New York Rangers: An update on the Hartford Wolfpack
The New York Rangers front office made it their goal to re-tool the farm system. While the organization has made sensible moves, they have not done enough to prepare for the future. The future of this team is in Hartford, where the Wolfpack are continuing their streak of mediocre seasons.
For many fans, there was hope when the Rangers drafted Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil with the seventh and 21st picks in the draft, respectively. However, the problems with the Wolfpack are far worse than just what two players could solve. The team still needs a complete overhaul. Upon taking a closer look at Hartford, the problems are quite evident and in some cases, worse than one could imagine. With that, let’s take a closer look at the Hartford Wolfpack…
Offense
One of the arguably most important parts of a good farm team is having a solid offense. Aside from three main players, the Rangers lack that. Vinni Lettieri, now a call-up for the Rangers still is the Wolfpack’s leading goal scorer with eleven on the season. Cole Schneider and his 20 points are enough to lead the team in points. Filip Chytil has a solid 12 points in just 15 games. As for every other forward, the story is much different.
Ryan Gropp, one of the Rangers highly touted draft picks has the worst +/- rating on the team as he currently holds a paltry -15. Adam Tambellini, another Rangers draft pick, has six goals and four assists in 25 games which are decent numbers, but not good enough high-level level prospect in the system.
Overall, the most concerning trend that one can quickly notice amongst even the best of the forward group is the lack of defense in their game. Out of the 13 forwards, just four have a positive +/- rating. If and when any of these players are called up, Rangers fans shouldn’t expect a solid all-around player.
Defense
The Rangers won’t always have Henrik Lundqvist around. It’s a sad reality, but it’s how hockey works. This means for the first time in more than a decade; the organization won’t be able to rely on their goaltender to make every save. Sure, the current crop of defenseman currently with the big squad is reliable enough for now, but the future is concerning.
One of the biggest hopes was Anthony DeAngelo. When he was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in the Derek Stepan trade back in June, many believed there was potential there. Since he was sent down in late October, that is not the case. The “offensive defenseman” has just seven assists in 16 games. Along with that, he is a -8, negating his title of defenseman. It’s safe to say, DeAngelo will go down as a bust. Hopefully, I’m wrong.
The rest of the Wolfpack’s group is abysmal. None of the so-called “defensemen” has a +/- rating higher than a -3. This includes former fourth-round pick and alternate captain Ryan Graves. Graves, who had a solid training camp was expected to get a callup to the team at some point this season. However, with numbers such as the ones he is currently posting, that does not seem likely.
Goaltending
Aside from Igor Shestyorkin and maybe Adam Huska, the Rangers severely lack legitimate goaltending prospects. Currently, Hartford is playing three goaltenders. Combined, these three (Alexandar Georgiev, Marek Mazanec, Marek Mazanec), have a goals against average (GAA) of 3.18 and a save percentage of .881.
Combine poor stats and play with a weak defense that can barely do its job and with an offense that doesn’t do the whole scoring thing, the results surely won’t be good.
For the sake of saving the Rangers hopes of having a suitable replacement for Henrik Lundqvist, the organization needs to find a way to bring over Shestyorkin from the KHL. He is under contract with his KHL team until 2019, but there is hope that he can make it to North America sooner than that.
Final Thoughts
The overall scenario for the Rangers big squad and farm team is not great. Once again, it does not look like the Rangers will come even close to winning the Stanley Cup. When Lundqvist begins to fall off his usual path of regular season success, the window is officially closed. That time is fast approaching, and once it does, it might be time for either a re-tool or a full-on rebuild.
In cases such as with the Edmonton Oilers, the team was able to rebuild because of a decent farm system. The Rangers are not as lucky as them. Since the 2004 lockout, the Rangers have drafted so poorly. Yes, there have been a few diamonds in the rough like Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller, but there are more busts than there should be.
While Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil are good starts for rejuvenating the Wolfpack and ultimately the Rangers, more needs to be done on the trade front and in the draft. Personally, I believe the best place to start is firing current head amateur scout Gordie Clark. Clark has been with the Rangers for a long time but his inability to scout and subsequently pick the right players is good cause for his firing.
Next: New York Rangers: Can the team survive without Chris Kreider?
Whatever the Rangers decide to do, the road ahead is a long and winding one. It will take the right players and personnel to achieve the ultimate task of creating the future Rangers. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the team possesses either of those things. That signals rough times ahead for the New York Rangers