Over the off-season I saw plenty of bold predictions for the Rangers this
year...playoffs, first in the east and even a few Stanley Cup
champions. But this week many fans and commentators came quickly
back to earth with the announcement that Bure would have surgery on his
twice injured right knee.
The injury and the reaction afterwards underscores just how fragile the
Rangers playoff hopes are. With little proven depth on the wings or
scoring in general, the Rangers once again enter the NHL season with more
questions that a whole season of "Who wants to be a
millionaire".
Then again, when haven't the Rangers been without questions?
Fortunately for all involved it appears that Bure's injury is not
serious, and with good news coming from the operating table today, it
looks like this will be more of a case of a close call than a season
altering injury.
Still with Messier (shoulder), Malakhov (both knees), Richter (both
knees), Dvorak (knee), Lindros (concussions), Bure (knee), Kloucek (knee)
and Lefebvre (most body parts) all missing significant time in the last
few seasons it pays to be cautious when making predictions for post-season
success.
On the positive side, what this does do is free up the Rangers to spend
a little more time assessing their options on the wing, and perhaps Dvorak
an opportunity to get some quality ice time on his own return from
injury. Rico Fata too might be seeing a reprieve. With the
Waiver Draft fast approaching, Fata was one of those who may have found
himself on another team or even back in the AHL. Bure's injury may
create some space on the roster for Rico to get another shot at making it
as an NHLer.
Other fringe players such as Roman Lyashenko, Nils Ekman and Benoit
Dusablon will also be keeping a close eye on developments.
With 13 more days to go and 6 more pre-season games, there's no doubt
the fans will be.
The Fish Bowl
