New York Rangers: Predicting the 2017-18 offense
The New York Rangers’ offense was a bright spot in the 2016-17 campaign. What will the 2017-18 offense look like?
Filled with four lines they could roll in any situation (when Tanner Glass was a scratch) New York managed to score at an obscenely high rate at the beginning of the season. Though the numbers trickled down as the season wore on, the Rangers proved from day one that they possessed a top of the line group of forwards.
Moving forward, New York will look to continue with that success. Though Derek Stepan’s name is circulating in trade rumors and Rick Nash could go as well, for the most part New York is expected to bring back a similar group.
However, last year no one saw the trade of Derick Brassard for Mika Zibanejad coming. Will the Rangers make any surprise moves this offseason? The Blue Line Station team takes a look in this roundtable at what the forward corps will look like next season.
*Remember, this is what we think will happen, not should happen.*
Brandon Cohen
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Mats Zuccarello
Pavel Buchnevich-Joe Thornton-Rick Nash
J.T. Miller-Kevin Hayes-Michael Grabner
Dwight King-Oscar Lindberg-Jesper Fast
Please don’t hate me.
Yes, I have the Rangers trading Derek Stepan. Recent rumors have Stepan’s name swirling around, which makes sense given New York’s need for a defenseman. Sure, the Rangers could just sign Kevin Shattenkirk, but his price tag may be too high. Additionally, I feel no-movement/no trade clauses activating scares teams.
Just ask P.K. Subban.
So, New York will trade Derek Stepan for a defenseman. To replace him, the Rangers will sign Joe Thornton after being surprised of his availability. While Thornton won’t be able to fill Stepan’s role, the Rangers will ask him to anyway.
Finally, Jeff Gorton will appease Alain Vigneault and sign Dwight King. King fits into the “enforcer/grit” role Vigneault loves on his fourth line. I sincerely hope this does not happen.
The good news is none of the forwards are lost due to the Expansion Draft, as the Las Vegas Golden Knights take Nick Holden instead. With zero bribery.
At least there’s that!
John Williams
Jimmy Vesey-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
J.T. Miler- Kevin Hayes- Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner-Oscar Lindberg-Jesper Fast
As you can see, I think the Rangers will open the season with the exact same forward group as they had last year. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, because I don’t think they need to make any changes with the forward group as long as the defense is rebuilt completely. I will say this though; I don’t feel nearly as confident about this than I did just two days ago.
The chances that Derek Stepan is traded are pretty decent, even though they would be making a mistake by letting him go. The common misconception with Stepan is that when people say “he’s not a number one center,” they really mean that he isn’t in that top tier of centers but they don’t realize it.
Stepan is a leader in the room, is one of the best defensive centers in the league and has tallied at least 51 points in each of his five full 82 game seasons since his rookie year. They would need to get a king’s ransom in return for a trade to be worth it.
Expansion
Then of course, you have the possibility that one of their fourth liners is selected in the Expansion Draft. I think, or at least I hope, that ultimately, the Golden Knights will select Nick Holden. They are gonna need veteran players on their defense and the fact that he scored 11 goals last year will ultimately lead to his departure. This means that all those fourth liners will remain here.
Like I said at the top, maybe this is just wishful thinking. This is the best route for the Rangers to take. If they can sign Shattenkirk and re-sign Brendan Smith while somehow getting rid of Marc Staal’s contract, this team is more than capable of contending with the forward group they currently have.
Dan Carrozzi
Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Jimmy Vesey
Pavel Buchnevich – Mika Zibanejad – Mats Zuccarello
Michael Grabner – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller
Nicklas Jensen – Dominic Moore – Jesper Fast
The New York Rangers will retain most of their forward corps. Returnees Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Jimmy Vesey make up an All-American first line. Pavel Buchnevich who played often with Mika Zibanejad as did Mats Zuccarello, comprise an alphabet soup second line. I think Zibanejad will sign a deal almost identical to the one Derick Brassard signed in the 2014 off-season.
