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New York Rangers: Four questions going into training camp

By Nicholas Zararis

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Ivan Provorov #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers watches the puck enter the net for a first period goal over a fallen Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: Ivan Provorov #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers watches the puck enter the net for a first period goal over a fallen Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers on April 7, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 26: Cody McLeod #8 of the New York Rangers skates against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2018 in New York City. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 26: Cody McLeod #8 of the New York Rangers skates against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2018 in New York City. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 4-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Is Cody McLeod actually going to play?

Old habits die hard and in the case of the New York Rangers, enforcers get a sweater. In an ideal world, the team would have a dynamic player that has the ability to get nasty when tempers flare. The gold standard would be Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers. Not only is Simmonds one of the toughest guys in the entire league, he also lights up the score sheet an impressive clip.

On the other end of the spectrum from Simmonds is Cody McLeod. The Rangers claimed the agitator at the behest of then head coach Alain Vigneault. For the final half of the season, the team dressed arguably the worst player in the entire National Hockey League. There is no way in which it makes sense to dress a bumbling agitator that can’t even fight well.

The argument that agitators serve as a deterrent for dirty play is a fallacy. This past season, when the Rangers played the Nashville Predators, Nashville laid some questionable hits on Ranger players even with McLeod in the lineup. There will always be guys who play with an edge to their game, but they are not scared of enforcers.

In all seriousness, the Rangers need to stow McLeod in the AHL and only call him up for games against the Islanders. When the team from Brooklyn roles out two fourth lines, it’d be okay for McLeod to absorb some punches with his face.

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