2008 Woodie Awards
Key Acquisitions Fail to Propel Rangers, Oilers
Bill Stoklosa
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Sports
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Last offseason was a busy one in the NHL, as teams across the league tried to pick up the big free-agent that would help them gain the most coveted trophy in all of sports. In this edition, I'll be taking you across the league to look at how some of the major free-agent acquisitions have fared thus far.
The team that arguably gained the most headlines for their offseason moves were the New York Rangers, who brought in centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to help boost their offense. Through 17 games, Drury, a former Buffalo Sabre, only has three goals and seven assists, while sporting a plus/minus of -2. Gomez, a former New Jersey Devil, hasn't faired much better. He also has 10 points with four goals and six assists, and an even plus minus. Drury and Gomez's struggles are indicative of the offense as a whole, which has scored a league low 34 goals. The Rangers are still managing to stay a hair above .500 at 9-7-1, thanks to the stellar play of goalie Henrik Lundqvist who has an extraordinary .940 save percentage and an unbelievable 1.62 goals against average.
In regards to another former Sabre currently skating in the City of Brotherly Love, we must examine the exploits of the short but skilled center, Daniel Briere. Philadelphia was the worst team in the conference last year. This year, Philadelphia leads the Atlantic with a 10-6 record, despite the fact that over two-thirds of their games thus far have been on the road! Briere's been a huge part of that success. He leads the team with 19 points coming on six goals and 13 assists. His offensive skills have been instrumental in leading Philadelphia to a division-high 49 goals. Briere has been helped out by another former Sabre, goalie Martin Biron, who joined the Flyers at the deadline last season. Biron has a whopping .936 save percentage and 2.25 goals against average. The struggling Sabres, meanwhile, are currently tied for the worst record in the league, could use both Biron and Briere right now.
The team that arguably gained the most headlines for their offseason moves were the New York Rangers, who brought in centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to help boost their offense. Through 17 games, Drury, a former Buffalo Sabre, only has three goals and seven assists, while sporting a plus/minus of -2. Gomez, a former New Jersey Devil, hasn't faired much better. He also has 10 points with four goals and six assists, and an even plus minus. Drury and Gomez's struggles are indicative of the offense as a whole, which has scored a league low 34 goals. The Rangers are still managing to stay a hair above .500 at 9-7-1, thanks to the stellar play of goalie Henrik Lundqvist who has an extraordinary .940 save percentage and an unbelievable 1.62 goals against average.
In regards to another former Sabre currently skating in the City of Brotherly Love, we must examine the exploits of the short but skilled center, Daniel Briere. Philadelphia was the worst team in the conference last year. This year, Philadelphia leads the Atlantic with a 10-6 record, despite the fact that over two-thirds of their games thus far have been on the road! Briere's been a huge part of that success. He leads the team with 19 points coming on six goals and 13 assists. His offensive skills have been instrumental in leading Philadelphia to a division-high 49 goals. Briere has been helped out by another former Sabre, goalie Martin Biron, who joined the Flyers at the deadline last season. Biron has a whopping .936 save percentage and 2.25 goals against average. The struggling Sabres, meanwhile, are currently tied for the worst record in the league, could use both Biron and Briere right now.
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