Yardbarker: Marian Gaborik

First-quarter report: Avalanche among early-season surprises

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:23:51 -0500

We like to make quick decisions. The Rangers jump out to a strong start, and they're going to the Stanley Cup finals. The Predators lose four of their first six games and it's time to fire Barry Trotz. But hockey executives say a good evaluation can't be made until the week of U.S. Thanksgiving. "That's when I really look at the standings," Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland told Sporting News. "Everybody plays between 20-24 games." ...

Who is the League’s MVP 1/4 Through?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:08:08 -0500

From friend of the blog Jim Cerny at Rink Rap: There are a host of players off to great starts this season. But who is most valuable to his own team? I’d have to say Marian Gaborik of the Rangers. Gaborik’s numbers certainly back this argument. In 21 games played (he missed two because of an injury), Gaborik has 18 goals---nearly one-per-game---and 32 points. He is tied with Heatley for the league lead in goals, and is second behind Kopitar in points. He has also scored at least one...

Gaborik-led Blueshirts roll for 7 on Blue Jackets

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:17:17 -0500

NEW YORK(AP) Marian Gaborik again sparked the Rangers' offense with two goals and two assists, but this time he had lots of long-awaited help in New York's 7-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

Rangers hit Wild for 7 to match season's best output

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:03:00 -0500

Marian Gaborik again sparked the Rangers' offense with two goals and two assists, but this time he had lots of long-awaited help in New York's 7-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Rangers hit Jackets for seven to match best output

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:03:00 -0500

Marian Gaborik again sparked the Rangers' offense with two goals and two assists, but this time he had lots of long-awaited help in New York's 7-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Panthers 3, Rangers 2: Thin Attack Falls Short as Rangers Sink Deeper

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:12:19 -0500

Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik scored the Rangers’ goals but also had a hand in the Panthers’ scores in game that Florida won.

Really is There Any Difference?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:40:00 -0500

So the New York Rangers gave their fans what they wanted when they fired Tom Renney and replaced him with John Tortorella. Out with the bland and in with the fan favorite.

So are we really seeing anything different besides the talents of Marian Gaborik?

Honestly it is almost like a mirror of last season where we watched the Rangers jump out to a great start and then turn into the leaders of inconsistency. After a 7-1 start to the season; the Rangers have gone 4-8-0-1 ever since then.

We see a lot of the same questions surrounding this team that we did last season such as scoring problems, taking too many bad penalties and even worse Rangers getting run and nobody doing anything about it supposedly because they don't want to take a penalty.

The Tortorella quote that is getting a ton of coverage:

“I thought, for most of the game there, we played. Obviously our biggest weakness is that we are not getting any secondary scoring. We played in surges at times. We held them to 11, 12 scoring chances. We just aren’t creating enough with our secondary scoring.”

For starters you have created a team that has become totally dependent on Marian Gaborik, just like Tom Renney did when he had Jagr on the Ranger roster. Yes I know the Rangers are missing Drury and Dubinsky but as Andrew Gross pointed out neither was sorry when they were healthy.

It is funny how while people love to point out the differences between Tortorella and Renney that they are not seeing how the two coaches are too much alike. It is in this area why we are seeing the ugly side of Ranger's hockey.

Everyone complained that Tom Renney changed his lines around on an almost game by game basis; John Tortorella does it only worse as he will change lines almost every period. Now how exactly can one expect the team to develop scoring when they first need to develop some chemistry with each other.

When you have no idea who is going to be your linemate from one shift to the next then you are going to have problems getting scoring chances unless it is the result of an individual effort like Gaborik for the most part has been. Take away Gaborik and Prospal and this Ranger team is in deep trouble.

No team no matter how much talent they add is going to become a winner until they develop chemistry with each other. It goes back to this annual problem of the Rangers being dependent on free agents to stock their key roster spots not develop them on their own.

You are not going to purchase chemistry as every Ranger fan has seen that since 1997, chemistry is developed over time with players who grow up in the same system together. Until the Rangers learn that lesson we are going to keep seeing quotes about what is wrong from the coach.

Put together lines and give them 2-3 games to see if they can come together as units; swapping them out every other period is not going to work. We are seeing Ryan Callahan being turned into a checking forward after his 22 goal season last year WHY?

Yes it is nice that Callahan is leading the NHL in hits but sorry that is not why he got that bump in pay after last season. It is totally unacceptable that Callahan has just 3 goals in just 21 games as we should be expecting 25-30 this season from him.

Put him where he can be used as a scorer not as a checker as if you want some checkers use the 4th line more than 4 minutes a game. The Rangers are currently built as one scoring line, two very confused lines, and 3 guys who take up close to 3 million dollars of cap space just to have free ice level seating.

Remember how Tortorella told us how much we Ranger fans would love see Brashear protecting his teammates? How Brashear would be a deterrent from people running at the Rangers?

Tom Renney said he never believed in using enforcers but at least Colton Orr was used about 10-12 minutes a night. If Brashear is a better overall player than Orr was then how come we see him only being used for 3-4 minutes a night?

