Rangers Review: Chris Drury
by Rob L on May 4, 2010 7:00 AM EDT
in 2009-10 In Review
Email
PrintChris ‘effin Drury. Any discussion about his play, earnings, and role as the captain always brings many different opinions along with many different ideas as to what to do with the former "captain clutch." When evaluating players I try to take as much Ranger fan out of me as possible and judge with an objective and statistically dependant perspective. With that said, I can honestly say that Drury had statistically his worst season as a professional hockey player.
Follow me after the jump for specifics.
What we liked: Drury excels on the penalty kill and in the faceoff circle along with playing important defensive minutes against top competition. In defense of his mostly defensive style, Drury started in his own zone just more than 60 percent of the time; the most of any forward that played at least 50 games with the Rangers this past season. He also led the team in Blocked Shots per 60 minutes of ice time, followed closely by Ryan Callahan. Drury competes every game and flat out wants to win every game as well almost to the point where he tries too hard.
What we didn't like: His contract in the end is Glen Sather's fault, but he's just plain over-rated. He had his worst season in the league points wise all while being one of the worst relative-rated forwards on the team (min. 50 GP). His corsi numbers are nothing special and in all honesty his days as a difference maker may well be dwindling quickly. I highly doubt Drury's offensive abilities are ever going to completely resurface, so it's just a tough 8-million dollar pill to swallow for a second-line two way center with inconsistent offensive contributions.
Highlight Play/Game: Drury never had more than 2 points in a game all year and never scored more than one goal either. But, he got hot going into Christmas and his goal against the Panthers in a 4-1 win on December 23rd helped the Blueshirts win their fourth straight at the time. As for his best play of the year? This is my personal favorite because of the sheer difficulty, creativity, and athleticism it took:
Final thoughts: The funny thing I have always found about Drury since he came to NY was the perceptions and expectations that he was the missing link or something. I no doubt had some high hopes as well, but looking back now I think we all set him up to fail from the start unless we saw a Stanley Cup rolling down Manhattan somewhere. Using his four years at Boston University in Hockey East for the League Translations, Drury's average season should be somewhere around 45 points a year (0.56 ppg). To date, Drury has a career ppg of 0.7; which essentially suggests that "captain clutch" has been quite the over-achiever (statistically) in his NHL career. Even last year (08-09), when most were upset with him for one reason or another, he put up 0.69 ppg (56 points in 81 games) - otherwise known as a normal year for Drury.
What's the point to all of that? I would say that we need to stop judging Drury by his contract if we all want to stay sane. I've had a couple of people tell me over the course of the year that they wished Sather had dealt Drury instead of Gomez. The problem is I think many GM's around the league knew and now know that Drury's offensive abilities are dwindling with his age (which shouldn't shock anyone). The complete game that Drury plays - one that requires him to often skate 200 feet once or twice - doesn't allow him to float around like, for instance, 39 year old Bill Guerin and put up 50 points. That's not Chris Drury hockey, and I don't see him changing anytime soon. Honestly, if I was Torts, I would toy with putting Drury in a 3rd or 2nd line role with creative young wingers to see if any offense can be sparked. The worst that will happen is he plays solid defensive hockey per usual and mentors some great prospects.
P.S. - After next season the final year of his contract is only a cap hit of around 5 million! That's it! What a deal...
So what do you think of the year Drury had? Think he still has any offense in the tank? What about my theories? Let's hear it...
51 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Captain Clutch
how about his CLUTCH goal in new jersey?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqDHNG7AeRA
no doubt his play hasn’t been anywhere near what we expected, but he does like to show up with goals at a timely fashion
That’s what I was thinking of. The featured goal was his highlight reel goal of the season, but this one kept us running to the very end of the season (for better or worse)!
