New York Rangers stock market: End of season blues
The flame has gone out on the 2017-2018 regular season. The New York Rangers ended it on a low note, losing all three of their final games.
The New York Rangers limped their way out of a terrible season in a 5-0 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers had everything to play for, the Rangers had nothing. This left the Flyers preparing for a playoff series and the Rangers preparing for break up day.
The game against the New Jersey Devils came in a similar berth, resulting in another 5-2 blowout loss. The game against the New York Islanders seemed like a filler between two teams who had nothing to play for.
Both players and coaching staff alike showed just how apathetic they were for the last three games. The players played downright listless and just did not seem to care. The buzzer at the end of Saturday’s game came as a relief that the long crawl to the finish line was over.
Hours after the Flyers game came the best news of the season. It was announced that Head Coach Alain Vigneault was relieved of his coaching duties. The main source of nearly all the Rangers problems, in an instant, was gone. The only thing left is to search for a new coach and prepare for next season.
Up: Kevin Hayes
In a week marred by poor play, Kevin Hayes has been a bright spot.
The 25 year old forward scored two goals this week, being one of only two players to find the back of the net this week. He brought his goal total up to a carer high 25 goals, in addition to 19 assists, giving him 44 points on the year. While I still don’t think he has lived up to his full potential, Hayes has shown multiple flashes of the player he can be. His recent chemistry with Ryan Spooner shows just how much of an offensive touch he has.
Hayes is top priority for being re-signed this off season. He will be 26 at the start of next season and will just be entering his prime. If this season is an indication of what’s to come, Hayes needs to locked up long term. I believe it is still possible to sign Hayes to a team friendly deal. The Rangers have ample enough cap space to pay their RFA’s and can both make Hayes and management happy.
As young as he still is, Hayes has been in the NHL for four years and has veteran playoff experience. He would be a great mentor to younger players all while growing himself as a player. Hayes could even make a fine assistant captain in the near future.
Down: The Penalty Kill
The Penalty Kill has been nothing short of atrocious this week, and this season.
The flaws ni the penalty kill showed themselves fully against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils went 3 for 4 on the power play while the Rangers went 0 for 2. While the Islanders did not manage a power play goal, the Flyers did. Making for a total of four power play goals against on eight chances.
Letting up three power play goals in one game is, frankly, deplorable. Even if the games were meaningless, that is no reason to take so many penalties and then fail to defend against the man advantage.
The most concerning part of the failing penalty kill is it continuing into next season. Hopefully not, but certain factors must be put in place for that to not happen. A purging of the coaching staff (with the exception of goalie coach Benoit Allaire) is in order. This is not an issue of just the penalty kill, it is a systemic issue stemming from poor coaching all around.
Luckily, the Rangers have already gotten started by firing Alain Vigneault. The path to a better future (and penalty kill) has already begun.
Up: Ty Ronning
Ty Ronning has torn up the WHL this year.
Ronning has been a bit of a mystery before this season. He was sent back to his WHL team, the Vancouver Giants, as an over aged player. This year, he smashed his previous point totals with a whopping 84 points. He had 61 goals and 23 assists for his highest goal total and second highest assist total.
Due to the Vancouver Giants’ elimination from the playoffs, Ronning was called up to the Hartford Wolf Pack. In the seven game series, Ronning played his part. He had six assists and a goal for seven points in seven games. Before that, he ended the regular season with four goals and an assist for five points in three games.
The only thing I find worrisome about Ronning is that he plays in the WHL. There is a very real chance that Ronning’s incredible goal scoring won’t transfer professionally. I believe that Ronning’s skill will transfer, just maybe not at the tune of 61 goals in 70 games.
At this point, we just need to wait and see what Ronning does in his short time with the Wolf Pack. Who knows, he may put on enough of a show to make the NHL roster next year.
Down: Chris Kreider
Chris Kreider has ended an up and down season on a low note.
Kreider has had the most ups and downs of any player on the roster. Kreider was expected to have a thirty goal season after his stellar showing the season before. However, Kreider started off disappointing and looked downright listless at times. Later, it was discovered that he had a blood clot which had been negatively affecting not only his performance, but severely affecting his health. He had a portion of his rib removed in order to correct the clot. This left a multitude of questions surrounding his hockey future.
All worries were settled when he returned with a renewed vigor. He and Mika Zibanejad went on a scoring tear and seemed unstoppable, until recently.
Kreider has been scoreless in four games and has been faltering defensively. He and line mate Mika Zibanejad were on the ice for three of the five goals against during the game against the Flyers. Though I am not concerned for next year, Kreider’s play has shown that there was truly no soul left in the locker room at the end of the season.
Next year, Kreider is going to take on a monumental role. He will be 27 at the start of next season and a lot is going to be expected of him. He will be expected to contribute on the score sheet as well as be one of the main mentors for the young players. We may even get to see Kreider named the 28th captain of the New York Rangers.
Up: Pavel Buchnevich
Pavel Buchnevich’s stock has risen, but not exactly for what he’s done.
Pavel Buchnevich is an incredibly skilled forward. The Russian was able to stay relatively healthy this year and contribute 14 goals and 29 assists for 43 points in 74 games. He has was held scoreless for the last week of the season but his stock has risen. Why? Buchnevich will finally be freed.
In Buchnevich’s short career thus far, Alain Vigneault has done whatever he could to hold him back. He has been benched constantly in favor of less skilled, veteran forwards, such as Tanner Glass in last year’s playoffs. Though he has incredible chemistry with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, Vigneault has relegated him to the fourth line and has replaced him with players such as Jesper Fast and Vladislav Namestnikov. Both good players in their own right, neither are top line quality. Buchnevich has had his growth stunted by Vigneault but luckily, this will no longer be the case.
So long as the Rangers do not hire someone of Vigneault’s ilk, Buchnevich will fly. Under a coach who develops young players, he has the tools to become an elite sniper. At the very least, he will be a 20 goal scorer and be a force on the top line. The sky is the limit for Buchnevich, so long as he is able to fly.
Down: The Assistant Coaching Staff
While the firing of Alain Vigneault was a step in the right direction, Lindy Ruff and Scott Arneil must be relieved of their coaching duties.
While I put a large portion of the blame on Vigneault, Ruff and Arneil both share the blame. Lindy Ruff is practically a clone of Vigneault and will not provide the change we are hoping for were he to take over. The defense has taken multiple steps back with Brady Skjei falling victim of the sophomore slump and Brendan Smith being buried in the minrs. He never questioned Vigneault’s decision and definitely should have argued against certain decisions.
Arneil is the culprit of the Rangers failing power play. A team that has players with lethal shots sure doesn’t use them enough, evident by the lack of power play goals. While it was good enough at some points, it was utterly atrocious at others.
The entire coaching staff is responsible for the bad decisions. Jeff Gorton must act accordingly and give the Rangers a true fresh beginning. Though I don’t expect either of them to stick around much longer anyway.
Next: What went wrong with the New York Rangers: Window closing
And so, the sun has officially set on the 2017-2018 season. Though it will be a tough road ahead, it will be exciting to see the roster moves made in the future.