NY Rangers In A Strange Place Halfway Through Their Season

What a weird first half for the New York Rangers. After a scorching 14-2-2 start they’ve face-planted. 8-12-3 since then without having won 2 straight since before Thanksgiving. They were 6 seconds away from stringing together a win streak against the best in both conferences Saturday but found a way to let the Caps have two points instead. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but they’re still leading a logjam in the Metro for the #2 spot despite playing some pretty bad hockey. All this team needs to do is get to the dance & I’m still confident they’ll do so. If the worst case scenario is a 1v8 matchup against Washington, sign me up. In its current state, this team is a far cry from a squad prepared to finally get over the Cup hump – but there’s still half the season to go.
When I wrote my season preview, I banked on some of the young NYR forwards taking the next step. Outside of JT Miller, they’ve done the exact opposite. I was confident Kevin Hayes was going to blossom into a reliable offensive option after exploding in the second half of his rookie year. Instead, he’s been yo-yo’d in & out of the lineup due to a lack of effort. Hayes will need to improve just to hit the 40-point marker many thought he’d pass with ease. Chris Kreider’s disappearance makes no sense. He’s gotten better every year. Always produced in the playoffs & made his impact on most games even without his name on the score sheet. Now, if you didn’t know Kreids was out the last two games due to injury, you wouldn’t definitively be able to answer if he played or not.
It’s not just the youngsters though. While Stepan’s still just 25 he’s been a staple among the Blueshirts’ top point-getters. I know he sat 10 games with a rib injury but this year, while the ink on his new $39 mil deal is still drying, he’s scoring at a career-worst pace. Rick Nash is another big-money Ranger in the midst of an awful season. I don’t know if it’s just being over-confident in their own abilities & assuming things will eventually work themselves out – but statistics aside, these forwards have shown zero sense of urgency or the will to want to dictate games. It’s a strange way for a team with nothing but a few recent “almosts” to approach what should be their best chance yet at a championship. I can’t imagine at least a couple of these guys snapping out of it (namely Kreider & Stepan) and they’ll have to. Unlike the past couple seasons, barring a shocker, the Rangers simply don’t have the money or pieces to trade for help.
I also banked on a healthy defensive corps coming together once again as one of the top groups in the league. Instead, they’ve been downright awful. I’m more of a critic of Dan Boyle than most, but because of the free-fall from the most familiar faces (G, Staal, McD) Boyle’s been one of their better blueliners this season. Overall I think Klein’s unquestionably been the most consistent. Keith Yandle, who’s on borrowed time on Broadway, has done exactly what was expected by driving possession & leading the team in assists on his way to his usual 40+ point stat line. It’s the trio that’s been together the most though that’s been the core the problem all season long.
I love Ryan McDonagh. You can blame his D partner as much as you want, but fact is he’s taken a step back in reliability at an age where he should be starting to peak. Marc Staal’s steady decline is into Year 3 as he’s gotten slower, stiffer & less physical without bringing any offense to the table. Then there’s fan-favorite Dan Girardi. Literally THE WORST defensemen in the league whether you’re into fancy stats or use your eyeballs. His giveaway to Ovechkin in the final seconds of the first period Saturday sums him up perfectly. Not only does he have a ton of mileage on him but he simply doesn’t know what to do with the puck anymore. You CANNOT be a veteran top-pair defender with that little awareness & zero ability to move the puck properly. He could play with his stick upside down and there’d be no difference in his game. Sitting McIlrath, who was excellent with regular minutes, for Girardi when the team is in a downward spiral makes no sense. Just because his contract is immovable doesn’t mean he has to play.
The sole reason the Rangers got away with everything above for the start of the season was other-worldly play from Henrik Lundqvist. Boy, has he come crashing down. Similar to McDonagh, you can certainly place some blame on the skaters in front of him. But there’s been plenty of pucks he’s missed that didn’t require a super hero to stop. Hank’s track record makes him the least of my worries, but there’s also reason to believe that the pressure to do it all himself combined with father time may be starting to wear on him. If the Rangers are gonna rebound for a strong second half, no one is more important than the King. If it’s the beginning of his end, fuck everything.
Every year there’s teams that disappoint. The Rangers are certainly throwing their hat in the ring to be that team this year. Still, I don’t remember any Cup winners crediting a stellar December as the reason why they won. There’s still 41 games left for the Blueshirts to hit their stride. Inevitably losing Yandle at the deadline will hurt, and since NY is only on the hook for half his salary the return most likely won’t make an immediate impact without Gorton getting creative (Shattenkirk?). I just refuse to believe the Rangers are a one-line team now. AV simply can’t keep putting Girardi on the ice for 20 minutes a game, in high-leverage situations or even at all. Hank’s got some heroism left under those luscious locks. Just like you couldn’t anoint them champs after their hot start, they can’t be written off for a 20-game slump. There’s too much talent to stay in this rut. My only question is, do they have the guts to dig themselves out?