New York Rangers: A recap of the 2019-20 regular season
By Derek McAdam
Team and player statistics/Major in-season transactions
Panarin led the Rangers in points with 95 through 69 games and was third-best in the league. Zibanejad led the team in goals with 41 in only 57 games and good for fifth-best in all of hockey. DeAngelo led all Ranger defensemen in points with 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points.
Shesterkin was the most effective goalie for the Rangers, putting up a 10-2-0 record in 12 starts with a .932 save percentage and a 2.52 GAA. Both Lundqvist and Alexander Georgiev finished with a save percentage below .910 and a GAA above 3.00. However, Georgiev ended the season with the most wins with 17.
Panarin’s +36 rating was a team-high whereas Kakko’s -26 was the team’s worst. Lemieux led the Rangers with 111 penalty minutes, followed by Brendan Smith’s 71.
Just two games into the Rangers season, Vladislav Namestnikov was traded to Ottawa for a fourth-round pick and minor league defenseman Nick Ebert. In his year and a half with the Rangers since coming over from Tampa in the Ryan McDonough trade, he was never able to replicate the point production from his time in Florida.
Two roster moves that were significant involved players promoted from Hartford. On October 29, the Rangers brought up both Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren. Chytil cemented his role as the third line center and Lindgren partnered with Adam Fox to form what many believe was the team’s best defensive pair.
On February 18, the Rangers traded Joey Keane to the Hurricanes for former first round pick Julien Gauthier. Gorton realized that his team was filled with young defensive prospects, but lacked forwards. Gauthier is not just a forward but is a 6’4″ aggressor who they hope can eventually become a solid playmaker.
At the trade deadline, Brady Skjei was traded to Carolina for a conditional 2020 first-round pick. The Rangers were able to clear $5.25 million in cap space with the move, possibly setting them up to re-sign some key performers.
The same day, Chris Kreider signed a seven-year extension after rumors were flying everywhere about the possibility of him being shipped to a major playoff contender. The extension was met with mixed reviews by Ranger fans. The second guessers had a field day when Kreider broke his foot four days after signing the deal.