One former NY Rangers player we wish never left in 2024
The NY Rangers have talent all over the ice, but their 2024-25 outlook would be even better had one of their free agents not walked.
Sometimes, it’s the more underrated players you miss the most, and the NY Rangers had an ultra-cost-effective blueliner head for the Motor City in the 2024 offseason. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m talking about Erik Gustafsson, who I ranked fourth among Detroit Red Wings defensemen a little over a week ago.
Gustafsson has enjoyed quite a few impressive seasons in the NHL dating back to what was a breakout year with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018-19, when he scored 17 goals and added another 43 assists for 60 points. He also enjoyed a fine season in 2022-23 with his second career 40-plus-point season before coming to and putting up 31 points for the Blueshirts.
Remy Mastey of The Hockey News recently reported Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman’s thoughts on Gustafsson. Yzerman said, “On the back end, Erik Gustafsson will contribute to some of the offense lost with Shayne Gostisbehere and Jake Walman’s goals. Hopefully we can keep a few more out of the net and maybe that nets out in a positive way.”
NY Rangers could miss having Erik Gustafsson in the lineup in 2024-25
To be clear, the Blueshirts don’t have a bad defensive rotation, but for a team hoping to make another deep playoff run and contend for the Stanley Cup, Gustafsson was an established, proven talent who could make an impact while logging between 16 and 17 minutes per contest.
He’s shown it time and again on the power play, not just in New York, but also in previous stops. For the record, the Blueshirts scored 13 times across the 98.4 minutes he was out there while on the man advantage, and it led to an on-ice shooting percentage of 15.7.
While he’s an older player, Gustafsson’s 25 assists, nine of which occurred on the power play, were the third-highest mark of his career. He moved the puck up the ice well and routinely helped the Rangers generate chances at even strength, which is something we can see in his Corsi For Percentage of 54.5, his highest mark since 2017-18 when he clocked in at 55.4, but in just 35 games.
Overall, Gustafsson was a sound asset during his lone season in New York, and there’s a 100 percent chance he’ll be the player Steve Yzerman expects him to be in the Motor City. The upside, though, is that the Rangers do have some intriguing blueliners, so maybe this won’t be much of a loss in hindsight.
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