"Malik now." "6 foot 6, 238, not a noted goal scorer but he's gonna give it a shot here." "Malik has not scored this year. In on Kolzig, faked it....SCORES"
$5 million seems to be a lot for him
he still only had 32 points. there are guys in the league making less than $1 million with that type of production
wee bit of sarcasm there
Blueshirt Banter - End the Sather Era
US Soccer - The Yanks Are Coming
Red Sox Fan behind Enemy lines.
I agree with everything you said in the article. The huge contract is not Drury’s fault, it is Sather’s. Drury is getting older and his skills are eroding which is only natural and happens to all players. I do appreciate the fact that he cares and works really hard and even though he doesnt contribute much offensively anymore, he still does everything else.
If he was getting paid 3 million per year, I dont think anyone would be criticizing him too much. I think our expectations on Drury’s offense were based on the 2 great seasons he had in Bufallo, but those were anomalies caused by the particular style of hockey they played in Buffalo and the plaers Drury played with. Career wise he was always a 20 goal, 45-60 point guy.
Drury is a useful player to have, but not at this enormous salary. Bottom line: this is all Sather’s fault.
Even 3 million is overpaid
At this stage of his career he is a 3rd line checking center. He can be replaced by a number of guys in this league who can do the same things he does while providing a more physical play and better better forechecking. Watching him the last 2 seasons in all honestly he doesn’t forecheck at all. I think it’s because he doesn’t want to get caught deep in the zone leading to an odd man rush but 5 on 5 he does nothing. Stay high and don’t get caught is his style of play.
Also i noticed he just doesn’t like to have the puck. Honestly i don’t think i’ve ever seen him carry the puck for more than 3 seconds at a time. It’s like he panics with the puck in his own zone and just flips it out of the zone or passes it to another teamate. Even in the offensive zone he’s looking to get rid of it. There’s a reason he only scored 14 goals. Stand in front and hope for a rebound. He’s just not creative at all.
Now having said that he does have tremendous heart, his will to win is without question and his penalty killing is outstanding. Other than that he doesn’t bring a whole heck of alot to this team.
2 years from now can’t come fast enough.
Lundqvist-Staal-MDZ-McDonagh-Krieder-Stepan-MZA-Cally-Dubi-Gabby-AA-Grachev.
The core of the 2014 Stanley Cup winners!
by 76 Blueshirt on May 4, 2010 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
3 mil is overpaid as well, but I was just saying that people probably wouldnt be complaining as much if he was making that instead of the 7 or 8 mil hes getting now.
He had 37 goals the season before he was signed. At the time, 7 mil was market value for a 40 goal scorer.
It was, that is true. However, a guy who is a career 20 goal scorer does not become a 40 goal scorer all of a sudden. We all knew what his skill level was and the type of game he plays.
In my opinion we can make a case that a proven 40 goal scorer (a player with multiple 40 goal seasons) would be deserving of Drury’s contract. But Drury never even got to 40 goals. He had one 30 goal season and one 37 goal season….other than that he was always a 20 goal scorer
2 years from now can’t come fast enough, Jesus is that our credo or what?
Blueshirt Banter: Covering the New York Rangers
Big Blue View: Unofficial New York Giants blog
by Jim Schmiedeberg on May 4, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree with your story but
The poor guy could’ve gotten maybe 12 more points had Torts put him on the pp for the first half of the year. Thats not an excuse for him but give him a chance at least.
by louielounz1 on May 4, 2010 10:51 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
louielounz1
Louie, your referring to Chris Drury, the guy who took home 8.05 million dollars last season and contributed 14 goals as the “poor guy” is pretty funny, don’t ya think?
by Jimbo Reilly on May 4, 2010 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
Lol what??
