Posts tagged ‘Avery’

The NHL trade deadline is less then a week away and Larry Brooks of the NY Post says that the Rangers may be on the cusp of a couple of deals.

According to Brooks, the Rangers are making a strong push to aquire PP Quarterback Dan Boyle from the Tampa Bay Lightning.  He also says that Glen Sather and Co., is in talks with St. Louis to acquire Broadway regular Martin Rucinsky in exchange for (brace yourself) Marek Malik.

When it comes to Dan Boyle, I think he’s exactly the type of player that the Rangers need.  The question is: what’s the price?  I’m not willing to part with any big-time prospects (i.e. Dubi, Dawes, Callahan, Sauer, Sanguinetti, etc.) to make the deal.  However, I wouldn’t mind including someone like Greg Moore.  Where this situation becomes interesting is when it comes to Al Montoya.  Clearly never going to see the light of day in a Rangers uniform, it may be time to finally deal the former 1st round pick.  Tampa is certainly a team in need of goaltending help, so it’s not a stretch to see Montoya becoming a key part of the deal.  I know some of you may question whether Dan Boyle is enough of a return for as big a chip as Montoya.  However, Montoya is floundering down in Hartford and his stock is dropping by the day.  It may be time to cut ties while he still has the value that he does.  If Montoya is included in a deal, I’d make a provision that the Rangers have to sign Boyle to a contract extension.  If they’re only getting a rental in Boyle then its no dice.

As for the deal with the Blues, I think it’s the perfect team with which unload Malik.  John Davidson saw #8 every day during his first season with the Rangers (his best season by far as a Blueshirt).  With that memory in mind, the Rangers may be able to get more for Malik than if they were to trade him anywhere else.  Brooks is reporting that the Rangers would be asking for Rucinsky and a defenseman in return.  When it comes to Rucinsky, I just don’t see where he plays on this team.  Assuming that Dawes, Prucha, and Callahan stay put, there’s just no place on this team for the former Ranger.  Unless the Rangers plan on sitting him, it means that the 36-year-old will be taking the spot of one of those three youngsters.  If that’s the case, then it’s a travesty and will be a terrible move.  Rucinsky is not the player he used to be (4 G, 10 A on the season) and the youngsters on the Rangers right now are the most consistent players they have.  As for the defensemen involved in the deal, Barrett Jackman would look good on Broadway.  He’s that big, punishing defenseman that the Rangers sorely miss and would be a big help in the playoffs when those physical D-men are crucial.

So here we go.  T-minus 5 days until the deadline.  I would be shocked if this Rangers team looks the same as it does right now by Tuesday night.

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In other news, Brooks is also reporting that Sean Avery and Glen Sather have made some headway on contract negotiations.  They’re discussing both a one-year bridge and a new multi-year contract.  If I’m Sather, I try and lock him up for a couple of years at a discounted price while I can.  Avery hasn’t had the type of year that gives him a lot of leverage.  To lock him up for 3-4 years in the $2.5-$2.8 million range could turn out to be a steal a couple of years down the road.

According to The Blueshirts Blog, Blue Notes and Rangers Report, the passion and intensity that was missing in last night’s embarrassment against the Kings, was out in full force during practice today. 

Apparently, Malik and Avery got into a shoving match and that quickly escalated into an all out, gloves off, fight between the two. 

According the the reports, Malik was the victor and as the two were being torn apart Avery was heard saying, “What are you, a bleeping tough guy? Why don’t you play like that in a game?” (A sentiment by the way, that is echoed by many fans)

Renney didn’t seem to have any problem with the fight and, according to the writers, went over to Malik after the tussle and said, “Good job, big guy.”

I personally agree 100% with Renney.  The biggest missing ingredient with this team has been that constant passion and determination.  Maybe they were as disgusted with last nights showing as I know we all were and it spilled over into hostility today at practice.

I love it.

