DENVER – He is trying his hardest just as he always has, just as he always does. No one doubts that. But now nearly three weeks into his return from the left-ankle injury that sidelined him for the first nine games of the year, Brian Leetch is having difficulty establishing consistency and excellence in his game.
And he is the first to acknowledge this.
“I certainly expect to be much better,” Leetch told The Post. “I’m feeling stronger physically, but I’m still having trouble with the mental part of the game, and that’s very disappointing to me.
“I don’t want to use missing training camp as an excuse, but I’ve found it difficult to maintain my concentration on every single shift. It’s much easier the more you play. I’ve found it to be much harder work keeping my proper position and moving my feet with the play. There have just been too many times where I’ve been watching; I haven’t been reacting instinctively.
“It’s very, very aggravating.”
Leetch, who made his return on Nov. 2 against the Avalanche team the Rangers will face here tonight, insists that the ankle isn’t the issue, even if it has become somewhat of a chronic pain.
But the fact is that for the first time in memory, Leetch is having all sorts of trouble with outside speed. The fact also is that in the nine games since his return, Leetch has been on the ice for nine of the 21 even-strength goals the Blueshirts have surrendered.
Even while taking into account both his team-leading 17:42 even-strength ice time per and his assignments against the opposition’s top forwards, it’s a striking stat.
Meanwhile, even if it isn’t enough for Leetch to attempt to pick up after what essentially was seven months off the ice, he’s attempting to adapt to a new partner in Greg de Vries pretty much on the fly. Perhaps it’s coincidence, but since moving to Leetch’s right side after spending the first three weeks of the season on Tom Poti’s left, de Vries hasn’t been as effective, either.
“It takes a while,” Leetch conceded. “But I feel good about our ability to succeed as a pair. I think we’re a good match.”
Last year, Leetch appeared to return close to the top of his form after missing 11 weeks and 31 games with the same bruised ligament. But that’s not quite the way he sees it.
“It’s hard for me to compare, but I think that the reason it seemed like I was playing so well is the fact that my stats were better,” the senior Ranger said. “Play-wise, it still took some time for me to become comfortable with the mental aspect.
“But that’s not to say that the way I’m playing is acceptable. It isn’t. I don’t expect this. Actually, I’m pretty angry about it.”
