New York Rangers: 5 Lineup decisions that could dictate the season
There are 18 players who dress for a game on any given night, there are decisions to be made about who starts, who gets special teams time, and who sits in the press box.
The New York Rangers changed the core of their team this past offseason. Every offseason has roster changes, it’s just part of hockey. However, this year the Rangers have decisions to make in terms of what type of team they want to be on a nightly basis.
The Rangers have undergone a youth movement, they will depend on young players to show growth and be dependable on a nightly basis. Head Coach Alain Vigneault is reluctant to give young unproven players game time.
Vigneault rolls with his guys and doesn’t adapt. The Atlantic Divison final last year against Ottawa is an example of the Vigneault doctrine. You roll with your veterans when the game is on the line. Even when the younger players are playing better than the veterans.
That is the basis for most of the lineup decisions that will chart the Rangers course this season. It’s youth vs experience.
Let’s say the following players are all locks to start when healthy. Forwards: Rick Nash, Mats Zuccarello, Chris Kreider, J.T Miller, Pavel Buchnevich, Jesper Fast, Kevin Hayes, Mika Zibanejad, David Desharnais.
Defenseman: Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, Brady Skjei, Brendan Smith.
The players not mentioned are fighting to crack the starting lineup. Some of the players above will be fighting for specific roles within the starting lineup.
Power play personnel
Larry Brooks wrote in Friday’s New York Post “imports Anthony DeAngelo and David Desharnais have roles on the man advantage units Kevin Hayes, Jimmy Vesey and Brady Skjei don’t.”
The Rangers have not been a consistent power play unit the past several seasons. The team was tied for 10th in power play conversion percentage last season at 20.2%.
The team was not consistent because it did not have personnel suited for the power man advantage. Now, coach Vigneault may be overcompensating by putting too many specialists on the power play.
Brady Skjei had seven of his 39 points in limited time on the power play. Skjei is much better-suited skill wise than Ryan McDonagh is for time on the man advantage. Skjei passes better than McDonagh and is more confident with the puck.
What concerns me is what role Desharnais has on the powerplay. The center had two points on the power play in 49 games last season with Edmonton and Montreal. Desharnais minute time on the powerplay doesn’t inspire confidence, especially if it comes at the detriment of minutes for either Hayes or Skjei.
Brooks also mentioned DeAngelo, a right-handed defenseman with an acumen for offensive play. If DeAngelo cracks the starting lineup, he should be on the powerplay.
Shattenkirk is a lock for the number one power play unit, who he’ll play with will probably be a year-long work in progress.
Kevin Hayes’ inconsistency
Kevin Hayes had the best statistical season of his career last season, but his underlying stats paint a different picture.
Hayes, like other young players, has been demoted for his mistakes. Vigneault runs a tight ship with his younger guys, if they mess up they take an extended seat. Hayes drew the brunt of this last season when he was placed on the third line and ended up taking 60% of his faceoffs in the defensive zone.
Hayes is a clunky skater and often tries to be too fancy with the puck. This is not conducive to defensive zone starts. Unfortunately for Hayes, he will likely be tasked with the same role.
Hayes will need protection on his line. Rick Nash, a forward, who is capable of covering Hayes’ mistakes, is almost a must to have a well-balanced line.
Hayes also doesn’t have Derek Stepan ahead of him on the depth chart anymore. It’s unrealistic to expect Flip Chytil to take a lot of defensive zone faceoffs. Which means Hayes will need to learn a passable defensive game if the Rangers are to make the playoffs.
Filip Chytil
Filip Chytil just turned 18 years old a few weeks ago and proceeded to be the most exciting player in the pre-season for the Rangers. Chytil’s expectations must be realistic.
Chytil will have nine games before the Rangers will have to make a decision. If the front office deems Chytil ready, they will keep him up in the NHL and burn a year off of his entry-level contract. A year off of the entry-level contract means the team loses one year of restricted free agency for Chytil.
This is putting a lot of weight on the shoulders of an 18-year-old. If Chytil goes back to Europe or to the AHL the Rangers will have only three centers on their roster. The coaching staff would probably shift J.T Miller back to center to try and fill in the slot.
Chytil is an interesting case, he’s shown flashes of why he was a first-round pick as a 17-year-old. The overtime game-winner against the New Jersey Devils was what a showcase of just what the Rangers are missing. Someone who puts the puck in the net when the game is on the line.
Marc Staal
Marc Staal is entering his 11th season as a member of the New York Rangers. Staal has simply eroded over time. Hockey is a grueling physical game, and that’s without mentioning Staal’s injury history.
The Rangers are in a situation where they are essentially stuck with Staal. Staal has a full no-movement clause and is earning $5.3 million for the upcoming season. There is no way to just make him go away.
At that cap hit Staal will not be in the press box. So it will be up to coach Vigneault to put aside his personal respect for Staal and put him in a position to succeed. Staal can no longer be counted on for 19 minutes a night. The veteran defenseman showed his age against Ottawa when the Senators kept blowing right by him.
However, if the Rangers limit Staal’s minutes, play him with a solid defensive partner and give him rest when he needs it he could be serviceable. This is a long shot though. Staal is one of Vigneault’s guys and will be given every opportunity to play himself out of his age.
Who plays on the fourth line?
NHL teams must be able to roll out four lines to compete nightly. The Rangers know the benefit of having an elite fourth line because in 2014 they made it to the Stanley Cup Final with one. That fourth line comprised of Dominic Moore, Brian Boyle, and Dorsett was able to control the puck on other teams.
Tanner Glass and Oscar Lindberg, both fourth line mainstays for the past several seasons are both no longer with the team. Jesper Fast will be out until at least the ninth game of the season against the Nashville Predators, so for the interim, there will be an entirely new fourth line.
It is expected that David Desharnais will center the third line as long as Filip Chytil is with the team. If Chytil goes back to Europe, Desharnais will probably move up the depth chart. This would likely mean Boo Nieves being called up from Hartford to be the center.
On the wings, there are several candidates for the lineup. Jimmy Vesey will likely be one of them, at least to start the season. It wouldn’t be totally crazy for Michael Grabner to drop down and Vesey to be bumped up either.
The last lineup spot has two candidates Paul Carey and Andrew Desjardins. Neither is particularly special. Carey is a 28-year-old who’s spent most of his career in the AHL and Desjardins is a veteran forward with 68 points in six seasons in the NHL.
Next: NYR 2017-18 Season: Stanley Cup or just another bust?
The hope is that neither will dress once Fast returns to the team.