New York Rangers Re-Sign Ruslan Fedotenko

The New York Rangers re-signed one of their unrestricted free agents yesterday, in bringing back winger Ruslan Fedotenko. I was of the opinion that they were going to bring back only one of the pair of him and Vinny Prospal, so now that he is signed, I think that Prospal is done in New York. If that is the case, so long and thank you very much, because he did the job he was supposed to do. While Fedotenko is not going to blow anybody away, he is very good at what he does, which is blocking shots, checking, and scoring the occasional goal. He finished the season with 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points, and was rewarded with a one year extension at $1.4 million. He is a great role player to have on the bottom six, and is someone who could jump up on the top line for a few games if need be.

As 32 years old, there is still some gas left in the tank for him, unlike Prospal, unfortunately. These two guys played under John Tortorella in Tampa Bay, which was the reason they were brought in. But now, there really is no place in the future for Vinny, and I do believe the Rangers will not make an effort to bring him back. Fedotenko is the epitome of a Tortorella player, and the Rangers missed his presence in the 16 games he was out with injury last season.

We are now in the morning of Day Two of the NHL’s Free Agent Frenzy, with big names such as Brad Richards and Simon Gagne still out there for the taking. I really hope that Richards, wherever he signs, will do so today, so this does not drag out like Kovalchuk’s saga did last summer.

New York Rangers: Is Brad Richards the Answer?

Christmas is only 35 days away, and fans of the New York Rangers have asked Santa Claus for Brad Richards. The Blueshirts barely snuck into the playoffs this season, mainly due to their anemic offense that was always a two periods late and a goal short. They rode the back of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and a youthful defense for as long as they could, but it was not nearly enough. The team needed goals, plain and simple, or they needed passes going to someone who could get them goals, namely Marian Gab0rik, who disappeared more times than planes have gone down in the Bermuda Triangle.

Blame was placed on the offense in two directions: 1) Marian Gaborik was merely a flash in the pan, who came to Broadway, put up a 40+ goal season, got comfortable, and then went away, content with the salary he was given. He was no longer a big game player, no longer the superstar the Rangers gave a five-year/$37.5 million contract to in 2009. 2) Gaborik did not lose any skill himself, but rather, it was the fault of his teammates who could not get him the puck. Erik Christensen, Brandon Dubinsky, Vinny Prospal, and others whose names elude me at the present time all were blamed for not being a good enough set-up man.

Either way, Gaborik never had a star center in Minnesota (unless you think Pierre-Marc Bouchard is worth writing home about) but that did not stop him from putting up 42 goals in 07/08 and four other 30-goal seasons, all while never playing a full 82 games. So now, everyone is clamoring for Dallas Stars’ free agent center Brad Richards. He is going to be the answer and savior all in one shot. Why? I don’t know, you tell me.

This is where Rangers fans earn their paycheck, by going around the league every summer and seeing what players out there will instantly come here and save the day. Every season it is always a center, and while I agree that the Rangers desperately need a center (just like Christensen desperately needs a prescription for Cymbalta), I also want to make note of the high-priced free agents the Rangers have brought in over the years. Unless you are a fan of the way Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Wade Redden worked out, you will agree that when the Rangers throw the checkbook at somebody for how well they played in the past, it ultimately fails.

Brad Richards is a fantastic talent, don’t get me wrong. He has put up 91 points twice (Gomez put up 84 once) and has registered more than 40 assists in all but one season, which was when he was injured in 08/09. But why all of a sudden is he going to click with Gaborik and put up those points here in New York? Rangers fans have this Utopian idea in their heads more than half the time, one that includes severely over-rating our homegrown players and then automatically assuming every free agent in the world wants to play here. To go on a tangent for a second, Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan will be overpaid this summer, and neither will be worth the paycheck—trust me on that. But will you take off the blinders and see it too? There is not a player in this franchise (you read correctly, not one player) who should be considered untouchable in my eyes.

Now we must look at what price Richards can be had for. He clearly deserves between $6 and 7 million, easy. The Rangers currently have just over $18 million in cap space, with Dubinsky, Callahan, Brian Boyle, Artem Anisimov, Matt Gilroy, and Michael Sauer all restricted free agents. With those players eating up well over half of that, the Rangers will then need to replace Alex Frolov, whose money thankfully comes off the books, and then must reconsider bringing one (or none) of the pair of Ruslan Fedotenko and Vinny Prospal back—they should not re-sign both. Then there are defensemen Bryan McCabe and Steve Eminger also hitting free agency, and while I like McCabe’s potential as a leader and powerplay catalyst, unless he takes around $2 million for a one-year deal, I would not bring him back. As for Eminger, I am still on the fence about whether he should be brought back, but I am inclined to think no. So now where is this money for Richards going to come from, with most of it tied up in signing the Rangers’ own players? The logical answer would be to summon the ghost of Harry Houdini and make Chris Drury disappear (or they could just banish him to the minors or buy him out), or even find a way to trade Marian Gaborik, but something tells me that would defeat the purpose of signing Brad Richards, won’t it?

