The New York Rangers have been busy this offseason, and here are five reasons as to why they’ll be a better NHL squad in 2015-16.
By Connor Orchard
Since then, the Rangers have lost some big names in their lineup, the main ones being Marty St. Louis, who announced his retirement at the start of last month, Carl Hagelin, who was traded to the Anaheim Ducks, and Cam Talbot, who was traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
There are many good ways to look at the Rangers offseason so far and there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel. Although some of the trades weren’t perfect, that in no way means that the Rangers are doomed.
Here are five reasons as to why the New York Rangers will be a better squad during the 2015-16 season.
5. They’ve Seen It All
The one thing that the New York Rangers have in their armory is experience. In the past two years they’ve seen it all: heartbreaks, comebacks, unexpected upsets. You name it, they’ve been there in the thick of it.
The Rangers are a team that have proved they are Stanley Cup contenders and they have shown that they have the hunger to win, and even if they are two minutes away from elimination, you can never count them out. Just take a look at the series last year against the Pittsburgh Penguins, or the series this year against the Washington Capitals. Both of these times the Rangers were down and out, and fans were already planning ahead for next season. But they did the unexpected, and showed that it isn’t over until it’s over.
Having this experience is one thing, but being able to use it effectively is another. The Rangers have been to the Stanley Cup Finals and the Eastern Conference Finals in the past two years, and their lineup hasn’t changed much since last season which means there is absolutely nothing stopping them from making another push for the cup this season as well.
Although the Rangers have lost some big names in Martin St. Louis, Carl Hagelin and Cam Talbot, they still have a great lineup, and now have the chance to test out some of the younger players which gives them a chance to push for a spot on the team.
4. Squad Depth
One of the best things about this New York Rangers team is that it has a lot of depth. So much potential that no matter what line is on the ice, there is always a chance for a goal.
The Rangers have some amazing young talent in Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller, and every one of these players are already solid forwards for the Rangers, having the ability to score goals whenever they have the chance.
But even though the Rangers recently lost St. Louis and Hagelin, the lines for next season may actually not be that different.
The 1st line of Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello will most likely remain unchanged, as that line had phenomenal chemistry throughout last season, creating plenty of chances whenever they were on the ice.
I think we may be seeing J.T. Miller replace St. Louis on the second line, which he did throughout parts of the season anyway due to St. Louis being out with an injury, which will most likely mean Jesper Fast will take his spot on the 3rd line.
But who replaces Fast on the 4th line? Me personally, I think this could be a huge opportunity for Oscar Lindberg to challenge for a spot on the bottom six roster for the Rangers, as he had a great season with the Hartford Wolf Pack last year, gathering up 28 goals and 28 assists in 75 games. He also played a big part in the Wolf Pack’s playoff run this year, where he achieved an additional 16 points in 15 games before the Pack were sent home in the Conference Finals.
I think if Lindberg gets his fair chance, he could without a doubt be a great addition to the Rangers squad.
So with these changes in mind, I think the Rangers could be heading into next season with a lineup that could look something like this.
Nash-Brassard-Zuccarello
Kreider-Stepan-Miller
Etem-Hayes-Fast
Lindberg-Moore-Glass
3. Keith Yandle’s Contract
Keith Yandle has a marmite-like relationship with a lot of Ranger fans, you either love him or you hate him. However, I think most fans dislike the situation in which the Rangers acquired Yandle, rather than actually disliking him as a player. The Rangers had to give up their biggest prospect in Anthony Duclair. Anybody that knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Yandle and how he moves the puck. Yes, he may not be the best defensive defenseman in the game, but the way he can turn a game on it’s hea
The best thing about Yandle’s situation with the Rangers is obviously his contract. The Rangers have Yandle for another year, and they are only paying half of his $5.25 million contract, which is approximately $2.625 million.
Yandle only spent three months with the Rangers, and managed to gather up 11 points in 21 games, with a +/- of 6. They may not be the most impressive stats ever, but when you take into account that he needed time to settle in and adjust to a whole new style of play, they don’t seem as bad.
In the Playoffs, Yandle actually managed to pile up 11 points in 19 games and finish with a +/- of 7. That’s the same amount of points, in less games, and in a lot less time. And Yandle really started to come alive in the Playoffs, especially in the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay lightning, in which he got two goals and five assists, which add up to 7 of his 11 total playoff points. Now with all of this in mind, this says to me that if Yandle can do that in such a short space of time. Who only knows what he can bring to the team if he has a full year to do so?
