Larry Brooks, New York Post
On Wednesday, John Tortorella said he had no idea why the
Rangers came up with their no-show against the Flyers. On Saturday,
Tortorella said he had no idea why the Rangers are unable to score,
and though it is most certainly refreshing to hear an NHL head
coach admit he does not have all the answers, having one or two
would seem to be part of the job description.
The Rangers' personnel are deficient. Because of that, it is
even more critical that the coach coax the most out of his players
by putting them in positions where they are most likely to succeed.
That generally means assigning roles to players and constructing
lines with unique attributes and job descriptions.
None of this has yet developed for the 19-17-5 Rangers , who
begin the second half of their season tonight at the Garden against
the Bruins as one of up to eight clubs in the Eastern Conference
teetering between a low playoff seed and 29th overall.
This hasn't happened because Tortorella, who achieved the
ultimate success in Tampa by doubling down on elite talents Brad
Richards, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, believes in his
heart that games are won by the most talented athletes, not
necessarily through a collaborative effort in which plumbers might
have an equally significant impact on a match's outcome.
Which brings us to No. 16 on the Rangers' roster, the player
who was once Sean Avery.
Avery has looked lost lately. It isn't that his hands have
turned to stone around the net or that he hasn't been able to
contribute to the breakout without first going backward with the
puck or that he hasn't been able to cleanly receive passes.
It's that Avery is not fulfilling the role he was born to
play, the one in which he forechecks, grinds and cycles like crazy
and antagonizes like he's certifiable.
The prevailing wisdom was that Avery would become a better
player if he left the extracurricular activities behind. But that
wisdom was actually ignorance in disguise. Avery needs to play with
bravado, he needs to stoke emotions and he needs to skate on the
edge.
In order to do that, however, Avery needs to know he will
have a safety net if he goes over the cliff, and that safety net is
woven with the support of a head coach who will recognize that the
occasional goaltender interference call or unsportsmanlike conduct
penalty are an acceptable price to pay when measured against the
investment.
Tortorella still hasn't found a place for Avery. That place
is on a line of grinders, ideally with Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan
Callahan. His place is in the opposition's face. And putting him in
that place -- as opposed to in his place -- is the responsibility
of the coach.
Once in that place, it is all on No. 16 to fulfill his
obligations, to get the puck in deep, to wear down defensemen and
to agitate in front.
Once that is in place, it is on him to provide the unique
element he brought to New York the first time and then again last
spring -- to infuse the team with emotion, to wear the target on
his back with the understanding that his coach isn't part of the
posse taking aim at the bull's-eye.
If you can't be a little bit pregnant, you can't be a little
bit Sean Avery, either.
