Larry Brooks reports on his Twitter page that Rangers left wing/centerVinny Prospal will miss the next two weeks of action due to arthroscopic surgery on his knee today. Zipay asks whether P.A. Parenteau could be recalled to take his place.
Parenteau certainly deserves the chance to showcase what he can do in that kind of a role. Since returning from New York on December 13th, in the four games he has played in, the HUll, Quebec native has 1 goal and 4 helpers. He also scored the Pack’s only goal in the shoout out against Bridgeport.
Here’s the official release from the Rangers:
New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that forward Vinny Prospal underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this morning to repair a lateral meniscus tear, and will be sidelined 10 days to three weeks. The injury was sustained during Saturday’s game against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden.
The procedure was performed this morning at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Westchester by Dr. Anthony Maddalo.
Prospal, 34, has registered eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points, along with 22 penalty minutes in 38 games this season. He currently leads the Rangers and is tied for 19th in the NHL in assists. He also ranks second on the team in points and third in goals. Prospal has recorded seven multi-point performances this season, including a three-point performance (two goals and one assist) on the night he tallied his 200th career NHL goal on October 14 against Los Angeles. In addition, the 15-year veteran registered his 600th career NHL point with a goal in his Garden debut on October 3 vs. Ottawa, and skated in his 900th career game on November 28 at Pittsburgh.
Comments (5)
Joesays:
December 29, 2009 at 10:56 AMMitch –
I understand your affinity for PAP, but he is not, nor will he ever be a top 6 NHL forward. He will not be a full time NHL’er in any role. There are issues with his game that affect his ability to play top 6 or bottom 6.
You are going to strongly disagree w/ me, and that’s fine, but I do believe you need to be more objective. Then again, you are a blogger and not a reporter, so objectivtiy is not required.
He is a top AHL’er, but simply not a NHL’er, save for being a fill in here/there. Before you say he never had a legit shot, a guy who is truly a NHL’er makes himself noticed in any role in any game w/ any linemates. That’s how guys stick when they are called up. He played well initially in his last call up, but slowed down and then his minutes dropped. Game in/out he needs to maintain what he did early on his call up.
He has a lot to be proud of – he’s played in the NHL – something thousands upons thousands hockey players will never say.
Mitchsays:
December 29, 2009 at 11:12 AMFirst of all Joe, I’m offended that you said that I’m “a blogger and not a reporter.” I take HUGE offense at that. I work EXTREMELY hard on this site and do everything the same as a reporter. Why because I’m not in a newspaper that somehow diminishes what I do here?
I hate to break this to you, but some very REAL reporters out there see me as an equal in terms of the work that I do.
The difference between this site and others is that in addition to doing reporting, I also share some opinions BASED UPON FACTS, not just fan speculations.
What you wrote is your opinion and you’re entitled to it. Based upon the conversations that I’ve had with scouts, coaches, players and executives is what I based my opinions off of in addition to what I’ve seen on the ice.
I guess you would rule out John Tortorella as a valid opinion since he told the press, in addition to telling P.A. himself, that he was a top six forward. He was also told there wasn’t a position for a top six forward with the Rangers and that was why he was sent to Hartford.
As far as how P.A. played once he got up there, when was he ever given significant enough minutes to adapt to the NHL level? When was he on a SCORING line that was held together for more than a game or two?
Players need time to adapt to their surroundings, get a comfort level and develop chemistry. He wasn’t given any of that and even if he’s recalled again, which he probably will be with Prospal going down, when will he be given that chance? He’ll be used sparingly just as Tortorella has done with all the young players. He doesn’t give them quality minutes. He plays them a minimum number of minutes to spell his top guys and that’s it.
I am not saying to you that Parenteau’s game is without flaw. I’m also not saying he’s Marion Gaborik, but what I am saying is that if he were given the right opportunity in the right scenario he could be a productive NHL top six forward…and by the way, that’s not just my opinion, but the opinion of a number of viable and valid sources.
But again, I am really incensed by your downgrading what I do here as being anything less than professional quality reporting and the effort that I put in on the behalf of you and the multitudes of people that read this site.
