It’s been a while since I’ve written a musings post. Generally Chris writes them, and when he can’t Suit or Becky step in. But since I’m home sick today, I decided I want to write them.  So here we go:

  • Seven in a row, lose two, five in a row, lose one. I’ll take 12 of 15, but this season is far from over and the Rangers still have a tough road ahead. Their next five games are against teams currently in the playoffs, so these games will tell us a lot about the chances the Rangers have at being a legitimate contender.
  • Marc Staal being out hurts, but now losing Mike Sauer is going to be an even tougher loss. Last year, Steve Eminger stepped up when the Rangers were ravaged by injuries. Can he do it again? Will one of Jeff Woywitka or Anton Stralman be able to step up and fill in those big minutes. Also lost in this is how the play of Michael Del Zotto will be effected by the loss of his defensive partner. He had been making significant strides, so maybe he can hold on to them, or even step up and play better.
  • The reports are that Mike Rupp and Wojtek Wolski are skating, and may be inching closer to a return. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Rangers deal with this. My guess, assuming no injuries: Erik Christensen and John Mitchell get sent down initially, with Rupp and Sean Avery rotating as the odd man out. If Wolski falters, we will see Mitchell be called up and Wolski sent down. It’s going to be tough for the Rangers not to give someone with so much skill another shot at the expense of someone like Mitchell. Mitchell has played well, but when Wolski’s on his game, he’s a great asset.
  • If Sauer winds up being out long term, at what point do the Rangers make a move to shore up the blue line? Is that move a Tim Erixon call up? Maybe it’s a trade of some sort.
  • Completely off topic, but I’m amazed at how much Victor Cruz has single-handedly carried my fantasy football team. I picked him up on waivers in Week 4, and he’s been a starter every week since. Him, Drew Brees, and the Chicago defense have won me weeks on their own. Now if only Darren McFadden can make it back by next week, I’ll be set.
  • Henrik Lundqvist reminds me a lot of Mariano Rivera. One of the best in the game, but significantly under appreciated in his early years because he has been so steady and so consistent and so great. Mo never won a Cy Young, and got cheated in the one year he was better than stellar (Bartolo Colon? Really?). Is Hank headed down that same path? That path of consistently great, but not “hot” enough for the award?

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