Todd White’s future as a Ranger is in doubt after coach John Tortorella admitted last night that he doesn’t know exactly how to use the 35-year-old center who was acquired this summer from Atlanta in exchange for over-35 cap albatross Donald Brashear and minor leaguer Patrick Rissmiller.
“I’ve got to figure out exactly what I’m going to do with Todd White,” Tortorella said before the Rangers’ 3-1 Garden victory over the Devils for which the veteran was scratched in favor of 26-year-old, fourth-line call-up Jeremy Williams, who got 3:43 of ice. “I don’t have him in a spot where I’m certainly giving him a fair chance to show me what he has.
“I don’t know what he is as a player. It really isn’t fair to him. I don’t think he has a ton of confidence in his play and I have a lot to do with that as far as the spots I’ve put him in and how I’ve spotted him in certain areas.
“I’m concerned about his speed and I’ve talked to him about that. But I don’t think I’ve given him a fair shake.”
White, who is on the final year of a contract under which he’s earning $2.375 million (Brashear would have been a $1.4M cap hit while Rissmiller is on the final year of his contract for $1M per), got into the lineup after being scratched the first three games of the season after Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury went down in the Oct. 15 home opener.
Playing on a fourth line of disparate parts, the center who registered 73 points two years ago for the Thrashers while skating the final portion of the season on a line with Ilya Kovalchuk, produced little in 6:50 of ice time.
Unless another injury strikes, it does not appear that White would get an opportunity to bust into a top three-line position. It makes no sense from a cap perspective to keep that salary for a player with a limited role, and who would stand to lose that once the injured players begin their return to the lineup.
“We’ll talk [this] week and try to figure out how to give him a better opportunity,” said Tortorella. “If we can.”
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Brandon Prust, who was clipped around the right eye by a Gregory Campbell high stick in Boston on Saturday night, played a career-high 16:50 despite a shiner and mouse under the eye and a cut above it. . . . Michael Sauer was a late scratch, feeling soreness following the Bruins’ match. Steve Eminger stepped in and got 8:09 of ice while partner Matt Gilroy played 8:38. The pair got three shifts in the third.
Even though only 1-for-7 on the power play, the Blueshirts moved the puck decisively and have appeared far better organized on the man-up unit over the last few games, despite an overall 4-for-32.
“Before we were loaded on one side,” said Michael Del Zotto, who was on for 10:00 of the Rangers’ 13:02 of PP time. “The biggest thing is that we’re moving the puck and moving bodies.
“We’ve had defensemen low and forwards at the top. We’re not being so predictable. We have men open. Now we need to finish.”
The Blueshirts killed all four Devils’ PP’s, making it 14 of 15 on the penalty-killing unit over the three-game winning streak.
Derek Boogaard, yapped at during warmups by David Clarkson, was effective in six turns amounting to 3:27. . . . Brandon Dubinsky shook off a thunderous third-period hit by Matt Corrente to score at empty netter from his own end at 19:59. Dubinsky, LW on the line with C Artem Anisimov and RW Ryan Callahan, stepped in for a number of faceoffs, finishing 7-10 in the circles. Anisimov went 7-8.
Referees Stephen Walkom and Frederick L’Ecuyer played a guessing game throughout, and lost far more often than not.
Blues’ management staff, including John Davidson, took in the match prior to a standard meeting here today with Gary Bettman in which the franchise’s financial situation will be reviewed.
The Rangers are home Wednesday against Atlanta and Friday against Carolina before returning to Toronto on Saturday to face the Leafs for the third time in the first 10 games.