Here is the transcript from Friday evening’s conference call with Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, followed by some notes on Saturday’s game against Washington, and Chris Kreider’s condition:
Rangers GM Jeff Gorton:
On Emerson Etem:
“I would say, it’s clear Emerson got off to a tough start here and it just hasn’t seemed to gain any traction and basically we’re trying to find the right fit for him and a roster spot here and it goes back to training camp, really, where it didn’t seem to be working and a fit. So that’s why, at this point, it was best for us to get him another spot to go to and for us, to find a player that we liked and thought had some future. When Vancouver came along it seemed to be the right time to do this.”
On Nicklas Jensen:
“AV has a small recollection of him. I think he remembers the skill pretty well. Scott Arniel had a history with him, a little bit. Most of it’s the same. He’s got a nice skill package, he can skate, he’s got good hands, he’s got hockey sense. Our scouts who have seen him recently thought he might benefit from another organization and another opportunity. We see that a lot in hockey. We’re going to put him into Hartford and see how he does and then, hopefully, it’s somebody that can help us.”
On the roster and work that needs to be done by the deadline:
“Obviously we went through a tough stretch here in December and I’d like to think we’re starting to see signs of getting better and coming out of it. So we’d like to see more. Obviously it’s a big test tomorrow against Washington and we’ll see how we play there. But we’re always looking to get better. We’re calling around to see what’s out there and doing our due diligence. I think that we have a number of players who can all play better and hopefully we’re seeing signs of that happening now. So we’ll continue to evaluate going forward here in this stretch coming up.”
On the Carl Hagelin deal:
“I mean, for us (Ryan Gropp) was a big part of it. He was a player we felt had first-round evaluation and we didn’t have a first-round pick and as the draft moved on he’s a guy we wanted and felt like we might get squeezed out, and that was a big part of the trade. Obviously with Carl leaving, it was a salary-cap maneuver and we had to make a move. Really we wanted Ryan Gropp and he’s done well. He had a slow start with his injury but he’s been off to a real good start and we’re happy where he’s at and we just signed him. So with Emerson, for whatever reason, it just wasn’t working out and we just thought this was the time to make a move.
“Yes, Gropp was the key to it, and yes we expected more from Emerson. It’s hard to say that 75 percent of the trade was around Gropp and 25 percent of it was around Emerson. They were both part of it, but we really liked Gropp and we’re happy to have him and happy where he’s at. But the answer’s yes, we wanted more out of Emerson and it didn’t work out.”
On Aleksi Saarela’s play at the World Juniors:
“Obviously it’s a great thing when your guys are selected to go to that tournament, the best of that age group. They’re able to play against some of the very best players that have already been drafted very high or are going to be drafted high. The competition’s incredible, so, for a guy to win the gold medal, that’s always something that we hold in high regard. We’ve seen players that have come to the Rangers – Kreider and Step and some other guys – that have won a gold. Sometimes when you win you get called a winner and that’s on your resume. We were very happy with the way he was playing and the big power play there that scored so many goals. So we look forward to his future and he’s done really well.
“As far as the other guys who were there, (Brandon) Halverson didn’t play a ton, but again it’s experience for him, and we’re very happy with (Adam) Huska. We felt he played really well on a team that wasn’t a competitor there, for the gold anyway, but he played really well and he’s an exciting prospect for us.”
On the trade market:
“It’s obviously been very quiet until the last week. With so many teams close to the cap, it makes it difficult. A lot of times when you’re dealing with teams, they want young players back, they want cheap players back. It’s dollars for dollars. There’s so much that goes into it now, thay it does make it difficult to trade.
“The other component is that most teams probably feel that they’re in it. They’re in the race. There’s so much parity in the league that they’re probably right. They’re only a few points and one good week from being back in it. That’s less players in the pool to trade. I mean, it is hard. We’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of teams over the course of the season and this is another example. For the hundred conversations you have, you have one trade. It’s just the way it is.”
On Keith Yandle’s situation:
“With any prospective unrestricted free agent there’s going to be questions. But for us right now I think we’re looking at it like, how we’re going to do these next six or, what is it, seven weeks that lead up to the trade deadline. I think there’s so much that’s going to happen that will help questions that would be hard for me to even answer now. I mean, Keith’s obviously a UFA that stands to do quite well in the market. I’ve had some discussions with his agent and will continue to do so, but I think we’re at a point where we’re going to see how our team does and how we stack up and we’ll figure it out from there.”
On the difficulty of the extended slump and staying patient:
“I would say that, as times it has been tough to watch because we have history on our side that this team has played really well. We have some good players and collectively they’ve done a good job and had some good runs. It’s hard to watch when we’re playing poorly, and for a long period of time especially. But I have faith in this team, that our core has done a good job and is still intact. They’re players, they’re good guys, they care. There’s a lot of experience in there. There’s good leadership. So, I think, it’s hard … to answer the question about the future of the team. I think we have some time to figure out some of those answers. I’d like to see how the team is going to respond and come out of this, and as we go forward, whether we need to add or what we’re going to do. I think the players, how they’re playing, will dictate that.”
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NOTEBOOK — Capitals bring a big test; Kreider still out and not thrilled about it:
The Rangers know exactly what to expect from the Washington Capitals, the best team in the East by far, when they get together Saturday afternoon. The Capitals can’t possibly know what to expect from the East’s most inconsistent team.
The Capitals (30-7-3) are the only team in the league that hasn’t hit a slump yet. They beat the Islanders 4-1 in Brooklyn Thursday, and Alex Ovechkin scored his 497th career goal in his 799th game.
These Capitals are more complete and deeper than any of Ovechkin’s prior teams, though one of their seven losses was a 5-2 loss at the Garden Nov. 3. The Capitals trounced the Rangers 7-3 in their rock-bottom game Dec. 20. Since then, the Rangers have played better defensively and are 3-2.
“I watched their game (Thursday),” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said after practice Friday. “I mean, skill, size, speed, great transition game and probably the hottest goaltender (Braden Holtby) in the league right now, so we’ve got to bring our best.
“Last time they were in here we didn’t do a real good job of handling that power play (the Caps were 2 for 3) … we’re going to have to be a lot better (Saturday).”
Henrik Lundqvist gave up five goals on 24 shots and was pulled after two periods of the last meeting, in the middle of his current personal slump.
“It’s a good test,” Lundqvist said. “We have a lot of big games coming up, so it’s a good time for us to check where are we as a group here and what can we do against good teams. We want to be up there ourselves.
“We want to win consistently … It’s a tight race now. We’re aware of that, and it’s going to be a tight race all the way to the playoffs, so important points here every night. But especially when you play against probably the best team in the league right now, you know you have to bring your A game if you want to win.”
Chris Kreider also will not play because the medical staff determined his lacerated right hand hasn’t healed sufficiently. Vigneault expects Kreider to be ready for Boston Monday.
“If it was up to be, I’d play, but it’s at the discretion of the trainers at this point, so day to day … whatever theh (bleep) that means,” Kreider said.
Asked if Kreider automatically goes back into the lineup once he’s cleared, Vigneault said, “We’ll have to see how we play. I mean, the team played a pretty good game last game and we’re on a game-to-game basis. He’s definitely, when he’s playing up to his potential, a top-six forward. He’d be the first to tell you his game can be better.”
“It’s a good opportunity for me to see the game from above and refresh and get healthy,” Kreider said.
“It all depends on how you’re watching the game,” Vigneault said. “I think a lot of the great players watch the other players and see what they can do and see what they do technically and see what they do tactically. It’s never a bad thing. If he watches the right way, it should help.”
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