So What About Scott Gomez. . .?

I realize this will get rambling and messy, so I apologize in advance. What, you say, when is it not rambling and messy? Uh, fair point.

I just want to highlight two recent Larry Brooks articles and clip and paste some key points from them.

The first was Friday's [10/31/08], after the Rangers won behind Nik Zherdev's heroics:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10312008/sports/rangers/zherdev__rangers_defeat_thrashers_136113.htm

Friday's article said:

"Scott Gomez , the ultimate playmaking center, continues to skate between mismatched bookends Ryan Callahan and Nigel Dawes, the latter of whose continued presence in the lineup mystifies as much as his assignment on No. 19's left side."

and

" 'We can't mistake what we're doing here for being great,' said Tom Renney, who unaccountably sat Petr Prucha in favor of Dan Fritsche. 'The effort is, the intentions are, and Henrik has been.'"

The next was yesterday's [11/3/08] - two days after the embarassing train-off-the-tracks ending in TO.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11032008/sports/rangers/memo_to_renney__stop_wasting_gomez_136540.htm

"But the most distressing pattern thus far revolves around the Renney's reluctance to give his best playmaking center, his most creative pivot and his elite puck-carrying breakdown skater - they're all Scott Gomez, by the way - complementary wingers who belong on his line. The head coach's attempt to spread the wealth has created a fragmented offense lacking a go-to line with which the opposition must contend.

The Rangers have committed $51M over seven years to Gomez, yet they've assigned him to play with Nigel Dawes and Ryan Callahan, wingers who probably are more compatible to third-line responsibility. They have taken their most talented center and all but marginalized him as an offensive force."

I'm not writing this to bring on yet another Prucha or no-Prucha scenario - although please note that Larry very obviously feels Prucha should play in place of not only Dan Fritsche but Nigel Dawes, perhaps, as well.

I am writing to say, he's right. He's right.

Some people on blogs right now are actually saying that the Callahan/Gomez/Dawes line has looked good, shown promise, or had chances. Ironically, or naseatingly, these are the same things coach Tom Renney is saying. And to that I say:

Phooey!

Seriously. Phooey! I cannot believe that this team, it's fans and it's coaches want to settle for just okay. And right now, the guy that could potentially garner 70 points as a play maker and set up any two of his linemates to get 25 goals a piece, is sitting on 3 goals, 8 assists, and 11 points. (2 assists which came in that Detroit game where the plan worked, and 3 of those points in Europe, and only 3 of which have come in the last 5 games).

I am a huge Rangers fan. I got yelled at last night at dinner because apparently that was all I talked about all weekend. Hockey. And I admit it. I have a very one dimensional life at the moment and, no, none of this makes my opinion any better than anyone else's but. . come on now.

I realize they are winning. And the winning was fun when it became, hmm, how long before they lose. And they did versus Buffalo. Then it became will they get the all-time best record to start the season. And as of last Thursday, they did. All good things. But now that those things are over (and kudos, overall, because we're talking about 82 years!), it's time to go back to basics.

If anyone watching this team can honestly say that they have a) shown a 60 minute effort b) been cohesive and/or c) been playing entertainiing, in your-face, hockey, - - I will find it impossible to believe.

If it's 60 minutes, it's 60 minutes in play-to-get-by mediocrity. If it's cohesiveness, it's cohesiveness to a system that is flawed. And if it's entertaining, in-your-face hockey they've been playing, I think I need my eyes checked.

When I watched this team in pre-season and in Europe - what little I did see of Europe, there was one thing that could not be denied. Their speed. It was commented upon and written about.

If this team does nothing else, it will be fast. Or so they said.

Now, where did that go?

They have not been fast. They've been, actually, quite slow. Slow in movement, slow in skating, slow in thought, and slow in results. Slow.

And that's not okay with me. Not at all. Why? Because they showed they can.

Let me tell you who is fast on this team. Gomez, 9 times out of 10, is fast. Freddy Sjostrom is fast. Colton freakin' Orr even showed he had wheels the other night against Atlanta (?) when I mistakenly looked down and thought he was Sjostrom. Guy has wheels. Petr Prucha is fast. Ryan Callahan is very fast. Zherdev is fast.