Story lines abound as the Rangers take on the leauge worst L.A. Kings tonight:

According to Rangers Report and Blue Notes, Dane Byers will make his NHL debut tonight in the place of (justly) suspended Ryan Hollweg.  Byers will suit up along side Blair Betts and Colton Orr and here’s to hoping he impresses.  If Byers can prove he can play up with the big boys then it’s harder to justify keeping Hollweg around.  He is just as physical a player as #44, but unlike Hollweg has OTHER SKILLS to bring to the table.  Byers has recently proven down in Hartford that he has an offensive upside, tallying 7 goals and 5 assists since January 7th.  He also is a decent fighter, something that Holly is not.  Unfortunately, Byers will probably only have one game to prove himself, but if he can do something tonight to show the coaches his upside, it could go a long way towards ending Hollweg’s Rangers tenure.

Ironically, today marks exactly 1 year since Sean Avery was traded from the Kings to Broadway.  It’ll be interesting to see how “The Grate One” plays against his former mates.  My guess is Aves has a big game and makes the Kings look silly for the deal they made a season ago.

The Rangers badly need to win this one.  A win tonight will be four in a row and six out of seven of the Broadway Blues and honestly, who wudda thunk it?  The way the Rangers have been going, it seems like tonight should be a lock, which makes it all the more worrisome though.  A loss tonight would be a terrible blow to the line of thinking that this team has finally found their grove.  I don’t see it happening, but its been almost impossible to make correct predictions about the Rangers all season long.  We’ll have to see.

No live-blog tonight, but keep the comments coming down below. 

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In the ongoing Peter Forsberg debate, Stan Fischler has an interesting piece of news in his blog at MSG.com’s Game On section.  The Hockey Maven says that a close friend of Foppa tells him that Forsberg wants to finish his career on Broadway.  Take that for what you will, but its something I thought you all would be interested in.

Phew, the Rangers certainly dodged that bullet.  Playing a team that was spiraling out of control having lost nine straight, a win tonight was ABSOLUTELY VITAL for the Rangers moving forward.

And they did win, maybe not as convincingly as you would have liked, but right now “style points” are out the window and the only points that matter are the ones in the standings.

Now don’t get me wrong, there were certainly some good signs tonight:

-  The third line continued to look good scoring both goals and creating countless chances.  It looks like this trio is finally starting to lock in.

-  The return of Sean Avery and Brendan Shanahan was great to see (it was also great to see someone finally putting pucks on net).

-  The King was solid, not spectacular, but he did what he had to do.

-  The penalty kill was fantastic (although they again were called upon WAY too much).

So those were the positives.  But don’t feel too good if your a Rangers fan right now because boy was there a lot to be bothered by in tonights game:

-  Tom Renney again gave the fourth-line third-line minutes.  Ryan Hollweg and Colton Orr both got 12:16 minutes and Blair Betts got just under 15.  No player on the third-line even got nine minutes of time, despite again being the best and hardest working line on the ice.  The third line contributed two-goals and a combined for a +6 on the night.  The HBO line contributed a bad penalty and no offense again.  How Renney can justify playing Ryan Hollweg for over 12 minutes and not even give Brandon Dubinsky 6:30 is beyond me and is flat our ridiculous.

-  Renney again didn’t have the courage to send a message to his team and bench his “captain” when he played another lackluster game and was a detriment on the ice.  Jagr took two more lazy penalties and was the culprit on the Sabres lone goal.  If you watch the replay you will see Jagr, upon losing the puck at the Buffalo blueline, glide back and allow an odd man rush for the Sabres.  He gave an absolutely embarrasing effort on that backcheck and made a half-hearted attempt at the last minute to catch up to Pominville.  But J.J. doesn’t miss a beat and is rewarded with nearly 20 minutes on the ice.  No accountability=no change.  It’s that simple.

-  The Rangers again gave the opposition man-advantages immediately following Rangers goals.  The Blueshirts went up 1-0 at the 6:15 mark of the first and went on the penalty-kill just over two minutes later.  They then went up 2-1 at the 9:42 mark of the second period, only two one up themselves from earlier in the game and go down 2 men just over a minute later.  That 5 on 3 disadvantage was their fifth in the last four games…absolutely unacceptable.

-  The Rangers power play was again more of a disadvantage then their penalty kill.  They couldn’t capitilize on any of the man-up opportunities given and gave up countless numbers of odd-man rushes against in the process.  I’d be willing to venture a guess that Buffalo got their best chances when they were down a man.

