New York Rangers Rumors and Notes 9-8-16

Here are some rumors and notes from around the National Hockey League that somehow involve the New York Rangers.

Hey guys, only 19 days until a group of players will put on skates, go out onto the ice wearing hockey jerseys with diagonal letters that spell “Rangers” on them and skate in front of an actual crowd against another team! The New York Rangers preseason matchup with the Islanders at the Garden is that wondrous game I was alluding too.

Who will be on the ice is still yet to be determined since a lot of people including myself still believe the team is trying to work out a trade since they have arguably 18 or 19 forwards who could potentially make the opening night roster. While there isn’t anything imminent right now, here are some things that are going on in Rangers land, or around the league that are note-worthy.

League/Rangers Notes:

– Apparently, Kevin Hayes likes to dab during his workouts.

– Former New York Rangers coach and Team USA Head Coach John Tortorella told ESPN anchor and die-hard New York Rangers fan Linda Cohn that “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.” If you want to read more about this, you can do that right here.

Yesterday afternoon on ESPN’s debate show “First Take,” Steven A Smith went on a tangent about how John Tortorella should lose his job as USA Hockey Head Coach for saying what he said. You can view the video clip here.

This whole argument was spurred by San Fransisco 49ers’ Quarterback Collin Kaepernick choosing to sit during the National Anthem during one of the team’s pre-season games as a form of protest.

I am not going to go into my feelings about this because it really isn’t my place here, but if you check out my Twitter timeline, I have made it very clear on there how I feel about the whole situation.

• Former New York Rangers’ forward Dominic Moore agreed to a 1-year, $900,000 contract with the Boston Bruins. Moore was a good soldier for the Rangers in his 3-year second stint with the team. He was as classy a player as you are gonna find. He will be missed on Broadway, but the Rangers were right to move on.

• Speaking of former Rangers moving on, Scott Gomez–the man who was most famous for being sent away in the Ryan McDonagh trade–has officially retired. Gomez had a fantastic career with the Devils.

When Scotty Gomez came to the Rangers, he wasn’t horrible, but he wasn’t that great either. When he was traded to the Canadiens, though, that is when his career plummetted. Best of luck in retirement, Scott!

Oscar Lindberg spoke the other day about his injury! The interview done on Blueshirts United could be summarized by him saying that his leg is feeling pretty good! That’s good!

This one is a mini Dreger bomb…

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rangers tried to get Versteeg to come to their camp. Adding forwards seems to be just a game for them at this point, so adding a veteran in Versteeg may still be a possibility.

Next: Rangers Fantasy Hockey Preview: Goalie Edition

That’s about it in terms of New York Rangers and league news. For more news and updates, follow @BlueLineStationn on Twitter. You can also follow me @JaW1224. Stay tuned through the rest of the offseason for player and team previews, as well as more New York Rangers news and rumors.