Is Brad Richards Set To Be The Next Captain Of The Rangers?+ Pashnin doesn't want to play in the AHL, questionable prospect rankings and updates on J.T. Miller and Shane McColgan

Does Coach John Tortorella prefer Brad Richards as his captain?

Andrew Gross believes
that Coach John Tortorella may prefer to anoint Brad Richards the next Rangers’
captain rather than fan-favorite Ryan Callahan.Tortorella’s affinity for Richards is
well-known so perhaps it shouldn’t be a major shock that he’d rather have one
of his old favorites as his locker room mouthpiece rather than the younger
Callahan, but Richards is already facing a ton of pressure this season.Adding in a “C” to go with the weight of the
humongous contract Richards signed in July isn’t necessarily the best way to
keep Richards away from the bulls-eye heading into the season.Fans love Callahan, and rightfully so, and if
he’s overlooked for Richards that will not please them and will only serve to
make things tougher on Richards.Tortorella more than anyone should know if Richards can handle it, but it’s
not going to be a popular decision if Tortorella chooses the Prince Edward
Island native.As Gross points out, the relatively
short term of Callahan’s deal (three years) versus the nine-year deal signed by
Richards could also be a factor.

- Despite an impressive showing on Team USA’s top line at the 2011
USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp alongside J.T. Miller and Rocco
Grimaldi, Shane McColgan was cut from the team leaving Miller and Team Canada
hopeful Christian Thomas as the lone Rangers still participating in WJC camps.

Miller and McColgan both drew strong reviews earlier in the
week, but a pointless showing Monday against Finland earned McColgan a ticket
back home.

Both Miller and Thomas should make their respective teams and
Team USA and Team Canada should be favorites at the WJC, so don’t be surprised
if we get the mid-winter treat of a Miller vs. Thomas matchup in a medal round
of the WJC.

- Speaking of prospects, Corey Pronman
of Puck Prospectus released his top- 10 NYR prospects list today.There’s no surprise at the top, where Tim
Erixon, Chris Kreider and Dylan McIlrath sit in the top three, but Pronman has
Michael St. Croix, Jesper Fasth and Carl Hagelin ahead of Christian Thomas and
Dale Weise ahead of J.T. Miller.Pronman
believes the Rangers have the 20th-best farm system in the league, a stark
contrast to Hockey’s Future’s assessment of the Blueshirts organization.HF has the Rangers at No. 7 and that’s more
in line with the consensus around the league.Pronman was extremely high on St. Croix leading into the draft and had
him ranked 26th overall in the class, so at least that is an indictment of
his opinion on an individual player.However it’s hard to believe that a kid that scored 54 goals in the OHL
last season and is widely expected to become a goal-scorer in the NHL possibly
as soon as this season is the Rangers’ seventh-best prospect.Pronman wasn’t high on Miller either, so
perhaps it shouldn’t be a shock that he has Miller ranked lower than others,
but placing him behind Weise, who is buried in the AHL and has done little to
show that he’ll be anything more than a fourth-liner is puzzling.

- Despite recent
reports that Mikhail Pashnin was going to play in North America this year,
the Russian defenseman re-signed with CKSA Moscow for two more seasons this
week.Dmitry Chesnokov reports that
Pashnin’s agent said Pashnin "didn't want a
two-way contract... he wouldn't grow in the farm club."It’s hard to believe that Pashnin thought that
just because he believed he was NHL-ready and wanted to come over that he’d
have a spot waiting for him in New York.That’s more than overconfidence, that’s foolishness, especially if
Pashnin and his agent have any idea about the stable of Rangers’ defenders,
which both should.Concern over Pashnin’s
desire to play in the NHL kept him from being drafted higher two years ago and
it looks like his commitment to following the right path to Broadway is indeed
in question.