2008–09 New York Rangers season

2008–09 New York Rangers
Division	4th Atlantic
Conference	7th Eastern
2008–09 record	43–30–9
Home record	26–11–4
Road record	17–19–5
Goals for	210
Goals against	218
Team information
General Manager	Glen Sather
Coach	Tom Renney (Oct–Feb) John Tortorella (Feb–Apr)
Captain	Chris Drury
Alternate captains	Scott Gomez Markus Naslund
Arena	Madison Square Garden
Average attendance	18,200
Team leaders
Goals	Markus Naslund (24)
Assists	Scott Gomez (42)
Points	Gomez Nikolay Zherdev (58)
Penalties in minutes	Colton Orr (193)
Plus/minus	Ryan Callahan (+7)
Wins	Henrik Lundqvist (38)
Goals against average	Lundqvist (2.40)
<2007–08 2009–10>

The 2008–09 New York Rangers season was the National Hockey League franchise's 82nd season of play and their 83rd season overall. It saw the Rangers qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. The Rangers started the season in Europe. First, as part of the inaugural Victoria Cup being held in Switzerland, the Rangers played an exhibition game against SC Bern on September 30, and then the main game against the 2008 European Champions Metallurg Magnitogorsk on October 1 (the first game between a Russian club and an NHL team since 1991). They won both games, and were awarded the first Victoria Cup. The Rangers battled from a 3-0 deficit in the Victoria Cup to win the game by a score of 4–3. Ryan Callahan scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds left.^[1]

The Rangers opened the NHL regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning with two games in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 4 and 5.^[2] Alexei Cherepanov, a former first-round draft pick of the Rangers, died suddenly on October 13 during a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) game in Moscow.^[3] The Rangers tied the 1983–84 Rangers for the best start in franchise history with a 5–0 record. The quest for the greatest start in franchise history was put to a hault on October 15, 2008, with a 3–1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.^[4] The Rangers set the franchise record for best start in a season by going 10–2–1 for 21 points in the first 13 games. The 10 wins and 21 points are both franchise records.^[5] On January 24, 2009, the festivities for the 2009 NHL All-Star Game began in Montreal with Brandon Dubinsky and Marc Staal playing for the Sophomore Team in the YoungStars Game. Staal scored two goals in the game, but the Rookie Team won 9–5. Henrik Lundqvist was the Rangers' only All-Star selection, and stopped 12 of 16 shots in the Elimination Shootout during the SuperSkills Competition.^[6] On January 25, 2009, Lundqvist stopped 15 of the 21 shots he faced in the second period of the All-Star Game, helping the East beat the West 12–11 in a shootout.^[7] On February 3, 2009, the New York Rangers retired Adam Graves' number 9 jersey before a game against the Atlanta Thrashers, joining fellow 1994 Stanley Cup champion teammates Brian Leetch, Mark Messier and Mike Richter, as well as Ranger greats Rod Gilbert and Eddie Giacomin, in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.^[8] On February 22, the Rangers retired Andy Bathgate's number 9 and Harry Howell's number 3 jerseys before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.^[9] A day later, Head Coach Tom Renney was fired after five seasons with the Rangers. Former Rangers assistant coach and coach of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, John Tortorella, was hired later that same day to replace Renney. Rangers Assistant General Manager Jim Schoenfeld was given the interim assistant coaching position.^[10] Shortly after that, Sean Avery made his return to the Rangers, claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars.^[11] Head Coach John Tortorella was suspended for Game 6 of the Rangers–Washington Capitals playoff series after an altercation with a fan towards the end of the Rangers' 4–0 loss in Washington, D.C., during Game 5.^[12] On May 4, 2009, Markus Naslund announced that he would be retiring after one season with the Rangers.^[13]

