Jim Cerny at newyorkrangers.com has a feature on the importance of Michael Del Zotto and Artem Anisimov to the Rangers future...John Tortorella on Del Zotto...
“He has a nice strut about him,” Tortorella said of Del Zotto. “But he has to know that he has a long way to go as far as being a pro National Hockey Leaguer. He’s a great kid. He’s got a lot of jam. We just want to make sure he stays down the right path.”
...couldn't ask for anything more from a 19-year-old in his first NHL season. Stayed healthy, major offensive upside and seemed to learn defensively as the season went on. Now obviously, the minus 20 needs to change, but overall I'm excited about this kid's future.
Torts on Anisimov...
“The reason why we kept playing him even when he wasn’t scoring is because Artie was so reliable defensively and so smart with the puck, making smart decisions,” explained Tortorella.
...it was nice to see Anisimov find himself after being put on a line with Prust and Shelley at the end of the season. He seemed to find his comfort zone, which will hopefully give him a shot of confidence going into the off-season.
2 comments:
I'm a big fan of both of those. This is the "homegrown" youth that needs to stay with the Rangers.
These two plus Staal, Dubinsky and Callahan need to be at the center of everything that happens for this team. They all have an upside that can't be overlooked. I'm really looking forward to the future with Anisimov and Del Zotto, who both learned much this year. Anisimov is already a favorite of Tort's and is going to be a really good player if he learns to start skating with his head up. The future is bright
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