This is not a knock on Brashear cause he can't protect his teammates if he is sitting on the bench for all but 3:47. I may not like the guy but if he is dressed then use him or bring in people you are going to use.

We watched now in back to back games rookie mistakes cost the Rangers, unlike Renney would would never point a finger at the player we saw Tortorella finger point. Sorry coach but point the finger at yourself too because a good teacher of a coach would have already taught his rookies lessons on how to play at the NHL level.

That is why you have Schoeny as one of your assistant coaches instead of hiring a full-time one right?

Yes I know it is only a quarter of the season gone by but all the symptoms from the Tom Renney years are already rearing their ugly heads and Renney is not even here anymore.

There is no excuse for a coach who does a great job talking to get more out of this team. This team has much more talent as a whole that last seasons but it simply is not being used right and the finger there needs to be pointed at the coach.

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Only 1 Ranger prospect in action on Tuesday evening as Tomas Kundratek may have had a quiet evening but his Medicine Hat Tigers still won 4-3 over the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Tigers have put together 4 good efforts and despite all the strange things that have happened to them have found themselves with the 5th best record in the WHL at 13-9-2-3.

(Tortorella courtesy of the New York Rangers)

Mary Ann doubtfull for Wild game.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:16:00 -0500

You have to wonder if the Ranger fans have accepted the fact that Marian Gaborik is not going to play every game of the season, ever. As a Wild fan we have seen this all before. Marian Gaborik is injury prone and a medical mess. There is no readon for Gaborik to worry, has his cushy 8.5 million a year salary or what ever it is that Rangers are paying him to fall back on. Gaborik will play when he wants to and when he feels up to it. Don't expect him to play when he is 85%.Not going to happen. Wait till Gaborik plays in the AStanley Cup playoffs and goes oh-for the series. I am going to enjoy watching this soap opera unfold.

Marian Gaborik certainly didn’t sound hopeful today that he’d be able to play tomorrow night, which would ruin his homecoming to Minnesota. The short version: He’s going to make the trip, he’s still sore, he lists himself as day to day, he’ll try to skate tomorrow morning and see how he feels, he won’t try to rush himself back and put himself at further risk for injury.

Still not definitive word on what his injury his but there seems little disputing that it’s a right leg issue. Gaborik had some ink marks just above his right knee, indicating perhaps a thigh or a hamstring problem. His right knee was not wrapped but it could be a knee issue. Gaborik said he was hurt in a collision in front of the net, not along the boards as first believed, and he played a shift after hurting himself. He initially thought the injury was worse.

“It’s not that serious,” Gaborik said. “I thought it was going to be worse the way it felt. I have to make sure I do the right thing and treat it and take it day by day. It doesn’t feel great but it feels better.”
[Ranger Rants]

Here is another quote from Steve Zipay of Newsday that doesn't think that Gaborik will play until the Bruins and Rangers meet on Sunday afternoon. If it's not serious why is the injury keeping you out of the line up.

Personally, I believe the Slovakian right winger isn't playing until Sunday afternoon against Boston in the Garden, but there's a chance he'll dress in Minnesota, where he played eight years, on Friday night.

Standing in the locker room with reporters after another practice in which he did not participate ---he was receiving treatment on his right leg, possibly thigh or hamstring, the club is not disclosing---he called himself "day-to-day."

Not playing would be disappointing, Gaborik said. “We don’t play them that often. Definitely it would be something special.”

He confirmed that he was still sore from a front of the net collision late in the third period against Phoenix on Monday, but would be on the plane to Minneapolis this afternoon. The team's top scorer, with 18 points, said he initially thought the injury was more severe.

“It’s not that serious,” said Gaborik, who skated another shift after the hit before shutting down. “I thought it was going to be worse the way it felt. I have to make sure I do the right thing and treat it and take it day by day. It doesn’t feel great but it feels better."

Puck Previews: Flames face division-leading Avs; Gaborik out

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:42:19 -0500

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished. Preview: Colorado Avalanche at Calgary Flames, 9:30 p.m. EST. Calgary begins the night five points behind the (wow) first-place Avalanche. Craig Anderson(notes) gets the start for Colorado. The Flames are 5-1 at home while the Avalanche are 5-1-2 on the road. Nice game-day preview from Matchstic...

Injured New York Rangers forward Marian Gaborik held out of practice

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:04:16 -0500

Marian Gaborik was held out of practice Tuesday as the Rangers forward deals with an undisclosed injury he suffered after colliding with a player in the Monday's 5-2 win over the Coyotes.

Gaborik's Prowess on Display, but Here Come Those Injury Questions ...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:27:00 -0500

by Christopher BottaFiled under: Rangers, NHL InjuriesNEW YORK -- With each goal Marian Gaborik scores, with each goal he sets up -- two goals and one assist Monday in the Rangers' 5-2 win over Phoenix -- it's impossible to not think about the most startling trade of the offseason.The deal that had nothing to do with Gaborik, yet everything to do with the Rangers signing Gaborik.Gaborik's Prowess on Display, but Here Come Those Injury Questions ... originally appeared on Fanhouse ...

