I really didn’t want to do this. Its been an insanely hectic day for me, with trying to fix my messed up clutch in my car, work, watching 4 periods of the World Juniors (missed the final 2 periods of the Canada-USA game (thankfully I suppose, because of a work related crisis), and of course listening to the podcast from Steve and Eric at the NY Rangers Cast (Thanks for the shoutout btw guys!). So after being a bit tired from all this (mostly just the work and car stuff) I really wanted to relax tonight and not really think too much. But of course after listening to Eric and Steve give their grades, I couldn’t resist giving some of my thoughts.
I guess the first thing will be some ground rules. I am going to be basing my grades on a standard US grading system, A+ all the way to F. Also I will be strictly be grading on the players performance, as well as comparing their numbers to career averages, projected averages, etc. I will NOT be basing it on what they are getting paid (for reasons that should be entirely obvious). Also please note that the career stats are based on the players career average not including this year.
So, without further ado…
Easily the worst Rangers defenseman we’ve seen in a long time. He may be a heart and soul player, but he is slow, takes poor routes to the forwards, and consistently picks up the wrong man, many times making his partner make mistakes because he is trying to cover up for what Strudwick does out there. Statistically hes on pace to play 51% more games than usual, and have fewer points. But he is a defensive defenseman (that somehow can also play wing), so none of those stats are really relevant (but being the nutjob that I am, I still compiled em for ya). I’ve got nothing, nothing at all, against Jason as a person. From his blog last year, his interviews, and what other players say about him, he seems like the kind of guy I would be good friends with (after he knocked my teeth in for criticizing him daily), but sadly personality alone is not enough to play in the NHL, particularly this day and age. Maybe 10 years ago he would have been a much better player, but not now.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
44
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
-4
|
|
On Pace For:
|
71
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
-7
|
A guy who I have semi-backed because of his ability to actually play a strong game from time to time. But let’s face it, after his first season here, with the shootout goal, his tenure here has been an unmitigated disaster. Get him off this team, it will be the best thing for the team, and even for him. Statistically he is down in every category, except for games played. His +/- is taking a beating this year, when you consider how high that number usually is for the guy.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
55
|
3
|
11
|
14
|
+12
|
|
On Pace For:
|
62
|
0
|
9
|
9
|
0
|
The Alexei Kovalev of defenseman. No, seriously, this guy has not just all-star ability, but all-world ability. A physical side, a canon of a shot, excellent wheels, a solid passer, excellent vision, but the guy just can’t put it together. He is such a mediocre player it’s not even funny. Is it desire? Is it me overrating him? I don’t know, but clearly the Tampa Bay Lightning saw something in him, taking him 7th overall in the 1997 draft. Right now, I don’t even care if this guy is here or not next year, and when you consider his talent level, that is really saying something. Statistically he isn’t on pace to match his offensive numbers of yesteryear, but he is on pace to have a much better +/-. Considering he was a +6 with us last year in just 19 games, I actually consider him being on pace to be +12 higher than his career average a bad thing. He should be doing much, much better.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
63
|
7
|
18
|
25
|
-12
|
|
On Pace For:
|
76
|
2
|
15
|
17
|
0
|
It wasn’t very long ago that most of us thought his name was spelt Tjutin, and were all waiting for his arrival, heralded as the savior for our defense. Well, let’s face it, the expectations set for this guy were WAY too high, but I think projecting him as a reliable #3 defenseman in this league is not nearly a stretch anymore. In fact I think we are only scratching the surface on what we can expect from this kid (hes only 24!) offensively. Though defensively, I think we are seeing, more or less, what he will be like for the rest of his career. Reliable, strong hitter, but prone to the occasional gaffe. Statistically hes on pace to have more goals, but fewer assists, and a horrible +/-. I think expecting 10 goals, and 20 assists from him is about what we should look for.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
