The advantages to having Jason Strudwick on the Rangers’ roster as a seventh or eighth defenseman are varied. He’s a character veteran, he’s not going to raise objections or complain about being scratched, and he’s making $500,000.
The disadvantage to having Strudwick on the roster as the Rangers’ seventh or eighth defenseman is having him become the sixth defenseman, as he will again tonight in bumping Paul Mara for the second straight game when the Blueshirts meet the Islanders at the Coliseum.
Well, it’s not Strudwick technically bumping Mara, it’s Tom Renney bumping Mara for the second straight game, a decision the head coach yesterday explained by stating he believes Strudwick, “has a bit of a calming influence,” on freshman partner Marc Staal.
“We want to give Marc the opportunity to seize the moment,” Renney said. “We need to groom our young defensemen, and at times that will be at the expense of others.”
But Renney also is choosing Strudwick rather than Mara because he anticipates the Islanders will challenge the Rangers physically, the way the Senators did Saturday, and the way every team in the NHL can be expected to attack the Rangers, even more so now with first-responder and initiator Sean Avery sidelined with a shoulder separation.
“Struds brings sandpaper to the lineup,” Renney said. “I think we need that against the Islanders in what will be a physical, hard-fought, intense game.”
Let’s be honest, here. Though Strudwick is a more physical defenseman than Mara, he’s hardly an Ed Jovanovski in that regard, just to pick a name out of thin air. Meanwhile, it was Mara who interceded on opening night against Florida when Branislav Mezei attempted to engage Scott Gomez.
“I wasn’t taking anything for granted coming into this season, but not being in the lineup is shocking and disappointing,” said Mara, a seven-year veteran who played well after coming to the Rangers last year at the deadline in the deal that sent Aaron Ward to the Bruins. “I talked to Tom [on Monday], and when he explained that he thought I had played a big, strong game and was happy with the way I played against Florida, I thought I’d be playing [tonight].
“This has taken me by surprise.”
Strudwick played in 65 games for the Rangers two years ago and in eight games at the end of last season after being signed as a free agent March 19 after Fedor Tyutin and Karel Rachunek each went down with a knee injury. Strudwick is an honest blue-collar worker, albeit one with a limited ceiling who is more effective in small doses. In many ways, Strudwick is the same sort of crutch for Renney on defense as Jason Ward and Adam Hall were up front last year before they were traded.
Like essentially every coach, Renney has proven that when given a crutch, he’ll use it.
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NHL players will have 9.5 percent of their paychecks withheld over the first quarter of the season as a salary cap escrow deduction, The Post has learned, with the figure to be recalculated each quarter per the collective bargaining agreement. Players ultimately refunded 2.76 percent of their salaries last season after earning a collective face-value 58.26 percent of the league’s $2.326 billion gross hockey-related revenues.
RANGERS at ISLANDERS Tonight 7 – VS
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