But in the end they were able to pull this one out, just don’t be fooled.  Against a half decent team we would be talking about another terrible loss.  But as I said in the title, a win is a win is a win is a win and at this point that’s all that matters.  Maybe the Rangers can gain traction from this and get going.  I guess we’ll see this weekend.

Could this be the day? Could tonight possibly be the night that the Rangers get things going? Boy do I hope so.  Not only is Chris Drury being welcomed back in Buffalo, but Brendan Shanahan and Sean Avery will be welcomed back by the Rangers tonight.  Talk about some leadership returning to the ice.

Steve and I touched on these next few games in our podcast that FINALLY got out last night.  Buffalo is a beatable team, especially with the Rangers being at full strength.  So are the Bruins for that matter.  Right now the Rangers need to forget about tops in the Eastern Conference, they need to focus on just making the playoffs.  The Blueshirts need to beat teams they are supposed to beat and move up the totem pole over lesser talented teams…and that can begin tonight.

Also, Chris Drury is returning to Buffalo tonight.  It has been an up and down season for Drury with the Rangers.  I’d like to hear your thoughts on Drury’s performance this season.  Has he lived up to the expectations you had for him? Or does he still have to prove himself as a Ranger?  Just a little point for discussion.  Enjoy the game tonight and don’t forget to get your contest entries in soon.

So I’m sitting in the Garden with my brother last night following that disastrous second period, when I get a text message from a close friend and fellow Rangers fan.  It reads, “Nightmare period. Nightmare.”

My response to him: “Nightmare season. Nightmare.”

       (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Because that is exactly what this ‘07-’08 campaign has become…A NIGHTMARE!

Last night’s 6-2 loss at the hands of the division rival Flyers was the worst I can remember in this “New Era” of Rangers hockey.  The Rangers team I saw last night had no heart, no smarts, and most of all, absolutely zero gumption.  They took dumb, lazy penalties and in the words of my co-host Eric “folded faster than a cheap suit” when adversity stared them in the face.  They couldn’t capitalize when Ryan Hollweg of all people staked them to a 2-0 lead.  They played like a last place team, which is exactly what they are now.

The power play was awful, the penalty kill was awful, the defensive zone coverage was awful, and the goaltending performance made me check to see if the #30 in nets was actually Mike Dunham.

Something’s very wrong right now with this team and I’m really at a loss trying to figure out how it’s going to get better.  And I’ll tell you something else.  If Sean Avery goes under the knife and is out for a lengthier period of time than expected, you can book your tee times folks.  The Rangers simply CANNOT and DO NOT win without #16 in the lineup.

Which begs the question: If a team is forced to rely on one player that much, is the team really that good anyway?

It’s officially time to press the panic button folks.  This season opened with expectations of a Stanley Cup, yet more than halfway through the year the Rangers find themselves in the same precarious situation that they were in last year.  The Rangers had to go on a 17-6-6 run just to sneak into the playoffs last year. 

Let’s just put it this way…there’s not another Sean Avery out there to catalyze a run like that again.

After the free-agent acquisitions of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury this summer, the expectations in the big apple were high. However, instead of the Rangers dominating the first half of the season, it’s been quite a roller-coaster ride with the Blueshirts showing signs of brilliance and ineptitude during various stretches.

The Rangers began the year going 2-5-1, before going on a stretch of 12 games in late October/early November that saw them lose only twice. But that was only the pre-cursor to a dreadful 4-8-2 stretch in late November/early December that moved the Rangers to the brink of being outside the playoff picture. And all this was of course, just before the recent three-game winning streak by the Blueshirts to finish out 2007.

So the question is: Who are the real Rangers?

The answer: They are this most recent team that’s on a winning streak to close out the year. And here are the reasons why:

First of all, the Rangers finally have a bona fide 1st Line. After all of the shifting and mutations that this top line has seen, the current Jagr/Gomez/Straka line is here to stay. Since being united in the game against Pittsburgh on December 18, the trio has combined for 32 points in 7 games. This line will be one of the most potent in all of NHL in the second half of the season.