56
|
3
|
12
|
15
|
-4
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
8
|
8
|
16
|
-16
|
Dan Girardi continues to impress me. It wasn’t too long ago I was declaring this kid as someone who would never make the NHL, and here he is playing regular minutes on a 2nd pair for (what should be) a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. How far we have come, and yet, can we go further? I think so, only because he started off the year (especially in the pre-season) looking not like a #4, but a #1 defenseman. His defensive game has regressed substantially in the past 15 games though, where he has posted a very pedestrian -8. Dan, you are better than this, we both know it. Statistically he is on pace to blow away last years offensive numbers, but of course, its a tiny sample size. I have faith in this kid, he’s won me over, I know he will get back on track.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
34
|
0
|
6
|
6
|
+7
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
14
|
16
|
30
|
-20
|
I love this kid. Don’t for a minute think the C+ is indicative of me not liking his game, because it’s not. I think he’s going to be a #1 in this league, and a defensive anchor for us for the next decade and a half. With that said, there are many flaws in this kids game, flaws that would have been ironed out if he had spent this year in the minors, or perhaps even if he spent the first 30 or so games in the minors instead of having to learn under fire. It’s ok though, he does not look out of place, and makes exceptionally strong defensive plays game in and game out. He has a world class stick check already, and plays very sound positionally. However he falls over a lot, especially for a guy so big and strong. He needs to work on his lower body strength, and his balance. This is a problem 99% of the kids that come straight to the NHL from juniors have. He also loses control, of the puck A LOT. At least 4 or 5 times a game he will be skating with the puck and lose the handle. It makes him look down and try to find the puck. If he keeps doing that, one of these days he’s going to be checked into oblivion by an opposing player. If he can keep the handle on the puck, it wouldn’t be a problem. Also he’s unafraid to fail. This is both a good thing, and a bad thing. It’s great because it’s the only way he will learn from his mistakes, and develop into the player we all know he can and will be, but the flip side is we have to live with these growing pains in the NHL, when they could have been handled in Hartford. Even though Staal has probably been our 2nd best defenseman so far this year, I gave him a C+ because I hold him to a much higher measuring stick, and I know he can handle it.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
4
|
10
|
14
|
+6
|
Michal started off the year slow, and unimpressive. That is the only reason I haven’t given him a big fat A+. Well, maybe that, and his constant deferment to Jaromir Jagr (yes, I agree Steve). Statistically hes on pace to more than triple his usual goal output, almost double his usual assist output, and more than double his usual point output. His +/- is below average, but not enough to really talk about. Funny what happens to players in contract years aye? Michal plays a near perfect positional defensive game. He can be prone to being a bit passive in the offensive zone, and not joining the play offensively near enough, but that is really all you can say about the guy. He’s a legit #2 in this league right now, and may be on his way to being a #1. Which actually isn’t the best thing for us. Hes being paid something like 2 mil per. Hes going to get triple that on the open market. Can we afford him this offseason? Unless he gives us a hometown discount, I don’t think we can.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
67
|
6
|
17
|
23
|
+8
|
|
On Pace For:
|
81
|
20
|
30
|
50
|
+2
|
This might be one I get killed on, but so be it. I actually think Marcel isn’t nearly as bad (this year) as some people make him out to be. The guy is a very good defensive player, controls the puck for seemingly hours on end, kills penalties, and does have the ability to pot in a goal or 2. Frankly, I don’t see why he isn’t the regular left wing on the 4th line. I think he would bring a lot more offensive game to that line, while improving it defensively as well. Don’t be confused though, he is not the first line player we were hoping he could be coming into this year. He just doesn’t have the ability to score goals regularly at this level. But his game is perfectly built to be our regular 4th line winger. Plus, if he killed penalties more, it would take Shanny off the PK more, and that would be good for our Even Strength production. Statistically he’s not been that bad. Point wise hes down on what you would expect him to get with regular minutes, but hes been sound defensively. Yes, he has been guilty (of late) of taking terrible penalties. But the list of Rangers who fall under that category this year is substantial.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
