New York Rangers: 20 thoughts for 20 games

The New York Rangers played their twentieth game of the season last night against the Buffalo Sabres.  Aside from the first few minutes of the game it was a relatively dull affair which is par for the course in games involving these two teams.

But the Rangers came away with the win and now sit at 8-9-3, not too terrible, but not nearly good enough for a playoff spot in the very competitive Eastern Division.

So what do we know after twenty games?  Here are some thoughts that Rangers fans have on their minds as the team prepares for a six game road trip to kick off the next portion of their schedule.

1-Jack Eichel

Really hate the fact that this has to be at the top of the list at this point in the season.  But it appears there is plenty of chatter about bringing “Mr. Not Connor McDavid” across the state to NYC.

Here is what ESPN’s John Buccigross said it would take for the Ranger to land Eichel.

That’s a hard pass for me.  Four first rounders and goalie?  For Eichel?  Nah.

2-Consistently inconsistent

The highs and lows experienced by Rangers fans so far this year don’t seem like they will be going away anytime soon.  Let’s just say that this is what makes the season so interesting. You really never know which team is going to show up.  Not saying that is a good thing.

3-Mika Zibanejad

There has been enough written about ZBJ already during the first twenty games.  Doesn’t look like we are getting any answers from either the player or the team at this point.  Please let it be some sort of nagging injury.

4-Alexis Lafrenière

Saw a ridiculous take on FanSided about how Alexis Lafrenière is one of the biggest disappointments in the NHL this season.  C’mon, this kid is anything but a disappointment.  No preseason, no training camp, only the express train to real NHL games.  He took a bit to get his feet wet, but you can really see what lies ahead for the most recent first overall pick.  He’s going to be really good.

5-The goalies

The tandem is starting to settle in, but Igor Shesterkin is making the more spectacular saves at this point.  Have to think he will get more of the workload going forward.

6-The defense

What a difference a year makes.  While there is still progress to be made, great strides have been taken.  This defensive unit is miles ahead of where the squad was last year.  Learning how to play with a lead is of utmost importance.

7-Tony D’Angelo

Eh, I think most fans are good without him.  The emergence of K’Andre Miller makes Tony D completely expendable.  Only question is can the Rangers move him and save some cash?

8-Jacob Trouba

Please hurry back.  The Rangers back-end can’t survive too much longer with both Jack Johnson and Brendan Smith holding down spots on the defense.  Which brings us to….

9-Libor Hajek

This guys deserves to stay in the line-up when Trouba returns.  Let hope he gets the fair shake he deserves and can stay healthy.  If the Rangers are not sold on Hajek then perhaps the kid can build his resume a bit and become a decent trade chip at the deadline.

10-Ryan Lindgren

This guy has got to be the front runner for the players-player award at this point.  Holy cow does he bring it every night.  Grit and determination.  You have to love this guy.  If he was a fighter, he would be a legend at MSG in no time.

11-Covid

Although Covid-19 protocols have not really hit the Rangers as hard as some other teams they are not unscathed. Let’s hope the worst is behind us.  Fans at MSG are nice to see, but it will be so much better when the house is full once again.

12-Kappo Kakko

You just have to feel bad for the kid at this point.  The young Finn just can’t seem to get everything to fall into place during his short NHL career.  The good news is he was really starting to excel prior to going on the Covid protocol list.  There were a couple of game in early February when he was the best Ranger on the ice.  That’s a good sign and one all fans should be thrilled about.

13-Four line shuffle

It’s hard to predict who will be on any of the four lines  prior to any Ranger game.  It’s harder to predict who will be on those lines by the time the game ends.  David Quinn tinkers with line combinations the way Pierre McGuire references obscure college coaches. Once all the main players are back and healthy let’s hope he settles in a bit….but you have to doubt it.

14-How we see it

Once Panarin and Kakko are back, the Rangers will essentially be back to full strength.  Here are the four lines we would like to see play together for just a while.

Kreider – Zibanejad – Buchnevich

Panarin – Strome – Blackwell

Lafreniere – Chytil – Kakko

Rooney – Howden – Gauthier

Discuss!

15-Artemi Panarin

The only thought that should concern Ranger fans at this point is why is it taking so long to get back?  Clearly no one has any understanding of what it is Panarin is actually dealing with, but the longer he is out, the more unsettling this whole thing becomes.

16-The Eastern Division

It’s going to take a few four or five game winning streaks to make a run at the playoffs.  Every game is just so valuable, every point a must.  As a Ranger fan you really don’t even know who to root for in the other divisional games night after night.  The only thing you can hope for is that each game not involving the Rangers is not a three point game.

17-Playoff prediction

Hate to say it, but it’s a miss at this point.  There are just too many good teams in the Eastern Division.  But hey, the list of unforeseen circumstance is still a long way from being entirely checked off.  If in fact the Rangers have seen the worst their adversity during the first half of the season, then maybe….just maybe….it all comes together for the last twenty games.

18-The rest of the NHL

Tampa Bay is certainly the real deal, and Vegas looks really good as well.  But do you trust that the Toronto Maple Leafs are as good as they appear?  The Canadian division seems to have some pretty bad teams.  Ottawa, Calgary and (surprise) Vancouver are not good.

19-Surprise teams

The Montreal Canadians certainly surprised the league early on, but they have found reality very quickly and were the first team to fire their coach.  Look for the spiral to continue.  The Chicago Blackhawks, L.A .Kings and the Minnesota Wild have to be the biggest surprises at this point. Oh, and a guy name Zuccarello is having a pretty good year for the Wild.

20-David Quinn

Is he or isn’t he the guy to lead this team?  Ask ten Ranger fans and you may get ten completely different long-winded responses.  He is certainly passionate about this team and you can see he genuinely cares for his players, but is that enough?

One step forward and two steps back gets old pretty quickly.  The debate about Quinn will continue through the season ebbing and flowing with the teams success and failure.  Nothing new there.

But please don’t let his previous relationship with Jack Eichel at Boston University be too much of a determining factor in whether or not the Rangers make a play for the Sabres center.  Fear the cost being too high.