The NYR Facts Of Life '10-11 Master Post

After finishing off this year's The Facts Of Life: New York Rangers series, I figured it would be best to have a one-stop shop where you can check out the individual players of your choice without having to delve into the archives.

#4 Michael Del Zotto
#5 Dan Girardi
#8 Brandon Prust
#10 Marian Gaborik
#12 Todd White
#16 Sean Avery
#17 Brandon Dubinsky
#18 Marc Staal
#19 Ruslan Fedotenko
#20 Vinny Prospal
#21 Derek Stepan
#22 Brian Boyle
#23 Chris Drury
#24 Ryan Callahan
#25 Chad Kolarik
#26 Erik Christensen
#27 Ryan McDonagh
#28 Bryan McCabe
#29 Chad Johnson
#30 Henrik Lundqvist
#31 Alex Frolov
#32 Dale Weise
#33 Michal Rozsival
#36 Mats Zuccarello
#38 Michael Sauer
#39 Brodie Dupont
#42 Artem Anisimov
#43 Martin Biron
#44 Steve Eminger
#45 Kris Newbury
#86 Wojtek Wolski
#86 Jeremy Williams
#91 Evgeny Grachev
#94 Derek Boogaard
#97 Matt Gilroy

The NYR Facts Of Life: #4 Michael Del Zotto

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 finishing up with last (and one of the least) #4, Michael Del Zotto.

#4's #s: 47 games, two goals, nine assists, -5, 20 PIM.

Take the good: Del Zotto came out of a summer spent training with Gary Roberts and laid a nasty hit on Pat Kaleta in the season opener.

Take the bad: It was all downhill from there. Scenes like this were all too familiar this year, where Del Zotto was walked around by the opposition. For all of the big hits he attempted, he often simply waved his stick at the bad guys as they came near. For all of the speed he has, he often was outhustled to the puck. The flashes of offensive greatness that we saw during his rookie season were gone and he was outright disastrous on the power play. He quarterbacked like he had a live hand grenade, and he either tossed it away harmlessly or got his fingers blown off while overhandling it, resulting in a shorthanded break for the bad guys.

Take them both and then we have: A player who was clearly number one with Ranger fans (watch the video). It is hard to say that he had a sophomore slump when he was just as inept in his own zone as he was when he was a freshman. But at the end of the day he was just a immature 20 year old living the dream in the big city. Hopefully the trip to the bus league helped him grow up and set him on the the path to being a capable NHLer - if not the rightful heir to Leetch that so many hoped for.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #33 Michal Rozsival

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 was almost finished before realizing that we missed #33, Michal Rozsival.

#33's #s: 32 games, three goals, 12 assists, +3, 22 PIM.

Take the good: Now I know that there have been plenty of people following this Facts of Life series, but no one noticed that Rozy was skipped - perhaps that says quite a bit about Rozy but it doesn't say it all. Rozsival was the quiet, calm veteran from whom you knew exactly what to expect. He even surprised us with a several good performances at the beginning of the season (five points in a five-game span in late October) and then one outstanding shift in the otherwise forgettable 3-0 loss to Florida just after New Years. He was a crutch for Tortorella and saw an average of 22 minutes of ice time a night.

Take the bad: There was a time where he was the team's number one defenseman (which wasn't saying much about the blueline back then) but that was a long time ago. This season the 32-year-old Czech fought hip, shoulder and rib injuries that stripped away whatever effectiveness he had left. Rozy was soft, he was slow, he had bad turnovers and he took bad penalties. More often than not he was a liability who brought his partner down as said partner had to scramble to cover for him.

Take them both and then we have: The last piece of the post-lockout Czech-mate Rangers to be removed. His teammates respected him - even if we fans did not - and not one of them doubted his effort - even if we did. Rozsival played a total of 467 games with the Blueshirts, a solid tenure (that he was paid handsomely for). The decision to trade him away not only opened up salary cap space but it secured a permanent spot for Ryan McDonagh on the blueline.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #5 Dan Girardi

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 #5, Dan Girardi.