The Rangers second line is also finally coming together. For Chris Drury, the transition to New York has taken longer than many had hoped. However, over the past couple weeks, number 23 seems to be finding his grove. He’s been a monster on face-offs and in the last few games has started showing why he’s known in hockey circles as “captain clutch.” As for Shanny, the guy’s been a rock all season long and provides the necessary leadership needed on a championship team. And of course, there’s Sean Avery who, in my opinion, is this team’s MVP. If you look at the season, the Rangers have gone through their two slumps when he’s been out of the lineup. When he’s been in, the Blueshirts have looked like gangbusters. Barring injuries, this second line will be the perfect second half of a great 1-2 punch for the Rangers going forward.

The third line is where some questions lie. Ryan Callahan and Petr Prucha have both struggled to build off of a great opening night performance. Brandon Dubinsky has been very solid, but overall the trio isn’t adding much secondary scoring. However, I really like the way the line works and think that it’s all just a matter of time until the goals start to come. Ryan Callahan has scored at every level he’s been at and adds feistiness to a lineup that is sometimes lacking in that department. Prucha looks like he may have had a breakout game in Toronto on Saturday. He did suffer a wrist injury at the end of the game that kept him out a night later, but doesn’t appear to be serious. As for Dubinsky, there is no part of me that is worried about this kid. I really think he’s exceeded expectations this season and this year will prove invaluable to him as he learns to play the game at the NHL level. My prediction is that by the end of January this line will be pumping in a couple goals a week.

As for the fourth line, they’ve really been the one constant on a team that has seemed constantly in flux. They have been phenomenal against the opposition’s top line and on a rare night can even light the lamp. The one small complaint is that I’d like to see a little more of the rough stuff from Hollweg and Orr, but outside of that I really can’t ask for more than what they’ve given. When it comes to Betts, I think you’re talking about the best fourth line center in the league. He is as shut-down a forward as there is in the league and is as good a face-off man as they come. He’s also probably the best penalty killer the Rangers have, never hesitating to block a shot to make the play. I have no doubt that this line will continue their defensive dominance moving forward.

And speaking of defense, the top four on this year’s backline have been phenomenal. Marc Staal has settled into the NHL nicely and in him and Michael Rozsival the Rangers have a nice top pair. The second pairing of Girardi and Tyutin has exceeded expectations with Girardi forcing everyone to question how he could have possibly been passed over in the draft two years in a row! All four have also provided an offensive punch from the backline that was absent a year ago. This year’s Rangers defense has scored 24 goals already; only 6 less than last year’s total. The most prolific scorer of the bunch this year has been Roszival who is in the second in defensemen goal-scoring in the NHL with nine goals. Yet my criticism of the foursome lies with Roszival, who could have double his goal total if he would just shoot more. Roszi still defers too much to Jagr, passing up open shots to get the biscuit to number 68. He’s definitely doing it less than last year, but I’d love to see Roszival shoot more in ‘08.

Where the questions on the defense lie are in Paul Mara, Marek Malik, and Jason Strudwick. While Mara’s been fine defensively, you’d like to see him be more noticeable on the offensive end. He’s got a rocket of a shot that he very rarely uses. If he’s not going to provide the offense, then he’s a very ‘vanilla’ player. As for Malik, I’m one who believes the big guy gets too much criticism from the Garden crowd. 95% of the time he makes the right play, but the problem is that in the 5% of the time that he doesn’t, the puck usually ends up in the back of the Rangers net. When it comes to Strudwick it’s pretty simple. He’s a fine seventh defenseman, but the Rangers have used him WAY too much this season. He’s not a NHL regular (last year he played in Europe for most of the year because nobody wanted him) and his leadership skills aren’t important if he’s a liability on the ice.

Looking ahead, I’d say that if the Rangers make a move, look for one of those three to be involved, but specifically Mara and/or Malik. Both still have value and in the case of Malik, I don’t think he’d be opposed to a change of scenery. Marcel Hossa may also be on the block as it seems that there simply isn’t a place for him on this team right now.

On the goaltending end the Rangers are set. Not much needs to be said about the King and Valiquette has proven to be a worthy backup (and a cheap one at that).

So you may say, “This is a pretty optimistic look at a team that had been struggling badly just a few games ago.” Well it may be, but at this point it seems that everything has finally clicked into place. So much of the year has been spent trying to find the right spots for everyone and it seems like Renney and Co. have finally found them. The key for the second half is simple…STAY HEALTHY! This especially applies to Sean Avery who, as was said earlier, is the key piece on this team. When he’s gone everything else falls apart.

