Rangers, Devils and Islanders Set Their Opening Night Rosters

Although the waiving of Sean Avery by the Rangers made headlines, there were few surprises among the three local N.H.L. teams when final rosters were submitted on Wednesday afternoon. In a league of one-way contracts, in which veterans are compensated equally whether they are in the N.H.L. or demoted to the minors, training camp competition is largely a myth.

The 2011-12 regular season starts Thursday night, with the Rangers debuting first among the locals with a 1:00 EST matchup on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm. On Saturday, the Islanders host the Panthers and the Devils play the Flyers at Prudential Center. Here are the final rosters for each team, followed by some news and views.

RANGERS

Goaltenders: Martin Biron, Henrik Lundqvist, Scott Stajcer

Defensemen: Brendan Bell, Stu Bickel, Michael Del Zotto, Tim Erixon, Steve Eminger, Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer, Marc Staal (injured)

Centers: Artem Anisimov, Brian Boyle, Erik Christensen, Brad Richards, Derek Stepan

Wings: Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubnsky, Ruslan Fedotenko, Marian Gaborik, Brandon Prust, Mike Rupp, Wojtek Wolski, Mats Zuccarello

Notes: The Rangers may have been in denial or just employed wishful thinking in the case of No. 1 defenseman Marc Staal, who continues to suffer from concussion symptoms and has not been cleared for contact. Staal is not joining the team for the games in Europe and is out indefinitely. General Manager Glen Sather recalled Tim Erixon, resulting in a nice story as the New York-born, Sweden-raised defensive prospect may make his N.H.L. debut at home. Sather is reportedly in discussions with the representatives for Paul Mara, at this point in his career a third-pair defenseman but a capable puck-mover.

Coach John Tortorella is opting to put Dubinsky to the left of Richards and Gaborik on the first line to start the season. Christensen is expected to start the season as the Rangers’ extra forward. If Wolski cannot get his game together – he failed his first audition to play with Richards – Tortorella won’t hesitate to call on Christensen and his shootout prowess.

Stacjer remains as the third goaltender, allowed by the league for all teams opening the season in Europe. When the Rangers return home on Sunday, the young goalie will be bound for the minors.

DEVILS

Goaltenders: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg

Defensemen: Mark Fayne, Andy Greene, Adam Larsson, Bryce Salvador, Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov

Centers: Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson, Bradley Mills, Travis Zajac (injured), Dainius Zubrus

Wings: Eric Boulton, David Clarkson, Patrik Elias, Cam Janssen, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nick Palmieri, Zach Parise, Mattias Tedenby

Notes: Sykora was signed to a one-year contract after attending camp as a tryout. He will start his comeback on a line with his longtime teammate, Elias, at center and Parise at left wing.

Anton Stralman, also a tryout, is still with the team but has yet to be signed to a contract. The Devils will have to remove a roster player if they decide to sign the big defenseman.

The Devils named Parise captain on Wednesday. The selection was made by General Manager Lou Lamoriello and Coach Peter DeBoer.

ISLANDERS

Goaltenders: Rick DiPietro, Al Montoya, Evgeni Nabokov

Defensemen: Mark Eaton, Travis Hamonic, Milan Jurcina (injured), Andrew MacDonald, Mike Mottau, Steve Staios, Mark Streit

Centers: Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen, John Tavares, Marty Reasoner, Ryan Strome

Wings: Blake Comeau, Trevor Gillies (injured), Michael Grabner, Matt Martin, Matt Moulson, Nino Niederreiter (injured), Kyle Okposo, Jay Pandolfo, P. A. Parenteau, Brian Rolston, Ryan Strome

Notes: The Islanders signed Strome, the 5th overall pick in the 2011 draft, on Tuesday. At 178 pounds, the gifted 18-year-old center is not ready for regular action at the N.H.L. level, but the Islanders will keep him around for a while to watch and possibly substitute since Niederreiter is sidelined with a groin injury.

The Islanders’ acquisitions for this season are all over 33 years of age: Reasoner (34), Pandolfo (36), Nabokov (36), Staios (37) and Rolston (38). The team’s youngsters required mentoring by experienced players. The first half of the season should tell whether the Islanders added the right ones.

According to the website Capgeek, the Islanders have a salary cap number of $52.6 million. But take away buyouts (Alexei Yashin, Brendan Witt) and bonuses – many highly unattainable – and the Islanders have a payroll of $38 million.