New York Rangers: Defensive Comparisons Around The NHL
By David Bruce
The New York Rangers defensive situation is an obvious cause for concern this year, especially when the playoffs come around. Here are the Rangers best, and worst, case comparisons around the league.
It’s no secret that the New York Rangers, defensively, need work. They allow too many shots, rely too heavily on Henrik Lundqvist, and have a large sum of money invested in regressing defensemen. The Rangers are not alone in their situation, however, as there is one Eastern Conference Cup contender in quite a similar situation.
Worst case comparison: The Montreal Canadiens (22-9-6, 1st in Atlantic)
The Canadiens and Rangers find themselves in very similar situations. Like the Rangers, Montreal relies very heavily on Carey Price to bail out the defense when they allow a high quantity of shots. Carey Price still being in his prime makes this a successful, but likely unsustainable, method of play.
Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price were, for a very long time, compared to each other as great goalies in bad situations. They both carried their teams through long, but unsuccessful, playoff runs. Price may very likely do this again this year, but Lundqvist, while still an elite goaltender, is out of his prime and simply cannot cover for the defense at his past rates any longer.
Alexei Emelin (30 years old) carries a cap hit of $4.1 million for two more years, Andrei Markov (37 years old) carries a cap hit of $5.7 million on its last year, and Shea Weber (31 years old) carries a cap hit of $7.8 million with ten years remaining.
The Rangers, as we all know, have a large amount of money invested in their defensemen as well. Girardi and Staal collect a combined $11.3 million cap hit annually, each with no move clauses. Kevin Klein, who has regressed heavily this season, makes $2.9 million as well.
The elephant in Montreal’s room is the Weber contract. Though he may have a powerful slap shot that helps him rack up goals and points (unlike most of the Rangers’ defensemen), he was one of the league’s worst shot suppressors last year. He may be doing the job for Montreal this year, but that contract is terrible for them long term.
Now, they can take solace that Weber’s play hasn’t regressed to Girardi level. Weber can still contribute quite admirably, but that deal screams trouble long term. Markov’s deal ends very soon, and he is still contributing offensively. Emelin’s contract is likely the current worst in terms of quality-for-currency.
Despite having a great deal of money invested in their defense, which is sub-par at best, they are still tops in the Atlantic thanks to Carey Price and some nice chemistry forming between some of their forwards. As the Rangers can attest, that isn’t a winning formula, and cannot carry Montreal much further through the playoffs than the Rangers will go.
Best case comparison: The Pittsburgh Penguins (25-8-5, 2nd in Metropolitan Division)
The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup last year, and are looking at another successful regular season this year. To look at the Rangers current situation in a more positive light, we must see how the Rangers compare defensively to the defending Cup champs.
The Penguins defense, on paper, isn’t particularly great. Justin Schultz is having a remarkable season, and Kris Letang is his usual self. Beyond that, however, there isn’t much by way of top-end quality, especially with Olli Maatta’s season going the way it is.
It can be argued that Pittsburgh’s defense is quicker and better at moving the puck, which the Rangers could be closer to matching by playing Adam Clendening more often. Pittsburgh’s biggest impact, however, is from their forward units. They can score at will and possess the puck better than most, if not all, teams in the NHL.
The Rangers may not have elite centers like Crosby or Malkin, but what they do have in common with Pittsburgh is forward depth. When healthy, the Rangers run four forward lines with scoring chemistry on all levels.
Early in the season, the Rangers possessed the puck and scored a lot of goals, which took the pressure off the defense to bear the brunt of the responsibility and led to many victories. The first two months of the season made the New York Rangers look like a really dangerous team this year.
Recently, injuries plagued a number of top six forwards, and the Rangers returned to playing a style that relied heavily on their defense to perform at an above-average level. This is a style they are simply no longer capable of playing. If the Rangers go into the playoffs without a healthy forward group, a swift playoff exit is highly likely. The Rangers defensive unit, as currently comprised, cannot compete on their own.
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It is possible that a deep playoff run can still happen if the Rangers return to playing a style of game similar to Pittsburgh: four line scoring depth and speed to take away from their below average defense. They won’t have to worry about stopping the opposition as much if they have the puck a lot more. Improving their puck possession can stand as the Rangers “defense” and can help manifest a quality playoff run.