Pre-season

2008 pre-season game log: 3–5–0 (home: 2–2–0; road: 1–3–0)
#	Date	Opponent	Score	Decision	Record
1	September 20	@ Ottawa Senators	3 - 2	Valiquette	0-1-0
2	September 22	Ottawa Senators	2 - 1	Lundqvist	1-1-0
3	September 23	@ Tampa Bay Lightning	3 - 2	Wiikman	1-2-0
4	September 24	@ New Jersey Devils	3 - 2	Lundqvist	1-3-0
5	September 25	Tampa Bay Lightning	4 - 2	Valiquette	1-4-0
6	September 27	New Jersey Devils	4 - 2	Lundqvist	1-5-0
7	September 30 (in Bern, Switzerland)	SC Bern	8 - 1	Valiquette	2-5-0
8	October 1 (in Bern, Switzerland)	Metallurg Magnitogorsk	4 - 3	Lundqvist	3-5-0

Regular season

The Rangers finished the regular season with the League's best penalty-kill percentage, at 87.84%.^[14]

Divisional standings

Atlantic Division

		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	y – New Jersey Devils	82	51	27	4	244	209	106
2	Pittsburgh Penguins	82	45	28	9	264	239	99
3	Philadelphia Flyers	82	44	27	11	264	238	99
4	New York Rangers	82	43	30	9	210	218	95
5	New York Islanders	82	26	47	9	201	279	61

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	z – Boston Bruins	NE	82	53	19	10	274	196	116
2	y – Washington Capitals	SE	82	50	24	8	272	245	108
3	y – New Jersey Devils	AT	82	51	27	4	244	209	106
4	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	45	28	9	264	239	99
5	Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	44	27	11	264	238	99
6	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	45	30	7	239	226	97
7	New York Rangers	AT	82	43	30	9	210	218	95
8	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	41	30	11	249	247	93
8.5
9	Florida Panthers	SE	82	41	30	11	234	231	93
10	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	41	32	9	250	234	91
11	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	36	35	11	217	237	83
12	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	34	35	13	250	293	81
13	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	35	41	6	257	280	76
14	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	24	40	18	210	279	66
15	New York Islanders	AT	82	26	47	9	201	279	61

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

Schedule and results

      Win (2 points)       Loss (0 points)       Overtime/shootout loss (1 point)

