Is Marian Gaborik's injury a blessing in disguise for the Rangers?

Yes, I said it. Marian Gaborik is having a down year, we all can tell. The superstar sniper has gone missing at times during the season, though he cannot be entirely blamed for that. A separated shoulder seriously threw off Gaborik's game early in the season and he hasn't looked the same since. That isn't all, as the team has nearly been shut down and unlike last season's trio of Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky and Vinny Prospal, this year there aren't players that compliment Gaborik (that aren't better on other lines). There are other problems, as Marian is being thrown out of his comfort zone in his second season in the Big Apple. Gaborik is the kind of player that is successful when he has linemates that can carry the puck into the zone. When #10 has to take the puck into the zone, he can't position himself behind the opponents to be in open ice and receive the puck like he did so many times last year. Unless Gaborik can pass to himself, the ice will not open up any more than it has been over the 2010-11 season.


In Gaborik's absence between October 16th and November 11th, the Rangers were not better or worse. They were 6-6-0, with dreadful losses to Colorado, Philadelphia (shocker, I know) and St. Louis. The team looked a little lost, and could not get the offensive juices flowing at points. That being said, the Rangers have done well when their better players have gone down to injury. During times when Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky were the leading scorers and were subsequently hurt, the rest of the team picked up the offensive slack. Before the last two games versus New Jersey and Philadelphia, Gaborik was on a four game point streak and had nine points in his last nine games. Unfortunately, Gaborik only had two goals during that span and the team went 3-5-1. Gaborik is simply not the offensive dynamo that was able to lead this team last year.

There are roots to this problem, and the build of the team is one of them. Glen Sather has essentially built a second line, a third line and a fourth line for this team. Gaborik seems to be thrown into the fray, as there is no true first line talent other than the talented Slovakian. Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and Ryan Callahan have emerged as the 'RFA line' (at least for this season), and have produced well as a second, complementary offensive unit. Derek Stepan has united with two players that did not begin the year with the Rangers, as former Coyote Wojtek Wolski and SEL standout Mats Zuccarello have made their way to the Rangers' NHL roster to form a 2A line that has essentially filled out the third line minutes. They have shown great chemistry and look dangerous on the ice as a unit. Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust effectively play a two-way game, and together with a host of third linemates (until Ruslan Fedetenko returns, at least) have been a good fourth line. Who does that leave for #10 to play with? Vinny Prospal, Chris Drury, Erik Christensen and/or Sean Avery. As much as we love the Czech who seems to spend too much time in the tanning booth, off-season injury recovery has taken it's toll on Prospal. Christensen has added a gritty side to his normally skilled yet inconsistent game, and hasn't gotten it done with Gaborik like he did (at least somewhat) last season. Chris Drury is currently injured and has as many points as Henrik Lundqvist, while Avery has been playing like an over-payed fourth liner who while having good numbers has been too inconsistent to be effective.

That leads me to the main issue as to Gaborik's problems this season. The team isn't built around it's superstar. Instead, it just so happens that there is an immensely skilled player on the roster with no one to play with. Gaborik has excellent hands, vision, speed and a wicked wrist shot. All of that and then some is useless when he doesn't have the open ice to take advantage of it. In the off-season, the Rangers must acquire a player that can carry the puck into the zone and then find the passing lanes to get the puck to Gaborik. Last season, that was Dubinsky, Prospal and Christensen. None of those players have had the talent to keep that going this season or find the same chemistry without being shut down by opposing defenders. If Brad Richards can safely come back from a concussion, the Rangers' sole focus should be to sign him to a nice deal on July 1st, 2011. He is the only true tier I free agent on the market, and is exactly what Marian Gaborik needs to exceed the totals he posted in his first year as a New York Ranger. If Richards decides to stay in Dallas or sign elsewhere come free agency, then the pickings become a much slimmer.

So what am I getting at here regarding this season? The Rangers have played better without their superstars leading them. Earlier in the season, coach John Tortorella has been able to rally his troops to buy into the tenacious forecheck, playing both sides of the puck and attacking the opponents in their end. This has not happened in recent games consistently, but when the players do this, guess what. It works! If you look at the goals scored in this afternoon's game against the Flyers, both were scored around the net. Wolski poked in a loose puck at the crease, while Stepan happened to be in the right place (at the front of the net) when a puck slipped through Boucher and right on to Derek's stick where he could put it home. The Rangers must regroup and go back to playing the way they did earlier in the season to replicate the moderate success and have any chance of making the playoffs and surviving past a first round blowout. Gaborik's status after a reported concussion will hopefully be divulged sooner rather than later, but it may be time to let one of the league's best players rest as long as he can and wants to. He has not been the dynamic player the Rangers need him to be, and when he does not do this he is not effective as a player in the lineup. This could be a blessing in disguise for a New York Rangers team struggling to keep their playoff hopes alive.