Artem Anisimov

Currently under contract the Rangers have seven players who played center for a substantial amount of time last season. These include: Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal, Erik Christensen, Chris Drury, Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, and Todd White. Out of these seven players only Dubsinky and Prospal were really used as wingers at any point during the season.

Brandon Dubsinky

I would like to welcome Rangers beat writer Andrew Gross. His work can be found here , and he can also be found on twitter @AGrossRecord .

After 21 years as a member of the Rangers European Scouting team, Director of player personnel for Europe, Christopher Rockstrom has been let go by the organization. The man who scouted star goalie Henrik Lundqvist is gone. Could this be signaling a trend in the organization against picking European players?

In this year's draft in Los Angeles, the Rangers selected one European player. With their sixth round pick, the Rangers selected Jesper Fasth, of Sweden.

The New York Rangers signed Brandon Prust today to a two-year deal for $1.6 million. Prust, who quickly became a fan favorite in New York, will be looking to reconnect with Artem Anisimov after last year's great performance.

I really like this kid. He skates really well, and he has pretty quick hands and decent puck control. He attacks the net, and as he showed last year, he has what it takes to score some nice goals. He brings toughness, and Brandon can easily play on any line. I personally am pleased to see him return.

"With the 10th overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers select, from the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors, Dylan McIlrath."

Wait, what?

Yep, those same Rangers from 2009-10 who couldn't buy a goal with all the money they wasted over the years on Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros, Petr Nedved (twice), Theo Fleury, Anson Carter, Alex Kovalev (also twice), and many more took a big, mean defenseman with their first-round pick tonight, much to the surprise of, well, everyone.

The Rangers forth-line centerman, Artem Anisimiov, had surgery yesterday to remove bone chips in his right wrist from an injury he sustained while playing in the World Championships last month.

The surgery is considered a minor one and Anisimov is expected to be fully recovered in four to six weeks. That should be more than enough time for him to be 100 percent by training camp.

One goal. One point.

That is what kept the New York Rangers, who despite a disappointing season finished with a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games, from making the playoffs.

Instead, the Philadelphia Flyers finished the season as the No. Seven seed, and are one win away from pulling off as impossible of a playoff victory possible, coming back from an 0-3 deficit, and going to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In just seven weeks, 30 NHL GMs and their staffs will hit the draft floor at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. When the Rangers have their turn, it is set to be their highest pick since 2004, when they used the No. 6 overall pick on goalie, and now Phoenix Coyotes property, Al Montoya. In 2001, they also used the No. 10 overall pick on another goalie, the injury riddled, and currently out of pro hockey, Dan Blackburn.

In a recent study conducted by Phil Kocher, of Dissension Media , on a New York Rangers message board that will remain anonymous for the time being, he meticulously created 25 poll threads, one for each of the players who played for a substantial amount of time on the Rangers this season.

Throughout the 2009-10 playoffs, we’ll be grading each of this season’s Rangers individually and looking into their respective futures. Look for more Rangers Report Cards coming soon.

ARTEM ANISIMOV: 82 games, 12 goals, 16 assists, 28 points. -2, 32 PIM, 124 shots, 9.7 shooting percentage, 12:54 minutes per game.