Finals?
Sandra, if the Rangers make it all the way to the Stanley Cup... no, never mind. You already told me, and it's in my signature.
I don't know how the team will take to Tortorella. Of course Sather's stupid signings are still there, so they could continue heading South.
But if they wanted to find the exact opposite of Tom Renney, they found him. The kids like Dubinsky, Betts, Dawes, Korpikoski, Girardi, Staal, etc., will probably love him, and he'll love them.
The key is going to be how Zherdev, Gomez, Drury, Redden, Naslund, Rozsival, etc., respond to him. If they get their butt in gear and do what they're capable of, good things can happen. There is also the possibility some of these guys will get into Tortorella's doghouse quickly, and head in the other direction.
Like I said, time will tell. I don't think there are any automatic teams in the East, Boston is playing at this level for the first time, who knows what will happen in the playoffs. Same with Washington. The Rangers have had the Devils number for years, and the rest of the teams are a crapshoot.
And I do think Avery can give this team a boost. Like Bill Parcells said, 'you are your record'. The Rangers' record with Avery in the lineup was 50-20-18 or something.
Hopefully it'll come down to who has the best goalie.
Sandra