The New York Rangers fell short of destiny last season, after securing the Presidents' Trophy for the first time since the magical 1994 Stanley Cup-winning season. What went wrong? Were they not strong enough, not big enough to make a lasting impact on their opponents in the postseason? Let's take a look.
Analyzing the Height and Weight
Looking at the Rangers roster, they certainly do have a lot of bigger bodies. According to Leftwinglock.com, they have the ninth-tallest, and 12th-heaviest roster in the NHL according to average height and weight.
Those are some respectable rankings, and if you break it down even further, they are ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference in both of those categories. It is safe to say, they have enough force on the roster to really make a difference.
Breaking down the squad, the Rangers have a few players listed at 6'7". All three of which play the center of the ice, Adam Edstrom, Dylan Roobroeck, and of course, Matt Rempe. The highlight here is of course the phenomenon in Rempe, and how he has seemingly become everyone's favorite player overnight. He is the muscle on this team, and his height helps assert fear into the opposition.
Flipping the sheet around to the bottom, the Rangers also have a number of smaller players as well. Evidently, these shorter, lighter players are among some of the top talent on the team. For height, winger Brett Berard is the smallest at 5'9", but close to him is center Vincent Trochek at 5'11". Trochek was the second-highest scorer from last season with 77 points.
Of course, height isn't necessairly the only thing you need to have a punsihing hockey team, you also need some heavier guys that can really throw their bodies around. This is particularly true in the playoffs, as the hitting and agressiveness is heightened to an 11 on nearly every single hockey play. The Rangers heaviest player on the roster is, you guessed it, Rempe at 241 pounds.
Again, if you look at the lightest player on the Rangers roster, and amongst the bottom of the page, you see some top-tier blueshirts. The lighetest player on the team is center Ryder Korczak at 171 pounds. Hovering around that 170+ pound mark is the leading scorer from last season, Artemi Panarin at 175 pounds.
It is safe to say that the Rangers have rounded out their roster quite nicely if you look at the average height and weight of the rest of the NHL. What surprised you the most after looking at these particular metrics of the Rangers roster?