New York Rangers: Appreciating the best of the best from RangersTown
It’s Thanksgiving day! To celebrate, all your favorite writers from Blue Line Station got together to talk about what they are thankful for this year in regards to the New York Rangers!
Turkey day is finally here! Right about now, you are probably getting ready to cook the perfect feast for your family – or if you’re like me, waiting for other people in your family to cook the perfect feast. You might even be taking a minute to look at your fantasy football lineup because of the three games being played throughout the day – one of which has already probably started.
But before you do all of that, let’s take a moment to give thanks. Not just for our friends, families, the meals we are all about to eat and the whole nine, but for what our favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers, have given us over the last decade.
Our family here at Blue Line Station thought that it would be important to do just that, so here we are! This is the second of two articles on the topic coming out today, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next one -just don’t let the turkey burn in the oven while doing so!
Daniel Carrozzi- Pavel Buchnevich
The Russian sophomore winger has displayed the skill that we saw tantalizing glimpses of his rookie season. However, his confidence is on a new level since then.
This has led him to post eight goals and eight assists through 21 games. I am thankful he has been healthy this year, facilitating his permanent inclusion in the lineup.
He, along with his linemates Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, are a force at even strength and especially on the powerplay. Buchnevich has amassed half of his goals and points with the man advantage this season.
Buchnevich has been an impact player for the Rangers. 13 of his points are primary, good for third on the team. He is tied with Kevin Hayes for the team lead in 5-on-5 primary points with seven.
Related story: Power play represents a new threat to opposing teams
For all of his offensive output, I am also thankful for his backchecking ability, which is underrated and tends to go unnoticed. I am thankful for his vision, hands, passing ability, wrist shot and slap shot. He has been deployed all up and down the lineup, and I am thankful that he hasn’t let this bring his game down.
I am thankful for his bromance with Zibanejad and Kreider and their chemistry on the ice. I am just as grateful for him as he is his teammates. You can just tell how much he cares about them when he acknowledges them after scoring a goal.
He brings an offensive dimension to the Rangers that they haven’t possessed in recent years. Buchnevich, Kreider, and Zibanejad give the Rangers a lethal top scoring line that opponents have to respect. I am thankful that I’m able to enjoy watching him go to work for the Rangers every game.
George Ruggiero- Henrik Lundqvist
Well, folks, it’s the time of year where everyone thinks about what they’re thankful for. While I am definitely thankful for the Rangers, there is a specific player that I am thankful for most, and that is Henrik Lundqvist.
There are so many things that make Lundqvist a player to be thankful for. He not only has consistently been a rock-solid goaltender for 12+ years now, but he has also been a model of how a great person should act. His off-ice demeanor and philanthropic work make him such a great influence on younger players and fans.
Even though Lundqvist is visibly a fiery competitor on the ice, off the ice he never has a bad thing to say about anybody else. The blame is always on him; he always has to play better for the team. He holds himself to a higher standard than anyone else does.
As for his philanthropy, Lundqvist has been a spokesman for the Garden of Dreams Foundation for years now. Beyond that, he has also created his own foundation, the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation, to “create positive change in the lives of children and adults throughout the world through education and health services.”
On the ice, he continues to be the backbone of the Rangers, a team that I have come to know and love. For all of that, I am thankful.
Jennifer Moglia- Jesper Fast
The aspect of the New York Rangers that I’m most thankful this Thanksgiving is the role that Jesper Fast plays. Though his abilities don’t always shine through on the scoresheet, he is definitely a huge reason why the Rangers have had so much success during his time with the team.
For the majority of the 2016-2017 season, the forward played on the top penalty kill unit and definitely looked like he belonged there. Despite being on the ice for over 100 minutes last year, he was only present for 11 goals against the Rangers.
Especially when the rest of the team doesn’t look great, it’s important to appreciate the kind of player that Fast is. He’s a hard worker and can make himself at home in almost any situation whether he’s on the first line or the fourth line.
In addition to all of his abilities that we were already aware of, he’s off to the best statistical start to a season in his career. Fast has eight points through 16 games, which means he is already more than one-third of the way to his point total of 21 last year (six goals and 15 assists in 68 games played). The right-winger has established himself as a very valuable asset to have on a team and this possible newfound scoring touch could make him even more of a threat.