Now have they won? Yes. But let me tell you. And I'm not going to be popular. Now that they've done what they did. Gotten off to a good start and padded some extra points, why is it so wrong to want the speed, want the fast, want the exciting back? And this is where I get unpopular. Even if they lost the game, but it was a game of forechecking, hitting, crisp passing, end to end rushes, breakout passes, hustle, and speed, I'd take it. At this point I'd take it.

I said it in pre-season. If this team becomes the boring-as-hell trap and clog and skate around in circles, score two goals and sit on it team, I'm going to vomit. Literally.

Here's my take. Gomez, as Larry said above is being wasted. He is. Sure I can go back and say, really, did we need even one new center on the team two years ago - ? Perhaps. Did we need two? No freakin' way. It wasn't broken. It wasn't broken. But Sather & co played "ooo pretty, me want" and the Rangers were saddled with two overpriced and unmovable centers. Neither of whom could play with the big man - Jaromir Jagr. The Rangers struggled the most they did post-lockout that season. Got two centers when the team was not broke. Fast forward to this summer. Now with Shanahan, Jagr, Straka, and Avery gone - not a lot of wingers. So they add Naslund, Zherdev, Voros to the wing. Fine.

And the ONLY time this team has seemed exciting so far this season was when their two best new additons (sorry Dmitri Kalinin - you didn't make the cut) - Voros and Zherdev were sandwiched with.. ..wait for it. .. Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky, the savior to Jagr's season last year. The savior to almost anyone. Stick him with Dawes, Prucha, Callahan, - the whole lot. And they've all looked good with him at times. That's a credit to Dubinsky, but death to this team getting anything done across the board.

So we're back to no effective centers. Again. And no effective wings. Again. Really. If Nik Zherdev didn't skate on 10/24 in Columbus or on 10/30 against Atlanta (and Hank didn't play well), I argue they lose both those games. This team cannot survive with just getting by. It was proven Saturday night.

And again, back to Larry's point that you are wasting Gomez. Damn right you are wasting him!

You already have one line that you pretty much know is around to do the "other" stuff. The imovable although steady 4th line of Betts, Sjostrom and Orr. My desire to replace Betts and frustration that it was not Nedved to do so has passed (although #93 could still gladly replace #23 for my sake), and I've realized he and his line are very effective at what they do. Keep the puck out of their own nets. Betts had a nice goal before the meltdown in Toronto. Orr has fought almost on a nightly basis it seems, and not been a defensive liability. And he has wheels. Sjostrom might be a waste on that line because he's too good for it, I'll be honest. But I'm sure I'll get back to that later.

But my point is, we already have that line. That line that is just there.

So now, people are saying the Gomez/Dawes/Callahan line is fine to keep because they haven't given up goals. And they have been getting chances. Umm, here's a shocker for you. That's not the way it's supposed to work! The line that Gomez is on need to be scoring. Because guess what? Dubinsky, post-benching or post-something, is having a slight case of the sophomore slump right now. And he's dragged a once confident Voros down with him. Naslund, thank goodness (and kudos to him) has looked more like the finisher he is. But he's not going to be fancy, remember. Niki Z has looked sharp, but he cannot be the guy every night. And then you have the captain of the ship, slow and lazy, who scored a fake goal on the Island and then went back to invisiblity. And cannot even seem to win faceoffs anymore. Sorry, but apparently I've gotten sarcastic and a little bitter in this (but I did apologize already once, right?). Come on, the team is in shambles and I can't believe I'm defending Blair Betts!

[pause]

Okay, I don't know what it makes me that I knew it in advance. But I apologize for the above rambling mess.

Back to what should be done:

Sjostrom (1-1-2 with a +3), Betts (2-1-3 with a +4) and Orr (0-1-1 with a +2) seem to be the immovable. I somewhat disagree. Take whomever proves to be the odd man out. Be it Prucha, be it Dawes, be it Fritsche- and stick them with Betts and Orr. Sjostrom's speed is being wasted here. Betts has more goals than he does (shootout king status not withstanding). Put someone else there that will not be a defensive liability and the line sticks. Sjostrom and Betts can still be PK partners, which they are great at. Sjostrom, honestly, for all his PK hustle and hustle in general, deserves more minutes, period.

