Zherdev , Tortorella and The Rangers Roster ! The Real Scoop !

After taking a close look at the New York Rangers I see so many problems. Not just with their players , but a problem with their coach. Or should I say , their coaches playing style. The players the Rangers have had and have acquired this off season, do not match up to Tortorella’s tough , physical playing style.

For the past several seasons massive hype for cup contention has surrounded the New York Rangers.

But they came up short defensively and the offense was amongst the worst in the league for only God knows how long.

But finally they had hope. They signed a bunch of over rated , washed up second line players. With the exception of a young super star whose offensive ability has been yet to reach its maximum potential. With poor coaching decisions and a washed up team. He is now being left out to dry. And I for one, don’t understand what the Rangers organization is thinking. Or the fans who want him gone for that matter.

Second in goals and second in assists . Last season we watched as Nikolai Zherdev time after time make unbelievable passes and goals. His ability on the ice and in the shoot out was the best on the rangers roster. His speed and creativity when controlling the puck is one of excitement and one of the best in the NHL. When he has the puck the opposition is on their heels , and he is a threat to any team . And the Rangers are debating whether or not to release him or keep him. UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!

Once again just like last year, this team is still filled with players that just don't have the talent to make a solid run at the Stanley cup. The Rangers roster is filled with third and forth line players . With only four players on this roster to have just barely score more then 20 goals last year .Even with the signing of Gaborik . they will need all the help they can get and the the Rangers are taken the chance of losing a player with the offensive ability of Zherdev. 

Some may disagree , claiming Zherdev is lazy , taking shifts off and only thinking of himself. These are statements that are simply put , just not true and they are ridicules statements to say the least . I would love to here how he only thinks of him self. So please do entertain me.

If we are talking salary. You do not have a chance so don’t waist your time. If you are going to pay a bunch of washed up over rated players 7 million a year. Who are lucky to get a puck in the net . Then Zherdev deserves the same. There goes your salary argument.

Zherdev should not have to go threw arbitration. The Rangers should have just given him a raise. maybe not a huge one. but something more.  after all , look what they are paying guys who are not even close to his ability or talent.

As for him taking a shift off . Name one player that has never taken a shift off ? There is not one player ever to play that has not. So stop the complaining. Welcome to hockey . IT IS WHAT IT IS . Every player does it . That ends that problem. Moving on .

Some stated Zherdev was like a plague in the looker room. If this was the casw , he would have been traded imidiately. Not one person in the Rangers organization has ever had one bad thing to say about Nikolai Zherdev . In fact , both Renney and Tortorella praised zherdev for not only his ability but the way he was constantly looking to learn , improve him self and help others. That he practices hard and with determination. There went your laziness and any looker room issues you have or conjured up in your heads !

This is hockey . Not baseball , or football where selfishness is acceptable and in fact rewarded. . A player cries in another sport to get traded to a better team to win the super bowl or world series is 99% of the time granted there wish . No names mentioned . Dion sanders , traded like 5 times , torrel owens , keishon Johnson and many others.

There is one goal and one goal only. And that is to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. And that takes team work. Other sports are a one man show . Basketball , football and baseball. Be it the home run hitter , the pitcher , a great quarterback , or if you are Michael Jordan.

Nikolai Zherdev knows this all to well , and if you think not , then you are delusional. He has sacrificed himself many times in the offensive zone to set up a player to get the goal. He even dropped the gloves. Tell me the last time Blair Betts dropped the gloves or Chris Drury ? But yet Ranger fans run to defend them .  Lazy , soft , doesn’t hustle. I don’t think so.

Lets talk about on the ice. Where coaching decisions have turned a good team and player , into a disaster.

You should not have two players that need to control the puck on the same line. Such is the case when you see Dubinski and Zherdev playing on the same line. They both are control type of players. The results where obvious when game after game , no goals are scored. But yet , time after time , Renney teamed them up on the same line. All he did was minimize his players ability and strong points.

