Where To Begin?

Oh boy, where do I even begin? We are more than a quarter way into the Rangers 2009-2010 season and the Rangers are not looking good, AT ALL. Actually, they are horrible….dismal in fact. Their play the past four weeks has been sickening to watch and has tempted me several times to chuck my TV out the window. They are sinking fast and their roster is alarmingly thin. Despite a good start to the season, it was no secret that this team did not have a roster deep with talent. A team filled with mediocre players and only one guy who can score consistently wasn’t going to last 82 games, especially playing in the same division and conference with teams like the Penguins (which was very evident this past Thanksgiving weekend when Captain Pansy and Co. gave the Rangers an a** beating like I haven’t seen in a while). So, I guess the question is what do they do now? Or, can they do anything at all?

The one and ONLY positive that I can take from this Groundhog Day situation is that it is still relatively early in the season. They still have time to turn things around if they get their acts together…..like now. We know no one else is going to be able to play Tortorella’s up-tempo system or score like Prospal (told ya he was going to be an asset) and Gaborik, who has become a one-man team, so they need to actually play that essential part of the game called DEFENSE. They seemed to have forgotten that. I know Henrik has not been on his game either and teams have definitely figured out how to shoot high on his glove side every time freakin time, but every goal is not his fault. The Rangers defense has been in a coma. The rookies have done an OK job so far and shouldn’t be blamed too much for the bad defensive play because they are ROOKIES. The Rangers do not have a solid #1 defensive pair or even a single #1 defenseman (hmmm, wonder whose fault that is?). Redden has been injured, and well, Redden (which means practically useless) and Rozsival kills me….f-ing kills me. I’m going to send a bill to his house when his stupidity causes me to actually break my TV. He has been on the ice doing anything but actually playing defense for countless goals from the opposition and if it wasn’t for the anorexic Ranger roster should be benched and not allowed to even breathe near the ice until hopefully being traded. The team needs a #1 defenseman and he’s definitely not it….none of them are. The problem is who’s going to want him?

In addition to playing defense, they need a solid first line. Their first line consists of one all-star, the best bargain in the league and…….. ::crickets:: The third member of that line has been in rotation all season and so far no one has fit the bill. I knew Prospal was going to end up being their #1 center but he shouldn’t be. They need a real, younger, #1 center. This has been a problem for years now (again, I’ll only give one guess as to who takes the blame for that one), but clearly hasn’t been seen as a priority. How the heck can you have a decent season without having at least a first line??? The answer is you can’t and it’s showing. Also along the lines of scoring, they need to figure out how to get some secondary scoring, at least sometimes. The uselessness of Callahan, Drury, and especially Higgins is almost unbearable to watch. Not only has Higgins proven to be useless, but he also eats up way too much cap money (wonder whose fault that is also??....DO WE SEE A TREND HERE YET?) and should be traded along with Rozsival.

So, the Rangers need a complete first line, secondary scoring, and defense to salvage this season….basically a new team. I hate to be negative Natty because I’m still hoping for the best, but given Sather’s atrocious track record, who actually has faith in his ability to get the players they need to improve and play Tortorella’s system? Certainly not me.

Thankfully they aren’t playing the Penguins again for another month because I don’t think I can watch Captain Pansy score anymore points on the Rangers. Listening to Pens fans gloat about him is nauseating in itself. I’m hoping their days off allowed them to regroup a little bit and actually win a game. I’m also hoping my TV is still intact after this weekend.

Update: Well the TV is still in tact and Higgins and Callahan finally scored, but one goal doesn't mean much. My opinion on their play lately still stands. The team's defensive play improved a bit against Buffalo and Detroit (maybe they read Rangersgal's post....no? ok), but almost losing the game in final few minutes againsts Buffalo and then definitely losing the game in the final few minutes against Detroit is totally unacceptable. Despite playing possibly their best overall game in a while, missing wide open nets, a penalty shot, and giving up soft goals from bad angles isn't going to get the wins they need now.