Interesting debate.
Dawes doesn't have to clear waivers, needs to play on a top line if he's here.
That's a problem given the depth. He'd be the first callup. And you know someone's gonna be dinged.
Hossa might not clear waivers, and you'd lose him for nothing. I like Hossa's size on the fourth line, swapping him in and out for Orr/Hollweg.
Hollweg. Here's the issue for me.
If he keeps running people and drawing penalties, (legit or not, some refs seem to target him), is his value diminished? At least Hossa could play on a third line and contribute. Not sure about Hollweg. Orr's not going anywhere. The Rangers are tougher and grittier with Avery, Dubinsky, Callahan, Drury, Shanny, Strudwick than at this point last season.
Question: Does that make Hollweg expendable?
Comments (33)
Unfortunately Steve, Hollweg had become expendable the moment the Rangers gave a serious look at Dane Byers. Byers can hit, score, fight, and play responsibly. Hollweg can hit, and lose fights. He's become a nuisance as well, and ref's do have their eyes out for him and his commonly LATE boarding hits.
I think it's time to let him go.
Hollweg has mad himself expendable. He has no hockey talent. Can't score, can't skate. He can take horrible penalties and lose the occasional fight. The Rangers just don't need him. 4th line should be Hossa - Betts - Orr. Send him to Hartford. I doubt anyone will claim him off waivers - too much of an on-ice liability. Keep Dawes with the big club. He earned it last year and has more than earned it this year. This club says it is based on work ethic and accountability. Dawes has both.
What more does a kid like this need to do to make this team?
Trade away what you no longer need, or give it away for free. Either way, if it makes the team better, do it.
Play Dawes!
Dawes - Gomez - Shanny
Hollweg's reputation around the league and with the refs is richly deserved, and he will continue to be penalized on borderline hits because of it (and seriously, how many of Holly's hits AREN'T borderline?) Hollweg's a 1-trick pony, in that all he really brings to the table is his hitting. (Though I will dispute the fact that he can't skate -- the guy does have pretty good wheels.) The Rangers are a much grittier team than they were 2 years ago, and there are other people on the team and in the system who can hit and grind who also bring more to the table.
Just make sure that if he's traded, he goes out west...
As for the Dawes dilemma... It honestly wouldn't surprise me to see Dubinsky sent down to Hartford over Dawes, despite the fact that Dubinsky seems to slot nicely into that 3rd line center spot. Unlike Dawes, there is still room for Dubinsky to grow, and he could continue to benefit and improve with the additional ice time and responsibility in Hartford. Dawes is what he is, and additional time in Hartford will not help his game -- this is pretty much his sink or swim season.
Naturally, I realize suggesting Dubinsky could be sent down won't be a popular opinion, but it's a route I could see the Rangers taking...
Absolutely not, Dubinsky is the third line center we need, he is feisty and can play center. He is terrific on faceoffs, if Dawes makes the team, it cannot be at the expense of Dubinsky and it won't be.
Hollweg to me is a perfect 4th liner -- I've learned to love guys like this. He puts a sense of fear into opponents that other guys don't. He doesn't need many minutes, but he is effective at the min. he plays.
Hossa to me needs to step it up and be a 1/2nd line horse or be traded. He's a waste on the 4th line - no energy and skills that mesh with top players when he uses them.
As for Byers - need to see more of him - he did not stand out for me in the pre-season.
I like dawes a lot - and agree - 1st man down he's up - or platoon him with Shanny at points to keep the old guy young!
It amazes me that Renny needs to consider playing Dawes at all. That poor kid is given the rawest of deals for the last two seasons.
“Hey, Renny! The kids got talent man.”
Nepotism is the moral of this story! Well guess what, he’s no Marian.
Move Marcel to the 3rd and 4th lines. Play Dawes and rotate through until he clicks.
Marcel was given this opportunity, why not Dawes?
Send Hollweg to Hartford or trade him if you can. He’s lost his position.