2008-09 Game Log
October: 10-2-1 (Home: 6-2-0; Road: 4-0-1) Game October Opponent Score Decision Record 1 4 (in Prague, Czech Republic @ Tampa Bay Lightning 2 - 1 Lundqvist 1-0-0 2 5 (in Prague, Czech Republic) Tampa Bay Lightning 2 - 1 Lundqvist 2-0-0 3 10 Chicago Blackhawks 4 - 2 Lundqvist 3-0-0 4 11 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 3 Valiquette 4-0-0 5 13 New Jersey Devils 4 - 1 Lundqvist 5-0-0 6 15 Buffalo Sabres 3 - 1 Lundqvist 5-1-0 7 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 1 - 0 SO Valiquette 6-1-0 8 18 @ Detroit Red Wings 5 - 4 OT Lundqvist 6-1-1 9 20 Dallas Stars 2 - 1 Lundqvist 6-2-1 10 24 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 3 - 1 Lundqvist 7-2-1 11 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - 2 SO Lundqvist 8-2-1 12 27 @ New York Islanders 4 - 2 Lundqvist 9-2-1 13 30 Atlanta Thrashers 3 - 2 Lundqvist 10-2-1
November: 7-6-1 (Home: 4-3-1; Road: 3-3-0) Game November Opponent Score Decision Record 14 1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 5 - 2 Valiquette 10-3-1 15 4 New York Islanders 2 - 1 Lundqvist 10-4-1 16 6 Tampa Bay Lightning 5 - 2 Lundqvist 11-4-1 17 8 @ Washington Capitals 3 - 1 Lundqvist 11-5-1 18 10 Edmonton Oilers 3 - 2 SO Lundqvist 11-5-2 19 12 @ New Jersey Devils 5 - 2 Lundqvist 12-5-2 20 15 Boston Bruins 3 - 2 SO Lundqvist 13-5-2 21 17 Ottawa Senators 2 - 1 SO Lundqvist 14-5-2 22 19 Vancouver Canucks 6 - 3 Lundqvist 14-6-2 23 22 @ Ottawa Senators 4 - 1 Valiquette 14-7-2 24 24 Phoenix Coyotes 4 - 1 Lundqvist 15-7-2 25 26 @ Tampa Bay Lightning 3 - 2 SO Lundqvist 16-7-2 26 28 @ Florida Panthers 4 - 3 SO Lundqvist 17-7-2 27 30 Florida Panthers 4 - 0 Lundqvist 17-8-2
December: 6-5-1 (Home: 3-2-1; Road: 3-3-0) Game December Opponent Score Decision Record 28 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - 2 SO Lundqvist 18-8-2 29 4 @ Montreal Canadiens 6 - 2 Lundqvist 18-9-2 30 7 Calgary Flames 3 - 0 Lundqvist 18-10-2 31 10 @ Atlanta Thrashers 3 - 2 OT Valiquette 19-10-2 32 12 @ New Jersey Devils 8 - 5 Lundqvist 19-11-2 33 13 Carolina Hurricanes 3 - 2 SO Lundqvist 20-11-2 34 16 @ Anaheim Ducks 3 - 1 Lundqvist 21-11-2 35 17 @ Los Angeles Kings 3 - 2 OT Valiquette 22-11-2 36 20 @ San Jose Sharks 3 - 2 Lundqvist 22-12-2 37 23 Washington Capitals 5 - 4 OT Lundqvist 22-12-3 38 27 New Jersey Devils 4 - 2 Lundqvist 22-13-3 39 29 New York Islanders 5 - 4 Lundqvist 23-13-3
January: 6-5-1 (Home: 3-1-0; Road: 3-4-1) Game January Opponent Score Decision Record 40 3 @ Washington Capitals 2 - 1 Valiquette 23-14-3 41 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 4 - 0 Lundqvist 24-14-3 42 7 Montreal Canadiens 6 - 3 Lundqvist 24-15-3 43 9 @ Buffalo Sabres 2 - 1 SO Valiquette 24-15-4 44 10 @ Ottawa Senators 2 - 0 Lundqvist 25-15-4 45 13 @ New York Islanders 2 - 1 Lundqvist 26-15-4 46 16 @ Chicago Blackhawks 3 - 2 OT Lundqvist 27-15-4 47 18 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - 0 Lundqvist 27-16-4 48 20 Anaheim Ducks 4 - 2 Lundqvist 28-16-4 49 27 Carolina Hurricanes 3 - 2 Valiquette 29-16-4 50 28 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 6 - 2 Lundqvist 29-17-4 51 31 @ Boston Bruins 1 - 0 Lundqvist 29-18-4
February: 3-6-4 (Home: 3-2-2; Road: 0-4-2) Game February Opponent Score Decision Record 52 3 Atlanta Thrashers 2 - 1 SO Lundqvist 29-18-5 53 6 @ Dallas Stars 10 - 2 Valiquette 29-19-5 54 9 @ New Jersey Devils 3 - 0 Lundqvist 29-20-5 55 11 Washington Capitals 5 - 4 SO Lundqvist 30-20-5 56 13 @ Florida Panthers 2 - 1 SO Lundqvist 30-20-6 57 15 Philadelphia Flyers 5 - 2 Lundqvist 30-21-6 58 16 @ St. Louis Blues 2 - 1 Lundqvist 30-22-6 59 18 New York Islanders 3 - 1 Lundqvist 31-22-6 60 21 @ Buffalo Sabres 4 - 2 Lundqvist 31-23-6 61 22 Toronto Maple Leafs 3 - 2 OT Lundqvist 31-23-7 62 25 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2 - 1 SO Lundqvist 31-23-8 63 26 Florida Panthers 2 - 1 Lundqvist 31-24-8 64 28 Colorado Avalanche 6 - 1 Lundqvist 32-24-8
March: 8-4-1 (Home: 5-1-0; Road: 3-3-1) Game March Opponent Score Decision Record 65 5 @ New York Islanders 4 - 2 Lundqvist 33-24-8 66 8 Boston Bruins 4 - 3 Lundqvist 34-24-8 67 9 @ Carolina Hurricanes 3 - 0 Valiquette 34-25-8 68 12 @ Nashville Predators 4 - 2 Lundqvist 35-25-8 69 14 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 2 Lundqvist 35-26-8 70 15 Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 1 Lundqvist 36-26-8 71 17 @ Montreal Canadiens 4 - 3 SO Lundqvist 37-26-8 72 21 Buffalo Sabres 5 - 3 Lundqvist 38-26-8 73 22 Ottawa Senators 2 - 1 Lundqvist 38-27-8 74 24 Minnesota Wild 2 - 1 Lundqvist 39-27-8 75 26 @ Atlanta Thrashers 5 - 4 SO Valiquette 39-27-9 76 28 @ Pittsburgh Penguins 4 - 3 Lundqvist 39-28-9 77 30 New Jersey Devils 3 - 0 Lundqvist 40-28-9
April: 3-2-0 (Home: 2-0-0; Road: 1-2-0) Game April Opponent Score Decision Record 78 2 @ Carolina Hurricanes 4 - 2 Lundqvist 40-29-9 79 4 @ Boston Bruins 1 - 0 Lundqvist 40-30-9 80 7 Montreal Canadiens 3 - 1 Lundqvist 41-30-9 81 9 Philadelphia Flyers 2 - 1 Lundqvist 42-30-9 82 12 @ Philadelphia Flyers 4 - 3 Lundqvist 43-30-9

