New York Rangers Report Cards are In.

New York Rangers Performances are Under Review

The regular season has come and gone, and the New York Rangers have made it to the postseason for the 6th year in a row. However, their stay didn’t last long, as they were bounced by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round in 5 games. Some guys on the team stepped up and took charge, while others didn’t fare as well. The following is a grade for every Blueshirt this season that has played more than a couple games, such as Marek Hrivik and Daniel Paille.

The New York Rangers Forwards:

1) Derick Brassard: A

Leading the team in goals with 27, Brassard was a key spark for this team. Playing alongside Mats Zuccarello for most of the season, he was one of the most consistent scorers, adding 31 assists for 58 total points in the regular season. However, his corsi-for (5-on-5) was 47.6%, which is 17th on the team. That means when he is on the ice, the Rangers only control the puck 47.6% of the time. Brassard does fare well in the faceoff circle, winning 50.2% of his draws. All in all, he plays a critical role for the New York Rangers, and he’s done a fantastic job for the organization this season. Scoring 4 points in 5 contests against the Pens, he led the team alongside Rick Nash in this category.

2) Mats Zuccarello: A++

Zuccarello recovered from a brain contusion, a skull fracture, and a stroke in an offseason and returned as if nothing happened. He led the team with 61 points and was second on the squad with 26 goals, one behind Brassard. Zuccarello is the absolute heart on this team; everybody loves him. Him winning the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award just shows how much people care about his attitude towards the New York Rangers and the game of hockey. You can’t ask any more of a hockey player. However, during the playoffs Pittsburgh did a phenomenal job shutting him down, and he only managed 2 points during the series.

3) Jesper Fast: A

After putting up 14 points in 58 games last season, Jesper Fast has matured as a hockey player on both sides of the ice. He’s a defensive rock, especially on the penalty kill, and he’s got an offensive touch as well, scoring 10 goals and 30 points this year. Fast is a bottom-6 player every team wants, and the Rangers are quite lucky to have drafted him so late (6th round, 157th overall in 2010). A Swedish player that was drafted late that has solidified the Rangers? History does indeed repeat itself. He posted a lone assist during the battle against Pittsburgh.

4) Tanner Glass: F-

More from Editorials

• Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
• Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
• These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly
• Filip Chytil Could Take Major Steps in the 2023-24 Season
• Looking forward to the upcoming season for Artemi Panarin

It’s a shame that Glass still has a year left on his contract. He’s done next to nothing to benefit this team, yet Alain Vigneault continues to play him over Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes. Once in a blue moon Glass will occasionally make a decent play or score one of his four goals (this season). Some will argue he brings “grit” and “toughness”, but that’s something that hasn’t been needed since the ’90s. Teams don’t have fighters on their 4th lines anymore, opting for skilled defensive forwards instead, and unfortunately, the Rangers didn’t get the memo.

5) Rick Nash: B-

Nash has 18 points in his last 24 playoff games, so the idea that he’s “invisible” come playoff time is blatantly false. Struggling with injuries during the season, he only managed 15 goals and 21 helpers in 60 games. Not bad for a top-9 forward, but the New York Rangers pay Nash too much for him to not light up the scoreboard more often. He’s spectacular defensively, however he needs to be the player that teams fear to play against again. He’s been that dynamic superstar in the past, and now it’s time for him to quiet the doubters.

6) J.T. Miller: A+

While he didn’t score a goal in the postseason, J.T. Miller has been a revelation for the New York Rangers. The 15th overall pick in the 2011 draft exploded with 22 goals and 21 assists while playing all 82 games in the regular season. He picked up 3 helpers in the series against Pittsburgh, but throughout the year, Miller was a dynamic 23 year-old who’s only going to get better. He’s proven his keep at the NHL level and it wouldn’t be surprising if he hit the 50 point mark next year.

7) Eric Staal: F-

Putting up just 6 points in 20 games with his new team during the season, he was horrible during the playoffs as well. Zero points during the 5-game series to cap it all off. Really hard to believe the Rangers traded two 2nd-round picks and the rights to Aleksi Saarela for someone who contributed absolutely nothing to this team when it needed it most. Staal did win 62.2% of his faceoffs in the postseason, and that’s about the only positive statistic he attained as a Blueshirt.

