Welcome to an off-season segment for your New York Rangers! It ultimately did not end the way the organization wanted it to, but there was a lot of jog and excitement to say the least. It is summer time for the Rangers, but that does not mean we cannot reminisce on the season. Today we will look at a Jaroslav Halak off-season grade. Check out our other New York Rangers offseason grades.
New York Rangers Offseason Grades
Report Card: Jaroslav Halak
Goaltending is one of the hardest positions to play in sports. The blame gets placed, but the praise is there as well. From a fan perspective, it is something you enjoy watching is the goaltender play. A notable trend you see in today’s game is a 1A/1B tandem in net. You saw that this season with a team like the Boston Bruins. That is not always the case, but the days of goalies playing 40 games are not ideal. It is a true testament if you can do that, but you want to be able to give your starter a break. One thing the Rangers have always had is stable backup goaltending. Go back a few years and Antti Raanta and Alexander Georgiev were backups that are capable starters. In fact, Georgiev was sensational for the Colorado Avalanche. The Rangers have their own elite starter in Igor Shesterkin. They don’t need an elite backup, but someone they can rely on to give Shesterkin a break so he is not out of gas. Jaroslav Halak proved that he was a capable backup as he enters the back end of his career. And what a relief that was after uncertainty following the Georgiev trade.
The Season
This New York Rangers off-season grade is more deserving than people think. Having a capable backup goaltender is so crucial to a teams success. The starter can’t go every time and having the next man up to rely on is key. Halak proved he can be that guy. Halak played 25 games for the Rangers this season. His record for the club was 10-9-5. Halak started the season slowly, but really found his form as the season went on. He went on to post a 2.72 goals against average and .903 save percentage. In addition, Halak excelled in the high-danger areas of the ice. Among goalies that played in at least ten games, Halak finished 12th in high-danger save percentage (.789). In addition, he played as expected finishing with 1.1 goals saved above expected. All around for a guy that is 38 years of age, he played exceptionally well in a backup role.
The Playoffs
This New York Rangers offseason grade applies more to just the regular season. As the backup, he luckily did not have to see the crease. That becomes a good thing because that means that Shesterkin was on his game. And he indeed was. There was never a situation where you had to pull the goaltender like some of these other team’s that you’ve seen in these playoffs. However, Halak did his part in the teams success and played his role well and you really can’t ask for much more than that.
The Verdict
This New York Rangers offseason grade is easy to hand out. You don’t have to be over-critical in his regard. His level of play was enough to provide aid to Shesterkin and give him rest when needed. Halak will be a pending free agent and his time in New York could come to an end. However, bringing him back will not break the bank despite them being up against the cap. There is no telling who will be behind Shesterkin next season, so this was a blessing for a season.
Grade: B-
Main Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
