New York Rangers: Vigneault’s forward deployment at odds with rebuild
The New York Rangers are at a crossroads. Rumors indicate that they’re ready to start a rebuild. The question is, does Alain Vigneault fit in the rebuilding picture?
The New York Rangers are ready to “blow it all up.” In some ways, that’s an encouraging sign, but in others, it’s both nerve-wracking and sad.
After making the playoffs ten of the last eleven seasons on the sturdy shoulders of Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers appear ready to admit that their window has closed. Since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final loss vs. the Los Angeles Kings, the Rangers have been steadily going downhill.
However, just going through the motions of a rebuild is not a guarantee of success. A key factor in the Rangers’ recent decline has undoubtedly been the man behind the bench, Alain Vigneault. Vigneault has been icing questionable lineups for years, giving ice time to the Rangers’ weakest players.
The 2017 playoffs represented an excellent chance for the Rangers to make a deep run, but Vigneault’s insistence on playing the Marc Staal-Nick Holden pairing late in games led to an excruciating loss to the Ottawa Senators. He made Pavel Buchnevich a healthy scratch to play Tanner Glass, who was consistently one of the worst forwards in the NHL.
And now, while the Rangers have suffered key injuries, Vigneault has played some of the weirdest lines in recent memory.
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“Dependable” over talent
One of the most baffling trends in the New York Rangers lineup this year has been the deployment of personnel. Without even touching the defense, Vigneault’s forward deployments, ice time allotments, and lineups have defied logic.
For most of the season, the Rangers’ top line has been, indisputably, Mika Zibanejad with some combination of Chris Kreider, Buchnevich, and Rick Nash on his wings. Inexplicably, Zibanejad’s line has gotten significantly fewer 5v5 minutes than the other lines on a nightly basis.
Yes, they get top power play minutes, but power plays vary from game to game. Vigneault professes a strategy of rolling four lines evenly, but the numbers speak for themselves. He consistently leans on the likes of David Desharnais and Paul Carey over his top line.
More recently, AHL players like Peter Holland and Vinni Lettieri have seen big minutes during the Rangers’ recent spate of injuries. In the interim, this is not a problem, but a fringe NHL player like Holland cannot be depended on to be a consistent contributor.
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Youth stuck in the back
If the New York Rangers truly want to buy into a rebuild, they’ll need to see what they have in their young talent.
At this point, it is clear that Pavel Buchnevich is a top-line winger. Under Vigneault, younger players on the roster have not gotten a serious chance. Filip Chytil got no ice time in two NHL games after making the NHL squad out of training camp. Lias Andersson has impressed in Sweden and then at the World Junior Championship. He’s earned two assists in his first two AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Jimmy Vesey is an enigma: Vigneault plays him all over the lineup, and can’t decide on what kind of role Vesey is fit for. He played key defensive minutes early in the season this year but has played in the top six in the past.
With Vigneault behind the bench, the Rangers can’t be sure the rebuild will go as planned. The Ranger coach has a track record as a poor developer of youth. In the past, he was fired because of his mismanagement of young talent.
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If General Manager Jeff Gorton starts selling those veterans, he would be wise to look into a different coach to take the reins with a younger roster.