At least Anton Stralman, the defenseman whose signing to a one-year, $900,000 contract was announced yesterday by the Rangers, won’t have to take John Tortorella’s tests — though perhaps preparing for the coach’s notorious regimen would help him get into game-shape as quickly as possible.
“It’s been a while [since I played], so it’s going to take a little time to get back into game-shape, but I’m going to work hard to do it,” said Stralman, who had been skating with a club in Sweden since leaving New Jersey the first week of the season. “I’ve been practicing hard, but that’s a different level than the NHL.”
The 25-year-old Stralman is a four-year NHL veteran who became a free agent when the Blue Jackets did not qualify him at $1.9 million. He attended Devils training camp, but did not receive a contract offer from New Jersey. He did, however, receive offers to play in Europe, including one believed worth $1.2 million to play in the Russian KHL.
“We had a lot of options in Europe,” said Stralman, who is more mobile than incumbent sixth defenseman Jeff Woywitka. “I have three kids, so it’s kind of a family decision, and [even though] I always wanted to get back into the NHL, at the same time you have to work something out with the family.
“I try to bring an offensive game. I like to move the puck and join the rush. Obviously I love to play on the power play, so that’s what I’m going to try to do here and at the same time work on my defensive game, which is my weakness. So I try to work on everything and get better every day.
“When you’re a player looking for an organization, if you have options, you look for a team that you think you can fit,” said Stralman, who had 18 points (1-17) in 51 games last year after recording 34 (6-28) in 73 matches two years ago for Columbus.
“I’m obviously happy the Rangers contacted me because they play [an offensive style]. I’m happy we ended up here and we’re really excited about this.”
Perhaps he won’t be so excited when he discovers that defense comes first these days for Tortorella.
***
Michael Del Zotto was awarded the Broadway Hat after backing up his strong overall work with his first goal of the season in the Rangers’ 5-3 win over the Canadiens last night at the Garden. Del Zotto scored on a backhand cutting across the ice from the left wing after joining the rush and taking a sweet Derek Stepan feed to extend the Rangers’ lead to 3-0 at 17:40 of the first period.
“It’s all confidence,” said Del Zotto, who at 21 is re-establishing himself as an NHL defenseman after last season’s misadventure ended in the AHL in Hartford. “Last year it probably would have hopped over my stick.
“It felt nice to finally get one like that.”
***
Dan Girardi‘s 30:50 of ice time included 6:46 of power-play time at the point, but the alternate captain doesn’t believe those man-advantage minutes are discounted.
“For me, I think they’re even harder because you have to be so mentally sharp back there,” Girardi said. “It’s true that if you have a lot of zone time it’s not like going all the way back maybe three times and then skating the puck up ice, but I don’t look at power-play minutes like any sort of a rest.”
***
Mike Rupp, who this week will undergo an arthroscopy on the left knee that has sidelined him for the past five games, and Wojtek Wolski, whose sore groin will be examined in Philadelphia tomorrow by specialist Dr. William Meyers, have been placed on Injured Reserve.
The Rangers, now approximately $975,000 under the cap following Stralman’s signing, are carrying 21 players on the active roster, two under the limit. The club has not yet placed franchise defenseman Marc Staal on LTI.