8) Derek Stepan: B+

Stepan had a solid season, racking up 53 points, and scoring a couple goals against the Pens. There’s not much to complain about in terms of his play, however if he wants to prove to the NHL that he could potentially be a number one center, he needs to break the 60 point mark. The closest he came in 2013-14, when he scored 57 points. He’s a great passer and also has a deadly shot; there’s no reason why he shouldn’t break 60 points in the near future.

9) Chris Kreider: B

Kreider had a good offensive year with 43 points, a slight dip from last year, when he scored 46. He hasn’t shot the puck as much as he did last season. The number of shots on net went from 180 to 158, and he looked tentative at times. For someone that could jump out of a pool (video below), he doesn’t use his big frame as much as he should.

There’s no reason why Kreider shouldn’t be a 30 goal scorer, and once he uses his body more often to fight for position, he’ll definitely attain positive results.

10) Kevin Hayes: B+

Here’s a player that was terribly misused by head coach Alain Vigneault. Unnecessary scratching for Tanner Glass, not putting Hayes in the right situations, and not letting Hayes find his game this season doomed his season, and he still put up almost 40 points. There’s no correct grade to give Hayes just because much of his struggle came from his own coach.

The graph above, provided by @HockeyStatMiner, proves how valuable players such as Kreider and Hayes are. He’s Hopefully he comes out next year with a bang and lights up, perhaps using his 6’5″ frame to his advantage more.

11) Oscar Lindberg: A-

More from Blue Line Station

• Blake Wheeler’s Broadway Calling: Why He Chose the Rangers
• Rangers’ Playoff Redemption Recipe: Grit and Fresh Hopes
• Rangers’ Roster Chatter: Who’s Making the Cut and Who’s in the Penalty Box?
• Jacque Plante Trade Tree Between the Rangers and Canadiens
• These Rangers must learn Peter Laviolette’s ropes before they can fly

Another painfully misused player by AV, Lindberg blossomed at the beginning of the season, but sitting in the press box for no particularly good reason can shake a rookie like Lindberg, who couldn’t quite find the twine much after his hot start. He’ll be much better next season, so there shouldn’t be any concern with his growth and development. Luckily Tanner Glass only has one year left on his deal. Why the New York Rangers gave him three years, nobody will ever figure out.

12) Viktor Stalberg: B

For someone who came to the Big Apple with little expectations, Stalberg played very well for the Rangers, revitalizing a career that almost died in Nashville. 20 points for the speedy depth forward is solid, and he had multiple opportunities to add more to that total, using his quickness and slick hands to get shots off. He was quiet against the Penguins, but that won’t stop teams from calling Stalberg in July when his contract expires. As well as he played for the role he was given, it’s not too likely the Rangers will bring back the Swedish speedster.

13) Dominic Moore: D

Moore was a secret weapon the New York Rangers used in their 2014 and 2015 Stanley Cup runs. Moore was a solid 4th line center that can win an important faceoff when needed, and he can also dazzle the crowd with a great move to the net. However, the latter was missing from his game this season, and the bottom-6 hurt as a result. There was no spring in his step or flashes of brilliance that he’s previously shown in his second stint in red, white, and blue. His corsi-for also plummeted to 42.5%. Only two players had a worse corsi this season: Tanner Glass (41.7%) and Dan Girardi (41.3%).

The New York Rangers Defensemen

1) Ryan McDonagh: A-

The Captain was solid all year, however a troublesome stat appears out of the rubble: ‘MacTruck’ has only shot the puck 113 times, a harsh decline from 148 last season, and even harsher from 177 in 2014, the year he scored 14 goals and 29 assists. When paired with Dan Girardi, not many positives can come out of it, and McDonagh’s weak 47.7% Corsi-for attests to that. McDonagh is a solid 30+ point scorer, but if he distributed the puck more, he’d break at least 40 points yearly.