#5's #s: 80 games, four goals, 27 assists, +7, 37 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, no assists, -2, no PIM).

Take the good: Girardi was half of the top defensive pairing on the Rangers and thus saw the toughest competition and played a ton of minutes. Henrik Lundqvist would not have been able to put together the Vezina-caliber season that he did without Dan. Girardi was the regular season league leader in blocked shots with 236 - 24 more than second place Greg Zanon (who played two more games). He then added 26 more in the five playoff games against the Caps. He improved his points and plus/minus each of the last two seasons and appears to be heading into his prime. And he did all that while laying down more than a few hits - he collected 195, which ranked ninth in the NHL among defensemen. Girardi is no fighter but after the awful, awful Gaborik incident has learned to stand up for his teammates ...

Take the bad: Girardi is pointless and -7 in his last 18 playoff games. There were numerous times this season where he gave his opponent too much time and space and was burned. When Staal was out with injury Girardi was clearly out of sorts. Needs to realize that a stick check is no check at all when you are going one-on-one against the top talents in the NHL.

Take them both and then we have: Some players get contract extensions and get complacent. Dan Girardi is not one of those players. Girardi re-upped with the Rangers for four more seasons last July and kept up the hard work that earned that deal. He had surgery for a hernia after the season, which makes you wonder just how much pain he fought through and how long he dealt with it. When you see a guy dealing with that and still playing at a high level, you want to be your best, and Girardi definitely set a good example for McD and Sauer in their first playoffs. Interestingly, Girardi was the assistant captain in Guelph in '04-05 - showing his leadership ability. The captain? Ryan Callahan.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #8 Brandon Prust

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 (or down) to #8, Brandon Prust.

#8's #s: 82 games, 13 goals, 16 assists, +2, 160 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, one assist, even, 4 PIM).

Take the good: Brandon Prust earned the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award. The throw-in to the Olli Jokinen deal busted his ass and became an indispensable part of the roster this season. Prust was the prototypical modern-day enforcer - a guy who could fight and a guy who could play. He threw down the gloves 18 times and came away with an 11-5-2 record. He had the respect of his teammates and the fear of his opponents: he fought in the first two minutes of a game four times, and his team went on to win that game all four times. With his gloves on Prust paired with Brian Boyle to become a shockingly difficult pairing for opponents to deal with at even strength and shorthanded. When combined with Ruslan Fedotenko, the three made for one of the best checking lines in the NHL. They forechecked, they backchecked and then they checked some more, wearing down opponents and forcing turnovers. Prust surprised with his speed and it helped him to tie for third in the NHL with five shorthanded goals.

Take the bad: "It's only pain" is one spectacular motto and it endeared him even further to fans and teammates alike. But there is being brave and there is being stupid - there were multiple games where Prust was clearly playing with one arm because his shoulder was so screwed up, limiting his effectiveness.

Take them both and then we have: A tough guy for the rebuilding Rangers and a fan favourite for the Garden faithful. Prust drew a legion of fans with his work and set career numbers for the low, low price of $800,000. He raised expectations playing with Shelley and Anisimov immediately after the Jokinen trade and he blew them away this season. Prust has raised the bar and he will have to keep on working hard to reach it going further. Just think of what he will do next season when he is in a contract year ...

The NYR Facts Of Life: #10 Marian Gaborik

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 (or down) to #10, Marian Gaborik.

#10's #s: 62 games, 22 goals, 26 assists, +8, 18 PIM (5 playoff games, one goal, one assist, even, 2 PIM).

Take the good: Gaborik had two hat tricks, a four goal game and a five-goals-in-five-games stretch that helped the Rangers go on a 7-1-1 tear in March. He finished tied for second on the Rangers in points despite missing 20 games. He had nearly as many points on the road (23) as he did at home (25) during the regular season.

