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To say that the impact of Marian Gaborik for the New York
Rangers during the 2010-11 season has been mixed would be an
understatement. Gaborik has fought
through multiple injuries during the course of the year and whether they were
the cause or not he has suffered from inconsistency both in impact and pure
numbers. On the year Gaborik has
accounted for 22 goals and 25 assists in 60 games, which are respectable totals
but not close to what was expected coming off last season. Gaborik can erase all thoughts of his
struggles this season by playing to his status as the offensive superstar of
this team for these next two games and helping to will them with his skill into
the playoffs.
His game has picked up lately and his threat level is more
noticeable, but at the same time he is not paid 7.5 million dollars a season to
just be a threat. He is paid to score
goals and while his game has picked up he is not finishing as he has gone seven
straight games without a goal to show for his efforts. That will not cut it in these final two
games. The stakes are too high. The race is too tight. The team cannot afford to come up just short two seasons in a row and the onus offensively comes back to the guy who is supposed to be the star.
With Callahan out of the lineup
the offensive burden falls even more to the shoulders of Marian Gaborik than it
had before. Gaborik was brought in here to be the primary scoring the Rangers were
looking for and hopefully they could surround him with secondary guys to
balance the lineup. What has resulted instead is a lot of secondary
scorers are having career years and the primary scorer forgot how to
consistently finish and lead his team in the only way he really can. He is now playing with
Dubinsky and Anisimov in Callahan’s spot on what has arguably been the best
line for the Rangers this season. If
this team is going to hold off the charging Hurricanes the Rangers will need
for Marian Gaborik to be able to shoulder the load of standing tall like
superstars are supposed to when the season is on the line. It might be unfair to put that burden on one
player, especially with how the team has had the collective identity all season
long, but playoff time is when stars have to step to the forefront and this
team will either be lifted by the goal scoring of their best offensive player
or they will likely be home watching the other stars play in the extra season.
