Posts tagged ‘Forsberg’

Spring Break for the Rangers comes about a month early this week as the Blueshirts have five days of inactivity. Or do they??? Could this be the week where someone is sent packing? Could this be the week that Forsberg joins the team? Could this be the week Dan Girardi joins his long lost brother Joe at Spring Training when pitchers and catchers report? All of these burning questions…..well some of them….will be answered by the end of the week. But, I figured before any of that happens and before our show tomorrow, I’d give my thoughts on the past two games and what this team needs to do in the off week…

1) Flyers game was great. Another prime example of this team playing hide and seek with success. As soon as you can’t see it anymore…BAM! hits you right in the gut with a 2-0 win in Philly.

2) Road Wins – Taking 3 of 4 possible points against two conference opponents, I think is a big step. Sure this team lost two games to the west coast teams. But its all about how you bounce back. Even though they couldn’t pull off the W against the Caps, they still got one.

3) Speaking of the Caps game. Again, its not a win but there are plenty good things you can take from that game. Drury is continuing to score. Team penalties were low. And Valiquette played well enough in two straight games to win some points for this team.

4) But there were plenty of BAD things as well. This game should have been an easy win. Power Play unit is awful. They eased up at the end of the second period and let Washington back into it. And………….

5) RYAN HOLLWEG is still playing hockey. Another dumb penalty by Hollywood costs this team the game. Absolutely INEXCUSABLE. The only good he serves this team is that the custodial crew at MSG can flip him upside down and use him for a mop after the game.

This team needs to make some moves this week. I don’t necessarily think they need to be huge moves but if there is someone on the market that can….

a) Help Jaromir Jagr (i.e. Peter Forsberg) than now is the chance to get the captain straightened out. And if the team is not willing to go after a player to help Jagr, you have to GET RID of him. He’s not getting to 84 points, he will be gone after this year, so if you can get someone for him now, DO IT.

b) If someone on the market can come in here and run the Power Play unit for a cheap price, FIND HIM.

c) If there is a barber out there who can cut Hollweg’s hair before he gets on the plane out of NYC, HIRE HIM. Nothing says we appreciate your hard work and dedication to our team more than a hair cut and a “Get the Hell Outta Here”

Much more on the show tomorrow.

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.

According to The Sporting News Peter Forsberg has informed his agent that he wants to play in the NHL this season and he should start to negotiate with various clubs. 

So the obvious question is: Should the Rangers make a play for Foppa?

I think the saying goes, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  So on the logical end, the answer is a resounding no.  This line of thinking would say that signing the injury riddled, 34-year-old, former superstar would be a continued regression back into the dark days of 1998-2004.  This line of thinking would also say that signing the fading star would just take away valuable minutes from a youngster who could benefit from the time.  This line of thinking would say that adding another huge name would only disrupt even further the already obvious lack of chemistry on this team.  This line of thinking would probably be right.

But the funny thing about sports and sports fandom is that sometimes what’s logical isn’t always right and I think that might be the case right here. 

I say, unless the Rangers go on a run over the next two weeks where they reel off 6 of 7 and do it in consistent, dominating fashion, they should just take one more chance and go for it.

I mean really, why the heck not?!  What’s the worst that could happen?

Let’s for a second say that the Rangers just stay with the status quo.  Even if they tinker here or there, the odds are that they’ll be fighting for the 8th seed from here on out and its a 50/50 shot at best that they get it.  And even if they do, you’re delirious if you think they’re winning the Cup.  So whether they don’t make the playoffs or they lose in the first or second round, they’ll be in the same place come late May.

Now think about this.  A first line of Straka-Forsberg-Jagr and a second line of Shanahan-Gomez-Drury.  Right there you get Jagr back with his European center and move Drury to the pressure-reduced role of winger.  Right there you give the opposition two completely different styles to defend against.  Right there, you have quite possibly two of the sexiest lines ever drawn up on the same squd.

How can you not be intrigued?

Now the article on The Sporting News’ website says that Forsberg will be asking for two-years.  If that’s the case then I probably pass on the big man.  But if you can get him for the remainder of this year with maybe a club option for the second year then I think you have to do it.

In that scenario, if you think logically, there’s really no risk.  You don’t have to part with any of your own talent (as you would in a trade for Sundin or Vyborny) and the worst that happens is Forsberg’s a bust and you cut ties with him when the season’s over.

So you’re all entitled to your opinion, but know this.  If the Rangers don’t do anything, the season’s down the tubes.  So it may be worth it to take that one final shot at accomplishing what so many predicted this team would.

Taking that one final shot at Lord Stanley’s Cup.