New York Rangers: What Will The Powerplay Units Look Like?
With the roster going through lots of changes this offseason, it’s time to try to guess next year’s powerplay units!
In an offseason that has seen the New York Rangers’ top two offensive minded defensemen leave the team– Keith Yandle and Dan Boyle–the Rangers have to go back to the drawing board with their powerplays, as they should have anyway, because it was absolutely pathetic in the playoffs, scoring at only a 10.5% clip which ranked 13th in the league.
According to Left Wing Lock, The New York Rangers’ most common powerplay combination last year was a combination of 4 forwards and 1 defenseman, the forwards being Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello and the since traded Derick Brassard with defenseman Keith Yandle. The second most common powerplay unit was Rick Nash with Brass and Zuccarello, and Ryan McDonagh and Dan Boyle on the points.
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Now obviously, these usage percentages aren’t going to be the clearest depictions of the actual powerplay units last year since both Brassard and Zuccarello are on both, but it gives you a good indication of the type of players the team usually employs there.
With Yandle Boyle and Brassard all gone, the team will need to add practically a whole new powerplay unit. So what might the 2016-2017 powerplay units look like at the beginning of the season?
Unit 1
Forwards: Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello
Defensemen/Point Players: Derek Stepan, Kevin Klein
Reasoning: This group gives you a little bit of everything. Kreider would be the big body planting his rump in front of the net (or at least that should be the plan). When Kreider uses his size, he not only plays his best hockey, but he makes his teammates better too.
Mats Zuccarello is going to be the puck moving wizard on the unit like he usually is. Zibanejad’s offensive skillset is very similar to Derick Brassard’s, but the one thing that is very different is each other’s most effective shot. Brassard had a beautiful slapshot which made him very effective at the point. Zibanejad’s most effective shot is his wrister, which is faster than a speeding bullet.
I think with that said, Derek Stepan would be better suited to be the point man on that powerplay. I put Kevin Klein on this unit because he, like Brassard, has a very heavy slapper. Henrik Lundqvist has come out before and said that Klein has the heaviest shot on the team, so it would make sense to have him there. Stepan would sort of be the Keith Yandle-like facilitator from the point, which is why I wanted to keep him there.
Unit 2
Forwards: Rick Nash, J.T. Miller, Pavel Buchnevich
Defenseman/Point Players: Ryan McDonagh and Nick Holden/Dylan McIlrath
Reasoning: This group is designed to more or less do the same thing that the other group should do which is to be super creative and quick. Rick Nash was fantastic last year when he was stationed in front of the net on the powerplay because of his big body and good hands around the net which helped him get to rebounds.
J.T. Miller was on the next 3 most common Rangers powerplay combinations last season, and I think he is ready for a permanent powerplay role. I think that Miller is more effective on the wing, but with Stepan and Zibanejad on the other unit, Miller will have to play center, unless the team opts to play Hayes on this unit instead of the rookie Buchnevich, which is a real possibility.
The reason I put Buchnevich here instead of Hayes is because I think he fits what this line needs a bit more. Buchnevich will be that Mats Zuccarello-like puck moving wizard on this unit. He also employs a quick and deceptive wrister, which would be very effective from the circles. He is also a quicker skater than the big bodied Hayes.
I was originally going to put Ryan McDonagh on the first unit, but I decided with Stepan and Zibanejad on that unit, the team has two extremely reliable forwards at both ends of the ice. Miller, Hayes, and Buchnevich (from what I have seen and read) have a lot to prove on the defensive end of the ice, so it might make sense to have the team’s best defender out there on this unit with them.
The reason I have Holden or McIlrath on here is because I think both would be solid here, but only one of them is likely to suit up per game. Nick Holden’s fancy stats say that he is a solid enough player as far as moving the puck. Holden tallied 6 goals and 22 points last season and has 21 goals in 220 NHL games. Since the team doesn’t have a guy I’d consider an “offensive defenseman” at the moment, Holden might be a solid guy to have on that second unit.
The reason I put McIlrath there in case he is in the lineup and Holden isn’t is because I love his shot. His shot is very underrated, and I think it is actually pretty good. The 6’5″ defenseman only scored twice on 28 shots last season, but if he learns to shoot a bit more, I think he could develop a shot heavy enough that it would instill fear in opponents to get in the lanes and block it.
Maybe the Rangers will go out and acquire that offensive defenseman that they are now lacking, but I believe that the team’s NHL roster is set. All of that could change in a second, so I guess we will all find out soon enough.