Redrafting the New York Rangers part 2: Paying for a contender
Redrafting the New York Rangers, year by year
This is the second of a three part series looking at the New York Rangers NHL Entry Draft selections from 2003 to 2019. Did the Blueshirts make the right selection or would they do it differently? In our second installment, we’ll look at 2009-13 when the team began spending its way into Stanley Cup contention. No price was too high.
If you missed part one of this series you can find it – here.
The phrase, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” exists for a legitimate reason. It’s not solely for the everyman and everywoman hoping to find stardom under the bright lights of Broadway. It’s for its athletes too.
The New York Yankees, the Knicks, the Jets, the Giants – our Rangers; New York athletes are held to a higher standard. If you perform, fans will love you, remember you, place you on a pedestal, but… if you falter, if you fail to meet (or surpass) expectations, you will be ostracized even condemned for it.
The higher you’re drafted, the chances for an even greater fall…
And the same standards apply for their front offices – Win or you’re out. In New York, making the playoffs doesn’t qualify as winning; not even close. It’s not enough to win a round or two of postseason play. In order for the New York Rangers to be deemed successful, they need to win the Stanley Cup. That is the only measurement for the franchise’s success.
Historical Context
We’re picking up where we left off in the year 2009.
Coach Tom Renney is out. Under his leadership the New York Rangers made strides to becoming a threat in the NHL once again. He led the franchise to four consecutive playoff appearances, however, as stated above, that wasn’t enough. Renney’s efforts peaked with appearances in the conference semifinals and after a slow start to a 2008-09 season, with there being a real risk of the Rangers falling short of the playoffs, Renney has been replaced by TSN analyst and the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, John Tortorella.
In addition, between the 2007-08 and 2008-09 off-season, in an attempt to overcome the hurdle and make it into the second round, the New York Rangers have signed free agents Wade Redden, Markus Naslund, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. Then they would go on to sign Marian Gaborik in 2009 and Brad Richards in 2011. Spend, spend, spend…
At this point, the New York Rangers’ mistakes have only been in dealing out finances, not potential picks and assets… we’ll get there later.
But for now, here’s a reexamination of who the team drafted and could have drafted.
2009 – Original Selection #19 Chris Kreider
The Boston College prospect was an immediate shot of adrenaline for the New York Rangers in the 2011-12 Stanley Cup playoffs. Not many players make their debut in the postseason and even fewer stay in the lineup for the duration of a Cup run. Chris Kreider did both.
The hype for Kreider was real. With his 220 lb., 6’3″ frame, his ability to drive to the net and with the mentorship of Rick Nash, Chris Kreider had all the trimmings to be the next great Power Forward in the league. Fans suspected it was a matter of time before he eclipsed 35 goals a season consistently.
However, Chris Kreider has yet to hit the 30-goal mark. Had the season continued this year, there was a chance for Kreider finally get over the hump, but in eight seasons, the Boxford, Massachusetts native has topped off at 28 goals twice.
Rangers fans have articulated their frustrations with Chris Kreider over the years. He works so hard and does so many things right, but it seems like there’s another level to his game that he can’t tap into for whatever reason. When he plays north-south hockey, Chris Kreider is a real problem for opposing teams.
New Selection: Chris Kreider
Would fans rather have Ryan O’Reilly who was drafted 33rd overall? Most would, but Chris Kreider is a leader on the Rangers roster today and has proven to be the player that the New York Rangers hoped for when they selected him 19th out of the NCAA. You can argue whether they should have traded him at the most recent trade deadline instead of resigning him, but Chris Kreider has been a consistent fixture that any team would be lucky to have.
Other notable players available:
#21 John Moore, #24 Marcus Johansson, #26 Kyle Palmieri, #35 Kyle Clifford, #39 Jakob Silfverberg, #60 Tomas Tatar
2010 – Original Selection #10 Dylan McIlrath
After failing to make the playoffs in John Tortorella’s first full year in New York, the New York Rangers ended up with a top-ten draft pick. However, they didn’t put it to proper use.
Scouts recognized that Dylan McIlrath – nicknamed “The Undertaker” – was a weak skater prior to the 2010 draft. His size and toughness were enticing, but the game was evolving at the NHL level and McIlrath’s style of play was already an anomaly in the league already. So, why in the heck did the Rangers select him? Especially when they could have had a slew of other players.
