Monday, September 21, 2009

Rangers Lead the League in Enigmatic Players

Rafal Ladysz at The Hockey Writers lists his Top 20 enigmas in the NHL including a list high three Rangers...

18) Vaclav Prospal (New York Rangers)
Unlike the previous two forwards, Prospal’s struggles last an entire season. The bright side is that he’s shown his sharpness in being able to respond the following year. A veteran of 12 NHL seasons, he sees the ice well and finds the open man consistently.

Prospal is an intense player who doesn’t hide from a challenge, so his work rate can’t be questioned. New York activated their option to buy him for a paltry $1.1 million; a small risk that can turn into a massive benefit.

...i think Prospal is going to comeback with a nice season and like Ladysz says was more than worth the $1.1 million price tag.

6) Ales Kotalik (New York Rangers)
New York sure pounces on every chance to sign a head-case don’t they? A question to ask yourself is how come Kotalik has never scored 30 goals in a single year given that he has the size and shot to do so.

The answer is pretty straightforward: fighting for the puck doesn’t interest him. Someone else must do the dirty work and send a pass to Kotalik for a one-timer. A lot of those darts still go wide of the target.

...i just need Kotalik to be good on the power play and I'll be happy.

2) Tyler Arnason (New York Rangers)
It’s been a quick decline for Arnason over the past three seasons. I think an injured Paul Stastny received more attention in the stands than his teammate did on the ice. A three-time 40-point man (believe it or not), there have been no hints of a comeback to mediocre play for Arnason.

To a certain degree, it can’t get any worse for him, can it?

...sure it can the Rangers waived him yesterday.

...h/t to Puck Daddy.

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