The 2007 - 2008 NHL season drew to a close last week with Hockey Town's own Detroit Red Wings hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup for the fourth time in twelve years. For Wings fans it marked the culmination of yet another magical run to prominence while the Pittsburgh Penguin faithful took solace in the notion that their young stars, now armed with playoff experience, will undoubtedly become the annual favorite in the Eastern Conference. The future's of both franchises seem certain: Detroit will lose aged experience and retool with young talent, they've done it before; and while veterans like Chris Draper and Nikolas Lidstrom break in the future of the Wings the Steele City, aided by an increased salary cap, will be able to keep their young firepower under lock and key. What is not certain is how the rest of the league will attempt to catch what most would say are the two best teams we've seen in quite awhile.
For Ranger fans the task seems daunting -
With large contracts securing the likes of Lunqvist, Drury and Gomez the rest of the roster is ripe for tweaking. Coach Tom Renny and company are left with a decision: Reload with players able to play Tom Renny hockey or adapt to the roster's existing talent. The problem lies in the team's inability to produce consistent quality chances, both on the power play and while playing full strength. In both instances the problem seems to be the "defense first" mentality of the coaching staff. Currently, the Rangers rely almost entirely on Scott Gomez for neutral zone movement. They lack a big puck moving defenseman capable of carrying the puck with speed in the neutral zone. What Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar are to the Penguins and Nikolas Lidstrom is to the Red Wings, Marc Staal and Michael Roszival are not for the Blueshirts. While both players are talented zone defenseman - the hold the puck, relying on skaters like Gomez and Shannahan to create scoring chances. This ineffectiveness to clear the puck and advance through the neutral zone is what ultimately led to the Rangers playoff exit. The lack of creativity was highlighted on the Power Play. The Ranger's roster is devoid of anyone willing to drive the puck to the net, leading to few shots and low quality chances as well as the Madison Square Garden faithful chants of "SHOOT THE PUCK." These two glaring problems resulted in a playoff exit. The injuries to Avery and Drury hurt the teams chances but it was our style of play that doomed the team from the beginning. In my opinion, Renny needs to return to the drawing board, keep the roster intact and create a more open offensive style of hockey. Next year the team will need to produce high quality chances and score in volumes in order to beat the Penguins, and mark my words - next year's Eastern Conference champion will have to come through Pittsburgh. The Rangers need to re-group not re-tool. Renny needs to open up the game, take pressure off Lunqvist and play to the strengths of his existing talent. The team must take advantage of both their created cap space and the increase of the NHL cap by signing that creative, puck moving defenseman that they desperately need.
Looking Ahead
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June 11, 2008
Jared Trumpetto
Looking Ahead
Posted by Jared Trumpetto
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