Gaborik Hasn't Scored vs. Anyone Other Than the Islanders Since Jan. 26th
That's correct folks, if the Islanders didn't exist (which is almost the case now anyway), Marian Gaborik wouldn't have a goal since scoring two against the Maple Leafs on January 26th.
In fact, Gaborik's eight goals this season have come in just five games, three of which are against the Islanders (2g vs. Toronto on 1/26, 3g vs. Bruins on 1/23). Yes, in 24 games this year Gaborik has scored a goal against just three separate opponents.
While Gaborik does have five points in the last five games, only one of those points is a goal and the last time I checked Gaborik wasn't signed to set-up his teammates up.
...despite Gaborik's underwhelming start to the season, I'm still not buying into the rumors that the Rangers are looking to move him. They'll never get equal value and his NTC will be hard to get around. Plus I really do think the Rangers need him. Yes, he is nowhere near his 41-goal form of last season, but he's still a premiere goal scorer in the league and will be counted to score some big goals. Having said that, someone needs to tell Gaborik we're at the midway part of the season and that he needs to get his ass in gear.
...one thing you do have to wonder is if the shoulder is holding him back. Whether it's still not healed or he's just afraid of re-injuring it. If the shoulder still bothers him he needs to sit out, but if he says he's healthy enough to play then he needs to suck it up and get more aggressive out there..
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gaborik is being hurt by tortarella.. he belongs on the top line on any nhl team.. by the end of the season his numbers will look really good.. ill be upset if he doesnt resign.. id rather have gaborik then richards.. id even go as far as saying gaborik is a better all around player then richards
@JoeAntos I agree - Richey looked good only because he was the top pick in the weakest free agent market in years.
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If you remember Torts once referred to Gabby as a perimeter player. That hasn't changed because thats his game. He is not here to battle along the boards or behind the net. The grinders battle for the puck to get it to Gaborik. He is one of the best snipers in the game. I agree with everything that Betweentheworlds said. If he is slowing down or is injured to a point where he no longer fits in to the NYR game plan, then he should be moved while interest is high.
@Betweentheworlds @AnnoyingJoe @nyrfan747 @kicker75
I love Marion Gaborik's game. He's a special talent. What I love about hockey is the speed and the passing and the scoring. Good hits are fun, but I think the NHL should do more to crack down on dangerous hits and I am against fighting all together (It's dumb). I even suggested that the Rangers carry Zucc as an offensive specialist instead of Bickel and was told to go "follow figure skating". I wish the league were set up so that skating, vision, and soft hands were all that mattered. Unfortunately, that's not reality. The game is a mean, nasty affair where fighting for loose pucks and fighting for position is as important a detail as there is in the game. Players who won't do it are hurting their teams in unquantifiable ways. Gaborik has always been deficient on this end, but now it's become glaring. It's hurting the team. Does his skill make up for it? I guess it does since Torts is playing him (keep in mind they have NO ONE else who is a real top 6 forward so they are kind of stuck).
And what happend to his speed and all the breakaways? If you watch that highlight reel, it's one breakaway after another. He used to create his own offense. I can only remember one breakaway he's had this year (in overtime to win the game against someone)
@rangersfan @AnnoyingJoe @nyrfan747 @kicker75 I agree with everything except that Gabby's always been deficient in loose puck battles and position. Never his strong points - agreed but I wouldn't say "deficient" however, at least not before this season. I have seen a few Gabby breakaway's this year but not as many as in the past for some reason, though he usually doesn't finish them anyway. For a world class skill his numbers are appalling the last couple seasons in shoot-outs. So much so that Torts often keeps him out of the top 3. His scoring strengths seem to be his wrister, one-timer and getting open for rebounds. But very good points and just my opinions.
