The Return from Odelein

Not long ago, the New York Rangers dealt Lyle Odelein, along with Per Svartvadet and Nick Stadjuhar to the Philadelphia Flyers for Mikael Renberg, Dmitri Yushkevich, Jim Campbell, Boston’s 1^st rounder in 1995, and $1.75 million. The cash will go towards sending a prospect to a training camp during the 1995 offseason, and the 1^st round pick will either be traded in a package, or possibly give the Rangers a prospect with some promise. The three players coming to New York is what should really excite fans. Let’s dive in and take a look at each one.

Renberg is a winger who still needs some development, but is well on his way to being the sniper the Rangers are desperately searching for. His defense isn’t great by any means but certainly not the worst for a forward. He should develop a very good offensive game and won’t take too many unnecessary penalties. The development plan for Renberg is still undecided. He could be entered into a development camp, or sent to general camp.

Yushkevich is a smooth skating defenseman with terrific hands. There is no reason why he won’t improve on defense and, if he can become a better passer, he might even share some minutes with Nicklas Lidstrom. He is another player in the Rangers farm system who won’t hurt the team with numerous poor penalties.

Campbell is the wild card out of the three. Renberg and Yushkevich will be on the pro roster before too long. Campbell is a way away but he might have the best foundation of skills out of this trio. He has a solid all-around game with no true weaknesses. All he needs is a team to believe in his abilities and development him appropriately.