Peca Would Complete Renovation of Ranger Offense

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The New York Sun

With the summer additions of forwards Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, the New York Rangers upped their personal ante, establishing themselves as bona fide Stanley Cup contenders — at least on paper. But as New York’s hockey fans have learned, a contender on paper often turns out to be far less on the ice.

Although Gomez and Drury were wonderful additions for this much-improved Rangers team, last month’s subsequent cost-cutting measure — the trading of versatile center Matt Cullen to the Carolina Hurricanes — left the Blueshirts with a gaping hole in the middle of their checking line.

Fortunately for head coach Tom Renney, it appears that general manager Glen Sather is on the verge of addressing that critical need with the impending signing of hard-working center Michael Peca. The combination of Peca — a two-time Selke Trophy winner as the league’s best defensive forward — with irascible winger Sean Avery would make life miserable for opposing scorers. Best of all, both players boast above-average playmaking ability, delivering a transition game just as dangerous as their open-ice hits.

Following Cullen’s departure, Blair Betts became the Blueshirts’ best option to center the checking third line, a questionable recipe for Cup-winning success, given his lack of experience in that role. But with Peca anchoring that line — and with Betts providing injury insurance as a capable fourth-line pivot — the Rangers’ depth down the middle only gets stronger.

Listed at just 5-feet-11-inches and 181 pounds, Peca plays much larger, throwing his diminutive frame around the ice with reckless abandon. He was slowed somewhat by a knee injury suffered while playing for the Islanders in the 2002 playoffs, and he missed 47 games last season with various injuries. When healthy, he is a formidable checking presence capable of neutralizing the NHL’s finest offensive talents.

With Peca about to join the fold, it is appropriate to begin musing about other possible line combinations. Though it would seem obvious to pair Gomez with star winger Jaromir Jagr on the top line, a different configuration would likely yield far better results. It would also enable the Blueshirts to take proper advantage of what is now the deepest, most talented forward corps in the Eastern Conference.

Throughout his Hall of Famecaliber career, Jagr has distinguished himself as one of the NHL’s all-time best playmaking wingers, tallying 901 assists in 1,191 games. As a left-handed shot playing on the right wing, Jagr is nearly always in perfect position to set up a right-shooting linemate with a picturesque pass, a scenario that played itself out dozens of times when Jagr played alongside Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh. Gomez — also a left-handed shot — would not provide the best puck placement in passes to Jagr as a right-handed shot could.

In addition, Jagr and Gomez both like to carry the puck, quarterbacking the offense both on the power play and at even strength. With only one puck to share, this is a combination that would likely turn out to mix as well as oil and water. Instead, pairing Jagr with Drury — a clutch finisher with a right-handed shot — would yield far greater results. Last season, Drury tallied 37 goals for the Buffalo Sabres, a career high, and he could certainly top that total playing alongside Jagr.

Of course, this leaves Gomez available to play on what would be a devastating second scoring line alongside Brendan Shanahan, who remains one of the NHL’s most dangerous goal scorers. Shanahan played a key role in Gomez’s recruitment, and it stands to reason that the two players would be happily motivated to line up together. Shanahan is a right-handed shooter who often lines up at left wing, which will put him in the perfect position to capitalize on Gomez’s smooth feeds from center ice.

With Henrik Lundqvist a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in each of his first two seasons, the Blueshirts are set in goal. The only question mark remaining is the defense, where quantity reigns over quality. There isn’t a single blueliner capable of logging 30 minutes a night and playing in all situations à la the Anaheim Ducks’ Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. Renney must instead rely upon a committee of capable rearguards.

High hopes are being held out for Marc Staal, the Blueshirts’ 2005 first-round draft pick, who is expected to make the opening night roster. Prospects Bobby Sanguinetti (a 2006 first-rounder), Ivan Baranka (a 2003 secondrounder), and Michael Sauer are also expected to compete with returning youngsters Thomas Pock and Daniel Girardi for playing time. Without question, though, two underrated veterans will again be expected to anchor the blue line corps in 2007–08.

Michal Rozsival has proven to be the Blueshirts’ most versatile defenseman, doing a capable job running the point on the power play while — more importantly — delivering a solid performance in the defensive zone nearly every night.

His defense partner, Marek Malik, is a trickier subject. Over the course of the last season, he became a regular target of Madison Square Garden’s boo-birds, whose ire he drew with his lack of footspeed and unwillingness to assert a more physical presence with his hulking 6-foot-6-inch, 240-pound frame.

Though hockey statistics can often lie, Malik has gone long past the point of statistical significance with regard to his plus-minus rating. Over the past four seasons, Malik has compiled a gaudy plus-18 rating, a statistical accomplishment made more impressive by his minimal offensive contributions (he averages only around 20 points per year, most of them secondary assists).

From top to bottom, Sather has built the Rangers to win. With the likes of Staal, Alexei Cherepanov, and Alvaro Montoya on the way, the Blueshirts are loaded for bear not just for 2007–08, but also for the foreseeable future. While the NHL is in desperate need of a surge in fan interest, success for the most marketable team in the league cannot come a moment too soon.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.


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