New York Rangers: What if the Rangers picked Tarasenko over McIlrath?

Yet again, I started thinking about the New York Rangers’ past and future. In 2017, the team drafted Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil in the first round. As highlights of Chytil playing for his national team emerge, I only look back and hope the pick does not turn out like the Dylan McIlrath pick.

I recently wrote about another New York Rangers’ first round draft pick that didn’t exactly pan out. Here I will similarly analyze the Rangers’ first round draft pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers chose defenseman Dylan McIlrath with the number 10 overall pick.

The 2010 Entry Draft had just as many busts as it did successes. However, the many of the successes from that draft are already NHL stars. This includes players like Cam Fowler, Nick Bjugstad, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Kevin Hayes, and Vladimir Tarasenko, all of whom were drafted after McIlrath.

For the sake of this article, we’ll be looking at what could’ve been, had the Rangers picked Tarasenko over McIlrath. Many things could very well be different. Two years after Tarasenko’s drafting, the Rangers made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and even more recently, Tarasenko has grown into one of, if not the, best goal scorer in the NHL.

How Tarasenko could be different

The scenario surrounding the player’s possible change in development in this case is intriguing. Tarasenko left the KHL midway through the 2012-2013 season, only playing in 38 NHL games. At that point, the Rangers were still coached by defensive-minded John Tortorella.

While he may not have played much under Tortorella due to his lack of defensive prowess, Tarasenko would have gotten as much playing time as he wanted the past four seasons. During current head coach, Alain Vigneault,’s tenure, the Rangers have searched for a top-line, goal-scoring threat. Tarasenko would have been that player.

Paired with a top-line center like Derek Stepan in a high-tempo system, Tarasenko could have posted even greater career high numbers. He has surpassed 35 goals and 70 points each of the last three seasons.

How the Rangers could be different

Had the Rangers drafted Vladimir Tarasenko, the team’s successes could have been much more, well, successful. The Rangers almost had the highest success in what would have been Tarasenko’s sophomore year. The Rangers could have won the Stanley Cup in 2014.

Tarasenko played in six playoff games with the Blues after missing most of the end of the regular season. However, in those six games, he scored four goals. That’s almost a goal per game.

In a much more offensive system under Vigneault, Tarasenko could have scored more. The Rangers ended up losing three of the five finals games by only one goal. A pure scorer who has shown that he can do it in the playoffs would have been ideal.

On the flip side, who says the Rangers even make it to the finals? At the trade deadline, general manager at the time, Glen Sather, dealt for Martin St. Louis. The sudden passing of St. Louis’ mother galvanized the team, sparking the comeback from a 3-1 series deficit against the Penguins.

Next: New York Rangers: What if the Rangers picked Getzlaf over Jessiman?

With a scorer like Tarasenko on the roster, Sather may not have made the blockbuster for St. Louis. But then again, Sather always had the flair for the dramatic, so the St. Louis trade certainly could have still happened. The Rangers’ past and present could be dramatically different had they drafted Vladimir Tarasenko over Dylan McIlrath in 2010.

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