In a 2010 Bleacher Report article written by Alan Bass, Bass addresses the curious case of Dylan McIlrath – “Some scouts have McIlrath dropping down to a team late in the first-round, such as the Red Wings, Penguins or Coyotes, while one NHL.com writer has McIlrath going seventh overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning to complement Victor Hedman to create what would most likely be the tallest defensive pairing in NHL history.”
Perhaps the Rangers felt they were getting a steal with McIlrath with the 10th pick?
His style of game works at the Junior level when you’re trying to stand out for scouts. At 6’5″ and 215-pounds, it’s nearly impossible to not stand out, but on the other side of that coin, at that size, all of your errors are magnified. Everyone from the coaching staff to fans in the rafters notice when a 6’5″ defenseman is struggling on the ice.
Outside of Hugh Jessiman in 2003 this might be the most infuriating selection on any part of this list. So many players drafted after McIlrath have gone on to have tremendous careers.
New Selection: Vladimir Tarasenko
There was speculation whether the Russian player would want to make the transition from the newly founded KHL to the NHL. There was speculation if he would live up to being called ‘the Ovechkin of Novosibirsk.‘ There was speculation whether his lower production in the KHL would translate to the NHL. However, there was never any speculation about his talent.
Ten years later and the four-time 30-goal scorer, one-time 40-goal scorer has silenced the speculation. He may not be Alexander Ovechkin, but he is still a sure fire scoring machine. The 28-year old has been selected to the All-Star game three times and has shared the Stanley Cup with the city of Novosibirsk.
Additional Selection: Jesper Fast
Selected in the sixth-round with the Carolina pick acquired in the Bob Sanguinetti trade, Jesper Fast has developed into a leader in the Rangers’ organization. Fast has been the recipient of the New York Rangers Player’s Player Award for four consecutive seasons. He is only the third-player to accomplish such a feat. The only other two are Jean Ratelle and Brian Leetch.
Other notable players available:
#12 Cam Fowler, #14 Jaden Schwartz, #19 Nick Bjugstad, #21 Riley Sheahan, #24 Kevin Hayes, #26 Evgeny Kuznetsov, #28 Charlie Coyle, #30 Brock Nelson, #37 Justin Faulk, #47 Tyler Toffoli, #59 Jason Zucker
2011 – Original Selection #15 J.T. Miller
It was a punch to the gut when the Rangers traded away Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller on the same day in the same trade. There were rumors speculating that fans would be losing McDonagh, but we didn’t expect to lose Miller with him.
J.T. Miller plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. He’ll punish you on the boards and on the scoresheet. There were reports that his ability to trash talk got him in trouble early on with his teammates, coaches and opposing players. Miller was “put in his place” a few times, but the skilled prospect could back up the “chirping” in more ways than one.
Still only 27-years old, Miller is coming off of his best season to date in Vancouver. It appears that Miller was looking for a change of scenery and has found the right fit with his third home with the Canucks.
New Selection: J.T. Miller
Nikita Kucherov may be the best player to come out of this draft, but the Rangers couldn’t have predicted he would be the player he is today.
Trade Note:
J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh were traded to Tampa Bay on February 26th, 2018 for Libor Hajek, Brett Howden, Vladislav Namestnikov, a first round pick in the 2018 draft (Nils Lundkvist) and conditional second round pick in the 2019 draft (Karl Henriksson).
Critics have been skeptical of this trade to date. The return for Miller and McDonagh is surely sizeable in terms of quantity, but it remains to be seen if this ultimately was a one-sided trade.
Other notable players available:
#20 Connor Murphy, #27 Vladislav Namestnikov, #30 Rickard Rakell, #43 Andrew Saad ,#58 Nikita Kucherov, #64 Vincent Trocheck #104 Johnny Gaudreau
2012- Original Selection #28 Brady Skjei
2012 all said and done was a weak draft class. The first-overall pick, Nail Yakupov, isn’t even in the league anymore. Former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager, Brian Burke, recently said in an interview with Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets that “[Yakupov’s] draft interview was the worst interview I’ve ever had in my life.” Hindsight – Burke had a strong sense of what was to come for Yakupov.
A few gems emerged, mostly goalies, but not too many skaters after the 28th overall pick. Brady Skjei’s biggest issue is that he wasn’t living up to the costly contract he signed. Skjei burst into the league with a dominant rookie season. He put up 39 points in 80 games and the young defensemen seemed to be a fixture for years to come. However, cap needed to be shed and Skjei became the most expendable player this year’s trade deadline. Brady Skjei was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for a first-round pick and some needed cap space.