Yea he’s saying he’s a poor guy becuase he didn’t get any pp time last year. Before last year he played the pp and worked it well and put up about 55 points scored over 20 goals. He saying if torts played him on the pp he wouldve had more points as I do agree. Drury made his career on the pp and therefore if he put up 55 points last year I would be way more happy with that than 32. If you have problems with his contract say you have problems with his contract don’t critic his plays as it was pretty good defensivly and he’s our leader. I mean I’m actually surprise he hit 32 points he was on the 4th line some games got no playing time and really had no pp time for at least 30 to 40 games. Im throwing this out there now that I feel most of us know who watch every ranger game and know hockey enough that if torts utilizes drury properly he will be that 50 60 point guy he was for us every year. He won’t be that 30 goal 70 80 point guy but he never was for US. He need the pp time he used to get and he will be just fine. I’ll bet my life he breaks the 40 point mark this year.
by klh2009 on May 4, 2010 1:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I have a problem with his contract… ok I said it.
You mention another problem with him. He’s our leader… This team seemed uninspired often. I blame Torts and Drury here.
You can say the same thing about any one. If blank played more power play minutes they’d have more points. He’s not a top line center. He is a world class shock blocker. He is great at getting in front of the goalie and scraping for junk.
I really don’t know what his leadership qualities are, but I’m not convinced he’s doing a great job.
At 3 million he is over paid.
I wasn't even commenting to you number one
Number two he’s overpaid at 8 mil or at 3 mil. I’m just trying to point out why this season his totals dropped. No need to jump down my throat especially when I wasn’t even commenting towards you. And maybe I do work for gold an sachs what is it to you!!! Ha jk
by klh2009 on May 4, 2010 2:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
O and as far as that you can’t say that if blank happened this player would be better is correct so il rephrase it for u. If Chris drury has the same amount of pp minutes at he’s accustomed to he would have put up more points, like he did in previous years. Is that better for you?
by klh2009 on May 4, 2010 2:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He probably would have. So would any other player.
I like Drury on the power play. I like him better on the PK. He may have been less efective on the PK if he played 1st line PP minutes.
It is just frustrating hearing him called “Captain Clutch”.
pp time
Well, Kotalik got plenty of pp time and it didn’t help him (or us) any. I don’t think you can conclude that Drury necessarily would have had that many more points although you can say, with certainty, that we would have given up fewer shorties with Drury on the PP than with Kotalik.
I’m really not jumping on you.
It just thought that “8 million dollars” and “poor guy” only go together when you work at GS.
I do think that it is kind of lame to bring up the excuse (no matter how true it is) that it’s not Drury’s fault he makes 8 million. It would be different if he wasn’t a veteran, the captain, and the number was even close to reasonable.
The one thing that pissed me off the most about Drury this year was… I don’t remember him doing any intermission report interviews (usually he does post game) until the one in Colorado. The Rangers were down at the time, but Drury seemed much more energetic then is calm self during the interview, even playful and joking. When he was asked what it was like to be back there to play… instead of having insight into the game, he mentioned that it was hard to get good Pizza in Colorado and that good pizza would soon be coming to Stamford Connecticut. I wish I had a video of the interview. He was plugging the pizza joint he and his Little League World Series buddies are opening.
You never hear Avery plug his restaurant. If someone mentions it to him he plays it down.
I find it lame… So I don’t see him as this great capatin. He isn’t the voice of the team. He only leads by exammple when it comes to shot blocking. This team played a whole lot of uninspired hockey this year. I would be happier to see a team that just sucked but played hard.
We have alot of guys who do the little things right and have heart and I love those qualities. They are very important in million dollar players. I want more for my money and from my captain.
Yes the top blame goes to Dolan, Then Sather, Torts, Drury.
I agree with most of what your saying I was just cofused at your Argumet
All I was pointing out was that in order for drury to be drury point wise he needs his powerplay. When he put up a lot of points in his carreer it’s been on the pp. Sure you can say that about anyone but let’s take sjostrom a guy who has never played on the pp much in his carreer. He mite benifit a little by being there (point wise of course) but it’s not part of his game. Chris drury on the other hand it is or was apart of his game and if he goes back on the pp his point production will rise. I agree with mostly everything you said on the last post but I’m not trying to argue nor was I making an agrument statement so that’s why I felt like you were comin out of anywhere but I can understand the fustration from people when it comes to overpaid players although it’s bot his fault when it comes to his contract
by klh2009 on May 4, 2010 2:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Anyone think....
