Wade Redden’s Second-Half “Resurgence”

Suffice it to say, Wade Redden is not a fan favorite in New York. He was signed as a premier free agent last offseason to a six-year deal worth $6.5 million a year on average, and in return, he had a very poor first year with the Rangers. His first half of the season was downright terrible, and fans mercilessly booed him until his ears bled.

Enter John Tortorella for the final 21 games of the season. All of a sudden, Redden seems more comfortable on the ice, and it’s beginning to show. In those 21 games, Redden put up a goal and five assists, not stellar, but definitely an improvement on what we had seen all season. However, Redden was also a +6 in those 21 games, bringing his +/- from the year to a -5. That’s a vast improvement over what we saw in the previous 61 games. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but over an 82 game span, that averages out to a line of 4-20-24 and +24. It’s not worth $6.5 million, but I’ll take that +24 on the defensive side of the puck.

But let’s break down those offensive numbers a bit. The Rangers had the 29th ranked power play in the league. Enter Marian Gaborik, Chris Higgins, and Ales Kotalik. While I believe that Michal Rozsival should be the focal point of the power play, it will be Redden’s job to lose. There will be plenty of options for Redden to dish the biscuit to, and should Gaborik be covered, there are solid options in Higgins and Kotalik, who will bury their opportunities. This is a luxury the Rangers didn’t have last season.

Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, which considering the constant negativity from every single writer on the face of the earth, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’m looking forward to see how Redden reacts to a full season under Tortorella. Who knows, maybe he can put up the 40 points I’m hoping he can. But if he can’t I’ll take a +24.