Wade Redden’s last chance to make a positive impression on coach John Tortorella and thus avoid exile to the AHL Wolf Pack begins tonight in Raleigh.
Tortorella, who is reinserting Redden into the lineup for tonight’s match against the Hurricanes after scratching the veteran defenseman the previous two games, will expect to see No. 6 bring the same emotion onto the ice as he brought into the coach’s office Thursday morning at Nassau Coliseum, where he complained about being benched.
At the same time, the coach will review whether 10 days and five games in Hartford taught Matt Gilroy how to compete at a consistent level, for the Hobey Baker winner also will be reinserted into the Blueshirts’ lineup following his recall yesterday morning.
In one sense, these are odd moves for a coach whose team won two straight for the first time in almost a month (and two straight in regulation for the first time since mid October) following the shakeup in which he scratched both Redden and Ales Kotalik.
In another sense, however, the Rangers were outplayed in four of their last six periods despite defeating the Islanders 5-2 on Thursday and the Flyers 2-1 on Saturday in Philadelphia, outshot 37-22 and 37-24 respectively, saved literally in each game by Henrik Lundqvist.
So it’s not as if the defense, whose third pair partners Ilkka Heikkinen and Bobby Sanguinetti were both dispatched to the Wolf Pack on Saturday in advance of the NHL holiday roster freeze, was especially stout in the victories.
And it’s not as if Tortorella’s threats and actions exactly spurred the Rangers to dominance against two clubs who have their collective noses pressed on the outside of the playoff window.
Yes, Chris Drury has certainly responded to falling down the lineup ladder by scoring in each of the last two games. But the Blueshirts still were shorthanded too often (12 times in the pair of games), still beaten in too many battles and still pinned in their own end chasing the puck too often for Tortorella to appear in front of a banner declaring, “Mission Accomplished” at his next press briefing.
So Redden, who on Thursday made the ludicrous charge that he was being made, “an example,” and was “singled out,” upon learning he would be scratched, gets another chance to prove that he is an NHL player. He will be expected to show some life, to get involved, and to take the body.
It’s a new beginning for Redden, who has four seasons following this one remaining on his six-year, $39M albatross of a contract that hangs around the Blueshirts’ neck like a noose.
The responsibility is his and his alone to see to it that it is not the beginning of the end of his NHL season, if not career.
* The Rangers have scored 14 even-strength goals in their last 11 games. Sean Avery has been on the ice for eight of them, leading Blueshirt forwards in that category. Drury, Marian Gaborik, Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov have each been on for five. Marc Staal has been on for eight to lead the defensemen, with Michal Rozsival on for six.
Over the course of the season, Gaborik leads Rangers forwards by being on the ice for 28 even-strength goals. Vinny Prospal has been on for 25 with Anisimov, surely making a play for more minutes in his freshman season, on for 19 and Avery on for 17.
Lundqvist is expected to make his 10th straight start tonight, and 31st in the Rangers’ 36 games.