A new sheriff stands behind the Rangers' bench, and boy, he's a tough one. After coaching for more than four years in New York, Tom Renney was fired Monday and replaced by former Lightning bench boss John Tortorella. In terms of coaching styles, the two are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Renney is known to be calm, optimistic and well-liked by his players. Meanwhile, "hard-lined," "tough" and "fiery" are the nicest terms volleyed about in describing Tortorella. Essentially, the kindergarten teacher was replaced by the drill sergeant. The fantasy ramifications could be severe and widespread.
First of all, a lot of good could come from this move, as something undeniably needs to change in New York. After starting the season strong, the Rangers have played some pretty wretched hockey in the past month, with only two wins and 21 goals in 12 games. With all the offensive talent on this squad, that performance is simply unacceptable. Tortorella's hard-nosed approach will go a long way toward helping to turn things around, and Chris Drury, Markus Naslund and Wade Redden are set to benefit the most. These guys are worth more now in fantasy than they have been all season. All three are far too valuable (pricey) to get away with their lethargic and undisciplined play of late. Tortorella simply won't tolerate it. Look for a big bump in production right off the bat. In fact, the Rangers should benefit on offense across the board, as Renney was more of a defensive-minded coach than Tortorella.
Tortorella is a proven winner, having won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004. Working in New York won't intimidate him, either, because he has held an assistant's post with the Rangers in the past. There's a lot to look forward to, from a fan's and fantasy owner's perspective.
There should be some concern, however, about how New York's No. 1 netminder will handle his new coach. Henrik Lundqvist hasn't played in the NHL for anyone other than Renney, and he carries the reputation of being a fairly sensitive and emotional chap. To put it mildly, Tortorella is known for being extremely hard on his goalies, so this relationship might not work well. That isn't to say Lundqvist will crumple into a useless, sniveling heap under Tortorella's approach. He won't. But the situation is entirely unpredictable. One of the league's best goaltenders is treading new water for the first time, and we'll have to wait and see how he pans out. On the upside, when it comes to the Rangers' poor record, although he hasn't played his best, Lundqvist hasn't been the problem, either. So Tortorella may not treat him as severely. Maybe. Lundqvist's fantasy owners certainly should hope for as much.
The most contentious relationship of all, however, could be between Tortorella and Sean Avery. As a hockey analyst with TSN earlier this season, Tortorella spoke unfavorably of the shunned Dallas Star, putting forth the opinion that guys such as Avery shouldn't be playing in the NHL, period. Now the two likely will be members of the same organization, as the ex-Ranger (and current Dallas Stars asset) is expected to be traded to New York, whose AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, he currently plays for. Should that move take place, the welcome mat will be far less lush and cushy than it would've been otherwise.
To get along with Tortorella, Avery likely won't be able to play as he has in the past, irritating the opposition and pushing the limits constantly. But, unfortunately, that's also where his fantasy value lies. Without the penalty minutes, he just isn't worth as much. If you've been holding on to Avery all this time, you may as well ride it out and see what transpires. But otherwise, don't bother picking him up. There are too many ifs, buts and maybes with Torts in town.Ice chips
Evgeni Nabokov earned his fifth shutout of the season as the Sharks blanked the Stars 1-0. Dallas lost both the game and yet another center. Toby Petersen left in the second period with a lower-body injury. He'll be looked at Tuesday. With Brad Richards gone for the regular season and Mike Modano missing Monday's game with the flu, Petersen's absence carried even more weight. Wingers Brian Sutherby and Joel Lundqvist had to be moved to center to fill the gap. … Martin Brodeur's torn biceps tendon appears to be all healed. He faced his first scrimmage in practice on Monday and says he's ready to go. New Jersey coach Brent Sutter said Brodeur could play Thursday against Colorado. If not, he'll almost certainly play this weekend. … Although there's still an extreme outside chance he could play Wednesday against Los Angeles, Daniel Briere more likely will return to Philadelphia's lineup on Friday to face Montreal. Briere has missed 33 games with groin issues. … Montreal's Alex Tanguay could be cleared by doctors to play Tuesday against Vancouver. If not, expect to see the Canadiens winger back by the weekend. Tanguay had 26 points in 34 games before getting hurt at the end of December. He's expected to provide a nice boost to a struggling Habs squad set to turn things around.
