New York Rangers: Top six in good hands for the Blueshirts

The Top Line

For large chunks of the season Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad have led the attack for the Rangers, along with fan favorite Mats Zuccarello who was traded to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline.

The mix of Kreider and Zibanejad, however, has been a potent one for the Blueshirts with the two combining for 123 points.

In what has been another year of uncharted territory and more growing pains than high points, this season will still go down as the one that saw Zibanejad morph into an elite NHL center and Kreider finally piece it all together.

Focusing on Zibanejad first, and what a year it has been for the 25-year-old who has achieved career highs in goals (30), assists (42), points (72) and points on the power play (23), averaging 0.91 points per game. He is also the only Ranger to have played in every game so far this year, logging on average 20:30 minutes of ice time per game.

That goals total could be more, though, given that the center has hit the goalpost 11 times, ranked tied third in the NHL.

He also leads the Rangers in game winning goals with five.

This rebuild needs a star and Zibanejad has seized that mantle in emphatic fashion, proving that he can slug it out with the best of the best in the NHL.

In a year that has seen unprecedented offensive production in the NHL – five players have reached the 100 point plateau so far – Zibanejad ranks 43rd overall in points but he has shown that he belongs in the conversation when it comes to discussing the big league’s upper echelon of stars.

This could only be the beginning of the Swede’s offensive surge, too, but more on that later.

Kreider has to take a portion of the credit for Zibanejad’s breakout year, and he would also be quick to thank his line-mate for contributing towards his own remarkable season.

After showing only flashes of his undoubted talent since being drafted 19th overall in 2009 by the Rangers, Kreider has exploded into life in 2018-19, bringing a much more polished two-way game to the table.

He has come off the boil somewhat during the closing stages of the season, although a couple of nagging injuries no doubt played a part in that lack of production.

Posing as a modern day power forward, the 27-year-old has stepped up in every way possible, becoming a leader for this young roster and leading by example on and off the ice.

Kreider combines raw pace and brutal power to devastating effect and those attributes have helped him pot 27 goals and 24 assists for 51 points this year.

He also puts a hell of a shift in the defensive zone too and isn’t one to shirk away from the nasty side of the game.

Nonetheless, the left-wing needs just one goal, one assist and one point to equal career highs in all three categories, and he has two games in which to achieve this.

In terms of the future, the Rangers have control over Zibanejad until 2022 and Kreider will become a free agent after next season.

The Rangers face a tough decision on whether or not to offer their asset an extension, if they opt against that then Kreider will become the next prime candidate to be dealt at next year’s trade deadline.

If Kreider is extended, then both players should be considered long-term pieces of this rebuild and they will be if they can conjure up a repeat of their offensive production from this year.

Who should slot in on the top line alongside them?

Since Zuccarello’s departure a number of players have tried their luck, including Jesper Fast and Jimmy Vesey.

Fast enjoyed an offensive splurge whilst playing on the top line last season but, due to his hustle and bustle style of play, he would be best suited to a bottom six role in order to bring balance to the forward unit.

One player who has stood out on the top line as of late is Pavel Buchnevich, who missed the loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday after being a game time decision.

Despite that setback, it has been a good week for the Russian who tallied his 20th goal of the season and his 100th career NHL point in the 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday.

Currently riding a seven game point streak, all of them coming on the top line, Buchnevich has come of age this season and the tough love of head coach David Quinn seems to be paying dividends.

Although only a small sample size, the trio of Kreider-Zibanejad-Buchnevich could make for an intriguing and deadly top line, one which could be given a lengthy audition during training camp and the preseason.