What Glen Sather and the Rangers have to do is get creative though trades, which is where the GM excels anyway. I would like to see what the return could be for a Gaborik deal, and although fans would worry about dealing him, if the Rangers can finish in 8th place and have a mediocre offense with him, they can finish in 8th place and have a mediocre offense without him. The Rangers must work the phones here, and find a way to get Gaborik’s contract off the books, and get some high to medium level talent in return, and maybe even some draft picks. With that money, perhaps they can then do what everyone really wants to see, and that is poach Zach Parise from the New Jersey Devils. But I will attach a disclaimer to that: do you really see Sather doing that to his old crony Lou Lamoriello? I don’t think so.

So, the answer to the question I initially asked is “No”, Brad Richards is not the answer. Sure he would be part of it, but unless the Rangers can solve all of it, I would not tie up a large amount of money like that in a 31-year old whose best days are truly behind him. I am tired of seeing the Rangers gamble with enormous contracts, thinking they are a quick fix when all they do is handicap the team further down the road. The Rangers need a center alright, but I would rather give Michal Handzus one year at $2.5 million and throw him next to Gaborik than lock up Richards for five to six years. The free agent market is drier than the Sahara Desert when it comes to centers this summer, but that doesn’t mean the Rangers need to settle for someone just because nobody else is there.

Think I’m joking about the laughably boring free agent market this year? Just click here to see for yourself.

Rangers Drop Game Two; In Need of a Hero

Henrik Lundqvist should walk into the New York Rangers’ locker room and quit. For the second game in a row, he stood on his head and gave his team every chance to win, and for the second game in a row, he got absolutely no offensive help. For the first two periods tonight, the Rangers did not play bad hockey, they played stupid, undisciplined hockey. There was no sense of urgency, no drive to the net, no teamwork and aggressive forecheck, the M.O that got them to the postseason in the first place. What the Rangers left out on the ice tonight, with the exception of a ten minute surge in the third people, was a steaming pile of refuse, one where they cannot look for excuses anywhere else but their inability to get simple shots on goal.

Do not buy into the reasoning that the Washington Capitals are immensely superior. They are good, yes; good enough to be the best team in the Eastern Conference, but they are beatable. The Rangers have scored one goal in two games, while mustering up only 46 shots. If the Rangers were getting quality chances and sustained pressure, one could argue that they are just not good enough. But they cannot even get the puck deep into Washington’s zone. This becomes even more frustrating when you look at the fact that the Capitals have not really played too amazing themselves. The high-powered offense has scored four goals, while putting only 52 shots on net—not much of a difference.

The Capitals did not beat the Rangers in these two games, the Rangers beat themselves. Not to take anything away from Washington, who did deserve to win tonight, but the Rangers have to seriously consider something drastic. Would benching Marian Gaborik in game three wake everybody up? What has he done in these two games to deserve playing time? Big game in the playoffs be damned—Gaborik has been invisible all season and can no longer carry this team, therefore, he should not suit up.

The insertion of Sean Avery into tonight’s lineup thankfully did not backfire in the Rangers’ faces. He played decent hockey in the ten minutes of ice time he was given. He was able to get into a couple of scrums and cause some havoc, so I would definitely think he stays in the lineup for at least the next game.

On to Sunday, the Rangers have to pray that they have a reversal of fortune on home ice at Madison Square Garden, a place they did not play overly well in. The crowd is going to be rocking, so hopefully, the jitters from the seven rookies in the lineup will stay away. In game one, they did look nervous, but tonight, nerves is not what did them in. These losses cannot be placed on the kids, which is a good thing for the future. They are gaining experience, and win or lose, it will only serve to help them down the road.

The Rangers are now desperately in search of a hero, someone to put this team on his back (aside from Lundqvist) and win a game single-handedly. The Rangers lived and died as a team all season, but the team’s chemistry is off-balance right now, and they are in need of an individual to come through in the clutch. The Brandon Dubinsky factor is overrated, and I still do not know why he was given 21 minutes of playing time, looking absolutely lost while skating around, when Chris Drury, a player who despite what you may think about him, actually does well in the postseason, was only given seven minutes. If I had to guess who it might be, to drive this team to a higher level, it would be Vinny Prospal. Two games in a row, the camera has zoomed in on him after the whistle, to see him yapping away at opponents and shoving people around. He is coming across as a grouchy old man, and that could be an asset if the Rangers continue to play this way. He is not going to go down without a fight, and the Rangers should follow him in that regard.

