New York Rangers that are on the nice list this Christmas
The New York Rangers have had an up and down season. With that said, there have been positives. Let’s see who is on Santa’s nice list this Christmas.
Merry Christmas everybody! It is the most wonderful time of year despite the Rangers dropping their last two games, both of which they were badly outplayed.
Let’s take a break from looking at the bad (until the naughty list is released this afternoon…) and look at the good. The Rangers are currently in playoff position and have four players with 11 or more goals. The forward group is full of youth, both the power play and the penalty kill rank in the league’s top 10 and the team gets to play in an outdoor game next season.
We talked to Santa Claus earlier today as he left a few gifts in our stockings. He told us who was on his nice list and we told him who was on ours. Let’s see which Rangers are on our staff’s nice list here at Blue Line Station!
John Williams- Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner, the man who is making $3.3 million over two years is leading the team in goals again this season.
Yes, his shooting percentage is high at 22 percent–would’ve been over 22 percent if Kevin Hayes wasn’t offsides in the third period of the Maple Leafs game. While his shooting percentage will certainly regress, Grabner has shot below an 11.5 percent clip for a season twice in his career. He has also had three seasons in his seven-year career where he his shooting percentage has touched at least 14.8 percent.
Grabner also gives the team a major defensive threat. His speed is also a huge asset to the Rangers in all three zones and his forechecking ability is second to none.
Grabner is the team’s Swiss army knife and yet, half of the fan base wants the team to move him at the deadline. Grabner is a player the team should be re-signing in the offseason.
Nick Zararis- Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist should be canonized into sainthood. He is too good for just being on the nice list.
The man between the pipes has continued to be the driving force for the Rangers success. The terrible defense left Lundqvist hung out to dry and it fueled the team’s abysmal start to the season.
Since the team’s comeback on Halloween against the Vegas Golden Knights, Lundqvist is 15-4- 1 and has a .929 save percentage. He goes above and beyond on an average night because the defense gets consistently outshot. The Rangers give up 33.2 shots on goal per game which is the fourth most in the entire NHL.
Lundqvist’s superb play saved the Rangers season. At 3-10- 2 going into November, there was a strong chance the Rangers would make a coaching change. Lundqvist turned the season around and has the Rangers right in the thick of the playoff race. Since Sainthood is hard to earn he’ll have to settle for the top of the nice list.
Dan Carrozzi- Mika Zibanejad
The second-year forward of the New York Rangers deserves his spot on the nice list for becoming the team’s first line center. That and his budding bromance with his linemates Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider, as well as Mats Zuccarello.
Entering the season, there were doubts concerning his ability to ascend to the role that was presented to him after the organization traded away Derek Stepan. So far, Zibanejad quickly and resoundingly silenced the critics.
His presence in the lineup gives the Rangers a true, dangerous top line, a lethal powerplay, and helps balance the rest of the lineup. His natural chemistry with Buchnevich and Kreider cannot be appreciated enough and their play together is borderline magical.
Zibanejad has tallied 11 goals and 22 points in only 27 games this season. Half of those have come on the power play, which has been a revelation when clicking.
His point totals are a good reflection of his skillset. His willingness to use his potent slapshot and wrist shot is nice to see on a team with a plethora of passers. However, his own passing prowess is also nothing to scoff at.
Finally, DJ Zibanejad deserves a spot on the nice list for dropping a few new tracks in the offseason, allowing us to appreciate him for more than just what he can do on the ice.
Michael Delasandro- Pavel Buchnevich
Young Pavel Buchnevich is flourishing in the eyes of Rangers fans, already surpassing his totals from his rookie season.
The Russian playmaker has only 77 career games under his belt in the regular season, but he is developing rather quickly. Buchnevich has surpassed last seasons’ point total by four in five fewer games.
Buchnevich’s success can certainly be attested to his attachment to Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. The trio not only gets along well on the ice but off the ice as well. Kreider, semi-fluent in Russian, certainly connects with Buchnevich both on and away from the rink.
As Pavel Buchnevich continues to grow this season, only good things can come for this young Russian scorer. Hopefully, he gets no coal this holiday season as he goes about his sophomore resurgence.
Jen Moglia- Jesper Fast
Though some may think that the New York Rangers have only coal in their stocking this year, one player definitely begs to differ. I think that Jesper Fast makes the team’s nice list this year, for sure.
Back in June, Fast underwent a labral repair of his left hip. The surgery was successful and he was expected to return in November. However, Fast only missed the first five games of the year, making his 2017-2018 debut in the fifth game of the season, October 14th against the New Jersey Devils.
