It's time to pick among Laba, Conor Sheary, Brett Berard and Jonny Brodzinski. Here's how the order in which The Maven favors them and why:
1. BRODZINSKI: He proved with his savvy and hustle last season that he belongs. Nothing has changed except the coach. Yeah, Jonny even scores the odd goal.
2. BERARD: Like Brod, Brett showed in 2024-25, that he matches any Ranger in going to high danger areas; he has speed and at 5-9 he still can be a wrecking ball.
3. LABA: Because he's better all-around than Sheary.
What's crazy about Laba is that he couldn't even crack the top ten of The Hockey News Yearbook's "Future Watch" this year although he was tenth in 2023-24.
Rangers Banter And Some Other NHL Stuff
<b>1.</b> The question "Who is the best American-born Ranger of all-time?" was quickly answered by Joltin' Joe Dionisio in Santa Barbara, California.
He starred in Colorado and he can star on Seventh Avenue – and guess what? Laba could wind up ahead of Sheary, Berard and Brodzinski and that wouldn't bother me one bit.
But it sure would bother Brodzinski & Company!