Still There Are Questions...

The Rangers lost their pre-season finale 4-3 but did show some fight with 3 in the third. One of those was scored by Evgeny Grachev who admitted the first period was his worst ever. Despite a solid preseason there is just no room for the 19-year-old. There is for the other one though.

Michael Del Zotto has made the team. He's been solid and is only going to get better certainly with some growing pains. Expect to see a lot of him on the power play and possibly running it. Del Zotto is the first defenseman since Brian Leetch to play as a teen and the second youngest ever to play for the Rangers behind Dave Maloney.

Artem Anisimov capped his preseason with a third period goal against the Caps giving him the team lead of 4 goals and 2 assists. He also made the team but here's some questions:

1. Where will Anisimov play?
If Vinny Prospal is playing center than Anisimov will be on the fourth line where it's almost useless to have him. There is a better chance of him playing on the third line with Prospal sliding over to wing.

2. What are the lines? Here's a sample....
Prospal-Dubinsky-Gaborik
Higgins-Drury-Callahan
Lisin-Anisimov-Kotalik
Voros-Boyle-Brasheer

3. What happens when Sean Avery comes back?
The odd man out would seem to be Lisin. He's certainly not a fourth liner and you can't expect Tortorella to ask someone as invisible as Kotalik to go down there. Lisin has good speed, has played hungry and 3 preseason goals... he has much more of an upside than Kotalik but there is nowhere to put him.

4. What to do with Redden and Rozsival?
Let's hope they're pacing themselves until the opener... because hope is all there is with these guys.

5. Am I missing something with Prospal?
Everyone has been raving about Prospal's play so far and what a play maker he's been but I've seen no evidence of this. He's a pretty good player and he will contribute but is he more noticeable than Grachev? I didn't think so.

6. Sign Alexei Semenov?
He started strong but the more you see of him the slower he looks. Could give you options when/if Del Zotto heads back to Juniors and could be used now as a 6 or 7. Being that there has been no offer yet and his tryout expires tomorrow it seems the Sather may be waiting for a better option.

We'll see what transpires Friday night against Sid "The Winer"... it'll be great to see 8 minors in the first period.

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.