The Rangers can improve their fortunes with a better scheme.
This is directly tied to whether or not the Rangers choose to keep Vigneault on as head coach. The head coach’s poor choices from last season have only been exacerbated this season. It is obvious that this scheme problem lay with Vigneault because of the fact that the Rangers changed defensive coaches and the team got worse.
There are several problems with the coach’s methodology that have caused the Rangers to struggle. First, there is the emphasis on creating odd-man rushes at the expense of defense. There is a role for defensemen in the offensive zone but when it causes so many breakdowns. This is why the Rangers surrender so many odd-man rushes.
The obvious fix is to employ this concept on a defensive pair by pair basis. Defensemen like Brady Skjei and Shattenkirk are better equipped to join the rush because they have the ability to catch up to odd-man rushes. This is why the Marc Staal and Nick Holden defensive pair struggled so badly last season. They did not have the skillset to be engaged in the offensive zone.