CBC-Sports

Retooling paying off for Rangers

October 29, 2008 05:16 PM | Posted by   Craig Simpson  

As October winds down and the NHL season gets rolling along, it gives us an opportunity to see which teams are coming together quickly, and which teams are struggling to get on track.

In the early going, one of the best examples of a team that has a good roll going is the New York Rangers.

The Rangers have been the busiest of NHL teams with 12 games through Oct. 27, and their busy schedule has come at a good time for them as they have played solid hockey right from the start.

It began in Prague where they won both games of their season-opening double header against the Tampa Bay Lightning and they haven’t let the long travel back to North America slow them down. With a 9-2-1 record, they are the top team in the NHL, and head coach Tom Renney, in his sixth year, has his group off to a franchise-best start.

No Jagr, no Shanahan, no Straka, no Avery? No problem.

Tough decisions

This season’s early success seems to justify the eight-year rebuilding process that general manager Glen Sather has endured.

At times it was painful, and after the first four years without playoffs, Sather’s team is now looking for its fourth straight playoff run.

For years the Rangers had hung on to veteran players and brought in big-name personalities that at times had more ego than they had game. Breaking the ties with Ranger heroes like Mark Messier, Mike Richter and Brian Leetch were difficult moves given their years of quality service and Stanley Cup history, but were necessary in order to move on and turn the page as a franchise.

This year, the significance of saying good-bye to older, big-ticket players like Jagr, Straka and 39-year-old Brendan Shanahan, and not getting into a bidding war for super pest Sean Avery is not lost on New York's success. This is a different and younger Ranger mix.

Sather still brought in some experience via free agency, but Markus Naslund and Wade Redden are not high-maintenance, big-ego players. Both are coming off sub par seasons and are looking to redeem themselves with big years.

The Rangers have a good mix of youth and experience. Team chemistry - a quality that hasn’t always existed in the Big Apple - also seems to have found its way into the dressing room.

If you look at their top five scorers you see that very mix. At 22, Brandon Dubinsky leads the Rangers in scoring in just his second full season. After a solid 40 points as a rookie, Dubinsky has 11 points in the first 12 games. Those may not be Jagr-like numbers, but these Rangers are now much more than just a Jagr-like team.

Rangers are for real

Behind Dubinsky there is Scott Gomez, Nikolai Zherdev, Markus Naslund and Aaron Voros. Gomez is a proven winner and is just starting to feel comfortable as a Ranger. Naslund is looking like a new environment and a fresh start is exactly what he needed. Zherdev turns 24 next month and with almost 300 games under his belt and a new environment to play in, may finally be the superstar many feel he can be.

Sather has a long history of making trades for players who have had their troubles, only to develop them into stars. Aaron Voros credits Jacques Lemaire in Minnesota for teaching him the game and keeping him in the NHL, and now at 27, it seems to be coming together for him. In just 12 games, he is already just two goals shy of a career high.

When you add in a player with the calibre of Chris Drury who struggled offensively out of the gate but scored a pair against the Islanders, the leadership group of this team has changed significantly and seems to better suit the personality and style of their coach. With good character, good chemistry, a balanced offence and great goaltending, the Rangers are for real.

Henrik Lundqvist may be the best goalie in the NHL who has yet to win the Vezina and he looks to be on form to put an end to that distinction. He and backup Steve Valiquette have led the Rangers to the best goals against average in the league.

The New York faithful who have filled the Garden for years and who love the big names up on Broadway may not see as much star power up on the marquee, but now they have a team who knows how to play for each other, will work hard for them and will give them a good chance to see a win every night.

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