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If you were Rangers General Manager for a day

By Daniel Blanda

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 08: Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers takes a break during a stop in play in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on December 8, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rangers defeated the Golden Knights 5-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 08: Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers takes a break during a stop in play in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on December 8, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Rangers defeated the Golden Knights 5-0. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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David Quinn of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Recapping this season

Injuries had plagued the roster up until the stoppage. Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Buchnevich were in that odd car accident in Brooklyn. Then Chris Kreider went down only days after signing his extension. For all its faults the pandemic did one right: it gave the Rangers time to get healthy.

A completely healthy lineup

COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 10: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers lines up for a face-off during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 10, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 10: Pavel Buchnevich #89 of the New York Rangers lines up for a face-off during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 10, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

Chris Kreider – Mika Zibanejad – Jesper Fast

Artemi Panarin – Ryan Strome – Pavel Buchnevich

Brendan Lemieux – Filip Chytil – Kappo Kakko

Julien Gauthier – Brett Howden – Greg McKegg

Marc Staal – Tony DeAngelo

Brendan Smith – Jacob Trouba

Ryan Lindgren – Adam Fox

Igor Shesterkin

Henrik Lundqvist

Alexander Georgiev

Team Strengths

  • 5th in Goals For with 233. Only Tampa, Toronto, Colorado and Washington have scored more.
  • The 7th best Power Play with 22.9%
  • 7th most blocks with 896
  • 4th highest even-strength PDO

Team Weaknesses

  • The 8th worst team in Goals Against with 222.
  • The 9th worst Penalty Kill with 77.4%
  • 20th in Shots Per Game – Meaning the Rangers are shooting at an extremely high percentage.
  • 2nd worst team in shots against per game with 34.0
  • 2nd worst team in Face Off win percentage.
  • Collective Corsi For Percentage of 46.6% (29th in the league)
  • Only Kappo Kakko, Ryan Lindgren, Greg McKegg and Lias Andersson have more takeaways than giveaways.

Glaring holes

We all know this is an imperfect, flawed team. No one expected this team to win the Cup this season, but thanks to the added qualifying tournament, it’s no longer an impossibility. Vegas has the New York Rangers at a +4000. Which would be a nice payout, but also proves it’s not an improbability.

The majority of problems and questions predating the start of 2019-20 season remain the problems and questions of now: Face offs, Penalty Kills, Lack of experience, a true Second-Line Center and Contract Purgatory. And the biggest question/dilemma still is between the pipes.

So, though we are in a a fantasy world, I am trying to keep the following proposals as realistic as possible. Trust me, I would trade Brendan Smith and Marc Staal for a 1997 Beanie Baby (which are alarmingly expensive) if I could, but both Smith and Staal have NTC’s and NMC’s.

All of these players are potential people that the Rangers could pursue post COVID.

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