Rangers Stay Alive with Win Over Devils; Time to Root for the Lightning

The fate of the New York Rangers’ season is now in the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With their backs to the wall, the Rangers needed to win this afternoon over the New Jersey Devils, or their season was over. They would accomplish that, with a 5-2 victory, but unfortunately, whether or not they make the playoffs rests with the Stamkos-led Lightning, when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes tonight in Raleigh. The Rangers did all they could do today, which was win, and will now sit and watch the scoreboard to see whether or not they will make it to the postseason.

• First period: The Rangers got off on the wrong foot when they allowed an early goal, originally credited to Ilya Kovalchuk, before it was changed to Nick Palmieri. The Blueshirts could have folded right there, but instead, they got a much-needed goal from an unlikely source, Chris Drury (1), who returned to score his first goal of the season and first in 25 games, dating back to a year ago today. The Rangers continued to play well, before being deflated by a late goal by Kovalchuk, to trail 2-1.

• Second period: It was in the middle frame that it seemed the Rangers decided that they were not going to take a loss for an answer this afternoon. Wojtek Wolski (12) scored less than two minutes in on assists from Fedotenko and Sauer to tie the game. Ten minutes later, Ryan McDonagh (1) would score his first career goal, in this, his 40th game of the season. He would cap off a fantastic rookie campaign, that will also see him finish with a +16 rating. With Prospal waiting behind the net, Gaborik fed him the pass and he was able to find the open rookie inside the circle, who shot it over the shoulder of Martin Brodeur. In scoring that goal, McDonagh now becomes part of a trio of Rangers’ defenseman, including Matt Gilroy and Marc Staal, who scored their first NHL goal against Brodeur. Four minutes later, the Rangers would jump ahead by two, when Brandon Prust (13) knocked home a loose puck after it was shot to the net by Brandon Dubinsky. The Rangers headed into the third with a 4-2 lead.

• Third period: The Rangers were 28-0-0 on the season when taking a lead into the last period, and thanks to some good offensive pressure and a defense that kept the Devils to only seven shots, the Rangers could tack on one more win to that stat. It was a relatively calm period, and the Rangers were in charge the whole time, and when Vinny Prospal (9) scored on a 2-on-1 with Artem Anisimov midway through, that sealed the deal.

Feelings are still bittersweet at the moment, because as happy as us fans want to feel about a great win over the Devils on the final day of the season, it might all be for naught if the surging Hurricanes keep on flying tonight. The Rangers, who never seem to play well in day games, played an excellent and intense one today, and did everything they needed to do to at least have a chance tonight.

With the exception of the Devils’ second goal, Lundqvist was solid, and stopped what he needed to in order to give his team a chance to win in what became his 26th consecutive start. Chris Drury also came through in the clutch today, scoring in his first game back from yet another injury stint. It truly is amazing how injuries work, and how Drury happened to be ready just as Callahan broke his ankle. It really makes one wonder if Drury wasn’t ready for longer than what was let on, and just kept on the back-burner because he was not needed. I don’t want to yell conspiracy here, but it’s just very odd.

We will now all hold our breath to later tonight, where we will find out if the Rangers will be advancing. I will not say “Goodbye” just yet, to all my Rangers readers, because I will be putting up something tonight once we learn of the outcome. Until then, just try to relax and have some fun during crunch time. I know it will be stressful, but it is out of our hands. All we can do is wait.

If the New York Rangers Miss the Playoffs, It Is Their Own Fault

These last few days have provided horrific flashbacks to last season for fans of the New York Rangers, because just like last year, the Rangers had their fate in their own hands. In game 81, the Rangers needed to win the two final games of the season, both against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they were able to accomplish only half of that. With their final home game just two days before the season finale, the Rangers came through in the clutch, with a hard-fought 4-3 win that had Madison Square Garden rocking, giving a resounding cheer for the Blueshirts who then had to travel to the City of Brotherly Love to clinch a playoff berth. The scorer of the game-winning goal? Marian Gaborik, capping off a fantastic debut season on Broadway. Then the last day came, and after another well-played game that headed to a shootout, the entire Rangers’ season rested on the shoulders of Olli Jokinen, who flubbed the chance, and sent them home packing, without a playoff appearance for the first time since the lockout. Two games were all they had, two wins were all they needed.

