Here are a couple of tidbits we wanted to share with you on this Sunday:
Someone, other than the King, is the Rangers most important player- NHL.com
Ok, ok, we have heard the same song and dance about Ryan McDonagh and his statistics. And, I am sure most Rangers fans are at their wits end about hearing the same numbers from last season.
In this article written by Katie Strang, she tries to prove her case that McDonagh is the most important player for the Rangers. That means that Henrik Lundqvist is taking a backseat.
You could venture to say she is right. For years, the King has been “the team” for much of his career. He’s had to stand on his head on many occasions just so he’d give his fellow teammates a chance to win.
But, she mentions how the team in front of Lundqvist has gotten better these past couple of seasons. And, it has. Granted there are still pitfalls and still angst with players not producing enough at the right time, but the quality of players playing in front of the King has been vastly upgraded since he first took his place in net during the 2005-2006 season.
One of those upgrades has been the rise of McDonagh. Not speaking statically, but the mention of his name to any Rangers fan evokes words like, “hard-working,” “competitor,” “leader.” All of those qualities you want in a team captain.
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After the departure of former captain Ryan Callahan in 2014, the team was left captain-less through the end of the team’s Stanley Cup Final appearance. That following offseason, McDonagh was the only player who publicly voiced his desire to lead the Rangers as captain.
And that’s what you want in a leader, someone who is unafraid to take on the responsibilities and look forward to the challenges that comes with the position.
That is why I believe McDonagh is the most important player to the Rangers. It’s what he does outside the numbers.
In terms of Lundqvist, he is still as valuable as he was in his rookie year. However, he no longer has to shoulder the burden of winning by himself when he has teammates, like McDonagh, he can trust.
Rangers Prospects go 0-2 at Traverse City- Twitter
Unfortunately, the prospects are trying to find something to build on after their second game.
The team came up on the losing end for the second straight game, losing 2-0 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
#NYR prospects fall to the Blues tonight 2-0...next game is Monday against the Blue Jackets at 3:30 #NYRTCT
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 13, 2015
The Rangers were shutout last night, and have been outscored 7-2 by their opponents. In goal was Taylor Dupuis, a camp invitee from the OHL who appeared in relief of Jacob Smith in yesterday’s loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Another bit of bad news is an injury to Brandon Halverson. According to the team’s offical twitter:
#NYRTCT update: Brandon Halverson has a mild ankle sprain (day to day). Additionally, the 8 dmen are rotating during the Tournament. #NYR
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) September 13, 2015
He has not appeared in the first two games of the tournament.
The team has today off, before battling the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are the defending champions of the tournament and again have their sights set on winning it all.
Next: Will The Rangers Need AHL Reinforcements?
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