New York Rangers: Ups and downs prove there are still major issues
At points during this season, the New York Rangers have looked like an competitive NHL team. At others, they have been a mess.
After a dismal 3-7-2 start through the first twelve games of the 2017-18 season, the Rangers have gone 17-7-1 over the last 20.
This streak has moved them back into a competitive position in the closely contested Metropolitan Division and just four points out of first place.
While it is great to see the Rangers come out of their early season hole, there are still looming problems when it comes to the roster. The success that has been seen cannot be attributed to any real, long-term improvement.
While being competitive and winning games is important, it is just as important to make decisions that will impact your roster in the future. Right now, it seems like the focus is on winning the games to get them as far as possible. If the team continues on their current path without making any changes, it will become unsustainable.
Where the success has come from
Henrik Lundqvist being the best player on the ice most nights is the simple explanation.
Lundqvist has started all but five of the Rangers contests this season. His total 28 games have him tied for second-most starts in the league. He was there for the dismal start, and has been an aspect of what has helped the Rangers turn their record around.
Yes, Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider maintained their consistency despite the loss of linemate Mika Zibanejad. Sure, Jesper Fast posted seven points in 10 games and nearly doubled his point total on the season. Of course, the addition of Boo Nieves to the roster actually gave the Rangers some more depth in terms of possession in the bottom six.
But it is Henrik Lundqvist that was the anchor of the success.
Through the last 20 complete games Lundqvist played (eliminating the game against Florida where he let in three goals in the first 17 minutes and was subsequently pulled) he has posted an average .928 save percentage and won 15 of these 20.
And although Lundqvist has helped to get his team back into the running for the playoffs, there are some concerns that come with this success.
Pressure on and overuse of Lundqvist
The Rangers have been playing from behind a lot this year. When this happens, it puts added pressure on goaltenders. Lundqvist to be as close to perfect in every game to give his team a shot at winning.
This type of work at this high caliber that is dangerous.
It is no secret that Lundqvist is aging. While Ondrej Pavelec may not be the greatest option for a backup goaltender, he proved in the Rangers 2-1 OT loss to Dallas, where he made a whopping 44 saves for his team, that he can come up big and make an impact when he is called upon.
What Vigneault is asking of Lundqvist is too much — even if Hank says otherwise. Vigneault runs the risk of overuse and injury for his goaltender down the line.
At this point, Vigneault needs to play Pavelec in non-conference games. This will be essential to a successful postseason and hopefully a few more successful years with Lundqvist on their roster.
Other looming issues
Despite all of this Lundqvist talk, the crux of Rangers’ problems start with the play that happens in front of him.
All season, we have been talking about Vigneault’s issues with deploying his assets, with not trusting young players enough and trusting veterans too much.
Even in the Rangers success these problems still shine through.
You can see it first and foremost in the inconsistency on the defensive end. Some of the Rangers best defenseman have seen a drop off in play.
McDonagh and Skjei are struggling to play up to the expectations set on them based on their pairings. Nick Holden, and at points this season Steve Kampfer, have gotten ice time despite adding little value to the roster. With the Rangers numerous young players who showed their potential prior to the season, it could be a risk but one that would make an impact.
And these trends can be seen on the opposite end as well.
Just one example is Vigneault making the decision to move David Desharnais back down into the fourth line center slot with Zibanejad re-joining the lineup last night. Though the Rangers came out with a 4-1 win over Anaheim, and we saw the fourth line score two of the Rangers four goals, it does not necessarily mean he is the best choice in this position.
Called up in Desharnais’ absence on the fourth line, Boo Nieves played a grittier game and increased possession numbers. This is something that his veteran counterpart has proven is not his strong suit.
These factors prove that nothing has changed when it comes to Vigneault. The Rangers head coaches’ bullheadedness was, is and will continue to be the biggest problem moving forward.
Final thoughts
The Rangers success has come with a bit of luck and a lot of good goaltending. However, these factors will be hard to maintain.
Nothing is guaranteed in hockey. Right now, only two points separate a wild card team from a team that doesn’t make the playoffs.
To be a competitive playoff team, to make a deep run, you have to have depth. And this is something that the Rangers just don’t have in their current state — but they’re not far off. If they chose to explore younger options, to bench veterans that are dragging the team down, to take risks, it could end up leading to high reward.
Assuming the Rangers get through the rest of the regular season sustaining high enough play to put them in a position to make the playoffs, without making changes they wont get much further.
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The fact that they have less depth on the offensive end, an inconsistent defense and have seen strange deployment from Vigneault, if they make the playoffs, they could see another early exit this year. Maybe that’s for the best. It will be a wake up call — to show that it is time for change to come and as quickly as possible.