Michael Rappaport of The Hockey Writers highlights the pros and cons of what a lockout could do for the New York Rangers, ranging from individual performances to team play suffering. He mentions Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist as the biggest benefactors of a shorter season.
Not only would a shortened season give Gaborik the opportunity to play in a larger percentage of the Rangers games, but it would give other players an opportunity to push themselves harder throughout the year.
The Rangers will go as far as Lundqvist can take them. If a shorter season means less wear and tear on ‘The King’ during the regular season, and therefore better performances beyond April, it benefits him, and thus the Blueshirts.
- Can’t argue the logic proposed here as Gaborik needs as much time possible to heal his surgically repaired shoulder and get back into game shape. However, in Hank’s case, less rest is not better. Lundqvist does need the occasional breather, but thrives on getting a regular workload to establish a rhythm in net. Playing in less games means less time for him to generate that rhythm.