|
Colton Orr |
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
PIM
|
|
Regular Season
|
53
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
-2
|
126
|
|
Playoffs
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
-1
|
12
|
You’ve seen it, I know you have, particularly if you’ve seen my videos on youtube. The punch heard round the world is what I call it. Just in case you forgot, here it is for you one more time…
I guess you knew what I was talking about even before I posted the video, but I was going for effect on that one.
Anyways, that, is what Colton Orr brings to the lineup. That, and not much else. He is a HORRENDOUS lateral skater, and a well below average skater when going in a straight line. He has no shot, has terrible vision, and generally his hits aren’t really all that note worthy since they happen after the fact (unless your name is Ovechkin…)
That, by the way, was an utter cheapshot, and I absolutely despise what happened there by Orr.
The problem is though, that while Orr brings almost nothing tangible to the ice, he still has a decent amount of potential with his size, and extremely coachable attitude. I dont know if there is a more coachable player in the entire Rangers system, except perhaps Lauri Korpikoski. Orr takes his benchings in stride, and apparently works his tail off in practice to make himself better. You gotta love that kind of an attitude, and we know for a fact that the players around him love him. Which leads us to the other aspect of Orrs game. Intimidation. As you saw in that first clip, if you fight Orr, you probably arent going to win the fight unless youre talking maybe Boogard, Laraque, or Huggy Bear (Donald Brashear). Orr has an absolutely devastating right hand, and if he could ever get his left to the same level, might turn into the best fighter in the league. These things add up to make Orr’s teammates play better.
It’s no coincidence that the Rangers play better when he is in the lineup. They feel they can play their game without fear of being run, or having to constantly keep an eye out for cheapshots. They know that if someone cheap shots them, Colton is going break a face. This is good. But it is not always necessary. More and more teams are going with Buffalos style of playing. They want to throw 4 lines at you that are threats. Fewer and fewer teams are keeping enforcers in their everyday lineup, or are using everyday players as enforcers. What this adds up to is a problem that Renney is going to face next year. Do you play Orr, or don’t you. How do you find the balance between keeping him in the lineup to protect the team, and keeping him in the press box for a better player. It’s a tightrope for sure, one which injuries to Hossa and Shanny moot for the bulk of last year.
My guess is, Colton Orr will play about 30-40 games this year, and will be replaced by Hugh Jessiman by next year, if not sooner. Hugh probably could play just as well as Colton does right now, and chip in more offense. Hugh is also a decent fighter, albeit nowhere near the level Orr is. My personal preference would be to play Hugh from day one, so we can keep the intimidation factor up, and still have a spot which can produce offense, or at the very least, sustained offensive pressure.
-Inferno
