He was atrocious in New York save for maybe one season. They didn't call him Del Zaster because he was a quality defenseman. He sucks.
- eichiefs9
His first season as a rookie was great. His 2nd was up and down. His 3rd season he led Rangers all dmen in points, led the NHL for dman +/- for most of the season (like a +20) and led the the NHL in playoff hits until the Rangers were eliminated in the Conference Finals. His 4th season when he was traded he struggled being placed on his off side and with the emergence of McDonagh's offense, he was bounced around the depth chart. Atrocious? Are you kidding? Wade Redden was atrocious. Marek Malik was atrocious. Sandis Ozolinsh was atrocious. Del Zotto was a young dman who started playing at 19 in the NHL and racked up a ton of points on a John Tortorella team. His development was stunted because of being thrusted in the NHL as a dman right away. Most dmen take 3-4 years developing in the farm system learning proper defensive play. He didn't have that luxury. Also, he was competing on a roster with McDonagh (arguably top 10 NHL dmen), Girardi who had 5 years of experience more, Marc Staal, and Stralman (who had almost 10 years more experience too). Atrocious is not the word. Maybe improperly developed but definitely deserving of a real chance given his natural ability and willingness to work hard.