Joesays:
December 29, 2009 at 12:16 PMLet me cite the entry on August 27, 2008 where you called yourself a blogger/reporter. You said you were a blogger, not me. Perhaps you view yourself more as a reporter now, but that post did in fact call you a blogger.
There are actually bloggers who are better than many print and other reporters, so my opinion has nothing to do w/ you not being in a newspaper.
It’s interesting you cite Tortorella as a source since that is the same coach who questioned PAP’s skating. Unless you are scoring in bunches, your skating cannot be an issue in the NHL if you are a top 6. That’s a very broad statement of course, so exceptions do apply (power forward types for just 1 example).
If PAP truly was a top 6 guy, wouldn’t at least 1 team have taken him on waivers by now? How many times has he cleared waivers while on a 1 yr 500K deal? He’s not a top 6 NHL forward.
Tortorella wasn’t going to throw a guy under the bus, only when they deserve it will he do it. PAP didn’t deserve it and Torts did the right thing in protecting him without going into details on PAP and why he did not stick. PAP is a likeable guy, no doubting but do you believe everything that is said by a NHL coach or GM?
As I said before, it’s the NHL, you don’t get much time to acclimate yourself, b/c true NHL’ers can play w/ anyone at any time. Sure the chemistry might not be top notch, but one should still be able to create if he has the puck and is considered a skilled forward.
Minutes don’t matter – a NHL’er makes do with what he is given and takes advantage of the situation. Did you check his statistics for the games he played in this year w/ NYR? Only 3 times out of 14 did he play less than 10 minutes. 7 times he had 14+minutes. I’d say that’s pretty solid minutes, and 4pts, 21 shots and a -6 (and SO winner in OTT) is not much of an impact regardless of his linemates.
So in sum, not much to show for those minutes. Whether he was on a scoring line or not, he had minutes to produce and he did NOT. Your foolish if you think guys get much time after they’ve been called up. Just not how it works.
You can cite all the sources you want, but what do those sources say about him constantly clearing waivers? It can’t be salary reasons, it’s because no other team believes he would make any sort of impact anywhere in the lineup night in and night out.
Mitch Becksays:
December 29, 2009 at 12:31 PMJoe,
You want to defend the fabulous job that John Tortorella is doing with the Rangers, be my guest.
But saying something so totally ridiculous like “minutes don’t matter” is so absurd that I am not going to bother even discussing it.
In terms of the rest of your logic, you’re entitled to your opinion no matter how “fanish” it might be.
For the record, the word “blogger,” is not the issue. There’s nothing wrong with the word “Blogger.” There’s an old saying that maybe you’ve heard and maybe you haven’t and it says, “The same words that hurt can heal.” It wasn’t the word, but the way that you used it.
What you wrote was denergrating the work that I do as a legitimate reporter. No matter how you slice it, it was meant as a put down that was not only unnecessary for you to make your point, but was insulting to me and the work that I do for the fans of the Rangers, Wolf Pack and Checkers that nobody is paying me for and that I do at my own expense…and a lot of expense at that.
So feel free to state your opinions. I’m all for that. But try and use some thought in the words you use and the way that you use them.
Joesays:
December 29, 2009 at 12:56 PMFirst you state: As far as how P.A. played once he got up there, when was he ever given significant enough minutes to adapt to the NHL level?
Then I show that he did in fact have pretty good minutes, and now you refuse to address that data point? Minutes don’t matter though, in fact, any coach and GM will tell you: the players who deserve to stick make do with whatever minutes they get and they make things happen.
I wasn’t defending Tortorella merely pointing out my rationale for why he probably said what he said. Kinda like Renney would do during his time as the coach – protect the players sometimes publicly.
The moment someone points out flaws in your arguments or opinions, you get all riled up and then fail to address any counter points. Calling my opinions “fanish” is laughable – for nearly all of my opinions I provided facts or potential explanations. All you do is cite the same player’s who you favor over and over again. That’s what fans do.
Finally, try spell check if you are in fact a reporter.