New York Rangers: What Rangers fans are thankful for
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 just waking up, 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.
But before you do 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 just the first 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!
Brandon Cohen-Filip Chytil
In unsurprising news, I am most thankful for Filip Chytil this Thanksgiving. While it is completely on brand for me, my reasoning is not completely zany in my mind. Hear me out.
The New York Rangers are not winning this season as things currently stand. However, if Filip Chytil can prove to be an effective third line center, their biggest hole is fixed. If Chytil cannot, the Rangers likely won’t go anywhere unless they make a trade. But that isn’t reason enough to be too sad…..
….because of Filip Chytil. Chytil himself is only one player, but to Rangers fans, he should be a symbol of a bright future. A future in which the Rangers are a young, energetic, and high-scoring team. A future in which Alain Vigneault, or whoever coaches the team, has no choice but to let the youth of the team shine. Perhaps a future in which an old Henrik Lundqvist gets to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The future is bright. The future is Filip Chytil.
John Williams- The KZB line
While having lots of depth throughout the lineup is always very important, sometimes you just need to have that one line that you can deploy at any time and feel confident that they can get the job done. That’s what the Rangers appear to have found with the KZB line.
The line that features Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich has been one of the hottest lines in the league. Kreider, Zibanejad, and Buchnevich have combined to tally 46 points through 21 games. That’s 2.2 points per game which has the trio on pace to score a total of 180 points this season.
This line has been the Rangers’ most dominant line since Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander and Martin Straka were on a line together in 2005-2006. They can do a little bit of everything out there on the ice which makes them a treat to watch every single night.
While at times this year it has felt like the team really hasn’t given the fan base much to be thankful for, when you take a moment to just sit back and watch the three of them together, it’s very clear that we are lucky to have them.
Garrett Gartino- A competent power play
It’s that time of the year where we as New York Rangers fans count our blessings. Plain and simple I’m thankful just to follow a great franchise like this one. However, this year they have given me another layer of excitement.
This year, I am thankful for the Rangers newfound proficiency on the power play. Over the past few seasons, it has been a trying task to get excited with the team when they played with the man advantage. Now, I feel like every time the opposing team takes a penalty the Rangers have an opportunity to change the course of the game.
The difference makers have been the addition of Kevin Shattenkirk and the return of a healthy Mika Zibanejad. Similarly, the rise of Pavel Buchnevich has made a previously underwhelming power play unit very exciting to watch this season.
With a little help from the second unit, which seems to be turning a corner with Rick Nash and Jimmy Vesey back to playing hard-nosed hockey, this season’s power play could be the difference maker to make us fans thankful all the way into the summer.
Jack Milewski- Playoff Appearances
Tis the season to give thanks for the big, the small, the important and the seemingly inconsequential. With that in mind, I would like to give thanks to one of the most important things in my life, the New York Rangers.
This isn’t thanks to a single player or a single moment. Rather this a thank you for consistency over the last decade-plus. The Rangers have been in the playoffs 11 of the last 12 seasons, missing out by a single point in the only season they didn’t get in. For that, I have to give thanks.
Sure New York hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1994, but they have given fans more to cheer about in the last 10 years than most franchises have to cheer about in their existence.
I’m giving thanks to the Rangers because they have given me the ability to watch them and root for them after the regular season. It has always ended before we as fans would have wanted it to, but at least it hasn’t ended in the regular season. At least the team hasn’t sat in the cellar of the league like most of the other franchises.
The Rangers will always be my team. Stanley Cup or not, I’m happy for this era of consistency with all of the playoff runs that have been embarked on and some all-time Rangers who have been along for the ride as well. If a Cup comes back to Broadway, I’ll never forget it. If not, I’ll still love the team and be thankful that they continue to play at a high level for as long as they do.
Karly Redpath- Mika ZIbanejad
One of the Rangers I am most thankful for this season is Mika Zibanejad. He has been one of the most impactful players on the roster to start the 2017-18 season.
The 24-year-old center came into this season with a lot of pressure on him as he was slotted into the first line center position in the wake of the Derek Stepan trade.
Many questioned if Zibanejad would be able to handle the responsibility the position entailed — and I believe, so far, he has definitely done so. Zibanejad has added value in every game, and his impact on a line with Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich has made him a vital piece of the Rangers’ success thus far.
