Get Ready For Hell... Dubinsky Burning?

Any hopes of this camp being fild with fireside stories and marshmallows will be smoked out first thing in the morning. Coach John Tortorella has been waiting for this camp to open since he took over for Tom Renney in late February last year. Camp opens with the emphasis squarely on conditioning... the players won't even touch a puck until the third day. The Rangers noticebly attacked more and dominated stretches of games under Tortorella but couldn't sustain it.

Vinny Prospal is the only one who's been through this camp calling it "the worst camp ever", as reported by Steve Zipay of Newsday. Prospal also addressed the clash he had with Tortorella that led to Prospal saying "in a way I hope to shove it up somebody's butt" in a post -game interview. He was angry after being benched and came back to score two goals in a come-from-behind win for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008. Prospal still thinks Tortorella always pushed the right buttons and got the best out of him.

Steve Zipay also is reporting that talks with Brandon Dubinsky's agent Kurt Overhardt and the Rangers over the last 2 days are going nowhere. Overhardt went on to say "expectations are not great" of the situation being resolved before camp opens on Saturday. If Dubinsky doesn't show up to the first Camp Torts... two words... not good. Two more more words... Phil Kessel. He's a name that was talked about on "The Beat" and could be the answer for the Rangers.

Kessel A' Comin'...

Though Dany Heatley has been one of the "rumored Rangers" much of this offseason, there's only one guy that Glen Sather should be looking at... Boston's Phil Kessel. He is a young, dynamic, goal scoring right wing who can also play center. The 21-year-old led the Bruins last year with 36 goals in only 70 games. He's a restricted free agent but Boston is completely capped out and unlikely to make room for him before October 1st, when all teams must be under $56.8 million. Kessel would fit perfectly into John Tortorella's system with his speed and defensive responsibility finishing +23 last year.

Kessel will command $5 mil a year though he's coming back from shoulder surgery and won't play til November. Can Sather create the space? The answer is... he has to. Phil Kessel is the player the Rangers are missing. Put him on a line with Marian Gaborik and you could have a monkey center them... it wouldn't matter. The two would combine to be one of the more lethal 1-2 punches in the league... and the Rangers instantly become Stanley Cup contenders.

Move Michal Rozsival... move Brandon Dubinsky... Move whoever you have to to get Phil Kessel in a Rangers uniform.