How about putting Zherdev on third and forth lines. For starters not one of those players had the ability , or talent to be on his line. Never mind the speed to keep up with him.

Yeah yeah. In the beginning Voros had some goals on Zherdev’s line. The greatest fluke start of a players career . So what happen to Voros after game 10. 54 games played He disappeared. Not to been seen until Tortorella shows up with only 17 games left in the season. And he still did nil. , nada . BUT , that’s all Zherdevs fault according to some.

Renney puts Zherdev with Gomez and Naslund . What happens? Naslund shows up and starts putting pucks in the net off of feeds from Zherdev. Renney decides well hey , lets change the line. Zherdevs fault again . I don't  think so.

The best line would have been with Gomez , Callahan and Zherdev. But yet we never seen it and never will now. Later Gomez. Thank God!

When controlling the puck Zherdev is in his element . That is his playing style. When he is left alone to play his game. We have seen the results , and they have always been good. It works with Ovie , Crosby And Malkin to name a few. And The same is true for Nikolai.

I received a lot of slack when I wrote an article on Blair Betts. 6’3 220 lbs who played on the checking line , who doesn’t check or fight and doesn‘t have a shred of physical play in him. . I was Being told “Well that’s not his game style. He is not the physical type of player.” he shouldn’t be traded. So what is good for a nobody like Betts is not good enough for a player with the talent of Zherdev. HMMMM!

Zherdev is a goal scorer and an assist man. He is all offense . It is not his job to be physical. But yet threw out the year he was on and off with his physical play and defensive play in the rangers zone.

At the end of last season we saw every game resulting with different line changes. with results being losing 14 of 17 games. With Zherdev playing minimal ice time and playing on the 3^rd and 4^th line. Then a new coaching change resulting in changing his whole playing style. So now we should cut him loose. Because of poor coaching decisions . 

I think I want a guy that is  a guarantee to score 25 goals then a guy that can’t hit an empty net from 3 feet away but is physical. Specially with the lack of scoring this team has had for how many seasons now.

Chris Drury did such a things last season. Along with ten other players in one game. Missed wide open nets. Not a word from anyone about it. Well , except for ME ! In fact Drury is not a physical player either. Over paid , over rated.  HE IS A second liner. Who Ranger fans love and embrace . He is your average player. who is over paid and over rated. why has he not been traded is truely amazing.

Seems to me Ranger fans need to rethink or get a clue on who is a good hockey player and who isn’t. Do you want the cup , or are you just happy making the playoffs? When they do. As I said in the past. Ranger fans settle for the crap on the bottom of the kitty box. Well not me!

I not praising Zhredev or making him out to be a hockey God. I am simply pointing out the fact that if you have watched every game like i have , and paid close attention to the little things that makes a huge difference in a game and a players season. you will see that the Ranger should most definitely keep Zherdev, and that there is not anyone in the free agency as of right now that comes close to his talent.

Constantly changing  a players line when he just starts to get used to the players he has been playing with. and producing goals and assists at that. Will take its toll on any hockey player. Especially when you bench him for no real reason except to make an example out of some one. which was the case last year.

This does not just stop at Zherdev . Tortorella’s style of play is an issue with last years players as well . It showed. As only ONE Ranger shined . Ryan Callahan! Which to me was no surprise at all. This is Callahan’s style of play. Physical , and he is dam good at it!

The reason Naslund retired ,cutting his two year contract short. Some would say he was just getting old. but over all he did not have a bad year. in fact he had a better year then many expected. I believe he did not and could not play the way tortorella wants this team to play. There for he cut his loses and retired.

The first game under Tortorella was very physical. The defense even looked pretty good stopping the offensive rush at the blue line. But then as usually. That came to an end. Where their natural playing style showed , they just could not help it. After game five under the new coach. There was no more defense at the blue line. And Except for a few. The physical play was missing as well . But only Zherdev was benched. Wow!

Marian Gaborik is not the physical type of player either. But yet they signed him . Should we expect Gaborik to sit if he don’t play the physical game. Like Zherdev did at the end of the season last year.

