When watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a fan of the New York Rangers cannot help but wonder how the Blueshirts would have fared if they had made the cut. Would they have been gone down meekly as they did against the Hurricanes last season? Would they have been been competitive, but not as good as the top seed they would have ended up playing? Would they have been a Cinderella story, springing upset after upset?
It’s easy to be pessimistic, recalling the way the Rangers ended the season, dominated in rapid succession by the Islanders and Bruins before pulling out the season finale. But you have to imagine how they would have played with Jacob Trouba, Ryan Lindgren, Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin in the lineup.
From watching the Islanders, Penguins, Capitals and Bruins, you have to believe that the Rangers could have been competitive. The big difference when it comes to the Blueshirts and these teams is forward depth. While the Rangers top two lines can compete with any team in the NHL, their third and fourth lines are where the team falls short.
It’s not for lack of skill, but more from a lack of experience. The simple fact is that young players like Alexis Lafrenière, Kaapo Kakko, Vitali Kravsov and Filip Chytil have not been through the playoff wars and they need that experience. The Rangers depth on the fourth line is just not that strong, comparing badly against the Cizikas-Martin-Clutterbuck or Dowd-Hagelin-Hathaway combinations.
In the playoffs, depth is crucial. Top lines can be shut down. Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryn Rust combined for 69 goals in the regular season. In the playoffs, combined, they have scored twice in four games. Meanwhile, for teams like Colorado and Vegas, they best players have carried their teams.
A lot has been made of the Rangers lack of toughness, mostly due to Tom Wilson’s shenanigans. With Trouba and Lindgren in the lineup their toughness wouldn’t have been questioned as much, but the simple fact that they were out of the lineup focused attention on the Rangers perceived “softness.” If either blueliner was unable to play, the team would have suffered. Watching the playoffs, there’s no doubt that K’Andre Miller needs to improve his physical game to complement his long reach and speed.
The big question in watching these games is how the kids would have fared. We know what to expect from Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich, Ryan Strome, Kreider and Panarin. Could Lafrenière, Kakko, Kravtsov, Chytil, Miller and company been able to elevate their games to a playoff intensity that they have never experienced?
One area where the Rangers were lacking and would have been disastrous was on the faceoff dots. It’s no mystery why seven of the nine worst teams at winning faceoffs this season missed the playoffs.
In the postseason when draws are absolutely crucial, especially on special teams and late in one goal games (which most seem to be so far), this would have absolutely killed the Blueshirts.
Meanwhile, a couple ex-Rangers are having good playoffs, raising more questions about how the team assesses its players.