Sean Avery Reportedly Headed for Waivers

Upset, and frustration came to many Rangers fans faces today as they learned fan favorite super-pest, Sean Avery, is reportedly going to be put on waivers.

The first reports came from Twitter, which were met with much scrutiny from fans, and for a plethora of reasons. Most fans were upset to find Erik Christensen was going to get a shot over Avery. Christensen has become sort of a Redden-esque scapegoat here in New York, after speaking his mind on what he believed was an Avery sucker-punch in a game against the Oilers last season. This decision of Christensen over Avery drew the ire of many fans because they believed that Avery put in more work than Christensen did, and that another factor was because of coach John Tortorellas opinion of Averys play. Tortorella did not keep it a secret that he thought Avery was a distraction to the team, and many fans believe that that opinion was what fueled this decision.

As stated before, this drew mixed emotions from fans. Some were happy to see the pest gone (needless to say, that majority wasn't Rangers fans), and some were truly upset because they loved Averys antics (me included).



What Rangers fans need to understand is this: this team has a new focus, and a new attitude going into games. They play every night as hard as they can, and truly don't need a distraction in their midst right now. As much as it pains me to admit it, yes, there are more upsides to this deal than downsides.

Lets look at the stats, shall we? Last season, Avery accumulated only three goals, but managed just over 20 assists for a total of 24 points on the season, along with one extra one in the playoffs. Christensen on the other hand, had 11 goals, and 16 assists for a total of 27 points, along with one other goal in the playoffs. So stat wise, the Rangers would be losing the same exact thing with either player had they decided to drop Christensen instead. Now, lets look at penalty minutes. Christensen had a meager 18 penalty minutes on the season. How many did Sir Avery have? 174. Avery almost spent three entire games worth in the penalty box.

Keep in mind, the Rangers did not have a bad penalty-kill last year, but still, those penalties are not what they use to mean. Back in the day, Sean Avery's stunts would get under an opponents skin so much, it would alter the course of the game. Now, Avery is a neutered version of what he once was in Tortorellas system, and it does not help the Rangers to be taking that many penalties.

So here is my message to all Rangers fans out there who are appalled by this decision: step away from the ledge. Do not go jumping ship on this season because Sean Avery might not be in it. That's right, I said might. The reason that I say that is, there is a chance that no other team will take Avery off waivers. So, if that does happen, the Rangers have every right to sign him back, and might actually do so. But again, this is just a chance. Along with that, this deal makes Erik Christensen trade-bait for this season, possibly around the trade-deadline. I beg of you Rangers fans, look at the upside here.

Me personally, I would hate to see Avery go. Avery has made me laugh on more than one occasion, and I probably will still like him if he does go to another team. But if this is the last time I ever see Sean, I would like to say thanks for the memories, buddy. Goons are a dime a dozen in this league, but Avery was different, he was our goon. *teardrop*