The NYR Facts Of Life: #12 Ales Kotalik

For each player who suited up in a Blueshirt this season we will take the good, we will take the bad and take them both and see what we have. There were two #12s this season so let's begin with the guy who wore it first, Ales Kotalik.

#12's #s: 45 games, 8 goals (4 ppg), 14 assists (12 ppa), -18, 38 PIM.

Take the good: Glen Sather was able to deal Kotalik and his three year, nine mil contract to Calgary for Olli Jokinen's expiring deal and, as bad as Jokinen was at times, he was far better than Kotalik. That being said, Kotalik's slap shot was just as strong as reported (he just couldn't get it on net nine times out of 10). During the too-good-to-be-true 7-1 start (that proved to be too good to be true), he had seven points and went on to average a point per game over the first 12.

Take the bad: Pretty much everything after that was horrendous. Kotalik could not be trusted during five-on-five play, he could not be trusted on the point on the power play and the chemistry everyone hoped for with Chris Drury didn't exist. There was nothing quite like the dread you felt when the puck was sent from deep in the offensive zone back to Kotalik because the odds that he would miss it and the other team would get a breakaway were so high.

Take them both and then we have: Someone who never quite found his place on Broadway. And - like Scott Gomez - a horrible signing but a brilliant trade by Glen Sather.