His first point came two games later, an assist on October 19th against the New York Islanders. In the next game, October 21st against the Nashville Predators, he scored his first goal of the season.
Since then, he has had his best statistical season of his career thus far, just five points away from matching his point total from last year (21). The 26-year-old also had his first multi-goal game of his NHL career with two tallies against the Carolina Hurricanes on November 22nd.
Out of his 16 points so far, seven have been goals and nine have been assists. He already has one more goal than he did last season and is three goals away from matching his career high in that area. In a season where expectations were high for him after an injury, the right-winger has really broken out. His offensive performance has improved drastically, something he usually isn’t known for.
Unfortunately, the forward suffered a quadricep strain against the Devils during last Thursday night’s game. His timetable is expected to be about two to three weeks. Hopefully, he will be back soon, and the gift of Jesper Fast will keep on giving.
Alexandra Russo- Mats Zuccarello
Mats Zuccarello has definitely earned himself a spot on the nice list this season. While he may not be the star of every game, he contributes every night, even when the Rangers aren’t playing their best.
Over the course of the last two seasons, Zuccarello has developed into more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer. And while that might seem like a negative thing initially, he has proven it’s anything but that.
His passing abilities and unselfish plays with the puck are huge reasons for the Rangers’ success. So far this season, he’s recorded eight goals and 21 assists. However, even when he doesn’t get credited with points, he’s winning puck battles in corners or helping in ways without the puck.
Overall, the majority of Rangers’ offense should find places on the nice list, considering that is undoubtedly this team’s strength. However, Zuccarello deserves recognition for his quiet yet effective ways, and that’s why he should be one of the first names that come to mind when thinking about the nice list of this Rangers’ season.
Sam Prevot- Brady Skjei
It probably does not come as a surprise to anyone that Brady Skjei is my choice for the nice list this Christmas. After a standout rookie season, Skjei is proving to be an integral part of the Rangers defense in his second season.
Although he struggled to find a consistent partner early in the season, he now has his match in Kevin Shattenkirk. Skjei also stepped up in the absence of captain Ryan McDonagh in November. He proved he could handle top pairing minutes and responsibilities.
On top of his contributions on the ice, Skjei is becoming a fan favorite off the ice. You can often find him outside of Madison Square Garden interacting with Rangers fans and signing memorabilia.
He and his roommates Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes are often the focus of Rangers online video content. They also got their own segment on the new Road to the Winter Classic series.
Basically, Brady Skjei is quickly becoming one of the faces of the Rangers’ future. In just one and a half seasons, he established himself on the scoresheet and in the community. As he continues to grow and improve as a player he will further cement himself as one of the most important parts of the young Rangers core of players.
Jack Milewski- Ondrej Pavelec
‘Tis the season to be jolly,’ so it’s time to decide who is on the Rangers’ nice list. While this player may not be the popular pick, he certainly deserves some love. Ondrej Pavelec has indeed made the nice list.
Though he has barely played this season, Pavelec has been exceptional for the Rangers in his recent limited starts. The Rangers netminder has started just five games this season and won only two. But, in his last three games, all starts, Pavelec has allowed just six goals. His last two outings have been 40-plus save starts against the Penguins and the Stars.
Pavelec has gotten no love from Rangers management but I’ll give him credit where credit is due. The man simply needs to start more. Not only to give Henrik Lundqvist more rest but also because if his last three starts are any indication, he can be a very credible backup goaltender.
The presents won’t be piling up for Pavelec this holiday season, but he at least deserves a stocking stuffer that isn’t coal. Pavelec has tried his best and the results are starting to show.
Victoria Ranieri- Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist is truly the best Christmas present to all Ranger fans.
For over 10 years, he has been the face of the franchise and has played his heart out every time he steps on the ice. His strong play and timely saves have been a staple of his entire career and this year is no different.
Even after a slow start, Henrik Lundqvist has stood tall in net while the rest of the team was scrambling at times. His save percentage is back to .921 after amazing performances against the Ducks, Devils, and Maple Leafs.
After the game against the Boston Bruins (which was the second half of a back-to-back), Lundqvist stated that it was the ‘most tired he ever felt after a regular season game.” He didn’t look it, as he and the rest of the (tired) Rangers came away with an overtime victory.
Henrik Lundqvist is truly a gift to Ranger fans and deserves to be on the nice list every year. He has never given less than 100 percent effort on the ice. My recommended gift? A Stanley Cup ring.