New York, NY (WFAN) -- Chris Drury and Scott Gomez are the #1 and #2 centers right now for the Rangers. They make enough money per season to feed most of the third world. Brandon Dubinsky and Blair Betts are #3 and #4 on the Rangers depth chart. They are making far less and producing a whole lot more than their high priced counterparts.
Not to stir the storm after a 3-2 shootout win over the Hurricanes Saturday night at the Garden, but how many nights have you watched the Rangers and came away thinking that Betts and Dubinsky are giving you a whole lot more per game than Gomez and Drury? In this time of Ponzi schemes and poor return on investments, the best stocks you can hold are Betts and Dubinsky in the middle of the Rangers lineup in terms of return on your dollar.
On Saturday, Gomez started slowly and looked sluggish early on but got better as the game progressed. Drury was solid as a penalty killer (not exactly the first thing you want to see on your #1 center's scouting report) Saturday but somewhat invisible most of the night. He did have a breakaway in regulation shorthanded late in the game (tied at 2) and failed to convert. Not taking anything away from Cam Ward, but Drury needs to put the game away there, not with the 4th shot of the shootout.
Drury played just under 20 minutes in the game and just under five minutes shorthanded where he was great. The Rangers killed off a pair of 5v3 situations and he was a part of that, though a case could be made than goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who needs to be the best pk player on the ice, was just that. Lundqvist shook off a tough night against NJ in which he allowed eight goals to shut down Carolina. You expect that type of rebound from the guy who you think can win you the Stanley Cup.
Drury had one shot and was under .500 on draws. Over the course of the season, the high priced free agent (who we all agreed was a good signing so there's no hiding from what we all applauded the Rangers doing in signing him) has not delivered much.
Maybe it's the responsibilities of wearing the C for the Rangers. It is a huge honor and being a captain is a big responsibility. That C can weigh down even the best players. Brian Leetch struggled with it early on. That being said, look at the Drury line this season. In 33 games this season, Drury has been a plus or even rating 21 times. Of those 21, he's been a plus on four occasions. That's pathetic for a guy that's not playing a shut down role or facing the other teams' top line all the time. For a third line center, that's not terrible. For an All Star caliber guy who is supposed to be one of your top two or three players, that doesn't cut it.
Drury had no points on Saturday, just the winner in a shootout (so how the media gave him the #1 star is beyond comprehension, Dubinsky was the best Rangers on the ice outside of Lundqvist). That makes 22 games with no points in regulation. 22 of 33 with no points. That's not acceptable. That's almost Jagr-like from last season, and he stole money for the first 60 games of the season. We'll cut Jagr a break (a very small one) because he did a great job helping Dubinsky develop as a rookie in the NHL.
The bagel in the points column in regulation gives him a stretch since November 22 where he has points in four of 11 games (all assists) and one of those assists was on an empty net goal. Since a hat trick on November 6th against Tampa Bay, he has three non-shootout goals in his last 17 games and that doesn't cut it, even for a guy who we'll be thrilled with if he scored 20-25. 18 points (seven on the pp, one in a shootout) and a -8 after 33 games is a huge concern. The only potential explanation for all of this is that the Rangers conservative forecheck system doesn't generate much from the red line in so they are working a lot harder than a lot of teams to generate offense.
Now to Gomez, who might be the most naturally skilled player on the roster. Speed, a strong and powerful stride, pretty sweet hands and more moves than a can of worms, Gomez has the ability to beat any defenseman one on one. Saturday night he was great on the pk, ok on the pp, and competitive at even strength but you'd be hard pressed to remember anything specific. Gomez, who on many nights can be a human highlight reel, was probably better winning battles and playing in his own end than he was offensively despite a great pass to Markus Naslund on the power play to give New York a 1-0 lead early.
Gomez has now played 28 games and his line reads 6-16=22. He has points in 16 of 28 games and points in four of his last five. Only twice this season has he gone more than one game scoreless and has been over .500 on draws most of the season. However, Gomez has been on the ice for a lot of goals against lately, a combined -8 in his last five games.
In a very good article by Larry Brooks in the NY Post, Dubinsky discussed his season. The following is from that story in Saturday's Post. So, heading into last night's game in Newark against the Devils, Dubinsky had recorded just one goal and seven points in his past 21 games after opening the season with four goals and 10 points in the Rangers' first 10 games. He did have an assist on Ryan Callahan's shorthanded goal in Atlanta on Wednesday, and it was one that brightened his night.
"I understand that points aren't everything, but let me tell you, Cally scoring that goal to get me on the board is a big help to my frame of mind," Dubinsky said. "I take great pride in playing with passion and in being physical, but you need to be rewarded on the score sheet, too, every once in a while, and one goal in 20 games, now 21 games, is far from what I'm capable of. "I hope to have a long career in the NHL. I know there are going to be tough times, but the measure of a player is the way he fights through those challenges. At the start of this I was trying to fight my way through it the wrong way, I was maybe taking shortcuts and cheating a little bit to get a goal, but I see that can only be counter-productive.
"Now I'm just focusing on playing a solid game, because I know if I do that, the goals and points will come. I'm learning."
Physical is what he has been all season, and he showed up Saturday night. After a blowout, as a coach, you see who shows up to play the next night and Dubinsky and Betts certainly did. Betts, centering Laurie Korpikoski (how he's up and Greg Moore isn't is beyond me) and Colton Orr was a factor every shift and brilliant on the pk. Betts played about 14 minutes and almost half of that shorthanded but he made the most of his ice time being physical and effective on both ends of the ice.
To have a chance to play deep into the spring, the Rangers need to see their top two pivots be a whole lot more effective than their bottom two. Right now it's not happening.
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