New York Rangers: Exclusive season preview with Kevin Weekes
This week, Blue Line Station got the chance to talk to former New York Rangers goaltender and current NHL Network analyst and broadcaster Kevin Weekes. We discussed the state of the Rangers heading into the season.
Question #1: It is well documented that the New York Rangers don’t have a single player on NHL Network’s top 50 players list. How do you feel about that?
Weekes: Well, I would say this; a lot of our top-ranked shows are done, in terms of the rankings, by our great researchers, the men and women in our research department, so they are not necessarily reflective of us as analysts. But in saying that, it’s hard to think of the top 50 players without Henrik Lundqvist being one.
I think the bigger thing for me is, I look forward to the Rangers this year. The biggest thing for me in looking at their team is that they are younger and their defense is better. It’s an improved defense corps which I think will help Hank, and I think overall, this will be a huge opportunity for [Mika] Zibanejad to be a number one center and of course Hayes in the second center slot, getting a big opportunity as well.
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I think they have gotten younger over the summer. They have become a younger, faster, and quicker team. [Kevin] Shattenkirk obviously signing, I think that’s a great fit for them, a great thing for him, being a New Rochelle kid and growing up a Rangers’ fan.
I kinda like the way the team is shaping up so far, on paper, I like the moves that [Jeff] Gorton made in the offseason.
Question #2: While the team definitely improved defensively, they also lost a key offensive contributor in Derek Stepan this offseason. Do the improvements on defense outweigh the team’s loss at forward? And will the Rangers be better than they were last season?
Weekes: Yeah, I do. [Stepan] was a good Ranger and a productive Ranger no question, but I think that the defense, where they are on defense and what they look like on the defense corps helps, no question. I think they are just deeper on defense now if you look at all three pairs.
I think being able to re-sign Brendan Smith was big. Smith and Brady Skjei were a great pairing in the playoffs. Skjei is a [number two defenseman] to me who is becoming a number one. You also have [Marc] Staal on your third pair along with [Nick] Holden. I just think, overall as a group, they are better and I think that will help their team.
And I would say just increased roles and minutes for some of these guys. Increased roles and minutes for Hayes, increased roles and minutes for Mika [Zibanejad], I just think they are a faster team, a younger team and I am excited to watch them play. I am excited to see what they look like.
Question #3: There is a whole bunch of hype and high expectations surrounding rookie center Filip Chytil entering the season. What are some fair and realistic expectations for the 18-year-old?
Weekes: I was in contact with Jeff Gorton yesterday and his biggest thing is how well he’s played and everybody is raving about Chytil and his skill set and his approach, in terms of being very mature in his approach as well.
He’s earned it. This is a good team. It is tough to make any team in the NHL. It’s tough when you are a young player and you are trying to get your break, even on a team that’s struggling. It’s tough, let alone earning a spot on a very good team, so that speaks to how far along Chytil is.
In terms of expectations, just realize that he still is a young guy. Fans must keep in mind his youth and inexperience, and also be excited by the promise and the skill and speed he plays with.
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A lot depends on how much ice time he gets under Alain Vigneault. Does he give him enough minutes to where he is a 15-20 goal guy this year? Maybe. Is 20 goals a reasonable expectation for him, based on his skill and where AV has him slotted? Perhaps.
I am interested in seeing him in the role that he earns, as well as [Vigneault’s] willingness to play him in meaningful minutes as a young player. But I’ll tell you this; so far in the preseason he has looked excellent and in training camp, all the guys are raving about him. There’s a lot to be said about that.
Question #4: After a disappointing playoff run last season and after making some poor decisions in that same playoff run, is Alain Vigneault on the hot seat? And does the hiring of Lindy Ruff effect this in any way?
Weekes: I wouldn’t say that he is on the hot seat. I mean, expectations are always high here in New York and the Blueshirts, Mr. Dolan and the ownership group always give the team the best of the best and the expectations are always pretty high here, so I don’t think that is any different.
I will also say last year, from what I’ve been told, it was a bitter feeling of disappointment. I am not taking anything away from the Senators, but the Rangers felt like they had a team that would not have lost to Ottawa and they did, so, there is some disappointment to that of course. There is a responsibility and accountability that goes around in a circle there, but with that concern, of course, is a result too.
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But I would say Lindy, its a great opportunity for him coming in. He has a wealth of knowledge that keeps him in the game and keeps him current, from a coaching perspective. I think the Rangers benefit from that by having Lindy and I think that is gonna really help them.
As far as Vigneault specifically, who’s had tons of success and has gotten to Stanley Cup Finals now with Vancouver and here, the biggest thing for me with him is how he wants his team to play. He wants them to play fast, uptempo and play a skilled game.
