Didn't realize you don't like powerplay goals all of a sudden. And as for shooting percentage, he did it twice in a row so that's makes it less likely a fluke. As for the roles they actually played, how is being incredibly effective on the PP and PK a negative?
And anyway, you didn't say they were a 2c and 3c on their teams (which is bogus in itself) you said they were in general bad 2cs, good 3cs. That means there were 60 better centers in the NHL the preceding years. That's wrong.
What? This idea of "there were 60 better centers" completely ignores what I said. Just because he is playing in the role of a 3C, doesn't mean he isn't in the top-60, or even top-30 for centers. Jordan Staal was a 3C for 7 years. Drury was a 3C in Buffalo the two years he was there, and he was the 3C on Colorado in his time there as well, including during their cup winning season of 2001.
He could be a 2C on an average/above average team, like he was in 08, but on top teams, like the 05-07 Sabres, and the 98-02 Avs, he is an elite-level 3rd line center. The Rangers should not be striving to be an average team, and they shouldn't expect the team to perform to an elite level if they have a player like Drury in the 1C or 2C role.
Also, I never said that PP goals were worth less than any other goals, or that I "don't like them". Don't put words in my mouth. Drury
was a third line center, one who specialized in scoring on the PP, one who was an elite special teams player in general. He averaged 11:24 at ES per game that season. Both Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht averaged more at ES than Drury did. The Rangers did not play him in that role. They played him as a second line center. Just because he's successful on the PP, doesn't mean he can be a 1C, or even a 2C, on a contending team. So, essentially, they gave a third line center first line center money, and then proceeded to make him their second line center.
Gomez, simply put, is not an ideal player, period. He was sheltered heavily with New Jersey. Outside of one year where outliers were galore, he was never the #1 offensive option on that team. Even during that season, Elias was the #1 option when he was not injured. John Madden also played more than he did at ES. He was heavily sheltered, and played against weaker competition in comparison to other 'big time' point producers in the league. The Rangers decided that he would be fit to be the first line center on their team. Great decision, obviously. He produced in his first season, but even then, the team was 25th in scoring. His second season, although his numbers were OK, he was a liability. The Rangers finished 28th in the league in offense that season.
