New York Rangers Stock Market: Ending the season with hope

After a long, difficult ride, the 2018-2019 NHL regular season has officially come to an end for the New York Rangers. How did the last few games of the campaign pan out for them?

Record for last week of the season:
4-2 L @ NJD
4-1 L vs. OTT
3-2 SOL vs. CBJ
4-3 OTW @ PIT

Record for the 2018-2019 season: 32-36-14 (78 points)

Standings for the 2018-2019 season:
26th overall in the NHL
12th in the Eastern Conference
Seventh in the Metropolitan Division

During the last week of the NHL regular season, it was unclear what the New York Rangers were playing for. They were clearly at the bottom of the league, but they still had a group of players enjoying personal success.

Would they have to “tank” for a better draft pick? Would young players try to make a final push for a roster spot next year?

Fortunately, the team and fans got the best of both worlds. The Rangers lost all but one of their final four games.

Two were in regulation against the Devils and Senators, and one in a shootout in the final home game of the year versus the Blue Jackets. Despite the overtime win against the Penguins, the Rangers were still able to obtain the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

In the 4-2 loss to New Jersey, the Rangers’ goals were scored by Brett Howden from Connor Brickley and Neal Pionk and Filip Chytil from Vinni Lettieri and Tony DeAngelo. While falling 4-1 to Ottawa, the lone New York goal was notched by Lias Andersson from Vladislav Namestnikov and Brendan Smith.

In the thrilling shootout loss to Columbus, The Rangers’ goals were courtesy of Chris Kreider from Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich from Zibanejad and Ryan Strome. In the last game of the season, the final Rangers’ goals of 2018-2019 were scored by Smith, Brady Skjei from Kevin Shattenkirk, Namestnikov from Pionk, and Strome from Namestnikov.

Up: Vladislav Namestnikov

After a few dry spells throughout the year, Vladislav Namestnikov was one of the New York Rangers who got back on track for the final few games of the season. He had three points in the last four games of the campaign.

These points were made up of two assists and one goal. The 26-year-old had been slumping earlier in his campaign.

Unfortunately, he was going stretches of three, seven, and even up to ten games being held off of the scoresheet. The forward ended the season with 11 goals and 20 assists.

This made for a total of 31 points. While this wasn’t his best season, it also wasn’t his worst.

Vladislav Namestnikov was one of the players who had to prove himself this season. He came to New York in the massive Ryan McDonagh/J.T. Miller trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Being involved in such a huge trade almost put a target on Namestnikov’s back. Expectations were set high, considering how much McDonagh and Miller meant to the Rangers and their fans.

Ending the season like this helped the center show that he has been able to improve and live up to some of the expectations set for him. It might have even been an indicator of further improvement next season.

Down: Marc Staal

Unfortunately for Marc Staal, this was not the bounce-back season that he or any of his fans were hoping for. He ended the season on a 21-game pointless streak, making up over one-quarter of the season.

His last point was on February 17th, an assist against the Penguins. His last points before that were at the start of February, mid-January, and late December.

Though unrealistic, I was optimistic for Marc Staal going into the final few games of the 2018-2019 campaign. However, this season ended for him the same way nearly every other one has.

The defenseman had 13 points in 79 games (three goals and 10 assists). He was seventh last on the team in goals, eighth last in assists, seventh last again in points.

While he hasn’t quite measured up to his past self, this was Staal’s best campaign offensively in three seasons. Last year he only had eight points (one goal and seven assists) in 72 games, and the year before he scored just 10 (three goals and seven assists.

Hopefully, this summer will bring some positive change regarding the New York Rangers’ Marc Staal situation. A buyout or salary-dump type of trade would probably benefit them the most, after the season and finish that he had.

Up: Brendan Smith

After a streaky season, Brendan Smith was able to finish the season out strong. In his final four games of the year he recorded almost one-third of his points.

The defenseman turned winger had three points, one goal and two assists, in that stretch. He definitely needed them; they were his first points in four games.

Prior to that four-game pointless streak, he had another 14-game dry spell. Ending the season on a high note was crucial for the 30-year-old, and it’s for sure a promising sign to see that he actually did it.

Smith ends the season with 13 points (four goals and nine assists in 63 games), his best campaign since 2015-2016 with the Detroit Red Wings. He was also just one goal away from matching a career high.

Brendan Smith needed to have a bounce-back year more than most, after the perfect storm of misfortune that hit him last season. From coming into camp out of shape, to the string of healthy scratches, to the AHL stint, to the injury sustained, 2017-2018 was a dreadful year for him.

Finishing the year with three points in four games was huge for Smith. He still has two more years on his contract so he won’t be going anywhere.  With any luck, it’ll be a preview of what’s to come for him next season.