There have been many rumors circulating recently about Yandle possibly being traded away from the Rangers, and if you ask me, that would be a really bad thing to do.
Lets look at it this way, the Rangers have an elite offensive defenseman who was brought in to score points, not be a top-pair shutdown man. He was fourth on the team in points in the playoffs and was probably one of, if not the best, defenseman in the Tampa Bay series despite having a separated shoulder injury. He can move the puck well, as well as pick out a pass, and the Rangers are only paying half of his salary.
2. Henrik Lundqvist Hungrier Than Ever
In the previous two cup runs for the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist has at times needed to carry his team through games, and without him the Rangers wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near as far as they did.
It’s been heartbreak after heartbreak for Lundqvist, but the past two years must be playing on his mind. He knows his team can win, and he knows he is the man to help get them there. Lets be honest though, he isn’t getting any younger. He knows he needs to win a cup sooner rather than later, or else soon it could be too late.
Lundqvist had seven straight 30-win seasons to start his NHL career and his total of nine are fourth in NHL history. He’s been unbelievably consistent throughout his NHL career and he is a surefire Hockey Hall of Famer because of his amazing career achievements both in the NHL and internationally.
Lundqvist may not be as young as he once was but he’s still achieving great numbers, and has rightfully earned his name as “The King.” In the 2014-15 season he finished with a record of 30-13-3, with a GAA of 2.25, and a .922 SV%. You can check out Lundqvist’s complete NHL stats here.
These numbers may not be as impressive as Carey Price’s stats were for the Montreal Canadiens, who finished the season with a record of 44-16-6 with a GAA of 1.96 and a .933 SV%, but lets not forget that Price is six years younger that Lundqvist and he played a full season with the Habs a season ago.
It’s probably safe to say Lundqvist’s career won’t be complete until he’s lifted the Stanley Cup, but can he do that with the Rangers? Absolutely. They’ve been so close to the Stanley Cup that they can almost smell it, and Lundqvist is hungry.
1. Derek Stepan, Rick Nash Still Wearing Rangers Sweaters
Stepan
Derek Stepan had an incredible postseason for the Rangers this year, taking his game to a whole new level. One of the best thing about Stepan this year was that he was able to find space a lot, and not just in the Playoffs, it’s pretty much the reason he was able to score so many goals in the Playoffs; he’s finding the right positions, and he’s just slotting the pucks in.
Stepan recently signed a new six year deal with the Rangers, worth $6.5 million a year. And although the price that the Rangers paid may have been a little more than they would have wanted, getting Stepan locked down was the best thing that could have happened.
People argue that Stepan isn’t worth $6.5 million a year simply because he has never had a 60 point-plus season, but you simply can’t just his salary just from that statistic alone. Stepan brings so much more to the Rangers than just goal scoring, he has tremendous vision, can help defensively, is always an option on the power play as well as on the Penalty Kill. Furthermore, he’s always a guy you can rely on to step up when you need somebody to.
Now that Stepan is completely locked down with the Rangers, I think this could be the season where he breaks the 60 point barrier. With how he performed in the Playoffs last season I think he really is starting to, and already has evolved into a tremendous player.
Nash
Rick Nash is the Rangers star-forward who enjoyed an incredible regular season with the Rangers this year. He finished off the regular season with 42 goals and 27 assists in 79 games. As well as scoring six power play goals, four shorthanded goals, and eight game-winning goals, Nash was a regular season monster.
The playoffs have been another story all together for the guy. Nash didn’t continue his scoring form, nor has he ever, but does that really matter? If you look at it in the way that he is paid just under $8 million dollars a year to score goals, then yes, it probably does. But towards the end of the Rangers cup run he did start to find the net more in the playoffs. He finished the postseason with vie goals, and nine assists in 19 games. Not exactly as pretty as his regular season statistics, but they still had a huge impact for the Rangers.
The thing Nash needs to do more is use his body. He is a huge guy standing at 6’4″ and weighing 220 lbs. If I saw Nash coming at me with speed, I would turn away and run the other way. If he can crash the net in the same way that Chris Kreider does and not be afraid to be more physical, he can bring so much more to his game.
If Nash can repeat last seasons performance in the regular season, he could be looking at a 50+ goal season. But the most important thing for Nash is to prove that he is paid $8 million a year for a reason, and if the Rangers can progress to the Playoffs again he needs to do exactly that.
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