The best and the VERY worst from the 2019–20 New York Rangers season (so far)
Being a New York Rangers fan for the last decade has come with a whirlwind of emotions. One month I’ll be full of Blueshirt optimism and others I’ll wish I could go back and relive the victorious 2013–14 season. However, as the Rangers’ rebuild appears to have reached its final stages, the need for young, budding talent has proven to become a faster route to the Stanley Cup than a roster composed of overpriced, washed-up veterans.
The Rangers’ late season triumph narrowly earned them the 11th seed in the NHL’s return to play format which alludes to the fact that a cup winning season could come much sooner than anticipated. As July 30th (the anticipated start date of the Stanley Cup playoffs) approaches and the Rangers begin whipping themselves into playoff shape, I thought I’d reflect on the highs and lows of the 2019–20 regular season.
You would never know the Rangers were the youngest team in the league.
Okay, they were the second youngest. Thanks, Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers’ average age at the start of the season was 25.8 years-old, which was second to Colorado’s 25.7, but still a ton of youth to work with. These teams are the masters of production when it comes to balancing a roster full of youth and experience, which is why a Stanley Cup run is not out of the question for either of these two teams in the near future.
While the Avalanche’s rookie defenseman Cale Makar is a Calder Memorial Trophy finalist, the Rangers had a rookie defensemen of their own who defied all odds and placed himself in the midst of the Calder discussion.
Adam Fox appeared in every game this season, during which he put up eight goals and 34 assists for a total of 42 points, leaving him tied for fourth among all rookie scoring. Fox was the type of player who would step up when it mattered most. Winning almost every 50–50 puck battle in the defensive zone and puck distribution beyond his years, Fox was definitely a hidden gem in the Rangers’ rebuild.
Aside from Fox’s leadership in various areas of the game, one of the biggest surprises was the success of his partnership with Ryan Lindgren. The two were by far the team’s most inexperienced defensemen but fully embraced the extra ice time as they combined for 56 points and provided some of the smartest and hardest-hitting hockey.
If you’ve been watching or following the Rangers since the start of the rebuild, it was very apparent that the team’s mindset this season has been very different. Head Coach David Quinn is focused on the here-and-now. With major off-season signings and playing the youth over the experienced in critical situations, the Rangers’ satisfaction with the roster’s outlook has instilled more optimism into its fanbase.
Artemi Panarin.
Artemi Panarin. Period. I could just end the article here. Everyone who followed the league this season knows what he’s capable of and that he’s the best thing that happened to the Rangers. Yet, I’m still giving him the full recognition he deserves.
Panarin was the best free agent on the market. I’ll still never understand why he chose to come to New York. The Rangers were still progressing through the rebuild and he knew he would have to carry the team in just about every game he played in. I guess some just can’t resist the Big Apple and Panarin was the latest big name headed to New York, choosing the Rangers over the Florida Panthers and the Islanders, among many others.
The Rangers signed Panarin to a seven-year deal worth $81.5 million. The 2015–16 Calder Trophy winner had just come off of an 87 point season with the Columbus Blue Jackets along with five points in the Jacket’s magical playoff sweep over the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
And despite all that, many claimed that his acquisition was overpriced. Then the season began and Panarin made his mark with a goal and an assist in the opener. And the rest is Rangers history as Panarin’s point total amounted to a career-high 95 in 69 games. This included a 13-game point streak through almost the entire month of February in which the Rangers won 10 of them. Panarin also now holds the record for the most points in 43 games as a Ranger with 61, edging out Wayne Gretzky’s 59.
Panarin may not be the team’s MVP, but he is being heavily considered for the Hart trophy now that the Rangers are one series away from a postseason berth. With names like Leon Draisaitl and Nathan Mackinnon also in the Hart discussion, it’s clear that Panarin’s on-ice impact is not being overlooked. Panarin, unlike the other two, did not have a team full of stars to account for the majority of the team’s success. Panarin’s +36 rating (second in the league) shows just how valuable his time on the ice is.
