Opportunity from Injury

First off, if you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the podcast yet, welcome to the NYRangerscast, part of the New York Sportscast Network. Steve and I will be keeping you up to date on our thoughts regarding the goings on of the Blueshirts all season long, both via podcast and this blog.

To get right into things, Steve and I touched on the implications of Sean Avery’s injury in our cast but I’d like to discuss it a little bit more. As of today Nigel Dawes (nor anyone else for that matter) has been called up to the big club to fill Avery’s role. Instead fans will see Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hossa on the ice with the second line against Washington.

Now, we have all seen what the potential is in Marcel Hossa. Spurts of greatness from the former first round draft pick. His performance in the playoffs last year (2 G, 2A, +5), I believe, has earned him an audition for the Avery spot. But, Tom Renney needs to also audition Nigel Dawes.

With Avery being out four weeks at the very least, that leaves ample time for Hossa and Dawes to get their time to shine. Dawes has been a prospect long enough and there are only so many chances you can give Marcel Hossa before it’s out with the old and in with the new.

With the influx of new talent from the offseason, it looked to most fans that time for Dawes on the first or second lines would be nonexistent. But, if the Rangers take advantage of the Avery injury and let Dawes play with the big guys for a couple weeks, it may pay off huge dividends in the future.