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BLITZ 08 TEAM REVIEW - NEW YORK RANGERS - A LEAGUE


LA Robbie

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BLITZ 08 TEAM REVIEW - NEW YORK RANGERS - A LEAGUE

STRENGTHS
* ELITE GAME CHANGERS ON OFFENCE & DEFENCE
* MASSIVE PHYSICAL PRESENCE ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE
* DOMINATING, PUCK CARRYING DMEN
WEAKNESSES
* .......ERM........PREDICTABLE PLAY ON THE LEFT SIDE?
* GOALTENDING JUST ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF AVERAGE
TEAM OVERVIEW
Looking back I probably rated the Rangers a little too highly in my Blitz 07 review. Yes they were stacked and had Mario Lemieux heading up the offence, but on reflection maybe Shayne Corson & Benoit Hogue just weren't the elite support guys required for a championship push. Even so BoKnows would have been disappointed to have only snuck into the playoffs last season on a technicality.
With an already strong team Bo has once again reaped the benefits of an early draft pick to strengthen even further for Blitz 08 and the result is surely one of this season's best rosters. Although at first glance it appears Bo's draft strategy was to try to recreate the original '94 Rangers roster, closer inspection reveals a nicely balanced group that should excel in all departments. There are superstars all over the ice here that ensure the Rangers will not be relying solely on #66's magic, and will be as tough to score on as any team out there.
With pretty much all bases covered in terms of weight, speed, skill & balance you have to fancy their chances against any opponent out there. Get ready for one of Blitz 08's most exciting teams.........
OFFENCE
This season's Rangers forward line is arguably the best in the game for Blitz 08. Not only does the man himself Mario Lemieux lead the team for a second season but he's now joined by probably the fastest, skilled big man in Esa Tikkanen, and also by Ron Francis' muscle-bound skill set. New York not only have 3 huge forwards who can produce the game winning moment on their own, but all 3 also have the playmaking qualities to set up one of the others. If you were trying to put together an elite front line of guys capable of physically dominating almost any opponent there are probably only one or two other names you'd consider aside from this trio. If all that is not enough there is quality backup on the bench too!
Whatever your opinion might be on the Blitz league's most valuable player, Mario Lemieux is in the debate. Like it or not his record of more than 2 goals per game in his Blitz career and just over a 2.800 average makes him hard to ignore.........as do his skill stats. At 10 weight he packs a physical punch few forwards can match, and elite skills that no other heavy weight forward can get near. 5/4 skating, 6 Off aware, 4/6 shooting, 6 Stick handling & 6 passing make this guy one of the jewels in the '94 weight bug fix crown. Not only can he dodge the hits as well as ride them, set up the goals as well as score them but his 3 checking also makes him a defensive power house too. His offensive awareness also makes him infuriating to play against as you'll think you've got everything covered only to see he'll regularly get free in the offensive zone to unleash that almost unstoppable onetimer. With the passing skills of Tikkanen & Francis feeding #66 this could potentially be a record breaking season for Super Mario.
Esa Tikkanen should take Benoit Hogue's place as Lemieux's offensive support, & it's a major step up which takes Bo's roster into dream team territory this season. Hogue's 83 points last season with 43 assists were a career 2nd best. Bo really did get the maximum out of his 4 passing, 3/5 shot & 4/5 skating. With more than 7 weight Hogue would surely be an elite player..........well Tikkanen actually brings exactly that. His 9 weight coupled with explosive 5/5 skating offers a totally different proposition to any other forward in the league. He's the only speedster out there with the physicality to vary up his tactics. Combined with 4 passing and a heavy, if inaccurate 4/2 shot it makes him the player that everyone who's ever drafted Benoit Hogue wishes he was. With more than an assist a game & a 2.2 point average in his Blitz career Tikkanen looks like a dream partner for #66 this season. Add to that his monster 5 checking & you have yet another highly skilled 2-way player who'd walk into any other team in the league. He hit a career best 122 regular season points last season feeding Jeremy Roenick at Anaheim...............don't be surprised if the LEM-EN duo helps him go further still this season.