This season, the Rangers had three games remaining, and found themselves trailing the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the second period of a game on April 4th. The crowd booed, and rightly so, but then the Rangers woke up, and scored five unanswered goals against one of the best defensive teams in the NHL to keep the season alive, but not only that, to keep it in their hands. This is more important than anything, because when you have control of your fate, all you have to do, as a team, is win. You do not have to scoreboard watch or hope for help from others. Unfortunately, last night, the Rangers ruined those chances against the 11th place Atlanta Thrashers. All they needed was a win, to get two points, and they failed miserably. There was no aggressive forecheck, no glaring scoring chances, just all around stagnant play. When the Thrashers exited the building with a 3-0 win, you can be sure that visions of last season were floating around the locker room. There is only one difference: the Rangers are not in control of their fate anymore.

Should the Carolina Hurricanes win their next two games in regulation, the Rangers season is over, even if they win tomorrow afternoon against the New Jersey Devils. There are also a bunch of other scenarios, but I will not waste time going into them because all of it should have been for naught anyway. There was no reason for this, the Rangers needed to win last night, and they failed. Just like last season, coming 0ff their biggest win of the season, they fell flat, and that will cost them.

There is no place to direct anger at, if the Rangers fall short, other than the team itself. Part of me says not to get angry, because this is a rebuilding year. The other part of me says, this team was in playoff contention all year long, has the highest paid goaltender in the league, and another $7 million goal scorer, so of course I will be angry if they come up short.

Just think, what if Lundqvist had not let in a slew of soft goals early in the season? What if Alex Frolov actually produced after signing here? What if Vinny Prospal wasn’t injured for most of the season? What if Martin Biron did not suffer a late-season practice injury? What if Sean Avery was just half as good as he was a couple of seasons ago? What if Marian Gaborik actually played like he gives a shit?

That is probably the most important of these “What if?” questions, and that is what happened to Marian Gaborik? He goes through months of being invisible, has a big game and gets everyone excited, only to disappear again. Well, Marian the Magnificent has now gone eight straight games without scoring a goal, and he only has 22 in 61 games, which equates to about a goal every three games, as opposed to last season when he averaged a goal per less than every two games. It might not seem like much, but in the long-run, they add up. It is one thing to slump, but it is another to just fall off the map and not care, which is where Gaborik is right now—skating around in circles, shooting from the perimeter, and just coasting. On the bright side, he may be due for an explosion tomorrow, since that’s what he does. After all, he hasn’t scored since March 20.

The Rangers powerplay is also to blame, even with the acquisition of Bryan McCabe who has only two goals and six assists in 18 games. After seeing him QB the powerplay, I am convinced that he is not the problem. He is not a bad player, in fact, he is the most skilled player out there who happens to be surrounded by players who are not on his level of thinking. His passes are hard, his shots are even harder, but when is someone ever in a position to do something with them? Take last night for example, with McCabe on the point and Gaborik in the right faceoff circle. McCabe released a hard fake-shot pass right to Gaborik, but the puck bounced over his stick. How is it that a player as skilled as he cannot handle a simple pass? Did he forget how to play hockey all of a sudden? Does Tortorella need to hold a fundamentals practice? These idiots skate around trying to make plays, the puck goes to McCabe, and when he passes it back, they seem like they have never seen that shiny, black, rubber disc before—it’s like they are shocked.

The shining of all examples of this ineptitude of course came on March 31 against the New York Islanders, in a game they had to win. To be honest, I don’t think anything thought the Rangers were going to lose that game, especially since they always play well on Long Island. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead despite playing sloppily, but then they somehow managed to give up six straight goals before adding one late, to fall 6-2 in their most embarrassing performance of recent memory. The killer in this one? Going a mind-numbing 0-9 on the powerplay. That’s almost the equivalent of spending an entire period with the man-advantage, only to score zero goals.

No matter what happens in these next two days, the Rangers can look at that matchup against the Islanders and say that is what did them in.  For the second straight season, the Rangers can get eliminated by a division rival; first the Flyers, now the Devils (which is worse?). Even if they do lose tomorrow, the Rangers can still get in if the Hurricanes lose their last two games, but I would not count on it. Carolina is playing well and actually deserves to make the playoffs. The Rangers deserve absolutely nothing.

The Rangers just have to go out there and win tomorrow, then pray for some divine intervention. I can see the Rangers winning tomorrow, even though the Devils are going to come out firing on all cylinders since this is their playoff game this season, but what I cannot see is the Hurricanes losing their next two games. Either way, it is out of our hands. This season will be known as the one that got away, it’s that simple.