Playoffs

The New York Rangers ended the 2008–09 regular season as the Eastern Conference's seventh seed. They were defeated in the first round by the Washington Capitals in seven games.

Key:      Win      Loss

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (2) Washington Capitals - Washington wins series 4-3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Series 1 April 15 New York Rangers 4 - 3 Washington Capitals Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 1-0 2 April 18 New York Rangers 1 - 0 Washington Capitals Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 2-0 3 April 20 Washington Capitals 4 - 0 New York Rangers Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 2-1 4 April 22 Washington Capitals 1 - 2 New York Rangers Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 3-1 5 April 24 New York Rangers 0 - 4 Washington Capitals Lundqvist New York Rangers lead series 3-2 6 April 26 Washington Capitals 5 - 3 New York Rangers Lundqvist Series tied 3-3 7 April 28 New York Rangers 1 - 2 Washington Capitals Lundqvist Washington wins series 4-3

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM Gomez, ScottScott Gomez 77 16 42 58 -2 60 Zherdev, NikolayNikolay Zherdev 82 23 35 58 +6 39 Drury, ChrisChris Drury 81 22 34 56 -8 32 Naslund, MarkusMarkus Naslund 82 24 22 46 -10 57 Dubinsky, BrandonBrandon Dubinsky 82 13 28 41 -6 112 Callahan, RyanRyan Callahan 81 22 18 40 +7 45 Rozsival, MichalMichal Rozsival 76 8 22 30 -7 52 Redden, WadeWade Redden 81 3 23 26 -5 51 Girardi, DanielDaniel Girardi 82 4 18 22 -14 53 Mara, PaulPaul Mara 76 5 16 21 +2 94 Dawes, NigelNigel Dawes^‡ 52 10 9 19 -2 15 Voros, AaronAaron Voros 54 8 8 16 -9 122 Staal, MarcMarc Staal 82 3 12 15 -7 64 Korpikoski, LauriLauri Korpikoski 68 6 8 14 -10 14 Antropov, NikNik Antropov^† 18 7 6 13 -1 6 Kalinin, DmitriDmitri Kalinin^‡ 58 1 12 13 -7 26 Sjostrom, FredrikFredrik Sjostrom 79 7 6 13 -11 30 Avery, SeanSean Avery^† 18 5 7 12 +4 34 Betts, BlairBlair Betts 81 6 4 10 -5 16 Prucha, PetrPetr Prucha^‡ 28 4 5 9 -2 16 Morris, DerekDerek Morris^† 18 0 8 8 +3 16 Orr, ColtonColton Orr 82 1 4 5 -15 193 Fritsche, DanDan Fritsche^‡ 16 1 3 4 -2 2 Potter, CoreyCorey Potter 5 1 1 2 -1 0 Reitz, ErikErik Reitz^†^‡ 11 0 0 0 -4 24 Rissmiller, PatrickPatrick Rissmiller 2 0 0 0 -2 0 Sauer, MikeMike Sauer 3 0 0 0 -1 0 Anisimov, ArtemArtem Anisimov 1 0 0 0 0 0