The Kreider deal was the most important moment of the season.
$6.5 million a year for seven years. Worth every penny.
First time All-Star Chris Kreider was set to become an Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of the 2019–20 season and was the top player projected to be traded at the 2020 deadline. That was something no Ranger fan wanted to see. He’s arguably been the most important and consistent player we’ve seen in his seventh full season as a Ranger.
If Kreider had ended up being traded, it would have felt similar to what we experienced when the team sent Mats Zuccarello to the Dallas Stars at last year’s deadline–or maybe a bit worse. It definitely would’ve brought more people to tears than just Lundqvist. Rangers GM Jeff Gorton would’ve received a ton of backlash if he had dealt Kreider and the wrong message would’ve been sent in terms of the team’s rebuild status. In other words, it was a deal the Rangers just had to make, even if it meant sending Brady Skjei to the Carolina Hurricanes to free up cap space.
Kreider scored 24 goals along with 21 assists in his 63 games this regular season. He missed the Rangers’ seven March games after suffering a fractured foot in a 5–2 loss in Philly on February 28.
Kreider is one of the team’s four assistant captains (along with Mika Zibanejad, Jesper Fast, and Marc Staal) but is arguably the most deserving of the “C” than any of the others. Kreider is one of the few Rangers who will put his body on the line to come out with a victory, which is why he’s been one of the NHL’s top tip-in goal scorers for numerous consecutive seasons.
As the Rangers find themselves a step away from the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, they’ll look to rely on Kreider’s 37 career playoff points to usher their hopes of making a deep run.
You can never have too many goaltending options.
Pregame: Rangers vs. Avalanche. The team had just come off of three narrow road losses in Alberta and British Columbia and were back at The Garden with just one game over .500. Although it was early January, the Rangers were in need of every point they could get if they wanted to have a chance at a Wild Card spot.
David Quinn’s goaltending selection was always a mystery in must-win situations. Usually you would always go with Henrik Lundqvist–The King–and trust that he’d keep it a tight game. However, having more losses than wins, and with the West’s then second-place Avalanche in town, regular starter Alexandar Georgiev was usually the safe option.
“Igor Shesterkin will be starting in goal for the Rangers tonight,” the NBC Sports Network host announced during the pregame show. Initially I was mad and very confused at the decision. Usually Quinn would wait until the Rangers’ playoff hopes have been extinguished before he experiments with prospects.
I knew this guy was a true shot-stopper in the American Hockey League and was headed to their All-Star game, but I didn’t think much of it. But to have him debut against Nathan Mackinnon and the Avalanche seemed completely absurd to me.
And when the Avalanche scored twice on their first four shots, I was hoping Quinn would turn to the bench and have Lundqvist come in and save the day. However, the Rangers tied it up and I went into the second period with a bit more optimism. After a few more close-range saves and the Rangers’ offensive game on-point, Shesterkin’s 29-save debut secured the Rangers a 5–3 victory.
Shesterkin went on to start 12 games for the Rangers, winning 10, each with a save percentage of .900 or above. After winning his eighth game in just his ninth start, it was revealed that very few past Blueshirt netminders had done the same. The most recent? Lundqvist, of course. Suddenly Rangers fans began to trust him. He was making saves I hadn’t seen all season and, most importantly, the team was winning games when he was in the crease.
In the past, the Rangers have been lucky enough to rely on two goalies to win games; most notably Cam Talbot during the 2014–15 season where he boasted a 17–4–3 record while Lundqvist was injured. But now they had three very solid options while the team was in the best streak of the season, and a playoff spot was becoming more realistic.
However, Georgiev was still the starter.
