Nigel Dawes has earned a spot on the Rangers coming out of camp for the second straight season. The question confronting personnel deciders Glen Sather, Tom Renney and Jim Schoenfeld is whether management will be willing to hand him a uniform system at the expense of Marcel Hossa, who did next to nothing to maintain his place on the roster.
Of all the incumbents, Hossa has been the biggest disappointment. Nevertheless, the winger, who had one spell last season during which he played well on Jaromir Jagr’s left flank and would never get through waivers, appears likely to start the season on the roster as the 13th forward, while the waivers-protected Dawes, 22, returns to the AHL Wolf Pack.
Hossa, who will turn 26 on Oct. 12, has size and can protect the puck along the boards and in the corners, attributes that allow him to complement Jagr when called upon to move up to the first line. But unless the Rangers are hammered by injuries, Martin Straka will skate on No. 68’s left, regardless of whether Scott Gomez or Chris Drury centers the unit.
Meanwhile, Sean Avery will play with Brendan Shanahan and either Drury or Gomez, unless he’s shifted at times to third-line center between high-energy, high-ceiling wingers Petr Prucha and Ryan Callahan. If Avery were to supplant Brandon Dubinsky in the middle depending upon a particular opponent or matchup, then the quick, skilled and offense-minded winger Dawes would be a better option than Hossa to skate on the second line.
The Rangers cannot keep 14 forwards. With Ryan Hollweg and Colton Orr flanking Blair Betts on the fourth line, Hossa would be a better fit as a checking-oriented replacement for either of the aforementioned pugilistically inclined wingers on nights when one is scratched. On the other hand, Dawes’ speed would allow Renney to hide a scoring threat on the fourth line.
Keeping Hossa while sending Dawes to Hartford does maintain the Rangers’ depth protection against injury, because if Hossa were lost on waivers or traded for a draft pick, Lauri Korpikoski probably would become the 14th forward. Still, something seems a bit amiss when a player who earns a job isn’t able to get it, especially on a team whose organizational mantra has become work ethic and accountability.