The NYR Facts Of Life: #19 Ruslan Fedotenko

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. And this time around we started with the high numbers and are up to #19, Ruslan Fedotenko.

#19's #s: 66 games, 10 goals, 15 assists, +9, 25 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, two assists, -1, 4 PIM).

Take the good: After the last pre-season game I wrote, "I didn't like the guy on Pittsburgh, I was worried he would take Avery's job and yet now I can't imagine the Rangers starting this season without him." Everything that Fedotenko showed during the exhibitions he followed up with during the regular season. He was a fantastic lunchpail player who came to work every game and did his job. When the Tortorella line generator put him with Prust and Boyle the Rangers suddenly had one of the best grind lines in the entire NHL. He is certainly not a fighter but he handles himself quite well in his one bout (I'm a sucker for anyone who beats up the Islanders). After he went down with a shoulder injury in the second period of the game against the Leafs - a game where he had a goal - the Rangers went on a rough stretch, going 5-8-1.

Take the bad: The 31 year old isn't getting any younger, he isn't getting any better. If he every stops forechecking, then he stops being useful. Had arduous goal droughts of 10, 8 and 14 games but, frankly, he wasn't being paid to score.

Take them both and then we have: A fantastic training camp invitee. Fedotenko definitely provided bang for the buck, putting together 150 regular season hits and 23 in the playoffs - and all for just a million bucks. He knows his role on a Tortorella team and does it pretty well. Feds is the kind of veteran a growing team - one with a fantastic work ethic, over 700 games played and a pair of Cups - definitely needs.