Ranking The 5 Most Important Rangers Forwards For 2019-20
Despite all the shiny new toys the Blueshirts have stockpiled, the reality is a lot will have to go right for them to steal a playoff spot this season. For starters, Hank will need a throwback campaign and the defense will have to, you know, defend. In terms of forwards there's certainly names where you know what you're gonna get. Panarin, Zib & Kreider along with Namestnikov, Strome & Fast have essentially proven the types of players they are. Naturally, the jury is still out on many of their youngsters. This blog isn't meant as a be-all, end-all for the careers of the kids I'm gonna talk about. For most of them there's realistically still plenty of time for development. In terms of ending up one of the bigger surprises in the league though, these five forwards are crucial in making an improbable playoff invite come to fruition.
#5 - Coach Quinn LOVES himself some Brett Howden. Loves his IQ, loves his compete level, etc. Last year's results though were pretty bad. After chalking up a surprising 9 points in his first 14 games, the former Bolts prospect went ice cold the rest of the way. A mere 14 points in 52 games including a THIRTY-FIVE game goalless streak. For a center skating 14-15 a night that's an exceptionally piss poor output despite Howden never being projected as an offensive stalwart. That could've been nullified by a capable 200-foot game that was his supposed calling card - but his analytics might've been worse than his stat line. Quinn stuck with him regardless. With no "sure thing" up the middle after Zibanejad, the Rangers are counting on a trio of second-year players to make significant leaps and secure those spots. Howden may be the least important of the three at face value but if the others fall flat, the coach's pet could be relied on to handle increased responsibility at their weakest position.
#4 - Over the last 5 seasons, 18 rookies have finished with 50+ points. Given the NHL-ready hype surrounding the second overall pick I think it's safe to say that's the basement of Kaapo Kakko's debut expectations. He won't be getting top-billing (for now) next to Breadman & Mika but that doesn't change the fact that he's a key cog to any Rangers success this year. There's virtually no way he flops - his importance lies in whether or not he'll take the league by storm a la Elias Pettersson. If the Finnish dynamo can throw the secondary scoring load on his shoulders alongside Kreider right off the bat, one of last year's most feeble Metro offenses will have a top-six capable of hanging with any in the division.
#3 - It's go-time for Pavel Buchnevich. The inconsistent, oft-Quinn-Binned 24 year-old has still managed to score at a respectable 46-point pace over his first 179 NHL games. The Rangers rewarded him with a nice raise and top-line duties alongside fellow countryman Artemi Panarin to start the year. With an uber-talented rookie breathing down his neck, there's no more room for Buch's growing pains. No more excuses for a lack of effort or apathy without the puck. He's been put in the best position possible to prove that the player we watched pile up 12G/10A in his final 29 games can do it over the course of a full season. If he can, that leaves the more talented Kakko to provide secondary punch. If he can't & Kakko has to take his place, that leaves the Rangers a one-line team again.
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#2 - Last night was undoubtedly the best we've seen from Lias Andersson. Overall though, it's been a lackluster ride for the player many thought the Rangers reached for with the 7th pick in 2017 despite being billed as one of the most complete, NHL-ready available. He's been anything but that and was surprisingly leapfrogged by Howden in the pecking order out of camp a year ago. The names that followed Lias on draft day haven't exactly set the league ablaze either, so there's still plenty of time for the soon-to-be-legal drinker to develop into a solid NHLer even if his ceiling has dropped. With all the uncertainties at center, the Swede is a huge piece of the 2019-20 puzzle. Obviously he'll need to up his offensive contributions in his effective-yet-unflashy way as he did grinding out NY's only regulation goal last night. But more importantly, at least in terms of skillset, he's the most equipped option for Quinn to deploy as a stopper of sorts. Zibanejad can't kill every penalty or play every shift protecting late leads & regardless of who centers Kakko/Kreider, the second line will be more of an attack than defend trio. A third line with Lias & Vlad could be the answer if Andersson springboards into his sophomore season.
#1 - The biggest question heading into opening night is who slots into that 2C vacancy. In a perfect world, it's a quick answer - Filip Chytil. Unfortunately, this isn't utopia and if Chytil had any sort of stronghold on the only top-six spot up for grabs it wouldn't have been Ryan Strome skating between the Killer K's against Philly. While Chytil's in the same position as his draftmate Andersson & has plenty of time to develop, his individual success has more of a ripple effect on the Rangers lineup than anyone else's. Chytil's game is offense. Putting him with better skill would logically mean higher production. However, especially at center, you've got to be able to hold your own physically, defensively and at the dot. Don't have to excel at any if you're putting up points, but you can't be a sieve either. Doesn't look like the kid is there yet, which means the second line gets less-potent with Strome while Chytil's style projects to mesh like oil & vinegar with bottom-sixers like Lias, Vlad etc. If Chytil ends up a winger, there won't be any room up top until the deadline & there's a highly touted kid named Kravtsov NY might want to see there instead. To maximize the Blueshirts lineup potential, Chytil's gotta prove he can be a trusted pivot.