Rangers

New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin is Finally Playing to His Potential

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New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin got off to a very rough start in his 2021 campaign. His confidence was low, his outings were consistently poor, and the title of ‘starting goalie’ was non-existent. Shesterkin has rebounded nicely in recent games though, and the Rangers are playing their best hockey of the young season. Though it took longer than desired, he is playing like Broadway’s goalie of the future – and is only going to keep getting better.

How Igor Shesterkin is Finally Playing to His Potential:

His Early-Season Jitters Stopped

Over his first four starts of the season, Igor Shesterkin was extremely underwhelming. His .894 save percentage and 2.73 GAA were close to the bottom in the NHL among qualified goalies. He looked lost, confused, and tremendously anxious. On top of his poor play, the coaching staff didn’t do much to help. He was swapped with teammate Alex Georgiev after each start start, lowering his self-confidence even more. Even after stopping .920% of shots against the Sabres in a 3-2 overtime victory, head coach David Quinn sent Shesterkin to the bench. He was in desperate need of a spark to rejuvenate his play.

And on the first of February against the Penguins, he got that spark he needed. In a crucial game for the Rangers, Shesterkin stepped up in a huge way. He had his best outing of the season by a large margin, stopping .962% of shots faced, while allowing only one goal. The Rangers built off of his strong performance and won the game 3-1. It was exactly what he needed. And this time around, the coaching staff showed their belief in their goalie of the future, naming him the starter against Washington. 

His Hot-Streak Began

In a game on the fourth of February against the then one-loss Capitals, Shesterkin was magnificent once again. He stopped .939% of shots and allowed two goals. Shesterkin made a number of impressive saves throughout the game, while leading his team to a 4-2 victory.

His save above hasn’t gotten enough praise. Attempting to stop a shot that is tipped is extremely difficult. The sudden change of direction makes it impossible to guess where the puck is going to land, but Shesterkin makes it look easy.

He kept building confidence in his following start against the Islanders, where he didn’t allow a goal until the 11:15 mark of the third period. Despite his stellar performance, his team was unable to pocket a goal at the other end, and the Rangers lost 2-0. His .933 save percentage was his third-best of the season though, and he single-handedly kept his team in it for more than 50 minutes.

He’s Having Fun Again

It’s extraordinarily difficult to have fun playing a game when you’re struggling the way Shesterkin was. It’s clear he’s enjoying himself now though, and the video below proves it.

For those confused about the meaning behind the video, former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo was recently waived by the time for fighting backup goaltender Alex Georgiev. It’s clear Shesterkin found the situation to be quite humorous, as he pretends to engage in a fight with forward Artemi Panarin – right in front of Georgiev. You love to see it.

When the doubters of Shesterkin came out, he quieted them, and he’s finally in his groove. The future is bright for the 25-year-old from Moscow, and best of all, the best is yet to come.

New York Rangers: The Taxi Squad Players Have Been a Great Surprise

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Colin Blackwell, New York Rangers

The New York Rangers‘ 2021 season has been a rollercoaster. From blowing a lead in more than half their games, waiving a player for fighting a teammate, and beating one of the best teams in the NHL, they’ve seen it all. And yet, despite all of the early-season speed bumps, they find themselves at 4-4-2, good enough for sixth place in the East division. Those 10 points have not come from the superstars of the team, though. Minus Artemi Panarin, who has a team-leading 15 points, the top-liners have underwhelmed. Luckily for the Rangers, members of the taxi squad have stepped up and capitalized on an opportunity to make a name for themselves.

The Rangers’ Taxi Squad Players Have Been Excellent

For those unfamiliar with the term “taxi squad,” allow me to explain. For the 2021 season, all NHL teams will have a squad of six players that practices separately from the team, travels to each game, and are ready to suit up in any moment. It is an insurance policy in case a team is missing a player or two due to COVID-19 protocols.