I think the real problem here is that Dawes, though a solid NHL-ready player, simply does not fit on this lineup. He's the kind of player who is only effective when he plays on the first two lines. That's a requirement that a lot of teams wouldn't be able to satisfy, especially for a rookie. If Dawes cant play on the Drury or Gomez line, which we know he can't because there's no room, where is he going to play? The 4th line's role is to play defensive, throw some bodies around, and give the scoring lines a rest. So Dawes would be useless and ineffective on that line as well. The only place he could play is the 3rd line, but whose spot could he take? Not Dubsinsky or Callahn, obviously. And Prucha has already proven himself as a speedy, young winger.
As much as I like Dawes, with a full lineup of healthy players, he just doesn't fit. I'm sure he'll get to play at some point though, as he'll be immediately called up in case of injury.
Isn't nice to have these problems instead of what the Islanders fans are going through.
I agree that Hollweg has lost his value. Although I like his hustle I think he plays on the edge too much and that takes away from the Rangers' game. There are enough gritty players without Hollweg on the roster to make him expendable.
I think you keep all 3 (Dawes, Hossa, Hollweg) and get rid of Studwick, he is way too slow on the blueline and a waste of a roster spot. If the choice comes down to Strudwick or a Pock or Staal, Strudwick must go. Chances are that no one will pick him up off waivers anyway.
Strudwick stays bc he is a team guy... he is not going anywhere. He is a HUGE piece of this team whether he plays every night or not. Hollweg has no talent at all...We need all 4 lines to have the ability to score not just run around and hit people. We have enough sandpaper.. Hollweg is a black ace!
Ortmeyer was a "team guy" and look what happened to him.
Hollweg has talent. Just not the type of talent we need anymore, or already have enough of.
Trade him. Someone will want him.
There is no way Ortmeyer is talented enough to still be here.
Sure, everyone loved him, but the guy couldn't provide any offense.
We have too many talented young guys here and coming up who have passed him by.
I wish him well in Nashville.
"slick willy", why are you so obsessed with the islanders? We're trying to discuss the rangers lineup and all you can think about is the islanders. Are you sure you're a rangers fan?
Hollweg is way too valuable to dump-- his energy and fearlessness will be sorely missed if he is ditched; he'll kill penalties too... Let Dawes start in Hartford and come up when the first guy gets hurt.
Steve: Hockeybuzz.com is reporting a possible deal between the Rangers and Coyotes. Have you heard anything?
I thought I was discussing the roster.
Haha Kyle reads Hockeybuzz
"...all you can think about ..."
you need to read and then think before you jump on my a$$ about my comments. Try 10:27.
I just realized I didn't put my name on the 10:41am
See I did it again.
Hey #35,
you aren't discussing anything. just picking at regular posters. Are you going to add something? Or just bait for a fight?
hollyweg does bring some things to the table..mainly and he throws the body and brings energy and that is a very valuable comodity, also hossa is a nice piece that can play w/jags or 4th line and do not underestimate his shoot out skills-- as this is very important in new nhl -- also playing dawes w/shanny and gomez means avery moves to third line and thus relegates callahan or prucha to 4th line minutes-- so its basically robbing peter to give to paul...therefore i feel the dawes should go down with the idea that he will be up when injurys do and will happen (see callahan). ps i am so happy its drury straka and jags, makes way more sense to me....drury adds grit and rebound goals..straka knows jags aka nylander...and on line 1B get used to hearing "gomez takes the line..feed to Shanny....SCORE!"
Dawes needs to make the team this year. Honestly throw him on the third line and move prucha up to the first and drop Hossa down to the fourth. Hossa even admitted to enojoying playing the penalty kill so he should enjoy the defensive role on the fourth line. Plus he would add some scoring touch.
Isn't nice to have these problems instead of what the Islanders fans are going through.
Hey, Jay. Why make a comment about a team you know nothing about?
sorry, that was for slick willy...
You’ve caught me on a bad day island trash…
Which is it, Tony or #35?
Would you like to see what I need to know about the islanders?
Here we go.
Left overs for Yashin, Blake, Smyth, 3 first round draft picks, Poti, etc. 2 washed up no ones now leading your team to be more washed up no ones. Bet you wish Yashin was back right about now. I know I would if I was foolish enough to love that crap fiesta of a hockey club…
Rebuilding excuses after being destroyed in the off season by players and an organization that is fooling simpletons like you into believing there’s a remote sign of hope. One minute it’s the stadium isn’t good enough, the next its Smyth and Blake aren’t the type of players Nolan is looking for. HUH? WHAT? Which is it? Is it the rebuilding of that litter box or the building of his new sports complex that players are waiting to play for 79% (third lowest) of the customer base. HUH? Well that’s 5 different excuses for signing left over bull crap in lass than 4 months. Don't you get the point! You offered Drury and Smyth more than Denver and NYR and niether wanted to play. Be a star in a major market, or play for 7000 a night in L.I. Maybe you should start with buying tickets, then open your trap.
Lets not for get all Ranger Fans favorite Isles excuse;
How about the Nolan Type Player or Nolan Type Fan (I coined that)?
Nothing more than a crappy excuses to fill in the blank that was left by the team itself. Leaving fans to define, what is a Nolan Type Player? Oh, someone who puts the team before themselves. Laughable! Every boss on this planet is looking for those types of employees. FOOLS making excuses for FOOLS.
That's the short nice version of what is relevant today and what I know, whoever the hell you are looking for a “fight”. Keep popping your mouth off and we'll see what other truths I can throw at that silly corrupt outfit you like to call a hockey team. Once gods, now dogs!
I looking forward to the season, how about you?
I'm not "tony". But I do consider myself a mature ranger fan and it would be nice if we could discuss our team without you obsessing over the islanders. I spend my energy talking about the rangers and what they need to do this season to be better. You spend your energy bashing the islanders, hence your 4 paragraph post above about how they suck. Seems to me from my short time on this blog that you know more about islander hockey than you do ranger hockey.
Slick Willy,
I'll answer your post.
"Left overs for Yashin, Blake, Smyth, 3 first round draft picks, Poti, etc. 2 washed up no ones now leading your team to be more washed up no ones. Bet you wish Yashin was back right about now."
Nope. Yashin is a waste. Lazy skilled player, that comes to play 1 out of every 3 games. Glad he's gone.
"One minute it’s the stadium isn’t good enough, the next its Smyth and Blake aren’t the type of players Nolan is looking for. HUH? WHAT? Which is it?"
The stadium has been a problem for years. Only need to read a newspaper the last bunch of years to know that. As for Smyth, we wanted him until he signed with Colorado... who ever said he wasn't the type of player Nolan wanted? Nolan wanted to build a team around him... just how bad is your reading comprehension that you never got that, with all the different articles leading up to July 1st talking about that? As for Blake, Snow wanted him enough to offer him 3 years @ 16 Mil. Didn't think he was worth going all out for, like Toronto did. He is over 30, and only hit 40 goals in his contract year. Never hit 30+ goals before. Never will again.
Blah, blah, blah... yes we offered more to Drury and Smyth. Yes, they signed to other teams. It happens. Sucks we didn't get those players, but it was over and done with July 1st.
Anyway... Nolan Type Player... crappy excuses.... start buying tickets... your babble has little point after that except to be insulting... typical for a person that has little of real value to say.
Get your jabs in now, while you can. Once a few games are played and your team doesn't live up to its hype (like every other year) your memories of this summer mouthing off to isles fans will be all you have to give you comfort.
I look forward to this season as an Isles fan. :)
your memories of this summer mouthing off to isles fans will be all you have to give you comfort.
your on our blog stupid!
Reading comprehension FTL LOL
Yes, this is the Rangers blog. And how many of the 100's of posts on the isles blog did you idiots make not only talking about the rangers, but making worthless posts using various screennames and profanity just to try to ruin the blog? It's like you're all in junior high still.