That maybe him getting the daylights knocked out of him up in Calgary had anything to do with his low point production and sub-par season?
How come that isn’t even mentioned in why his point totals were not as high? The guy probably came back too early from a major concussion because he’s a warrior and he probably couldn’t even see straight over the next few weeks.
Granted, he’s no Nicklas Backstrom, but if you’re going to review a guy, at least mention that he missed a bunch of games due to a cheap head shot, and that potentially affected his play for a number of games and weeks.
MATTEAU!!!!! MATTEAU!!!!!!! MATTEAU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow totally forgot about that as well
Yea it def has an effect on his game hopefully he comes back fresh next year.
by klh2009 on May 4, 2010 1:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
"How come that isn’t even mentioned in why his point totals were not as high?"
1) I forgot about that
2) You’re gonna get pasted more than once over a career… if you can’t come back from it maybe its your body telling you something.
Blueshirt Banter - End the Sather Era
US Soccer - The Yanks Are Coming
Red Sox Fan behind Enemy lines.
He needs to be our effin 1st line center he’s capable he’s the freaking Captain let him fully take the reigns already, more minutes don’t swallow him up in a defensive role that’s not where we need him we can get anyone to kill penalties Why was he never paired with Gabby all season and he needs to be worked in on the PP with his shot
Messier is gone already let him step up
if we can trade do it it frees up that money if it wasent for that that he would be a good third line center i wouldent mind keeping him
He’s still got gas in the tank. His contract is inflated, but he’s still a big piece in New York. He does the little things that leaders should do and is a very good role model for the young guys like Callahan. Not only that but he’s the Captain, it would be a poor showing on the part of Rangers management to name him Captain then ship him out a couple of years later. Ride out his contract. What would the extra money be used for anyway? Signing another big name bust?
There are many players who could do what drury does for a third of what he is getting paid.
“What would the extra money be used for anyway?” come on, there is nothing wrong with extra money and you can always use it to improve the team. We can’t assume it would be spent on another ineffective free agent.
Read the stats
Drury’s pp icetime decreased by a third (3.2-1.95) but his ppp dropped by much more than that. He did play with slightly worse teammates (not that it matters, you don’t need skill to bang in garbage, which is all he ever did), but also faced shitty pkers. Drury, with a third less pp ice time this year, was on the ice for TWICE as many shorties. This was also on a MUCH better PP team overall than last year (18.3 to 13.9)
Basically, the stats that people tout as a reason for the decrease are way overstated. Drury is old, overpaid and has lost whatever limited offensive skills he had.
And saying to overlook the contract because it’s not his fault…. that shit still exists, does it not?? He is terrible offensively, and the good defensive stuff he does is done just as well by Dubi, Cally, Prust, Boyle and others.
It was a total shit season, and no one is to blame but Drury. He got plenty of time on the first PP early in the season and did nothing.
He got no time on the 1st unit early on. Torts didn’t put him on the PP til the 2nd half of the year.
Camp Tortorella - Where Vomit is a Mainstay
by George E. Ays on May 4, 2010 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Drury is a Keeper
Chris Drury is a much better hockey player than Glen Sather is a GM. The sole issue with Drury is his terrible contract which was written by Sather. If Drury was earning 2.5 million, every team in the NHL would want him. He is not a superstar and never was a superstar, but he is still a good hockey player. He bleeds Ranger red, white and blue. It would be great if he would renegotiate his contract to allow the Rangers enough cap space to improve the team. He won’t and there is no way to make him. Don’t blame Drury for his obscene contract. Blame Sather. He has consistently written bad contracts and should be tarred and feathered. And run out of town.
