The New
York Rangers 2010-11 season has now been finished for over a week, so there has
been sufficient time to reflect on the highs and lows of the season. Overall the year has to be considered a
success give the way the team performed in the face of injuries, lack of elite
offensive talent and the level of incorporation of youth to the team. Now let us get to what people love to do
which is grade the performances of the individual players. Today comes a look at the forward core. There are those who played this year that are not on the list either because of a lack of games or being so far out of the team by the end they just didnt matter that much.
Brandon Dubinsky: Dubinsky led the team in goals (24),
assists (30), and points (54). In
addition he was second on the team in shots (202). The numbers say that Dubinsky had a great
year, but the reality is he only did so for half the season. His first half was a tremendous leap forward
for the forward as he played to a borderline All-Star level, but in the second
half the maddening and inconsistent version of Dubinsky came back to the
forefront once again. Despite the two
goals in the playoff series against the Capitals, his play overall in the
series was subpar. Consistency continues
to be the biggest issue for the 25-year-old forward and if will ultimately be
what determines whether he ever fully reaches his potential. Grade:
B+
Ryan Callahan: Callahan was already considered a heart and
soul player for the Rangers but he took another step to solidifying his
position as the leader of the forward core.
In addition to his roles as a checker, energy player, he added to his
offensive game this season. Despite
missing 22 games he was second on the team in goals (23) and points (48). The only thing you can criticize about
Callahan is about his durability considering he broke both his hand and ankle
during the course of the year. That
said, it is tough to criticize a guy who was injured blocking shots and playing
his game because if he changed those things, then he wouldn’t be Ryan Callahan. There is still a need to keep him healthy and
on the ice as well. His presence might have been the difference in the first round of the playoffs had been on the ice. Grade: A
Marian Gaborik: No forward for the New York Rangers had
more expected of them coming into the season than Marian Gaborik and he severely
disappointed. For many a 22-26-48 season
would be considered successful, but when you are coming off a season of
42-44-86 there is nothing acceptable about it.
Gaborik missed 20 games on the season due to shoulder, concussion and
flu issues. Gaborik had nights where he
was the dominant player he is expected to be, but those were far too rare and
seemingly only happened against the worst teams in the league. In the playoffs he was a complete non-factor
as he seemingly gets. In too many games
Gaborik seemed to glide around the outside of the ice and make himself far too
easy to defend against. smaller the
bigger the game is. If Gaborik is not
willing to get back to skating and going to the tough areas it will be a long
three years left on his contract. Grade: D
Artem Anisimov: Anisimov got off to an incredibly hot start
playing with Dubinsky and Callahan (6-8-14 in 17 games), but was hot and cold
the rest of the year. Consistent impact on the offensive end is still a very
real concern for Anisimov who finished the season with 18-26-44 on the
season. The improvement of six goals and
ten assists bodes well in terms of the season totals, but there is that question
of how consistent he will be. Anisimov
showed once again his willingness and ability to be a solid two-way player, but
sometimes he becomes so focused on the defensive side that he loses his
aggressiveness in the offensive zone.
Definitely needs to improve consistency, faceoffs and strength to be a
more consistent force. Grade: B
Derek Stepan: Overall his rookie season was a very good one
for Stepan. He had the expected ups and
downs of being a 20-year-old going straight from the college ranks to the NHL,
but he showed flashes of how good he can be.
Overall a 21-24-45 season was more than could have been expected of
Stepan. His goal scoring prowess was
better than expected as was his timing for many of those goals as he showed a
penchant to score goals in big moments. His
vision and play-making skills are there and now he needs to work on his faceoff
skills and be taken off the point on a power play. An eventual move to left wing both at even
strength and on the man advantage might be in the card, but he has shown enough
to be considered a top-six forward of the future. Grade:
B+
Brian Boyle: To say that Boyle’s season came out of nowhere
would be a severe understatement. Boyle
was a critical component of the Rangers this season not just with his 21 goals,
but his role on arguably the most consistent line with Ruslan Fedotenko and
Brandon Prust. Having the trust of his
coach as Boyle does is crucial for any player.
On the negative side we have to point out the differential between his
start and the struggles he had down the stretch to continue his goals
scoring. The production tailed off and
overall he seemed exhausted having played significantly more than ever before
at this level. Showed he can be not only
an NHL regular but even a solid third line center given his two-way play. Grade: B+
Brandon Prust: Prust was considered a throw-in during the Jokinen
trade during the 2009-10 season, but what he brought to the team this season is
significantly more than that. The toughness,
and determination he showed while playing through numerous injuries during the
year helped to define the identity of this team this year. Those things defined why he was the winner of
the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award this year. Prust is able to fight, but is much more than
a fighter. As a skilled penalty killer
he is also a threat to go the other way and score a shorthanded goal as he did
five times this season. Grade: A
Ruslan Fedotenko: The statistical numbers (10-15-25) cannot
define what Fedotenko brought to the Rangers lineup this season. His work as a fore-checker was critical to
the Rangers having their system filter through the lineup. The impact of Fedotenko to the lineup was
felt during his absence for 16 games (shoulder, appendectomy) as the team did
not have the same force in their game.
He was arguably the best forward for the team during their playoff series
against the Capitals. Grade: B
Sean Avery: Avery is one of those players that the Rangers
have too many of in that he can be great one night and then disappear from any
impactful role for far too many games.
Avery is clearly in the doghouse of coach John Tortorella because of
previous actions, but playing with less edge to try and stay in the lineup made
him less effective and basically a fourth line type player. Avery was very effective in the playoffs as
he played with more of an edge to his game, but is a question mark to come back
next year. Grade: C
Erik Christensen: Christensen’s inability to find
consistency is seen for yet another season.
The skill is clearly there and he exercises it at different points, but
then goes on his disappearing acts. Grade: C-
Vinny Prospal: Prospal missed the entire first half of the season
with his knee injury and played well in the 29 games he was able to hit the
ice. In those 29 games he recorded nine
goals and 14 assists, but also showed serious limitations due to the knee. Was a no-show in the playoffs. Grade: INC/B-
Chris Drury: The captain missed most of the season with
various injuries to his finger and then his knee. The team was able to compensate for much of
what he can now provide them in his absence. What he can do is win face-offs,
kill penalties and be a solid two-way player, but for his salary he simply does
not produce enough offensively. His role
inside the room seems solid in all the quotes that come out, but expect for a
buyout to happen next month, especially if the Rangers are looking to make a
run at a free agent like Brad Richards. Grade: INC/C-
Mats Zuccarello-Aasen: Zuccarello had an impact with the
Rangers in the shootout and those points ended up being critical to the team
making the playoffs. He scored a few
goals and showed flashes of being able to play at the NHL level, but there were
also holes in his game that show he has work to do. Effort was never the issue for Zuccarello, so next
up is assessing the results as they are next season without the thoughts about
adjusting to being in North America or being a rookie. The passing skills and vision are there and
his willingness to go to the dirty areas is something that bodes well, but the
biggest question mark following this season might be about his goal scoring. Grade: C+
Wojtek Wolski: The inconsistency of Wolski continued following his
trade from Phoenix to New York and showed why despite his tremendous skill he
cannot find a home at the NHL level.
There is little that Wolski cannot do offensively, but there is also little
he has shown to be able to do it with any consistency. He will likely be bought out this summer and
while he personally disappointed in his time with the Rangers on the ice, the
trade to get him for Rozsival was still a brilliant move. Grade: C-
