What went wrong with the New York Rangers: Cody McLeod

Among all of the players that were acquired by the New York Rangers this year, the most disappointing one could quite possibly be Cody McLeod. Expectations for him were low, and his play still managed to underwhelm many.

It’s no secret that a multitude of New York Rangers had disappointing seasons this year. However, as fans, we know what players are capable of.

Even after a few streaky games, or even just a less-than-ideal season, we know that many of these players can come back and be significantly better next season. But, sometimes, the players don’t even have that upside of knowing they can play better.

What’s even worse than having high expectations and being let down? Having low expectations and still being let down.

Enter Cody McLeod.

How it all went down

The New York Rangers claimed Cody McLeod off of waivers on January 25th, 2018. Before being picked up by the Rangers, he played with the Nashville Predators. He usually filled the role of an enforcer, bringing physicality and a veteran presence in the locker room.

Prior to being a Predator, he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche for his entire career. In a little less than ten seasons with Colorado, McLeod was a less-than-remarkable player.

He only reached 20 points once and averaged about 12 points per season. In January 2017, the Predators traded Felix Girard in exchange for the left-wing.

At the beginning of the 2017-2018 season, McLeod was almost always a healthy scratch for Nashville. In 23 games, he had just one goal and one assist for a total of two points. This should have a red flag for the Rangers, but it was disregarded.

McLeod ended up playing 25 games with the New York this year. By the end of the season, he had just four points, three assists and one goal. He did not record a goal as a Ranger, and only notched two of his points while with New York.

Why it was a mistake

When McLeod was initially acquired, no one was quite sure of his purpose. Was he going to be used as a trade piece? Would he be sent to the AHL immediately? Or, would a young, deserving player get scratched?

McLeod’s role, presumably, was to bring the infamous “grit” back to the team. Basically, he was set to be 2018’s Tanner Glass.

On a team depleted by injuries and getting younger with each call-up, the organization probably thought that the rookies needed to be protected. While that’s a fair concern to have, there were definitely better options than McLeod.

The fact of the matter is that McLeod’s type of player is being phased out of the NHL. A player cannot get by in today’s hockey world simply for being an enforcer. Players like John Scott and Tanner Glass, both former Rangers, tend to come to mind.

If a defenseman’s main purpose is to fight and defend other players, that’s one thing. It looks even worse when it’s a forward taking on that role. If McLeod was going to make it on this team, he was going to have to add a scoring touch to his grit-only playing style. In the end, he just couldn’t do it.

What now?

Fortunately, Cody McLeod is currently an Unrestricted Free Agent. It doesn’t look like the New York Rangers will be re-signing him. Between the other free agents that they need to worry about (Kevin Hayes, Ryan Spooner, Brady Skjei, Vladislav Namnestikov, etc.) and the way this season panned out for the 33-year-old, a reunion is looking unlikely.

So, presumably, the Cody McLeod Experiment has now come to an end. What can be learned at the closing of this chapter? The Rangers should never, ever think about signing this type of player again.

Tanner Glass backfired on them last year and in years prior, and they let the same thing happen with McLeod this year. The focus needs to be more on players with skill who can still play a physical game, rather than those with a huge amount of grit and little to no scoring ability.

Next: What went wrong with the New York Rangers: Buchnevich’s deployment

If the front office keeps this in mind over the offseason and in years to come, history will hopefully not repeat itself in this regard.

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