Hayes & Chytil Among Top Storylines For The Rangers Second Half
What a pleasant couple weeks it’s been in Rangerstown. Four wins in their last 5 games & a week off (can’t lose what you don’t play) capped by a stellar All-Star Weekend for the face of the franchise. Their second half starts tonight and that means one of two things depending on where you are in the NHL pecking order. For contenders, it’s crunch time. For low-tier squads, it eventually spirals into “when the fuck is this season over” time. I think we all know where the Blueshirts sit so let’s see what fans have to look forward to the rest of the way.
For the immediate future, Quinn will be coaching this team like they’ve got a chance. Can’t blame him – you don’t punt your season away this early if you’re a .500 team looking to establish a culture where effort leads to reward. Without an immediate tank of epic proportions, it looks like the Rangers will end up pretty much where they were this past summer in terms of draft status (assuming a likely post-deadline nosedive). Still, there’s something to be said about instilling confidence in a future cornerstone like Filip Chytil by having his last 3 goals all come in wins as opposed to empty stats. Sure, Jack Hughes would be the prize of all prizes but remaining competitive for as long as possible still can contribute to a positive long-term forecast.
Although he’ll be on the bench tonight, Lundqvist will most likely continue playing at his current pace for the next few weeks. It’ll be interesting to see if his load lightens significantly down the stretch. The King will turn 37 in about a month and manning the pipes for one game behind this year’s leaky Rangers squad might as well count as playing 2 for any other team. No reason to run him into the ground. Although it’s highly unlikely, any surprising team success over the final two years of his contract will need him in peak form. His spot on the all-time wins list isn’t gonna change by shaving a few starts. Handle Hank with care whether he likes it or not.
Just like last season the Blueshirts will be among the busiest again at this year’s trade deadline. What was Holden, Nash & Grabner are now McQuaid, Hayes & Zuccarello. I’m not expecting another McDonagh/Miller blockbuster but I’m sure there are teams interested in a cheaply-priced Chris Kreider for the next season & change. If there’s a team willing to pony up a premium prospect then Gorton can’t say no. Nothing is off the table. It’s almost a certainty though that the three upcoming UFA’s will all be shipped out by February 25th. The hauls for Holden (O’Gara & a 3rd) and Grabner (Rykov & a 2nd) are pretty solid barometers for the price tags on McQuaid & Zucc. I know some hold Zuccarello in a higher regard & he’s been on a torrid pace over his last 5 but I’d be happily surprised if a team was willing to cough up a first – although I do think he could be a game-changer as part of an elite top-6 somewhere. When predicting trades though, it’s almost always a lesser haul than the majority expects.
Kevin Hayes is by far the most interesting piece available. A big, highly-skilled 26 year-old two-way center who’s a puck possession beast playing the best hockey of his young career could help a lot of teams up the middle. Hayes was on a scoring tear for a while before being sidelined with an injury right after the new year kicked off. He’s back now though and it’s showcase time. How #13 bounces back over these next 4 weeks is the most important Rangers storyline as it’ll go a long way in determining exactly how quality a haul they’ll get. If he slumps, buyers will quickly point out the fact that Hayes has never been consistent and has yet to break the 50-point plateau. If he picks up where he left off (a 69-point pace over 82 games), he could be the league’s most sought-after deadline addition. While that would most likely improve upon the standard “late first & decent prospect” return, don’t get too excited. Teams won’t be sacrificing their most prized possessions (i.e. Makar from Colorado) but won’t be able to slide too far down their prospect rankings.
Once the trades are done there will be ample opportunity for the Rangers youth to get extended looks the rest of the way. There’s no teenagers to worry about in terms of an entry level contract slide so anyone can get the nod at any time. Lias will certainly join the big club but I’m real curious to see what Ville Meskanen can do. The 23 year-old Fin was inked as a free agent this summer and while he hasn’t torn it up in Hartford he hasn’t been awful (26 points in 45 games). The Blueshirts need all the help they can from righties up front and while I don’t expect him to shock the world, I’d like to see if he’s completely overmatched or can show a little promise.
How will Buchnevich finish? He’s been unable to work his way off of 4th line duties (and scratched tonight) but you’ve got to think he’ll climb the depth chart after the deadline, if not sooner. I’ve never been a huge Buchnevich backer and I still don’t see him bringing a consistent effort at 5×5 so I don’t blame Quinn for not handing him more ice right now. As one of their more skilled forwards though, he’ll be partially responsible for making up all the scoring the Rangers trade away. It’ll be an important spot for the 24 year-old to prove he can be anything more than just a PP specialist.
But what I can’t wait to see most is how good Chytil will be by the end of the year with what should end up a consistent if not increasing post-deadline top-6 role. This kid is gonna be a bona fide goal scorer. Watching a teenager progress like he has over the course of this season has given me renewed hope that we may, in fact, have a superstar on our hands. Chytil generates so many scoring chances that are gonna start cashing in with a little more strength & seasoning. He had two end-to-end highlight reel goals blowing by the opposition & driving the puck right to the opposing net. His confidence has grown tremendously & I think he’s looking forward to taking on more of the scoring burden.
There’s also a few back end options we all want to get a peek at – namely Libor Hajek. Bigras & Gilmour are piling up the points in Hartford & may eventually get a call too. Quinn is clearly done with Brendan Smith, so once McQuaid is shipped out we’ll see how important it is for NY to get these kids an audition as opposed to sticking with the 6 remaining blueliners. The first half had its highs & lows, but the future is rapidly approaching. If there’s gonna be any significant success over the next couple seasons then there’s gonna be some significant surprises over these remaining 11 weeks.
Fingers crossed…