Fantasy season preview: New York Rangers
The New York Rangers missed the post-season in a shoot-out in the final game of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers last year. In 2010-11 most experts expected the ‘Blue Shirts’ to have to battle to the bitter end once again if they hope to be in
the post-season.
The New York Rangers do not offer fantasy players with many home runs, however for the first time in several seasons the club has some possible sleepers in their line-up. Although the Rangers' roster is riddled with overpaid, under-performing veterans, that
does not matter to the fantasy hockey players, and therefore New York should offer some solid, late-round picks in deep drafts.
Forward
Up front the Rangers do not have much in the way of top-level talent. However, the club does offer some late-round picks as well as a couple of sleepers who could make a difference on the wings.
The Rangers have an all-star calibre forward in Marian Gaborik. The Slovak did everything he was expected to do last season, notching 42 goals and 85 points to go along with a plus-15 rating and 26 power-play-points (PPP). Gaborik is one of the best players
in the National Hockey League when he is healthy. However, the superstar has had a history of injury problems. For this reason Gaborik is a risky early pick. Nevertheless, if you are hungry for goals he is worth taking in the hope he stays in the line-up.
After Gaborik the Rangers' roster takes a nose dive. The next best selection up front is Vinny Prospal. Prospal is pencilled in to play with Gaborik and Alex Frolov this year and should benefit from his line-mates ability to score. Another Ranger worth looking
at is super-pest Sean Avery. Avery was limited to 69 games last year and was only able to notch 31 points. However, with a full season he should be able to net you 45 points to go along and increase on last year’s 160 penalty minutes (PIMs).
The Rangers also have a sleeper in Norwegian Mats Zuccarello Aasen, who is set to play his first season in the NHL after dominating the Swedish Elite League last year with 64 points in 55 games. Although Aasen is not worth drafting, he is worth keeping an
eye on in the waiver wire.
Finally, captain Chris Drury may be ready for a bounce-back season after an awful 2010-11 campaign. Drury was terrible, only notching 14 goals and 32 points. Nevertheless, the veteran is usually good for close to 60 points and could be a great steal late
in the draft.
Defence
At the back end, the Rangers lack fire power and most of their defenders are not worth a second look in a fantasy draft. The exceptions are Michael Del Zotto and Marc Staal. Last season Del Zotto surprised everyone by becoming a special teams wizard, registering
22 PPP. However, Del Zotto is likely to be a liability in rotisserie leagues with his minus-22 rating last season. Staal is still a youngster and is already the best defenseman on the Rangers' roster. The Ontario native only tallied 27 points last year, but
managed a plus-11 rating on a poor defensive squad.
Goaltending
New York has arguably the best goaltender in the game in Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist is good for roughly 75 starts each season and is lights-out between the pipes. Last season in 72 starts the veteran amassed 35 wins to go along with a 2.38 goals-against-average
and a .921 save-percentage.
The Rangers will get some relief at back-up after acquiring veteran Martin Biron. Biron has been around the League, is very capable, and will likely see 15 games next year.
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