Ron Francis looks like the likely 3rd starter on this forward line to add some much needed muscle :-/ and although he doesn't possess the elite skills of Mario or Tikkanen he still has qualities that can benefit any team on both sides of the puck. The only question is: If you have Lemieux & Tikkanen do you really need someone who does a lot of the same things, just not as well? He's 9 weight & has a nice 4 pass that will once again find Lemieux & Tikkanen for regular assists, but he's a little on the slow side & his 4/3 shot is only a touch better than Tikkanen's so he won't be taking much of the goal scoring responsibility. His career best is only 73 points in Blitz 05 & his career points average is just 1.1 points per game. His likely role is staying home using his 4 checking to support the D while Mario & Tikkanen are off doing their thing. He probably doesn't add significant offensive threat, but maybe that's not his strength. He's good at what he's good at, and he makes the NYR forward line a formidable defensive unit.
If Francis really isn't needed with the brutal physical presence already present Dmitri Kvartalnov will be ready & willing to step into the offensive line. He retains his place in the Rangers squad this season & Bo will be hoping he can build on his career best 50 regular season points from Blitz 07. It was his first season playing regularly in which he had a points average of 1.22 - Better than Ron Francis. His 4/4 skating & 4 passing combined with 6 weight means he offers something different to the other 3. He'll accelerate quicker than his bigger team mates, giving variation to the attack. Although he's another great set-up man he's another that won't score too many though.
Adam Graves & Mike Krushelski complete the offensive slots on the roster, but to be honest it's hard to see where they fit in. Graves looks like Kvartalnov light with his 4/4 skating & 3 passing, & Krushelski looks like Francis light with his 9 weight & 3 checking. Both have enough about them to come in an do a passable job if the injuries & penalties build up, but neither adds anything better than the 4 in front of them to be a serious threat to the starting line up.
With 4 players of genuine starting quality the Rangers have good depth, and when you consider that Tikkanen & Lemieux would walk into any other team in the league they look scary good. With one of the best goal scorers, one of the best set-up guys & 3 brutal forwards on the defensive side of the puck it's hard to imagine any team keeping them quiet this season.
If you want to be picky you could point out that Lemieux offers the roster's only elite shot, so unless Tikkanen provides a genuine 2nd scoring option their play could be predictable, but even if everything is geared towards setting up #66............how you gonna stop it?
DEFENCE
As if three monstrous forwards wasn't enough the Rangers look equally intimidating on D, and with a skilled starting partnership of James Patrick & Eric Desjardins they'll contribute to the team's offensive plays too. Those searching for a chink in the armour may point out Greg Hawgood's averageness, but the very fact that you have to wait 'til the 4th Dman to identify a weakness tells you this is a great defensive unit.
James Patrick is the 3rd of 5 players retained from last season, and will once again be the defensive general on this roster. Other coaches might be forced to prioritise one area of the team, but in addition to the terrifying sight of LEM-EN on offence, Bo has one of the games elite skilled dominating Dmen to back them up too. His +0.9 career point average is superior to most Dmen, and he regularly gets 30 assists a season, helped by his 4/4 skating, 4 stick handling and great 4 passing, but his 9 weight & 4 checking means he's amongst the best when it comes to the bread-and-butter defensive responsibilities as well. He can easily take down all but the biggest forwards & is one of the most rounded Dmen in the A league this season.
Eric Desjardins has been brought in from a trade deal that saw Richard Smehlik leave the Garden & head to Detroit. The Rangers have lost Smehlik's huge 10 weight & 4 checking in favour of Desjardins' 9 & 4, but in terms of technical ability they've gained another good offensive support player. His 4/3 skating & 4 stick handling makes him an agile, slippery customer who's adept at winning the puck & breaking out to start the counter-attack, and while his 3 passing isn't in Patrick's territory he still regularly gets close to 30 assists a season & has over 0.7 points per game on average in his Blitz career. With Desjardins & Patrick in the side the puck handling ability to start & support quality offensive plays is going to give the Rangers a hell of a lot of time in the opponent's defensive zone.