Barring any injuries, look for the Rangers to make a second half surge to take the Atlantic Division. I predict a second place finish overall in the East, losing out to Ottawa for the number one seed, but giving the Sens a scare in the process. When it comes to playoff time all bets are off. This team has all the pieces of a championship puzzle; the goaltending, the offense, the defense, the leadership and, of course, “captain clutch.”

In the end we’ll have to wait and see, but they have as good a chance as any.

Hey everyone, hope the holiday season is treating you all well. Not that you care, but I’m about to enjoy some skiing this afternoon in the great state of Indiana. Didn’t think there were mountains in Indiana? Well there aren’t any. Which will make it tough to ski on the glorified hill the Midwesterners call a slope. Mountain or not, who doesn’t like skiing?

Big game for the Rangers tonight against Toronto. If anything this rivalry is worth watching to see what Sean Avery will do next. When asked what he thought about going back to Toronto, Avery responded:

“I never enjoy playing in Toronto really. Why? I don’t enjoy hockey-obsessed Canadians. The exchange rate is not very good right now. And it’s going to cost me a lot of money for tickets for people I don’t even like. How’s that for a list?”

In six career games against Toronto, Avery has racked up 23 penalty minutes; a number that he will only look to increase tonight. Game time is at 7, the under card of Avery vs. Toronto starts at 6:30.

Unbelievable! Really, it’s unbelievable. Tonight was supposed to be the night. It was supposed to be the first time since opening night that the Rangers were completely healthy. But just when you think you’re out of the woods, the worst happens. Sean Avery goes under the knife and is set to miss at least the next two weeks.

Now, I don’t think I’m going overboard by saying “the worst.” Well, that’s not true. If Henrik went down, the Rangers would be, for lack of a better term, screwed. But the King aside, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Avery is the worst person to have out of this lineup. At some points, you can’t ignore numbers and the numbers are this. Since “The Grate One” joined this team last season, the Rangers have gone 26-10-7. Last season he sparked a 17-6-6 stretch run and this year the Rangers have been a mess when Avery’s out of the lineup. The difference? Without Avery, the Rangers are 4-5-1. With Avery? 9-4-1. If you don’t think having this guy in the lineup makes a world of difference, you’re just not paying attention.

And as if the injury itself to Avery wasn’t bad enough, the timing couldn’t be worse. The Blueshirts are struggling right now, losing three of their last four. The best way to snap out of it would be a big win tonight against the Isles, in a physical, team-bonding game. Nobody would set that tone better than “The Agitator Extraordinaire” himself. And while we’re on the topic, the fact that this will be the third of four games against the Isles that Avery will miss this season is almost comical. #16 lives for these games and is at his best in them. Anybody think his absence has a little something to do with the 0-3 record against the boys from the Island?

So now the Rangers need to find a way to come together and win in Avery’s absence. They haven’t shown they can do it in the past, here’s to hoping they can figure it out now.

Just wanted to update the Avery situation for everyone. The league has fined Avery $2,500 for the incident with Darcey Tucker in Toronto (Tucker was also fined $1,000). NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said that Avery was fined because the incident in Toronto came less than a week after the pre-game altercation against New Jersey. Fortunately for the Rangers, Avery won’t miss any games. This has resulted in Greg Moore being quickly sent back to Hartford.

Regarding the accusations that Avery made comments about Toronto’s Jason Blake’s cancer; Avery says they are completely false. Via a statement, Avery said:

“I am extremely upset and hurt that false and damaging comments were attributed to me regarding Jason Blake. I made no such comments. I have lost two grandfathers to cancer and have been a consistent contributor to multiple cancer related charities, first and foremost, Hockey Fights Cancer. I am unable to comment further, as the matter is now being addressed by legal counsel.”

Obviously Avery is hurt by the accusations regarding these alleged statements. Steve and I argued on today’s Podcast that trash talk on the ice has its limits and there is a line one should not cross. Our good friend Inferno at www.rangersreview.com had a nice counterpoint to our argument that you all should check out. It’s an interesting debate, one we encourage you to email or call us about because I am sure we will be discussing it more in the future.