New York Rangers Report Card: Boo Nieves

When the New York Rangers opened camp in the fall of 2018,
Boo Nieves had a real opportunity to make the opening day roster.
But a hit to the head early in the pre-season put an end to his chances.

With the season over the for New York Rangers, there is still a lot to talk about.  We continue to grade the 2018-19  Rangers by turning to Boo Nieves.

Boo Nieves:  Grade B

Full disclosure, I am a big Boo Nieves fan. During a charity event last summer hosted by Alex Tuch of the Vegas Knights, Boo spent about 20 minutes talking to my then 11-year old daughter about who her favorite New York Rangers were. He listened intently as she rattled off Chris Kreider,  Henrik Lundqvist, Jesper Fast and of course she proclaimed her love for Mats Zuccarello. He spoke to her about each player and never batted an eye despite the fact she never mentioned his name. He was a class act.

When Boo was concussed by the Devils’ Eric Gryber during the first preseason game, my daughter cried, and now he is one of her favorites.

It is that concussion that derailed what could have been a breakout season for Boo Nieves.

He entered training camp in the last year of his entry-level deal with every reason to make this year his coming out party. There was new head coach David Quinn who was looking for an up-tempo game that seemed to suit Nieves’ size and speed. There were openings at the center position and his competition for those spots were rookies. A decent season on the ice could also mean a decent pay raise.

Unfortunately, the concussion put Nieves on the shelf for just about the rest of 2018.
He did not make his season debut for the Rangers until the middle of December.

Once Nieves did join the NHL team he spent all his time on the Rangers fourth line, getting fourth line minutes. He had a decent ten game stretch, scoring two goals and five assists before being sent back to Hartford in mid January for about a week, and then was recalled for the duration of the season.

Nieves did occasionally get some extra minutes on the penalty kill, though nothing too significant. His ice time did pick up just a bit after the trade deadline, and there were a few highlight moments like this assist on Strome’s OT winner in Toronto in late March.

But he also spent some time in street clothes as a healthy scratch as well.

On the ice Boo is a big body at 6’3″, 210 pounds, with fantastic skating ability. When he turns on the jets he is very noticeable on the ice. The problem is, you just didn’t see him use his size, or his speed often enough. You have to think there is a direct correlation between this latest concussion and that tentative play and that it is something that he can work past.

The Rangers must think the same thing, as Nieves signed one year extension for $700,000 at the end of February, a clear indication that the team see’s something in the 2012 second round pick.  Perhaps that the best is yet to come.

Why the grade?

What was expected from Boo Nieves this season?  It’s hard to imagine that any Rangers fan felt that he would be a major contributor to the team this season.  His stats for the year don’t reflect anything notable

However, by season’s end, it felt like there was a place for Nieves as a full-time fourth line center on the team.  That kind of makes you wonder what could have been if he had not missed the first few months of the season.

Look to next year and imagine Nieves as a fourth line center who also plays a major role on the penalty kill.  Imagine him playing faster and more physical without the specter of the concussion hanging over him.

With a strong summer of work, a little more coaching from David Quinn and some built up confidence, it’s not hard to imagine at all.

All this for a salary cap hit of $700,000. That seems like a really good deal for the Rangers. So let’s not judge Nieves based on his stat line. Lets grade him based on his perseverance this season and some realistic expectations for next.

Let’s look ahead to what his role can be on the team next year. Framed in that context, a grade of B is justly warranted…..for more reasons than just for how he treated my kid.

For that he gets an A+!

The numbers

Games: 43
Goals: 4
Assists: 6
Points: 10
ATOI: 9:39
Shooting Percentage: 11.8 %
Shots on Goal: 34
Plus / Minus: -4
PIM: 8
Hits: 33
Corsi For  %:  40.4
Faceoff %: 38.8%

Next Report Card: Neal Pionk