SEAN Avery is on his way to Hart ford, where, The Post has learned, he will be assigned today by the Stars for an indeterminate period before going on re-entry waivers that all but assuredly will lead back to Broadway.
After last night’s display in the 3-0 loss in New Jersey that extended the losing streak to five games (0-4-1) in which they have been outscored 21-5, not only can’t Avery’s return come soon enough, but a handful of Rangers on the current roster should feel fortunate not to be making the reverse commute to Hartford, themselves.
It’s unacceptable how poorly the Rangers’ alleged best players are performing under the gun. It’s unacceptable how soft the team is as a group. It’s unacceptable how coach Tom Renney continues to award ice time, specifically on the power play, to athletes who have proven incapable of handling the assignment.
Scott Gomez has lost his game. Chris Drury can’t find his. Wade Redden hasn’t had one for a couple of years, so you’d need a search party led by bloodhounds to even have the most remote chance of finding a scent, if not a heartbeat.
These players specifically, these players who were supposed to blossom and/or lead the team without strong personalities Avery, Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan to interrupt the feel-good party in the room, they have been monumental disappointments.
This is the trickle-down theory. Or maybe it’s Voodoo hockey. Whatever it is, it’s becoming a disgrace. The Rangers went through a punishment practice last Wednesday, yet lost the next game 10-2 in Dallas on Friday.
They were, The Post has learned, addressed by GM Glen Sather in a team meeting on Saturday and were shut out last night.
Nothing gets through. Guess what, Avery will get through. He’ll get through to the net. He’ll get through to his teammates whether they like it or not.
Not one of them has the privilege of voicing an objection to his return, not after these last two weeks, not after last night’s defeat that only has the distinction of not being as much of a fiasco as the one preceding it.
“I don’t think we have the confidence we need right now,” said Henrik Lundqvist. “We’re saying the right things about what we want to do, but you can sense that the confidence drops if we fall behind by a goal or two.”
The Rangers, on July 4, appeared to be a team that would finish between seventh and 12th in the East. They’re in sixth place now, but only six points clear of 10th place. They are what the standings say they are. Finally. Over a long season, cream rises to the top and water seeks its own level. And soft teams melt. The Rangers are traipsing through puddles.
“Of course I would like to see us be more aggressive, I think we did play a more physical game than we have been playing, but we can do even more,” said Lundqvist, who chose his words carefully. “Let’s face it, the last couple of weeks we’ve looked a little flat, and we can’t have that.
“We have to be better. I include myself. As Glen said, ‘There’s winning and there’s misery.’ ”
At the moment, the Rangers look miserable. Hurry, Sean, hurry.