Take the bad: Where to start? Gaborik averaged 0.77 points per game, his lowest average since before the lockout. He scored in just 15 of the 67 games he played, building up his goal total against bad teams. Gabby was all but invisible in the playoffs, putting up two points and neither were on the power play where he averaged, AVERAGED four minutes of ice time. The Slovak averaged nearly 51 minutes per goal scored this season (50:57) and had a goal drought stretch for 12 games from late March through Game 3 against the Caps (awful timing). He did not break 20 minutes of ice time per game from February 1st though the end of the regular season - a span of 24 games - and then played over 20 in each of the five postseason matches against Washington. He had all of four game-winning goals, but just one of them was really the determining goal of a game.

Take them both and then we have: A player still named Marian Gaborik, which means that other coaches feel the need to guard him closely, giving more room to the rest of the Ranger lineup. While the introverted Gaborik rarely looked interested in playing, it must be said that he had trouble getting into any kind of groove with any linemates aside from Sean Avery, of all people. Where post-Nylander era Jaromir Jagr connected with a young Brandon Dubinsky, the Rangers need to find someone to re-energize their scorer. If that is Avery, so be it, but the coach needs to realize that. And the franchise needs to ensure that the 20 games he missed this season doesn't mean he is slipping back down the injury-plagued path that he has tread so often in the past.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #12 Todd White

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 #12, Todd White.

#12's #s: 18 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, -2, 2 PIM.

Take the good: Donald Brashear is no longer a Ranger; the Blueshirts picked up White last summer by getting rid of the goon (along with failed experiment Pat Rissmiller).

Take the bad: White became a failed experiment himself. He never reformed any chemistry with his old Wild teammate Marian Gaborik and spent much of his NHL time confined to the fourth line. He was a slow shadow of the player who had 73 points two seasons prior with Atlanta. For the energy that he brought, he simply did not have the size or strength to make it translate into anything positive.

Take them both and then we have: A 36-year-old veteran of 653 NHL regular season games that has reached the end of the thread. White cleared waivers three times before heading for Hartford just before New Years. Once there he played just nine games in the bus league - putting up five points - due to several injuries, including a concussion suffered when he ran into one of his teammates. The writing is on the wall.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #16 Sean Avery

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 #16, Sean Avery.

#16's #s: 76 games, 3 goals, 21 assists, -4, 174 PIM (4 playoff games, no goals, one assist, -1, 12 PIM).

Take the good: When Sean Avery was being Sean Avery, well, he was Sean Avery. He was a prime pest, a hustling dervish who drove his opponents to distraction. On multiple nights when the Rangers played flat, uninspired puck, Avery was one of - if not the only - Rangers to bring his game, in fact he seemed to step it up when his teammates stepped down. He forechecks well, he is one of the best skaters on the team and he was one of the few Blueshirts to actually get Gabby to wake up. Despite putting up a team-high 174 PIM, he showed remarkable patience as he was often a prime target for opposing checkers and rabble rousers. For all of the talk about what a dirty player he is, Avery had just two unsportsmanlike conducts and no diving calls the entire season. The Rangers were 12-4-1 when he registered a point.

Take the bad: That means he made it onto the scoresheet in just 17 of his 76 games. Not enough. Avery scored just three goals - his lowest total since his rookie season in Detroit - and his .022 shooting percent was the lowest of his career. His penalty minutes were the highest they've been since he was a King, thanks to six 10 minute misconducts. Avery had 12 fights, his highest season total since before the lockout, and he won just four - going 4-5-3. Fighting minor league nobody Mike Haley on the Islanders may be one of the dumbest things he has ever done.

Take them both and then we have: One confused hockey player with a dubious future with the franchise. Avery averaged 11:14 minutes per game but played far less than that in 15 of the last 16 games he played during the regular season. That was before the playoffs where he played four of the five games and averaged 12:22. Torts never gave him the chance to gain any chemistry with his teammates, bouncing him around the lineup. And the super pest was stupefyingly scratched for several games down the stretch and once during the playoffs (Torts clearly not learning his lesson from 2009). The unadulterated adoration of the Garden faithful wore down as his effectiveness diminished this season but the class he has shown in his public backing of gay marriage has gone a long way to restoring support throughout New York and the rest of the NHL.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #17 Brandon Dubinsky

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 #17, Brandon Dubinsky.

