When it comes to scorers and the New York Rangers, things just do not seem to last long.
In their history, the Blueshirts have had great scorers such as Mike Gartner, Luc Robitaille, Pat Verbeek, Marcel Dionne, Glenn Anderson and many others. Unfortunately, these kinds of scorers do not seem to spend too many seasons with the Rangers because the organization usually ends up trading them or having them phase out their careers.
With the NHL trade deadline right around the corner and knowing what the Rangers’ history is when it comes to scorers, one has to wonder if maybe the Blueshirts are thinking about trading Marian Gaborik. After having a terrific season last year, Gaborik has had trouble producing in 2013.
Before getting into what is going on with Gaborik, it should be noted that the speedy winger is not the main cause for all of the Rangers’ offensive struggles this season. The Rangers are currently 28th in the league in goals scored, which means there is plenty of blame to be shared in New York.
Gaborik’s teammates Rick Nash, Brad Richards, Carl Hagelin, Ryan Callahan, Brian Boyle, Tom Pyatt and others have not picked up the slack. With the players that this Rangers team has, they should not have to rely on one guy to put the puck in the net all the time.
With that said, Gaborik has been dreadful this season. In 31 games, Gaborik has just nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points.
While those numbers may not look too bad, for an offensive superstar like Gaborik they are horrendous. Looking deeper into Gaborik’s struggles, he has scored goals in just six games this season.
In his best game of the season Jan. 23 against the Boston Bruins, Gaborik scored a hat trick. Two games later he chipped in two goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs. These tilts were Gaborik’s best of the season and unfortunately for the Rangers, they came nearly two months ago.
After these two games, however, Gaborik has been almost non-existent. He has had a lot of trouble putting the puck in the net, has been benched by head coach John Tortorella and as could been seen in his team’s 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets a few weeks ago, has had trouble keeping the puck on his stick.
The reason why this is so puzzling is because in his first three seasons on Broadway, Gaborik was an offensive machine and one of the team’s most consistent players. In 220 games, Gaborik scored 105 goals and added 105 assists for 210 points, which puts him close to a point-per-game pace.
This is exactly what makes Gaborik an interesting trade candidate. He has shown he can put the puck in the net, has speed to burn, can be creative with the puck in setting up plays and is only 31 years old.
These reasons are also why the team should hang onto Gaborik. In his career, Gaborik has always been a streaky player and unfortunately, the Rangers are experiencing that streakiness in a negative way this shortened season.
For the Rangers to succeed offensively going forward, Gaborik is someone that the team needs both now and going forward. Sure, he may not have the greatest numbers at the end of this season but with a full campaign next year and an off-season in which hopefully he will not be having surgery, Gaborik can get in the work that he needs to in order to get his offensive game back.
It may be a tough thing to do in New York but for the Rangers, some patience is the key when it comes to Gaborik and the offence that he can contribute.
