New York Rangers: 5 players who could make or break a future playoff run
With the New York Rangers sitting at 9-7-2 halfway through November, it is fair to question if they will make the playoffs. So, will they? And if they do, who will the key contributors be.
The New York Rangers have made the postseason seven consecutive seasons. But as of right now, the question hangs in the air on whether the Rangers will make the playoffs this season. They had been off to a rough start, but are getting better. Their current record is 9-7-2 in through 18 games.
In retrospect, there have been a few players that have not been performing well enough. These players could mean the difference between making the playoffs or not. Some players have not been playing how they’re expected too, while some are playing harder than ever.
The Rangers are also having trouble, not with players, but with filling certain positions. It has been common knowledge since the season started that the team has been having troubles finding another solid center.
Can the missing pieces make or break the Rangers playoff chances?
Henrik Lundqvist-
Henrik Lundqvist has been dubbed the King of New York. After he was drafted by the New York Rangers in 2000 and started playing in the 2005-2006 NHL season, he’s had, overall, a .919 save percentage.
This season so far, he has played 15 games out of the 18 played. In these games, Lundqvist has faced 414 shots on goal and saved 374 of them. With those 40 goals against, his save percentage is at a .903 with a 2.99 goals against average.
The Rangers have won their last six games. Lundqvist was in net for all six of those games. So far this season, he has faced 154 shots and saved 140 of them. That’s roughly one quarter of the shots he faced in the entire 2016-2017 season.
When Lundqvist is hot, he’s on fire. But when he gets into a slump, he sinks under pressure. If he can stay on top, he can take the team to the playoffs.
Kevin Hayes-
A big hitch in the New York Rangers season is finding another center. The team suffered a loss during the offseason when they traded star-center Derek Stepan (along with goalie Antti Rantta) to the Arizona Coyotes for Tony DeAngelo. Since that trade, there have been questions in the air about who was going to fill the center role.
While Mika Zibanejad has taken the role of first line center, Kevin Hayes has been moved up into the second center slot. This is unusual for two reasons, first, he has a rather low average faceoff percentage and second he is not actually a center.
When Hayes was brought in before the 2014-2015 season, he was brought in as a right wing. But this season he has found his way into the center of the teams second line and is pushing through with the season. He has obtained, so far, three goals (on 33 shots) and three assists on the season
If he keeps up playing the way he is, which is decent, he can definitely help the Rangers pull into the playoffs.
Filip Chytil-
At 18 years old, Hartford Wolfpack center Filip Chytil could make a huge impact for the New York Rangers, if and when the need arises. Chytil was drafted by the Rangers in the first round, 21st overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound center signed a contract with the Rangers on July 14.
While he only played two games with the Rangers and eight with the Wolfpack, Chytil has already racked up nine points. He has three goals and six assists so far on the season.
Again, the Rangers seem to be having trouble in the center department. As of right now, J.T. Miller has been playing center, but he is also not a center, but a left wing. David Desharnais is also playing center.
Someone like Chytil could step up and fill the role of third center rather easily. While Miller is a good center (and player) that isn’t his job. If Chytil, on the other hand, keeps scoring goals and stays offensively strong, he could solve their center woes and guide the Rangers into a playoff position.
Marc Staal-
There’s always a question hanging in the air when Rangers defenseman Marc Staal does something. Sometimes it’s ‘why?’ but as of late, it seems to be more of a “well, why not?”
It’s a well known fact that after his concussion in 2011, caused by older brother Eric Staal, and his eye-injury that his play just hasn’t been the same. Those two serious injuries coupled with the fact that he is now 31 years old has made a decline in his play very obvious.
As an older defenseman, who has so clearly declined from a first-pair player down to a third-pair, is someone like Staal going to do more harm than good in the playoffs? It’s possible, but with other, younger defenseman in front (and besides) him, he might not be below average.
Staal, fortunately, is playing alongside some pretty great defensemen. He has the likes of captain Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, and even young guys like Brady Skjei and Brendan Smith there with him.
So far, at even strength, Staal has blocked 16 shots, laid out 15 hits (while taking 24,) had four giveaways and six takeaways. He has done this while assisting on two goals and drawing taking zero penalties.
On the flip side, he has been on the ice for 11 goals against the Rangers, but on the ice for only seven for the team.
If he keeps it up, blocking shots and doesn’t take his sweet time doing things, he could be a reason the team makes the playoffs. He is a solid third-pair defenseman and seems to finally be embracing his role as such.
Rick Nash-
There are, without a doubt, some people who still don’t think that the Rick Nash trade was worth it. Some say it’s his injuries that he may or may not be fully recovered from, others say it’s his age. But whatever it may or may not be, many agree he is being overpaid and underproducing.
At the 18 game mark of this season (which is just over Nash’s 1,000th game,) he has a total of five goals and three assists for eight points. Whether it’s, again, his possibly-not-fully-recovered groin injury or his back could still be bothering him. Either way, the way he’s playing isn’t really acceptable.
He is currently making almost $8 million per season. It is well known that Nash can score, and he can do it well. In the 2014-2015 season, Nash scored 42 goals on the season. Even during the 2012-2013 shortened season, he managed to score 21 goals in 44 games.
Next: Michael Grabner is turning it around
Nash can score, he just has to pick up the pace and try to make it in the net, not make it look fancy. While pretty is nice, goals are nicer. If he can make pucks go in the net, he can help take the Rangers to the playoffs.