Rangers Double-Up Canadiens 6-3 in Intense Matchup at the Garden

In the fourth and final meeting of the season between the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens, the Blueshirts finally were able to break through with a victory and end a drought against the Habs that extended back to last season. Tonight’s game featured the exact hockey one would expect in a game down the stretch, between two teams fighting for a playoff berth. There was aggression, intensity, and goal scoring, and the Rangers would ultimately walk away with a 6-3 win after a hard fought 60 minutes.

• First period: The game got off to a hot start rather early, when just one second in, Brandon Prust squared off with Travis Moen in what would be a fairly lengthy bout. About five and a half minutes in, Artem Anisimov would get the Rangers on the board with an unassisted breakaway goal, but less than two minutes later, the Canadiens would rally to tie it on a slap shot goal by P.K Subban in the slot, this coming before he and Prust would serve minors after Subban yanked Prust to the ice when he made contact with goaltender Carey Price. But the most disheartening aspect about the Canadiens’ goal was the “Ole Ole” chant in the building, offered up by the sea of opposing fans that made their way into the Garden tonight. I have no problem with fans of other teams traveling distances to show their support, but it is unfortunate that the Rangers fans would let that noise happen. I remember a time when it was dangerous for an opposing fan to even wear a jersey, let alone chant, in our home building, but times have changed, and the Dolan’s are getting what they want: an arena packed with corporate suits. Anyway, the Rangers would very shortly shut up the Canadiens’ fans with a barrage of goals. Near the midway point, Dan Girardi would score on assists from Christensen and Zuccarello, and then with less than three minutes remaining, Ryan Callahan would score the oddest goal of the season—with a tangle of players in front of the net, Callahan swiped at a bouncing puck which sent it upwards off the helmet of defenseman James Wisniewski, then higher into the air, when it would fall straight down and cross the goal line in mid-air. However, the backspin on the puck caused it to not land in the net, but a lengthy review would prove that the entire puck crossed the line. With the Canadiens tased, Gaborik scored 32 seconds after that, and then Brian Boyle added a fifth goal 37 seconds later, for a total of three goals in just 1:07. Price would then be yanked and replaced with Ranger-killer Alex Auld. The Rangers would leave the period with a 5-1 lead, perhaps the most exciting and well-played period of the season.

• Second period: At first, the middle frame seemed relatively calm compared to the first. Aside from an early goal by Wisniewski, to get the Canadiens within three, nothing major happened until the end. Both Lundqvist and Auld were solid, but then with exactly three minutes to go, Subban would knock down Lundqvist and cause Michael Sauer to chase him halfway across the rink to challenge him to a fight. Sauer wanted to drop the gloves immediately, but the Canadiens’ brute defenseman ran away like the fraud he is. Magnetic personality be damned, Subban is nothing more than a glorified thug, who already slew-footed Dubinsky earlier in the season (a play that went uncalled) while being in the center of other questionable plays around the league. He’s a fine offensive defenseman, but the edge he walks is very dangerous, and I was hoping that someone would knock him down onto the ice by the time the game was over (maybe he would have been if the refs didn’t jump in to stop the fight). The Rangers would still be up 5-2 heading into the third.

• Third period: Once again, the Canadiens would strike, with a powerplay goal under a minute in from Brian Gionta. Flashbacks from two years ago when the Rangers blew a 5-0 lead were beginning to creep in my head, but thankfully the Rangers would hunker down and not let this one get away. After Lundqvist was ran yet again, this time accidentally, the Rangers would capitalize on the powerplay when Vinny Prospal deflected a hard Girardi pass to beat Auld. The Rangers would go on to win 6-3, but there is some concern for Lundqvist, who remained down on the ice for a few minutes after being hit. When the game ended, rather than celebrate, he pushed his teammates away so they would not tap him on the head, showing an apparent neck injury. We can only hope it is not serious.

The Rangers really stepped up in another big home game tonight to beat a team where wins against them have seemed elusive. The team should be happy about the win, but Lundqvist is injured and that may really effect the team in the long run, if it is not a hyper-extended muscle, and something more serious. Hopefully we will know by later tonight or tomorrow if he will start against the Penguins on Sunday. Lundqvist also continued to set a record he already owns, by winning 30 games in a season six times in a row, a record he set last season with five.

It was also good to see Rangers fans answer back with some “Ole” chants of their own late in the game. Tonight’s game had a very good intensity, that was only escalated by the  presence of so many opposing fans. If every game could be this loud, it would be a real treat.

This game also proved that the Rangers do not need Sean Avery any longer. Not that Wolski did anything that stood out, but I did not once think tonight that Avery could have been useful in any of the situations that unfolded. He is clearly out of his element, and with the way he played in the game prior against the Islanders, I do not see how he fits in the rest of the way.