#17's #s: 77 games, 24 goals, 30 assists, -3, 100 PIM (5 playoff games, two goals, one assist, -3, 2 PIM).

Take the good: Dubinsky collected career high numbers in goals, assists and points. He made a good transition to the wing, where he was able to use his size and skill to power off the boards along the goal line. After stepping to the side, he combined with Arty and Cally to form one helluva home-grown line that worked very well together from the moment Tortorella's darts hit the roster board until the sad second when Cally went down with injury. His set up to Cally's game winner in the fantastic November 15th game against the Pens was outstanding. Dubi won three of his four fights (although the lone loss was humiliating - Mike Green? Really?). There is something to be said that Dubi's two biggest archenemies in the NHL are Mike Richards and Sidney Crosby.

Take the bad: Dubinsky overhandles the puck, gets frustrated at times and disappears too often. Personally, I thought he would grow into an Arnott-esque first line center but he has never taken that leap. While many hoped that he would be the pivot for Gaborik, he never clicked with the Slovakian Slacker the way he did with Jagr. Dubi looks ridiculous with a mustache.

Take them both and then we have: A good second line player. Dubinsky's moments of dominance are few and far between but the chemistry he showed with the other Wolf Pack pups raised his game to another level. At just 25 years old he acts and speaks like a veteran to his teammates and the media. Two years ago he held out thinking he deserved more money and proved he was worth that pay day. But will he be worth another?

The NYR Facts Of Life: #18 Marc Staal

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 #18, Marc Staal.

#18's #s: 77 games, 7 goals, 22 assists, +8, 50 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, one assist, -3, no PIM).

Take the good: Staal was the workhorse of the defensive corps, averaging more than 25 minutes per game and playing against the top talents in the league. He is one of the only defenders singlehandedly capable of containing Alexander Ovechkin. Strong and sturdy, he combined with Dan Girardi on the Rangers' top pairing. Staal rarely takes bad penalties and has apparently sworn off fighting (he has not thrown the gloves since the infamous bongo incident) ... although he should have tossed off the gloves after getting a stick to the crotch by Alex Burrows. He had my favourite hit of the season against the Islanders.

Take the bad: Had the NHL wheel o' justice been turning the way it did in the playoffs, we would have lost Staal for quite a while for his hit on Matt Stajan. Staal clearly was battered, bruised and tired by the end of the season. Despite the maturation of Sauer and McDonagh, he only saw less than 20 minutes once the entire year. He unleashed a personal best 116 shots but few were of the quality that he is capable of. Staal saw plenty of power play time and never looked comfortable. And he got absolutely hammered by his own brother, the same brother who waited until the seventh round to draft him at the All Star game. That can't be good for family dinners.

Take them both and then we have: Our number one defenseman, for now. Staal is big, he is strong and he is smart. He skates hard and is rock solid in his own zone. He still doesn't know when to carry the puck or join the rush and surprises most everyone when he does it. I mean, the guy can score a goal like this, why doesn't he do it more often?

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.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #20 Vinny Prospal

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 #20, Vaclav Prospal.

#20's #s: 29 games, 9 goals, 14 assists, +4, 8 PIM (5 playoff games, one goal, no assists, +1, no PIM).

Take the good: Prospal was the only player to maintain some chemistry with Marian Gaborik. He scored in his first game back from injury on February 3rd and then put up 13 of his points in an 11 game span a few weeks later. Had 58 hits in his 34 games, 14 of which came in the five playoff games. Ten of his 23 points came on the power play. Not a single player - not even any of the rookies - was as happy as he was when he scored.

Take the bad: Prospal is old, he has slowed and he missed more than half of the season thanks to his bad knee. He didn't get a single shot on goal in two playoff games, one being the double OT disaster - for someone in a top-six spot, seeing serious ice time and with a 14.8 shooting percentage, that is just ridiculous.

