So we're past halfway mark of the season, and the Rangers have exceeded all possible negative expectations and have found their way to 9th place in the East. That's right! With at least one more game played then every team sitting in front of them. On top of it, they're the last place in their own division.
As a side note, how awesome would it be if the whole Atlantic division made the playoffs? It's so possible. Not so awesome for the Southeast, I guess. The other awesome possibility would be that New York sits and watches the rest of the division go on to the playoffs while they sit there and cry under expectations.
Most Ranger fans want to throw our stars under a bus. Hey, do what you must to get by. But Chris Drury and Scott Gomez are looking at their average season in points production, so I'm not sure this is validated. Others want to rip the C from Captain Jaromir Jagr's sweater (and by sweater I mean the new water resistant stylish *REEBOK* edge jersey) because he's not producing. In fact, they say he's sulking over the loss of Nylander and introduction of the defensive "system" Coach Renney feels will pull this team out from the bottom. Maybe he is. JJ isn't as young as he used to be, but he is starting to find chemistry with Gomez and has been exponentially better since Marty Straka felt good enough to skate along side him. And Shanny's like 40 years old, yet still leads the team in scoring. And no one is to blame for Avery's disappearance from the line up with injury upon injury.
Lundqvist. He was scary to begin the season, and now looks like a shaky backup. Sure, he's been having some family problems with his father having brain surgery not too long ago, but he is the most inconsistent goalie I have ever seen. Either he's the best in the league, or he's looking pathetic. So what's the Rangers solution?The Rangers have been asking Meehan about the availability of Curtis Joseph.
Cujo? We don't need Cujo. We need something, but it certainly isn't Cujo. He's not a franchise goaltender, like Lundqvist. He's not going to cover the (sometimes awful) mistakes of our young defense. He's not going to make Jagr score like he did two seasons ago. He's not going to make Shanahan 5 years younger.
This is either a vote of no confidence on the goaltenders in our system (such as our current backup, Valiquette, and our apparent young star in the minors, Montoya) or an act of desperation to get Lundqvist to sign his long term deal with the Rangers before he can think of exploring other options.
Hey, New York! No Ninth Place Blues! Suck it up and play hockey. This is not the time for desperate roster changes (unless it’s for a solid D-man)! It's time to get back to basics, play like you did for the first two months of the season, or during those "flashes of brilliance" in Ottawa, Carolina, or just recently, Montreal.
Suck it up. Play hard. And leave the “use-to-bes” out of it, unless you want to be the joke of the league, like in 2003.
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As a side note, how awesome would it be if the whole Atlantic division made the playoffs? It's so possible. Not so awesome for the Southeast, I guess. The other awesome possibility would be that New York sits and watches the rest of the division go on to the playoffs while they sit there and cry under expectations.
Most Ranger fans want to throw our stars under a bus. Hey, do what you must to get by. But Chris Drury and Scott Gomez are looking at their average season in points production, so I'm not sure this is validated. Others want to rip the C from Captain Jaromir Jagr's sweater (and by sweater I mean the new water resistant stylish *REEBOK* edge jersey) because he's not producing. In fact, they say he's sulking over the loss of Nylander and introduction of the defensive "system" Coach Renney feels will pull this team out from the bottom. Maybe he is. JJ isn't as young as he used to be, but he is starting to find chemistry with Gomez and has been exponentially better since Marty Straka felt good enough to skate along side him. And Shanny's like 40 years old, yet still leads the team in scoring. And no one is to blame for Avery's disappearance from the line up with injury upon injury.
Lundqvist. He was scary to begin the season, and now looks like a shaky backup. Sure, he's been having some family problems with his father having brain surgery not too long ago, but he is the most inconsistent goalie I have ever seen. Either he's the best in the league, or he's looking pathetic. So what's the Rangers solution?The Rangers have been asking Meehan about the availability of Curtis Joseph.
Cujo? We don't need Cujo. We need something, but it certainly isn't Cujo. He's not a franchise goaltender, like Lundqvist. He's not going to cover the (sometimes awful) mistakes of our young defense. He's not going to make Jagr score like he did two seasons ago. He's not going to make Shanahan 5 years younger.
This is either a vote of no confidence on the goaltenders in our system (such as our current backup, Valiquette, and our apparent young star in the minors, Montoya) or an act of desperation to get Lundqvist to sign his long term deal with the Rangers before he can think of exploring other options.
Hey, New York! No Ninth Place Blues! Suck it up and play hockey. This is not the time for desperate roster changes (unless it’s for a solid D-man)! It's time to get back to basics, play like you did for the first two months of the season, or during those "flashes of brilliance" in Ottawa, Carolina, or just recently, Montreal.
Suck it up. Play hard. And leave the “use-to-bes” out of it, unless you want to be the joke of the league, like in 2003.
