The New York Rangers finally won their first game of the 2017-18 season on Sunday, but the process involved is not the long-term answer for this season.
Somehow, some way, the New York Rangers always seem to find themselves with personnel questions. This time, it’s on defense.
Despite a roster that should lend itself to home-run pairings and a potential top-10 defense group in the league, things are a mess.
Perhaps it started in Toronto on Saturday night, with the 8-5 drubbing the Rangers took at the hands of Auston Matthews and company. Perhaps it was the season-opening loss to the lowly Colorado Avalanche. (That one certainly stung.)
Perhaps it was during training camp, when Alain Vigneault found himself with nine defensemen fighting for six lineup spots. Or perhaps it’s the culmination of years of poor decision-making from the coaching staff.
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Answers in the wrong places
Whichever it is, the New York Rangers iced seven defensemen on Sunday night. Puck-mover Tony DeAngelo saw only three minutes of playing time. Brendan Smith was a healthy scratch after a poor performance in Toronto; preseason standout Neal Pionk is in the AHL.
Instead, it was Vigneault’s favorites Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer who were pushed into the spotlight and got absolutely pummeled. Again on Tuesday, Holden and Kampfer saw significant minutes. Kampfer even skated on the top pair with Ryan McDonagh for a time.
that holden/kampfer pairing oh hell yes pic.twitter.com/yXLEUTBcSR
— madeupcall (@madeupcall) October 9, 2017
Only Henrik Lundqvist’s heroics pushed the Rangers into the win column on Sunday. Otherwise, it would have been two embarrassments in two nights. Against the Blues, he wasn’t enough.
On top of that, and regardless of Shattenkirk’s impressive play through two games, Marc Staal found himself on the top pair with Ryan McDonagh.
Despite being the worst defensive performer in the preseason, Staal’s minutes steadily climbed through three games into the fourth…and his play remains questionable.
The defensive woes continue.
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Same old song and dance
But lost in the defensive circus is the impact on 18-year-old prospect Filip Chytil, who impressed during training camp. He secured the second-line center role—for all of a period. He saw practically no ice time in the first two games, and was a healthy scratch on Sunday.
With a thin forward lineup and a promising young career, that decision makes no sense. Only in Vigneault’s world of “play my favorites and delay any development for prospects” does scratching Chytil follow any sort of logic.
If he’s going to be benched when he dresses and sit in the press box the rest of the time, Chytil is far better served getting sent back to his native Czech Republic. His treatment at Vigneault’s hands—like Pavel Buchnevich last year and many young prospects before him—is the misguided flailing of a coach who cannot see past his own prejudices.
Playing 11 forwards and 7 defensemen is not likely to be a permanent lineup strategy. It is, however, emblematic of Vigneault’s attitude toward his players. Additionally, it points to a harsh disconnect between coach and general manager.
Jeff Gorton gave Vigneault no reasonable options to avoid playing young, upcoming talent. In return, Vigneault chose the most unreasonable option possible.
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After a summer of optimism for the re-tooled New York defense and sound bytes from Vigneault indicating progress in coaching attitude, we’re back to the same problems. His favorites get major ice time, no matter how poorly they play. The Rangers’ most promising players get benched or scratched the moment they make one slip-up.
And Henrik Lundqvist is there to clean up Vigneault’s mess.