Take Gomez and stick him with anybody but Dawes. Stick him with Naslund or Zherdev. Yes, I agree with Larry. He needs to play with one of these guys. If its Zherdev, then stick Prucha or Voros on there. If it's Naslund, stick Sjostrom or Callahan there. (again, I'm holding out it's not been Callahan dragging them down).

So Gomez, Zherdev and Voros or Prucha OR Gomez, Naslund and Sjostrom or Callahan.

That leaves Dubinsky. How about sticking the guy that can play with everyone with two guys he's played well with before - Callahan and Dawes. Not perfect, but that can be a nice 3rd line. I mean I'd suggest Sjostrom go in there, but goodness knows Renney will probably never move him from the fourth line.

That leaves Drury. And I've used all my energy coming up with the above, sorry to disappoint. But do not put Drury with people slower than he is. So that cuts out half the team. Honestly though, maybe you do stick him with people as slow as him. Or maybe you put him on wing and stick him with Orr and Betts. I almost think I'm not kidding.

Honestly, didn't Dawes/Callahan and Drury see some success at one point? Perhaps that.

Either way, I've wasted enough time. Gomez with Zherdev or Gomez with Naslund. Sjostrom moves up to play with somone so HE can score goals. We know he's poised to. Stick Voros with someone who can get the puck to the net. Let Prucha play because he's looked like he at least has a pulse and win/lose/or draw, I'd rather watch him out there skating than guys just circling around and looking bored.

One last thing, however, before I sign off on the long, rambling mess that no one will ever read. As posted on Steve Zipay's Newsday blog[11/3/08]:

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/

"Nigel Dawes was back with C Chris Drury, a pair that had success in the preseason. Petr Prucha was on the right side.

Dawes, who registered an assist in Toronto, but has just one goal, won't be riding the bench, said Renney. At least not yet.

'There was a time when Chris Drury had the most primary chances on this team..I think he still may, but Nigel's creeping up the ladder to have the most," said Renney. "He's been the guy shooting, he's hitting posts or the guy's making some real good saves. Nigel is a goal scorer, he scores the pure stuff, I think that's in him; If it doesn't translate into goals though, when you're looking at people like that, you ask yourself. 'OK, is his contribution what we need?' As with most people you've got to hang in with them and give them that chance....Nigel's a pretty confident guy, but that doesn't mean he's not sensitive to what's going on around him and what's required of him. And that's probably as important.' "

Which begs me to say, so that logic only applies when the player in question is not Petr Prucha?

If so, that's BS, and hypocritical. Renney said two things pre-season about #25. That he was the most in shape guy in camp and that he would be given the chance and the minutes to play consistently for this team.

So far, he has not been given anything of the sort, despite those promises.

But wonderboy Dawes, has been in for 8 straight games. And playing with the best playmaker on the entire team.

What part of that story do we not know?

**note, I wrote everything yesterday for this - but am only posting it today. In case something appears inconsistent with my use of today/yesterday. I tried to fix it as best I could. That, however, does not justify the rambling mess. We've already been through that before. ;) **

The Flames/Kings Finale and One Anze Kopitar. . .

Let me just say, the last 1 minute of the Kings/Flames game last night was the MOST exciting hockey I have seen this year. Period. And that might just be because I've been watching the bland (I refuse to say vanilla as an adjective because I, like Steven Stamkos very much like vanilla) play of the Rangers, but wow. Wow. And Wow.

Tim Preissing's guts on that play to literally dive, and keep the puck, snow plow style, in the zone was something. The pressure of the Kings to tie in that last minute was incredible. And it was just by some luck, perhaps, and some Miikka Kiprusoff, that the puck did not go in. Intense.

Earlier, Oscar Moller scored his first two NHL goals for the Kings. The second was to tie it late in the 3rd at 2-2.

Lucky Luc Robataille spoke with the CBC mid-game and said, it's not that their players are young - the Kings that is - it's that they are young and really, really good. And they will get good, hopefully stay good together, and be really something in a few years, and for years to come.

If that game was any indication, I agree.

