Goal Line Report
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They’ll Be Fine
by Patrick Hoffman on 12/18/08 at 09:30 PM ET
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Well, it’s official folks. Mats Sundin has found a new home and it’s not on Broadway.
As reported by TSN, Sundin has signed a one-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. This is someone that the New York Rangers could have used but if you think about it, with a 22-11-2 record, the team must be doing something right.
Yes, the team relies on their goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to bail them out a lot and yes, they are primarily a defense-first team. However, these are two elements that have allowed the Blueshirts to be successful the past three seasons.
Now, does that mean I am completely satisfied with the team? No. The Rangers still have yet to really click on offense, especially at home, and they’ve also had trouble closing out games in regulation. Yes, a win is a win whether it’s in OT or in the shootout but remember folks, there’s no shootout in the playoffs.
The team also needs to get much better play than they have been from the likes of Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin. They haven’t been physical enough, they’ve coughed up the puck a lot and have looked uncomfortable in their own zone in general. Hopefully, both guys, especially Redden, will turn their games soon because the better they play, the better the rest of their defensive corps will look.
So, you can be disappointed for now but remember, the Rangers are near the top of the conference heading into the holiday season and they still haven’t played to their potential. Give this current team a chance!
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Dmitri+Kalinin, Mats+Sundin, New+York+Rangers, Vancouver+Canucks, Wade+Redden,
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About Goal Line Report
The Goal Line Report will focus on all things Eastern Conference. Do I have a bias towards the Eastern Conference just because I am a New Yorker? No, but it certainly does make things easier! I’ll make my opinions known on Eastern Conference news bits (as often as I can), big games, hot and cold players, trades (I don’t make things up) and anything and everything else related to the Eastern Conference that I think is important for hockey fans to know. I will, in every sense of the word, be the beast of the East while also making sure to drop my thoughts on other hockey news items.
I, Patrick Hoffman, have covered the NHL since 2003 and have worked for a variety of hockey media sources including: Stan Fischler, Spector’s Hockey, TheHockeyNews.com, HockeyBuzz.com, McKeen’s Hockey, Blueshirt Bulletin, XM Home Ice Channel Hockey Blog, HockeyPrimeTime.com, FantasyHockey.com. NY SportsDay, and HokejaVestnesis.com.
For questions, comments or to talk hockey, feel free to send me an e-mail at .
THere near the top until all the under teams have played there 5 games in hand!!
Posted by roc on 12/18/08 at 11:25 PM ET