After breaking down what the potential powerplay units will be for the New York Rangers last week, we now look at the team’s potential penalty kill units.
I think it’s suffice to say that the New York Rangers’ penalty kill last season was the worst it has been in the past decade. The team ranked 26th in the league in that area The penalty kill, along with the struggles of the veteran defenders were the two things that really sunk the team last season.
Well, the New York Rangers went out and fixed the former this offseason. Practically every single free agent signing or player coming back from trade that the Rangers acquired this offseason has had experience and success killing penalties. The depth the Rangers now have on the penalty kill, with only one player from the top two most used penalty killing units from a year ago leaving the team, a lot of the personnel may be the same, but maybe the Rangers remove some of those guys from the equation.
Unit 1
Forwards: Michael Grabner, Mika Zibanejad
Defenseman: Kevin Klein, Nick Holden
Reasoning: First off, I just want to start by saying that I don’t think there will be a “number one” unit as much as I think they will have sort of a 1A-1B thing going. This unit will be featuring 3 newcomers, forwards Michael Grabner and Mika Zibanejad and defenseman Nick Holden. I know you have heard the “Grabner is very similar to Carl Hagelin” spiel a million times this offseason, so I’ll leave that at that. Grabner has been one of the league’s most efficient penalty killers over the last few years, so expect him to be on the top unit.
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I like the combination of Grabner and Zibanejad’s speed because it keeps the other team honest. That speed would not only help to just get in lanes and force pressure on the guy with the puck, but it also could allow them to break out on the offensive quickly.
Holden and Klein I kind of view as the same type of player for whatever reason. I think the both of them will be solid on the PK together, and since the two of them aren’t exactly the quickest skaters on the planet, having the speed of Grabner and Zibanejad there with them will help to make them look a bit quicker, and kind of spread the wealth of speed around both units.
Unit 2
Forwards: Jesper Fast, Derek Stepan
Defenseman: Ryan McDonagh, Brady Skjei
Reasoning: The first thing people are going to notice is that with these two units set in my crazy little world, Rick Nash does not have a spot on the penalty kill. While Rick Nash has become a fantastic penalty killer, it may be best served to keep him fresh for the powerplay and 5-5 situations due to how many people in the bottom six are considered “penalty kill specialists”.
Each of the other 7 players from the Rangers two most used penalty killing units–Stepan, McDonagh, Klein, Dominic Moore, Dan Girardi, Jesper Fast, and Marc Staal— plus Viktor Stalberg, each played more minutes on the penalty kill than Nash by a substantial amount. It’s not like by taking out your best goal scorer from the powerplay that the team is going to be any worse scoring shorthanded goals. The Rangers only tallied 3 short-handed goals last season–all by Stepan–which ranked them 25th in the league in that department.
I do think Stepan is extremely effective on the penalty kill, and maybe the team will opt to take him off the main penalty kill unit for the same reasons they should take Nash of them and put center Josh Jooris in his spot.
This is where it gets tricky. This last main penalty kill spot could go to one of four players; Rick Nash (who shouldn’t be on it for the reasons I stated earlier), Jesper Fast, Nathan Gerbe, and Josh Jooris. I think the Rangers will pick Jesper Fast to play here, at least at first, due to the familiarity the coaching staff has with him, and the trust they have in him as well.
Fast and Stepan are both very smart players who are quicker than they are speedy per se, so I think they fit well with sensational skating defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Brady Skjei. The penalty kill may be an unwarranted big responsibility on the young Skjei’s shoulders, but the New York Rangers can not put Dan Girardi or Marc Staal–who will both end up in Alain Vigneault‘s starting lineup on a nightly basis–on the penalty kill.
I think a combination of Nash, Gerbe, and Jooris will be used on these units while one of the 4 other penalty killing forwards takes a penalty themselves. As for the defender that will replace one of those 4, if either Girardi or Staal is benched for Dylan McIlrath, you put McIlrath in. If it is Staal and Girardi though, you have to pick Staal.
Next: 2016 Play Previews; Kevin Klein
Of course, none of these moves and unit combinations matter unless Henrik Lundqvist plays like he has in years past and doesn’t begin to decline rapidly this year. I believe that Hank has been working his butt off all offseason to get better and stay in peak condition, and I think having the World Cup of Hockey in September will be a good thing for him so he can work the kinks out of his game early.