2) Dan Girardi: F-

Where to begin with Dan Girardi. Even if you’re an advanced statistic skeptic, it’s painfully obvious just by watching Girardi play that he doesn’t deserve nearly the amount of minutes he plays per game. He has the worst corsi-for on the team at 41.3%. Even Tanner Glass has a better number (41.7%), and that’s terrifying, especially since he’s a top-2 defenseman according to Alain Vigneault. Girardi also eats up $5.5 million of the cap, and has a no-move clause. Hooray. This Yahoo article explains why Dan Girardi is nothing but an embarrassment to the New York Rangers.

3) Dan Boyle: A-

Boyle is the fourth defenseman in NHL history to score 10 or more goals at age 38+. The other 3? Brian Leetch, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Ray Bourque. Yeah. Boyle also had the 3rd-highest corsi-for at 50.3%. Not bad for someone who’s likely retiring in the next few weeks. Sure, he looked slow at times, and was occasionally a step behind, but you can’t possibly expect a defenseman who’s going to be 40 in July to be as quick as Crosby or Ovechkin. Despite his slower legs, he was still a solid player who received more hate than he deserved. He also cursed out Larry Brooks, so Boyle leaves the Big Apple on a great note.

4) Keith Yandle: A++

Yet another player criminally misused by Alain Vigneault, even playing limited minutes, Yandle became the first New York Rangers defenseman since 2001-02 Brian Leetch to score 40+ assists in a season, and became the third defenseman in the last three seasons with 40+ assists (Karlsson, Subban). 47 points for a star defenseman while continuously being put in the incorrect situations and not being allowed to play his game? He’s also tied for third in corsi-for with Dan Boyle with 50.3%. It’s mind-boggling that fans want him gone.

5) Kevin Klein: B+

Klein is a player that’s been the scapegoat of a lot of problems by Rangers fans, even though he’s been nothing but solid ever since his arrival from Nashville during the 2013-14 season. His offensive size realized in New York, he’s put up matching 9 goal and 17 assist campaigns in both full seasons here. His corsi has dropped to 47.8% this season, but he’s blamed for way more than he deserves. Chill out.

6) Dylan McIlrath: A

The 24 year-old had one last chance to prove to the NHL that he was worthy of a call-up, and did he ever. His physicality, huge slapshot, and good man-on-man defending showed the hockey world he deserved to stay. He did only play 34 games, however, because AV decided to play Girardi and one-eyed Staal over him throughout most of the season. He should get a better look next season, a his leash with the head coach becomes looser.

7) Marc Staal: D-

Ever since Staal’s eye injury, he hasn’t been the same. He’s been slow to the puck, making countless mistakes in the defensive zone, and became unable to move the puck out of his zone very well. His corsi was an abysmal 44.8% this season, and it probably won’t get much better for the 29 year-old, which is unfortunate. He was excellent for the Blueshirts prior to his injury, but since his return he’s been nothing but a liability who eats $5.7 million of the cap. If Gorton could find a team that would take his contract, it would immediately benefit the blue line. Now if Girardi and Staal are both gone this offseason, throw a party.

Next: New York Rangers can Replace Nash with Young Talent

The New York Rangers Goaltenders

1) Henrik Lundqvist A++

Anybody who blames Henrik Lundqvist for the Rangers’ inability to win the Stanley Cup needs to get their head checked. He’s the Patrick Ewing of hockey; a generational talent that just never got the support he needed to win a championship. It’s such a shame that the 34 year-old will likely never have a ring, and that’s perhaps the saddest realization of all. A King cannot win a war without an army.

2) Antti Raanta: A-

Raanta played as well as a backup should. He had some blips throughout the year, but overall he was solid in between the pipes when called upon. Hopefully he returns next season, as Skapski will probably be the AHL starter in the 2016-17 campaign for the Hartford Wolf Pack. Ironically, if Raanta hadn’t played exceptionally well against the Red Wings in the final game of the regular season, the Rangers would’ve played the Florida Panthers in the first round. The Rangers probably wouldn’t have made it far regardless, because the problems they’ve been dealing with all season wouldn’t have disappeared overnight.