Calgary, admittedly, did not play their best. Although they've now won 6 in a row. But LA stayed with them, and made it a very close, very interesting game. With an ending, we wish more games had. I know I do.

Credit all around.

And a bonus, because I was home and my Tivo was not left to it's own devices, I got to see all of After Hours. And they interviewed Anze Kopitar. :)

A kid who, growing up in a country that really had very little hockey and certainly not hockey that bread a consistent crop of NHL players (well, none, to be exact), knew what he wanted to do. Be that NHL player. And he did become the first ever from Slovenia. An All-Star last year. He was humble, he was funny, and he was, yes, well-spoken. Why you ask? Because frankly I was a little surprised a guy so young from such a foreign place was dropping "you knows" like kids I went to high school with.

The story goes that as a young teenager Anze told his Grandmother, who taught English, that he wanted to learn the language. He said, I don't expect to be in Slovenia for much longer. And when I get to the NHL I am going to want to know English.

Cocky? Not at all. Confident? You bet.

The league needs more. And I admire his attitude. The Kings have locked him up with a new seven year contract. And with all their young talent- O'Sullivan, Brown, Doughty, Frolov, etc - seem poised to really make a statement for LA in a few years and for a long, long time.

***

Nothing else really much to say on last night. I stand by my statement that there should be, if nothing else, a change in personnel and/or a change in attitude on Tuesday night for the Rangers. We will see.

Oh, but and in mentioning Drew Doughty above, let me just say, he appears to set up the powerplay for his Kings better than the guy the Rangers paid $6.5 million a year to do so. Sorry Wade. Truth hurts.

And as it gets mentioned from time to time, it makes you appreciate BrianLeetch. Brian Leetch was a thousand times more than just a guy who set up the Rangers on the point, but. . .he did that too. And he can never, ever be replaced, we know that. But it also makes me think of the (although most recently injury plagued) great Sergei Zubov who never did get the credit he deserved for being that guy. For well over a decade now.

A fan of the stay at home defenseman? At times. But give me a guy who can step up into the offensive play and make it - - I'll take them any day. Hands down.

Crashing to Earth in 6 Minutes or Less. . .

I'm actually going to keep it short and to the point.

For the first two periods, I was bored out of my mind. It was either penalty kill, or pathetic power play with no real chances (and the same absurd players on it), or 5-5 with no energy. Boring. I miss hockey with crisp passing and end to end rushes. With speed. The Rangers might have been winning for most of it, but it was a very lazy, very boring game.

And when it finally seemed in the 3rd the Rangers found a second or two of energy, they gave it all to Toronto. Credit the Leafs for sticking with it and taking advantage.

That being said, those five goals in six minutes was nothing short of an embarrassment. It shouldn't happen. And I'll be honest, I didn't want it to happen because I wanted the team to win (obviously) and because, especially, I wanted them to win for Steve Valiquette. I like when the backup goalie is able to go in a get a win. I do. And I like Vali a whole lot and he has played very well against Toronto.

But if this is what needed to happen to expose a team that has not, despite the amazing record and the constant winning, played either consistently or well - then I'm glad it did. Not glad that they lost and that they were embarrassed, but that this inconsistent, boring, half-awake/half-asleep hockey was exposed.

And I hope it spurs changes. I hope there is a new PP unit on Tuesday. I hope Petr Prucha or perhaps someone from Hartford is in the lineup, because some of these guys were just coasting.

But bottom line is I hope for more excitement. Games like this, and I don't just mean the collapse, are hard to watch. And it all just got old, really, really quickly.

I'm going back upstairs to watch HNIC. Maybe some other teams know what an end to end rush is or how to score on the power play. I've heard it's an advantage.

G'night all.

The Niki Z Show. . .

Nikolai Zherdev might need a nickname at the Garden soon. Better than the Niki Z I call him. Or perhaps he will continue to just remain "Z."

But after last night's game changing performance, he may have truly arrived in New York.

The first two periods were, as many of the Rangers have been so far this season, admit it or not, very lackluster. I didn't even realize Ilya Kovalchuk was on the ice for Atlanta more than twice, and only the second time because it was a power play that led up to Atlanta's tying goal (2-2).

