New York Rangers: Too early to give up on Lias Andersson
By Steve Paulus
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.