Now that they Rangers have experienced their first three-game losing streak of the year and are stuck in a severe offensive rut, there are a lot of discussions about who is at fault for the recent woes. Opinions range from Michael Nylander and his stick infractions to Tom Renney and his decision to start Kevin Weekes over Henrik Lundqvist.
The answer is actually pretty simple. It is "all of them" and "none of them" at the same time. It is "all of the above" as much as it is "none of the above". One could easily point to "everyone" as easily as one could say that "no one" is at fault.
Let me explain . . . on December 22, 2005, the New York Rangers sit atop the Atlantic Division with a 20-11-4 record. This was a team MANY predicted would finish near the bottom of the NHL. Even the most optimistic fans thought the Rangers would barely be contending for the last playoff spot. We were told this was a rebuilding year, and our patience was necessary and appreciated. The team was sold off for picks and prospects that would help the organization build a solid core from within.
So now they have trouble scoring and lost a few close games. I find it very hard to blame any one or two individuals for this. Who is not doing what they were expected to do? Jagr? He leads the league in scoring. Goaltending? Both Weekes and Lundqvist have exceeded expectations in my opinion, and they give the team a chance to win pretty much every single game. Nylander? Yes, his penalties are frustrating and need to be dealt with, but he is on pace to score about 68 points . . . his previous career high is 64.
MAYBE you could say that Martin Straka isn't performing up to speed, but to be honest with the exception of a couple of seasons, he is right on pace for his normal production. One could certainly say the Tom Poti is below expectations, but that depends on what your expectations were. While he is not producing points like he should, right now he is playing fairly well. At least well enough that he can't be just cast out without getting a puck moving defenseman in return.
Do you blame Glen Sather? For what, putting together a drastically overachieving hockey team? For staying the course and not trading away a prospect for a high priced scorer?
The Rangers won 20 games as a team. Everyone did their job as well as, or better than, expected. Of their losses, six were by one goal. They have only been blown out a couple of times. They win as a team, they lose as a team. Blame them all, and blame none of them.
It seems as though the organization is not looking for the quick fix, and are sticking to the rebuild mentality that has gotten them to this point. As Andrew Gross of the Journal News reports, Don Maloney and Sather won't make a move for a short term fix at the expense of the big picture:
"Glen (Sather) and I are continually monitoring and evaluating and staying in touch with other teams in the league to see who's available and what the price is," Rangers assistant general manager Don Maloney said yesterday. "The only difference now from in the past is anything we do is with a longer-term view. You won't see us trading (rookie) Petr Prucha for a 30-year-old scorer. We're not going to weaken ourselves at one position to help ourselves at another."
John Dellapina of the Daily News also writes that the team is committed to rebuilding:
"I don't think our focus has changed one bit from what it has been ever since the summer," said Rangers assistant GM Don Maloney. "We're really pleased and pleasantly surprised about the success of the team and the way we're playing. But our focus is long-term."
In other words, Maloney and GM Glen Sather have no intention of making a dubious move that will make it look like they're doing something when doing nothing is their best move. Fact is, nobody at the Garden expected the Rangers to be anywhere near their current standing at 20-11-4 and atop the Atlantic Division.
Dellapina also quotes Maloney regarding the play of some of the prospects already in the system:
"It's no secret that there have been some names mentioned as being available to be acquired," Maloney said. "But we also have some players at Hartford that are playing very well right now. Jarkko Immonen, Nigel Dawes - those guys are scoring at a point-a-game clip. Jeff Taffe is playing well. Those are the guys that are going to get opportunities here - unless something falls into our lap that is absolutely too good to pass up."
Prudence . . . a virtue long missing from Madison Square Garden.
Anthony Rieber of Newsday says that Jaromir Jagr is frustrated with the lack of offense.
Larry Brooks of the NY Post reports that, despite the current losing streak and lack of discipline on the ice, Renney did not punish the team with difficult skating drills. Instead, they had a team meeting to discuss the things that brought them success earlier in the year.
The Rodent discusses the merits of having a player like Keith Thackuk on Broadway, a notion he now dismisses.
Bird is looking for laughs in the latest Birdcage . . . let's hope he doesn't find them. Read the article to understand what I mean.
Tonight, it's the Rangers versus the Lightning. The puck drops at 7:00 pm EST. If you are traveling into the city to attend the game, LEAVE EARLY. There are tons of delays due to the transit strike in NYC.
HDH
Posted by Jim at December 22, 2005 10:13 AMeMail this entry!
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