Take them both and then we have: There were stretches of last season where Prospal disappeared but he didn't play enough this time to run into the doldrums - unless you count the playoffs. As we saw at the fan forum, the players love him and respect him so having the old man around isn't a detriment. But he is just keeping Chris Kreider's spot warm until the kid grows a pair and jumps to the NHL.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #21 Derek Stepan

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 #21, Derek Stepan.

#21's #s: 82 games, 21 goals, 24 assists, +8, 20 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, no assists, -5, 2 PIM).

Take the good: Stepan stepped off of campus and onto Broadway and rarely looked out of place, playing with a poise beyond his years. The rookie seized a top-six spot, played every single game and earned priceless experience in all situations. He worked hard and yet did it with a smile, showing he was comfortable being a professional. He took hit after hit after hit and bounced right back and stayed involved. Step showed skill and he showed grit and he went far beyond being that new kid with the attractive mom that MSG keeps showing.

Take the bad: There's a wall and Step hit it - at least we have to hope that was the issue and not the situation - the kid didn't get a single point in the playoffs and was -1 in every single game ... then again he played four minutes per game than he did in the regular season. He tried to do too much too often and was marginalized by stronger, more experienced defenders. After opening with a much-publicised hat trick, Step went on an 18 game drought. He averaged more than two minutes of power play time per game and had just 10 points with the man advantage.

Take them both and then we have: One of the building blocks for the new era of the Blueshirts. Stepan epitomizes the kind of leadership and character that Gordie Clark has targeted in recent drafts - you can easily see him wearing a letter someday. He is willing to pay the price to make the play and has great timing and good patience but he needs to stay involved and keep learning. Stepan needs to pick up the tricks of the game, especially those in the faceoff circle - 38.5% this year was simply awful. He showed great chemistry with Zuccarello (if only the Norge kid would shoot the damned puck occasionally) and a strong, veteran power winger could really complete a dangerous second line.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #22 Brian Boyle

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 #22, Brian Boyle.

#22's #s: 82 games, 21 goals, 14 assists, +2, 74 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, no assists, -1, 6 PIM).

Take the good: The much-discussed skating lessons clearly helped as Boyle won himself a spot on the Rangers in camp. He had just four goals and two assists in '09-10 and blew both of those numbers away in '10-11. He played every single game in the campaign and shocked the world with 21 goals. He actually led the team in shots with 218 and had 11 points in 12 games in December. When put in the middle between Brandon Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko, Boyle helped provide the Rangers with one fantastic forechecking fourth line. Of course, they were used as the third - if not second - but that is the subject of another post. He combined with Mats Zuccarello to make one funny sight gag.

Take the bad: Boyle closed with just one goal in his last 24 games (including playoffs) despite firing off 74 shots. And he had all of three assists during that span. For all of his size, Boyle rarely planted himself in the slot and he is clearly not a fighter. He also won less than half of the faceoffs he took (48.5%).

Take them both and then we have: A player who took a huge stride in his career. Boyle earned nearly twice the ice time that he had the season before but the extra work and the extra responsibility wore on him. Teams started playing him tougher over the course of the year and, instead of simplifying his game, he tried to be fancy and he is not a fancy player. At no point - ever - should Boyle be attempting a blind pass or a spin-o-rama. The realization of that fact and a strong summer of training will help him prove his 35 points were no fluke.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #23 Chris Drury

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 #23, the captain Chris Drury.

#23's #s: 24 games, one goal, four assists, +2, 8 PIM (five playoff games, no goals, one assist, even, 2 PIM).

Take the good: The Rangers respect their captain. Drury has lost a step and whatever scoring ability he had back in Buffalo but he - when healthy - continued to do all he could to help the team. He blocked some shots, laid some hits, took some faceoffs - Dru actually had a 65.5% faceoff winning percentage in the playoffs. Oh, and Dru scored a sweet goal in his first game back from his second injury - the last game of the regular season.

