How David Desharnais fits for the Rangers
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On July 4th, the Rangers agreed to a 1 year, $1 million contract with 30-year-old center David Desharnais. He is a depth center, which the Rangers needed after losing Derek Stepan, and Oscar Lindberg.
Who Is David Desharnais?
He is a 5’7″ playmaking center, who has the ability to play up and down the lineup. He is a fast and agile forward who sees the ice well, loves to get into the dirty areas, and can shoot very well off the pass. He went undrafted, and before he was signed by the Canadiens in 2008, he had a lot of success in the ECHL winning the Kelly Cup, MVP, and Rookie of the Year.
OT Winner Against The Predators
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7VZnKJY9uY
What Does He Bring To The Table?
Desharnais has had a pretty decent career in the NHL, scoring 81 goals among his 254 career points. He can distribute the puck well, and being that he is so small, he is able to find himself in those tight areas, which some bigger players may not be able to pull off.
David also brings some skill to the shootout, with the Rangers dropping four out of seven shootouts last season. He has added 17 goals in the shootout during his career, which is good for 42%. Now he is no Mats Zuccarello, who is at a whopping 51.4%, but his numbers are still very good.
He also adds a 14.9 shooting percentage over his entire career, which is pretty solid considering only three Rangers had a higher shooting percentage this season (Kreider, Grabner, Miller). He also has had success in the faceoff circle, which seems to be an issue for the Rangers every year. He averages just over 50% in his career, which would have beat out both Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes last season.
He may be catching some heat because fans were looking forward to some of the bigger name centers like Thronton, Marleau, Bonino, or Gagner as possible signings. But don’t be surprised if he comes in and has a really good year for the Rangers. I could see him being a really good fit in this lineup and possibly contribute 35-45 points as a third or fourth line center for the Blueshirts.
2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs OT Winner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5S6GNj9HhM
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