Rangers’ management is using the eight-day holiday roster “freeze” to evaluate the club while contemplating personnel changes once waiver and trade restrictions are lifted after midnight on Sunday.
That’s the inference drawn from comments made yesterday morning by head coach John Tortorella when asked what the argument would be against the Blueshirts carrying seven defensemen in light of his expressed concerns about the team’s blue line corps, specifically third-pair partners Wade Redden and Matt Gilroy.
First asked about Redden’s play in Monday’s 3-1 victory in Carolina upon his reinstatement to the lineup after being scratched twice, Tortorella was lukewarm in his endorsement.
“Reds was . . . I thought he had some good shifts and some [crummy] shifts,” the coach said at the morning skate before the Rangers’ 4-1 victory over the Panthers last night at the Garden, their fourth win in a row.
Tortorella was asked at the same time about Gilroy, the 25-year-old rookie who returned to the lineup after serving a five-game sentence with the AHL Wolf Pack.
“I think Gilly tried to engage and separate people from the puck, which is what the coaches have been talking to him about,” Tortorella said. “And he competed a little bit harder.
“We know he can skate and we know he can pass the puck, but we want him to work on the things he needs to work on, so I thought he made some strides.”
It was then that Tortorella was asked what the argument would be against adding a seventh defenseman.
“There is no argument [against it],” Tortorella said. “We’re frozen here for now, but after Christmas we’ll have some decisions to make along the way, so we’ll see.
“Ask me again after Christmas.”
Actually, NHL rosters are frozen in a limited sense. Players can be recalled from the minors at any time, and players recalled during the “freeze” can move freely between the NHL and AHL, but personnel on the NHL roster as of midnight Dec. 19 cannot be dispatched to the minors.
That means while the Rangers could recall a seventh defenseman at any time, they would be prohibited from making a corresponding roster move unless it was to send Matt Gilroy back to Hartford, from where he was recalled on Sunday.
Other than for a few days, the Rangers have carried six defenseman all season. They are currently carrying two extra forwards. The combination of cap considerations and the coach’s preference not to have three extra players on the roster implies a corresponding move should the Blueshirts opt to recall a seventh defenseman.
Erik Christensen, the center claimed on waivers from Anaheim on Dec. 3, would seem to be in serious jeopardy after being designated as a healthy scratch last night to accommodate the return to the lineup of fourth-line pivot Brian Boyle, who missed Monday’s game with a stiff back.
“Erik has been given the opportunity in an offensive position,” Tortorella said. “I didn’t see him grab hold of it.”
Christensen was given two games as second-line center, last Thursday at the Coliseum and Saturday in Philadelphia during which he failed to record a point in 24:04 of total ice time. The 26-year-old forward has failed to register a point in 16 NHL games this season.
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Rangers draft picks Chris Kreider (19th overall this year), Derek Stepan (51st overall in 2008) and Ryan Bourque (80th overall this year) have been selected to play for the U.S. World Junior Team.
“We had a meeting after the [first] Islander game in which it was said that either things would change or there would be changes in the locker room,” Prospal said. “I’ve seen it before where guys are benched. With Torts, it doesn’t matter who you are, you always know where you stand with him.
“If you don’t step up, you could be out of the lineup or gone. It’s not personal with Torts. It’s business.”
Marian Gaborik, who got his league-leading 26th goal in the Blueshirts’ 37th match, is two goals ahead of the pace set by Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06 when he established the club record of 54 goals. Gaborik, who had seven shots on goal, has 30 shots in his last six games.
Sean Avery, on the ice for another Rangers’ even-strength goal scored — now on for nine of the club’s 16 at even-strength in the last 11 games — was involved in a series of post-whistle scrums.