Despite the New York Rangers still sitting in the No. 2 spot of the Metropolitan Division, there is one guy in this lineup who needs to sit.
By Robby Sabo
That one thing is actually a person, and his name is Anton Stralman.
In 2014 the Blueshirts shocked the hockey world by getting to the Stanley Cup Final. The main ingredient was the depth along the blueline.
NEXT: New York Rangers Allow Late Goal, Fall To The Detroit Red Wings In Overtime, 3-2 (Highlights)
Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Anton Stralman, Kevin Klein, and John Moore made up a defense grouping that was better than good. They were downright nasty.
Fast forward to the 2015 playoffs, and one slot’s drastic falloff couldn’t have been more apparent.
Out was Stralman and in was Dan Boyle.
Despite Boyle’s age being closer to 60 than 18 (39), he incredibly makes just as much money as Stralman ($4.5 million a year for each player).
There are so many legitimate reasons Boyle needs to take a seat. Here are a few:
With Glass Out, An Enforcer Is Needed
Finally, both Henrik Lundqvist and Rick Nash returned to the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. The Rangers lost in overtime, but that’s another story for a different day.
Lundqvist coming back, of course, provides no roster issues. He’s the starting goaltender and the squad will ride or die with The King.
Nash, on the other hand, is a story.
Thanks to the acquisition of Eric Staal from Carolina, Nash’s reinsertion means one of the regulars must turn into a black ace. The candidates are few.
Oscar Linberg? Kevin Hayes? Viktor Stralman? I don’t think so.
It has to be Tanner Glass who sits.
This means Alain Vigneault will be taking out the Rangers only true enforcer. That is, unless, young Dylan McIlrath is in the lineup.
McIlrath is currently out of action, dealing with a knee. He’s expected to be out a few weeks. When he does come back though, Vigneault must see the light of day that he mixes in with this particular lineup so much better than Boyle does.
McIlrath provides that physical presence the blueline desperately lacks. Guys like Keith Yandle, Ryan McDonagh, and even Dan Girardi don’t do a great job at cleaning out the front of Lundqvist’s net.
McIlrath does this so well.
It makes no sense in the world to have both Yandle and Boyle in the same lineup. And with McIlrath in there, that solves the Rangers “enforcer” problem now that Glass will be a permanent fixture up in the Black Aces booth for the playoffs.
Besides, there is literally nobody else on the Rangers team who can do this:
How is that not in the lineup every night when healthy?
It’s Not His Fault, He’s Just Too Old
Listen, I’m not a bad guy. I just see reality.
Dan Boyle is just way too old to keep up with these youngsters each and every night.
We’re not talking 34 years old, or even 37. This man is 39 years of age. Most hockey players this side of Jaromir Jagr start losing steam once they hit 35.
It’s evident when watching the games that Boyle has to put in so much effort to simply keep up with the quicker players of the world. On Saturday against Detroit, it was Boyle who couldn’t find a very “unlucky” puck that popped in the air and near his feet leading to the Red Wings last goal.
Watch Boyle moving forward: He’s always a step slow.
The Playoffs Are A Different Animal
The Rangers just played their 68th game of the season on Saturday. They’re currently 39-22-7 with 85 points, good enough for the No. 2 spot in the Metropolitan Division.
That’s fine and dandy. It’s a solid record and they’re in prime position heading into the stretch run.
However, this is when the real season starts, and it’s time for Vigneault to start understand how different the real season is from the regular season.
The stretch run and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different brand of hockey. It’s beyond physical. It’s brutal. It’s so in your face that the officials never know when to call a penalty or not.
The very small and weak Boyle just doesn’t handle this environment very well.
Do you remember the 2015 playoffs as a Rangers fan? When the combo of McDonagh-Girardi was out there on the ice, you felt great. When Staal-Klein was out there, you felt good.
When the duo of Yandle-Boyle was out there, you simply held your breathe and prayed to god you didn’t drop dead of a heart attack.
Of course Klein and Boyle were often flip-flopped with Staal, but many a time Vigneault used the Yandle-Boyle combination. They were so scary on that ice together that is was unreal.
Not only can’t Boyle handle the physicality of the playoffs, Yandle can’t either. This is why it makes no sense to have both of them in the lineup. Yandle, McDonagh and even Klein is a good enough trio to man the power play.
Hell, if McIlrath can’t come back from injury, Brady Skjei has shown enough physicality and wherewithal to play in place of Boyle. The only issue there would be Skjei being lefty.
Final Thoughts
Despite a decent run prior to the new year that saw Boyle be very productive on the power play, he doesn’t do close to enough to cancel out his negatives on the ice.
The man has collected six goals and 13 assists for a whopping 19 points on the season (60 games). This doesn’t even come close to balancing out his defensive detriments.
Just take a quick gander at the Rangers defenseman’s +/- numbers on the season:
- Ryan McDonagh +19
- Dan Girardi +17
- Kevin Klein +12
- Marc Staal +7
- Dylan McIlrath +6
- Dan Boyle +5
- Keith Yandle -1
Now, considering Yandle and Boyle have played so much of the power play this season, it has to be considered troubling that their +/- number is so low.
And look at Staal. His number gets dragged down because he’s forced to play with a subpar partner in Boyle on a nightly basis.
McIlrath has not only shown what he can provide from an enforcer and physicality standpoint – during his far too few chances to play – he’s shown he can be relied upon in other areas.
In fact, McIlrath is one of the more talented d-men on the roster at firing a puck through traffic on net. He actually has a solid shot from the point and can make a slick pass at times.
If these Rangers want to shock the world like they did two seasons ago, there’s one move head coach Alain Vigneault needs to make first. He needs to sit Boyle and have him join Glass in the Black Aces booth.
Put the best roster on the ice. That will be the only way.
This doesn’t mean Dan Boyle can’t contribute. He most certainly can on certain nights when called upon.
But a regular, nightly player Boyle is not, anymore.