New York Rangers: Sean Avery Clears Waivers, Torts Sounds off at Joe Thornton

New York Rangers

@thenyrangersNew York Rangers  #NYR report that Sean Avery has officially cleared re-entry waivers and has been recalled by team from the @CTWhale

The 12 noon deadline came and went, and to the surprise of no-one, Avery went unclaimed by 29 other teams.

This step was the most important one. Once Avery cleared re-entry waivers, the Rangers could choose to call him up within 30 days. However, once again to the surprise of no one, the Rangers immediately called him up.

Here are the various reactions from a few fans and media members.

@DaveLozoDave LozoThe waiting is over. The New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup champions of getting Sean Avery through waivers.

@drosennhlDan RosenSean Avery is back with the Rangers.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?i…

@jessespectorJesse Spector@seangentille I want Alex Pietrangelo to start a fashion line called #APStyle. If only the Blues had claimed Sean Avery to help.

@JReagan35Joe Reagan35 minutes ago Sean Avery cleared re-entry waivers, saving the Rangers' season and saving HBO's 2011 24/7 show. #16backinbroadway

@DownGoesBrownDown Goes BrownYesterday, the earth reached 7 billion people. Today, every single one of them will make a Sean Avery recall-themed "sloppy seconds" joke.

Getting back to serious matters, the fact that Sean Avery has been recalled is an undisputed one, but in actuality, will he play Thursday, or anytime soon for that matter?

When Avery is on top of his game, he is an absolute menace. He is a talented forechecker, a brilliant skater and a skilled agitator. However, will John Tortorella find a way to insert him into the Blueshirts’ lineup?

The Rangers are fresh off the heels of a dominating 5-2 win against the San Jose Sharks. If the team ever wanted to make a statement of standing together, they accomplished that Monday night.

Looking at the situation as it currently stands, I doubt Avery will be in Thursday’s lineup. This is the case because of a recent "philosophy sharing exercise" on behalf of bench boss John Tortorella. Everyone knows that Torts has no problem speaking his mind just ask Joe Thornton. We will get to that situation later.

Here is what Torts had to say about making changes to his lineup.

@thenyrangersNew York Rangers  Torts: "I don't enjoy changing everything up here..we need to get into a routine..we can't keep changing lines"

Tortorella and Avery obviously have a history. Tortorella doesn’t want to change up lines, but where does Avery fit in? Obviously, the fans have their pitchforks primed for Erik Christensen, but if he can play the way he did on Monday, he will not see reduced ice time soon.

The most likely target in new call-up Andre Deveaux but still he had a strong game with Artem Anisimov.

When you really think about it, where does Avery fit in? It seems very peculiar that this team had a sense of urgency in their games on Monday. They played like their jobs were on the line and came through in the clutch.

The best indication of where Tortorella’s mind is at will come tomorrow after practice. What do you think Tortorella will do with Avery? Will Avery make an impact, or will he be a healthy scratch on Thursday?

Torts Sounds Off:

I know I am late to the party, but I have mother nature and the winter nor’easter to blame for my lack of internet. Nonetheless, Joe Thornton had some interesting comments about the Rangers.

After the 5-2 loss, Jumbo Joe stated, "“They were probably the softest team we played on the trip.  We should have had these two points.”

The star forward has since made an attempt to backtrack his statement, but the damage has been done. Thornton is a talented hockey player but as John Tortorella correctly pointed out,

"

"Joe's a heck of a player, but here's a player popping off about our team, and Joe hasn't won a god d--- thing in this league. He could go down as a player, being one of the better players in our league never to win anything. So what he should do is just shut up. It was uncalled for, it was classless, and I've never had it happen like that before."

"

In sports, players sometimes say things in the heat of the moment, but for a player like Thornton to make comments like that, is really out of line. The Sharks are a talented team, but they shouldn’t be pointing any fingers.

Click here for the full video.

For a full Rangers’ practice rundown, check out Bleacher Report's New York Rangers page tomorrow.

Tom Urtz Jr. is an NHL Featured Columnist. For more NHL free-agent news, updates and alerts about players: