A few seasons ago, Petr Nedved was unfairly treated with
a cascase of boos, the scapegoat for a season of futility.
Yet Nedved persevered, won back the MSG crowd, and
married some supermodel. Life was good for Petr.
But this year, he's flown under the radar of the Mark Messier
storm, and has not been taken to task for an awful
beginning to the season.
Well, let's remedy that ...
The Stats
Nedved is averaging 19:32 of ice time, which is second among
forwards to Alex Kovalev, and a full two minutes higher than
any other forward.
What has he done with the heaps of ice time? Well, nothing.
He has ten points in twenty-one games. 5 goals, 5 assists.
Do you know who has outscored him to date? Rico Fata, with
eleven points in just 17 games. And how about other familiar
names like Radek Dvorak (14 points) and Mike York (18 points).
He is a -2 on the season, which normally is not bad for a
Ranger, but now pales in comparison to Rucinsky's +12,
Holik's +10, Barnaby's +10, and most other forwards.
He has only three power play points, despite receiving a
significant amount of time with the man advantage.
And let's not talk about shots on goal. Sometimes it seems
as if the netting was put in just to guard patrons from his
wayward wrist shots.
End result is that he's averaging about 2.5 shots per game,
which is about a one every 7.5 minutes of ice time.
How do others feel about his play?
Kovalev Slaps Nedved
Well, not really. But read between the lines ...
Kovalev recently said that "it's definitely a lot easier to
play with Rosie and Bobby because they are really unique
guys and seem to be different players."
That's a backhanded slap at Nedved, for when Kovalev says it's
"easier" to play with his new linemates, who is the natural
comparison?
(Um, that was rhetorical. He's talking about Nedved.)
Carter Slaps Nedved
When asked about Sather's critism of him, Anson Carter
responded with a telling quote:
"It never fazed me. It's been that way the whole year.
Some guys are whipping boys. Some guys are let off with
kid gloves. I can take the criticism."
Now normally I'd focus on Messier as the target of that
remark, but I think Nedved could just as easily fit the bill.
Lundmark Comparison
And what about Jamie Lundmark? He's been out of the lineup
because, according to Jamie, Sather wants him to be more
physical.
If you look at Holik or Lindros, then perhaps Sather's
requirement makes sense.
But the next time Nedved throws a check or blocks a shot
it will be his first. However, we have not hear such
criticism from Sather towards Nedved.
Sather Does Coddle Nedved
Every other center, including Messier, needed to adapt to
their linemates. Their lines were not built around their
strengths and weaknesses.
Lindros has yet to have a power forward on his flank.
Holik has played with almost everyone. And Messier was
given two physical veterans not known for scoring.
But there has been a concerted effort by Sather to
build a line around Nedved. Last year it began with
Dvorak, Rucinsky was initially a "gift" to Nedved, and
this year it was custom linemate Hlavac and Kovalev.
Is it Jagr?
A part of me thinks Nedved is still on the roster in case
Sather is able to bring Jagr to NY.
Or maybe it's because Nedved is a "no-hassle" player,
meaning he doesn't make waves or need much coaching.
Because this is damn confusing why Nedved gets a suite in
Sather's penthouse.
I figured that, given's Sather's boy-like crush on Messier,
that Nedved would seem to be the odd-man out among the
three remaining veteran centermen.
And with Dominic Moore and Jamie Lundmark ready to challenge
for a spot, it only made it more likely.
But this is Sather's team, so anything is likely.
But one thing is for certain ... teams will start bearing
down on the Holik-Rucinsky-Kovalev line, and we'll need
another line to step up in order to challenge seriously
for a playoff spot.
Let's hope Nedved either rises to the challenge with his
19+ minutes per game; or is traded away so that ice
time can be better spent.
-Gabe
Posted by Gabe at November 29, 2003 11:42 PMeMail this entry!
No one takes into account the endless penalty kill time Peter is given on top of his normal line play. That's the real reason he gets so much ice time and it should be noted that this affects his overall offensive output that everyone seems to think is the only indication of his ability.
Posted by: Arbult on December 4, 2003 02:29 PM
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