodzinski who somehow survived the too-tall interloper.
2. Now Jonny has to be concerned about the latest Skating Giraffe, Adam Edstrom. At 6-7, 234, Edstrom's talents means Brod may not see as much fourth line work as he'd like.
3. You have to figure that the returned Jimmy Vesey and Sam Carrick are fixtures. It's Rempe's vacated spot that Big Ed and Johnny have to compete for over the season.
4. With MSG Networks' Sam Rosen retiring next spring, Kenny Albert is the runaway favorite to move from radio play-by-play to become Sam's tv successor.
5. I know a few Albert fans who swear that Kenny and his analyst Dave Maloney work like perfectly-meshed gears and should team up on tv. Then again, so has Rosen and Joe Micheltti been a terrific tandem. How do we fix the people puzzle?
6. I'm just wondering whether Dave and Joe would combine with Albert, or does Maloney remain as he is, the excellent radio deliverer of superior insights.
7. Here's a question that could be answered tonight: Is being on a line with Will Cuylle and Reilly Smith the best thing for Vincent Trocheck? (I think not.)
8. Granted that Jonathan Quick's contract is for a mere year; but if The Pride Of Milford, Connecticut continues to excel, I could see an extension which will enable Quicky to retire at 40.
9. I wonder how many Rangers fans realize that there was a hit, Hollywood movie directly involving the Blueshirts. It was called "Mystery Alaska" and – having seen it – I can assure you that it's a winner.
10. For readers who are sick and tired of my Iggy Sheterkin rips, Pal Jess Rubenstein writes: "Everyone makes a big deal about Igor wanting to be paid his value. But they forget that it was Igor who did the Rangers a huge favor by giving the team a discount on his current salary. Why should Igor pay for Chris Drury's bad contracts like the one he gave Mika Zibanejad?"
11. Excuse me, Jess, but when you talk about Iggy's "value," what really is his TRUE VALUE In dollars? You can guess all over the place.