36
|
6
|
4
|
10
|
+2
|
|
On Pace For:
|
71
|
2
|
12
|
14
|
+17
|
Simply put, Sean Avery has made Ryan Hollweg expendable. I know he does a good job at bringing energy, and throwing hits here and there. But really, what good does that do? He doesn’t kill penalties, hes not that great of a defensive player, his reputation makes him a penalty liability (even if he isn’t doing something that warrants a penalty), and he hardly ever fights anymore. I stand by my opinion that Marcel Hossa should have his job. At least he can kill penalties and shut down the other team with sound defensive play. Marcel also can control the puck in the offensive zone making this trios shifts more productive, and less stressful on the goalie and defense. Ryan is an excellent skater, so that would be a loss, but for what he brings to the lineup he would be better suited elsewhere. I would trade him to open up a spot for Hossa, who I feel has more than earned a permanent job on the 4th line.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
65
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
-7
|
|
On Pace For:
|
81
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
-16
|
Honestly, I struggled with giving Blair the A+. I wish there was something between an A and an A+. Sadly there isn’t, and not giving him the A+ would almost be an insult to every hockey player out there. This guy plays a PHENOMENAL defensive game, wins faceoffs, throws the occasional hit, kills penalties at an elite level, and blocks shots like a brick wall. I shudder to think what the +/- would be for the 4th line (already easily the worst on the entire team) without Betts’ presence. Blair does have his problems though, which starts first and foremost at his vision. He is not a good passer. I know everyone wants to point to his wingers, but that is bull. He played with Shanny, he played with Prucha, he’s played with goal scorers, and has a career total of 12 assists in 224 games. That is laughably bad. He probably would be better set as a winger, but his faceoff and defensive ability makes him the ideal shutdown guy. Stick him with 2 defensive wingers (Hossa and Korpikoski anyone?) and THEN you have a 4th line you should be happy with playing against any teams top line.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
37
|
4
|
2
|
6
|
-3
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
4
|
2
|
6
|
-10
|
On pace to have a -24 year. Ouch. Colton doesn’t fight much anymore. Colton doesn’t score goals. Colton doesn’t set up goals. Colton doesn’t defend particularly well. Colton doesn’t kill penalties. Colton doesn’t skate well at all. What exactly does Colton do out there? Look, I was ok with having this guy out there if he broke a face a game. But he’s had what…5 fights this year? Something like that? And he’s probably lost 2 of them. I know it’s a feel good story. I have been rooting like hell for the kid, but I just don’t see why he’s so well thought of if he isn’t doing his job. People love to say how much his game has improved, but when you start of as a goon who can barely skate, and end up as a player probably less valuable then Chris Simon is at this juncture, then ask yourself why we should all be ok with his play. He basically is accomplishing nothing every shift, and that is ok with everyone, sheesh. I get what Renney and Colton are trying to do. They are trying to make him an NHL player, but he is barely that at this point, and while it may be nice if he can turn into a player like that, ask yourself if it’s better to have him in there for the occasional fight, or if a defensive specialist should be there. While I was a HUGE supporter of having Orr in there night in and night out earlier this year, it was with the understanding that he would get into at least a fight every other game, and make himself known out there. The Rangers have trailed in almost every game this year, how many of those did Colton try to wake up his teammates by smashing in someone skull from the other team? Maybe once?
Sorry, I have no time for that Colton, wake up and do your job, or get off my team.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
30
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
-1
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
-24
|
Don’t trade him unless you are getting equal value for the Petr Prucha of the past two years, not just the Petr Prucha of this year.
