New York Rangers: 5 Players that need to improve their play
This hasn’t been the most ideal start for the New York Rangers. Sitting at 2-6-2 after the first 10 games means that something isn’t clicking with the roster. Could it be the players? Coaches? Front office? Or could it be all of the above?
Someone needs to wake the New York Rangers up and remind them that the regular season has already started. Changes need to be made soon if the Rangers want to turn this sinking ship around.
Now it wouldn’t be fair to just target five players that need to improve their game. Quite frankly, the whole roster needs to improve. If I could just say that whole team needs to improve and call it a day, I would. However, I can’t do that. This is a list of the top five players that need to step up their play as soon as possible…
Nick Holden –
I bet you didn’t think Nick Holden would be the first name you saw on this list. Well, to be honest, I didn’t either! With the recent news of Anthony DeAngelo being sent down to the Hartford Wolfpack, it seems as if Holden is here to stay. Alain Vigneault is a Nick Holden backer until the end, he would rather play Holden in certain situations than some younger players.
Is that Holden’s fault? Of course not. It is Vigneault’s fault. However, if he is given these minutes then he needs to start producing in a brighter light. If Holden is trusted with the minutes and situations he is given then he needs to produce more than just a -3 +/- rating and almost 15 minutes of on-ice-time.
Holden needs to step up his game or else the New York Rangers as a whole will hurt from it along with Holden and whoever Vigneault decides to pair him with.
Chris Kreider –
Chris Kreider is next on this list. Although Kreider is only 26-years-old, he isn’t one of the “young” guys anymore. Kreider is a veteran NHL player and needs to step up in order to help the New York Rangers. He is 6’3″ and 225 lbs, he should be using his size and speed way more than he tends to.
There are some games that he will seem like he is an unstoppable force and is due for a breakout season. On the contrary, there are then those games in which he almost seems invisible. Through the first 10 games, Kreider has one goal and three assists with a -4 in the +/- rating column.
The 26-year-old needs to start producing more, he is in the second year of his four year contract extension and needs to start earning the money that he is making. If the Rangers want to have any shot of making the playoffs, Kreider needs to take the next step up.
Ryan McDonagh –
The captain is the next one on this list and for good reason. Over the past 10 games, McDonagh has been playing almost an average of 24 minutes of ice time per game. When you are the captain of the team and given that much ice time, you are being looked at to produce.
McDonagh has been the guilty party on several turnovers that have led to goals for the opposing team since the beginning of the season. He is supposed to be our rock on defense, shutting down the opposing teams best offensive threats. Instead, he has been guilty of costly turnovers, one that stands out is against Pittsburgh in overtime at Madison Square Garden.
So far this season, McDonagh is a -3 with three assists. I’m not saying that he needs to produce more offensively, it would be nice but that’s not the point here. The point is the Rangers need their captain to be more careful of the turnovers. He is the captain for a reason, maybe even a team meeting should be in order after the horrendous 2-6-2 start.
Rick Nash –
Now in all honesty, I think Rick Nash has been one of the better players in the New York Rangers lineup so far this season. Nash is crashing the opposing teams net, he is killing penalties, etc…If there could be a player used as an example for the term “snake–bitten” it should be Rick Nash.
Nash has had more chances to put the puck in the back of the net than I can count. It’s just not happening for him right now. I do believe that once he gets his next goal that it will propel him to where he should be right now.
He is playing for a new contract and he is also playing to not be dealt at the trade deadline. If he doesn’t improve on his one goal and -5 +/- rating, his next contract is going to reflect that. He also might not be a New York Ranger past the trade deadline if the Rangers continue to falter.
Henrik Lundqvist & Ondrej Pavelec –
This one wouldn’t be fair for me to just put it all on Henrik Lundqvist. Although, I do think that Lundqvist needs to figure out what’s going on, this shouldn’t all be on him. Lundqvist has started 9 out of the first 10 games. During his nine games played, Lundqvist has a 3.11 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.
The Rangers are going to need better goaltending from Lundqvist if they want to fight for a playoff spot this season. Lundqvist has looked great at times but then has moments of letting up goals that he should have stopped.
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This all shouldn’t fall on Lundqvist though. Ondrej Pavelec is going to need to prove to the coaching staff that they can rely on him to start a certain amount of games and win. Lundqvist can’t be over-worked in order to make a run for the playoffs. Pavelec will need to produce like Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta have done in the past. Pavelec is going to need to win some games for the Rangers this season or else there won’t be any playoffs.