Finally, I was really hoping the Rangers would score at least one goal on Alex Auld, the perennial backup who always seems to kill the Rangers. He really was excellent yet again, keeping his team in it, but the Rangers got him for one at the end. I don’t know if it is just coincidence, but he always plays exceptionally well on Broadway. The Rangers will now head to Pittsburgh for one of those annoying 12:30 afternoon starts on Sunday. I am already prepared for the broadcast bias that follows every nationally televised Rangers game, the same bias that led Pierre McGuire on TSN to say tonight how Subban isn’t afraid of a fight…which is why he ran for dear life when Sauer chased after him.

New York Rangers: Is This the End for Chris Drury?

This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes…again

At first, I thought that it was rather convenient that Chris Drury found himself sidelined with yet another injury in this, his disastrous 2010/11 campaign. The timing of it could not have been more perfect—a struggling player with an enormous salary leaving for the rest of the season and taking his cap hit with him. But then it was announced that he would be having knee surgery and out for six weeks, and with rehab time thrown in, will probably not be able to crack the lineup even if he gets healthy. Then I thought, this is no conspiracy, the Captain of the New York Rangers really is injured.

I have been a severe critic of Drury’s play, mainly because it has not been NHL caliber since he returned from a concussion against Calgary last season. After he signed in New York, I never expected 30 goals out of him or 80 points or anything like that on a season-by-season basis. His stats in his first year here were what I did expect, and wanted to see him continue. He put up 25 goals in 07/08, much to the dismay of fans who thought they were getting the lethal goal scorer who doused the team’s hopes in the playoffs a season prior. But then the goal total shrunk down to 22, then 14, and now in an injury plagued season which has not given us much to measure him by, he has 0 goals in 23 games.

A concussion last season caused him to miss some time, and two broken finger injuries this season brought his rhythm down to a halt. This knee injury will all but end his year, and though the Rangers will not miss him much, the team really has to take his future into consideration. Drury is a hard-working player—no one is doubting his defensive play or faceoff ability, but the fact that he has zero offense left in his game and is not the inspirational leader a captain should be, should have the Rangers thinking about options other than letting him come back for the fifth and final season of his contract.

Being that he has a no trade clause, the Rangers will not be able to move him that way, so just forget about it. Can the Rangers bury him in Hartford along with Wade Redden? Well, technically speaking yes, but they will not do that, nor should they; there is no reason to embarrass him further. The most logical way to deal with him would be to buy him out, which carries a cap hit of ~$3.7 million for next season, and ~$1.6 million for the season after that. (I would rather pay him to stay away, rather than suit up.)

The other option, of course, is to pray (or force) him to retire. Perhaps not only would that be the best way, because the Rangers would not owe him anything, but it would let Drury leave with at least a bit of dignity. Though no professional athlete wants to go out like this, it is better to retire because of injury than get kicked out by the organization, is it not?

Chris Drury is a player that showed so much promise. He was advertised as “Captain Clutch” and “Captain America” because of leadership abilities he possessed that we have yet to see in four seasons. I am not mentioning that because he is a quiet leader—all captains lead in their own way, and I have nothing against that, but this team needs someone more vocal. On a team where there is plenty of youth that have no experience, they need some direction. They need a captain who will not be afraid to yell. I doubt Drury’s stoic personality will allow that to escape his tight lips. For the rest of this season, should Drury really be done, I would propose that Vinny Prospal take over the captaincy. He is more vocal, has experience, and has actually had offensive success in his brief tenure as a Ranger. I really do not see him having a role beyond this year, unless Sather still cannot find a center for Gaborik, but it would do no harm for the remainder of this season.

New York Ranger Rookies: Baptism by Fire

I just had to take a picture when this came on the screen during last night's game.

Just one look at the screen shot above, taken during last night’s game between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, and you can tell it just has not been an easy season for the Broadway Blueshirts. Decimated by injuries ever since it was reported in September that Vinny Prospal, coming off knee surgery, would be out indefinitely, the wound has kept on getting wider. Chris Drury also injured himself during training camp, missed several weeks, came back for one game, and got injured again. Marian Gaborik has missed 14 games so far due to two separate injuries, and leading scorer Brandon Dubinsky has missed the last five with a stress fracture; the list goes on and on.

Through all of this, though, has bit a been of a blessing, because like it or not, the Rangers are rebuilding without having to actually rebuild. What is the definition of a rebuild? To get rid of all the veterans and those not hacking it in favor of giving the promising youth in the system an extended look, so that in the next season, management will know who should remain in the NHL, who will be sent to the AHL, and who will be cut all together. If you notice the eight currently injured Rangers, you will see that all of them are veterans, and all have been replaced by rookies or those not far from being rookies. Essentially, the Rangers are rebuilding because they are getting a look at all of their top youth, the only difference is, the veterans will be returning this season, oh, and they are actually playing competitively.

