As for the Korpedo, it’s about friggin’ time! Listen, I like Tom Renney, and I think he’s done more good than bad for this franchise, but there’s no question that sometimes he’s too cerebral for his own good. Some might say that his intellectual approach to the game has made this team soft, but I’m not one who completely subscribes to that theory. My biggest gripe with the coach is his tendency to over-think his lineup. Mixing lines and looking for chemistry isn’t a bad thing, but it becomes disadvantageous when you lose sight of the forest for the trees. If you’ll recall, the Rangers had four lines that looked great on paper when they started the season with Gomez centering Drury and Naslund and found “playstation” magic with Dubi, Voros, and Zherdev. Korpikoski was a final critical piece, as he completed the puzzle on the third line between Cally and Dawes. But it seems one maneuver was made to jumpstart one guy, then another maneuver was made to jumpstart another, and suddenly you’ve got your team’s captain playing between your two game-time-decisions (prucha and dawes) and praying for a powerplay or pk (where he’s done all of his scoring).

I have no crystal ball, but here’s hoping that Korpedo’s recall means a return to those earlier lines, which I feel we gave up on far too quickly. The way I see it, 3 out of 4 lines looked dynamic in those early games, and even the ugly ducklings on the “top” line made a triumphant debut in Prague. It’s not like anything Renney’s tried since has yielded better results.