Miraculously, the Rangers have gotten outstanding production from their taxi squad players. In six combined games, the members have a +3 plus/minus, while the Rangers as a team are 3-2-1. Three players, in particular, have made the leap in stride: defensemen Anthony Bitetto and Libor Hajek, and forward Colin Blackwell.

Anthony Bitetto

A former sixth-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2010, Long Island native Anthony Bitetto has appeared in two games so far for the Blueshirts. He has been nothing but quality in each. On the defensive end, he has blocked two shots, registered four hits, and is sporting a +1 plus/minus. The Rangers would be perfectly satisfied if those were his only notable stats. But Bitetto has outperformed all expectations – largely due to his jaw-dropping goal in Thursday night’s win against the Washington Capitals.

In the video above, it is important to remember Bitetto is a defenseman, not a forward. The way he avoids multiple hits showcases his stick-handling, and flicks the backhander into the net is remarkable. Based on that lone play, it’s hard to believe he wasn’t on the active roster a month ago.

Not only was it one of the best goals you’ll see this week, but it was loaded with meaning for Bitetto. He had not scored a goal since November 18, 2017, back when he was a member of Predators. It ended a 111-game goalless streak for the kid from Oceanside, NY. Simply sensational.

Libor Hajek

While Libor Hajek does not have a highlight-reel goal to flex like Bitetto, he does have plenty of solid defense to boast about. A former second-round pick of the Tampa Lightning, Hajek appeared in his first game of 2021 during Thursday’s win over Washington. He played well given the circumstances, blocking a shot and communicating well with Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin. He was also on the ice for Bitetto’s goal.

Unfortunately, his +1 plus/minus turned to zero when former Ranger Carl Hagelin scored in the second period.

There’s not much Hajek could’ve done in the situation above. He gets caught in a two on one, attempts to block the shot by Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway, and Hagelin taps in the rebound. If Shesterkin manages to cover the puck up, or Hagelin isn’t in perfect position to tap the puck in, Washington doesn’t score there. Hajek played very well otherwise.

Colin Blackwell

The original taxi squad success story, Colin Blackwell made the most of his first three games. Game four didn’t go as planned, though, as he was injured early-on against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has been out since January 30th with an upper-body injury.

Prior to his injury, though, Blackwell was unbelievable. He scored a goal in his first game with the team and followed it up with an assist in each of the next two. His presence gave the Rangers fourth-line a much-needed spark. He, like Bitetto and Hajek, greatly exceeded expectations.

The success story of the taxi squad has undoubtedly been one of the best stories of the Rangers season. Let’s hope it continues for the next 46 games.

How the New York Rangers can fix their issues in net

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New York Rangers, Igor Shesterkin

Blown leads, last-minute goals, and painful overtime losses have become a staple of the 2021 New York Rangers. They have held a lead in all but one of their eight games this year, yet they’re only 2-4-2, giving them sole possession of last place in the East division. There are a variety of reasons why they continue to give away games, but the biggest is obvious – poor play from their goalies. The struggles at the position have led the coaching staff to try unconventional ways of fixing the issue, yet all of their methods have failed thus far. In a 56-game season, every game matters. Here’s how the Rangers can fix their issues in net, and as a result, get their season back on track:

How the New York Rangers Can Fix Their Issues in Net

Make Igor Shesterkin the Full-time Starter

Very few Ranger players had as much offseason-hype as goalie Igor Shesterkin coming into 2021. The 25-year-old player from Moscow, Russia, had been advertised as New York’s goalie of the future last season, and in 12 starts, he looked the part. He went 10-2 as the starter, stopped 93.2% of the shots he faced, and surrendered 2.52 goals per game. Heading into 2021, it looked as though the Rangers, and Shesterkin in particular, were going to be a real force in the division.

Unfortunately for the Blueshirts, that offseason-hype has not translated to the ice this season. Shesterkin has struggled mightily this year, allowing 2.73 goals per game, stopping a measly 89.4% of shots faced and posting a 1-2-1 record. All of those numbers are bottom 10 in the NHL among qualified goalies. Because of those struggles, the team has shown no hesitation to put in their other goalie, Alexandar Georgiev. In most cases, this move would make sense. But not for the Rangers.

Georgiev has been even worse than Shesterkin so far in 2021, and he has shown no signs of improvement. He’s stopping only 88.6% of shots faced, giving up 3.27 goals per game, and has posted a 1-2-1 record so far this season. Yet despite his poor play, the coaching staff continues to give him opportunities. And in turn, they’re greatly halting the growth of their true No. 1 goalie – Shesterkin.

Get Shesterkin Consistent Reps

A number of NHL teams have adapted the goalie 1A/1B system over the years, and for some, it has worked very well. Dallas goalies Anton Khudobin and Jake Oettinger have both been among the best at their position so far, and their team is 4-1-0 through five games this season. The Stars had success using the same game-plan last year as well, but with Ben Bishop instead of Oettinger.

The Rangers are not the Stars, however.

New York is preventing Shesterkin from getting into any rhythm by swapping him out every single game. He had his best game of the season last Thursday night against Buffalo, allowing only two goals on 25 shots in a 3-2 OT victory for the Rangers, but what did he get as a reward for his stellar play? A seat on the bench for the next game. To make things even worse, Georgiev played terribly in said game, allowing five goals.

Help the Defense Build Some Confidence

There’s more to the goalie position than stopping pucks, though – and it appears head coach David Quinn has forgotten that. One of the most important aspects of the position is communicating with the defense and building relationships with your defenseman. It’s impossible for Shesterkin to do that successfully while sitting on the bench every other game. And as a result of Quinn’s inability to decide on a full-time starter, the defense as a whole is underperforming – particularly in big moments.

New York has blown a lead in five of their games this year, losing four of them. In each of those instances, it is clear the defense is not performing to their maximum potential. They haven’t had any opportunities to build chemistry with a goalie, and it would benefit them greatly if they got to play with Shesterkin for multiple games consecutively. Coach Quinn needs to recognize this before the season is too far gone.

There’s a reason Shesterkin was named the starter out of training camp – he is the future in net, after all. The Rangers must let him build confidence and rhythm if they wish to make the playoffs. The clock is ticking.

New York Rangers: Colin Blackwell making the most of his opportunity

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Colin Blackwell, New York Rangers

When the New York Rangers called up forward Colin Blackwell from the taxi squad to replace Brendan Lemieux, they were looking for a spark to ignite a struggling group of forwards. And so far, albeit only two games, it looks as though coach David Quinn made a great decision – a rarity for the Rangers’ head coach. In each of his first two games with the team, Blackwell has tallied a point. He scored his fourth career goal this past Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins and notched an assist in Tuesday night’s loss at Buffalo. Though a very small sample size, the Harvard-graduate has been exceptional.

Colin Blackwell is Making the Most of His Opportunity:

How He Got to Broadway:

When drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft No. 194 overall, the odds were against Blackwell. On average, a draft class produces around 60 NHL players, with the majority of them being drafted in rounds one or two. The difficult road to the big-leagues was no exception for Blackwell, who didn’t play his first games in the NHL until 2019 when the Nashville Predators called him up for six games.

The next year, he spent the first half of the 2019-2020 season with Nashville’s AHL team, the Milwaukee Admirals. While in Milwaukee, Blackwell impressed the organization by tallying 23 points in 26 games and earned another shot at the NHL. In 27 games with the Predators in 2019-2020, he accounted for a modest 10 points. Those 10 points weren’t enough to earn a contract extension, though, and he entered the 2020 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Over the course of the offseason, Blackwell garnered the interest of multiple teams and eventually chose to sign a two-year deal for $1.475 million with the Rangers.

His Rangers Career:

Blackwell knew he had an outside chance of making the roster out of training camp when he signed, but a little adversity was obviously nothing new to him. He took the challenge head-on and fought for a roster spot during training camp. Despite a strong showing in camp, the large number of skilled forwards on the Rangers’ roster left Blackwell on the outside looking in – again. He was placed on the taxi squad and stayed there for the first four games of the season.

Game Number One

After a slow start to the season for the Blueshirts, the stars aligned, and the Harvard-alum was granted an opportunity to make his mark. Blackwell wasted no time to make said mark, scoring a goal on one of his first shifts with the Rangers.

To score a goal in your first game with a new team is impressive in its own right, but to get it via tip-in off a slap shot is extraordinary. The concentration and hand-eye coordination that is required to perform a tip-in successfully is remarkable.

Game Number Two

Heading into the next game, expectations were conservative for Blackwell. Very few believed he’d be able to make a big contribution for a second consecutive game. But all odds were defied once again, as he assisted on the first goal of K’Andre Miller’s career.

While his second point with the Rangers wasn’t as impressive, it’s still worth recognizing. Blackwell does exactly what he needs to do to give Miller a chance. He locates the open man, slides the puck over softly, and lets the rookie do the rest of the work. Exactly how you draw it up.

No one expected Colin Blackwell to be making contributions for the Rangers when he signed with the team a few months ago. Most viewed him as a depth-piece with a bit of upside. But here we are, watching a player make the most of his opportunity.

New York Rangers: Filip Chytil Deserves More Praise

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Filip Chytil, New York Rangers

The New York Rangers have one of the most talented, young teams in the National Hockey League. Big-name players such as Igor Shesterkin, Kaapo Kakko, Adam Fox, and Alexis Lafrenière have garnered more media coverage than most veterans – and rightfully so. Shesterkin was outstanding in the first NHL games of his career last season, sporting a 10-2 record and a .932 save percentage. Kakko was the No. 2 overall pick in 2019, and in his rookie year, he tallied 23 points. Fox racked up 42 points last season, tied for the fourth-most among rookies. Lafrenière, to put it simply, is the most highly touted prospect in years. Each of them are huge pieces of the Rangers’ future, but there’s another young guy who hasn’t gotten the attention he deserves – 2017 first-round pick Filip Chytil.

Why Filip Chytil Deserves More Praise:

His Hot Start to 2021:

Chytil has been on the third line for each of the Rangers’ four games this year, and with each of those games has come improvement. He’s currently riding a three-game point streak, including a goal in two straight. His goal on Friday night against Pittsburgh was nothing short of spectacular, as he flexed his magnificent stick-handling to tie the game at 1-1 in the second.

The Rangers should be ecstatic that the center on their third line is able to make a play like that. Depth is a vital aspect of a successful hockey team, and Chytil provides that.

His Chemistry With Kakko and Di Giuseppe:

Head Coach David Quinn has struggled mightily this season to find the best line combinations for his team. He is yet to send out an identical lineup card for two consecutive games. But luckily for him, it appears his third line is ready to be set in stone. In three games for the New York Rangers, the line of Phillip Di Giuseppe on the left, Chytil at center, and Kakko on the right has an impressive +4 scoring differential. That is the best plus/minus of any line combo on the team this year.

It’s clear that Chytil is benefitting from his new linemates, but just as impressively, Kakko is finally starting to look like the player he was supposed to be when he was drafted in June 2019. He looks significantly more confident on the ice now than when he was playing alongside Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome earlier this season. That’s not a knock on Panarin or Strome, but it’s clear as day.

The fluidity of the sequence above is beautiful. Chytil senses Di Gieuseppe to his right, and Kakko knows he’ll be getting a clean pass to try a one-timer. Textbook hockey. The chemistry between the three is striking.

His Continued Growth Over The Years:

Since playing his first game in 2018, Chytil has done nothing but develop. It took him 15 fewer games in 2019-2020 to notch the same number of points (23) he had in 2018-2019. His efficiency improved as well, scoring three more goals on 19 fewer shots. Now in his third full season on Broadway, the 21-year-old is playing the best hockey of his life – and he’s only going to get better. It’s time Filip Chytil gets the respect and praise he deserves.

 

New York Rangers defense weakest link with little improvement in offseason

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Anthony deangelo

The New York Rangers must figure out a way to improve the defense despite a strong NHL draft if they want to improve on last season.

General manager Jeff Gorton did all he could to improve the team’s blueline with the team having little salary cap space to use on free agent players.

He was able to shed some salary by trading veteran defenseman Marc Staal convincing the Detroit Red Wings to assume all of Staal’s $5.7 million he will make for the 2020-2021 season. With a head cap of approximately $81.5 million, which includes a $3.95 million “bonus cushion penalty,” the club is in a fiscal crisis of sorts as they look for a defenseman to improve the defensive side of the ice.

Gorton signed free agent Jack Johnson, formerly with the Pittsburgh Penguins, to fill the vacancy open with the trade of Staal.

The 33-year-old defenseman has played in 937 games in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Pens, recording 70 goals, 232 assist for 302 points. He averaged a tad over 19 minutes per game in his two years in Pittsburgh, though his point production was the worst it has been in 14 years, scoring only four goals with 20 points in the 149 games he appeared in.

DeAngelo Re-signs

The Rangers did lock in one of their restricted free agents when they re-signed Anthony DeAngelo. The Sewell, New Jersey native, signed a new two-year, $9.6 million contract avoiding an arbitration hearing in the process.

With a backlog of right-handed defenseman, DeAngelo will most likely switch to the left side when training camp begins later this year.

DeAngelo, who has played in 200 NHL games, has come into his own with the team providing a strong showing on the powerplay. He had a solid season last year, scoring 15 goals with 53 points, which was fourth in the team in scoring, leading all defensemen on the team. He had 16 power-play assists and three power-play goals.

The 24-year-old is entering his fourth season in New York after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes in June 2017.

DeAngelo is a top-four defenseman on the team and will certainly see his ice time increase this year. He has averaged 18:46 of ice time per game with different partners throughout his time on Broadway. Coach David Quinn has become more confident using him in tight situations with the defenseman’s quickness on the ice developing along with minimizing his decision with the puck.

Other Await in The System

The Rangers have two prospects who might get called up should the team look to improve through the season.

Nils Lundqvist is a Swedish ice hockey defenceman currently playing for Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League. Lundkvist was selected in the first round, 28th overall, of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the  Rangers.

The 20-year-old has recorded two goals with four points in nine games this year for Lulea.

In the 2019-2020 season, Lundqvist had some impressive achievements:

  • Named as the SHL’s Junior Player of the Year, which is awarded to the best player in the league under the age of 20. The most notable recent winner is Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson.
  • SHL Most Assists by Junior (20)
  • SHL Most Points by Junior (31)
  • U20 WJC Bronze Medal

K’Andre Miller was drafted 22nd overall by the Rangers in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He played at Wisconsin under former Ranger Tony Granato.

In the 2019-2020 college season, he appeared in 36 games, netting seven goals with 18 points. He signed his entry-level contract in March and is anticipated to attend training camp with the Blueshirts.

He was ineligible to join the team in the qualifying round in Toronto but was able to practice with the club this summer. Coach Quinn was impressed with what he saw of the rookie. Quinn, speaking to Larry Brooks in July, has this to say about the first-round draft pick,

“I love the fact that he didn’t try to do too much. He let the game come to him and did a good job defending,” Quinn said of Miller’s work in the scrimmage. “Like I said [Thursday], I loved the plays he was making in small areas, on quick turnovers he made the right play.

“Just a lot of good things from him over the last couple of weeks.”