Playoffs Player GP G A Pts +/- PIM Gomez, ScottScott Gomez 7 2 3 5 -4 4 Dubinsky, BrandonBrandon Dubinsky 7 1 3 4 +1 18 Naslund, MarkusMarkus Naslund 7 1 2 3 +2 10 Antropov, NikNik Antropov 7 2 1 3 -1 6 Redden, WadeWade Redden 7 0 2 2 -2 0 Morris, DerekDerek Morris 7 0 2 2 -2 0 Mara, PaulPaul Mara 7 1 1 2 -2 8 Avery, SeanSean Avery 6 0 2 2 -3 24 Korpikoski, LauriLauri Korpikoski 7 0 2 2 0 0 Callahan, RyanRyan Callahan 7 2 0 2 -1 4 Drury, ChrisChris Drury 6 1 0 1 -5 2 Sjostrom, FredrikFredrik Sjostrom 7 0 1 1 0 0 Staal, MarcMarc Staal 7 1 0 1 -3 0 Rozsival, MichalMichal Rozsival 7 0 0 0 0 4 Betts, BlairBlair Betts 6 0 0 0 -1 0 Orr, ColtonColton Orr 5 0 0 0 -1 16 Voros, AaronAaron Voros 4 0 0 0 -2 14 Zherdev, NikolayNikolay Zherdev 7 0 0 0 -3 2 Girardi, DanielDaniel Girardi 7 0 0 0 -3 6 Anisimov, ArtemArtem Anisimov 1 0 0 0 0 0

Goaltenders

Regular Season

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO
Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist	70	4153	38	25	7	168	2.43	2007	.916	3
Valiquette, SteveSteve Valiquette	15	823	5	5	2	39	2.84	421	.907	1

Playoffs

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO
Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist	7	380	3	4	19	3.00	207	.908	1
Valiquette, SteveSteve Valiquette	2	40	0	0	0	0.00	9	1.000	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.

^[15]

Note:

Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals

Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Lauri Korpikoski	1st NHL Regular Season Game	October 4, 2008
Henrik Lundqvist	200th NHL Appearance	October 15, 2008
Brandon Dubinsky	100th NHL Game	October 27, 2008
Nikolay Zherdev	300th NHL Game	November 8, 2008
Lauri Korpikoski	1st NHL Regular Season Goal 1st NHL Regular Season Point	November 12, 2008
Marc Staal	100th NHL Game	November 15, 2008
Lauri Korpikoski	1st NHL Assist	November 15, 2008
Michal Rozsival	500th NHL Game	November 17, 2008
Fredrik Sjostrom	300th NHL Game	November 22, 2008
Nikolai Zherdev	200th NHL Point	November 24, 2008
Scott Gomez	400th NHL Assist	December 3, 2008
Corey Potter	1st NHL Regular Season Game	December 7, 2008
Ryan Callahan	100th NHL Game	December 16, 2008
Dmitri Kalinin	500th NHL Game	December 16, 2008
Paul Mara	600th NHL Game	December 23, 2008
Colton Orr	200th NHL Game	December 23, 2008
Corey Potter	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	December 27, 2008
Wade Redden	500th NHL Penalty Minute	January 3, 2009
Nigel Dawes	100th NHL Game	January 5, 2009
Blair Betts	300th NHL Game	January 9, 2009
Henrik Lundqvist	1st NHL All-Star Game	January 25, 2009
Artem Anisimov	1st NHL Game	February 3, 2009
Aaron Voros	100th NHL Game	February 3, 2009
Colton Orr	500th NHL Penalty Minute	February 21, 2009
Michal Rozsival	200th NHL Point	February 22, 2009
Wade Redden	900th NHL Game	February 26, 2009
John Tortorella	1st Win as Rangers coach	February 28, 2009
Markus Naslund	1,100th NHL Game	March 5, 2009
Henrik Lundquist	1st NHL goalie to win 30+ games in first four seasons	March 12, 2009
John Tortorella	Winningest US-born coach in NHL history with 245 wins	March 17, 2009
Mike Sauer	1st NHL Game	March 24, 2009
Nik Antropov	300th NHL Point	March 26, 2009
Scott Gomez	700th NHL Game	March 28, 2009
Corey Potter	1st NHL Goal	April 2, 2009
Artem Anisimov	1st NHL Playoff Game	April 28, 2009
Markus Naslund	Final NHL Game	April 28, 2009

