New York Rangers: Five players Alain Vigneault helped push out of town
As the New York Rangers continue their early struggles, an increasing share of the blame falls on Alain Vigneault. While the players deserve plenty of ire, the coach’s lineup choices do not put the team in position to succeed. This isn’t a new problem for Vigneault, though.
The coach’s strange deployment decisions often seem to run counter to the front office’s blueprint. Furthermore, his tendency to favor hard-nosed players over skilled ones leads him to ice unnecessarily weak rosters. Talented, young, offensive players have the most trouble landing in his good graces.
On the current roster, Pavel Buchnevich loses out on the most minutes thanks to Vigneault’s tastes. Despite strong play, Buchnevich has totaled the second fewest five on five minutes among Ranger forwards to dress in every game this season. He’s far from the first player to undeservedly suffer under this coach, though.
The Rangers have lost a bevy of talented players during Vigneault’s tenure thanks largely or in part to his favoritism. These five former Rangers left town too soon because of him.
Adam Clendening
Last season’s Ranger squad featured one one of the thinnest blue lines in recent history. The right side struggled especially hard as ex-Rangers Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein continued to decline. Despite a dire need for a right-handed puck mover, Adam Clendening made it into the lineup only 31 times.
In those 31 games, Clendening posted a five on five corsi for percentage (CF%) of 56.4, higher than any regular skater on the team. This means the Rangers made a larger share of shot attempts with Clendening on the ice than they did with anyone else.
Clendening also showed offensive promise, managing 11 points in limited ice time. No matter what he did, however, Vigneault continued to nitpick his game.
“Adam had a good game [in Washington],” Vigneault said, “but there were a couple touches with the puck that weren’t as efficient as he had been.”
Clendening inexplicably fell behind Steven Kampfer on Vigneault’s depth chart late in the 16-17 season. He expressed frustration with his situation to the press.
“It kinda sucks. I’m not gonna say that I’m happy about it,” Clendening said after taking part in Monday morning’s extras skate. “Everyone wants to play, especially when you get an opportunity as a guy that’s worked all year and waited my time.”
The Rangers non-tendered Clendening over the summer and he signed with the Coyotes.
Dominic Moore
While younger players often fail to crack Vigneault’s lineup because he doesn’t trust them, older players can lose out too. One of the reasons the Rangers never ice quite as deep a lineup as they should is that Vigneault always has a few favorites he can’t leave in the press box.
Former Ranger Tanner Glass benefited greatly from this favoritism. During the 15-16 season, Dominic Moore’s final year in New York, Vigneault’s refusal to sit Glass created friction on the fourth line.
The coach shuffled several players around early in 15-16, including Moore. Vigneault scratched Moore twice in November, leading to some terse quotes from the veteran.
“I don’t really know how to answer that,” said Moore, who played all 82 last year for Alain Vigneault after having been a scratch twice the previous season in the coach’s first year behind the New York bench. “I try and focus on what I can control, and in that case, it’s me focusing on my game and challenging myself the way I always do,” No. 28 said. “I’ve always tried to improve every game regardless of the circumstances and be as good as I can be. “I know what I bring to the team.”
Vigneault did not scratch Moore again, but the coach frequently moved him from his natural center to position to wing. Moore chose to leave in free agency in the summer of 2016.
Lee Stempniak
While Dominic Moore and Alain Vigneault found themselves at odds after several years together, Lee Stempniak fell victim to the coach’s quirks almost as soon as he joined the team. Much like with Moore, the problems stemmed from Vigneault’s insistence on dressing Tanner Glass.
Still, unless the coach is going to scratch Kevin Hayes for the first time since late October and slide Miller into the third-line center slot or sit fourth-line winger Tanner Glass, it does seem as if Stempniak and Miller are playing musical chairs for one open seat.
The 2014-15 Rangers won the President’s Trophy despite Glass’ presence in the lineup, but they lost in the conference final. The team’s lack of depth caught up to them partially because Glass played in every playoff game.
Vigneault’s insistence on using Glass led the Rangers to move Stempniak at the trade deadline. Stempniak had nine goals and nine assists in 53 games with the Rangers. Glass finished that year with one goal and five assists in 66 games and he added one assist in 19 playoff games.
Anton Stralman
After bouncing between several organizations, Anton Stralman found his stride when he joined the Rangers for the 11-12 season. The Swedish defender improved throughout his tenure in New York and eventually became the team’s second best defenseman after Ryan McDonagh.
In 13-14, Stralman’s final season with the Rangers, he posted a 56.5 CF%, which led all regular skaters on the team. Despite his outstanding ability to drive puck possession, Stralman averaged only the fourth most ice time among Ranger defenders.
Dan Girardi averaged almost four more minutes per game than Stralman, despite only managing a 49.9 CF%. Alain Vigneault also partnered Girardi on the top pair with McDonagh while saddling Stralman with Marc Staal.
Vigneault’s choice to spoon feed Girardi top pairing minutes earned Girardi a six-year, $33 million contract extension in late February 2014. Meanwhile, the team let Stralman walk in free agency a few months later.
Stralman and McDonagh’s limited time together in 13-14 suggest the Rangers missed out on a dominant top pairing. The two posted a 59.7 five on five CF% in their shared minutes that season.
In retrospect, Vigneault’s treatment of Stralman was the first sign of the coach’s inability to properly evaluate defensemen.
Keith Yandle
If Stralman’s handling should have raised concerns about Vigneault, Keith Yandle’s handling should have set off alarm bells. The Rangers paid a heavy price to acquire Yandle at the 2015 deadline, including prospect Anthony Duclair plus a first and second round draft pick.
Glen Sather added the veteran all star expecting him to put the Rangers over the top. Vigneault promptly took his shiny new toy and put Yandle on the third pairing and second powerplay unit.
Huh?
Under Vigneault, Yandle’s average ice time dropped to its lowest point since the 08-09 season. The coach’s bizarre decision to distrust Yandle had him playing behind McDonagh, Girardi, Staal, and an aging Dan Boyle.
When the 2015 playoffs started, Vigneault actually further reduced Yandle’s minutes. Yandle went from playing nearly 24 minutes a night with the Coyotes to just under 20 with the Rangers before dropping to 18 in the postseason.
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Yandle somehow managed 47 points in 15-16, his only full season with the Rangers, despite Vigneault’s tight leash. The mark stands as the highest single season total by a Ranger defender since Brian Leetch.
The Rangers traded Yandle’s negotiating rights to Florida for a sixth round pick in June of 2016.