To think, that a team that has had six players make their NHL debut, another four join with under fifty games of NHL experience, and the “old man” on defense be 27-year-old Steve Eminger, sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star Break, is not only mind-boggling, but tremendously encouraging. The rookies the Rangers are sporting are not being carefully inserted into the lineup for a glimpse, but thrust into games with a regular role because this team cannot afford to waste time analyzing.

 

Mats Zuccarello has impressed in shootouts this season.

The Rangers needed the help desperately, and they have gotten key contributions from Mats Zuccarello, who, since his call-up, has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 17 games, including going four-for -four in shoot-out attempts. Derek Stepan, who has been with the team since the beginning of the season, has 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points, and has become the team’s most reliable center, next to Brian Boyle who could vie for Comeback Player of the year. Boyle is looked at as a veteran, and may be on this crop, but before this season he had only 107 NHL games experience spread out over three seasons, with only 12 goals and four assists. This season, he has come up clutch time and time again, with a team-leading 18 goals, more than both teammate Marian Gaborik, and Washington Capital star Alex Ovechkin.

Dale Weise has also been a pleasant surprise because of his willingness to fight, and newcomers Kris Newbury and Chad Kolarik, who have spent a lot of time in different systems in the minors, have fit in well, but will most likely not stay once the injured players make their return.

And how about toughness? This team has never been more eager to drop the gloves and stick up for teammates until after Derek Boogaard was injured. At any given time, the Rangers can throw someone out there who will fight, even if none are “enforcer”-type material. Brandon Prust continues to have an amazing season doing a little bit of everything, while Sean Avery, Newbury, and Weise also hold their own rather well.

Last night’s loss to the Panthers was disappointing, but it was part of the learning curve for this Rangers team that just will not die. They lead the league in games on back-to-back nights, yet always prove to be a tough foe when they play. They have been excellent in third periods when trailing, which they showed last night in rallying to tie the game at three after trailing 3-1 heading into the final frame, despite losing 4-3. Resilient would be the perfect word, because as soon as someone gets injured, the call-up comes right in and plays well.

These rookies have made it difficult for the coaching staff to decide who stays and who goes. When Dan Girardi returns after the break, will it be Ryan McDonaugh or Michael Del Zotto that gets sent back to Connecticut? Ryan Callahan is also close to returning, who goes when he gets back? I think it is safe to say that Zuccarello has won his spot on the team this season because of his outstanding play and speedy footwork, so I guess the first candidates to go back down will be DuPont and Weise, with Newbury and Kolarik remaining until Fedotenko and Dubinsky return.

The Rangers finally have a young, homegrown team that we have all been clamoring for years to get. Would it be a success? That is the question we have been wondering about for all this time. I think with this recent stretch of play, the Rangers will have a bright future ahead of them. The old saying holds true, the best discoveries are made, sometimes, entirely by accident.

Gretzky Would Play for Rangers in Legends Game; Why Not Right Now?

Just finished reading a great piece by Larry Brooks in the New York Post, where he asks Wayne Gretzky, who turns 50 on Wednesday, how his life is going and should the Winter Classic be in New York next season, would he play for them in the legends game. The Great One responded with an emphatic yes and an, “I’d be there in a minute if the Rangers had one.” If this doesn’t help sell the NHL that the Rangers should be hosting the WC next season, I don’t know what will. As someone alluded to on Yahoo, wouldn’t it be sweet to see a Rangers-Kings classic, where Gretzky suits up for Los Angeles for the first half of the game, then finishes in Ranger blue? But that does not appear to be the likely scenario, because it seems the Rangers and Flyers are the leading contenders for 2012.

This all begs me to ask the question, if Wayne is so eager to play for them in the legends game, would he play for the Rangers right now? With injuries to Dubinsky, Callahan, Christensen, Fedotenko, Boogaard, Frolov, Prospal, and now Girardi and Prust, Gretzky would be a top-flight player on this team who is featuring half of the Connecticut Whale on their roster. If you would have told me that by January, the Rangers would have peeks at Zuccarello, Weise, Dupont, Kolarik, Newbury, McDonaugh, and Williams, I would have thought you were crazy, but the Rangers have caught the injury bug this season, and no one has escaped it, including Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury who are healthy now but missed an extended period of time earlier in the season.