Transactions

The Rangers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2008–09 season.

Trades Date Details July 2, 2008[16] To Columbus Blue Jackets Fedor Tyutin Christian Backman To New York Rangers Nikolai Zherdev Dan Fritsche July 14, 2008[17] To Toronto Maple Leafs Ryan Hollweg To New York Rangers 5th round pick in 2009 October 30, 2008[18] To Nashville Predators Hugh Jessiman To New York Rangers Future Considerations January 29, 2009[19] To Minnesota Wild Dan Fritsche To New York Rangers Erik Reitz March 4, 2009[20] To Toronto Maple Leafs 2nd round draft pick in 2009 Conditional draft pick in 2010 To New York Rangers Nik Antropov March 4, 2009[20] To Phoenix Coyotes Nigel Dawes Dmitri Kalinin Petr Prucha To New York Rangers Derek Morris

Free agents acquired Player Former team Contract terms Aaron Voros Minnesota Wild Three years, $3 million Patrick Rissmiller San Jose Sharks One year, $1 million Wade Redden[21] Ottawa Senators Six years, $39 million Markus Naslund Vancouver Canucks Two years, $8 million Dmitri Kalinin Buffalo Sabres One year, $2.1 million Andreas Jamtin HV71 (SEL) Undisclosed Vladimir Denisov Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) Undisclosed Brian Fahey Chicago Wolves (AHL) Undisclosed

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Sean Avery Dallas Stars Four years, $15.5 million Jaromir Jagr Avangard Omsk (KHL) Two years, $20 million Martin Straka HC Lasselsberger Plzeň (Czech) One year Jason Strudwick Edmonton Oilers One year, $650,000 Andrew Hutchinson Tampa Bay Lightning Two years, $1 million Marek Malik Tampa Bay Lightning One year, $1.2 million Brendan Shanahan New Jersey Devils One year, $800,000

Claimed from waivers Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Mark Bell Toronto Maple Leafs February 25, 2009 Sean Avery Dallas Stars March 3, 2009

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers Erik Reitz Toronto Maple Leafs March 4, 2009

Player signings Player Contract terms Michal Rozsival Four years, $20 million Steve Valiquette One year, $725,000 Paul Mara One year, $1.95 million Dan Fritsche One year, $875,000 Nigel Dawes One year, $587,500 Greg Moore One year, $578,000 Fredrik Sjostrom One year, $840,000

Roster

Updated April 28, 2009.^[22]