What’s the best part of having Fast? His cap hit is only $1,850,000 over the course of three years. That’s a great price for a player with so many positive attributes.
So, New York Rangers fans, be thankful for Jesper Fast. Even though he’s not the flashiest of players, he brings way more to the table than you might think.
Scott Austin- Kevin Shattenkirk
The Rangers have, thankfully, found their footing after a miserable start to the season and are knocking on the door of a wild card spot.
During their startling six-game win streak, one player stood out as the Rangers regained a resemblance to a Cup-contending organization like they have been this decade. It was Kevin Shattenkirk, the newly acquired defenseman who’s tallied 17 points in 21 games thus far this season.
As a homegrown talent from New Rochelle, NY, this season has been a homecoming of sorts for Shattenkirk, who, in a very salary cap constrained league, took a pay cut just to wear the sweater of the team he loved growing up, which made him an easy favorite amongst fans since the offseason.
And yeah, as a fan, it sounds nice to have a player like that on your team, but even I find myself actively rooting for him to succeed individually (after all, the Rangers benefit from this, too).
I never thought a little fan service would make me love this team even more, but here we are. So, for this Thanksgiving, I’m very thankful for Kevin Shattenkirk and turkey.
Shattenturk, if you will.
Nick Zararis- Brady Skjei
There are several players to be thankful for on the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist as
always is superb. Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich are having breakout seasons. But, I’m most thankful for the second year defenseman from Minnesota.
Brady Skjei is an offensively gifted ray of sunshine on a murky defense.
Skjei plays a strong two-way game and is growing into a mini Ryan McDonagh before our eyes. Skjei is only 23-years-old and is already one of the best young defensemen in the game. Watching Skjei gather the puck from behind his own goal and skate it out of the zone is a nightly treat we should all appreciate.
He’s already so strong and confident on the puck that he generates offense by getting out of the zone. That’s all without mentioning Skjei’s passing ability. If he could get consistent power play time he could finish a season in 50 point territory.
Skjei is one of the known quantities on the Rangers, and thankfully for all of us, he’s still getting better with each passing game.
Sam Prevot- The fan base
I have so many things to be grateful for when it comes to the Rangers.
Firstly, and most importantly, I basically owe this team my life. My parents met while they were members of the Rangers fan club. Without hockey and the Rangers, I wouldn’t be here today.
Supporters of the Rangers are more than just a fans. They are a community, a family. The best parts of my year are always the days that I can take the subway into Manhattan and see my team play at Madison Square Garden. At this point, MSG feels like a second home to me.
It is because of the Rangers that I have met so many amazing people that I now consider some of my best friends. We talk every day and bond over our mutual love and appreciation for the sport of hockey and our favorite team. I have made so many amazing memories with them the past few seasons and I always look back on them so fondly.
The Rangers mean so much to me and on this Thanksgiving, I will think about the impact they have on my life and how grateful I am for them and the incredible Rangers fan family.
Michael Delasandro- Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner has been the type of player who does not get a lot of the glory from the Rangers fans for their success. The speedy Austrian winger is certainly a bigger asset to the Rangers than fans credit him for.
Last season, Grabner exceeded all expectations from the fans and, I would imagine, the coaching staff too. Using his speed Grabner put up the second highest goals and points totals of his career, as well as a career leading +22.
In only about 14 minutes per game, Grabner posted 27 goals and a shooting percentage upwards of 16%. He did all of this on an extremely team friendly contract, effectively replacing Carl Hagelin after years of missing someone with his skill set in the lineup. Heck, he brings more offense to the team at nearly a third of Hagelin’s cap hit.
In addition to Grabner being on a bargain deal, he may be one of the more talented skaters for the Rangers. After all, he’s well known for his speed, which helps to put him in a position to score all those goals.
The hope is that Grabner will continue his strong play yet again this season and will be staying with the Rangers for a moderate amount of money when the next season begins.
I am thankful for having Michael Grabner, an unsung hero, on this team. He truly does not get enough credit for what he does on the ice in a forechecking game, or even in regular game situations