He was hot from the start, scoring four goals in the Rangers first four games. Currently, he has recorded a total 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) through 21 games with 15 of these 20 being primary points. He has eight power play points (five primary assists) and is scoring a total of 3.12 points per 60.
Zibanejad is on pace to hit 78 points this season, which, if reached, would blow his previous career-high of 51 (21 goals, 30 assists set in the 2015-16 season with Ottawa) out of the water.
Since landing in New York, Zibanejad’s speed, vision, and passing ability have brought out the best in the Rangers style of play. To have found a young player that fits the team so well has helped transform the structure of the offense.
The bottom line is that in the last two seasons, Zibanejad has shown that he can serve as an offensive cornerstone. He is a player that makes the Rangers future look extremely bright — and for that I am thankful.
Alexandra Russo- Mats Zuccarello
The New York Rangers have given their fans a lot to be thankful for over the last few seasons. Some might even say we’ve been spoiled, and they’re not wrong. However, this season, there’s one thing that stands out as the thing I am most thankful for. That would be Mats Zuccarello finally getting the “A” on his jersey, marking him as an assistant captain.
This was something Zuccarello has deserved for a while now. Since getting the letter sown onto his sweater, the Norwegian winger has stepped up his play. Yes, the player that gives 110% every night is seemingly giving even more than what we’re used to seeing.
His goal production isn’t exactly where it used to be, but as a skillful winger, he’s more of a natural playmaker. And that’s exactly what this team needs to build and maintain chemistry right now.
I’m thankful for everything Zuccarello does for this team and will continue to do. He’s definitely a big reason why they’ve been on many deep playoff runs over the last five years and is a huge reason they are in this year’s tough Eastern Conference race right now.
Peter Reichert- 2013-14 Playoff Run
Growing up in a family of Rangers fans, all my relatives talked about the 1994 Stanley Cup run.I was kind of envious hearing about all this and really wanted to experience it. The 2013-14 team’s playoff run was the closest to a Stanley Cup win that I’ve ever seen.
I was a sophomore in high school at the time, and all my friends knew me as “the Ranger fan.” All I wanted was to see the Rangers win a Stanley Cup. Going into the 2014 Playoffs, I had no idea just how memorable of a run it would be.
After the Rangers eliminated the Flyers in seven games, I didn’t expect them to beat the Penguins. And I really didn’t expect them to beat the Penguins after they fell behind in the series 3-1. But, as we all know, the Rangers made an improbable comeback rallying around Martin St. Louis to defeat the Penguins.
I really didn’t know what to expect before the Rangers faced the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final. When the Rangers led the series3-2 with a chance to win the series on home ice and go to the Stanley Cup Final, I was overcome with excitement. When I saw the clock hit zero in the third period with the Rangers leading 1-0, and heard Mike Emrick say the words “The Rangers are going to the Finals”, I absolutely jumped for joy.
Two weeks later when the Rangers lost to the Kings, I was crushed. Although I didn’t see a Cup, I saw almost two months of some of the most exciting Rangers hockey I’ve ever seen. For that, I am truly thankful.
John Cavanagh- Brendan Smith
As a New York Rangers fan, there’s plenty to be thankful for. There are memorable playoff runs, and moments I’ll never forget. However, this year, I’m thankful for Brendan Smith.
Why am I thankful for a player who has had such a small impact this season? I’m thankful that Smith hasn’t demanded a trade yet considering he’s only played 13 of the first 21 games of the season, especially when he was a healthy scratch for all eight of those missed games. All of this after signing a deal with the Rangers that will be on the books over the next for four years.
Steven Kampfer, an inferior player, replaced Smith in the lineup. Yes, Smith has a CF percentage of just 45.6, but Kampfer has not been on the ice for one Rangers goal so far this season. For as much as Smith has struggled to start the year, that’s a 20-times worse.
Next: 5 bold predictions that'll come to fruition by Thanksgiving 2018
So Brendan Smith, thank you. Thank you for keeping your cool, and thank you for putting up with these coaching decisions. Hopefully, you are back to being a regular in the lineup soon because the team really needs you.