With the return of Sean Avery either Saturday against the Devils, or Monday night against the Flyers, roster spots are getting gobbled up. Jason Strudwick will be the guy to go after Avery gets back, but what happens when Marty Straka and Ryan Callahan return? Sources say Nigel Dawes. That my friend is a big mistake. He has shown what he can do with his play this season. He was a 25+ goal scorer in the minors, and although we know its a huge gap that seperates the big boys from the little boys Dawes is the real deal, he shows speed his ability to pass and shoot as well. There are a few more options, besides Dawes that can sit. I say lets go through them........
LW - Marcel Hossa: A possibilty that may be the odd man out if Dawes continues to play well. Outside of being on the Jagr line, Hossa as basically done nothing production wise. Jagr opens up a lot of space for Marcel and he did well last year, but this year, hes done marginal at best, and when hes not on the 1st line he basically does nothing. Hes a guy thats expendable.
RW - Colton Orr: A tough guy that the Rangers need, but not every night. Theres 2 guys named, Francis Lessard and Mitch Fritz that are in the minors who are bonafide tough guys, and are able to move the puck better than Orr, who seems like he has 2 left feet most of the time. Fritz is huge at 6 foot 8 and weighing 265 lbs, but with a guy that big, can he be able to be a successful puck handler? We will see. Francis Lessard looks like a better option at this moment over fritz.
LW - Ryan Hollweg: A guy that has a lot of grit, and heart and plays hard every night. Even though he is small, he can throw a hit and get into a scrap once in a while. He also has surprising speed at times, and showed Rangers fans a couple of flashy moves this season. He has to stay regardless because he gets the home crowd going, and seems to shift momentum at times during games, even though it seems like his name will be thrown into the hat when all come back healthy.
C - Blair Betts: I may get some comments for this one, but I say this should be the guy to go back to the minors for a little while. He has 0 points this season, and is a minus 2. The Rangers as of right now, have 3 guys who have recorded no points. Hollweg, Orr, and Betts. Of those 3 Betts seems the most unappealing to me. Orr can fight, and hit, Hollweg can fight, hit, and skate. Betts hasn't done much of any of that this season. Hes been good on the penalty kill, but coaching can find a guy that can replace him. Straka and Avery sound good on the penalty kill, and have done well in the past. Betts is very expendable at the moment.
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2 comments:
They should send Valiquette down to Hartford; not like he's ever gonna get to play with Henrik out there!
Ok paul, here we go, i like wat you saida bout nigel dawes, very true and i believe he deserves to keep playing. and i agree with you no the colton orr and marcel hossa ideas, although hossa has been doing great on penalty kills. but i disgree with betts, i think he stays no matter wat. he is a fantastic 3rd or 4th line player and should stay on penalty kills he is too valuable a player
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