New York Rangers, Mats Zuccarello
Photo by Bergen Record

With a precarious off season looming for the New York Rangers, they may just have a player who can help ease the pressure for Jeff Gorton. 

It’s no secret that the New York Rangers’ fan base is anxiously awaiting to see what the off season will bring for their hockey club.

It’s certainly a precarious position that the team is in given their current cap disaster.

The Biggest Drains On The New York Rangers’ Salary Cap

Contracts with no movement and trade clauses have the potential to handcuff the Rangers for years to come.

We witnessed a small glimpse of what that future could potentially hold this past season with players like Dan Girardi and Marc Staal aging before our eyes.

It’s up to Jeff Gorton to fix the mess that his buddy Glen Sather has left for him.

In the meantime, the Blueshirts will need to focus their attention on who they already have in their organization.

While most fans have their sights set on Pavel Buchnevich to fix some of the Rangers’ problems, I’m here to tell you that you should be excited about Nicklas Jensen.

Yes, the twelfth prospect (according to Hockeysfuture.com) is the prospect who you should be excited about.

I first noticed Jensen while watching the Utica Comets, Vancouver’s AHL team.

Jensen spent two seasons with the Comets farm team before he was traded to New York as part of the Emerson Etem deal.

When watching Jensen play, you immediately notice that he is has a great shot. He certainly turned alot of heads with his perofrmance during the IIFH World Tournement.

He also is a quick and fluid skater which is something the Rangers are in desperate need of. Speed, which was a large part of the Rangers success in years past, was an attribute that was sorely missed in the 2015-16 season.

Oh, Jensen can also score shootout goals.

Jensen isn’t the most physical player, but his shot and speed make up for a lack of physicality. Think of Derick Brassard potential.

Here are Jensen’s full statistics:

As you can see above, Jensen spent 17 games with Vancouver during the 2013-14 season. During this span he registered three goals and assists, but his most impressive statistics were his possession numbers.

Jensen registered a 58.6% Corsi For and 57.7% Fenwick For. Not only does he have offensive upside, but he also makes players around him better, which is something that not many Rangers could say last season. 

At face value, Jensen’s AHL numbers are certainly nothing to be excited about.

But when you weight strong possession numbers with the performance he had during international play, there’s no question that he could be a secret weapon for the Rangers during the 2016-17 season.

Similar to Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider before him, Jensen may very well be juggled between the Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack for a couple of months while he acclimates to Alain Vigneault‘s system, but he certainly has the potential to contribute next season.

The plain fact is that the Blueshirts will need every player on their roster to live up to their potential in 2016-17.

That goes for Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Henrik Lundqvist, and Nicklas Jensen.

NEXT: Rangers Fans Guide To Fighting Off-Season Boredom

I've been a die hard Rangers and Giants fan for as long as I can remember. I enjoy sharing opinions, and hearing from fans that love their teams just as much as I do. Henrik Lundqvist makes all of us look like mere mortals. E-mail me at: [email protected]