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@kicker75 Good point re: system in Minnesota. Huge part of a breakway is positioning for sure. Interestingly, that's a part of Kreider's game too to some extent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Inu0EETsUY
That is why I don't want to get rid of him. I do not think he is done in the NHL yet and still has a lot more to offer for our team. The problem for him this year in my opinion seems to be confidence. He doesn't shoot nearly as much, and does not stick handle nearly as much. In some of these clips he plays with "swagger" he has not had that this year, and our team would be a whole lot better if he could regain it...
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Some of you know by now that I have been sticking up for Gabby on this blog and rebutting all the trash talk every chance I get. At the risk of being repetitive.
1. I can't believe at age 30 he's slowing down
2. Never a physical type player but sneaky and with an edge on both ends. Most missed this but I caught him doing a sneaky little cross check at the opposing net 2 games ago in hopes of shaking the defender and getting free for a second to get a 1 timer in.
3. He sees the ice very well and he's always been a good passer and set up guy. Yes he's paid to light it up but if he ain't doing that then set up your team mates. Next best thing
4. He's always scored in bunches and droughts
5. Not a shot blocker but defensively underrated - again vision of the ice and positioning are solid. He gets caught over-stick handling in the opposing end frequently but very few serious defensive errors and ill fated passes up the middle from his own end that all too often a Ranger gets caught on.
6. He's great at getting open without the puck. Even though the Rangers have failed to provide a center who could get him the puck (Richey was suppose to do that) he still scored over 40 goals in 2 seasons, in fact was 3rd in goals last season without a set up man.
7.He's a true elite, and true sniper in this league. The fact that we managed to get one of 8 or 9 players in the world who's even better is something special. Appreciate this guys. this is a fun team to watch now when they get going
8. Yes, he's not the "complete package" That's why you have 4 lines. Let him do what he's good at and if he's not a checker or if he's a defensive liability don't play him against the other team's top line. Problem solved! Last I checked I think he was a plus player in all his NHL years but 2.
9. He's not getting traded
I could go on but you get the idea. How quickly we forget. how he carried the whole team on his shoulders just 2 years ago.
I do however agree fully that he needs to get going. I don't think anyone debates that, but no, he has not lost anything. Not in my opinion. He's in a miserable slump. His confidence is low. His shoulder is probably not 100%. He's injury prone to begin with and is staying out of the mix and hurting his game as a result.. We sometimes forget that hockey players are human beings who get effected by their emotions, their life circumstances etc. not to mention with no conditioning time, a shortened schedule with more games per week.. Hockey is demanding. These guys all are hurting and have to get up the next day and play, with a dozen bruises, muscle cramps etc. from the game before. Don't think Gabby will completely turn it around and have a great season but I do expect him to get going pretty soon and help this team become a legit cup contender..
@Betweentheworlds 2 years ago? try last year... We stopped scoring when he got injured in the playoffs... First game we had 4 goals, then we didnt hit it once the rest of the playoffs i believe... Guess what game Gaborik got hurt... THE SECOND GAME!!!!!
@slapshot13j Agreed, the reason I cited 2 seasons ago was it was so glaring. Around mid-point of that season he literally had half of the Rangers goals (and defensemen had the other half) until he cooled off and others started to get a few.. They were miserable that year offensively and if not for Gabby they would have finished dead last.
Nash: out for a few games, comes back and tears it up.Richards: out for two games, comes back and we've seen a marked improvement, though he is still not 100% the player we need him to beBoyle: ....apparently needs to sit out every other game to keep the fire under his ass lit.Del Zotto: missed some time (one or two games), came back as nearly the offensive defenseman we want him to beif I had my way, I'd find a game for Gabby to sit and get his head on straight. I believe that the lack of training camp hurt the Rangers more than other teams because conditioning is such an integral part of Torts' camp, and we showed in the back to back Isles/Ottawa that it just isn't there like it was last year. will it happen? no way. but i could see it being what he needs.
