A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
Mets Fading ... But NHL Coming Up

The great thing about sports is that when one of your teams collapses, you can usually move right on to another.

In 2005-06, the Rangers' surprising success alleviated some of the frustration of the disastrous Jets season. Then, last April, the Rangers collapsed down the stretch, ultimately getting swept by the Devils in the first round. Fortunately, baseball was back just in time, and the Rangers woes were quickly forgotten as the Mets got off to a dominant start to their season.

Now the Mets are in a state of collapse. While the rest of the NL is flawed and anything is possible, unless they play the Padres, I do not think the Mets will get past the NLDS. Unlike Elster, who professes endless optimism and insists on the same from all others, yet then abandons his purported teams as soon as they prove his optimism wrong (see his jumping ship from both the Knicks and the Rangers), I'll be at Shea for Game 1, as loud and as enthusiastic as anyone, but not naive about the prospects of a team with unreliable pitching and hitters in a slump, particularly against lefties.

Fortunately, the 2006-07 NHL season starts next week. I don't know what to expect from the Rangers. Some of the overachievers from last season won't be around - Dominic Moore having been traded and Jed Ortmeyer's status in serious doubt after he suffered a pulmonary embolism. Meanwhile, neither Jaromir Jagr nor Darius Kasparaitis are fully recovered from the injuries that limited them late last season. The Rangers main offseason acquisition was Brendan Shanahan, and while Shanahan will improve the power play, the Rangers still lack an offensive defenseman. Also, Shanahan is 37 and can't be relied upon for another 40 goal season.

The good news is that goalie Henrik Lundqvist is back, and apparently fully recovered from his injuries and migraine headaches. This season, the Rangers must ensure that they don't overplay Lundqvist as they did for much of last year. Peter Prucha will hopefully also return to the form he demonstrated prior to his mid-season knee injury.

I do hope the Rangers give a chance to some of their young players. Last season, despite insisting they would give their prospects a chance, once December came, Tom Renney stubbornly stuck to the guys on the roster. This year, he again is showing undeserved loyalty to the likes of Marcel Hossa.

Unlike last season, when the Rangers were excellent from opening night against the Flyers, I expect more turbulence early this season, with Lundqvist having to win some games by himself. The most likely result for the 2006-07 Rangers is a finish around sixth or seventh in the Eastern Conference (last year they were sixth). As last season proved, finishing strong and healthy in the NHL is the most important factor. In the playoffs, anything can happen, especially with a hot goalie.
posted on 9/29/2006