Take the bad: One goal in 24 games? And he even averaged 36 seconds of power play time ... what was Tortorella thinking? Drury missed 57 games due to his two injuries, but those weren't his fault and his absence actually helped the team grow. But he likely rushed back from both his bad finger and his bum knee because the team lost Ryan Callahan to injuries of his own. It was a selfless act to return, but Drury wasn't able to even be a shadow of the player he was three seasons ago. And when asked what he craves most, he said hot oil pizza and not another Stanley Cup. The captain should be hungry for victory, not for lunch.

Take them both and then we have: John Tortorella's Tim Taylor - a plugging fourth liner captain who leads by example. Just this time around, he is one that happened to make $8 million last year. In Tampa Taylor was the placeholder, donning the C during the span of time between Dave Andreychuk's retirement and Vincent Lecavalier's maturation. Now, Jagr was no Andreychuk but Ryan Callahan can be the kind of guy Lecavalier has turned into - a smart, strong, two-way player capable of leading his team deep into the playoffs. We won't know until Drury has either relinquished the captaincy, finished out his contract and moved on or was bought out by the brass. Let's hope we find out sooner rather than later.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #24 Ryan Callahan

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 #24, Ryan Callahan.

#24's #s: 60 games, 23 goals, 25 assists, -7, 46 PIM.

Take the good: It would be easy to throw out the stats - Cally had set career highs in goals, assists and points despite missing 22 games, blah blah - but a quote sums it all up. I have always been of the belief that there is no higher praise than that from an enemy and after Callahan broke his ankle blocking a shot from Zdeno Chara, Chara told ESPN, "Callahan is a top-six guy, yet he still plays with so much heart and grit. You don't see many guys that throw their bodies around to block shots like that. He plays the game so hard. You have to respect a guy like that. I just hope that he's OK long term."

Take the bad: When Chara shoots the puck, get the hell out of the way! There is being brave and there is being stupid. Don't throw your life away young man! That's a joke, and is only intended as a joke. But it is something to fill this space as there was hardly any bad in Callahan's game.

Take them both and then we have: A young player who took another step towards seizing one of the biggest, toughest, most infuriating, most rewarding jobs in professional sports - captaincy of the New York Rangers. He showed a terrific combination of leadership, selflessness and skill this season and hopefully will only get better. He isn't there yet - his appearance on crutches before the Atlanta game should have inspired his team to a far better showing (they lost 3-0, to the Thrashers) - but it is plain to see that that C will adorn his sweater at some point. He's won us fans over, he just has to win his teammates the same way. And Chris Drury has to go, there is that too.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #25 Chad Kolarik

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 #25, Chad Kolarik.

#25's #s: 4 games, no goals, one assist, -1, 2 PIM.

Take the good: Kolarik got the call in January and made a good impression in his first game - he played 8:48, assisted on Brandon Prust's goal and had four shots on net.

Take the bad: For a supposed scorer, those were the only four shots he had in his four game NHL cup of coffee. The guy may have been solid in the A - three goals and two assists in five playoff games with the Whale, after collecting 17 and 14 in 36 after his move from Springfield - but needed to show more to stay in the show. And it wasn't like he saw Corey Locke-like minutes - he played 11:47, 9:13 and 6:43 in his other three games, and even saw a little power play time. Brad Smyth anyone?

Take them both and then we have: An expiring contract. When the rough and tumble Dane Byers saw the writing on the wall that he wasn't in the Rangers plans he demanded a trade and he got one. In return we got the scorer Kolarik, an UFA this summer. But, if not for the injury bug that took Dubi and Feds in January, this guy wouldn't have seen the NHL any more than Byers would have. He could re-up and help the Whale along or head overseas but otherwise it isn't likely he will see Broadway anymore.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #26 Erik Christensen

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 #26, Erik Christensen.

#26's #s: 63 games, 11 goals, 16 assists, 3, 18 PIM (5 games, one goal, no assists, even, 2 PIM).

