2019-20 New York Rangers report card: Tony Bitetto

The New York Rangers hope an under the radar free agent signing will exceed expectations

We continue our series of New York Rangers report cards. In a look at the final defenseman in our series, we look at a new face, his last season and provide some expectations for the coming season.

Tony Bitetto: Grade B

When the Rangers announced the signing of Anthony Bitetto, it was met with a fair amount of indifference. All that was known was that he had become a semi-regular for the Winnipeg Jets and had tested positive for COVID-19 in June. Of special interest for the Blueshirts was the fact that he is a native of Island Park on Long Island and is a lifelong Rangers fan. Signing with the Rangers is probably his dream, though he will have to give up the uniform number two that he has worn in honor of Brian Leetch.

The fact is that Bitetto is 30-year old left shot defenseman who has played parts of six seasons in the NHL. He is coming off the season when he played the most games in his career. He’s a bargain, signing a two year deal for an annual cap hit of $737,500.

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Upon further examination, it turns out that Bitetto looks to be a good addition to the team. He is apparently a great locker room presence who is content to fill in as the seventh defenseman. He’s a vocal teammate who knows his limitations and plays hard whenever he gets the chance. At 6’2″, 210 pounds he has decent size and knows how to use it.

When he was signed as a free agent by Winnipeg in the summer of 2019 he told The Athletic (subscription required) , “I didn’t know what to expect coming to Winnipeg. I just wanted to come and be myself. I just came in with the mentality of not trying to do too much. I was just going to compete hard, play hard. Just be a first-pass guy and compete. To be a PK guy, block shots and be physical and stuff like that. I try to have fun as much as possible.” He continued, “I’ve always been a team guy. It wasn’t really a challenge for me to fit in. That’s just how I am. I don’t think it’s something you can fake, if that makes sense.”

His season

In his one season with the Jets he played 51 games, 15 more than he had ever played in one season. He didn’t score a goal but chipped in with eight assists while averaging 15:10 minutes of ice time. It’s the most he has ever played in his career.

He was second on the team in hits with 145, 20 behind former Ranger Neal Pionk who played in 20 more games. His 11.25 hits per 60 minutes was the third most of any NHL defenseman who played in over 50 games. Look at him leveling Anaheim Ducks’ Ondrej Kase and then getting wwhupped by Erik Gudbranson.

Erik Gudbranson answered the bell after @NHLJets Anthony Bitetto hit @AnaheimDucks Ondrej Kase. 🥊 pic.twitter.com/rtuFIBaHeO
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 30, 2019

He was seventh on the Jets in blocked shots with 50 and his plus/minus rating of +3 was the first time he has been on the plus side in his career. Interestingly, in the eight games that Bitetto had the most ice time, the Jets never lost.

That’s the good. Critics will point to his possession stats when looking at his performance. His Corsi For % of 46.84 at even strength was sixth best on the Jets defense. It’s worth noting that on the Rangers, that Corsi rating would have been third best on the team.

The Jets scored 29 goals with him on the ice at even strength and they gave up the same number. The Jets were also more apt to risk high danger scoring chances when he was on the ice, giving up 145 as opposed to attempting 99 of their own.

It appears that Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice loved having Bitetto around, citing his sense of humor and his team spirit. It will be interesting to see if he has the same impact on David Quinn.

The numbers

Games: 51
Goals: 0
Assists: 8
Points: 8
PIMs: 32
Plus/Minus: +3
Blocked shots: 50
Hits: 145 (2nd most on the team, 16th most in NHL)
ATOI: 15:10
Corsi–For: 47.1%

Why the grade?

In the NHL you get what you pay for and when the return exceeds the investment, it’s worth a good grade. Tony Bitetto had a solid season considering his $700k salary. For that he got kudos from his coaches and teammates. His numbers were very similar to those of Jack Johnson with Pittsburgh. For Johnson, his $3.25 million cap hit brought vilification and a social media backlash. So a B for Bitetto and those 145 hits.

Expectations

Bitetto is being factored in as a sixth or seventh defenseman. But considering the left-shot blueliners on the roster, after Ryan Lindgren, the order is up for grabs. Bitetto has to be a factor in the competition to partner with Jacob Trouba along with Libor Hajek, Brendan Smith and K’Andre Miller.

It may not be the best scenario for a player like Bitetto to actually be on the short list for a regular slot on the Rangers defense, but in the team’s quest to be “harder to play against” the physical element that he brings to the table has to be an asset for him. On the Rangers, only Jacob Trouba and Brendan Lemieux had more hits last season than Bitetto did for Winnipeg.

No matter where he ends up, there is no doubt that he will be an asset for the team whether as a regular on the blueline, a part-time defender or a cheerleader from the pressbox. It’s good for him to go into the season with low expectations. All he can do is exceed them.