Nigel Dawes, who I watched since Petr Prucha was scratched, actually appeared to look more confident in the game. Took five shots. As did Callahan. Gomez had one. But their line was pretty invisible overall.

As was the fourth line, and the pairing of Dubinsky and Voros was particularly quiet (minus the one assist for Dubi on Zherdev's marker ) and had very little ice time overall, but especially in the first period.

Dan Fritsche did nothing to make a case or ruin a case for himself. He hadn't played since the previous Friday in Columbus. He had a nice chance for a goal as he was left alone to skate through the crease in front of Kari Lehtonen, but the save was made. Although let it be said, he is significantly bigger than both Prucha or Dawes, and he skates pretty fast too. He's bigger though, so in some ways he can be more effective. He also seemed to be more efficient on marking his men in the defensive zone. Remember, he did play a lot of hockey in Columbus, in a fuller role than he's been given here.

Markus Naslund had a pretty goal to open the scoring. He now has extended his points scoring streak to 5 games. He's waking up. And he was in the position to get his second of the night, fifth of the season, except he quite obviously knew he kicked it in. Although his goal celebration for his first genuine goal was rather subdued as well.

Colton Orr fought Eric Boulton shortly into the game. And, you know what, he's fun. He really is. Taking a page from PJ Stock's book and smiling on his way to the box - win, lose, or draw. But, unlike Stock (who I love btw), he does not seem to lose all that often. And it's not even smiling, you know, it's grinning. The guy is grinning. I like it. And that might just go down as one of the loooooongest fights I've seen in my days.

And lastly, a quick mention of Paul Mara who had two assists, was a +1 on the night, and was named the game's 3rd star.

But now that all that has been established, last night was uncontestedly "The Niki Z Show" at the Garden.

He started off his stellar night by making a backcheck play that should almost make highlight reels. It was that good. He has wheels, and this time, instead of using them to score, he was skating back and diving to the ice, making the perfect swing of his stick to knock the puck away from an already broken Todd White. It was a really sweet move. And I guess something that most would not expected to see from the 24-year-old Ukranian. Yes, Ukranian - there are so few in the league, so it's not too hard to keep track. (At one moment in the game, he passed the puck back to Dmitri Kalinin and it ended up going back out of the zone quickly thereafter. I asked myself, did Z only pass to him because he called for it in the only language they both understand? Random thought, I know, but again, the first two periods were very slow moving.)

But his goal was a thing of beauty. Really was. Not many guys can get that movement on the puck on the backhand from that close to the cage and up against the goalie. But he did. Lehtonen had no shot. It was a nice, nice goal.

To continue his great evening (and great last couple weeks), Zherdev took command, skated around the Atlanta net, and sent a feed through the crease and out to the other side. At first I didn't know who rifled it in, but it ended up being Dan Girardi.

So credit Niki Z with the defensive play of the game, the goal of the game, and the assist of the game on the winning goal.

He also took a tripping penalty, when he knocked over Boulton on the faceooff shortly afterward. But you know, I'm not going to let that mar his night. I don't think many will. It might have been poor timing. But, Assistant captain, Naslund, was visibly annoyed with the refs for the call and animatedly talked to coach Tom Renney on the bench. Credit him for sticking up for his teammate.

Regardless, even though Hank Lundqvist has and continues to be strong in net, and the defense continues to be pretty solid, it was Niki's game to win for them. No one else stepped up in that way. He did and his team got the win.

The win, for the record, - does just that. At 10-2-1 it gives the Rangers 21 points in 13 games, which is the best ever start to a season for the Rangers. Best. Ever. That's like 82 years, folks.

Even though it hasn't really looked pretty. Even though their powerplay is quite possibly getting worse by the game (and making me look the fool for saying it couldn't possibly be worse than last year). Even though they have not gotten consistent scoring from any one line or two lines or what have you.

They have done something no Rangers team has ever done. Congratulations to them. I am, constructive comments notwithstanding, very proud to be a fan. I always am.