Whew, I had to get that out of my system first and foremost. I am convinced that this kid is just snakebitten. The effort is there, the skills didn’t just suddenly run out of his body and hop into another player, and his playing time is down. So let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. The kid gets very little power play time since the team got Shanny, and the scoring across the board for this team has been down. It would be one thing if everyone was scoring but him, and he was a detriment, but when everyone isn’t scoring, its not fair to just tear down this kid and get rid of him. He still creates chances, and gets teams looking for him, and that is a good thing. Sure, everyone once in a while an opposing player launched Petr into orbit, but he always gets back up, and that’s something to remember. At this point you probably won’t get fair value for this kid. If you can, I have no problem moving him, but I don’t like the idea of moving him for moving him sake. If you can move him and Malik to improve the defense (and get one of those pylons off the team) then I would be all for it, but I would rather it be in a big move, and not for a lateral move. Statistically his numbers are down across the board, but you knew that already didn’t ya?
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
74
|
26
|
18
|
44
|
-2
|
|
On Pace For:
|
79
|
8
|
12
|
21
|
0
|
Way, WAY more than I expected. Honestly I felt Nigel Dawes earned his spot coming out of camp, and that necessity for a center outweighed who really earned the spot. I still feel that way, but I also feel like Renney and company made the right decision. This kid shows flashes of being a 2nd line center, which is really saying something considering I felt his upside was 3rd line center. Statistically hes not that impressive, but you really do need to watch every game, because every few games you see flashes of brilliance. I still think he is very uncomfortable in his body. I don’t think he realizes just how big and strong he is, and because of that he doesn’t get those bulling to the net type goals. He will though, just give him time. He also has an exceptional ability to dump, chase, and recover a puck single handedly. It’s an invaluable skill he has definitely learned from Scotty Gomez. On the negative side of things, much like Marc Staal, he loses his balance a lot. He spends more time on his butt than Petr Prucha, which is very bad. He needs to work on his lower body strength, and his fighting. It’s the typical growing pains you have to deal with.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
8
|
18
|
26
|
-12
|
After spending the end of last year proving me wrong, Ryan has spent this whole year proving me right. It has long been my contention that Ryan Callahan is a very unremarkable player. That the only skill he has which stands out is his hockey sense, which enables him to be in the right place at the right time to get those crucial goals. This year, he has not been doing that. You can blame it on the injury he suffered early in the year if you like, but I’m not going to bail him out like that. He needs to go back to Hartford and re-earn his ice time. Nigel Dawes is ready for another shot, and has twice as many points in the NHL this season right now, as Callahan is projected to have by seasons end. Statistically it’s been a miserable season so far for Ryan. It is very possible he will snap out of it, but unlike Prucha, he doesn’t have the track record at this level to justify hanging in there with him.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
14
|
4
|
2
|
6
|
+5
|
|
On Pace For:
|
65
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
-3
|
When he plays, we win. When he doesn’t we don’t. The fuel for our engine, the guy that makes us go, the heart and soul, etc. He is the freaking man. That’s all you can say. I have no complaints about Sean, except he’s been hurt a bit this year, and he needs to stay healthy, or you might as well kiss our season goodbye. The guy is a phenomenal penalty killer, has tremendous vision (if Shanny could bury a shot during the first 1/3rd of the season, he probably has 5-10 more assists), can skate with just about any forward out there, and plays a very abrasive game. He goes to the net, sticks up for his teammates, and pisses off an entire country. What’s there not to love? Statistically he is on pace to have a higher than average season points wise, which is actually amazing considering just how awful this Ranger team has been offensively.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
64
|
10
|
17
|
27
|
0
|
|
On Pace For:
|
61
|
6
|
31
|
37
|
-6
|
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Shanny, Sakic, and Gretzky are my 3 favorite NHLers of all time. The guy is a prolific goal scorer, is a leader, and he’s a winner. There isn’t anything Shanny won’t do to win. The problem is he is able to do less and less every year. I think Shanny has lost a step this year, despite what his numbers say. He still gets by with a ridiculous shot, but he plays too many minutes, and should slow down big time towards the end of the year. Though none of that has anything to do with evaluating his performance thus far. Points wise he is on pace to have a career average type year, however if he could have even scored on 10% of his shots early this year (his career shooting percentage is 13.07% counting this year) he would have 20-25 already. Everyone goes through funks, so I guess that is ok. I really don’t have many complaints with Shanny, except for him being a tad bit slower than last year. Other than that, you’ve got almost the perfect player to lead this team.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
