New York Rangers: Five thoughts through 15 games
Looking at what’s happened in the first 15 New York Rangers games.
The New York Rangers finished their 15th game of the season on Saturday night with a huge 5-4 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers. The game was a riveting back and forth affair, with Kevin Shattenkirk’s snipe past Roberto Luongo clinching the victory for the Rangers.
The win moved New York to within one point of a playoff spot, at a 6-7-2 record. Of course this is not where we would like the Rangers to be at this point of the season, but considering their horrific start, it’s not bad at all. While the defense has struggled, the offense has stepped their game up.
Amidst rumors of Alain Vigneault potentially losing his job, the Rangers stepped up with a big three-game winning streak. By no means should that mean Vigneault is here to stay, but it does show that the Rangers can play with urgency.
However, the Rangers have shown an inability to play consistent, 60-minute hockey. As the season continues to unfold, let’s take a step back and look at five thoughts through 15 games.
Offensive Decisions
Kinda crazy how the New York Rangers’ offense took off once Alain Vigneault reunited the Chris Kreider-Mike Zibanejad-Mats Zuccarello line, huh? Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can.
Pavel Buchnevich belongs in the top six of any successful NHL team. Placing him on the fourth line is a ludicrous decision begging to hurt the team.
OK! Now that we have that out of the way, there’s some reason for confidence moving forward. Alain Vigneault broke up the “KZB” line, and the team struggled offensively. That’s what we like to call “not a coincidence!” Now, Pavel Buchnevich appears to be back for the long-haul, and the Rangers’ top line is set.
On the rest of the lines, Vigneault is starting to see what can be done. Placing Rick Nash with Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello was a brilliant decision (that I have been asking for all season) and David Desharnais has performed well as the third line center.
Of course, Vigneault may not allow this to last (i.e. attempting to scratch Desharnais) but for now, the Rangers are a team that can throw their forward corps out there with the best of them. That’s important.
Playing the Blame Game
I’ve given up on trying to figure out how Alain Vigneault determines who gets punished for their miscues and who doesn’t. Brendan Smith has been in and out of the lineup all season despite being paid a hefty sum to play in the top four.
However, it would have taken Dan Girardi literally being tied up and thrown into a locked vault under Madison Square Garden for him to be scratched last season.
There is no longer any consistency in Alain Vigneault’s scratches now that he scratched Smith. He punishes Smith for his mistakes, but ignores the mistakes of Nick Holden and Steven Kampfer. Smith is a huge piece in the Rangers having a successful defense, and he must play.
There is no reason for Alain Vigneault to scratch him. Maybe he thinks “Brandon” is a better first name? That’s all I got. Regardless, Smith must play. It’s not a difficult decision.
Montreal Madness
It’s no secret that the New York Rangers are looking to make a big move. At least that’s what the “insiders” are telling us. Popular opinion says that the Rangers are in talks with the Montreal Canadiens about something, and we all know the Rangers are looking for a center. Montreal has not been happy with the play of Alex Galchenyuk. There could be a fit there.
However, what exactly do the Rangers have to offer? Would New York consider moving a winger like J.T. Miller or Jimmy Vesey? Wouldn’t that simply move the problem over a position rather than fixing it? How about shipping away Brendan Smith so soon after signing him? Would the Rangers dare do that?
This all reeks of early season speculating for the sake of getting page views and attention. Not to say it won’t happen, but someone has to break how the Rangers would make any of these deals happen. Brady Skjei isn’t going anywhere, so something has to give.
Oh Captain, My….Zucc?
Here is a random thought that I had on Friday night after Mats Zuccarello attempted to fight Victor Hedman, a man large enough to step on him.
If Ryan McDonagh is traded in the offseason due to an inability to re-sign him (something I find highly unlikely), then the Rangers will need a new captain.
Marc Staal seems too quiet to get the gig, and Rick Nash will be an unrestricted free agent, or another “not with the team long term” player.
That leaves one alternate captain left. Mats Zuccarello. To me, it certainly seems like should Ryan McDonagh leave the Rangers in any way, Mats Zuccarello is next in line to be the captain of the New York Rangers.
I don’t have much to say on that other than that it’s a wild concept!
Moving Forward
The New York Rangers’ record does not look good. Alain Vigneault has shown that he can somehow manage to turn a roster with no weaknesses into a weak lineup. There are many reasons to worry about the Rangers.
New York must slow down their games. The pace they play at is absurd, and it’s a sign of Vigneault being unable to adapt to another team’s style of play. The systems are all wonky, and the Rangers are trying to outscore their opponents rather than keeping the puck out of their own nets.
Henrik Lundqvist has let in plenty of soft goals this season, though he has also stopped his fair share of strong attempts. He can do better.
The team as a whole can do better, and I believe they will. Regardless of if Alain Vigneault gets fired or not, this is a strong roster. The fact that it happened at the beginning of the season amplified the struggling stretch, but the Rangers are better than that.
Next: How an entire team struggles at once
New York should not worry about their record right now. Instead, Alain Vigneault’s “process” is what’s most concerning. Unless that improves, the Rangers are not safe.