New York Rangers: What did Libor Hajek do to get the bad press?

How has he done?

It’s only been a four game sample, far too short to classify as definitive, but so far, Hajek has lived up to his reputation. He is still looking for his first NHL point, but in the four games he has seen his ice time increase to almost 22 minutes played against Detroit.  He hasn’t looked out of place and has shown poise and intelligence, partnered with Neal Pionk.

In four games, he has only been on ice for one goal against and his percentage of high danger scoring chances is 61%,  meaning he is on ice for more high danger scoring chances  for the Rangers than against.  His Corsi is almost  at 50% (49.5%). David Quinn has shown no qualms at giving him defensive zone starts and he has been used extensively on the penalty kill in his last two games.

Admittedly, this is a very small sample size, but there is no one who has watched him play who has seen any cause for alarm.

What now?

So, what’s the point?  I suppose the point is that rushing to judgement is a bad idea.  The New York Rangers have a plan and a process and they are following it. It’s the reason that Ryan Lindgren was given his Rangers audition before Hajek.   It’s the reason that John  Gilmour and Chris Bigras are laboring in Hartford even though Gilmour has 17 goals and Bigras has 22 points. It’s the reason that Libor Hajek was given the time and space to develop his game until he was ready to play in the NHL.

Sometimes we forget that we are talking about young men who are not much more than teenagers.  Tony DeAngelo is finally playing to his potential in his fourth year as a professional after two trades at the tender age of 23.

Our expectations for kids like Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, Brett Howden and Libor Hajek are often based on hopes rather than reality.  We should give them a chance to grow and demonstrate that the talent that they have been given will eventually take over.

Let’s save our criticism for veteran pros like Chris Kreider and Kevin Shattenkirk who should be playing at a level that mirrors their compensation and experience.

And finally, we need to give Jeff Gorton and his team some credit for knowing what they are doing.  No organization is perfect and mistakes will  be made, but so far so good.