John Moore said he's not paying attention, because that's what they all say.
But the Rangers defenseman is keenly aware his name is being batted around in trade rumors as Monday's 3 p.m. deadline approaches, and he has a pretty healthy perspective.
"Wayne Gretzky was traded," Moore told The Post after Thursday night's come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Coyotes. "So no one is above it, that's for sure."
The Rangers had all healthy players boarding their southbound train on Friday afternoon, with no practice as they headed for Philadelphia in anticipation of Saturday night's prime-time contest against the Flyers. While the Blueshirts try to win their fifth in a row, and their 10th in the past 14 since starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist went down, the hours for a significant roster mix-up are dwindling.
The 24-year-old Moore is being speculated as prime trade bait because he carries a small $851,000 salary-cap hit this season and will be a restricted free agent this summer. That, and the fact the Rangers would like to solidify their depth lines up front — especially down the middle — and also make an upgrade on their third-pair defensive unit, which has been shaky with either Moore or Matt Hunwick back there.
With his skating ability and offensive instincts from the back end, Moore's upside always has been something that front offices have longed for — and eventually struggled to see realized. To couple him with a future draft pick might bring back a player of value who could help the Rangers now. It's a situation in which Moore has been before. Just before the 2013 deadline, the Blue Jackets sent him to the Rangers as part of the deal that moved Marian Gaborik to Columbus.
So Moore has been in this spot before and seems to feel as comfortable as one can with such an uncertain future.
"I'm just controlling what I can control, and that's whether I'm in or I'm out, just working hard," Moore said after playing an assertive game Thursday, including getting into a fight. "If that's getting bag skated after the morning skate, that's being the best bag skater I can be. If I'm in, it's giving them a reason to keep me in."
See, now there's the problem. After most of Moore's 37 games this season, there have been lingering questions about his defensive consistency. No one is questioning the talent, but the penchant for turnovers and poor decisions with the puck eventually add up to goals against and losses.
That has led coach Alain Vigneault to rotate Moore with Hunwick, a 29-year-old journeyman who wasn't exactly figuring into the preseason picture, but has found himself having played 40 of the first 60 games.
It's clear Vigneault hasn't been too pleased with the consistency of either player, rotating them almost every other game over the past two weeks. The coach seems to be waiting for one of them to take hold of the spot, but neither has been able to do that.
With the exception of the second half Thursday, Vigneault has paired Moore or Hunwick with Dan Boyle over the past couple of weeks, creating what often is a defensive liability. In last season's run to the Stanley Cup finals, Moore was paired with the steady hand of Kevin Klein, who since was bumped up to the second pair with Marc Staal after Anton Stralman moved on to greener pastures with a lucrative free-agent deal in Tampa Bay.
It leaves Moore carrying a bit more defensive responsibility when he's in the game, which hasn't exactly worked out so well. That has led to this spot, at which once again it would be remiss of general manager Glen Sather not to test the waters and see what kind of return Moore could bring back.
"I know that there is a heightened sense of awareness from players," Vigneault said of the looming trade deadline. "What we try to do as a staff is business as usual. We've got games to play. We have to prepare our team's mind to what they need to do on the ice, and whatever happens, happens."
The only thing Moore can do at this point is go about his routines as if nothing is bothering him.
"I don't really pay much attention to it," Moore said, "but it's something that I've been through before."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Rangers shopping ultra-talented but frustrating defenseman
Dengan url
http://bahayaprostat.blogspot.com/2015/02/rangers-shopping-ultra-talented-but.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Rangers shopping ultra-talented but frustrating defenseman
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Rangers shopping ultra-talented but frustrating defenseman
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar