Ryan McDonagh is certainly the least of the New York Rangers’ worries right now. But, he just doesn’t look like himself yet. What can be done to fix that?
While the Rangers haven’t gotten off to the best start this season, as of late they are finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. They won three games in a row for the first time this season on October 31st, November 2nd, and November 4th.
There are many problems dragging the team down. Ryan McDonagh isn’t a huge one, but there are improvements that can be made there.
Some of the things are out of the captain’s control and in head coach Alain Vigneault’s hands. But, nonetheless, here are some ways that Ryan McDonagh’s play can generally improve.
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A consistent, capable, defensive partner
When the New York Rangers brought Kevin Shattenkirk on board, the reason why seemed obvious. Most fans assumed that he would play with Ryan McDonagh. In fact, over the summer Shattenkirk expressed his interest in playing with McDonagh. However, that didn’t last very long.
McDonagh has shared the ice with a variety of defensive partners so far this season. After a look at his Corsi For percentage with these players, it’s even more confusing why he isn’t regularly playing with Shattenkirk.
For reference, a player’s ideal CF% should be at or above 50. When playing with Shattenkirk, McDonagh’s CF% is at 60. Without Shattenkirk, McDonagh’s CF drops by 10.5%. McDonagh actually plays his best (CF% wise) with Shattenkirk, Steven Kampfer, Nick Holden, and Marc Staal.
The captain’s CF% is at its worst when he is playing with Brendan Smith and Brady Skjei. When McDonagh stops playing with Smith, his CF% rises by almost 10%. When Skjei and McDonagh are not playing together, the latter’s CF% increases by over 10%.
From these numbers, the conclusion can be drawn that McDonagh should be playing with Kevin Shattenkirk, for good. After that, Kampfer, Holden, and Staal could be out of the lineup altogether. Skjei and Smith would play together. Other defensive options could be explored with players like Neal Pionk, Anthony DeAngelo, and Ryan Graves.
In the end, McDonagh deserves a talented partner. Not that other players don’t, but the captain is one of the most skilled players on this team. He clearly isn’t playing his best with Staal, which is why it doesn’t make sense that the two blue-liners are paired together so often.
Giving Ryan McDonagh a consistent, capable defensive partner, preferably Kevin Shattenkirk, could be the first step to improving his play.
(All stats via Natural Stat Trick)
The right amount of ice time
As mentioned before, Ryan McDonagh is one of the best defensemen on this team right now. Though the world was made aware of his talent in the past, he really had to step up last year.
The New York Rangers had many players weighing their defense down, like Dan Girardi and Kevin Klein. Brady Skjei and Nick Holden were both unknown quantities, although fans now know that one would work out better than the other.
Brendan Smith wasn’t in the picture yet, and Marc Staal had a bigger role than he does now. McDonagh was basically the only reliable defenseman, and the entire defensive corps was thrust into his hands.
As the season went on, Skjei’s potential was realized and Smith was acquired. Over the summer, the team shed huge burdens, Girardi and Klein. The acquisition of Shattenkirk was the cherry on top of a new and improved Rangers defense. If everything continues to go according to plan, McDonagh won’t have to have as much responsibility as before.
While the captain can be trusted with a lot, he doesn’t have to be. The reason for McDonagh’s somewhat slow start could be that the pressure from last season is carrying over.
A possible solution could be giving McDonagh bottom pair minutes for a game or two and then bringing him back to his normal spot. There’s a chance that the “day off” could have him coming back stronger than ever.
Don’t panic
It is obvious to anyone who watches a New York Rangers game that Ryan McDonagh is a hard-working player. He gives his all every single night and has consistently been one of the most skilled defensemen on the team. Knowing all of that, does he really need to significantly improve in the first place?
The third way that McDonagh can improve his play, is by doing exactly what he’s doing. Fans are overreacting about the beginning of the season in general, and some of that has carried over to the captain. Maybe the best option is to sit back and see what happens.
As mentioned earlier, fans know that McDonagh is capable, talented, and definitely one of the smaller problems that the Rangers have right now. Pressure from fans, in addition to the same thing from the front office and even teammates, is one of the worst things for a player.
Next: NYR will get more from Ryan McDonagh by asking for less
A few lineup changes followed by lineup consistency will probably fix the predicament. If it doesn’t, well, that can be worried about when it happens.