New York Rangers: Midterm report card
By Steve Paulus
Defense
Anthony DeAngelo, Grade B+
Quarter season grade B+: 6 goals, 9 assists, 15 points, 17 PIM, -4 rating
Midseason record: 8 goals, 21 assists, 29 points, 23 PIM, +3 rating
DeAngelo hasn’t lost a beat this season. His point production has held steady the second quarter, though with more assists than goals. He’s the quarterback on the first power play unit and is one of the top offensive defenseman in the league.
All of that has made him the most trade-able asset at the deadline after Kreider. His $925k salary will make him attractive to a cap burdened contender and his status as a restricted free agent would mean he is more than a rental. The bottom line is the team doesn’t need DeAngelo, Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba and DeAngelo is the one that would go.
One plea. The Rangers should definitely try DeAngelo at forward. The team has no depth at forward and DeAngelo could be a decent option on the wing, but only if they give it a try. It worked with Ron Greschner and Reijo Ruotsalainen, it could work with DeAngelo.
Adam Fox, Grade A
Quarter season grade A : 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points, 6 PIM, +6 rating
Midseason record: 5 goals, 17 assists, 22 points, 16 PIM, +3 rating
Adam Fox has quietly insinuated himself into the Calder Trophy conversation and if he keeps playing the way he did over the last 20 games, he will warrant serious consideration. Not only is he skilled, but pay attention to his game and you see how smart he is. His play has made DeAngelo expendable and Fox should be a fixture on the power play for many years.
The key question for Fox in the second half will be how he holds up. Last season at Harvard and at the WJC he played 41 games, the same total he has already played this season. As a 17-year old he did play 96 games in junior hockey so he should be prepared.
Libor Hajek, Grade C+
Quarter season grade B+: 0 goals, 4 assists, 4 points, 8 PIM, -2 rating
Midseason record: 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, 12 PIM, -2 rating
Libor Hajek played only eight games in the second quarter before sustaining a knee injury that has sidelined him for over a month. He is close to returning and could see some time in Hartford to get back in shape.
The injury came at a fortuitous time for Hajek as his game had slipped. He spent the first part of the season teamed with with Jacob Trouba on the top defense tandem, but had been replaced by Brady Skjei and was spending time with Tony DeAngelo. It was clear that the heavy minutes and schedule had an effect on the young defenseman as he had been slumping before the injury. The future is still bright for this defensive defenseman, a role the Rangers desperately need to fill.
Ryan Lindgren, Grade B+Quarter season grade B+: 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points, 10 PIM, +4 ratingMidseason record:
The pairing of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren has become automatic for David Quinn as he has placed enormous faith in the two 21-year olds. Lindgren is the perfect complement to Fox’s offensive play, a stay-at-home defenseman who clears the crease and takes the body.
Is Lindgren prone to mistakes? Absolutely. But he is very cool under pressure and rarely makes a bonehead move in the defensive zone. Lindgren has shown the leadership qualities they Rangers talked about when they traded for him, but no one expected the progress he has made in his second year as a professional.
Brady Skjei, Grade C-
Quarter season grade D+: 2 goals, 6 assists, 8 points, 14 PIM, -1 rating
Midseason record: 5 goals, 12 assists, 17 points, 35 PIM, +1 rating
There’s no doubt about it, Brady Skjei is the favorite target when it comes to the ire of Ranger fans. His proclivity for making dumb plays in the defensive zone drives fans crazy, but his biggest issue is inconsistency.
One game Skjei will show the offensive ability and confidence that earned him a longterm $5 million contract. The next game he will be tentative and make cringeworthy mistakes. Now, the rumors are that the Blueshirts are trying to trade him while he still has value. Despite all the issues he does have value and is headed for the most productive season of his career.
Marc Staal, Grade C+
Quarter season grade C: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 8 PIM, +2 rating
Midseason record: 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points, 12 PIM, +3 rating
At the 20 game mark it looked like Marc Staal’s career had hit a wall. A healthy scratch for the first time in his career, it looked like he would be riding the bench for most of the rest of the season. Then, Libor Hajek hurt his knee and Staal was back in the lineup and he became an asset.
Though he is still slow, Staal’s experience shows and he continues to kill penalties and play tough minutes. It’s exactly what Staal needs, to play sheltered minutes and focus on defense. He definitely helps the team in that role and as the elder statesman on the blue line, he has provided leadership to the Baby Blueshirts.
Jacob Trouba, Grade B
Quarter season grade B- : 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points, 14 PIM, +1 rating
Midseason record: 6 goals, 15 assists, 21 points, 16 PIM, -1 rating
Jacob Trouba is doing exactly what the Rangers want him to do. Is it worth $8 million a year? That’s a good question, but at this point in the season he is on target to set a personal best in goals and come close to his career high in points.
Trouba is also one of the Rangers who actually shoots the puck. He has 109 shots on goal when his previous career high was 162. He has an issue hitting the net, proven by the fact that he has 207 shot attempts. This isn’t anything new. Last season in Winnipeg he had 367 shot attempts with only 162 ending up on net.
Trouba is a workhorse, playing just under 23 minutes per game, a full two minutes more than Mika Zibanejad who is next. He is doing all of this despite being third in power play ice time among Rangers defensemen. Expectations were high for Trouba based on the big contract and while he isn’t an all-star, he’s been a pretty solid addition and will be around for a long time.
Summing up
It’s been a strange season for the New York Rangers. High hopes for playoff contention has given way to the reality that they are a flawed team headed for the draft lottery once again. With the playoffs a pipe dream, the preoccupation will be with the kids and how they grow over the rest of the season along with trade speculation that will reach a fever pitch in mid-February.
There will be some disagreement about grades. That’s to be expected, they are subjective. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts.
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