Neill Fowler
I must admit. It’s been a few seasons since I’ve been so downtrodden heading into a new season. And I love the Rangers and hockey as a whole. But I fail to see the light at the end of the tunnel for the Rangers this year. It’s more than just the sorry state of the defense, or the years of trading first round picks for that last missing piece to the Cup.
However, it is a new year and a ton is going to happen between now and next spring and like every new season, hope springs eternal. Here’s what I’m looking for this season.
McIlrath: With Klein ruled out for opening night, it’s beginning to look like AV is going with Skjei over McIlrath to start the season. The Rangers cannot afford distractions this year and this situation needs to be taken care of, quickly.
Offense from the defense: With Boyle and Yandle gone, the coaching staff will be asking the current stable of defensemen to have to contribute much more on the offensive side of the puck than they’ve been accustomed to over the last few seasons. This is where someone like McDonagh and Clendening need to step up and fill the void, especially where the powerplay is concerned.
The new guys: Regarding Clendening, there is a prevailing thought that there is a potential for 20-30 assists this season provided he plays almost every night in sheltered roles 5v5 and on the power play. I think we’re all going to miss Brassard and what he’s meant to this team over the last few seasons, but the Rangers may have struck paydirt on Mika Zibanejad, who appears primed for a huge season. Brandon Pirri could very well be the most under-rated signing the Rangers make this offseason if he’s able to stay healthy and out of AV’s doghouse. An offensive zone heavy fourth line role combined with top power play minutes suits him prefectly as a Ranger.
The rookies: Vesey had an up and down preseason which is fully to be expected from a rookie coming from the college ranks as he learns how to be a pro on and off the ice. Buchnevich, although two years younger than Vesey has been playing with men for the last three seasons in the KHL. Both players will be on your opening top two lines and the fight for ice time will be an interesting one as the season progresses.
Goaltending: I often overlook goaltending intentionally in recaps and pieces like these, because when you have the best goalie in the league, the position is taken for granted. This season, Hank’s been labeled as a question mark with the amount of times he was yanked from his net last season which artificially inflated his GAA and artificially deflated his SV%. Ignore this. The hockey media won’t mention the amount of times Hank was simply left out to dry last season by his defense. Hank is top-3 in the league until proven otherwise.
Not bailing on the youth: This is my last and most important point. If the Rangers are serious about finding their way back to contention in the next few seasons, this year is going to be about sticking through the bumps in the road and having to deal with learning curves from all over the lineup. Which means if the Rangers are wallowing in a wild card spot come trade deadline day, not sacrificing even more of the future for false hope in April, May and June.
Mike Lazzaro
Dan Girardi is wearing an A on his sweater. Rick Nash is wearing an A on his sweater.
How did we get here Rangers fans? It’s almost as if the misguided management group that’s led team USA to multiple consecutive disappointments in international play derived their ill fated plan from watching Glen Sather butcher contract after contract for the New York Rangers.
It’s time we face facts, no amount of optimism is going to change what this team is: a two line team that can move the puck and score backstopped by one of the best to do it for the past 10 years, with very little in-between.
Just take a look at this list:
Berard, Pilon, Poti, Pock, Rachunek (RIP), Tyutin, Ward, Ulanov, Kondratiev, Mara, Ozolinsh, Isbister, Kalinin, Cross, Eminger, Moore, Hunwick, Ward, Malik, Backman, Roszival, Redden, Gilroy, Del Zaster, Hamrlik, Kostka, Woywitka, Boyle, Holden.
This is fine if you have one of these guys as a 6th defense-man who can be sheltered, these are the more prominent blue line players on the Rangers’ roster since the 90s.
The roster building on this team has been questionable for decades now; loading up on overpriced free agents (or lopsided trades) to bring aging and declining talent in. Can that win you games and get you into the playoffs? Yes. Will it get you far? No.
While we watch the offensive potential of this team explode our memories hearken back to the Renney and Tortorella years where a 3 goals a game average would’ve won those teams the Cup in a heartbeat. These Rangers are no longer shades of those teams. While some of the names remain the same, the talent, abilities, and philosophies are no longer there.
I argued in 2014 that going from a max effort system under Torts to AV’s run and gun is what helped propel that team to the Stanley Cup Final.
A few years removed I argue now in 2016 that the transition is now hurting more than it’s helping. The constant swan dives and inexplicable turnovers from Girardi, the inability to keep up with skaters and looking like a saloon door instead of the stout Marc Staal that would constantly frustrate the game’s best goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin. These were integral pieces to a championship caliber roster that now can no longer keep pace in an up-tempo puck moving system.
The Rangers are also subtracted one Dan Boyle; while a liability in his own end (and you may not feel any pity for after his departing rant against Larry Brooks) he was a big part of the offense that management has yet to replace.
Refusing to address the team’s biggest need and instead trying to solve the issue with low budget penalty killers on your bottom line is a stop-gap. Band-aid for a bullet wound.
The problem goes back to management, there’s no cap room on this team to improve anywhere. Selling your draft picks for 5+ years is finally slamming into the team hard. With no cost certainty for young talent to grow on the roster, there’s not much room to grow in the standings compared to what they did last year.
Maybe the real Hank shows up in April and the Rangers can steal a round with their firepower up front and stalwart at the back, like they used to coming out of the bottom of the conference with nothing but defense.
Unless there’s a major shake up with the roster, it’s time to face the facts, this organization failed a world class goalie and he won’t be able to bring the Cup to New York.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
