Despite hockey having transformed from one of grind-it-out hockey to one of speed, the New York Rangers still need a physical presence on the team to give them an identity and succeed.
The New York Rangers haven’t had a true identity since roughly the 2011-12 season, when the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1996-1997 season. The team was known as a team that would be a pain to play against night in and night out.
The NHL has evolved from teams having enforcer type players to teams wanting to keep getting younger and faster. Yet teams that employ tough, no-nonsense forwards such as Vegas with Ryan Reaves and Washington with Tom Wilson still managed to find success and, in the case of this season, make the Stanley Cup finals.
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Time to find an edge
Take a look at a nine season span between when the Rangers last missed the playoffs and this past season. The team went from having a somewhat physical presence to having pretty much none.
The 2009-10 Rangers that missed the playoffs had the likes of Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and Brandon Prust; who were all just hitting their prime. While you could make the argument that despite the team’s physical presence they didn’t make the playoffs, they also relied on then 27-year-old Henrik Lundqvist to play 73 games.
The Rangers climb to perennial playoff contenders started during the 2010-11 season, a year in which Dubinsky lead the team in points followed by Callahan. Callahan and Boyle finished the regular season in the top 15 for hits. Not only did the Rangers being to mold that “tough to play against” image, but those tough players were providing an offensive jolt as well.
In 2011-12, the skill players started to shine. A highlight was Marian Gaborik’s 41-goal campaign. Callahan found himself third on the team in points and as one of four Rangers in the top 25 in hits.
Stanley Cup Team
Jump ahead to the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, the 2013-14 Rangers. The team had the likes of Boyle and Derek Dorsett, but traded their definition of a heart-and-soul player in then-captain Callahan.
They faced off against the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals, and despite having a physical presence, the Kings were just too big of a team for the Rangers to handle. The Kings had four players in the top 50 in the league for hits compared to the Rangers’ one.
Do hits win you a hockey game? In most cases no, but it goes to show that physically dominating the game can contribute to a team’s success.
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This past season
The toughest player the Rangers had this season was Cody McLeod, who they acquired off of waivers. He managed to only score two assists and was a -11 as a Ranger. The team had no consistent physical presence and it showed by the end of the season.
Of all the Rangers that touched the ice this past season, only four of 36 Rangers were positive in shots attempted while on the ice in an even strength situation and no Ranger was in the top 50 in hits. They were unable to get the puck in deep and possess it like they were when they had more physical, grind it out players.
Taking a look at one of the two teams that made the finals this season, the Vegas Golden Knights had 20 out of 30 players positive in shots attempted while at even strength and three players were in the top 50 in hits.
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Despite the change in style in the NHL, there is still need for physical dominance by teams, even if that physical play takes a backseat to speed and skill. The Rangers need their edge back in order to start the David Quinn era off on the right foot.