Rangers Come Closer to Finalizing Roster

The Rangers cut two more players from their camp this week, winger P.A. Parenteau and defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti.

Tortorella was very impressed with Parenteau's play during the preseason; there just wasn't a roster spot for him. Parenteau, if he clears waivers, will head to Hartford where he will be an offensive force. I would be shocked if he is not called up to New York at some point during the season to replace an injured or struggling forward.

Although Sanguinetti played great last year in Hartford while appearing to be NHL-ready, he was outplayed in preseason by fellow youngsters Matt Gilroy and Michael Del Zotto. If a New York blueliner goes down for an extended period of time, the Rangers may choose to call up Sanguinetti over a more experienced Corey Potter or Michael Sauer. Also if either Gilroy or Del Zotto do not play well this year, Sanguinetti could replace them on the roster.

The Rangers most likely will only have one more roster cut before the season starts, and that should be Evgeny Grachev. Although he has played very well, there is no spot for him on this team. The final two forward positions will go to Enver Lisin and Aaron Voros, who will be switching off on the fourth line alongside Brian Boyle and Donald Brashear.

It would not be wise for a young top prospect like Grachev to play limited minutes on a fourth line, so there is little doubt that he will head back to the juniors. The reason he is still up with the Rangers is that they are missing a body with Sean Avery's right knee sprain. Avery should be ready to go when the season begins and Grachev can return to the juniors or begin a rookie campaign with the Wolf Pack (as a Russian, he is age-eligible).

My prediction for the Rangers on opening night is:
1st Line: Higgins- Dubinsky- Gaborik
2nd Line: Kotalik- Drury- Callahan
3rd Line: Avery- Anisimov- Prospal
4th Line: Brashear-Boyle- Lisin/Voros
1st D Pair:Staal-Gilroy
2nd D Pair:Redden-Rozsival
3rd D Pair:Girardi-Del Zotto
Goalies: Lundqvist, Valiquette
Healthy Scratches: Lisin/Voros, Semenov