The third line of Michael Grabner, Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller makes an encore. The line numbers don’t matter that much on paper. Each line can be shifted more or less depending on how they’re playing during a game or stretch of games.
Nicklas Jensen, a pending restricted free agent, will be signed to a short, cheap contract. I think one of Jesper Fast or Oscar Lindberg will either be selected in the Expansion Draft or traded. For sake of argument, I’ll say that it will be Lindberg, and Fast maintains his spot.
Rounding out the fourth line will be the annual defensively responsible forward free agent signing that the Rangers seem to like to make. Perhaps a reunion with fan favorite Dominic Moore will be in order.
There will be a few departures, including Lindberg. Rick Nash will be moved, with salary retained, for a package of picks and prospects. This will open up some cap space for re-signing the Rangers restricted free agents and a few unrestricted free agents.
John Cavanagh
Rick Nash – Derek Stepan – Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanajed – Pavel Buchnevich
Jimmy Vesey – Kevin Hayes – J.T. Miller
Oscar Lindberg – Sam Gagner – Michael Grabner
The Rangers success was dependent on their forward depth, and their ability to roll four skilled lines.
It’s important to hang on to as many forwards from last season as possible considering the Rangers ranked fourth in the NHL with 3.09 goals per game.
Mika Zibanajed is a restricted free agent, but the Rangers will either look to lock him up long term, or sign him to a bridge deal.
The growth of Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich will make this forward group even more dangerous.
The only problem lies in the expansion draft, where Michael Grabner, Oscar Lindberg, and Jesper Fast will all be exposed. If the Las Vegas Golden Knights opt not to take a defenseman or goaltender from the Rangers, they will lose a valuable forward for nothing.
Since I predict the Golden Knights will take Fast, I think the Rangers make a good depth signing in free agency which they have done before. Just ask Viktor Stalberg, Lee Stempniak, and Benoit Pouliot.
Sam Gagner is a 27 year old center man, and would be a great add for the Rangers at a good price. Gagner would be a small piece to a forward group that is young, and almost exactly intact from last season.
Logan Clements
Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Pavel Buchnevich
Jimmy Vesey – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash
J.T. Miller – Kevin Hayes – Mats Zuccarello
Boo Nieves – Oscar Lindberg – Jesper Fast
Extras: Matt Puempel and Nick Jensen
For the most part, I believe that the Rangers’ forward core will stay largely intact. I used to believe that the Vegas Golden Knights would select Oscar Lindberg in the expansion draft.
However, it seems that the Knights are focused on accumulating draft picks. Selecting Michael Grabner would help them with this as he would be easy to flip coming off a 27-goal season.
Boo Nieves could likely slot in as the Rangers’ 4th line left-winger if they believe that he is ready to make the jump. If not, the Rangers will likely look for a bargain bin player like Jordan Weal or Tommy Wingels.
Other than that, the Rangers don’t have too many reasons to trade one of their top-six forwards, which is why the changes on offense should be very small or non-existent.
Garrett Gartino
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-J.T. Miller
Pavel Buchnevich-Mika Zibanejad-Rick Nash
Jimmy Vesey-Kevin Hayes-Tommy Wingels
Jesper Fast-Brian Boyle-Michael Grabner
Boo Nieves
The New York Rangers stand to lose a valuable player at the upcoming expansion draft. I believe that the services of Oscar Lindberg will be called to Las Vegas for the 2017-18 season. This will give the Golden Knights a solid two-way center that can play in their bottom-six.
Meanwhile, the Rangers will be left with a large defensive hole in their forward lineup. GM Jeff Gorton must do his best to patch that hole with ex-Ranger, and fan favorite, Brian Boyle. His presence will solidify the team’s bottom-six, penalty killing, and fill the role of pseudo tough guy.