Agent Spotlight: Ron Salcer

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:19:32 -0500

"A man's got to do what a man's got to do," John Wayne's character mused in the 1939 film, "Stagecoach". In Ron Salcer's case, that means taking on zealous fans, the local media, even crooked executives, all in order to defend his principles. Salcer, who runs Icy Luck, Inc. out of Manhattan Beach, CA, represents Marian Gaborik, the uber-talented albeit injury prone right winger for the Minnesota Wild who will be an unrestricted free agent next July. The speedy Slovak is a fan favorite?most Minnesotans are more apt to remember his historic, five goal performance against the N.Y. Rangers last December, for instance, than the maddening bouts of inconsistency that always seem to come around playoff time. Moreover, Gaborik has yet to finish a full-season without some injury of note. He now sits in the final year of a three-year, $19 million deal, that pays him $7.5m this season. That said, Gaborik correctly feels he should command top dollar. His upside especially still places him among other elite names in the NHL. However, thus far he and Salcer have rejected multiple offers from the Wild. Contract talks that the team had hoped would be done by the end of the preseason have now officially stalled, and relations between the two sides have gone from bad to awkward. Gaborik now sits on the injured reserve thanks to a conveniently cryptic and allegedly lingering "lower-body injury". Meanwhile, the Wild has skated to one of the best records in the league even in his absence, utilizing as always a trapping style of play arguably ill-suited to someone of Gaborik's flash anyway. And Salcer, who bit his tongue early on while bloggers and sports writers in the Twin Cities began to bash his client for reportedly turning down some fairly generous offers, seemingly had enough when he lashed out last week in local papers. While it had been reported that the Wild offered a variety of proposals, ranging from six to 10 years for more than $8.5 million annually, Salcer dismissed such talk as exaggerated. "Unfortunately, Marian has been absorbing a character assassination on the premise of misinformation that has circulated like gospel," Salcer said. "The offers that have been thrown at the wall of 10 years, $85 million, $90 million and $100 million are wrong, as are what I now hear ? seven years, $70 million and eight years, $80 million. They're also wrong. When and if they do get offered, something certainly may happen." What seems clear to many pundits is that Gaborik has no intention of staying in Minnesota, and moreover that he feels he can command more money elsewhere. Rumors of a trade to Montreal sound credible to some, though knowing that Minnesota will be loathe to lose him for nothing next summer, the bargaining power doesn't seem to rest with Wild GM Doug Risebrough. That said, is Gaborik worth top five money? If Salcer has indeed priced his stud out of the market like some analysts think he has, then it may be harder to get the free market to bite, especially as Gaborik sloughs away on the IR. Others opine that it is inevitable that someone will decide to overpay eventually, especially as the year unwinds. Either way, Salcer isn't backing down?from bloggers, the media, or even the Wild itself?and if he lands his man a new deal making him one of the highest paid players in the NHL, his mission will be complete. In the meantime, you can bet that he will continue scouring the print media and listening intently to the public airways for further "misinformation," because well, that's just the type of guy he is. Salcer got started in the business, for example, in the early 1980s after meeting and befriending several L.A. King players in his apartment complex. He was mortified to learn how paltry players' salaries, pensions and medical benefits were, and his anger eventually lead to the uncovering of a league-wide scandal that implicated former NHLPA boss Alan Eagleson, who stepped down in disgrace in 1992 and later served prison time for fraud. "I was hearing horror story after horror story. I watched players' salaries go up maybe 5% every year and we never knew who was making what. They'd say eight guys were making X amount and 72 were making the median, but nobody knew who was making what. [Eagleson] said to players, 'You're making more money than your parents. Don't rock the boat.' I felt if I was going to continue as an agent, there would have to be dramatic changes." An investigation turned up that Eagleson was making under the table deals with close personal friends John Ziegler, then NHL president, and Chicago Blackhawk owner Bill Wirtz, then chairman of the league's board of governors, suppressing salaries by giving up free agency in labor agreements and by advocating a merger of the World Hockey Association and the NHL, thus curtailing the bidding that had driven salaries up. Flash forward and Salcer is now credited with many things modern players take for granted: agents can no longer represent players and coaches or club executives, players' salaries have skyrocketed, the pension fund is well endowed by events such as the World Cup, and players are kept up to date about NHLPA finances. So when Salcer gets miffed, like he was this past week on behalf of his client, Gaborik, people pay attention. Sounds like the Duke.

Rumor of the Day

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:22:53 -0500

You might think that today's rumor is that Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal is on drugs. That's not it. You'd be close, but that's not it. Mr. Matheson writes about some "interesting" posibilities for Wild GM Doug RisebroughA if he cannot get Marian Gaborik signed (he won't, btw). Gaborik to Pittsburgh for Malkin because the Penguins [...]