FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Stars have signed general manager Jim Nill to a one-year contract extension through 2023-24 season.
Nill is going into his 10th season with the Stars, which was the last year on his current deal before the extension announced Tuesday. Dallas has made the playoffs three of the past four seasons, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final two years ago.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
So, what happened, and what’s in store for the coming season?
Let’s start with a quick and brief rundown on the season and playoff recap – just to set the tone and build up some excitement for what can be an even better season next year.
Finishing second in the Metropolitan Division, the Rangers ended their regular season campaign with 52 wins and 24 losses (8 OT). This was the third-best record in franchise history, putting them top ten in the whole league going into the playoffs, where there was actually a lot of hope for a deep run.
Round 1 against the Penguins started off rough, and the Rangers needed to win the final three games to advance following a game 7 OT victory.
Round 2 looked to start the same, but a strong home presence and dominant performance in games 6 and 7 against the Hurricanes took them to the conference finals.
Going against the reigning champs is always daunting, and even after taking the first two games, the Rangers just couldn’t keep up with the Lightning away from home, taking bad penalties and some bad bounces from the puck brought about a rapid elimination in four games.
As tough as losing out in the conference finals is, there was a lot for fans to be excited about, and Vezina Trophy Winner, Igor Shesterkin’s contribution to the stellar record and deep playoff run cannot be understated.
Maybe They Were Ahead of Schedule.
It’s been a common thought that the Ranger’s success this season was rather unexpected; with a new head coach and general manager, it’s pretty fair to say that some breakout players, rock-solid goaltending, and just generally brilliant team vibes propelled the team forward.
And since we can’t go back, it’s not a bad time to check out a few of the best betting apps and put in a hopeful wager given the odds right now – there’s #NoQuitInNY, and the Rangers will certainly lift the Cup again, the bookmakers seem to think they’ve got a great chance.
Focusing on the players, it was without a doubt a huge season for Kris Kreider – and while it might be a bit silly to think he can manage another 53-goal season at the age of 31, there is a lot of young talent in the like of Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexis Lafreniere who have now tasted victory in the playoffs, as well as the crushing feeling of defeat.
That being said, a few questions have been raised following the scratch of Kakko in Game 6, but fingers crossed this young talent will be a contributing factor in more success in New York and Gallant’s choice to drop him from the lineup won’t create lingering bad feelings.
But let’s move on to who really dictated the Ranger’s season: Igor Shesterkin. The Blueshirts have been pretty fortunate in the recent decade to have top-tier netminders, and Shesty has certainly managed to live up to Lundqvist’s reputation so far. Even if his play between the pipes drops a little, all signs point to his ability to repeat his spectacular campaign next season, and if the $18 million hit to the salary cap for Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad is worth it, the Rangers have a stacked team on all fronts.
We just hope the old adage of ‘you need to lose to learn how to win’ holds true because it is about time the Cup returns to the greatest city on Earth.Featured Image: New York PostWhile the New York Rangers fell just short of their first Stanley Cup finals appearance since 2014 this past season, the Broadway Blueshirts’ corporate overlords scored big.
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (NYSE: MSGS), the Rangers parent company, reported on Thursday that it reeled in $175 million in revenue during the fourth quarter, up $28 million from the same period last year. The Rangers played a large role in the jump, with playoff-related revenues increasing by $49.6 million as the club played 10 home games at Madison Square Garden (MSG).
It’s quite the turnaround for the MSG sports arm, which reported an operating loss of $20.8 million and an adjusted operating loss of $5.8 million in the same period last year. The Rangers playoff run helped the company turn in an operating income of $23.7 million and adjusted operating income of $33.2 million.
The New York Knicks, which are also owned by Madison Square Garden Sports Corp., helped reel in $15 million for playing three sold-out playoffs games during the same period last year before losing to the Atlanta Hawks. But the Rangers’ 2022 postseason proved more lucrative even as it incurred more costs. Playoff-related expenses increased $20 million from the same period last year, the company reported.
The Rangers, who lost to the eventual Stanley Cup runner-up Tampa Bay Lightning in June, were part of a bounce back from last year’s financials, which were affected by lingering COVID-19 impacts. Season ticket-related revenue ($27 million) and suite tickets ($13 million) both saw double-digit increases year-over-year as attendance restrictions at MSG were lifted.
The uptick this past quarter also reflected the previous year’s COVID-shortened schedules for the NBA and NHL teams, when league distribution revenues decreased $39 million and local media rights decreased $21 million.
MSG Sports Corp. overall reported $821 million in revenue in 2022, up $405 million from 2021 ($415 million).
MSG Entertainment also announced on Thursday that it’s exploring another spinoff. This time it would encompass its live entertainment businesses, including performance venues like MSG. A new separate company would control MSG Networks and the arena’s licensing agreements with the Rangers and Knicks.
MSG Entertainment, which jumped 7% postmarket, completed a spinoff of the sports properties into a separate entity in 2020, and prior fiscal years’ reports have been adjusted to reflect that change. Liberty Media, which owns the Atlanta Braves and Formula One, could be the next major conglomerates to spin off sports-related assets.
James Dolan, MSG Entertainment’s executive chairman and CEO, recently shot down rumors that he might sell the teams in the near future. The Rangers enter the 2022-23 season under second-year coach Gerard Gallant with an eye on advancing to the Stanley Cup finals, while the Knicks look to return to the postseason in 2023 under coach Tom Thibodeau, after missing the playoffs last season.