He is a long shot to make the team out of camp with no NHL experience, the same stands for Lundqvist, but the potential and expectations for both players are high as they look to gain experience from overseas and playing with the teams AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Rangers also have Libor Hajek. The defenseman played in 38 games for the team but never seemed comfortable with the speed and quickness of the players around him. He started the season playing in the home opener against Winnipeg playing but eventually was eventually sent down to the Wolf Pack after suffering a knee injury. He was not recalled for the remainder of the season. He is also expected to attend training camp to contend for one of the six spots or possibly be the “seventh” defenseman.

For the time being, the team will go with the six defensemen currently on the roster, Jacob Trouba, Brendan Smith,  Adam Fox, Ryan Lindgren, Johnson, and DeAngelo.

New York Rangers hire Jacques Martin as new assistant coach

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Earlier today, the New York Rangers announced that they are naming Jacques Martin as their new assistant coach, replacing Lindy Ruff, who had filled that position since 2017. Martin was previously affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last seven seasons, where he became a two time Stanley Cup champion (2015-2016 and 2016-2017).

What are the New York Rangers getting in Jacques Martin?

During his time with the Penguins, the team finished with a total record of 214-115-40 through 369 games. In those games, Pittsburgh ranked second in the league for goals per game, shots on goal per game, and power-play percentage. They were third in the league for wins, fourth for point percentage, and twelfth for penalty kill percentage. It seems as if Jacques Martin is the perfect fit for the Rangers as they continue to grow and develop their young offensive stars. 

With head coach David Quinn entering only his second season as an NHL coach, adding a more experienced assistant coach will be very beneficial for the team. As we saw this season, developing young stars is a difficult job to have. Do it right, and you could have a big-time player, mess it up, and you can have a big-time bust.

With all of the young talent that the Rangers possess, such as Kakko, Chytil, and Shesterkin- and whoever they choose to draft first overall this year- they need an experienced coach who can get the job done. Having an assistant coach that has been able to win two Stanley Cups and develop one of the biggest powerhouse teams of the last decade would be a win for any team in the league, and the Rangers should be lucky that they just landed one.

Jacques Martin will prove to be a key addition to the team, and it just adds to the overwhelming potential the New York Rangers already have. With big-name stars already on the roster, young prospects becoming better every year, and an elite coaching staff, it won’t be long until the New York Rangers are back on top of the standings.  

What the New York Rangers should expect from Mika Zibanejad in 2021

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This season, New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad put up career-high numbers in goals and points. In a season that was cut short for the star player by both a pandemic and a major injury, the star player managed to score forty-one goals and tally seventy-five points in just fifty-seven games.

Zibanejad led the league in average goals per game and was the first Rangers player to hit the forty goal mark since Rick Nash in the 2015-2016 season. It’s pretty clear that Zibanejad has what it takes to be the leading center on the rising New York Rangers, but what else should fans expect from him?

Mika Zibanejad, since being traded to the Rangers in the summer of 2016, has proven to exemplify fantastic leadership abilities. Since the 2018-2019 season, Zibanejad has worn an “A” on his jersey, signifying that he is one of four alternate captains for the team.

Since the Rangers don’t have a captain right now, Zibanejad, Marc Staal, Chris Kreider, and Jesper Fast carry the responsibility of team leadership on their backs. Earlier this season, the Rangers were expected to announce their new captain right before their season opener, but eventually opted to keep their four alternates for one more year. It is likely that the new captain will be named sometime before next season starts, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mika Zibanejad wearing the C. As a young reliable player who seems to have reached his prime, he would be the perfect choice to lead this team of young stars to future victories. While it isn’t set in stone that he’ll be the choice for captaincy, don’t be surprised if we end up seeing it happen. 

For the past couple of seasons, Rangers fans constantly questioned if Zibanejad would be good enough to be a quality number one center for the team. But after this year, it’s clear that he has what it takes. The only question is now, will he be able to recreate this year’s success in future seasons. It isn’t uncommon for players to regress after having stellar seasons. One great example of this from recent seasons is Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner.

