Yesterday it was announced that Sean Avery would not face
charges in Los Angeles for the alleged incident that had occurred on August 6th. Avery was accused of battering a police
officer, but as it turned out the problem was all the officers who was presumed
to have a level of credibility he did not deserve while Avery was presumed to
have a level of guilt that contradicts our justice system. You are still innocent until proven guilty,
though in the court of public opinion it doesn’t work that way anymore. The question now is not about the incident or
the false headlines that came out of it, but what if any difference the whole
thing has on Avery’s career with the Rangers.
After his I openly wondered if his arrest and alleged
charges against Avery in questioning whether it would mark the end of his
tenure with the Rangers. With the
charges dropped the entire series of events should have no bearing on his standing
with the team or the organization, but does it change the precariousness of his
spot on the roster for the upcoming season?
At his best Avery is extremely valuable to the Rangers both
in what he can do directly for them and what he indirectly does in getting into
the minds of the opposition. The biggest
problem for Avery is that he has not seen that level enough over the past few
seasons to be assured of a spot in the lineup.
Part of the issue for Avery is that he has been asked to reign in some
of the antics that go along with him being the pestering player he is and stay
on the right side of the line. Coach John Tortorella wants the good parts of what Avery does both for himself and the team, but wants that without any of the penalties that have the potential to put the team in precarious positions. In a perfect world that would be the best outcome for the team, but one has to wonder if Avery is capable of consistently doing both.
In moving
back towards that level he has lost some of the edge he played with at his
best. There has yet to be a consistent
point where Avery could find the balance between the agitator role he had
seemingly perfected during his first stint with the Rangers and the player that
can do that without occasionally hurting the team. If Avery cannot find that balance in training
camp and preseason he might find himself off the roster for the 2011-12
season.
Ultimately that fact will be
decided over the next few months and until then the benefit of the doubt should
go to Avery remaining on the roster as it should have to his innocence in the
face of the alleged allegations.
