I’ve watched countless other NHL games and no other team is playing this clueless style hockey where they are trying to be a offensive team that can’t score and look so lost in their defensive zone coverage that I wonder if these players are being coached or just expected to perform. This team by far gives up the most break aways and odd men rushes which is astonishing considering the defense never seems to be at the points when the puck goes there. I mean it looked like an all-star team vs a minor league team. The first 5 min. of the game was pathetic display of hustle they couldn’t clear the zone, lost every loose puck battles, and when the defense had time to move the puck they iced it. I was thinking to myself they should just ice the puck every time they get it maybe they keep it 0-0 with 200 icings in the game. I blame this on the team’s make-up with their lack of toughness. By toughness I mean the ability to knock the other teams down or off the puck with a clean hit and occasionally hurting an opposing player, knock people down in front of the net so they don’t get rebounds, and fore check causing the other team’s defense to fear playing the puck making them hesitate like our defense does when they go back to get the puck. Every team we face now all look faster and tougher than we do. Did anyone think Gaborik got blasted from behind in the first period w/out anyone going over there to say cut that out. Donald Brashear is not the answer we need someone like an Adam Graves or Jeff Buekeboom that will actually be on the ice when one of our players gets taken advantage of to keep the other team honest. Thank god Gaboriks on this team or it would be completely unwatchable and I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t win a game.

As long as he generates chances, you can’t relegate him to 3rd duty, let alone 4th. It’s a simple concept really, the more you shoot, the more you score. Yes, he’s really, really snake bitten right now but he’s one of the few Rangers outside of Prosborik that is consistently generating shots, he needs ice time.

I would get him off of the Prosborik line though, since they can generate their own chances, so Higgins would be best suited on a different line. Stick him with Anisimov and Parenteau and move Avery up. I don’t think Avery belongs on the 1st line really, but it makes the most sense right now until Dubinsky returns.

That gives you:
Avery-Prospal-Gaborik
Higgins-Anisimov-Parenteau
Lisin-Drury-Callahan
Brash-Boyle-Kotalik

Higgins-doesn’t score and doesn’t play an overly physical game (Expendable)
Anisimov- looks good for a rookie and has been scoring points horrible on face-offs and takes big hits with his head down
Parenteau- doesn’t score and doesn’t play a physical game can see why he’s been reugated to the pack. (Expendable)
Lisin- hasn’t scored lately and doesn’t play a physical game (Expendable)
Kotalik- should just be on the power play doesn’t play a physical game five on five invisible( Expendable)
Boyle- not enough offense to think he’s an upgrade for Blair Betts and as we saw tonight for a 252 lbs guy he can’t fight and is not fast enough to throw big hits. (Expendable)
Brashear- Horrible turnovers and for his price tag I don’t see how he is an upgrade for Orr, first off he not as indestructible as he was even last year plus he’s 38 Orr was 28 you can’t fight this long at a high level its bound to catch up with you sometime and having 5 minutes of ice time was this really the defining move that would make us a contender in the off season. he’s a non presence because he is a liability on the ice taking a regular shift take a look at the San Jose game where this all seemed to start.(Hopefully he retires after this year so we don’t have to pay him)
Callahan- at least throws the body but isn’t big enough to keep d-men honest and hasn’t been scoring should be a 20 goal scorer (Give him one more chance)
Drury- it is what it is, he’s not the same player he was in buffalo and for his price tag should be a 60 point player (expendable)
Avery- this is not the same player we had even last year even though I think he played better and should be on the line with Gaborik and Prospal (hate to say it but if he doesn’t play with an edge he’s no use for us, we have too many players like this already)

Staal- has looked very average especially with Giradi being so inept physically.

Giradi- Can this guy knock anyone off the puck let alone knock anyone down. He should fire his strength and conditioning coach. (expendable)

Redden- hasn’t looked as horrible only when making an outlet pass through the middle of the ice. needs to be more physical, waste of money. (Expendable)

Rosival- Has anyone seen a d-man so afraid to play the puck when someone is fore checking. He makes so many unforced turnovers because he afraid to get hit. (just buy out his contract)

Delzotto- Finally a draft choice worth getting excited about, Hugh Jessiman kills me considering we could of had Mike Richards or Zach Parise

Gilroy- Shouldn’t be the one left to stick up for Prospal because no one on this team has the ability to strike fear in their opponents.

We’re all agreed that the Rangers are playing dreadful hockey. Can Tortorella turn it around? Or has he already lost the team? At what point should Sather start making some roster moves? Hartford has some great prospects, but are they ready for NHL duty? The Rangers defensemen are young and inexperienced. Is it time to write off the season and go to a youth movement? It is painful to watch the Rangers play right now. They are a real embarassment. We probably will end in last place in the Atlantic Division. I wonder if we could beat Hartford?

Everyone on here makes good points and suggesstions for what the Rangers should consider to do. however, I have no idea what to say because it seems Sather will not do anything because he is afraid to admit his miskates and their is no push from Mr.Dolan.

Rozy is so bad, how much can we all write how bad he is…trades have to be made, one contract bought out—Rozy, and a trade to bring in a veteran D-Man. By the way, has anyone checked out how good Fedor Tytuin been with the blue jackets..another Sather miskate….