Georgiev established himself as a Talbot-caliber backup option behind Lundqvist last season as a 23-year-old. Prior to Shesterkin’s call-up, he had been the team’s number one goalie, completing the regular season with a 17–14–2 record and had accounted for the team’s only shutouts of the season. Although his playing time certainly decreased once Shesterkin started racking up 40-plus save games, some of Georgiev’s best action came after a fractured rib left Shesterkin out of the lineup for two weeks. Quinn would end up starting Georgiev in every game throughout that stretch, when he earned a 3–5 record, one of those wins coming in a 4–3 overtime win at the Islanders–his best game to date in a Rangers sweater.
With the perfect balance of talent, experience, and Hockey IQ, the Rangers truly can’t go wrong with their goalie choice for the return to play tournament. However, if Quinn wants to stick to what has been working, then there’s no reason to sit Shesterkin for these big games.
Are the young players ready enough for a deep Cup run?
Let’s not forget that despite the Rangers’ recent success, their slow start is why they are in seventh place out of the eight teams in the Metropolitan Division. Frankly they were lucky to be given a spot in the 24-team return to play tournament. Most of the team’s production came from the more experienced Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin, two proven offensive threats. That production also was due to the timely breakout seasons of Ryan Strome and Tony DeAngelo, who ranked third and fourth on the team with 59 and 53 points, respectively.
However, there were those that couldn’t quite contribute as much as expected. Namely Brett Howden, Kaapo Kakko, Lias Andersson (more on him later), and Filip Chytil.
I know I may have been a little harsh on Kakko and Chytil–in fact I may have been harsh on the other two–but forget age for just a minute. When it comes to the fans’ expectations, these players, all first round picks in the last four NHL Entry Drafts, were not as productive as they were advertised.
Howden, 22, and Chytil, 20, in their second full seasons as a Ranger, both split their time centering the third and fourth lines. Neither improved in terms of point production and a lack of face-off success contributed to the Rangers’ 46.6 face-off win percentage, ranked 30th in the league. If you’re a regular Blueshirt follower, you cannot be surprised by this statistic. The two centers combined for over 1,000 total face-offs this season, but neither won a majority. Howden won 45.3% of his defensive zone face-offs where Chytil only won 36.5%.
Numbers aside, these two are some of my personal favorite youngsters to watch–when they’re in top form. Chytil’s puck handling skills are comparable to the likes of Patrick Kane and Pavel Datsyuk, but you can only dangle so much before you have to put the puck in the back of the net. Even last season you could tell that he was doing the little things right in the offensive zone but just couldn’t score. Howden, on the other hand, is someone you can just tell has a knack for scoring goals and clutching up when it matters most, like on the game-winning goal in the season opener against the Jets.
Kakko’s situation was a bit different and I’m sure most will tell me I’m being too hard on the young Fin. Kakko was drafted second overall in 2019 by the Rangers after winning the IIHF World Junior Championships with the Finnish national team that year. Kakko scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal game which sent the United States home with silver. He was only 18 to start the season and scored his first goal just three games into his promising NHL career.
That right there was enough to prove to me that he could be the missing piece the Rangers needed. However, he scored an underwhelming 10 goals throughout his rookie campaign and did not dominate the way Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews have been able to. Kakko started the season as a regular first or second line winger but was slowly moved down to the third and sometimes fourth line after his production lagged behind his counterparts, namely Chris Kreider and Panarin. Kakko remained on the second power-play unit since 13 of his 23 points were scored on the man advantage.
Regardless of the numbers he’s put up so far, Kakko is still a fascination to follow in each game and to think that he and I are just over a year apart in age still blows my mind.
Lias Andersson just didn’t work out.
Here we go with the age thing again. Understandable. Not many people break out into the NHL when they’re 20. That’s why we don’t see many players kick off their careers until three or four years after being drafted. However, a team must be certain a player is NHL-ready if they’re going to draft them in the Top 10 when they’re just 18 years old.
That’s exactly what the Rangers did with Andersson, who was drafted seventh overall in the 2017 Entry Draft. The pick was acquired from Arizona along with Tony DeAngelo in the Derek Stepan trade.
