Defending Rick Nash’s time on the New York Rangers

Many are quick to criticize Rick Nash’s play with the New York Rangers. Despite disappointing playoff performances, Nash played an important role in the Rangers’ recent successes.

If you ask a New York Rangers fan their opinion on Rick Nash, you will get mixed reviews. Naysayers will point to Nash’s poor performance in the playoffs. They may also mention Nash’s decline from the pure goal scorer he was with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

When the Rangers traded Nash at the 2017-18 trade deadline, fans welcomed the change. But Nash’s time in New York wasn’t completely negative. He is arguably part of the reason why the Rangers were so successful the past few seasons.

Related Story: New York Rangers: All things considered, things have not been bad

Before any team makes the playoffs, they must do well in the regular season. Although many are quick to criticize Nash’s playoff performances, his play in the regular season is partially how the Rangers ended up in the postseason in the first place.

Nash came to New York in a trade before the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season. He was coming off five straight 30+ goal seasons.

In 44 games, Nash had 42 points in his first season as a Ranger. His shooting percentage was 11.9%.

His best season as a Ranger was the 2014-2015 season. Nash had career-high 42 goals and 69 points, in addition to votes for the Hart and Selke awards. This performance helped contribute to a President’s Trophy-winning season for the Rangers.

Nash’s production trailed off in the following seasons, holding steady between 30 and 40 points. But he began to shift his game from purely offensive to more two-way play. Those are the little things that go unrecognized as he left for Boston.

Through the course of his career in New York, Nash consistently had a positive +/- rating. His Defensive Point Shares, the amount of points contributed due to his defensive play, was estimated to be between one and two points every year.

Nash’s possession metrics tell a similar story. His Corsi is consistently in the high 40’s and low 50’s. In almost every season he spent in New York, his CF% was at least two points higher than the rest of the Rangers team.

In the 2017-18 season in particular, Nash’s CF% was 4.7 points higher relative to the rest of the team.

Nash’s contribution to the Rangers went beyond the scoresheet. It is easy to criticize his lackluster playoff performances. Looking beyond that, Nash was overall a solid player in the regular season and played a key role on the Rangers for years.

With the rebuild now in effect, it was clear Nash’s time in New York was over. However, that does not erase all that he contributed to this team for five and a half seasons.

He not only used his offensive skill, he learned how to use his size to his advantage and developed his defensive game in New York. He became a well-rounded player and was a key presence for the Rangers in the regular season.

Next: Does free agent John Carlson fit into the Rangers’ plans?

Sure, if Nash produced more in the playoffs things could have arguably gone differently for the Rangers. But having him in New York was not a waste of time. It will be up to the younger players to fill his shoes in the seasons to come.