New York Rangers have plenty of options for top forwards

Heading into a new season under a new coach, the New York Rangers must figure out which six forwards will solidify spots on the top two lines.

For all that the New York Rangers are in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild, they have a remarkably stable and talented crop of forwards at the NHL level. Established veterans like Mats Zuccarello, Kevin Hayes, and Chris Kreider lead an up-and-coming group, including Pavel Buchnevich, Jimmy Vesey, Filip Chytil, and Lias Andersson.

With the likes of trade acquisitions Mika Zibanejad, Ryan Spooner, and Vladislav Namestnikov added in, new coach David Quinn will have his hands full trying to sort out lines to start the season.

It’s a virtual certainty that Zibanejad will hold down the top line center position, and Kreider and Zuccarello are locks on the wing in the top-six. General manager Jeff Gorton intimated that Buchnevich will be given a legitimate chance in a scoring role, too. But beyond that, there’s nothing set in stone.

Playing to strengths

If Quinn opts to build his forward lines based off of past results, he should have a home run first line of Kreider and Buchnevich on Zibanejad’s wings. The so-called “KZB Line” has turned in excellent performances when healthy and given the freedom to produce.

The trio started off last season on fire: through the first two months, they combined for 58 points in 25 games. Zibanejad was playing at nearly a point-per-game pace before going down with a concussion in December, and Kreider was stricken with a fluke blood clot not long after.

If the KZB Line is assumed to stay together, Zuccarello automatically slots in on the second line. From there, things get hazy. Does Quinn opt for the veteran, Kevin Hayes, at center? Or does he shift Hayes to the wing to give Filip Chytil a chance to develop at his natural position in prime minutes?

Fitting a new system

Quinn could also elect to take the New York Rangers in a new direction, laying out his lines to adapt to a new system. If he uses a similar setup to his system at Boston University, the Rangers’ top-six should be stocked with has much speed and hockey sense as possible.

Quinn’s college teams played a modified zone system, aggressive in all three zones and tending to overload the puck. It was a high-risk, high-reward system that depended on speed in both thinking the game and skating.

For players like Kreider and Zuccarello, that should come naturally. Hayes, who performed well in a tough shutdown role under Alain Vigneault, could maintain a similar role in Quinn’s system. His ability to read plays and put himself in the right position would be essential on a shutdown line that can also produce.

In that situation, Hayes might be best on a line with Jesper Fast, another defense-minded forward who proved last season that he can score in the right situations.

That would open up the second line center spot for Filip Chytil. With Hayes’ line taking the harder matchups, Quinn could get Chytil’s line sheltered minutes and let him develop alongside a fantastic playmaker in Zuccarello.

Namestnikov would be an ideal third member of that line, as he brings responsible defensive play and steady shot generation.

Either way Quinn opts to go, the Rangers have the personnel to ice a solid top two lines, with talent to spare for their depth lines.