New York Rangers: What can be learned from the New Jersey Devils

During the preseason, we got a taste of what the New York Rangers system has to offer. It seems that with the way things have started off this season, it may be time to consider playing some of these young options.

Most of the focus this past preseason rested on the two 2017 first round picks, Lias Andersson (seventh overall) and Filip Chytil (21st overall).

Alain Vigneault played Chytil in two NHL games (for a total of just10 minutes) before sending him to Hartford. Meanwhile, Vigneault sent Andersson to his home team (Frölunda HC) without seeing any NHL action.

Other than this, NCAA free agent defenseman Neal Pionk joined the Rangers in the offseason. Pionk was tremendous during the preseason and proved to be a responsible d-man with a great offensive upside.

It is young players that can help the Rangers out of their slump. The Rangers need to take a look at the choices the Devils have made, and start to put a little more faith in their prospects.

New Jersey, a fountain of youth

New Jersey is off to one of their best starts in years, sitting at 7-2-0 through their first nine games of the season.

A large part of their success has come from Devils head coach John Hynes being willing to play young players that have proven to add value to the roster.

The Devils are currently playing eight players that are 23-years-old or younger. This includes two 19-year-olds who were both picked in the 2016 Entry Draft — Nico Hischier (first round, first overall) and Jesper Bratt (sixth round, 162nd overall).

Players like 23-year-old Will Butcher (who won a NCAA title with the University of Denver in 2016) and 22-year-old Micro Muller (in a trade with the San Jose Sharks) were added this offseason. Others, like 20-year-old Pavel Zacha and 22-year-old Miles Wood (who were drafted in 2015 and 2013 respectively) saw close-to-full seasons last year (at 70 games and 60 games respectively).

This gives the Devils the opportunity to turn players into young leaders that ultimately make their team better.

Overall, New Jersey has been smart with their picks and have not been afraid to put their young players on the ice in important moments. In the past this decision impacted where the Devils ended up in the standing, but right now, they are thriving because of their young talent.

Issue One: Identity

The Rangers attempt to be a “win-now” team is something they have been looking to achieve for a decade. The fact that they have not been able to reach this goal is a big problem and begs the question if they actually know whether or not they are anymore.

Holding on to the idea of being a win-now team, especially with how this season has started, seems foolish. Right now, the Rangers should be doing anything other than what they have been doing so far to try and turn things around.

The Rangers have been playing veteran players that are struggling to generate offense and opportunity and are wondering why they can’t finish on opportunities.

Giving some young players a shot on the roster might be what the team is missing. They bring a fresh element to a roster that is struggling, and you would think that with the vast amount of young options the Rangers have they would look into utilizing them.

Issue Two: Alain Vigneault

However, giving these players an opportunity is not likely to happen under Alain Vigneault. He is a coach who historically has had a hard time encouraging the development of young players. And this doesn’t just impact prospects.

In years past, the Rangers saw both Kevin Hayes and J.T. Miller suffer as a result of Vigneault’s distrust of the youth on his roster.

Brady Skjei is one of Vigneualt’s most recent victims. Despite his solid play, he is constantly put in a position to fail by not being awarded enough ice time despite and paired with Nick Holden.

Another is Pavel Buchnevich. Buchnevich started his season on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, and was one of the Rangers biggest contributors in terms of generating opportunity and driving possession. However, for undetermined reasons, Vigneault moved Buchnevich to the fourth line after the Rangers first six games.

This behavior has been used as a key supporting factor in what led to Vigneault’s termination as head coach in Vancouver.

Vigneault has opted to value a player’s experience over their talent. This is something that has limited the Rangers options, thwarted players development, and, ultimately, hurt his team.

What the Rangers can learn from New Jersey

The Devils have been working to rebuild for the last few years. Though they are not necessarily in the same boat, the Rangers should look at how the choices the Devils have made and consider the youth they have access to as an option.

The Rangers need to focus on giving established young players like Brady Skjei and Pavel Buchnevich more of an opportunity. In addition, they should be willing to take more of a risk with young players that they have in the system.

If given the proper support and room to make a few mistakes, FIlip Chytil could thrive with the Rangers. He could become a core player before the their eyes.

Vigneault’s insistence on playing veteran defensemen needs to stop. With the additions made this offseason, the Rangers have a wealth of options on defense right now. They need to restructure how they run it and eliminate those veteran players who struggle to fit and drag the team down as a result.

Next: What happens if their struggles continue?

To be successful, the Rangers need to look to those players that could have a long-term future with the team.

Making a choice to use their assets and start properly deploying these options could be just the thing that breathes new life into this roster.

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