NHL Betting: New York Rangers 2012 - 13 Odds

The New York Rangers ended last season with the most points in the Eastern Conference and the No.1 seed in the playoffs. After taking out both Ottawa and Washington, the Rangers ran out of steam in the Conference Finals against New Jersey, bowing out in six games.

 

 

Stralman stays in New York

Defenseman Anton Stralman was signed by the Rangers as a free agent at the start of last season and while his contributions during the regular season were nothing out of the ordinary, his elevated play during the postseason clearly highlighted his value to team. So much so that New York has signed Stralman to contract extension that will keep him in Rangers’ blue through next season. In 53 regular season games, the 25-year old tallied two goals and 16 assists, however he really made his presence felt in the playoffs with three goals and three assists in New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

New York been extremely busy this offseason in its efforts to add the missing pieces for another run at the Stanley Cup next season and is currently Bovada’s second-favorite behind Pittsburgh to win it all at 9/1.

 

 

Nash finally a Ranger

Since February of this year, New York has been trying to find a way to add five-time All-Star forward Rick Nash to its roster to provide a much needed boost to its overall offensive production. This past Monday all the pieces finally fell into place in a five-player trade for Columbus’s former captain.

The Rangers sent forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov and defenseman Tim Erixon to the Blue Jackets along with their first-round pick in next year’s draft for Nash, defenseman Steven Delisle, and a conditional third-round pick. Nash scored 30 goals and added 29 assists for Columbus last season, but the Rangers are hoping that the 28-year old can match his 40-goal and 79-point total from the 2008-2009 season. This move clearly goes a long way towards closing the gap with Pittsburgh in the race to next season’s Stanley Cup Finals.

New York acquires Halpren from Washington

Before pulling off the blockbuster trade for Nash, the Rangers decided to bolster their lineup by signing veteran free-agent forward Jeff Halpren, who spent the last season with Washington but has been well-traveled in his 12-year NHL career. Halpren recorded four goals and 12 assists in 69 games last year, but his finest season in the league was during his first stint with the Capitals in 2003/2004 when he scored 19 goals and 27 assists.

In a few other free-agent signing this offseason, New York came to terms with former Pittsburgh forward Arron Ashman. The 34-year old veteran scored five goals and added 11 assists in 64 games with the Penguins last season. He has made his way around the Atlantic Division with previous stints with Philadelphia, New Jersey, the New York Islanders, and most recently Pittsburgh.

The Rangers also signed free-agent forward Taylor Pratt, who played for Phoenix for the last three seasons after spending three seasons in Vancouver. Pratt tallied 19 points for the Coyotes in 2011/2012, but his best two seasons in the NHL were from 2006 to 2008 when he posted 74 points for the Canucks.