For the month of June, Last Word On Sports will be covering each team in our 30 in 30 series. Once a day, we take a look at an NHL team’s past season, what their off-season looks like, and what they could hope to achieve before the start of their 2015-16 season. Everybody wants to get better and improve upon last season’s success or downfall and NHL’s 30 in 30 gives you that analysis and preview you need to get you by during another long and grueling summer season. 30 days in June, 30 teams to cover. Starting on June 1st we start from the bottom and make our way to the very top. Today’s team: The New York Rangers. Check out our previous 30 in 30 articles here.
NHL’s 30 in 30: New York Rangers
Finishing 1st overall, the New York Rangers posted a record of 53-22-7 to end up with 113 points, placing them in first in the Metropolitan division and capturing the franchise’s third President’s Trophy. Their home record (25-11-5) accumulated for 55 points, making them them the third-best team at home in the East. Their away record (28-11-2) accumulated for 58 points and was the best road record in the league. Having posted the best record of the 2014-15 season, the Rangers hoped to re-live their post-season of the year before, when they reached the Stanley Cup final. Unfortunately for them, they could not figure out the Tampa Bay Lightning system and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference final.
The 2014-15 Regular Season
At the age of 31, Rick Nash set a career-high in goals with 42 while averaging 17:27 of ice-time. What’s even more astounding is that he scored more even-strength goals in 2014-15 than all-situation goals since 2010-11 (when he finished the season with 32 goals). His possession numbers are decent considering his 54.7% defensive-zone start rate, but his lack of productivity in the post-season has caused some concern. Trading him now would bring back a great return, but there is no ensuring the hole he leaves behind will be filled accordingly.
Chris Kreider may have earned himself a reputation for running goaltenders, but that also means he is relentless at driving the net. The defensive side of his game is good despite average possession numbers, and his mix of size and speed makes him a threat whenever he is on the ice. Kevin Hayes stepped up and became a compliment to the team, contributing mostly in the second-half of the season and doing well with possession. Primarily used as a center, Hayes was around 36% in the faceoff circle, so he’ll need to make great adjustments in order to stay there next season.
Mats Zuccarello took a slapshot to the head from his own teammate and many questioned his future, but luckily he’ll be back next season. Although he’s undersized, Zuccarello is a smart player to have in the line-up, and is good offensively. Derick Brassard had himself a career-year, averaging 17:24 ice-time and put up 19 goals and 60 points to justify the increase in playing time. He also added 9 goals and 16 points in 19 post-season games, making him an exceptionally dangerous player in the playoffs. Derek Stepan reached the 50-point plateau for the third time in his career, and his two-way play has made him one of the more quality players on the team. His presence down the middle gives the Rangers some serious depth and talent to work with. Stepan has also been able to remain relatively healthy, although he missed a dozen games last season. Before that, he hadn’t missed a single game.
It was a major adjustment for Keith Yandle, who was acquired in a trade from Arizona for a package that included prospect Anthony Duclair. Yandle went from playing close to 24 minutes per game to averaging under 20 with the Rangers. He’ll make half his salary with the Rangers next year, as the Coyotes retained the other half, so he’s very cap friendly and a great option in the top-four. Ryan McDonagh averaged his lowest ice-time in four seasons with 23:08, and his possession numbers took a bit of a beating as he faced tough assignments and a 54.1% defensive-zone start rate. As bad as his numbers may seem, they don’t touch Dan Girardi‘s possession stats, which are among not only the worst on the team, but in the league. They’ve been on a steady decline for the last three seasons and when he is paired with McDonagh, both defencemen are vulnerable against top opponents.
Despite suffering a broken arm that cut his season short at 65 games, Kevin Klein still managed to record career-highs in goals (9), assists (17) and points (26). If he can manage anywhere close to his 11.8 shooting percentage while playing on the third-pairing, he’ll be an asset for years to come. Dan Boyle has also provided the Rangers with some offense from the back-end but averaged his lowest ice-time since the 2001-02 season. At 38, his usage and ice-time is probably smart at this point, as he still has the ability to move the puck and can keep up in the NHL.
An interesting situation that the Rangers found themselves in was their goaltending tandem with Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Talbot. At the age of 33, Lundqvist has managed to string together six consecutive seasons with a.920 SV% or higher, but a freak accident took him out last season after he was struck in the throat with a shot. Talbot entered and managed to hold down the fort, providing stability between the pipes and keeping the Rangers from becoming unglued. His success garnered him some interest from other teams and Talbot was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers during the draft for a package of draft picks. General Manager Glen Sather then picked up a cheaper back-up in Antti Raanta, who had lost his spot on the depth chart in Chicago to Scott Darling.
The Off-Season and Free Agents
Heading into the off-season, the Rangers have a total of seven free agents to decide on. Of the seven free agents, four of them are restricted to the team; forwards Derek Stepan, J.T Miller, Emerson Etem and Jesper Fast. Forwards Martin St. Louis and James Sheppard, and defenceman Matt Hunwick are the upcoming unrestricted free agents. In terms of non-roster players, Sather will have to decide on five restricted free agents and six unrestricted free agents.
With around $59 million committed to seven forwards, six defencemen and two goaltenders, Sather has a bit of money to work with to re-sign his free agents while perhaps seeking some help depth-wise. Newly acquired Etem, who the Rangers got in a trade that sent Carl Hagelin to Anaheim, will be a great addition to the team, and signing Stepan and Miller are important. Fast could be an inexpensive contract for depth and if the Rangers are in need of more down the stretch, they’ll need to think about searching through some cheap options in free agency, as there isn’t much in their prospect pools in terms of offense.
On defense, their blue-line is one of the more pricey ones in the league. It’s deep but if the Rangers are looking to save some money, or add depth in case of a significant injury down the road, Chris Summers could be ready to step into the line-up or prospect Brady Skjei could push for a spot on opening day.
The 2015 Draft
2nd round, 41st overall – Ryan Gropp, LW
3rd round, 62nd overall – Robin Kovacs, RW
3rd round, 79th overall – Sergei Zborovsky, D
3rd round, 89th overall – Aleksi Saarela, C
4th round, 113th overall – Brad Morrison, C
4th round, 119th overall – Daniel Bernhardt, RW
7th round, 184th overall – Adam Huska, G
Main Photo:
