As the Marek Malik era seems to be coming to an end here in New York, it begs the question, whose to blame?
While Malik's poor play in the beginning weeks of the season certainly didn't help matters, I'm not completely convinced that he wasn't given a raw deal by Tom Renney and co.
First off, was Malik that bad? He stands right now as a +1. Not bad on a team with only a handful of players over the even mark. He's a solid penalty killer and especially stands out in 3 man PK situations. His lapses defensively are sometimes a direct result of ill-advised plays by Jaromir Jagr and Michael Rozsival. And lets not forget, through the legs anyone?
Secondly, even if he was that bad, does he really only deserve 11 games to prove himself (Malik played 11 games before assuming a semi-permanent spot in the press box). And it's not as if the Rangers were bringing in Chris Pronger to replace him. Why was Renney so eager to get Jason Strudwick back into the lineup?
Glen Sather needs to be intelligent on how he handles the Malik situation. I firmly believe that if Renney and Malik can kiss and makeup, Malik is a player that can help us make a run. If they can't and Malik is indeed traded or released, Sather needs to go out and find a D-man, because if we want to make a run, Jason Strudwick's intangible leadership is not going to cut it.
- Justin
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