At the same time, the bigger challenge from last year in the playoffs that I alluded to earlier where Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith were the best defensive pair and they needed more ice time and they didn’t get as much as they needed, but those are things that we can always adjust with time. And going forward, if that duo is playing as well as they did last year, then he is gonna have to find more minutes for them.
Question #5: As of right now, it looks as though newcomer Tony DeAngelo will start the season paired with Staal. With Holden seemingly being the odd man out, do you think the team is shopping him? And if so, what kind of value do you think he would have on the market?
Weekes: There is always some type of value for a defenseman. If I am the Rangers, I wouldn’t be in a rush to shop any defensemen because they just bolstered their defense in the summer and Holden has been very good as a Ranger so far. Whether he flip-flops at the six or the seventh spot, and him and DeAngelo are kind of interchangeable, I am not sure. I think time will give us those answers but I do think this; I think they are in a good position. They have lots of depth.
As far as what the market would bear, I think that would be subject to injuries. Right now, everybody is still in Stanley Cup contention right now. Teams are saying ‘yeah, we feel good about ourselves, we feel good about our roster.’ Everybody is saying that. All the general managers I have talked to are saying that. All the head coaches I have been texting all day and different players have been telling me that.
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But I think the Rangers are dealing from a position of strength, and two areas where I look at where they improved this year are the blueline, without question, being able to re-sign Smith and get Kevin Shattenkirk off the market and let him become a Ranger and fulfill his childhood dream, and then also the youth that they’ve got.
You mention Chytil, DeAngelo probably getting an opportunity, people forget that Zibanejad is still fairly young. He will get some more minutes in that role. Buchnevich being a year older will get more minutes perhaps as a third line winger. They’ve gotten younger and they’ve gotten better on defense and that sounds like a good offseason to me.
Question #6: Henrik Lundqvist had a down season in 2016-17 in a lot of people’s eyes. You played with him. You know the man’s work ethic. With taking all that into account, do you think the team’s revamped defense helps him to bounce back this season?
Weekes: I definitely think the defense upgrade helps him out, no doubt about that. Knowing Hank as well as I do and for as long as I have, I know what his expectations of himself are. I think that there were a lot of points last season where he hit those expectations, some where he was slightly below them, and some were below them by his own standard.
All things being equal, he wasn’t the problem. Maybe last year his consistency was off a touch. But still, when you look league wide, he is still one of the best goalies in the world. To me, he is still a top ten goalie in this league and is a future Hall of Famer; a lock.
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I think the improved defense will certainly help him. I think it will help their team in terms of their actual defending. We all know how good the [Metropolitan Division] was last year, so we gotta be realistic.
If you look at all the good opposing teams and players, you gotta lock horns with a lot of good players in the Metro. That’s the first thing. If your defense can defend those guys better, do a better job of shutting guys down and blocking some shots and making it more difficult for some of those superstars throughout the Metro to earn their offense, then that’s one thing.
Secondly, if you can do that all the while spending less time in your defensive zone, which is exactly what Vigneault wants, then that’s more time to be on the attack. (The defensive improvements) will benefit Hank and more importantly, I think it benefits the Rangers.
Question #7: Here is the question of the day; do the Rangers make the playoffs? And if so, how far can they go?
Weekes: I definitely see the Rangers making the playoffs. I don’t think there is any limitation as to how far they can go, but the biggest couple things are Henrik playing the way he usually does, [Ondrej] Pavelec coming in and playing well.
I was talking to Benoit Allaire yesterday and he was raving about Pavelec so far which is a good sign. Antti Raanta was a key departure and was awesome for them and really complemented Henrik nicely. He got a lot of key points for them in the standings as well.
Also as I said, Mika as a number one center, it’s a huge opportunity.
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I remember talking to the lait Bryan Murray and Bryan talked about Mika. When he drafted him, I remember him telling me that he projected him to be a big-time, 200-foot, point producing center that’s a perennial 65-70 point guy.
For me, he has all the ability. He shoots a heavy puck. He played well in the playoffs which should give him some confidence post-injury, knowing that he can deliver and that he can play on Broadway. I think him being the number one center, that’s a big opportunity. I’m interested in seeing what that looks like for the Rangers.
I definitely think the Rangers get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s tough to project how deep they’ll go, but I don’t really anticipate that… if they are one and done, if they are anything less than a conference final or a good second round series, it would be a disappointment.
You can watch Kevin on NHL Tonight throughout the season on the NHL Network. You can also follow him on Twitter @KevinWeekes.