New York Rangers: Five questions after six weeks of hockey

Number five: Is the defense…not the worst?

Coming into the season, the Rangers’ most glaring weakness was the defense. There’s a saying in the NFL that if a team has two quarterbacks it has no quarterbacks. New York coming into the season with eight defensemen on the active roster was a clear sign that the coaching staff and front office did not have a clear sign as to what to expect.

Even though the unit as a collective still is not exactly lighting the world on fire it’s playing well enough to get by. The biggest factor in the team’s recent success has been the stability of the defense that’s playing a certain style of hockey. In addition to the style of play, the unit has gotten partner stability allowing chemistry to form.

Throw in the fact that Tony DeAngelo is playing like a competent first pair defenseman alongside Brady Skjei and giving the unit as a whole a sense of balance. Throw in Marc Staal holding his own with Neal Pionk and Kevin Shattenkirk playing well gives the team a passable group.

With a forward group that is above average, a passable defense may just be enough to prevent the Rangers from being one of the worst teams in the entire league.