The New York Rangers Downgrade
Replacements For Jagr, Avery and Others Don’t Measure Up
Jul 22, 2008
The New York Rangers have undergone more roster changes than the cast of "ER" this offseason. Gone are offensive leader Jaromir Jagr, emotional leader Sean Avery and shooting percentage leader Martin Straka, along with steady defenseman Fedor Tyutin. The foursome has been "replaced" via trades and free-agent acquisitions by general manager Glen Sather. Nobody is really sure how this massive makeup overhaul is going to affect "the Blueshirts," but on paper it looks like the team took a skate backward.
Here is my take on the old Rangers versus the new Rangers:
Jagr or Markus Naslund:
One is a first-ballot Hall of Famer who was the Rangers’ best player in last season’s playoffs. The other is a solid citizen who is a positive force in the locker room, can still score 50-55 points and play decent two-way hockey. Both players have seen better days and are past their primes, but Jagr could still be a dominating force on the ice when he wanted to be, as shown by his outstanding postseason performance. Naslund’s point total has dropped in each of the past four years, and if the trend continues he might only manage 45-50 points this season for the Rangers. Anyone in their right mind would rather have Jagr. Downgrade!
Avery or Dan Fritsche:
The Rangers were a marketably better team the last three seasons when Avery was in the lineup. The numbers back it up. New York had a 60–28–15 record in games Avery appeared in and a 35-38-8 record when he was not on the ice. Avery is not only the best pest in the league and one of the better players at taking the body and starting fights, but unlike other roughhousers he can actually score 15-20 goals and 35-40 points. Fritsche has the potential to score the same amount of goals and points, though he has no chance of being the all-around pesky annoyance opponents despise like Avery is – unless Fritsche is taking summer classes at the Claude Lemieux School For Irritating Bastards. Downgrade!
Straka or Nikolai Zherdev:
Two totally different players here, although their production last season was somewhat similar. Straka supplied 14 goals and 27 assists in 65 games, while Zherdev netted 26 goals and added 35 assists in 82 contests. The biggest difference between the two players is that where Straka was a consistent performer you knew what to expect from, Zherdev is a wild card. The Z-Man could score 40 goals and be the first-line right wing on the Scott Gomez line or score 15 goals and be stuck on the fourth-line with thug Colton Orr. The Rangers will miss Straka’s veteran presence and playmaking ability, but Zherdev’s youth, speed and sniper-like shooting will be a nice addition. No upgrade or downgrade here. This is a wash.
Tyutin or Wade Redden:
Listen, Tyutin is a nice player who can skate well, move the puck and take the body when he needs to. But Redden is a top-flight defenseman who is a notch below the Chris Prongers and Nicklas Lidstroms of the world, but a notch above Tyutin. Redden will be able to form a tandem with the returning Michal Rozsival so that the Rangers will now have two ultra-dependable rearguards who can log 25 minutes of ice time per game. And Redden can run the power play (not a Tyutin strength) and provide offensive firepower from the point, something the Rangers have been lacking since the glory years of Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov. Wow, an upgrade!
The New York Rangers might be a little worse off, yet they could have lucked out. Some of their rivals in the Atlantic Division, most notably the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, have taken roster hits themselves this offseason.
