New York Rangers legendary announcer shares honest take on the teams offseason moves
Photo credit: Spectrum News NY1
The New York Rangers announcer, Sam Rosen, may have retired from the announcer booth, but he's still engaged in everyday aspects of the game of hockey. Rosen will continue to utilize his skills as a broadcaster, but will be podcasting instead. He's kept tabs on Chris Drury's offseason moves and wasn't shy about how he felt about them including the signing of Mike Sullivan.
GM Chris Drury kicked off the postseason by making a painful trade, by sending forward Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks. The thirteen-year Rangers forward will be suiting up for a 2nd-team in the NHL in what seemed like a betrayal to us all.
For Rosen, he's been keeping tabs on what Drury has been doing, and wouldn't spare us how he truly felt about Kreider, who's been a fan favorite for the Rangers during his time here.
He is an institution in New York.
«It's sad to see him go,» Rosen said about Kreider. «He has done so much as a Ranger. He's been a quiet off-the-ice leader. Players gravitated to him in the offseason, worked out with him, always in great shape, a hard working player, but a real good person off the ice. He was terrific to talk to.
«He's been an excellent New York Ranger, and I hope that when his career is over, that when it all settles, the Rangers will be able to honor Chris Kreider accordingly because he was a major contributor to some outstanding years that the Rangers had.»
«He's been an excellent New York Ranger, and I hope that when his career is over, that when it all settles, the Rangers will be able to honor Chris Kreider accordingly because he was a major contributor to some outstanding years that the Rangers had.»
Though he wasn't surprised by the trade, given his decline in production and how his contract has negatively impacted the team. Now he feels Will Cuylle will thrive in his space.
The 77-year-old is a bit of a realist.
«It opens the door for Will Cuylle to be the next Chris Kreider,» Rosen said. «Cuylle has all the tools necessary to be a big star in this league. He's physical, unafraid, battles in the corners, battles in front, goal scoring increased from first year to second year. He could be a 30-goal scorer.»
While K'Andre Miller's move was seen more as a business decision than anything, for Rosen, the price to sign him, and his lack of physical play, it made sense for them not to bring him back. He endorsed signing Vladislav Gavrikov.
«I think part of it is the business side. When you see another team give him seven and a half million dollars, that is a huge contract, and I don't know that the Rangers were prepared to go that high,» Rosen said of the Miller situation. «I think he will only continue to grow as a defenseman It's a tough decision to make. To add Miller with a huge contract, I don't think they could have afforded that.»
But with the latest signing of Mike Sullivan, the former Rangers broadcaster is excited to see what the latest union between Sullivan and the Blueshirts can bring.
Though he feels that the playoffs may be far off. He feels the team is more intriguing at this point than anything.
«On paper, in the preseason, I look at the Rangers without question as a playoff-contending team,» Rosen said. «How far they go if they make the playoffs will be determined by what that roster looks like, who's healthy. Those are the unknown factors that we'll see how the season unfolds, but as I look at the Rangers, this team has the players and the structure put together that is playoff caliber and we'll see if they can live up to that.»
«I think he's an excellent coach and an excellent choice,» said Rosen. «Maybe Mike Sullivan is the right coach at this time for this group of New York Rangers I think this will be a motivating factor for him. It'll recharge his battery. And I think he's very excited about taking over the Rangers, and certainly the five year contract is a great commitment from the organization, and certainly great security for Mike and what he wants to do as head coach.»
The Rangers have made some bold moves this year, and some relatively safe ones. What do you think of Chris Drury's post season so far?
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 30 | 60 ANSWERS New York Rangers legendary announcer shares honest take on the teams offseason moves Do you agree with former Broadcaster, Sam Rosen's analysis of the New York Rangers postseason moves? | ||
| Yes | 47 | 78.3 % |
| No | 13 | 21.7 % |
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