New York Rangers: Top five players of 2018
In a calendar year when the New York Rangers weren’t the most successful team, there were a few stand-out players who made it worthwhile .
Say hello to 2019 and good-bye to 2018. Some would say good riddance. 2018 wasn’t a good year for the Rangers. Their record in the 12 months was a mediocre 31-40-11. 38 different players suited up for the New York Rangers and we said goodbye to veteran Blueshirts Ryan McDonagh, Rick Nash, J.T. Miller and Michael Grabner.
But it all wasn’t bad news for the Rangers. Some players stood out in 2018 and gave fans reason to be excited. Here are the top five, in no particular order.
Chris Kreider
Chris Kreider was one of the most impressive Rangers of 2018 for a number of reasons. Last year, during the 2017-2018 season, his campaign was limited due to a serious blood clot injury.
Even though his season was shortened to 58 games, the forward still recorded 37 points made up of 16 goals and 21 assists. Being able to bounce back from an injury like that is a huge accomplishment.
Being able to play just as well as you were before your injury is even better. Furthermore, he has been continuing showing off his skills into this season.
In 38 games, the 27-year-old has 31 points (20 goals and 11 assists). He is first on the team in goals, fourth in assists, and third in points. In his last six games, he has eight points, five goals and three assists, and had a four game goal scoring streak.
Many are predicting that he will even reach 40 goals by the end of the campaign, a mark he has never reached. If Chris Kreider was having an average year after coming back from having a blood clot, he would be praised regardless due to how difficult it is to get through that serious of an injury.
The fact that he is playing this well, at this fast of a pace, less than a year after such a dangerous ailment, is beyond amazing. If he keeps this up, the forward could end this season with career highs in multiple categories, and prove many people wrong.
Mika Zibanejad
Mika Zibanejad has definitely done his part, season after season, to become more than just the player the New York Rangers received in exchange for Derick Brassard. Last season, he was the Ranger with the most goals with 27.
He fell to eighth in assists with 20 and was second in points overall with 47. The forward has shown no signs of stopping this season.
He has 11 goals and 23 assists, adding up to 34 points in 38 games thus far. This puts Zibanejad at second place on the team for goals, first for assists, and first once again for points.
He was part of this year’s most memorable line, known as “KZB” (or Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich). In 399:52 together between last season and the beginning of this season, the line had a 66.09 Corsi-For percentage, meaning that when this line was on the ice, 66.09 of the shots belonged to the Rangers.
The line was at its weakest without Zibanejad. It shows just how big of a part of the team he is, and how much more than “the piece from the Derick Brassard trade.”
Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist was probably one of the most valuable members of the team. This shouldn’t come as a shock, considering the fact that he has practically carried the Rangers for years.
In 61 games started last season, he had 26 wins and 26 losses, a great record considering the defense that was playing in front of him. With Brady Skjei slumping, Kevin Shattenkirk intermittently injured, and Marc Staal and Brendan Smith struggling with basic defensive plays, it was important for the goaltender to be completely on top of his game.
His Goals Allowed Average was 2.98 and his save percentage was 915. So far this year, Lundqvist has started in 29 games. He came out with 12 wins and nine losses so far, which, again, is a great record to have for the mediocre defense playing in front of him.
His GAA thus far this season has been 2.81 and his SV% has been .916. “The King” shows no signs of slowing down.
Jesper Fast
Jesper Fast had a breakout year offensively and it definitely needs to be recognized. Last year, he had 13 goals, a career high. He also scored 20 assists, which matched a previous career high.
These added up to 33 points, yet another career high. This was all in just 71 games.
He ranked seventh on the team in points. In less than half of that (32 games) thus far this season, Fast already has five goals and nine assists for 14 points.
The forward is currently seventh on the team in points and eighth in goals. He seems to be on pace to do just as well as he did last year, if not better.
This is especially impressive considering the fact that he was out with a few injuries last season, and already missed quite some time this season with another injury. Yes, the first line minutes are definitely helping, but Jesper Fast’s offensive breakout truly just shows how extremely versatile he is, being able to thrive in any situation.
Kevin Hayes
Kevin Hayes has been the best player on the New York Rangers as of late, but he has been up there with the others for the entirety of 2018. Last season, he had 25 goals, which put him at second on the team.
His 19 assists placed him tenth on the team. Finally, 44 points were enough to get him to third place for points on the team.
This was all done in 76 games. This year, in just 37 games, the forward already has 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points.
It is very possible, and even likely, that he will match or break some of his career highs this year. He’s been especially hot lately, with seven points in his last six games (two goals and four assists).
Next. What the Rangers need to do to make the playoffs. dark
Many believe that being signed to a one-year deal over the summer has motivated Hayes, pushing him to do better so he can get a more ideal contract next summer, whether it’s from the Rangers or another team. Either way, no matter what has gotten into Kevin Hayes, it’s making him a great hockey player.