In fact I don’t want the Rangers best players to be physical. I don’t want any player on this roaster to have to worry about if they don’t play physical they will ride the bench. Except for those that carry that role. I want them to concentrate on scoring goals.

Gaborik has injury problems . Had surgery in this off season. If the rangers can not protect him and have him play a physical game.  They will be increasing the risk of him getting injured again.! That is something that they should  not chance or risk.

Tororella however , did take Tampa Bay and turn them into more physical team. St. Louise and Lecavalier to name 2 big name players ,   but it didn’t happen over night. and not every player can or will adapt to the change.

Donald Brashear is 6’3 234 lbs . at this time he is the biggest player the rangers have. The rest of the Rangers range from 188 lbs to 215. This is not a big team. The most aggressive player being 5’ 11 188 lbs in Ryan Callahan .

Ales Kotalik has nice size and is a tough player , he should fit in . But this team will not be good enough to play Tortorellas’ style threw out the season. New Jersey , Montreal , Phillyto name a few . All played the Rangers hard and physical , and all walked away with the win .

Arnason , Drury, Gaborik , Zherdev , Lisin , Higgins and Dubinsky {who is a physical player} , but is not in no way big enough and physical enough players that will pose any threat to any team with that playing style. Their going to get laughed at , as they get checked from end of the ice to the other by bigger teams.

The average player in 2004 in Tampa’s cup win was 220 lbs - 250 lbs. Big difference in size and players. Tampa searched for players to fit this style of play. And it paid off.

There is not one player in the Rangers entire roster NHL or AHL that can match the size, checking ability or aggression of hard hitting 6’5 254 lbs Evgeny Artyukhin. The toughness and size is just not there.

I can’t see Tortorella changing his couching style. I love the Hard hitting , physical play . But to go after players and sign players that do not fit the coaches style of play does not make sense. And with all the players that were free agents that would have fit right in and not try to get them . Doesn’t make any sense at all. So where does that leave us ? Holding our breathes once again. 

Keeping Wade Redden and Rozsival will prove to be another mistake. But then again. Who in there right mind will take Redden.

I can’t believe at this time. Wade Redden is the biggest defenseman they have. 6’2 212 lbs. With Staal behind him at 6’4 209 lbs. Good God help us. don’t count on Redding to make any big hits any time soon. In fact don’t count on any of these guys to stop the offensive threats . With the exception of Staal . Where is the D. Where is the big defensemen they need so badly. They don’t even have a real starting defensemen . Don’t even say Redden. Give it a break!!! He is done , washed up and Rozsival is just not that good.

You want to make a team remember playing you. You want to hurt them physically. You want to win games. You want to put fear in teams when it is time to play you. Take a close look at your New , New York Rangers line up as it stands right now . Would you be afraid ? I know I wouldn’t be.

Big mouth , big talk . That Is what you get when you talk about being a physical team. Everyone expects toughness and size. The Rangers have neither. And to think we have to sit and watch another year of Redding is making me sick . I guess he must of played great last year for them to not even trying to dump him off on someone. But then again. This is a Ranger trade mark. If you are washed up , injury prone , or over the hill . The Rangers want you. If they sign Chelios , it will just prove me right even more.

They have definitely signed good solid players. Great players,  No ! first line players , No ! How about goal scorers. Ummm NO ! With the exception of Gaborik who will be their best player with Zherdev behind him. Yes my opinion. But stats do prove me right. And it will come down to this.

Once again the hype will be there. Gabrik and Lundqvists‘ names in bright lights and stars . Zherdev , over rated Drury , washed up Redden and a confused Rozsival. Will they make it to the Stanley Cup. ! Ummm NOT!

Don’t hold your breathe Ranger fans . The talent , the size and the toughness is just not there. So it’s just not going to happen. I wish I was wrong, and you’ll hate me cause you know I am right.

Once again !  JUST TELLING IT LIKE IT IS !