Opposing teams have figured out how to stop Gabby from one-on-one standpoint. The perception that Gaborik is an elite sniper is false...most of his goals come from being in the right place at the right time; usually around the net. His overall hockey sense has increased under Tortorella but he seems to have lost a step in terms of the big rushes up the ice finished off by a snipe. Bringing Nash onto the Rangers has shown the fans what a true elite player is all about. Gaborik is a good, complimentary piece while Nash is the super-star we have been lacking. Gabby just needs to get his nose dirty and get to the front of the net more often..that is where he is going to pick up his Gs
@SetYouStraight He has one of if not the best wristshots in the game, how you are saying he is not a sniper makes no sense to me. For gods sake he has scored 40 goals 3 times, that isnt a fluke
Gaborik is still valuable to this team. Even doing little things, like on the third goal yesterday, signals to Step to skip him and move it to Del Zotto who set up Nash/Callahan's (think its still Nash's) goal. I do have to say though, he can sometimes disappear out there.
I posted a response for this in the recap from yesterday, and can't copy it on my phone. Everyone has to lay off Gaborik... He is a streaky player and has been his whole career. He scored 40 then 25 and then 40 again... A lot of people say hank and cally were the turning point for our organization, but I don't think anyone has carried us as much as Gaborik. He scored when no one else on the team was capable of doing so. He will get his groove back just wait, I explained it a lot more in the recap from yesterday, and I will try to post that when I get to a computer
I think they need to play him at RW exclusively. He seems lost most of the time at this point, but he's even more lost when he's playing on the left. He's killing Stepan and Callahan right now in the offense zone, which is where he's supposed to be strongest. They'd be better off with Pyatt or Miller with them on the forecheck than Gaborik's ghost. The problem is, playing with Boyle and Miller/Pyatt on the 3rd line just weakens them defensively, though maybe it'd open up some ice for him with favorable defensive matchups.
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Sahil, with all due respect, Gabby has had quite a few of these down periods and has been in Tort's doghouse too many times to mention throughout his stay with the Rangers. To me, he is a star in this league, but not a superstar. The Rangers are paying him superstar money and he is not even close to delivering night in and night out. I really wish the Rangers could figure out what is going on, because Gabby is a natural scorer. These types of players are difficult to find. Yet, when I see so many lesser lights around the league with more goals than Gabby -- at a fraction of the money -- I am forced to wonder whether we need to go in a different direction. I also raise this because the Rangers have some important signings ahead with some serious cap issues. Someone like Gabby -- just like Briere in Philly -- may be vulnerable. JMHO.
The play that the telecast yesterday highlighted - of him reaching out to tip the puck out of the zone with no one around, presumably because he was afraid of being hit - typifies his play all year. It's bordering on embarrassing (and that play was certainly embarrassing). Mental? Physical? Who knows? But his unwillingness to get hit at all is hurting the team in a way that's really hard to quantify. Whether the rangers recover the puck on a given play can go unnoticed, but it can be a big play that can change a teams fortunes for minutes at a time. Frankly, I'm surprised Torts is still playing him. I guess he feels like his offense slightly outweighs his deficiencies, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Gaborik in the press box pretty soon if this keeps up. Looked like he was coming out of it against Buffalo, and then he's gone backwards again.
And how helpful is he going to be in the playoffs? I wouldn't be surprised at all if they WANTED to trade, but I agree with the blog on this one point - you can't get anything for him.
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@rangersfan IF the Rangers brass could get close to his value in return, I bet they would pull the trigger in a second, assuming it wasn't to Columbus or some other low level hockey town (Gabby would veto them). They are not signing him after next season and waiting until the next trade deadline to hope he's having a better season is risky. But I think Kevin is dead on, they would just not get the value for him trading him now. I think they would do it in a heartbeat if they could though.
@gravey94 @rangersfan they definitely could resign him but for somewhere around 4 mil, as opposed to 7.5
@gravey94 @slapshot13j @rangersfan Every foreign player loves New York because of the ethnick communities in NY. where thay can hang out and be confprtable with their countrymen. I'm sure Gaby is no different.