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
42		Anisimov, ArtemArtem Anisimov	C	L	27	2006	Yaroslavl, Soviet Union
80		Antropov, NikNik Antropov	RW	L	36	2009	Ust-Kamenogorsk, Soviet Union
16		Avery, SeanSean Avery	LW	L	36	2009	North York, Ontario
15		Betts, BlairBlair Betts	C	L	36	2004	Edmonton, Alberta
24		Callahan, RyanRyan Callahan	RW	R	31	2004	Rochester, New York
23		Drury, ChrisChris Drury (C)	C	R	39	2007	Trumbull, Connecticut
17		Dubinsky, BrandonBrandon Dubinsky	C	L	30	2004	Anchorage, Alaska
5		Girardi, DanielDaniel Girardi	D	R	32	2006	Welland, Ontario
19		Gomez, ScottScott Gomez (A)	C	L	36	2007	Anchorage, Alaska
29		Korpikoski, LauriLauri Korpikoski	LW	L	29	2004	Turku, Finland
30		Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist	G	L	34	2000	Åre, Sweden
27		Mara, PaulPaul Mara	D	L	36	2007	Ridgewood, New Jersey
53		Morris, DerekDerek Morris	D	R	37	2009	Edmonton, Alberta
91		Naslund, MarkusMarkus Naslund (A)	LW	L	42	2008	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
28		Orr, ColtonColton Orr	RW	R	34	2005	Winnipeg, Manitoba
6		Redden, WadeWade Redden	D	L	38	2008	Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
33		Rozsival, MichalMichal Rozsival	D	R	37	2005	Vlašim, Czechoslovakia
20		Sjostrom, FredrikFredrik Sjostrom	LW	L	32	2008	Färgelanda, Sweden
18		Staal, MarcMarc Staal	D	L	29	2005	Thunder Bay, Ontario
40		Valiquette, SteveSteve Valiquette	G	L	38	2003	Etobicoke, Ontario
34		Voros, AaronAaron Voros	LW	L	34	2008	Vancouver, British Columbia
13		Zherdev, NikolayNikolay Zherdev	RW	R	31	2008	Kiev, Soviet Union

Staff

New York Rangers staff
	Executive Operations Ownership - Madison Square Garden, L.P. Chairman - James L. Dolan Vice Chairman - Hank J. Ratner President/General Manager/Alternate Governor - Glen Sather			Hockey Operations Assistant General Manager, Player Personnel - Jim Schoenfeld Assistant General Manager, Hockey Administration - Cameron Hope Senior advisor; Director of U.S. Scouting - Mike Barnett Director, Player Personnel - Gordie Clark Head coach - John Tortorella Assistant coaches - Jim Schoenfeld, Mike Pelino Goaltending coach - Benoit Allaire Strength & conditioning - Reg Grant

Draft picks

New York's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario:

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	20	Michael Del Zotto	D	Canada	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
2	51	Derek Stepan	C	United States	Shattuck-Saint Mary's (Midget Major AAA)
3	75	Evgeny Grachev	C	Russia	Lokomotiv-2 Yaroslavl (RUS-3)
3	90	Tomas Kundratek	D	Czech Republic	Trinec Ocelari (CZE)
4	111	Dale Weise	RW	Canada	Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
5	141	Chris Doyle	C	Canada	P.E.I. Rocket (QMJHL)
6	171	Mitch Gaulton	D	Canada	Erie Otters (OHL)

See also

• 2008–09 NHL season

Farm teams

Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)

The 2008–09 season will be the 12th season of American Hockey League (AHL) hockey for the franchise.

Charlotte Checkers (ECHL)

The 2008–09 season will be the 16th season of ECHL hockey for the franchise.

References

• Game log: New York Rangers game log on espn.com
• Player stats: New York Rangers statistics on espn.com

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2. NHL's European plans finalized
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4. Obernauer, Michael. "Rangers tie mark for best start with 4-1 win over Devils at Garden", New York Daily News, October 13, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
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6. Rangers shine in SuperSkills competition
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13. "Rangers' Naslund announces retirement at age 35". Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
14. http://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2009.html
15. "2008-09 New York Rangers". hockeydb.com. Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
16. Columbus Sends Zherdev To The Rangers", The Sports Network, July 2, 2008, accessed on July 2, 2008.
17. Hollweg traded to Toronto for fifth-rounder, New York Rangers, July 14, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
18. Rangers trade Jessiman to Predators, New York Rangers, October 30, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
19. Rangers obtain Reitz from Wild, New York Rangers, January 29, 2009, accessed on January 29, 2009.
20. Rangers add power in a hurry at deadline, New York Rangers, March 4, 2009, accessed on March 4, 2009.
21. Rangers sign Redden to six-year deal, The Canadian Press, Canadian Online Explorer, July 1, 2008, accessed on January 2, 2009.
22. "New York Rangers - Team - Roster". Retrieved 2009-04-28.