Putting together a hockey club can be much like making a salad. Right now you’re thinking to yourself, “Where is he going with this?” To make a salad with any flavor you need all sorts of different ingredients to make it work. The Rangers organization in building their team for Hartford has added some international flavor. They have signed a young Russian forward, hence the “Russian Dressing” title. Sergei Demagin comes to Hartford on an AHL contract. Demagin has interesting stats as well as international experience indicating he is a talented player. He’s skated for Belarus, where he’s been playing the last 4 years, in the 2007 World Championships as well the 2006 World Junior Championship.
Should you wish to dig a bit deeper on this young man their is quite a bit about him on Google.
Here is the official release:
WOLF PACK SIGN FORWARD SERGEI DEMAGIN
Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the Wolf Pack has signed forward Sergei Demagin to an American Hockey League contract.
A 22-year-old native of Togliatti, Russia, Demagin played in Belarus this past season for Dynamo Minsk. In 46 games, the 6-0, 174-pounder notched 16 goals and added 15 assists for 31 points. That was good for second on the team in goals and tied Demagin for third on the club in points. In 114 career games for Dynamo Minsk in the top Belarussian league over four seasons, Demagin posted totals of 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points, plus 46 penalty minutes.
Demagin led the Belarussian Second Division in points and assists in 2005-06 for Dynamo Minsk 2, striking for 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points in only 39 games. He also topped Dynamo Minsk 2 in points in 2004-05, and tallied the second-most goals and assists on the club, with a slate of 27-26-53 in 36 games.
Internationally, Demagin skated for Belarus at the 2007 World Championships, in which he suited up for three games and registered two penalty minutes. Demagin also helped represent Belarus in the 2006 World Junior Championship, notching two goals and an assist for three points in five appearances.
(Sergei Demagin photo courtesy of daylife.com)
Hi Mitch,
Yet another forward joins the team. This may be a good signing, however there are only so many spots on the roster.
Who do you think will be starting the season in Charlotte?
Which forwards do you feel may go in trades for other assets?
It’s highly unlikely that anyone is going to make the big club being that it’s just as stacked as the Pack are with forwards…
It’s too soon to make any predictions one way or the other as to who will be where at ANY level at this point.
Why?
If you’re believing what Larry Brooks wrote about Mats Sundin, and I do, and his expressed desire to come to the Great White Way, the organization will have to clear salary in order to get him and the team under the salary cap. If that happens, there will be absolutely need to be players moved to clear cap space. However and whoever the player(s) are that get moved, that will create opportunities for guys like Parenteau, Korpikoski, Byers and Moore up front and on the back end Corey Potter and Tommy Pock. The shakeout from all of that is completely up in the air.
Once the Sundin situation is resolved, still lurking in the back of the mind is Brendan Shanahan. What do the Rangers do with him? If anything at all.
Once these questions are all resolved then it falls upon Tom Renney and Kenny Gernander to convince Glen Sather and Jim Schoenfeld which players that they need in order to compete at their highest level.
It will be interesting to see at the very least.
Thanks Mitch
Whilst I can’t disagree with anything that you’ve written, I still see little to no room on the big club. The only real salary that could be moved is from the forwards and by that it would be Pru. That still leaves us with loads of “extras.”
Certainly moving a big salary like Rozi, (as he’s the only big salary that doesn’t have a NTC/NMC) may well make room for Pock or Potsy, it’s not going to make a whole lot of room for the forwards that you mentioned who absolutely deserve a shot.
Not to mention the fact that adding another center in Sundin to the organization would cause an even larger log jam to a position that’s already overstocked…
Depending upon how things shake out, Sundin would create a good problem. My guess is that if he did sign with the club it would be a two year deal. It wouldn’t make sense from a Rangers perspective to only sign him to one. Drury would move to wing and if necessary so could Dubi. There are absolutely moves the team could make to get back under the cap and still be a strong team. Remember, should they get stuck they can always throw contracts to Hartford.