Can the New York Rangers become the new Blackhawks?
By Steve Paulus
The New York Rangers rebuild was jump started this summer and they are nearly ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. How similar are they to the most successful team of the last decade?
The Chicago Blackhawks won three Stanley Cups in six years, making them the most successful team in the salary cap era. Are the New York Rangers the next version of this Blackhawks dynasty?
For many years, the Blackhawks were one of the most successful teams in the NHL, making the playoffs for 28 straight years between 1969 and 1997. When they fell, they fell hard, missing the playoffs nine out of ten years.
Following the 2004-05 lockout it took them five years to win a Cup. Their points totals improved from 65 to 71 to 88 to 104. After losing the the 2009 Western Conference Finals they went all the way in 2010 , beating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the Finals after a 112 point regular season.
Compare that to the Rangers. The Blueshirts were a playoff team for 12 of 13 seasons. When they fell, they fell hard, dropping to last place in the Metropolitan Division. The question is, will their arc back to success mirror Chicago’s?
To compare the teams its worth taking a look at how the championship Chicago Blackhawks team was built.
The forwards
The Blackhawks were fortunate to strike it rich in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft lottery when they moved from sixth to first place and were able to select Patrick Kane. The year before they had the third selection in the draft and picked center Jonathan Toews. Both prospects made their debuts in the 2007-08 season.
As a 19 year old rookie, Kane led Chicago in scoring with 21 goals and 72 points. In his third year, Kane again led the team in scoring as they won their first Stanley Cup since 1961. He finished second in playoff scoring, but led the team in 2013, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Kane’s parallel on the Rangers would be Kaapo Kakko.
Toews had been the third overall selection in the 2006 draft. He played one season at the University of North Dakota before turning pro in the 2007-08 season. The center immediately put up big numbers as a 19 year old, scoring 24 goals and finishing with 54 points. In the Stanley Cup year he centered the top line and had 68 points. He led the team in playoff scoring and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.
If there is a player on a parallel path on the Rangers, it would have to be Vitali Kravtsov.
One of the key players on the team was veteran center Patrick Sharp who had been acquired in a trade with the Flyers and quickly estabilshed himself as their best forward until the arrival of Kane and Toews.
Of course, that would be Mika Zibanejad.
Also on the team was veteran forward Marian Hossa. The 31 year old right wing was a stabilizing force on the team and brought some experience to a very young lineup. Before joining Chicago, the star forward had topped the 30 goal mark seven times and had a 100 point season in 2007.
After scoring 40 goals for Detroit in the 2008-09 season, he was signed by the Blackhawks to a big 12 year, $63 million contract. The right wing was a solid scorer and a key contributor for Chicago for the next eight years.
Can anyone say Artemi Panarin?
The Blackhawks also had big righthanded shooting power forward Dustin Byfuglien who notched 17 goals in 2009-10. One of the best late round draft picks ever, the 24 year old Byfuglien brought physical presence to the Blackhawks . He had been the 245th player selected in the eighth round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
The odd thing about Byfuglien was that after winning the Cup, the Hawks traded him to Atlanta in a blockbuster deal that was basically for draft picks. Chicago GM StanBowman explained at the time that it was strictly a salary cap deal.
The rest of the forwards were an assorted mix of players. Kris Versteeg, Colin Fraser, Andrew Ladd, Troy Brouwer and Dave Barker were not stars, but they had one thing in common, they were all 25 years old or younger. In fact, Thomas Kopecky was 27 and Ben Eager was 26, still young. The only forward over the age of 30 was veteran center John Madden who was 36.
The current mix of Rangers forwards mirror the Blackhawks. They are all young with a few exceptions such as the 28 year old Chris Kreider and the 27 year old Jesper Fast.