Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Is Brian Boyle The Odd Man Out??

With all the moves the New York Rangers have made so far this offseason, someone will end up being the odd man out.  And is Sather is not done there could end up being more then one returning Ranger sitting in the press box or playing in Hartford.  Not only do we have a lot of forwards but most are at center which does not make the tunnel any brighter for Mr. Boyle.

Boyle had a tough first year in New York only scoring two goals and six points.  He played in 71 games missing eleven due to a foot/ankle injury. He will most likely be given a second chance during training camp but he will have to work extra hard and put in as much effort as he can to show he belongs on this team and to show he should play on a nightly basis.  With a clog at center it could be hard for the Rangers to find a spot for him.

The Rangers have seven centers under contract, Boyle, Christensen, Anisimov, Dubinsky, Drury, White and Prospal.  Now it seems as though Dubinsky will be playing the wing and it is very possible that Prospal will be also.  Anisimov and Christensen are ahead of Boyle on the depth chart so that leaves us with White, Drury and Boyle for the final 2 spots. 

Join me after this for a final conclusion on Brian Boyle's future as a Ranger.....



Drury will most likely end up as the 3rd or 4th line center.  The main question will be, Is Todd White on the opening night roster or will he be sent down to Hartford?  If White is on the roster then Boyle will most likely be a healthy scratch almost every game.  Boyle could also be sent down to Hartford to save 525k in cap space if needed. 

Pros to keeping Boyle:  Big Body at 6'7, Good penalty killer, cheap cap hit(525k), Still young(25)
Cons to keeping Boyle: Poor on faceoffs(Sub 40%), Could take spot away from kid, has not shown much scoring ability, does not know how to use his 6'7 frame..

In The End:  I see Boyle making the team and not being sent to Hartford but will be used as a healthy scratch on most nights.  The Rangers gave up a 3rd round pick for him and I do not see them giving up on him this quickly. But the Rangers have an overflow at center and one of the main problems with Boyle is his terrible faceoff percentage.  He might get in on some nights but like with most seasons there will be injuries and if the Rangers do not want to bring up a youngster at that point then Boyle could easily step in.

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