Can Mark Messier influence Sather to make the moves we as fans know have to be made…rid of Rozy, brashear, another scorer and veteran D-man….this sucks welook forward to the hockey season and I will always watch and support my favorite team but enough is enough already..put the cigar down sather and man up…..

one more thing I left to mention. When Colton Orr was not signed at the start of free agency, it was because he did not fit Torts system and thye wanted more scoring..etc….My point and my opinion pertains to when Orr was on the Ice, teams feared him. Gabs and Proposal get hit and a rookie D-man has to take a 10-minute penalty to stick up for your best players. If Orr is on this team still, this crap does not happen..period. I recall the game a few seasons ago when the flyers were knocking us all over the place when Renney had Orr out of the lineup. Next game, Orr knocks out fednorik and the Flyers never messed with us again and Orr never missed a game..Thanks again Sather….

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!! Outside of 2/3 of the top line and parts of the D and yes of course Hank…(outside of lat nights bad game by him)…..anybody who says Lundqvist is not doing his job is not watching the games. And one of the biggest problems imo is Tortorella. Where is this hard nosed coach we were all promised? Anybody confident going into Pitt tonight?…………….

Lundquist

Gaborik

Del Zotto

Staal

Dubinsky

Whats puzzling about this team is the apparent lack of effort and the gaps between the d and the other teams offense in our defensive zone. When the other team gains the zone and passes it in our slot they have wide open opportunities, when we do a similar play the other teams d is glued to anyone in the slot or in the passing lane to prevent them from getting the puck. If the pucks loose in front of the net our players are put on the floor while we allow second and third chances in our end. There is something called a good penalty to take and I have yet to see a penalty called against the other team for clearing the crease when the puck is loose. We take far too many needless lazy offensive zone penalties that have nothing to do with preventing the other team from scoring and not enough penalties in our zone when they have the puck in high scoring areas on the ice.

We need more of a physical presence to play w/ Gaborik, because last night Stamkos hit him from behind into the boards with a cross check and if Gaborik goes down this season will really tank.

Avery-Gaborik-Prospal

Higgins- Drury – Lisin

Callahan- Dubinsky- Anisimov

Parenteau-Boyle- Kotalik

This is the line-up I’d go with and keep together for a least two games and switch Brashear w/ Parenteau depending on the other teams line-up.

Boyle would be in because of the penalty kill.

We are up against cap and have two unmovable d-men with their contracts w/ alot of years left. I wish we could move them and get more physical, younger, and talented on the back end. We need to draft that type of player because no one gives those away w/out giving something major up, contract dump, or past their prime. Cablevision has enough money to eat these contracts and deal w/ growing pains of Sauer and Saguenetti. The Knicks have been far worse off spending money on useless players than this franchise and Cablevision has eaten those errors of their GM

These are the players we have and if they start scoring they way they were at the beginning of the season it would cover up the glaring needs this team has physically and defensively, and allow Gilroy and Delzotto to continue to develop the defensive end of their game, but I don’t see how anyone can think this team will go far in the playoffs w/ their current roster.

Were starting to see the results of what happens when teams shut down Gaborik their is no one to pick up the offense.

that I turned this off mid way through, to play WoW instead?

were not making hard for them either, it’s hard to pinpoint one problem with this team, I thought we were awesome when the year began then we played san jose, took a 2-0 lead and everything began to unravel. the fore check we had disappeared our defense has looked slow to pinch and caught in between stepping up and staying back not to give up chances making them look inept and the forwards inability to fore check and knock anyone down has them caught in too deep in the offensive end leaving big gaps between the two and makes it difficult to get back in their defensive end to pick up the trailing players and when they do pick them up they are on the wrong side of the players stick, or they don’t take them out when they crash the net for rebounds allowing them to bank loose pucks home for tap in goals. Playing physical in front of our own net has to be at least somewhat teachable. In the offensive end we aren’t generating the kind of scoring chances that lead to second and third shots and when there is a rebound it seems like our players are too deep and tied up to cash in. way to many penalties in the offensive end and not enough in the defensive end.

players like drury and rosival who have been with this team the longest are probably the bottom third of players on this team skill-wise…a team with real leadership would never have this much lack of effort and consistency…i know for a fact Messier would never let this happen

what scares me the most this was torts and prospals return game to tampa and the team didn’t even back them up on this one…as a team you would think they would rally behind these guys

as for what to do now…i think right now you have to ride it out…try to get these players to get going…possibly make a trade or sit down rozi but other than that you cant do much cuz calling it a season is ridiculous…this team has showed when they are motivated they are a pretty good team and a pretty fun team to watch

You have to play a regular shift to keep a team honest and super heavies are only one dimensional these days they rarely force the player that is running around to be held accountable they usually just fight the other team’s heavy that has nothing to do with the flow of the game. You need a rugged player that has skill enough to be on the ice when this stuff happens. Laraque isn’t going to answer the scoring and defensive gaps on this team. Back in the day we had Graves take care of Messier and Buekeboom take care of Leetch plus other rugged players that played a regular shift like Jay Wells. I remember a game against Flordia where Bill Lindsay was running around and at the end of the game you had Graves Messier Kocur and Buekeboom surround him and face wash him and elbow him in the head to let them know they didn’t appreciate his game that night. We don’t have that kind of team toughness those Messier teams had in the early to mid 90’s. Chris Drury got taken out and not one Ranger responded. If any team gives it to us physically we just don’t have those type of players on the team to stick up for them.

I have nothing constructive to offer. If this keeps up I’m going to throw my body down a well.