@gravey94 @slapshot13j @rangersfan think semin... Talented, but lazy, always wanting to cherry pick. In part it's the European superstar not wanting to get involved in the gritty dirty physical side of North American hockey. Some adapt but it's a nock against many that are scoring studs in places like the Swedish elite league... Gabby is a good player and will hopefully find his game again soon, but in the end he does tend to be streaky. Lets just hope the streak comes at the right time!
@slapshot13j @gravey94 @rangersfan They could, but they won't. Plus, what if he just doesn't like NYC and wouldn't want to come back. I just don't see them taking the chance of losing him for nothing.
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@rangersfan A couple of games ago (I don't remember tye exact game), I watched him pressure a defenseman in the corner on the forecheck and instead of hitting him (like anyone else on the team would have), he stopped and turned away without even thinking about hitting him. I remember distinctly saying to myself "Jesus Christ Gabby, hit somebody." I know he isn't going to crush people (like Cally), but he is a hockey player and he should be hitting people. You know how they say that when a player returns from injury, he needs to get rocked once or twice just to regain his confidence in his body? Maybe he needs to get crunched a few times and hit that shoulder hard in order to regain the confidence that his body can handle the abuse of the NHL.
@nyrfan747 exactly. The thing is, he does that on EVERY shift of every game. And he doesn't take the puck hard to the net or take a hit to make a play - which is the flip side. Typically, torts has NO patience for guys who play like that - think Wotek Wolski. The fact that Torts has stuck with him so far (although he has shown signs of getting fed up - ie demoting him to 3rd line briefly) actually speaks to what a superstar Gaborik can be. Any other player besides Nash, Richards or Gaborik would be in the press box by now. Either that, or the brass doesn't want to bench him because it would kill any trade value he has. Also, they don't have anyone else who can even pretend to be a top-six forward on the team except maybe Miller.
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@rangersfan you are a fool... Marian Gaborik has done so much for us, if he's healthy last year we go to the cup, and who knows what happens. He will find his groove he is a great player, and when he does you will look like an ahole for giving up on one of the best rangers in the last 20 years
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@slapshot13j @rangersfan No personal attacks please. The only fool on this blog is me.
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@KevinDeLury @slapshot13j @rangersfan
sometimes you have to wonder if we all root for the same team...
So if he scores tomorrow night, then it's "Gabby hasn't scored against anyone other than the Islanders and Sabres since January 26." Come on, guys. We can give a guy more than 24 games before even acknowledging the possibility of trading him.
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Since the '07-'08 season, Gabby's goal totals:
42
13
42
22
41
8 (to date)
Why is this such a shock? He's in his off year. Next year he'll put up 40+, get a ridiculous contract from someone and then put up 18 the following year. Hopefully, the 8-10 goals he puts up the rest of the way are at least important ones!
@gravey94 That 13 was an injury shortened year. I think he missed significant time 2 years ago as well, but yes, he's streaky
@Betweentheworlds injuries are part of the game. You call it streaky, I see it as a pattern. I'm not against him at all, but the pattern is there until he breaks it.
@TheNYRBlog I'd rather him pull off this goal drought now rather than later, hopefully he heats up down the stretch.
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Gaborik in Slovakian means: I only play offense, sometimes, and when no one hits me.
Looks like he's favoring that shoulder....He avoided a hit to make a play along the boards yesterday and was slow to come over and help Cally when a few caps had him surrounded after the whistle.....we definitely need him to either suck it up or sit...I'd rather him play and start scoring....have to see how it plays out......Team's winning games now, we don't need any setbacks......Hope he figures it out
We only need him if he is putting the puck in the net and he's not doing that. You're probably right about not getting equal value, but if we could come close, we should consider a trade. I think Gabby is a terrific player, but he continually seems to be nagged by injuries, old and new. The Nash move was designed to build on an already-solid team. Instead, he's having to make up for part of what Gabby is not giving the Rangers. Something may have to change. Again, maybe Gabby doesn't want to be here any more (due to Torts) and maybe he would like to move on. It's a mystery.
