Update, 12:48 p.m.: According to Renney, the new lines were in part a function of needing to get Voros and Fritsche some practice time at forward since they had spent the past few weeks practicing as spare defensemen.
Lets put Fritsche on the second line because hes deserved it watching from the press box for 2 months.
I agree, if we are going to pay this kid, not play him and call others up from Hartford there is no reason why we shouldn't give this kid a chance and see what he has got. We have players on this team who have done poorly but for some reason we continue to get a steady diet of them while this Fritsche kid continues to sit.
I agree, if we are going to pay this kid, not play him and call others up from Hartford there is no reason why we shouldn't give this kid a chance and see what he has got. We have players on this team who have done poorly but for some reason we continue to get a steady diet of them while this Fritsche kid continues to sit.
I think his comment was sarcasm? What made him earn it now over Prucha and Korps?
Ah, be sure to tune in for more drama, all set for Tuesday's edition of A Real Life Carousel: The Story of the New York Rangers' Constant Line Changes, live on MSG.
if one or both of them come out, it will be a very predictable move. I guessed Prucha was done after the PITT game - as was the case last season, that line is starting to show zero chemistry once again and is a horribly constructed line that Renney keeps trying to push. If Dawes and Drury play together, they need a big body to play with. Prucha is not that guy. Funny enough, Prucha plays better with a big body too (and better on the left side), which is funny because they're all playing together and Prucha's on the right side. But in any event, the biggest problem with that line was Dawes and Prucha. I think Dawes becomes a more selfish player with Prucha out there and is more inclined to take stupid long shots than to make a play to Prucha. Too often he missed an open Prucha for shots in PITT (and if he didn't see him, then perhaps he's just not that good).
In any event, the problems of this team are being masked by the constant in and out of the third and fourth line guys. Gomez should be playing with Orr and Sjostom tonight. That should be his punishment for sucking so much this season.
Regardless of who you want in and out, this is the perfect time for Renney to sit Gomez and/or Naslund.
They have a week off after this game, and it would give both, especially Gomez a much needed long rest because it sure looks like he needs it. Then maybe he can sit in the stands and think about why he is sitting and why he isn't one of the Rangers representatives at the All-Star game, even though he has been given the opportunity and pay to be that type of player.
So Prucha looks terrible for a few games and people are shocked he might not play?
Why?
Bu bu but SoS Gomez hasn't looked that good?
no kidding but he still does other things for the team (win faceoffs, kill penalties...etc) what else does Prucha do for the team? If he isn't scoring...if he isn't able to keep up the effort he had a few games ago he is useless.....
Btw....Guys aren't held to the same standard....that's life.....
I think we're just going to have to live with the fact that this team isn't going to change at least until next season. There is some decent chemistry, but not much else
has Prucha been a liability out there? Has he played well positionally defense? He was out there against top lines on many occasions and he wasn't the reason they scored (I think he was scored upon a couple times - once, I believe, was a horrific pass up the middle by Dawes as he was skating and the other was when he was in the offensive zone, and rightfully so). So, if he doesn't score for a couple games, is that a good enough reason for taking him out? Is that the only measure for this guy? To be honest, I think that's quite ridiculous. He's expected to get 30 goals in a season while playing around 12 minutes per night and taking a PP shift here and there. Again, that's a joke. There are three lines that aren't working. Drury/Dawes/Prucha never had chemistry. They did well for two games because Prucha seemed to be really on and the other two fed off it, but that only lasts for a few games. Move Prucha around before taking him out, especially considering not one line appears to be set or doing overwhelmingly well. Switch Prucha and Korps (heck, Korps is a right winger and Prucha's a left winger, any event, see how they do in their natural, most comfortable positions - see how Prucha does with a bigger body (and he's played well with Dubi in the past). See how Drury and Dawes do with a bigger, faster body. Why not? The lines are getting switched around if you bring in new blood, so why not just try to switch the lines around?
I would just like to point out that people were praising, PRAISING Voros at the beginning of the year, I remember writing, don't get your hopes up, hes not going to keep it up. He hits a cold streak and all of the sudden he shouldn't play hockey.
I think we all know that we have an excess of 3rd/4th liners all who have been fairly productive whether it here or somewhere else, i.e. Fritsche in Columbus, Voros in Minnesota, heck even Rissmiller in San Jose. I know this is not news to anyone but when a 4th liner like Voros goes a few games without points it should be expected.
My point is lets not get down on these guys, they are trying but the fact that we have too many guys that should be playing is really hurting their production. That being said, no one wants Rissmiller and I'm not sure we could move anyone else for a decent return. I would just like to see some consistency in the lines and have the same team skating night in and night out, lets get some chemistry going.
Also, there is NO reason Fritsche doesn't deserve a chance, a 23 y/o who scored 10G last year in Columbus of all places. Problem is theres no room.
Also, there is NO reason Fritsche doesn't deserve a chance, a 23 y/o who scored 10G last year in Columbus of all places. Problem is theres no room.
Lets go Rangers!
Agree that Fritchse totally deserves another shot (as does Voros)...But there is plenty room for 14 forwards. Unfortuantely, merit and lack of production means very little and Renney is afraid to bench/sit certain players. As a result, rather then keeping guys fresh and trying to utilize energy and competition, we keep throwing out the same roster (and benching the same fall guys) that has made us barely a .500 team since November 1st...It's what you get when you continully play two 4th line wingers that have scored like 3-4 goals in their last 130 games combined....and when no messages are ever sent to veteran players..Poor coaching and personel mangement...A new coach with no biases could do some good for this team although and becasue, ultimately, this is a very small, flawed and incomplete team with srtruggling vets and over-rated youngsters..
one think I will disagree with, Mikey, is that benching Orr and Sjo for those two wouldn't accomplish what everyone is trying to accomplish. The objective is to get the top 9 forwards going, not the fourth line. I do agree, however, that there's no reason why Voros and Fritsche should not have seen spot duty on the fourth line at any point in the last couple months. If you want a bit more physical play from the fourth line, put Voros in place of Sjostrom. If a physical presence isn't needed (i.e., enforcer), then perhaps a bit more speed would look good against certain teams and Fristche should be in. I'm going to focus on the fourth line for a second to just say that I don't know why Orr and Sjo are basically immune, even though this team has a couple spare fourth liners in Fristche and Voros getting cold on the bench.
Kinda frickin ironic that the Rangers beat the Ducks in Anahiem with Korpikoski in the lineup...
Oh, and Voros was in too, because of his size - and guess what? He played a grand total of 7:47 that night... Wow. Really a force out there with that big frame, he made all the difference, yeah...
and the other big guy Orr only played a whopping 5:45.
Guess you need to put the "size" in the lineup again against this team. Yep. Makes all the difference.