75
|
33
|
35
|
68
|
+8
|
|
On Pace For:
|
81
|
30
|
30
|
60
|
+4
|
If I were considering Salary, I would give Chris a very different grade. With that said, I think Chris has been playing much better as of late. He is a superb penalty killer, an elite faceoff man, a very good defensive player, and a guy who, like Shanny, will do whatever it takes to win. The problem with Chris is he isn’t getting those left circle one-timers he was getting last year in Buffalo. His linemates looked for him in that position last year, and when they found him, he buried that shot. This year he simply isn’t going there, and his linemates aren’t finding him in prime scoring positions. A lot of that has to do with the players he is playing with, who are natural goal scorers (Shanny, Jagr, and Prucha) and, like Rozsival, is deferring to them. I’ve read in a lot of places that Drury is trying to do too much, and I actually disagree with that, I think he is being too unselfish. He is trying to get the rebound goals, the garbage goals that his teammates won’t get, and what that does is cause a very good goal scorer to have that aspect of his game neutralized. I really wish Renney would build some plays around Drurys ability to score from the left circle. It really would be ideal to play him with Jagr on the PP and have him fire away from that side. It would cause the defense to have to shift more to his side, and away from Jagr. Ying-Yang. Either way, I am looking for more from Chris, because I think he is capable of doing a lot more. Statistically he is well below pace of his career average for points, 68, and the -20 +/- he is projected at is physically painful for me to look at.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
75
|
33
|
35
|
68
|
+8
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
20
|
36
|
56
|
-20
|
Statistically Straka is eerily close to being on pace for his career average in just about every aspect of his game. But Marty’s game is a lot more than just scoring goals. I’ve yet to see a shift the guy just mails in. He plays hard each and every second he is out there, and plays defense at a very high level. He is also killing penalties this year, and has been a huge reason Jaromir Jagr has gotten going as of late. Really, in this case there isn’t much more to say. The guy does his job, and there isn’t really anything to complain about. He has been easily one of the best signings Glen Sather has made during his tumultuous tenure as GM for the Rangers.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
64
|
17
|
31
|
48
|
+4
|
|
On Pace For:
|
67
|
18
|
26
|
44
|
+5
|
It is physically painful for me to give out this A+. No, seriously, I think I might have to go to the hospital after this (though dehydration from writing this ridiculously long article might be the reason for that too). You all know how much I hated, and still hate this signing. But performance wise, I can’t really find a single thing to complain about. He has been doing everything I expected he would, and much much more. Defensively he’s been sound, offensively he has jump started every aging superstar he’s been paired with, and in the circles hes been strong on faceoffs. Coming off of a career high 78…err 13 game point streak, Gomez has started to flat out dominate every single shift he is out there. He is penetrating the zone with numbers, or he is dumping and recovering the puck on his own. He is adjusting his game to the players he is being paired with, and hasn’t had any problems assimilating into the Rangers clubhouse and culture. Statistically he is only on pace for 76 points, but that really is because of a slow start, probably attributable to adjusting to the new system and new players. I expect him to finish closer to 90 points by seasons end. There isn’t a single thing I would change with regards to how he is playing at the moment.
Damn it!
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
78
|
17
|
48
|
65
|
+8
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
18
|
58
|
76
|
+12
|
Mental. That’s all there is to it. When Jaromir has been mentally into the game this year, he has been every bit as good as the guy who scored 54 goals just 2 years ago. However for large, and I mean LARGE stretches of games this year, Jaromir has played very much like the guy run out of Washington. Why? I have no idea, but I can guess that no longer being “the man” probably has something to do with it. On a team with more stars than Broadway Jaromir is no longer the guy everyone looks at to do everything. Maybe feeling “needed” is something that drive Jagr, maybe not, but whatever drives Jagr, he better find it, or the Rangers will find themselves out of the playoff hunt, and even if they make the playoffs, they won’t make much noise without him, because despite what he thinks, this team absolutely has to have Jaromir Jagr play like Jaromir Jagr to be successful. Statistically this is by far and away the worst we have seen Jagr play in quite some time. Even though he is statistically very close to Gomez, he has not been playing like a guy with 72 points (which just shows you how frigging awesome this guy can be). If Jagr gets going, start booking tickets for the finals. If he continues to play like this, start buying tickets for the 2008 NHL draft, because there won’t be much else to look forward to this year.