Take the good: Dude has some skills, no denying that. His lone playoff point was one purty snipe (or one awful mistake by the goaltender, depending on how you look at it). Five shootout goals in eight attempts, three that won games. The Rangers were 9-1-0 when he tallied a goal. He had a streak of 12 points in nine games from February 25th to March 20th.

Take the bad: Mr. Softie the Backstabber? Oh where to start? He called out his own teammate in public, an unforgivable sin for someone with no standing; Mark Messier could do it, Erik Christensen? No. On a team that blocked so many shots, Christy put his body in front of 11 over 63 games (two in the playoffs). He averaged just over two minutes of power play time per regular season game and managed seven power play points. Seven. He had an 11 game goal drought as the regular season came to an end, his second longest streak (13 games straddling his late December injury). Actually, after said injury Christy didn't block a single shot in 25 of the next 26 games. The whole idea was to keep him around because of his chemistry with Gaborik but Gabby had an incredibly disappointing 23 goals (including playoffs); Christy assisted on five.

Take them both and then we have: Brad Richards' roster spot? He is under contract for one more year so he can spend the season being soft and underachieving with Grachev in Connecticut.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #27 Ryan McDonagh

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 #27, Ryan McDonagh.

#27's #s: 40 games, one goal, eight assists, +16, 14 PIM (5 playoff games, no points, even, 4 PIM).

Take the good: For his first professional campaign, McDonagh was remarkably consistent. He put up nearly the same numbers in the NHL that he did in the A; he played 38 games in Hartford, had one goal and seven assists and was +1 with 12 PIM. But the numbers don't really tell the story: McD combined with Michael Sauer to give the Rangers a surprisingly stable and shockingly confident second defensive pairing. It was spectacular seeing him score his first NHL goal against the Devils, at the Garden.

Take the bad: Unlike Sauer, McD did have rookie moments. Perhaps they were due to the speed of the play around him, the fact he played far more games than he had with Wisconsin or were due to simply simple mental lapses, who knows? As long as he learned from them we will be ok. And while Matt Cooke's elbow was not his fault - at all - did he just have no idea that Cooke was coming?

Take them both and then we have: A reason to be thankful for Scott Gomez? Slam Sather all you like, he turned the MexiCan't (his own mistake) into Higgins - who became Prust - as well as late camp cut Pavel Valentenko and McD. At the time many said that Ryan was the steal of the deal and he proved it to be true, far faster than expected.

The NYR Facts Of Life: #28 Bryan McCabe

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 #28, Bryan McCabe.

#28's #s: 19 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, -1, 6 PIM (5 playoff games, no goals, two assists, even, 14 PIM).

Take the good: All six of his regular season points came on the power play, which has to be a success compared to the fact that he had all of five power play points in 48 games with the Panthers. His goals came against the Isles and Flyers and we hate them, so that's good.

Take the bad: McCabe's thought process was as slow as his skating and he proved that he was not the man-advantage answer. Over his 24 total games the Rangers power play was 12-85, a 14% success rate that, for comparison, matched Columbus' season mark; the Blue Jackets ranked 29th in the NHL. McCabe saw more than three minutes of power play ice time in 19 of his 24 games; in the other five the team had just a total of five power plays. He saw less than 17:49 minutes of total ice time in 16 of his 19 regular season games (six were less than 15) and yet come playoff time he didn't play less than 17:50. Seeing as he hadn't played in the postseason since before the lockout and he was clearly not capable of containing the Caps, that makes no sense whatsoever.

Take them both and then we have: A failed experiment. The idea was good - MDZ failed and the Rangers needed a defenseman who could be a power play threat - but the execution was poor. The power play unit became even more predictable as the team insisted on setting him up for a big shot. When he didn't shoot it - which was too often - he could be pressured into choking up the puck. And adding a so-called 'veteran leader' that has never led anyone to any kind of success is not a recipe for success. The Rangers gave up Tim Kennedy and a third round draft pick in the coming draft for him. Kennedy could have helped the Whale in the playoffs (and thus helped get our prospects more valuable experience) while the pick ... we'll never know ...