Olli Jokinen: Strengths and Weaknesses

It may only be two games, but those two games have told us a lot about newly acquired forward Olli Jokinen. After watching replays and tapes of the past two contests with the Capitals and the Kings, it has become quite clear what Olli's strengths and weaknesses are on the ice. So far, I have seen more positives than negatives, but we will see if I feel the same way after watching him for a few weeks.

Strengths

The first, and most outstanding positive in Olli's game has to be his shot. Much like Marian Gaborik, the veteran center has a quick release on his wrister, which we saw on his first goal as a Ranger on Jose Theodore. Having a lightning-like release in the National Hockey League will get you far considering this game is all about timing.

To be able to get a shot off within seconds of getting the puck also makes it much more difficult for a goaltender to set himself and make the stop, and if they do, more often than not there is a big juicy rebound.

Which leads me to the next thing I like about Jokinen's game and that is how he can play the point on the powerplay. The powerplay, which was four for six on Thursday, has struggled all season long. It was going well in the beginning when Ales Kotalik was actually making a difference just inside the blueline. That obviously faded off as the months went on, leading to his departure.

Now with Jokinen at the point, I have noticed he can easily and effectively get off solid one-timers when positioned at the point. Not all players have that ability, especially while so far from the net, but Jokinen has been doing it well, not only here, but for his entire career. This is definitely a positive for the Blueshirts.

One thing that has surprised me about Jokinen has been his speed. When with the puck, Olli can really turn on the jets and get himself moving. That wasn't something I expected when he came to New York, solely based on his age (31) but he can get his legs going when he wants.

The last positive I have picked up on is that the Finnish-native is not afraid to carry the puck. Ales Kotalik may have been one of the worst puck carriers at even strength, and I am quite glad he has been replaced with someone who can make plays. Jokinen's great ability to pass helps with this as well.

Oh yeah, and of course the mustache is a strength/positive as well.

Weaknesses

There haven't been many yet, but one is that Olli does not have hands like maybe a Gaborik in tight areas of the ice. By this I mean when it comes to maneuvering out of high populated areas with crowded defense, Jokinen has not been very successful. Now this may not be a problem with his game, maybe just one that has been present in the past two tilts, but it has happened several times.

The one other weakness I have noticed is he is not the brightest of players. Now this can be mis-interpreted, I am sure, so allow me to clarify. I think it is more that he likes to take risks than it is making stupid decisions. But there have been some of those moments where I have just watched asking myself what exactly he has was trying to accomplish. But that is the case with many players in the NHL, unfortunately.

We will be able to pick up on more once we see him play consistently, but I would like to point something out. Olli Jokinen was not brought here to resurrect this team. It was more about getting rid of Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins than it was acquiring a natural goal scorer. GM Glen Sather just happened to get a great return.

With that being said, you could only hope that Olli will pick up his game with the Rangers and will be a key part of the secondary scoring which has been somewhat dormant to this point.

Also, I would like to take this opportunity to send out our prayers to Team USA and Toronto general manager Brian Burke and his family, as they lost their son, Brendan, in a tragic car accident yesterday in Indiana. This is the last thing Mr. Burke needs heading into the Olympic break and the trade deadline, and you can't help but to feel for him.