In 2019, Skinner put up a career-high forty goals during his first season with the team. After that fantastic season, he signed a new contract for $72 million over eight years. The Sabres had high hopes for him, but this season he only managed to score fourteen goals. Buffalo knows what it’s like to have a star player one season turn into a mediocre player the next, and that is what fans of the New York Rangers are scared of now. 

While it is probable that Zibanejad may have hit his peak this season, we shouldn’t expect him to dip very much next year, if at all. Zibanejad is only twenty-seven years old, having just entered his prime years of hockey. He also plays for the Rangers, a team that is still young and acquiring key pieces for their future. It is likely that he will be playing alongside Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafreniere this season, so fans should expect similar numbers from Zibanejad. 

This is all speculation, of course, as the only way to truly know how Mika Zibanejad will perform is to watch him play next season. New York Rangers fans should definitely expect big things from their top center, though. Whether it be captaincy, more career-high statistics, or the opportunity to play with this year’s number one draft pick, it’ll be interesting to see what top center Mika Zibanejad has to offer. The future is bright for the New York Rangers, and Zibanejad is a big part of that.

 

Who the New York Rangers could target with the 1st overall pick

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Alexis Lafrenière

With a stunning turn of events that seemed near impossible to New York Rangers fans, their team has ended up receiving the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft. When the league was put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 9th, the Rangers had a 0.8% chance of receiving the first pick in the draft.

However, after lucking out through the NHL’s unique return to play plan, the Rangers were able to get some of their young stars a bit of playoff experience and increase their chances of winning the draft lottery to 12.5%, which worked out perfectly for them. But now that a week has gone by since the lottery, it is time to stop celebrating and figure out what the Rangers should do. 

Their first option is definitely the most obvious, and probably the one that would make the most sense. For a while now, NHL scouts have all been in agreement that the top-rated prospect in this year’s draft pool is the Canadian winger Alexis Lafreniere.

Despite only being eighteen years old, Lafreniere stands at 6’1” and provides a strong physical presence on the ice. His offensive awareness is comparable to players such as Sidney Crosby, who has been dominating the league for over a decade now. Last season in the QMJHL, Lafreniere led the league by putting up a whopping 112 points through only 52 games. It’s safe to say that he is definitely the most skilled player in this year’s draft, and he would be a perfect fit on the New York Rangers. There is only one reason that I could see the Rangers drafting anyone but him- his position.

It would be a very bold move, but there could be a very small chance that the Rangers decide to use their first overall pick to draft a center, Quinton Byfield. When it comes to the wingers on the Rangers, they already have a solid top 4.

With superstar Artemi Panarin leading the bunch, and other great players such as Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, and last year’s second overall pick Kaapo Kakko, the only spot to really put Alexis Lafreniere in his rookie season would be the third line. It obviously wouldn’t hurt to continue strengthening your winger core, but there are other positions on the Rangers that require more depth. More specifically, the centers. 

Mika Zibanejad has served as a great first-line center for the Rangers since being traded from Ottawa in July of 2016. But outside of him, the team lacks a center that is qualified to play on at least the second line. Ryan Strome filled that gap last year, and while he put up career-high numbers, he still should be a third-line center at best. Filip Chytil has potential to be great, but he is still too young and too underdeveloped to tell what kind of player he will grow into.

The point is, the Rangers need a solid second-line center on their team. That’s where the number two rated prospect in this year’s draft pool comes in. Quinton Byfield. Comparable to players such as LA Kings star Anze Kopitar, Byfield is a large impactful player that plays a 200-foot game. His competitiveness is unmatched, and he is determined to win every game he plays. He has the potential to grow right into that number two center spot on the Rangers, and possibly even take over the role as their top center in a few years. It would definitely help the Rangers a lot to add center depth to their team, but the question is this: Would it be worth giving up drafting Alexis Lafreniere?

