UPDATE 4:35pm*****
The Rangers have announced the results of the MRI on defenseman Michael Rozsival. According to the team, Rozsival will be sidelined for a week to ten days, meaning that Michael Sauer is up there and will not be with the Pack for their games this weekend. The rest of the Pack defense is going to have to pick up their game to cover for what they have lost in Sauer over these games.
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Rangers defenseman Michael Rozsival was injured in Sunday’s contest against the Ottawa Senators. Media speculation is that he has some sort of MCL/ACL strain. As a result, there is a need for a defenseman in New York. Initially the thought was it could be Bobby Sanguinetti or Corey Potter that might get the call. However, the Pack’s best defenseman over the past several weeks has clearly been Michael Sauer and as a result, according to Steve Zipay at Newsday in his Blue Notes blog, it is Sauer who is headed to New York.
Sauer has really found his offensive stride. Over the past seven games Sauer, brother of Colorado defenseman Kurt, has notched three goals and assisted on five others.
Sauer played with Brandon Dubinsky with the Portland Winter Hawks in the WHL for two seasons, 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Sauer is also, along with Lauri Korpikoski, the only remaining pieces of the Brian Leetch trade.
The photo had me wondering if Sauer was chosen for being a righty, which Rosi is.
But a quick visit to HockeyDB indicated that 4 of 5 Ranger properties on 'D' in Hartford are Righty (Sangs, Potter, Fahey).
Is this true? That detail is often mistaken...
BTW Busto is also listed as Righty.
Not too many systems have 5 of their 6 minor-league D be righty.
Posted by: elsie | March 23, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Elsie,
I think you're looking into this far deeper than is really there. Sauer has been the Pack's best defenseman for several weeks now. Corey Potter has taken a bit of a step backwards in his development this year. Perhaps that's a result of having had a solid veteran in Andrew Hutchinson as a partner last season versus working alongside an offensive minded rookie defenseman like Bobby Sanguinetti who is still learning the ropes on the defensive side of the ice. Bobby's offensive upside are nearing the NHL level, but his defensive skills still need work. I think even he would tell you that.
The whole righty thing that you mention might have been a factor, I couldn't tell you for sure and I'm sure that none of the executives would tell me even if it was. I truly believe that the biggest factor is just his outstanding level of play on both sides of the puck.
Posted by: Mitch Beck | March 23, 2009 at 12:35 PM