The Rangers improved at nearly every position this summer. They beefed up on the wings in both physicality and talent with the signings of Alex Frolov, Mats Zuccarello-Aasen, and Derek Boogaard, along with the emergence of Evgeny Grachev, who should have a legitimate chance at finally breaking through to the big club. Their defense is set for not only this season, but for years to come with Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Michael Del Zotto, and soon to be Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer and Dylan McIlrath.
The one position that is lacking: center.Who can fill that void: Derek Stepan.
Although the Rangers do have a potential first-liner center in Artem Anisimov, along with second-tier candidate Erik Christensen, no one has the star quality that Stepan has shown early in his career.
Stepan is a proven winner, something no one else on the team—aside from Henrik Lundqvist—can say. He's won at every level he's competed at, from his time at the University of Wisconsin, to leading Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 2009 Under-20 World Juniors championship, where he was captain.
The coaching staff seems to have the same trust and confidenc ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Matthew Calamia
Why Derek Stepan Should Make the New York Rangers Roster Out of Training Camp
September 23rd, 2010 by Matthew Calamia Leave a reply »
Advertisement