Daryl Sydor is another returnee this season, and is a great looking 3rd Dman to come in on the PK. He's another 9 weight & with 3 checking he still packs a punch even if he's not in Patrick & Desjardins' league so although he lacks the skills to really play a part in possession his 3/3 skating & passing still makes him a consistent contributor & a fine addition to the roster.
Wwwhhhoooooooppppppsssssss!!!!!!! Looks like someone had his round 11 pick skipped? Greg Hawgood takes up the 4th D slot on the roster & his 7 weight 2 checking suggests you'd be better served bringing Liberachi in on the PK. He really takes the shine off this great looking roster. On the plus side his 3/3 skating, 3 stick handling & 3 passing isn't really that bad. It just depends what you want from your players when you only have 3 on the ice I guess.
The starting pair here look excellent with great defensive ability but with a formidable offensive contribution too. With Sydor waiting in the wings for injuries & PKs New York have a really solid looking line & whilst Hawgood may not be of the same quality, how often is he really going to play?
At first glance it may appear that the monster is missing on D, with three 9 weights, but when you remember that whilst these guys are slowing the play Lemieux, Tikkanen & Francis are bombing in from behind there are few teams looking more physically powerful in the A league this season.
GOALIES
Last season the Rangers could depend on the elite goaltending of Grant Fuhr so when you lose someone of that quality in the draft you gotta hope the man coming in is capable of filling a fair percentage of his skates. ALL HAIL (Anticipated inhale!)..............................Mike Richter (Sigh).
OK, so he's not anywhere near Fuhr's quality, but truth be told Richter probably falls into the category of acceptable goalies. His 4/4 stick & 5/5 gloves mean he is more than capable of making the big saves in auto & 4/4 speed with 7 weight make him a nice handling manual goalie too. He just seems to have a tendency for the inexplicable error & the occasional nightmare game at times which will cost points and infuriate no end, possibly due to his 3 puck handling? With a 0.651 save % in his Blitz career he's not bad at all..................but he's definitely not Grant Fuhr.
Jim Waite stays on the NY roster as back up and his 0.500 career save % says it all. Problem is he'll likely be called up 3 or 4 times during the season when Richter is having one of "Those games".
STARS
Wow. Where do you start? Obviously Mario Lemieux is the go-to-guy with everything you need to totally dominate a game & he's going to be more than ably supported by big hitting, fast skating Esa Tikkanen, who could well lead the league in assists as he feeds Lemieux from the wing.
On D James Patrick is as dominant as all but the biggest Dmen, and has the skills to be a major player on offence too.
WEAKNESSES
Weaknesses?.................erm..............well, I guess you have to ask: "Will Tikkanen, Francis & Kvatalnov score enough goals to take the pressure off Mario?" Francis has the 2nd best shot on the roster at 4/3 which is average & is much more suited to defensive duties & the occasional assist, while Tikkanen's ability to miss the easy chance is legendary.
Lemieux is also the only right hander here, so, presuming he plays at C the team has no slapshot option off the left wing, which perhaps makes them more predictable down that side. The clear tactic for opponents is to cut off the passing channels to Lemieux.............if you can!
Time will tell how much of a loss Fuhr is this season, but Richter's erratic nature could ultimately prove an obstacle to title contention in the tight games.
SEASON PREDICTION - TITLE CONTENDERS
You just can't ignore any team that boasts Lemieux, Tikkanen & Patrick, and when they're supported by Francis & Desjardins you know you have an exceptional starting 5. With Kvartalnov & Sydor injuries aren't going to slow them down too much either.
The roster just has something of everything required to win any game, against any team: Dominating physical play, speed, elite skills, tough D & special players who can produce something from nothing.
Even if you look at the fact there's no monstrous Dman here you have to remember that the likes of Lindros, Stevens, Carson & Messier are all in the B league this season, so the only elite big forwards NY will face are perhaps Cam Neely, Andreychuk, Sandstrom & Hull. With Lemieux, Tikkanen & Francis backing up Stevens & Desjardins you have to think they have the quality to contain anyone.
The only area significantly weaker this season is in goal. Against the very best coaches, and the strongest teams will Mike Richter's tendency for the costly error ultimately be the biggest threat to their title credentials?
Edited by LA Robbie
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