Wednesday, March 3, 2010

So Begins the Annual Scratch and Claw for the Playoffs.


It’s a shame that we generally wait for this point in the season to buckle down and really focus. A few hours to the trade deadline and we’ll frantically gather our spilled box of spare parts and greenhorns, try to assemble them around an injured scorer, a rumored injured goalie, 1 or 2 young charges, the bark from an agitator under duress and start hauling @$$ for the number 8 spot. Looking at the last few seasons, this could be said of almost anyone of them. We succeeded those years (if you ignore the first and second round exits) and it all started with a win. .. Much like last night’s...

Read the official recap here.

For two weeks, players from around the world converged on Vancouver to represent their countries in the Olympics. There was something magical and mystical about those two weeks for the players that participated. The players that left home apparently weren’t left out… as those two weeks seemed to be enough for the Rangers to forget they aren’t destined for the bottom as they thought. .. Unfortunately, for the fans in Ottawa, it was enough for their Senators team to cool off and lose that white hot streak of 11 straight wins. A scoring spurt of 3 goals in 2 minutes was enough to pull the rug out from under a team that had been reduced to a one line + Alex Kovalev. As the Rangers chased Elliot, they barely got a nibble at the fresh meat…err Pascal Leclaire.

As a Rangers fan, I’ll admit that until the final buzzer, it was hard to shake the feeling that this could turn around in a matter of minutes and become another embarrassing comeback loss we would suffer at the hands of a Canadian team. However "The King" held strong and Ryan Callahan had some carry-over momentum from Vancouver and couldn’t let this one slip away. I wish I could say the same for our captain (Chris Drury), who on a shorthanded breakaway, inexplicably wheeled back into anticlimactic mediocrity and lost possession of the puck rather than going for the shorty or at least trying to draw the penalty on a stand out moment. Anyway, before this becomes a “same ole Drury” post, lets keep this about the win and what the days beyond last night hold for the hopes of Ranger fans.

The trade deadline is almost 2 hours away and we appear to be trying to clear some cap space. Its doubtful that Lisin and Voros will really be sought after as teams look to shore up for their post season runs. Voros was placed on waivers last year and made it through without a hitch. Shelley and Prust signed to extensions of old contract terms really preclude Voros' exit. As for Lisin, I would be of the opinioned that he hasn’t really played to his strengths. That kind of goes without saying on this team, but I could imagine him flourishing someplace where he’s not expected to be a pillar of offense. If we did manage to clear space, who could we be chasing? The Souray rumors continue to swirl… as does the Jagr back to the NHL speculation. The general opinion is that Kovalchuk is not staying in Jersey…so is it possible he could be in Rangers Blue next season? Could he survive more than a minute in the same locker room with Avery? All of these thoughts are hardly new and while we all wait for the next “probably stupid move to be covered by 3 smaller stupid moves sometime later next season, we assemble our banners and wait for the rally … with our knuckles tight over what happens the next two hours. For the rest of the season, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Lets Go Rangers!

-J_Undisputed

Update:
1:15pm - According to TSN, the New York Rangers added depth at center by acquiring minor-leaguer Kris Newbury from the Detroit Red Wings, in exchange for AHL left wing Jordan Owens.

TDR sidenote:  I am actually impressed that the RANGERS Slats & Co. didn't trade away our future for another undelivering hack that wants a bigger contract this summer.  Perhaps other GM's were fully prepared for the Jedi tricks (i.e. Scott Gomez to Montreal) of 'ole Slats, but maybe --- just maybe --- Blue Management was thinking of future generations of Rangers Blue.  

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