INSIDE HOCKEY

The New York Rangers have struggled after getting off to a red-hot 10-2-1 start. While the fans at Madison Square Garden have (often justifiably) vented their frustration at defensemen Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin, there are bigger targets to deal with for the Broadway Blues.

On July 1, 2007, the Rangers announced the free agent signings of Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. The two contracts together were worth more than $86 million dollars according to published reports, but neither player has lived up to those lofty expectations.

Last year, Gomez had an average season (for him) statistically, totaling 16 goals and 70 points in 81 games. Unfortunately, the Rangers have yet to find a wing who can complement Gomez's playing style and maximize his talents and they've tried nearly ever forward on their roster over the past two seasons from Jaromir Jagr to Nikolai Zherdev.

This year, Gomez has been slowed by groin and ankle injuries, but that is hardly an excuse for how far he is from meeting the expectations created by his contract. In 37 games, the 29-year-old Alaska native has just 8 goals and 28 points and is a minus-10.

"I have to be better," Gomez recently admitted to Newsday. "No excuses. Guys have played with worse [injuries]. It’s kind of lame, but I’ve always been a second-half player, so in my mind I’ve gotta create, get it and go."

Drury was brought in for his leadership qualities and his ability to perform in the clutch. In his debut season on Broadway, Drury's goal production slipped from 37 the year before, to just 25. This year, the new Rangers' captain just 12 goals and 28 points in 42 games which puts him on roughly the same scoring pace as he was at last season.

Rangers fans can say they need a quarterback for the power play and perhaps a sniper, but the bottom line is that thus far, neither Drury nor Gomez has justified the large contracts they received from the Rangers in the summer of 2007. Unless these two players, who take up a nice chunk of cap space, can increase their production on offense, the Rangers will continue to struggle in the second half of the season.

It's hard to believe the NHL suspended Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu only two games for biting Buffalo's Andrew Peters during a game earlier this week. I supported the suspension of Sean Avery for his foolish and premeditated remarks in front of a TV camera and I think Colin Campbell generally does a fine job in the thankless position of NHL discipline czar. But if Avery, who had never been suspended before by the league, gets six games for saying a few crass words off the ice, how can Ruutu, who is a repeat offender, get just two games for biting a player during a game? Certainly, the league has to establish a zero-tolerance policy towards biting. Most people outgrow that behavior at about age five. Thirty years ago, biting would not have been a problem since few players had teeth. But all kidding aside, the punishment given Ruutu seems very light given the ghastly nature of the crime.

After covering Wednesday night's game between the Canadiens and Rangers at Madison Square Garden, I was reminded of the aura the NHL's Original Six franchises still have. The Habs' classic white road sweaters and the Rangers blue home jerseys looked so right together and the tradition both franchises have just added to the atmosphere of the game. The Rangers even introduced Hall of Famer Brad Park, who was in attendance, to the crowd. Certainly, this can't happen (yet) at a game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers. It's been 41 years since the league first expanded but the Leafs, Canadiens, Bruins, Rangers, Red Wings and Blackhawks still bring a little something extra to a game whenever they get together on the ice. The traditional rivalries involved added to the Winter Classic this year and they are still good for the NHL.

The All-Star game rosters were announced and naturally, there were some serious omissions. Washington Capitals' Coach Bruce Boudreau was upset that Alexander Ovechkin was the only member of his team to be named to the Eastern Conference roster. Boudreau is right, the Caps have other deserving players like Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin.

The problem could be solved by adding a few more roster spots to each team. This is, after all, an exhibition game and unlike Major League Baseball, the NHL is smart enough not to let the outcome determine home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals. With 15 teams in each conference and each team needing to have at least one representative, there isn't enough room for a lot of deserving players. If the league is going to keep the rule that each team should have at least one player (and that's not a bad rule), then expanding the rosters to 30 players per team wouldn't hurt anybody and would allow a few more deserving players to take their rightful place at the All-Star Game.

Finally, it's great to see Mats Sundin back on the ice where he belongs, even if it is a little strange right now to see him in a Canucks uniform. If last season is any indication, Sundin still has a lot left in the tank and he can certainly help Vancouver in the second half of the season. Sundin has always carried himself with class on and off the ice and the league benefits from his return.