Among the other changes to the Rangers opening night roster will be the addition of winger Tommy Wingels. The 29-year old winger will provide a solid source of secondary scoring on a relatively cheap contract.
Finally, with names like Tanner Glass and Brandon Pirri out the window, look for the Rangers to bring in home-grown talent such as Boo Nieves.
Tim Haggerty
Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey-Mika Zibanejad-Rick Nash
J.T. Miller-Sam Gagner-Kevin Hayes
Pavel Buchnevich-Oscar Lindberg-Nicklas Jensen
I think it stands out that I don’t forsee all that much major change in the New York Rangers forward group.
This offseason will focus more on the defense than the offense and it shows.
Michael Grabner will leave via the expansion draft and Tanner Glass won’t be resigned. I’ve left off Jesper Fast considering the Rangers will be without him for quite some time.
Most of the gaps will be filled with prospects. Buchnevich needs to play the full season with the Rangers, he is destined for a huge year. Jensen has NHL experience and is valued by the team.
Gagner is a great free agent target that I think could blend really well with the Rangers; and at a really nice price.
Nash and Stepan aren’t traded, and mainly because of their terrible contract situations. Gorton receives plenty of offers for Stepan, but none of which give him the return he wants.
And that’s how you get the Rangers forwards for 2017-2018.
Connor Healey
Chris Krieder – Derek Stepan – Mats Zuccarello
J.T. Miller – Mika Zibanejad – Rick Nash
Jimmy Vesey – Kevin Hayes – Pavel Buchnevich
Jesper Fast – Oscar Linberg – Nicklas Jensen
My predictions for the forward combinations for the 2017-2018 New York Rangers represents little change from last season. I believe the Las Vegas Knights will select Michael Grabner as a potential second line winger whose speed can create a lot of issues for the opposing team.
Oscar Lindberg will be a potential target for the Knights during the expansion draft. His overall two way play, age, and recent production as a fourth line center will be appealing. But, hopefully I think the Knights will look towards Grabner.
In regards to the Rangers line up, barring any big trades this offseason it will look similar to what it was last year. Jesper Fast is currently in the lineup as of now, but he will not return until October or November. Nicklas Jensen will finally make the leap up to the big club and will be able to produce on the fourth line.
I am looking for the New York Rangers to move some forwards this offseason. Players like Rick Nash, Derek Stepan, and Kevin Hayes will be suspect to trade rumors and should be. Even though these players might be moved, currently the New York Rangers forward lines will not illustrate a big change from last season.
Joshua Lipman
Jimmy Vesey-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich
J.T. Miller-Kevin Hayes-Mats Zuccarello
Jesper Fast-Brian Boyle-Michael Grabner
The defense will get a facelift, but I don’t see much change coming for this forward group. That’s not a bad thing since they scored the fourth most goals in the league last season. They put enough pucks in the net to win both of their last two games in Ottawa only to have the blue line crumble under pressure.
While they may not add a sexy name up front, the top nine has a good chance to be even better next season. Both center Mika Zibanjad and winger Pavel Buchnevich stand out as major breakout candidates. Zibanejad’s playoff performance was especially encouraging as he led the Rangers in scoring.
The top nine may stand pat, but the fourth line may see a shakeup. The Rangers probably lose center Oscar Lindberg to Las Vegas in the expansion draft, which will hurt.
With Jesper Fast missing at least a month as he recovers from hip surgery, a young player like Boo Nieves could get a long look in camp. Expect the front office to add a veteran center like old friend Brian Boyle to fill the hole left by Lindberg.
Drew McCaffrey
Chris Kreider-Mika Zibanejad-Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey-Derek Stepan-Rick Nash
Pavel Buchnevich-Kevin Hayes-J.T. Miller
Michael Grabner-Oscar Lindberg-Jesper Fast
Matt Puempel/Boo Nieves
The New York Rangers have a bevy of forward talent at their disposal heading into the summer. With Tanner Glass coming off the books (finally) and the Rangers rumored to be sweetening the pot for Vegas to select Nick Holden in the expansion draft, they should once again field a dangerous crew.
