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New York Rangers 2015 State of the Team

By Diana Driscoll |

The New York Rangers have me worried. After two stellar campaigns, making it to the Stanley Cup Final and then the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years, the Rangers are in need of a revamp. That may seem a little odd given their recent success, but New York is still without a Cup (it’s been 21 years!) and are making maneuvers and trades that have led ESPN to rank them 11th in the NHL.

Sure the ranking is premature, but I agree with Scott Burnside; the Rangers have yet to make a splash this offseason and are slowly picking at the seams by sending players elsewhere and not getting comparable return value.

Let’s break it down a bit

Management

This is one area of the New York Rangers that I am very happy about. The biggest difference is Glen Sather is no longer the team’s general manager. Hearing the news was like waking up on Christmas morning—I was full of excitement. I have waited and waited for this to happen, and I honestly never thought it would. I don’t think he was a horrible GM, but I have questioned a lot of his moves. Not to mention Sather has been in control of the team for a majority of its Cup drought. While new coaches and players arrived, Sather stayed and so did the Rangers inability to hoist the Stanley Cup. It is time for a fresh approach to the team and Jeff Gorton may be able to do just that. He has a couple of hurdles ahead of him (get a Derek Stepan deal done already!), but the Rangers are in capable hands with him at the helm.

Behind the bench the Rangers are set. Alain Vigneault has completely turned this team into something that was once unimaginable—consistent. The players flourish under his system and his personality makes it hard not to like the guy. He is controlled, but firm and, above all else he wants to win.

Alongside Vigneault is associate coach Scott Arniel and assistant coaches Ulf Samuelsson and Darryl Williams. These guys seem to get along well, divide responsibilities and put together a cohesive game plan. The one area that needs to be worked on: the power play. This is the main area of focus for the Rangers; it’s their biggest weakness.

Grade: A-

Roster

This is where the Rangers are starting to fall apart. Marty St. Louis retired (really not too upset about this one, but the guy’s skills and speed will leave a hole), Carl Hagelin was dealt to the Anaheim Ducks, and Cam Talbot, arguably the hottest goaltender this offseason, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

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Yes, the Rangers were able to pick up Emerson Etem and Viktor Stalberg, but as Burnside pointed out, they “might not fill the growing lineup gaps.”

These were three pretty important pieces for the Rangers. I understand the cap issue is a reason for some of the moves, and it really did make sense to get rid of Talbot (I want him to do well and get more playing time), but it just means the Rangers are going to have to work harder to fill the holes in the lineup.

The team is set on defense and will be for a few years with Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Ryan McDonagh all locked up for multiple years. And of course, the backbone and the anchor of the team, Henrik Lundqvist will be in net next season.

Where the Rangers really need a boost is offense. The team has Rick Nash, Derick Brassard, Mats Zuccarello, and Chris Kreider leading the way, but it needs more players that can create plays and generate offense. I want to add Derek Stepan to that list, but he is still without a deal and there is a possibility, ever so slight, that the Rangers will move him if contract negotiations stall and the arbitration hearing date nears.  If he is traded, the Rangers will be in a decent amount of trouble.

I would consider that group I mentioned above, the Rangers offensive core; the guys who have played for more than a couple of seasons and know the NHL ropes. New York also has a group of budding stars in Kevin Hayes, J.T. Miller and Jesper Fast (the latter two also need contracts) who will help on offense. All three still have room to improve and grow even further.

The Rangers biggest need: a top six winger to replace St. Louis.

Grade: B (and that’s being generous)

Future

Honestly, I have no idea. Even with the talent the Rangers possessed this past season they had trouble scoring more than two goals for pretty much the entire postseason. Yeah sure, they were better in the regular season, but they struggled to raise the compete level when it really mattered.

There is still a lot of unfinished business; it is early in the offseason and the Rangers could greatly improve their current state. I’m not exactly sure how they go about doing that besides getting Stepan locked up. But the Rangers’ management is more in tune with who is available, who will fit well and who can make a difference.

The Rangers have a few prospects that look promising. The team has used and can recall Oscar Lindberg and Brady Skjei. It is time for the Rangers to give these two a real strong shot at making the team. They have impressed and could help fill the voids in the roster.

Letting Anthony Duclair go was a major hit to the prospects pool but the Rangers added a few more during this year’s draft. The team made seven selections: Adam Huska, Daniel Bernhardt, Ryan Gropp, Robin Kovacs, Aleksi Saarela, Sergey Zborovskiy, and Brad Morrison.  The truth is, we have no idea if any, some or all of these prospects will work out.

Right now, New York’s future is a little iffy. Things need to improve before the season begins because other Metropolitan Division teams are gearing up to give the Rangers some trouble.

Grade: B-

Next: Anaheim Ducks 2015

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