Around the league:

-Steven Stamkos notches his first NHL goal (and his second as well). First credited to Vincent Lecavalier, it was 10 minutes later announced Stamkos got the deflection. Congrats. And Vinny had already picked up the puck for him. That's why we love you Vinny. And beating Buffalo 5-2. That's not like beating a team like Tampa Bay. Er. Never mind. Good win for them. Good to see the kid get on the board. After all, I said Tampa would score. I didn't say they would stop the puck from going in their own net. But I said they would score.

-I just read Miroslav Satan got his team leading 5th goal of the season. Miroslav Satan? I know Sidney Crosby was slow to start the season. But Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Pascal Dupuis? But Satan? Seriously? The Penguins got roughed up in the desert, by the way. 4-1 loss and Crosby left the game with a mystery injury just before the end of the 2nd.

-Barring any major Rangers news between now and then, I'll probably check back in on Sunday with a wrap up of Saturday's game action and the first HNIC I've caught live in a while. I'm excited.

Pre-Notes for Atlanta Tilt. . .

In other Rangers news, it only took him a few games, but Tom Renney has re-shuffled the lines again. And they'll look,, well, very much like they did to start the season.

Naslund, Drury, and Gomez, the "$18 million line - part 484. . . I'm sorry, part 2. Just seems like that was so, been there, done that. But you never know. I'd have waited til Drury scored at least 2 goals on the season. He did? No. No. I'm still not counting that first one. I'd feel better if it went off his $ss into the net instead of what didn't happen on the Island Monday night. And probably so would he. But I ramble. . .

The PS3 Line of Niki Z, Dubinsky, and Voros return again, which I'm happy about. If nothing else, I can pray for goal celebrations, cause theirs have been enthusiastic to say the least.
The 4th line remains Betts, Sjostrom, and Orr. Big shocker there.

And the 3rd line becomes Callahan, Fritsche and Dawes.

Again, Renney, close but not quite. Drop Dawes (again, will he stub his foot pre-game, maybe, possibly?) and put Prucha in there. That's the line I said I wanted weeks ago. And, YES, with Fritsche at center which he will play tonight. Because he is a center. Yes, hard to tell that when the guy doesn't play. But he is. And I hope he and Callahan show chemistry together. Because then I'll be 2/3rds right. And if I-can-do-no-wrong-Nigel does not stub his toe pre-game and misses two or three wide open shots tonight, perhaps Prucha will join Dan and Ryan on Saturday in Toronto. Stranger things have happened.

(And apologies for busting Nigel. I just really don't think anyone can tell me that guy's play has warrented 7 games in a row without a night off!)

Either way, the Rangers have to watch out tonight. If Johan Hedberg plays, he has done well against the Rangers, for one. But more importantly, I never bet against a team in one of these two situations. Their coach gets canned. Or they get blown out. The following games, they always are pumped up for. The Flyers demolished Atlanta 7-0 on Tuesday night. So I expect them to be angry and take it out on NY. Will it work? Well the Rangers don't have Sean Avery to get Ilya Kovalchuk off his game any more. So. . .


Around the League:

I actually wasn't looking for the Shanny interview in my last post. Or the Stamkos one below. I needed to look up something on Hank Lundvqist and these interviews popped up. But in searching for that one, I found a few more. And I thought this was one of the cuter.

Getting to Know Steven Stamkos:

http://thehockeynews.com/articles/18275-Getting-To-Know-Steven-Stamkos.html

Awe. haha. Kid notched his first NHL point the other night. Just seems really down to Earth. And I said it before. Eloquent. Some guys never are able to take the pressure of an interview. This kid, at an age that I was still pretty shy, does a great job.

First car: "don't have one yet." ( awe. See, he really is soooo young!)

Some of my most agreeable answers:

Favorite Meal: "Probably a good seafood linguini."

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: "Not a big cereal guy."

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: "Vanilla."

Haha. Love it.

The league is in good hands. Very good hands.


**12:48pm - author's edit : It's been speculated the above lines were only practice lines. In which case, thanks for not putting Drury back on the $18 million line. . .but booooo to not playing Fritsche at center. Or not benching Dawes. Or listening to a word I say! Does Boo-ing on a blog count? Because as a rule I do not boo. something to speculate over lunch**

Thank you Shanny. . .