No doubt he's a good third or fourth liner
but he brings absolutely nothing beyond that. The contract isn’t his fault, but it’s stil very much a problem for the team, and it certainly factors into the expectations. Teams that pay $7 million for a guy to do a job that most people do for $1-2 don’t win, period.
Can someone direct me to where I Can find an explanation of CORSI rating (how it’s calculated; what it implies, etc.)
I apologize if this has been posted somewhere already.
by jigblahdah on May 4, 2010 6:05 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Corsi FAQ
http://www.behindthenethockey.com/2009/10/8/1076788/frequently-asked-questions-3-what
Blueshirt Banter - End the Sather Era
US Soccer - The Yanks Are Coming
Red Sox Fan behind Enemy lines.
To be honest
I like Dru a lot, it would be very hard to find someone on this team that works as hard as he does. I think the main reason that many of us dont like him and criticize him so much is that price tag slapped on his name, but hey is that his fault? If he was playing for like 2 million a year I dont think we would have any problem with his game. Sorry if someone posted something like this before, but this is just my opinion of Chris.
Drury........
my final assessment of Drury basically mirrors what has been said here often: you can’t blame him for signing the contract. The blame lies with Sather (as usual). As a player Drury gives you an exceptional amount of heart every night, which translates in the blocked shots and great defensive plays. And people here need to stop saying he’s boring and uninspired because of how he acts while being interviewed. We have no idea what his locker room presence is like, and I know one thing; I know the players in the league have a ton of respect for Chris Drury………and so do I.
Ok we all know his contract was Sathers fault, and typical of Ranger management in general. But what to do about it. You hear on MSG all the time about how a great team guy he is. At this point, his only use is face-offs and PK to block shots, NOTHING else. Yea, he may in fact be a great stand up guy, but that isn’t going to win a game/cup. You see so many guys on the bench talking up and down, pointing things out to each other. Drury just sits there, head down. Leadership from Drury, is … well gone from his game. How many times has anyone seen him yapping or working the refs? Heck MDZ said more to refs in 1 shift than it seems Chris did all season. We can’t knock the fact that he’ll take one for the team, but his time is over. Age, ability, and WAY too many hits to the head. (No one can blame him for spending so much time looking over his shoulder, instead of doing his job). Chris Drury, Thanks for your years as a Ranger, but it’s time for you to move on. It’s time, cut him/trade him, take the pay hit, and let a younger guy move in
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New York Rangers
|
52 | 34 | 13 | 5 | 73 |
|
Philadelphia
|
54 | 31 | 16 | 7 | 69 |
|
New Jersey
|
54 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
54 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 65 |
|
New York Islanders
|
53 | 22 | 23 | 8 | 52 |
(updated 2.11.2012 at 8:02 AM EST)
Rangers Schedule
Next 5 Games
|
Washington
|
Sun 02/12 | 12:30 PM EST |
|
@
Boston
|
Tue 02/14 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Chicago
|
Thu 02/16 | 7:00 PM EST |
|
Columbus
|
Sun 02/19 | 8:00 PM EST |
|
@
Pittsburgh
|
Tue 02/21 | 7:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
|
@
Philadelphia
|
Sat 02/11 | W 5 - 2 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
Thu 02/09 | OT - W 4 - 3 |
|
New Jersey
|
Tue 02/07 | L 0 - 1 |
|
Philadelphia
|
Sun 02/05 | W 5 - 2 |
|
@
Buffalo
|
Wed 02/01 | SO - W 1 - 0 |
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- The Chicago Blackhawks’ losing streak is bad for everybody
- According to NHL, here’s why Dominic Moore escaped suspension for Fedotenko hit
- How Mats Sundin’s no-trade clause controversy made fans reconsider loyalty in NHL
- Nordiques Nation invades Hockey Day in Canada
- Youth hockey coach, parents clash over alleged tirade over 9-year old’s 200th goal puck
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
