by Michael McEnaney
We know, we know, you haven’t quite packed the beach chairs away and the only ice you’re thinking about are the three cubes you’re about to drop into that Mojito. However, the calendar says August and Zambonis around the country are revving their engines as NHL training camps are about a month away from opening.
The NHL is coming off of one of its most successful campaigns ever as attendance was up around the league, the Winter Classic has gained some real momentum and the Cup Finals achieved some of the highest ratings ever for hockey on network television.
However, the news wasn’t quite so rosy for the locals here in New York. The Islanders finished with league’s worst record and the Rangers blew 3-1 series lead and lost in the first round to Mr. Ovechkin and the Caps.
But alas, that’s all a distant memory today and, as is always the case, the slate is as clean as a new sheet of ice. What then do we make of the 2009-2010 season in both the Apple and on The Island? Finish that Mojito and pull up a beach chair and let’s see what we’ve got here.
Isle Be Darned–Growing Pains Persist But a Beacon of Light is Shinning
Remember the name Taylor Hall, a speedy left wing on the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL, as he is the likely first round pick in the 2010 NHL draft. Just as John Tavares’ name began surfacing at the Nassau Coliseum prior to St. Patrick’s Day, you can bet that Hall’s name should be getting the same kind of attention before the first tulips begin poking through the ground. That should be about the time the Isles begin a serious push to defend their title for the worst record in the NHL.
That’s not to say the hockey season won’t be far more interesting on Long Island it was last season – it just appears likely more growing pains are on the way.
If you watched the playoffs this past season and caught a few of the Carolina Hurricanes’ games during their surprising run to the Conference Finals, you saw what coach Scott Gordon’s high pressure system is supposed to look like—high tempo puck pursuit with a major focus on an aggressive forecheck.
Entertaining for sure, but you’ve got to have some horses up front to pull it off and the ‘Canes certainly do—Staal, Cole, Ruutu, Brind’Amour and company.
While there is some exciting young talent on the front line for the Isles, size is not a key component and the physical element needed to wear teams down during a game, like Carolina did, is something they’ll have to address at some point.
Though the ink on the contract 18-year-old Tavares recently signed is barely dry, Islander fans are already dreaming that this kid is going to light the lamp a al Mike Bossy in his rookie year (53 goals in 1977-78).
Forget it.
While Bossy came into an ideal situation with a team on the rise and was slotted on a line with one of the best young centers in the game (Bryan Trottier) and one of the most physically feared wingers in league history (Clark Gillies), Tavares’ situation isn’t quite as cozy.
It’ll be interesting to see where Gordon puts Tavares and how much ice time the kid gets early on. The thinking here is, JT gets thrown into the fire early with the idea the Isles are playing with house money. There’s really little pressure as the team simply is not a playoff contender, so if Tavares struggles early it gets passed off as a learning experience. If he actually catches on quick, GM Garth Snow looks like a genius and Tavares mania will run wild on the Island.
Other major keys up front for this team to at least be competitive every night include faster progress from young wingers Kyle Okposo and Sean Bergenheim – both of whom had impressive second halves last year. The continuing development of center Josh Bailey, who showed flashes last season and perhaps some surprising contributions from players like Frans Nielson and Blake Comeau would certainly help as goals figure to be in short supply.
The signing of another veteran forward is a necessity and talks with former Isle Miro Satan are apparently in the works. Okay, lots of eye rolling on that one, for sure, but Dong Weight, Trent Hunter and Richard Park are going to need some baby sitting help at some point.
On the backline, the situation is a bit more stable, though certainly not spectacular. The “Ancient Warrior” Brendan Witt and emerging star Mark Streit return to anchor a veteran group that also includes oft-injured but always impressive Radek Martinek, the towering but often beleaguered Andy Sutton, and youngsters Bruno Gervais and Jack Hillen on whom the jury is certainly still out. This group will also get much needed help from some veteran presence in goal this season as opposed to last year’s MacDonald/Danis experiment.
Which brings us to the goal crease – a position that seems to have dogged this franchise since the Cup years.
The signings of Dwayne Roloson and Martin Biron to go along with the mercurial Rick DiPietro certainly would appear to give the team some depth at this position for the first time in ages. If DiPietro is actually good to go and appears healthy by mid-season, expect GM Garth Snow to fetch a pick for Biron – a third-rounder being most likely.
What’s all the above spell out – another long season for the Long Island faithful but hope for a bright future is in the air – we can see it from atop the Lighthouse Project.
Manhattan ProjectGaborik Adds Pop But Questions Linger on D
How good did things look on Broadway after a 2-1 win back on April 22 gave the Rangers a 3-1 series lead in their first rounder against the Caps? A first round upset, a hot Lundqvist and who knows…right?
Wrong!
Three straight losses, in which the team looked awful and their coach looked buffoonish, and the organization went reeling into the summer.
While the Marion Gaborik signing addressed the team’s most glaring need, some pop up front, there are still some questions with regard to where this club stands for the upcoming season.
Coach John Tortorella loves to turn up the dial with an “on the attack” approach and Gaborik should flourish under this system.
Though there’s a bit of a drop-off after Gabby, the Rangers do have some solid depth on the forward lines as Chris Drury should bounce back from an off-year and young forwards Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan could be poised for big years. Dubinsky and Gaborik could be a deadly combo if Tortorella pairs the two – the guess here is he will.
It’s probably fair to say Scott Gomez won’t be missed much and Long Islander Chris Higgins will fit in nicely with a 20+ goal season. Sean Avery will get back doing his thing, which is never more effective than when he’s wearing his Broadway Blues.
Although most Ranger fans seem to still be scratching their heads after the signing of the occasionally loony Donald Brashear, upon closer inspection there isn’t a team in the league that needs him more than the snarl-less Rangers.
One ace in the hole up front could be 21-year-old Artem Anisimov, the team’s second round pick back in 2006. Might be time to strut his stuff on the big stage and there are those in the organization that believe his time is now.
Less settled and containing a few more question marks is the Ranger backline where outside of superstar-in-the-making Marc Staal, the team is crossing their fingers a bit here. Can Wade Redden possibly have as bad a year as he just had? Is 21-year-old Jersey native Bobby Sanguinetti ready for prime time? Will Dan Girardi take a step back or continue his solid play for another season? Will Hobey Baker Award winner Matt Gilroy make the jump to the NHL-level?
The Rangers desperately need a bounce back year from Redden and the emergence of one of the aforementioned youngsters or they’ll be shopping for help on the blue line early.
No such questions in goal as Henrik Lundqvist will play 60+ games and steal more than a few wins between October and April. Enough to make the playoffs? That seems like a good bet, but in an Eastern Conference that has turned into a beast it’ll take more than a steady Lundqvist to get this team past the first round again.