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New York Rangers Mailbag: Steven Stamkos? Nah.

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61012/28/2023 12:30 AM
Jared Silber. Getty Images.

The New York Rangers simply cannot stop winning hockey games. Despite missing key players through the first three months (Fox, Shesterkin, Kakko, Chytil) they sit 23-8-1. Tops in the league in points percentage (.734). It's been an incredible start so far thanks in large part to key bargain-bin pieces stepping up in big ways. Jonathan Quick has been outstanding. Erik Gustafsson slid in seamlessly to hold it down while Fox was sidelined. Jimmy Vesey & Will Cuylle have contributed depth scoring from the bottom six. Even Blake Wheeler is finally chipping in offensively like we all had hoped. So I took to Twitter to see what was on the fans minds. Here's what we got:

 

Sports are weird. I don't know what other fanbases are like but for the Rangers, it seems there's always a sect of doom-and-gloom fans no matter what. Right now they're literally the top team in the league yet the complaints keep coming. "Igor sucks", "analytics haven't improved", "Zibanejad is a powerplay merchant", "it's the same team who got worked by the Devils" blah blah blah. Listen, I know this isn't the perfect squad but every team has question marks. Regardless of whether or not any of these complaints are valid I'll just never understand the preference to be right over enjoying your team win. Playoffs will tell the true story for the Blueshirts. No shit. But we're not there yet. It's December and the Rangers are winning at a near 75% clip. Have some fucking fun.

 

Well the most notable improvement is obvious. For years the Blueshirts got pounded at the dot. In comes Michael Peca and now they're #1. There's some caveats though. For starters their worst faceoff guy in Filip Chytil has been sidelined for 22 games. That means more work for Nick Bonino (52.6%) filling in at 3C while Barclay Goodrow has slid into the 4C slot and been great (54.2%). Still, every center on the squad has improved a good margin compared to last year - none more than Trocheck (56.1% to an absurd 63.4%) - and that has a lot to do with Peca. 

As a player, Peca was a defensive/faceoff specialist & leader during Peter Laviolette's coaching debut on Long Island. Fast forward about 20 years and, when Laviolette's Caps needed help at the tail end of their '21 season, he brought Peca aboard and his pivots improved on draws almost immediately. So it's no surprise when the Rangers hired Lavi this summer he sought a reunion to help a squad that desperately needed to improve their puck possession - and that starts when the puck drops. The easiest way to get hemmed in your zone is to lose d-zone draws. Last year, NY finished 21st. This year they sit 5th. That's a crucial difference.

 

Could the Rangers use an offensive boost up the middle if Chytil continues to miss time? Sure. The trio of Cuylle/Bonino/Brodzinski have held their own in a small sample size, but it'd be ideal to have Bonino playing his 4th line role along with Goodrow & Vesey in order to get a little more scoring from the 3rd. The only way they'd be able to financially pull off any significant move up the middle though, on top of a right-side need they may prioritize, is if the Rangers shelf Chytil for the entire regular season - a decision that'll likely make itself if he's not ready in another 10 weeks. Assuming that's the case, there's still not a ton of quality names out there that'd fit the bill. 

If Seattle doesn't make a run soon, Alexander Wennberg would likely be a sought-after commodity. He's an all-situations center on an expiring deal with a $4.5M cap hit who'd slot in nicely at 3C for New York. Solid skater, playmaker and reliable everywhere on the ice. He's not gonna "wow" anyone but is certainly an offensive upgrade over Nick Bonino. Sean Monahan could be another pivot on the rental market soon. Long gone are the hopes of him living up to his 6th overall pick potential but he's having a decent scoring season in Montreal and always crushes it at the dot. At a cap hit just a shade under $2M he'd be a pretty easy fit financially, but if he's not scoring he's likely not contributing. Physicality & defense aren't really a part of Monahan's game - but if he's slotted between Cuylle and Kakko they may be able to make up for what he lacks.

 

 

I don't think the financial part is what'd keep Stamkos out of New York. It's the fact that Tampa Bay is still a playoff contender and there's no way they're gonna part with their captain before one more kick at the can. Of course he'd make the Rangers a hell of a lot scarier - but Vasilevskiy is back, they've won 7 of 10 and they're an extremely top-heavy team. They need all their stars. Moving Stammer is waving the white flag and this organization is flat out not going to do that. Plus, Stamkos has a no-move clause so the return would be underwhelming anyway. They're gonna ride their core to the very end. 

 

Now we're back to reality. There's no reason why both sides shouldn't want a reunion, and Tarasenko will once again be able to pick his landing spot at the deadline thanks to his full no-trade clause. He was solid when he joined the Rangers last season and chipped in 3 goals in their playoff series against the Devils. But if Blake Wheeler maintains the chemistry he's recently found on the top line (3G/4A in his last 6 games) then the need for Tarasenko may not be as pressing. Instead of a player who won't bring much besides putting the puck in the net, Drury may look to add speed and grit to the middle of the lineup & make his Blueshirts harder to play against come playoff time. 

 

 

 

Of all the realistic names out there I can't talk myself out of wanting an Anthony Duclair reunion the most. I think he's perfect for what the Rangers need and could likely be pried out of San Jose for peanuts. He's got speed, skill and a little bit of bite to his game that was on full display riding alongside Barkov and Verhaege during Florida's improbable run to last year's SCF. I'd take him over Vatrano simply because Franky V has an additional year on his contract and I don't want the Blueshirts adding any permanent pieces that'd potentially block prospects from making the jump next season.

One name I haven't seen connected to the Rangers much is Seattle's Jordan Eberle. The pending UFA is struggling like the rest of the Kraken this season but is coming off an awesome 63-point campaign & 11 points in 14 playoff tilts. Eberle is a smart offensive player who can skate and creates havoc around the net despite being a smaller guy. Not physical but not afraid to chase pucks into high-danger areas. I think he'd be awesome next to Zibanejad & Kreider assuming he'd be available.

 

Ryan Lindgren is the undoubted heart & soul warrior of this Rangers D corps. Adam Fox is top dog but there's no question his partner has had an underrated hand in his success. They mesh into a near perfect pair and when he's out of the lineup this team struggles. A lot. Problem is, he's banged up or out. A lot. So how much is Chris Drury gonna want to commit to a blueliner who will continue to pay the price for playing the giant, reckless style a championship-caliber group needs? Hard minutes are piling up, and with the Blueshirts primed to be a playoff squad for years to come the mileage is gonna pile up too. Guys like Lindgren are always a risk to miss time, but the larger concern is when all these bumps & bruises will start to slow down a player entering his late twenties.

I don't think he's going anywhere, nor should he want to. This Rangers squad provides Lindgren the perfect fit to maximize his skillset. There's no left-shot defender in the system close to making him or Key expendable. He's not likely to find a better opportunity with an organization as close to a Cup as he's got here, and he's gonna hit his last RFA campaign at a perfect time for both sides with the cap getting a big boost for the first time in years. Lindgren can ink a nice raise - something like 5/$5M per - and it won't be nearly as impactful to payroll percentage-wise as it would've been during the past few summers. That's basically Ryan Graves money & I think that's a fair comparable. Drury can play it safe as far as term with a player who may not have as long a shelf life compared to the norm, while Lindgren has a shot at another solid payday if he's still healthy and productive entering his 30s. Both sides would be shaking hands on a new deal though with expectations of a Cup before that time comes.


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61012/28/2023 12:30 AM