The Rangers four current centers are Brian Boyle, Derek Stepan, Artem Anisimov, and Chris Drury…HELP! Where would Gretzky fit into all of this, even at fifty years old? I’d say pretty damn well if you ask me. The Rangers are one of the worst teams in the league on faceoffs…do you think Wayne has slipped up in that department. And how about for goals, a category the Rangers are strapped for considering half their team is watching in the press box? I think he still has a few biscuits left in his arsenal.

So Wayne, if you are reading this and still feel ties to New York, please come and help us out! If I see Captain Clutch miss one more open net or flub one more slap shot, or lose a faceoff, because apparently, that’s the only thing his $7 million salary is paying him to do, I’ll scream. You will always be welcome here Wayne, so how about a comeback attempt?

Rangers Need Marian Gaborik to Step it Up

The New York Rangers are coming off two wins in a row—no thanks to Marian Gaborik, the team’s star winger who has gone M.I.A more than a few times this season. Gaborik, who has missed a total of 14 games, has now been in the lineup steadily, so being rusty or not getting into a rhythm can no longer be used as excuses. There is a considerable difference in his style of play, compared to last season. Now, I’ve missed some of the more recent games, but what I have noticed this season is a player who looks afraid to shoot the puck. He will drive to the net, and use that powerful stride, then pass the puck. The problem is, he does not have the line-mates that could capitalize on his playmaking ability, and furthermore, he’s not getting paid $7 million to pass.

Marian Gaborik scored 42 goals last season because he used his quick release from all angles of the ice. In the 76 games he played last season, he put 272 shots on goal, for an average of 3.6 shots per game. Through 28 games this season, his 80 shots give him an average of 2.9 a game. This might not seem like much, but the near one shot less he is getting per game could be the goal he scored last season, which instead has become a pass this season.

The Rangers played exceptionally well in his absence that took half of October and the first 11 days of November, but if they are going to be contenders they will need Gaborik to step it up. Fans can hope for, but not buy into Brad Richards coming to Broadway. Dallas is in first place in their division and have more than $7 million in cap space. Why exactly would they trade Richards? They may lose him this summer (probably to the Rangers via free agency) but with their current team, should they add one or two more pieces, they can be a legitimate contender, and will need Richards (18-29-47) to do that.

If for whatever reason Dallas does decide to trade him to the Rangers, he could not hurt this current lineup. Gaborik has been playing with a different center almost every game, sometimes two different centers in the same game. His center last season was a career winger, Vinny Prospal, and he still put up 42 goals. We really cannot count on Vinny Prospal returning from his knee injury, or if he does, to actually be able to keep up with and contribute with Gaborik. Richards would give Gaborik, for the first time in his career, a true superstar center, and on paper, it would seem like a dream duo. (But when the Rangers look good on paper, how often does it translate to actual play?)

The night in Tampa Bay where he scored the game-tying goal to send the game to OT with under a minute to go, I thought would be his breakout game. Just minutes earlier I had joked on Twitter, “Hey guys, I found Marian Gaborik…on the back of a milk carton” and felt like an idiot when he scored. I felt they were going to win the game and he would turn it around, but neither happened as the Rangers’ rally was killed just seconds into the extra frame. Gaborik’s 11 goals and 11 assists in 28 games are not bad by any means, but if you take away his two hat-trick games, which both included an assist as well, he has 5 goals and 9 assists in the remaining 20 games, which is pretty bad, at least for someone of his caliber.

Part of his struggles are his own fault. He flies into the offensive zone and looks to pass rather than use his lethal wrist shot. This needs to stop—Tortorella has to get him back to where he was last season, and even if he is at an angle where he doesn’t think he can score, to shoot anyway, because he may catch the goaltender off guard. The other part of it is their center situation. Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedetenko have been good line-mates but they too will fizzle out, because that is what has been happening for the last season and a half—players go on Gaborik’s line, have success for five games, then disappear. Just ask Erik Christensen, whose depression-like moods and gloomy self-doubting interviews glow as a beacon of confidence and inspiration for this team’s offensive prowess.

So unless Gaborik is guarding another injury we do not know about, he needs to start showing up to games more often. The Rangers cannot afford to have him take less shots, especially when they are hanging in games late, looking for just one goal to tie it, or one to win it. I’ll assume that he is not injured, and the Rangers need to look to see what centers there are available, other than Brad Richards. Derek Stepan worked for a while, but he’s a rookie and that puts a lot of pressure on him. Last season I suggested Brian Boyle, and it would seem that is more fitting this year because of his offensive outburst, but his chemistry has been so good on the third line, I would not interrupt it.

Perhaps maybe a benching for one game would work? It’s not like the Rangers would be missing much without him…