New York Rangers: Predicting the rest of the season

The New York Rangers are last in the Metro and well out of a playoff spot. Does the rebuilding team have a shot at anything other than the bottom of the division?

The season has gotten away from New York and it happened a long time ago. Surprisingly this isn’t rock bottom. In fact, for the first time in months there seems to be a sense of hope. Not because the team has won three of the last four. Nor is it because the team has a solid chance at making the playoffs.

Rather, it is because for the first time in months the Rangers have a plan. They are at least heading in a concrete direction now. Before they were running around aimlessly, just under .500. Now the goal is clear, rebuild through young prospects, current roster players and through the draft.

A rebuild is uncertain at best. You can never be sure who will pan out. Right now the Rangers have 15 games to continue to develop the product on the ice before the season ends and the real work begins. The question is, what will the last 15 games have in store?

Top line of the future

We have seen undeniable chemistry between Mika Zibanejad, Chris Krieder and Pavel Buchnevich. The three form the top line for the New York Rangers. New York has been a team who has been able to roll all four lines effectively for the last five years. In that time they have never really had a true top line. Until now.

The three players mentioned above are the future for New York. They are all young, supremely talented and they complement each other well. Zibanejad is the play-making center with a wicked shot. Kreider is the speedy winger with a wicked shot. Buchnevich is the dynamic young forward with a wicked shot. (They all can shoot pretty well).

The three of them are usually the best Rangers forwards on any given night. While the production from the three combined hasn’t been amazing, the line itself hasn’t been fully intact for a majority of the season. Buchnevich has missed eight games with injury. Zibanejad has missed 10 games. Krieder tops the list with 24 games missed due to injury.

The three players are all 26 or younger. And even with the games missed due to injury, every single member of that line is still producing at .58 points per game or higher. A lot is uncertain but this line will produce the rest of the way and cement themselves as the top line of the future.

Vlad and Spooner

If they haven’t already, Ryan Spooner and Vladislav Namestnikov will play their way in to the Rangers future plans. Spooner has ten points since joining the team just six short games ago. Namestnikov is a skilled, young forward who has versatility at both center and wing.

Spooner is a perfect player to plug in on the third line. He has skill but plays a mostly straightforward game that will never hurt the Rangers. He is a top end bottom six forward who could slot in and play top six minutes if an injury occurs. Also, he has already won over Rangers fans with his early performance for the team.

Namestnikov is the more important piece. If the Rangers can only sign one player, he should be the one they bring back. The team has been struggling all season with center depth, but Namestnikov is a perfect fit on the second line at center. He is fast, skilled and if needed can also be a winger. Both will continue to play well and force the Rangers hand in to keeping them around as part of the rebuild.

Final Prediction

So what will New York’s record actually looks like? That’s an interesting question considering a team that just traded four main pieces suddenly looks a whole lot better. For the Rangers, 10 of their final 15 games come against teams currently in a playoff position. 14 of the 15 come against teams who are either in a playoff position or less than six points out of one. The lone remaining game is against Buffalo.

I see the Rangers putting up a surprisingly solid mark the rest of the way. The team is playing with nothing to lose. The top line will spark a few scoring outbursts and the supporting cast, with guys like Namestnikov and Spooner will chip in to propel New York to a respectable 5-8-2 mark.

Next: Six players on the bubble

If New York can grab points in essentially half their games it will be a more than solid output. The future is uncertain for New York, but the last 15 games will be an indication of what is to come of this rebuild.

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