Rats On Downward Skid

The Minnesota Rink Rats are falling hard. The team is on a 7 game losing streak and will play the Kelowna Catss on the road in their next game. Since moving to Minnesota, the team has been successful but injuries have limited them in their recent streak.

"We've had a couple of guys out of the lineup and have been banged up a bit. Ryan Miller has been out the last 6 games and we've also seen Toni Lydman and Karel Rachunek sit out because of injuries", said head coach Barry Melrose.

Miller is expected to return against Kelowna which only adds optimism for the club. The club hopes his return will mean a return to winning games. "If you take a look at the last 6 games and what it's meant for us to have Ryan out of the lineup, I think there's no question he is the MVP of our team. Ryan is the definition of a MVP type player. He goes down and we can't win a game. If he stays healthy the rest of the way, he should be an All-Star and be a good contender for the Vezina and Hart trophies."

In other Rink Rats news, the club has been in talks with other teams about bringing in a new defenseman or winger. Minnesota is looking for a youthful defenseman that brings some offensive upside to his game. The team lacks depth at left wing, so it is also looking at trading a draft pick for a veteran wing that could play on their 2nd or 3rd line.

GM LaDouceur said this about his players, "Ultimately to be competitive this season, we're going to have to make a move or two. The Cats and Fighting Irish have both made positive moves in the last couple of weeks to help their clubs and we need to do the same to compete. If we don't, we will have to evaluate things at the All-Star break to see where we're going. Our team has guys that are young enough now and are still quality players, it will be our more veteran players like Lydman or Savard that we will have to think about their future with the club."