The NYR Facts Of Life: #12 Olli Jokinen

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. There were two #12s this season and, after glancing at Ales Kotalik yesterday, it's Olli Jokinen's turn.

#12's #s: 26 games, 4 goals (1 ppg), 11 assists, +1, 22 PIM.

Take the good: Jokinen scored an overtime game-winner against Pittsburgh just prior to the Olympic break and a commanding performance against Toronto in the third-to-last game of the season. What he did with his facial hair provided a interesting conversation every time. Jokinen is a UFA as of July 1st, and with that date his salary comes off the Ranger books.

Take the bad: Five multi-point games meant that he was blanked 15 times in 26 games. For a self-described shooter, Jokinen managed just one shot six times (including the last game of the season) and was held without a shot once (the penultimate game). Had his lone power play goal in his second game with the team, then didn't score another the rest of the way. Oh yeah, and he missed his most important shot - the shootout "effort" in Philly that ended the season. As happened when with the Panthers, Coyotes and Flames, when the pressure was on him, he couldn't step up his game.

Take them both and then we have: Even a return to the Eastern Conference couldn't get Jokinen back to his scoring ways but playing with ever-changing wingers certainly didn't help. But, at the end of the day, Jokinen was just the solution to the Kotalik problem.