Two seasons ago Evgeny Grachev was a man among boys during
his only campaign with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL. Due to his 40 goal 40 assist season in just
60 games, the New York Rangers overlooked all the other signs that the player
was still a boy in a man’s body in terms of his desire and work ethic to be a
professional. Grachev was rushed from
Junior hockey to the AHL in the hopes of developing quickly and being an
offensive answer for the franchise that has searched for one for years.
The hope has not been realized thus far in the 20-year-old
winger. What happened instead was a poor
first season where he managed only 28 points and had all the flaws on and off
the ice exposed by players who were more prepared to be professionals. Following that performance many of us held
out hope that he would transition from year one to year two much in the way
that Artem Anisimov did; survive the first year, learn and then dominate so you
force your way to the next level. The
level of hope left is running out at the moment.
The Rangers called Grachev up earlier this season for a six
game stint so that he could work with the NHL coaches and hopefully get the
message of what he needed to do to get back here. While he has improved his game this month (seven points in eight games),
the loudest message he should have received is watching virtually everyone else
on his team that can be called up without waivers going before him right
now. Five guys who were in Connecticut
with Grachev a month ago are now in New York while he sits in the AHL watching
those guys and other prospects pass him on the depth charts. For Mats Zuccarello to pass him is somewhat
understandable given the skill and history of Zuke at professional levels. What needs to send the message to Grachev is
that journeymen like Kris Newbury have passed him too along with other young
forwards Brodie Dupont, Chad Kolarik and Dale Weise.
When he went back down to Connecticut following his stint in
New York, Grachev said it motivated him to want to do what was necessary to get
back there. Now is the time to prove
that as he is virtually all that is left down there. Put in the work and prove to the coaches
there and in New York that the desire is real and the production can match it. At each turn over the past two seasons Evgeny
Grachev has talked about how he has gotten the message. Let us hope that this time the message got
delivered. Tonight is his first chance to show he is really getting it.