New Selection: Brady Skjei
He just got too expensive. There’s nothing wrong with the selection here. I’m sure most New York Rangers fan would love to have him back… for the right price, of course.
Other notable players available:
#30 Tanner Pearson, #38 Phil Di Giuseppe, #44 Jake McCabe, #55 Chris Tierney, #60 Damon Severson, #66 Jimmy Vesey, #78 Shayne Gostisbehere, #83 Matt Murray, #86 Colton Parayko, #95 Josh Anderson
2013 – Original Selection #65: Adam Tambellini
According to a 2018 article in The Hockey News, third-round selections make up for 8.4% of the league’s skater. Adam Tambellini has not been and is not currently a part of that percentage.
Adam Tambellini was initially expected to be selected much higher. Prior to the 2013 draft, Tambellini finished 42nd in draft rankings. He had solid bloodlines, the son of Steve Tambellini, a veteran of 10 NHL seasons and GM of the Oilers. Tambellini signed an entry-level contract, played three solid seasons for the Hartford Wolf Pack and then the Rangers opted to not resign him. He was signed by the Ottawa Senators and played for their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators in 2018-19.
Now age 25, Adam Tambellini played 2019-20 in Sweden for MODO Hockey Ornskoldsvik. He finished third on the team in points and first on the team in PPG.
Being that this was in the third-round and Tambellini was expected to go much higher, there’s no real resentment towards this selection. Especially since the Rangers all in all had a successful draft.
New Selection: Jake Guentzel
Originally selected with the 77th pick, Jake Guentzel has developed into a legitimate All-Star. Jake Guentzel was voted to his first All-Star game this season, however, immediately after scoring his 200th career point, he crashed into the boards shoulder first and was sidelined for four to six months.
It helps when you play on a line with Sidney Crosby, but Guentzel, still only 25 years old, registered 40 goals in just his third season in the NHL. The only other player from the 2013 draft to score more than 40 goals in a season is Nathan MacKinnon.
In 243 games Jake Guentzel has scored 200 points.
Additional Selection(s) #75: Pavel Buchnevich, #80: Anthony Duclair
Going back to that 8.4% – two of the three Rangers’ third-round selections play in the NHL today. Not only are Pavel Buchnevich and Anthony Duclair playing, but thriving. Buchnevich is a fixture in the lineup and plays top-six minutes for the Blueshirts today. Duclair bounced around from Arizona (part of the Keith Yandle trade) to Chicago to Columbus (where John Tortorella ripped his game apart) to where he now plays stick-and-puck in Ottawa. The Senators have offered Anthony Duclair an opportunity to flourish and so far he has done just that.
Draft Note(s):
The New York Rangers traded their first-round pick away as part of the Rick Nash trade. They sent Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and the Rangers’ 2013 first-round pick to Columbus for Nash, Steven Delisle and a conditional third-round pick (Pavel Buchnevich). The mentality – Win now.
2013 began a four-year stretch where the New York Rangers went without a first-round pick.
Other notable players available:
#66 Brett Pesce, #79 Mattias Janmark-Nylen, #89 Oliver Bjorkstrand, #104 Andrew Copp #123 Will Butcher
Up Next
2009 to 2013 was far more successful in terms of the talent drafted. However, of the four first-round picks on this list, only Chris Kreider is still on the roster today. Dylan McIlrath plays part-time for an atrocious Detroit team. Brady Skjei was traded away this past deadline and J.T. Miller is setting up a strong foundation in Vancouver. Of the first round draft picks we have profiled in the first two parts of our series, the only picks still on the roster are Chris Kreider and Marc Staal…
John Tortorella was (still is) a vocal coach. He was able to surpass Tom Renney in the postseason by reaching the Conference Finals, but was unable to maintain leadership over his players. It became evident that the players began to tune out their boisterous coach and in 2013 John Tortorella was fired for the soft spoken, gum-chewing, Alain Vigneault.
In our next installment we’ll look at the drafts (and the picks the Rangers could have had) in the years that the Rangers were closest to returning to glory and the fall from grace that followed.
light. Related Story. "Howe" about a near miss?
Brady Skjei instead of Colton Parayko? We are sure you have your own favorite choices so feel free to let us know in our comments section below.