The way I see it, the Rangers will not draft anyone that is not Lafrienere or Byfield. After those two players in the draft pool, there is a decent jump in level of potential. The only exception to that may be Tim Stutzle, another center, but if the Rangers were to go that route Byfield is the obvious choice. Many people will say that choosing Byfield over Lafrienere would be a waste of a first overall pick, but there may be a way that the Rangers could acquire a fantastic center and make it worth it. 

The runner ups of this year’s draft lottery were the Los Angeles Kings, acquiring the number two overall pick. Although it would be very risky, one alternative route that the Rangers could go would be to swap picks with the Kings and have LA add in another great prospect. It sounds crazy, but it could work.

The Kings have one of the deepest prospect pools in the entire NHL, so there is a chance that they would be willing to give up a winger to draft an even better one at first overall. If the Kings were to swap picks with the Rangers to move up to first overall, one prospect they could throw in would be Arthur Kaliyev. He is a right-winger that was drafted 33rd overall in 2019 and has shown a lot of potential. If the Kings were against this trade, the Rangers could even throw in their other late first-round pick to even the trade a little bit more. It’s not likely to happen, but if it did, the Rangers could walk away from this year’s draft with elite center Quinton Byfield and top prospect Arthur Kaliyev. 

With all of that speculation out of the way, still, the best route the Rangers could take would be to keep their first overall pick and draft Alexis Lafreniere. There are many options for the team to choose on, but choosing the star winger at number one makes the most sense.

The Rangers are going to need center depth at some point if they intend on becoming an elite team within the next few years, but this year might not be the time to do it. As of right now, the draft is scheduled to start on October 9th, but that is subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only thing Rangers fans can do is wait and hope to see their team make a smart decision. Having the ability to shape your team’s future with a number one overall pick doesn’t happen often, so let’s hope that the New York Rangers make the most of it.  

 

 

 

New York Islanders: 3 Players who Surprised against the Rangers

by
Derick Brassard, New York Islanders

The New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers 2-1 last night in an exhibition match. The two teams have been off for four months, and some players like Adam Pelech have missed even more time. Obviously, with such a long layoff, there was some expected sloppiness in both team’s play. Despite this, the Islanders played Islanders’ hockey and controlled mostly the entire game. There were three players in particular who looked like they missed zero time at all, and surprised every Islander fan.

Three New York Islanders’ players who stood out:

Derick Brassard

Derick Brassard was a solid winger on the 2nd line at the beginning of the year and fell off near the end of it. Brassard looked like a changed man out there. His energy was at an all-time high; he was making good passes at the right time, and created chances for other players. Brassard can bring veteran leadership to the playoffs, not like the Islanders need that though; they’re the oldest team in the playoffs. I’m excited to see what Brassard can do on Saturday.

Noah Dobson

Noah Dobson had the best performance of his life last night, too bad the game was somewhat meaningless. Dobson was brilliant on his own end last night. I compared his play this season to a defenseman that cared more about playing offense than defense. Dobson proved me wrong last night, he disrupted the Rangers’ energy completely and was solid on the boards. Barry Trotz will have a hard decision of whether to play Nick Leddy and Johnny Boychuk or Noah Dobson and Adam Greene on Saturday.

Seymon Varlamov

Seymon Varlamov stood on his head last night. I’ve never seen Varlamov play so well in his entire life. He didn’t let up so many rebounds, he was fast from pipe to pipe, and he had that fantastic three-shot kick save. I’m usually very nervous when the other team gets a clean shot on Varly, but that just wasn’t the case last night. Varly stopped everything in his way. Varlamov will obviously get the nod on Saturday.

Conclusion

The New York Islanders looked amazing against the Rangers last night. This was just an exhibition game, so don’t look too far into the result, even though the Islanders won. The Islanders have a big test on Saturday, the Panthers may not be an elite team, but you cannot rule out any team. The real test will be the players dealing with the pressure that the play-ins bring.