Pretty much from the moment he came to New York two years ago, Brendan Shanahan became Shanny. Just Shanny. That journey ended yesterday as Shanny told Larry Brooks (NY Post) that he was telling his agent to open talks with other clubs. The time had come and gone for his return to NY.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10292008/sports/rangers/shanahan_wont_wait_for_rangers_135879.htm

I already wrote ( "With Apologies in Advance to One of Hockey's Greats") a while back and stated that I don't think Shanahan should come back. And not for not liking him, appreciating him for what he did, or appreciating who he is. But for the fact that there is no way that he'd play fourth line minutes. It would take a matter of a few weeks before the lines would be juggled and Shanahan would be on the top powerplay unit and playing 20 minutes a night. Trust me. And to have him on the top line, taking time and a roster space away from other younger players is wrong, in my opinion. If Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka were told, thank you, but we're moving in a new, youth-oriented direction, and then the Rangers signed Shanahan a few months later, it would seem odd to me. (I guess by the same token it would seem odd if and when Mats Sundin comes around this year, but that's neither here nor there). Again, this is only my opinion, but given the past, and given the constant line changes that go on nightly at the Garden, one can hardly blame me.

Without repeating too much of what I said back in early September, I am glad Shanahan became a Ranger. I know it changed the dynamic of the team and I think for the better for the most part. Nothing is perfect. And yes, if given the right role, he could still play, absolutely. It's more about lack fo trust that will happen the right way, than lack of trust Shanahan is still an admirable and effective player.

Bottom line, if Shanahan never signed with the Rangers, I'd still think of him as one of those guys that won championships with Detroit. And that's short-sided and wrong. Shanahan has been a tremendous hockey player with a great, great career. He should be proud. And I'm proud he was a Ranger.

That being said, he was a Ranger for 2 years. A proud Ranger. A loyal Ranger. All very admirable. But it was 2 years. There were a lot of other guys that played here longer, that did more, that are no longer here.

Shanahan wasn't my favorite Ranger. He will probably never come close. But he was loyal and he had moments on Broadway I will remember. And he had this smile and this funny way of telling stories. I'll miss that. One of my favorite moments was watching him fight Donald Brashear in December of 2006. Showed his character. One of my least favorites was being there to watch him and Mike Knuble collide. Showed how fragile a game hockey is. Anything can happen at any time to anyone.

That being said, I wish him all the success in wherever he goes (if he does), and if not, I thank him for his two years here, and for all he did in his career. I applaud the good guys. And he is a good guy.

As a tribute to a great guy and a tremendous hockey player:

http://thehockeynews.com/articles/15097-Getting-To-Know-Brendan-Shanahan.html

Korpikoski to the Wolves. . .

Lauri Korpikoski has been assigned to the Rangers AHL affliliate team in Hartford today.

http://rangers.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=389291&page=NewsPage&service=page

I personally was suprised this didn't happen a game or two ago. Not because I don't like the kid. Quite the contrary - I do a lot. But because a) while he looked very impressive in training camp, he has not looked comfortable nor been effective in his games with the big club and b) he can't continue to sit stagnant on the bench while the 3rd line carousel/roulette wheel/musical chair situation continues. Its not fair and it will retard his development. And I've made it clear that I think, unfortunately, this was the case with a few former Rangers over the years.

If he's not going to play here, I think it's best for him to go and play in Hartford. And when and if an injury happens, you can easily pull from Hartford and he will be a good callup option. And if he comes up and is that effective/confident player we all saw in training camp, then he can make a case for himself to stay.

There are already enough question marks on the Rangers and the roulette situation will do nothing but hurt this young kid with a bright future.

Again, I am a little uncertain with what the Rangers have done or will do in regards to personnel. Now, having a waived Patrick Rissmiller floating, literally floating around, practices and not being assigned to Hartford, doesn't entirely make sense to me. And with Korpikoski sent down, the carousel does in fact, lose another member. But where does that leave us.

Personally, I'd say take Fristche and Prucha and put them in the lineup. Bench Dawes. I'll go over the game by games again, removing Korpikoski (re-assigned), Rissmiller (waived) and Callahan (played every game) for those reasons.