|
Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
+/-
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
74
|
39
|
57
|
96
|
+17
|
|
On Pace For:
|
82
|
22
|
50
|
72
|
+2
|
You guys all know how much I root for big Vally, so it has been fun to finally see this guy do some positive stuff out there on the ice. Vally is your typical backup goalie. He will be good for a bad goal once every 2 games, and doesn’t always make the spectacular saves to rob a goal. But he does stop most of the shots he should stop. He also looks a billion times more calm in net than Kevin Weekes ever did. His rebound control could definitely use a lot of work though.
|
Games
|
Wins
|
GAA
|
SV%
|
Shutouts
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
4
|
1
|
2.71
|
.917
|
0
|
|
On Pace For:
|
16
|
4
|
2.73
|
.896
|
0
|
Statistically Henrik Lundqvist on pretty much on par for his career, with the exception of shutouts, which he is on pace to just destroy. However Henrik’s numbers have taken a turn for worse since his father fell seriously ill. Is that a coincidence? You would have to be an idiot to think so. The fact of the matter is, before we found out his Dad was very ill, Henrik was having a runaway Vezina year, right now he wouldnt even be nominated. That is telling on how extreme these streaks have been. Honestly, I find it hard to believe a goalie this damn good is going to continue to play this damn bad. One of Henriks best attributes has been his ability to stay focused on each and every shot, and be square to the shooter all the time. However his focus definitely seems to be waivering of late. Care to take a wager why?
Also Henrik continues to be among the worst in the league in handling the puck with his stick. He flat out sucks at it. That hasn’t changed this year. Still, the raw numbers are impressive, even if you add in his recent slump. Take that slump out and your jaw should be on the floor.
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Games
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Wins
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GAA
|
SV%
|
Shutouts
|
|
|
Career Average:
|
62
|
34
|
2.29
|
.919
|
4
|
|
On Pace For:
|
70
|
36
|
2.28
|
.911
|
12
|
Since the season started, Glen has made only one move that I can remember, and that is to acquire Pierre Parenteau to play for Hartford. But this move has been a huge success, as Pierre has helped lead the Pack to a very respectable record despite having many graduations to the big club, and being a very very young team with a first time coach. I am sure Glen is exploring every possible move, and I haven’t really seen any moves another team has made that I wish Glen had done first (since the preseason started), so there isn’t much to complain about, but Glen better work the phones before the trade deadline, this team most definitely needs a defenseman to solidify the bottom pair.
I don’t understand his decision making whatsoever. He plays the 4th line with 5 minutes to go in the game against the Canucks while we are trailing by 1. He plays Dubinsky less than he plays Hollweg and Orr (not always, but he does do it from time to time). And very few coaches get so little from so much when you consider the sheer offensive juggernaut we should be. He plays to not lose very often, and that is a bad trait. My choice for headcoach has been Schoenfeld for a while now, however I doubt he would even want the job now that he is on the fast track to replacing Glen as GM. Tom has done some good though, instituting a defensive system that can and does win. Has a set practice schedule, and definitely has the respect of the players around him, making them all seem very happy to be here. Still though, there are serious questions if he is the guy to lead us to the cup. I haven’t called for his head much, if at all this year, but my patience does have an end, Tom bought himself some extra rope with me after the late season rush last year. That rope is getting mighty short at the moment.
Ok, thats it! See why I didn’t want to write this?! I get going, and I can’t stop. Oh well, hopefully a few people read this thing all the way through.
