For all of two periods this season the Rangers have had a skater wearing the 'C' on the ice trying to help them change last years disappointment into something more this season. In the second period of the home opener, Chris Drury, who had missed all of training camp and the first two regular season games recovering from a broken finger he received in a training camp scrimmage would break the same finger again; in the same place and another place. That was October 15th. It is now November 30th and if the recovery from his second finger injury did not feel enough like the human version of a baseball rain delay we have today's news to make it worse.
Larry Brooks reported this morning the CT on Chris Drury's finger did not yield good results and that his already seemingly forever return has been pushed back further. The report was that the tests showed the finger had not fully healed to this point. This Friday is going to be seven weeks since he broke the finger and with these reports I would not expect to see him back on the ice for at least two more weeks.
Like it or not and many fans do not especially at 7.05 million a year, the Rangers need Drury to help counter their awful faceoff numbers (29th in the league) and to help with the penalty kill, though other than against Tampa the PK has had a clean sheet in 10 straight games.
All I keep thinking is that it is just a finger, get over it and be the leader that the letter on your sweater says you are supposed to be. This whole situation has really soured me on Drury as I wrote about last week in a piece titled, "Chris Drury: The Time Has Come to Lead and Earn the 'C' Or Give It Up" and you can read by clicking on the link in the title. Then yesterday there was talk on NHL live that Drury returning would add leadership to the team and it left me scratching my head because I cannot see how being derailed by a finger for two months of the year can show any less. I know I am taking the situation a little far as injuries happen and they all heal at their own pace, but at some point it is about pain tolerance and as much as I have praised Drury over the years for his willingness to sacrifice his body to block shots it makes me even more dumbfounded at this situation.
If there is good news from the Brooks report I guess it is that he says Drury is apparently going to be permitted to skate with a stick in the next couple days and yes I can hear Rangers fans now muttering under their breath that they hope he finds a stick real soon or at least some pucks and gets back out there; I concur with the sentiment obviously.
