It is one of the most difficult positions in the NHL: coach of the New York Rangers.

In recent years, the coaching tenures have either been heroic (Mike Keenan), or abominable (Campbell and Muckler). But the tenure of Ron Low has been baffling in its mixed messages and mediocre results.

Last season's debacle was explained away, justly so, by the roster that Sather refused to fix. It is a painful memory, so it won't be reviewed here.

But, at the early point of this season, Low has been a veritable Jekyll and Hyde. On the one hand, there have significant positive changes that are attributable to the coach:

The Stand Against Mark Messier

In an under-publicized battle, he took on The Obligation (aka Mark Messier) and implemented a defensive system. Following a trio of bad losses early in the season, Messier criticized the defensive system, essentially saying that players were thinking too much and not able to score.

Nonetheless, Low stuck to his guns and what followed was the recent winning streak. Low threw out this verbal barb, buried in the sports pages:

"There was a period of time where we went through three games without scoring a lot of goals (Oct. 22-27, four goals in three games), and we were talking that we had our minds so set on defense that it was taking away from our offensive game. If you play defense, and you play it right, it gets you in so much better position to go on offense out of your own zone."

Hmm, not much of a veiled message there, eh?

Lineup Toughness

The fourth line with McCarthy and McKenna was a big force in the winning streak. A valid case could be made that not enough ice time went their way, but it was a start, and is a far cry from the 'turn the other cheek' days of Muckler and Campbell.

Penalty Kill

He's instituted a potent penalty killing system, including 35-second shifts with a wide range of players.

Overall Positives

He's installed a defensive system that, although certainly not in the league's elite, is leap years from last year's 'chicken without a head' approach.

BUT, on the other hand, he makes baffling decisions that seem in contradiction to his public stances on toughness and team play:

Power Play

Ugh, five perimeter players means the point men are blanketed and the puck carrier is pressured, leading to constant turnovers. The obvious solution is a forward in front of the net, but other than a few attempts to give Johansson have a shot, Low has been stubborn in keeping the perimeter play. Players like McCarthy, McKenna, Malhotra or Grosek should be given a shot until a legitimate power forward is developed or brought in.

Toughness Ice Time

The fourth line, despite solid play, still gets limited ice time. Zdeno Ciger gets minutes in place of the grittier Manny Malhotra. Energetic young defenders Purinton and Kloucek still get fewer minutes than passive veteran Ulanov. And the recent episode in Washington, where the FLY line was sent out in a meaningless end to a blowout to get mauled, made no sense.

Over-reliance on Lindros

Low has a tendency to run the well dry. Last season, he over-relied on Mike Richter, causing the goalie's exhaustion and ultimately the other ACL injury. And, recently, he's placing the same yoke on Lindros' shoulders. This situation needs careful monitoring, because one well-placed elbow at the head of a fatigued 88 could destroy the Ranger house of cards.

Conclusion?

To be honest, we have no idea whether Low is a legitimate head coach.

He gets full marks for bringing the team up from the abyss of last season. But that was a small step that is not enough to sit on.

He needs to become more creative, and not rely on Eric Lindros to such an extent. He needs to push the second-tier players to success, especially the young ones like Malhotra, Purinton and Samuelsson. He needs to challenge a second-tier player to make an impact on the power play by parking himself in front of the net. And, he needs to give more ice time to the gritty players that will wind down the opposition.

Low bought himself a small grace period through his recent work with the team. But he needs to take the next step to justify his position at the Ranger helm. We wish him luck because he legitimately appears to be passionate about this team, and has persevered through the difficult time of his brother's passing.

- Gabe

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