New York Rangers: Too early to give up on Lias Andersson
With nine games left for the New York Rangers, this is yet another opportunity for Lias Andersson to prove that he was worthy of selection as the seventh overall draft pick in 2017.
Lias Andersson generates a lot of discussion among New York Rangers fans. On Blue Line Station, we are averaging one Lias Andersson story a month. The speculation now is about what he can do in the last two weeks of the season, playing regularly.
At the 2017 draft the Rangers admitted that he was selected for his leadership and grit and they didn’t expect him to be a goal scoring machine. But for a team that hasn’t drafted an offensively gifted player since Chris Kreider in 2009, anything less would be a disappointment to the fans.
Andersson’s numbers aren’t pretty. This season he has one goal and four assists in 33 games. That means he has two goals and five assists in 40 games over two seasons. He does play a physical game. He has 53 hits in 33 games this season, a ratio that is better than most of his teammates.
Those offensive stats are not indicative of his ability. While he has never been a big scorer, he has been able to accumulate points. Playing top line minutes in the AHL, Andersson has 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points in 61 games. That’s about right. Through out his career whether it be with in the SHL in Sweden or the AHL, he has consistently been that kind of scorer.
He has also shown that he can rise to the occasion. In his two trips to the WJC, he has nine goals in 14 games.
Bad deployment
David Quinn’s drive to win has led to him relying on his best players too much and keeping some players stapled to the bench. In 33 games this season Andersson has hit the 15 minute mark in ice time only three times. In 16 games he has played single digit minutes. For all of the talk about Quinn’s ability to develop young players, he hasn’t done Andersson any favors.
Think about it. You are a 20-old kid with all of the pressure of being a top draft pick and you are playing eight or nine minutes a game. Your linemates are a constant shuffle. You know if you make a mistake it will mean less ice time. It’s no mystery that he hasn’t done well.
In looking at the numbers, it is even more clear that compared with his peers in the 2017 draft, he has not been given the same opportunity to succeed.
The class of 2017
Of the top ten players drafted in 2017, six are playing in the NHL. The top two picks, Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick made the jump directly to the NHL. Of the rest, five players including Andersson, made their debuts this season. Number 3 pick Miro Heiskanen is playing defense in Dallas, Elias Pettersson (#6) is going to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in Vancouver, Casey Mittelstadt (#8) is in Buffalo and Michael Rasmussen (#9) is playing regular minutes in Detroit.
Three players, Cale Makar, Cody Glass and and Owen Tippett are still learning their trade in junior hockey.
It’s best to compare Andersson to Mittelstadt and Rasmussen. All three players are about the same age, they are all centers and the Rangers could have drafted any of them, choosing to select Andersson.
Mittelstadt has better numbers than Andersson, with 11 goals and 22 points in 69 games for the Sabres. The 20-year old is averaging 13:31 minutes per game and has played fewer than ten minutes in only one game this season. His most frequent linemates have been Conor Sheary and Kyle Okposo.
Michael Rasmussen is a 19-year old center for the Red Wings. He has eight goals and ten assists for 18 points in 62 games. He is averaging 12:05 minutes per game and has played fewer than ten minutes in 14 games. Rasmussen has played most frequently with Tyler Bertuzzi and Luke Glendening.
It’s clear from looking at their statistics that Mittelstadt and Rasmussen have been given a better chance of success.
Lias Andersson has not had regular linemates all season. He has played 32 minutes with Ryan Strome and Boo Nieves, the most of any pair. Combined, Strome and Nieves have 17 goals and 17 assists. Andersson has played 338 minutes this season, with only 2:14 on the power play.
Compare that with Mittelstadt who has played 160 minutes with Sheary and Okposo. His two linemates have 24 goals and 33 assists. He has played 930 minutes this season and has spent 127 minutes on the power play.
Rasmussen has had 113 minutes with Bertuzzi and Glendening. Those two have 25 goals and 32 assists. He has played 748 minutes this season with 111 minutes on the power play.
So, paired with weaker linemates and with virtually no continuity, playing fewer minutes and getting no power play time, is it any wonder that Andersson’s numbers pale in comparison to Mittelstadt and Rasmussen?
A solution
The Rangers have nine games left this season to give Lias Andersson a real opportunity to show what he is capable of. Like Filip Chytil in the last game, let Andersson center a line with some talented players and let him play big minutes. If the Rangers don’t do that they run the risk of destroying the confidence of this young player. Maybe, just maybe if he is on a line with better teammates and gets to play 18-20 minutes a game, he may actually score some goals and get some assists. And if Andersson does that, perhaps it will lead to an invitation to play for the Swedish national team at the World Championships. That would be another boost for h is confidence.
It’s only nine games and the Rangers have nothing to lose, except the spirit of a young player who has not been given the type of opportunity that a top draft pick deserves.