When Dubinsky Returns...

Who will get the boot out of the lineup? Well, considering that forwards Aaron Voros and Enver Lisin have been consistent scratches with P.A. Parenteau getting the nod over them, I would assume that one of Brian Boyle or Erik Christensen will start to watch from the sky box. Do not get me wrong, each of these individuals have been playing fairly well, surprisingly, but when push comes to shove, Tortorella will most likely not scratch Brashear, Parenteau, or Anisimov. I feel as if Christensen has not gotten the look he deserves, only receiving 6:01 of ice-time against the Sabres, leaving Boyle as the healthy scratch for the time being.

Having three healthy scratches a night would be a bit ridiculous, so I think it is about time GM Glen Sather rids himself of Aaron Voros--waivers would be the best way to go. There is no need for Voros and his $1 million salary to chew up cap space if he is not even contributing to the team in anyway other than staying out on the ice after everyone else has left for the showers in practice. Voros is useless at this point and that is final. It is time he is waived or in some way, removed.

After watching Drury have yet another tough game Saturday night, I would pick Dubinsky to center the second line and move Drury down to the third. Dubinsky centering Sean Avery and Ryan Callahan is an energy line and I think that it definitely could account for some goals. As we saw on his powerplay goal on Saturday, Callahan is a player that needs to be set-up for his goals, and by that I mean he is not really capable of creating his own chances, but rather an individual who can bury pucks when a linemate feeds him. Both Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky can pass, so I think Callahan would benefit from that as well.

All three of these players hit, all three of these players skate, and all three of these players have heart. I truly believe that they can be a combination that, if given the opportunity, that has the ability to become a key part of the secondary scoring, which is lacking from the Rangers' game right now. This would leave Drury on a line with Artem Anisimov and either Ales Kotalik or P.A. Parenteau. Kotalik has been horrid as of late, so my personal choice would be Parenteau. John Tortorella seems to dismiss the fact that Anisimov and Parenteau were linemates for most of last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), and developed some chemistry. They have been together once, maybe twice while playing with the Rangers.

Dubinsky has only played in eighteen games this season before breaking his hand in Calgary on November 7th. However, the Anchorage, Alaska native is somehow eighth on the team in scoring with just ten points. He started off hot, but leading up to the injury, cooled off. Thus far in his career, Brandon has been an inconsistent streaky player, which John Tortorella pretty much swore he would change. During his time in the linuep this season, I cannot really say that I have seen much of a difference besides the fact that he has been shooting a bit more.

Monday's tilt with the Atlanta Thrashers seems to be the game that Dubinsky will return, but there has been no confirmation just yet. If this is true, the below layout is how I think the Blueshirts' offensive lineup should look against the surging Thrashers.

Higgins - Prospal - Gaborik
Avery - Dubinsky - Callahan
Drury - Anisimov - Parenteau
Brashear - Christensen - Kotalik

(Image courtesy of AP Photo)