While I might earnestly wish for the Kreider/Zibanejad/Buchnevich trio to be reunited, I’m expecting Alain Vigneault to start Buchnevich down the lineup. The Kreider/Zibanejad duo has had good results, and Mats Zuccarello played well with them in the playoffs.
Nash, Stepan, and Vesey were a potent combination at times. Hayes and Miller seem to be attached at the hip in Vigneault’s eyes, and the Grabner-Lindberg-Fast group could form the best fourth line in the NHL next season.
Boo Nieves played well in last year’s camp and impressed in his one call-up, while Matt Puempel showed flashes of his potential. They’ll stick with the big club.
George Ruggiero
Mats Zuccarello – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash
J.T. Miller – Mika Zibanejad – Pavel Buchnevich
Jimmy Vesey – Kevin Hayes – Jesper Fast
Tommy Wingels – Oscar Lindberg – Cristoval Nieves
The Rangers were renowned for the team’s depth at forward this past season. However, the Rangers need help with both the salary cap and the team’s defense corps. While these have to be addressed, so does the looming expansion draft.
There are some notable omissions from my predicted forward group, but they are for good reason. I honestly believe that Chris Kreider could be moved to help fix the Rangers’ struggling defensive group.
As for Michael Grabner, I foresee him being sacrificed and moving to play in Sin City.
These omissions leave holes in the group that need to be filled. Tommy Wingels has proven to be a solid bottom six player in his years with San Jose and Ottawa. As for the other opening, I see Cristoval Nieves finally making the jump to feature in the NHL.
Alexandra Russo
Jimmy Vesey – Mika Zibanejad – Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Rick Nash
J.T. Miller – Kevin Hayes – Michael Grabner
Kris Versteeg – Oscar Lindberg – Jesper Fast
The New York Rangers have a lot to think about this offseason after an unpredictable second round exit to a team many considered inferior- the Ottawa Senators. One of those things is their offense.
At points in the season, especially in the beginning, the Rangers’ offense was rolling. They were scoring five, six, or seven goals every game and demolishing their opponents. That stopped sometime after November. However, it picked up at different points in the season.
The problem now is it remaining consistent. There will be some changes made in order to ensure that happens. For the most part, I believe the offensive lineup will stay the same, but some players will see more ice time. The only major thing I see happening is Tanner Glass being taken out and replaced by a better player such as Kris Versteeg. He has the speed the Rangers need, and it is possible that they pick him up.
Overall, I think the most changes will happen on the defensive side. For the offense, it’s about finding chemistry between players, not having better ones. With the offense more used to each other and their styles of play, I think next season will be much better than last.
Lou Venditti
Jimmy Vesey- Derek Stepan- Mats Zuccarello
Chris Kreider- Mika Zibanejad- Pavel Buchnevich
Michael Grabner- Kevin Hayes- J.T. Miller
Sam Gagner- Oscar Lindberg- Jesper Fast
There won’t be many changes to an already solid New York Rangers forward group. The Rangers forwards are well seasoned goal scorers who use their speed to get past their opponents. If it’s not broken, why fix it?
The biggest subtraction from last years lineup is Rick Nash. Nash will more than likely be let go this offseason. His name has appeared in the trade rumor mill for a long while now, and this summer is when he finally goes. Replacing him on the first line is Zuccarello, followed by Vesey slotting into the left wing spot. The young winger will be tested on the first line, but Vesey can handle it.
Next: Roundtable: Predicting the Rangers' defense
As for additions, there aren’t many the Rangers need. The assumption is that Fast and Lindberg aren’t taken in the expansion draft. However, there is still a fourth line spot available, which goes to Sam Gagner. Gagner has been mentioned as a fit for the Rangers previously, and he slots in well on the fourth line.