Drury Needs To Lead By Example

When you look at the stats for Chris Drury, it looks like he is a pretty consistent player. You can even just take the small two-year sample of his Rangers’ career. He has finished with 58 and 56 points, and he provides many intangibles. A solid penalty killer, leader and all around athlete, Drury is a well rounded player. But the Rangers need more.

We saw what Drury could do during his 2006-07 breakout year with the Sabres. He tallied 69 points, and he was a Ranger killer to the extreme. In the playoffs, his goal turned around the series, and who knows what the Rangers would have done if he didn’t stick the dagger into the heart.

So far, as a Ranger, we have seen Drury go into some extreme dry spells. He can go 10-15 games without scoring a goal, and for a team that hasn’t scored much goals recently, they can ill afford a Captain who doesn’t score. We have been spoiled in the last 15 years. We have had captains like Messier, Leetch, Jagr and more. Nobody said they are easy shoes to fill, but I believe Drury can do it.

The addition of Martin Gaborik should help, but that all depends on his health. If no injuries arise, Gaborik is a top-flight player, and that could benefit guys around him like Dubinsky, Drury, Callahan and more.

The intangibles are valuable, but the Rangers need Drury to become a top player. I love the grit and fight in his game, but we need to see some more results. I am not saying we need to see 100 points out of the guy, but 70 shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities.