New York Rangers: Five things the Rangers need to go their way
The Rangers will need a few breaks to contend
The New York Rangers, ever the perennial Stanley Cup contenders, have another solid team for the 2017 season. Just six members of the 2014 Stanley Cup final team remain. Home grown talents Derek Stepan and Dan Girardi have moved on and there is a sense of optimism in the air.
The team has retooled on the fly adding several pieces including Kevin Shattenkirk, Anthony DeAngelo, Philip Chytil and Lias Andersson. Chytil and Andersson are good bets to make the opening day lineup. Brady Skjei and Brendon Smith will have a full year to work together and build on a strong playoffs together.
This is a double edged sword, although a younger team is cheaper it also means new personnel in new roles. So it’ll be on guys like Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich to step up and show growth. Ondrej Pavelec will need to be a competent goalie NHL goalie for 25 games.
The coaching staff will also need to put their players in a position to succeed.
Kevin Hayes makes the jump-
Kevin Hayes presents a quandary for the Rangers, he has all the raw tools tools to be a number one center. But the Boston College alumni is as streaky a center as they come. For a stretch last season he centered the Rangers best line with J.T Miller and Michael Grabner. He also had just three points in 12 playoff games last year.
With Derek Stepan no longer ahead of him on the depth chart, it is time for Hayes to make that jump to the next step. The Dorchester native will have to get stronger in the defensive zone, with simply no one else around he’s going to have to get comfortable starting in the Rangers zone.
Hayes lost 22 pounds going into the 2016 season after a poor finish to his sophomore season. Hayes wrote a Players Tribune piece explaining that he felt embarrassed for being healthy scratched in a playoff game. He should be embarrassed for his playoff effort last year.
For his career Hayes has averaged around14 minutes a game with the Rangers. Due to Stepan’s departure, Hayes will need to play more minutes in more situations. For his fourth NHL season, Hayes will have a prominent role on special teams.
Pavel Buchnevich plays a full season-
Pavel Buchnevich made the jump to the NHL last season, and put up a respectable 20 points in 41 games. Buchnevich struggled with a back injury which kept him in the press box from November 11th all the way until January 13th.
Buchnevich’s full talent was not tapped into last season. It seemed like he was in the lineup based on the flip of a coin rather than his talent alternating in and out with Jimmy Vesey. Buchnevich was playing on a checking line with Oscar Lindberg and Tanner Glass, unable to create scoring opportunities.
This season, the young forward will be expected to contribute on a scoring line, probably in the top six. With more skilled players around him, and possibly even power play time, there is room for significant growth this season.
Consequently, there will be significant pressure on a 23 year old with only 40 games of NHL experience to be a primary contributor on a team that expects to make the playoffs.
J.T Miller and Chris Kreider should be living proof that player development is not necessarily a linear path. No matter how talented a player is, there will be growing pains.
Ondrej Pavelec is passable-
The Rangers superb backup play has spoiled the team the past several seasons. Both Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta have moved onto greener pastures as NHL starters.
Enter Ondrej Pavelec, a borderline NHL goalie who’s struggled to maintain a 900 career save percentage. Last season got ugly for the Czech goalie in Winnipeg, in eight games last season he had an .888 save percentage.
Since Henrik Lundqvist is no longer a spring chicken, Pavelec will have to play at minimum 25 games this season for the Rangers. In a hyper competitive Metropolitan division a backup goalie who’s under 500 could be the difference between a playoff birth and watching the playoffs on the couch.
Benoit Allaire, the Rangers goaltending coach, and certified goalie whisperer will need to work his magic on Pavelec. At age 35, Henrik Lundqvist playing more than 65 regular season games would be a kiss of death for post season success.
Brady Skjei doesn’t regress-
Brady Skjei’s rookie season in New York was a splendid opening act. However Skjei’s new roomate, Kevin Hayes, could tell him that the sophomore season isn’t a picnic.
The former Minnesota Gopher defenseman forced his way up the depth chart with his solid defensive play and offensive touch. The rookie had 39 points in 80 games and did so with limited power play time.
Furthermore, he will definitely have a better defensive partner than he did for a majority of last season. As part of the defensive corps overhaul, Skjei should slide in with his partner from the playoffs last year, Brendan Smith.
Smith told SNY last spring “Skjei makes his game a lot easier,” and that ” he’s wiser than his age.”
With a full season working together, the most consistent defensive pair from last year’s playoffs should only improve.
If Skjei embraces his inner Michael Del Zotto, all bets are off.
Coaches stay out of their own way-
The Atlantic Division finals last season were an unmitigated disaster for the Rangers. They lost to a much weaker Ottawa Senators team, blowing two multi goal leads in the third period.
Inexcusably Marc Staal and Nick Holden were continually sent out in the last five minutes of playoff games which ensured disaster. Neither Staal or Holden was able to cover for the others mistakes. Together they made Jean-Gabriel Pageau look like the second coming of Sidney Crosby.
Jimmy Vesey and Pavel Buchnevich were not consistently in the lineup because Matt Puempel and Tanner Glass were.
The list of puzzling decisions could go on and on. But this year, the front office brought in an equalizer.
Lindy Ruff is a former head coach with a career record of 571-432 who’s been to the Stanley Cup final and came within a Brett Hull goal of winning one.
Head coach Alain Vigneault could be shown the door to make an example if the Rangers get off to a slow start. And with any coaching change, there is a changing of systems which takes time.
Next: Four thoughts through four pre-season games
Time the Rangers don’t have.