Prucha:
10/4 – 1 shot, 15 shifts, 10:14 ice time
10/5 – 1 shot, 13 shifts, 9:57 ice time
DNP
DNP
DNP
10/15 – 3 shots, 15 shifts, 11:59 ice time
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
10/25 - 3 shots, 15 shifts, 12:40 ice time
10/27 - 0 shots, 15 shifts, 10:05 ice time (0:54 PP time)

Dawes:
10/4/08 – 0 shots, 19 shifts, 14:00 ice time
10/5/08 – 3 shots, 17 shifts, 16:09 ice time
10/10 – (-1), 17 shifts, 14:01 ice time
DNP
DNP
DNP
10/17 – 2 shots, 12 shifts, 10:34 ice time (SHO goal)
10/18 – 1 goal, 3 shots, 22 shifts, 14:36 ice time
10/20 - 4 shots, 14:00 ice time
10/24 - 1 shot, 16 shifts, 13:48 ice time
10/25 - 1 shot, 18 shifts, 14:45 ice time
10/27 - (+1), 1 shot, 18 shifts, 14:39 ice time

Fritsche:
DNP
DNP
DNP
DNP
10/13 – 0 shots, 15 shifts, 9:38 ice time
DNP
10/17 – 4 shots, 11 shifts, 9:26 ice time
DNP
DNP
10/24 - (-1) 11 shifts, 8:35 ice time
DNP
DNP

Now, I am not an expert, and I'm not the coach. I get no vote. But look at the games and ice time Dawes has gotten. Prucha and Fritsche have not had that consistency. I was shocked, happily, to see Prucha back in the lineup after having a good game against Pittsburgh on Saturday. And he had no worse a game on Monday. But Fritsche, has been in one game, out for one, in one game, out for 2, in one game, out for two, and TBD going forward.

Nigel Dawes has gotten 6 games in a row, and unless I'm mistaken, he's gotten sizeably more ice time than either Prucha or Fritsche got, and he's actually looked less productive. Less. He had a good game, it seemed, against Detroit. Again, I didn't see the game. But he also, could have been benefiting from Gomez and Callahan, two of the fastest husslers on the team.

He's had his chance, and to me, he should be the one sitting down. Now, here's my proposal.

Keep Prucha in for at least four more games, so he'll have six in a row and the same chance as Dawes had. To make it really even, stick him with Gomez . See how he benefits from the great passer. Have you seen the games recently? Prucha's been carrying the puck. That's not his strongest area. He's been admirably fighting to stand up and move forward (and drew a penalty the other day doing it) but he can benefit most from having Gomez dish him the pucks. As I'm sure Dawes did on that goal in hockey town. Let's see what Pete does.

Secondly, put Fritsche in too. The team is winning, yes. But winning with Prucha. So why not replace a struggling Dawes with a fresh set of skates in Fritsche? Really. What's the worst that can happen? If you don't know where to put him, stick him with Betts and Orr. They aren't scoring anyway. He can get his 8-9 minutes a night, while Betts will see more on the PK. And Sjostrom's speed can be better utilized elsewhere. If nothing else, the team gets a little bigger. I liked Fritsche's game on the 17th versus Toronto. In limited time, he got 4 shots on goal. He was trying.

I'm just saying, let the two guys who have sat out and are still here - let them have a consistent go. For six games. The Rangers play Atlanta, Toronto, New York, Tampa Bay, in their next four. Those are not games that should be overlooked, but those aren't NJ, Detroit, or Dallas either.

Make your own decisions. Oh, I'm sorry, you will any way. ;) But that's what I would do if I were coaching. If you are worried about not having guys to take shoot-outs, I'm pretty sure Zherdev and Sjostrom got it covered on the top side. Oh and if you give him his confidence back, Prucha was once very dormidable in this department. Just ask Marty Brodeur.
We will see tomorrow.

Around the League:

Pretty much every score last night made me look like a genius in my pre-season predictions. (haha overstatement!) If the hockey season were only one night long. (God forbid!) The teams I thought would do well that were having slow starts - Calgary, Colorado, Philadelphia - are doing better. The teams that I thought were going to be worse - like Vancouver - are doing worse. It's still early, but it's nice to know I wasn't completely insane. We'll see.