In the first year of the Rangers rebuild, Andersson split his time between the Swedish Hockey League and AHL affiliates the Hartford Wolf Pack. Andersson was one of the late season prospects Quinn had called up for a March 26, 2018 game against the Washington Capitals. Andersson went on to score the first of two Ranger goals that night, making him the youngest Ranger to score in his NHL debut.
It all seemed to go downhill from there as Andersson battled a lower-body injury throughout his first full season with the Rangers which saw him appear in just 42 games, producing just two goals and four assists. At this point, the speculation to trade him was being discussed as he continued to shuttle between Hartford and New York.
Andersson began the 2019 season with Hartford but was then recalled after Zibanejad’s injury. However, this stint was just as disappointing as the previous one as he appeared in 17 games with just one assist to show for it. The clear message was sent to Andersson when he was demoted to Hartford before Zibanejad’s recovery.
Andersson’s mediocre performances carried him to the AHL where he scored just 20 points, six goals and 14 assists, and was second-to-last in plus/minus with a -22 rating.
It was clear that he just wasn’t ready for the NHL, but the question is whether or not he was even ready for top tier American hockey in the first place. At the end of January, he was loaned back to his first professional club in Sweden, HV71.
According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, Andersson will not be joining the Rangers for its full team training camp when it resumes and will play in Sweden next season.
The Rangers were the losers of the Trouba-Pionk deal.
Neal Pionk was the most all-around productive Ranger defenseman last season and for that reason he was my favorite blueliner to watch. I became intrigued by his game after he skated past the entire Montreal Canadiens team to score a game winning, coast-to-coast goal in November 2018. By then it was clear he had the potential to become an integral part of the Rangers defense for years to come.
Similar to current Rangers Adam Fox and Libor Hajek, Pionk was someone you could trust to make the right decision when it mattered and one you wouldn’t count on making a costly mistake. Despite his raw talent the Rangers saw Pionk as a potential trade option to upgrade their defensive personnel.
Pionk was traded to Winnipeg along with the Rangers’ 2019 first round draft pick for then 25-year-old defenseman Jacob Trouba. Trouba had just come off of a career-high 50 point season with the Jets, besting his previous high by 17 points and doubling his previous season’s scoring total.
The Jets were in a defensive crisis heading into the 2019 preseason after losing Trouba alongside Dustin Byfuglien. The two accounted for 461 of the Jets’ points since Trouba’s rookie season in 2013–14. With no more big names to protect goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, many worried about the Jets’ woes on the defensive end and saw the Trouba trade as an absolute steal by the Rangers.
However Trouba was certainly not a 50-point caliber defenseman in his inaugural season with the Rangers. In 70 games, Trouba scored seven goals along with 20 assists for a total of 27 points, ranking him third among Rangers’ defensemen–only four points ahead of Brady Skjei who was traded at the deadline. A few too many mistakes and at times unnoticeable, Trouba was not the leader the Rangers had anticipated in adverse scenarios.
Pionk, however, defied all expectations and put up a remarkable 45 points, more than he had scored as a Ranger. He led all Jets defensemen by a landslide in points with John Morrissey placing second with 31. The Jets were in no position to be a threat in the West, but somehow losing their biggest blueline assets and doing a mini defensive rebuild was a blessing in disguise to keep the Jets in the playoff mix.
With six years left on his contract, I’m actually very excited to see what Trouba can produce. I was optimistic when he was first acquired and I believe that he’s the right type of player any team would need if they are looking to become dangerous on the defensive side of the game.
Now you may be thinking; What about Zibanejad’s five-goal game or the season sweep over Carolina? These were definitely the season’s most epic moments but didn’t contribute to the season’s turnout more than the other occurrences did. The only hope is that the Rangers pull off a historic run in the return to play tournament and secure that fifth Stanley Cup.
