Why Rangers need more from 2 new defensemen
The New York Rangers started a prolonged slump nearly two months ago. It’s lasted more than a quarter of the season due in part to weak play from their defense corps. As such, the Rangers went out and acquired defensemen Urho Vaakanainen and Will Borgen in separate trades in December.
So, how’s it been working out with each now a regular in the lineup?
Let’s start with Vaakanainen, since the Rangers acquired him first. He was acquired in return for Jacob Trouba from the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. When the trade happened, he was on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Vaakanainen still working to earn coach’s confidence
‘Vaks,’ as the team quickly nicknamed him, has played nine games for the Rangers and 14 overall this season. He has no goals and two assists, with one of the helpers coming during his time with the Blueshirts. He wasn’t acquired to rack up the points; that’s never been his game. But a little bit of production would be nice. To be fair to Vaakanainen, the team’s offense dried up around him, too, though the Rangers did score 10 goals in their past two games.
Vaakanainen averages 15:10 of ice time per game, so it doesn’t appear coach Peter Laviolette has full confidence in him just yet. Only rookie Victor Mancini and seldom-used veteran Chad Ruhwedel — now both in Hartford of the American Hockey League — average less ice time among Rangers defensemen this season.Â
The underlying numbers for Vaakanainen are not pretty. The Rangers are getting completely caved in their own zone when he’s been on the ice. His relative expected goal (xG) rate is -13.16 percent at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. In other words, the Rangers are allowing 13.16percent more expected goals when he’s on the ice than when he isn’t. Despite some of the numbers suggesting he’s struggling, coach Peter Laviolette likes some of the things he’s seen from the 26-year-old.
“I feel like he’s figuring it out with ‘Schneids’ (Braden Schneider). I think they’ve been pretty good.” Laviolette told reporters recently. “Just trying to quiet things down from the defensive standpoint.”
The coach isn’t totally off base with those comments. Vaakanainen has been much better with Schneider. The relative xG with this pair on the ice shrinks to -3.66, which is an improvement for the newcomer.
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Will Borgen providing hits and blocked shots but little offense
The Rangers needed a physical defenseman who could play the right side, and that’s what they targeted in the return for Kaapo Kakko from the Seattle Kraken. They paid a hefty price to bring in defensemen who likely wouldn’t get a ton of minutes, in an effort to fill that need.
Like Vaakanainen, Borgen wasn’t brought in to provide offense. He scored his first goal with the Rangers in a 6-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, but that’s his only point so far in eight games with New York. He had one goal and one assist in 33 games with the Kraken.
However, he is averaging 5.72 hits per 60 minutes and 4.90 blocked shots per 60. Those are two specific areas the Rangers needed Borgen to fill a need, and he’s delivered.
However, Borgen has underlying numbers that are concerning. His relative xG is -8.05 at 5-on-5 with the Rangers. He’s only been positive in this metric once in his six NHL seasons, so his showing in New York is no surprise.
Laviolette offered some explanation as to why this may be the case.
“When you’re playing against the other team’s best players, you find yourself in the defensive zone starts, there’s something to that,” he explained.
This is borne out in the numbers, since Borgen has played on more defensive zone face-offs than those in any other part of the ice.
Can the newcomers help Rangers arrest their slump?
While it’s somewhat understandable with the Rangers struggling amid their own adjusting to a new team, Borgen and Vaakanainen have not done nearly enough to help arrest the slump that’s been going on for nearly two months. They are supposed to be steady, defensive players, but neither has done a good enough job of being able to consistently get the puck out of the zone.
It could be time for the Rangers to put Zac Jones back into the lineup. He has better underlying numbers than either newcomer, and he’s a better skater — though his play hasn’t exactly been inspiring this season. At least playing him in one of the back-to-back games like the Rangers had on Saturday and Sunday would’ve make a lot of sense, if only to get fresh legs in the lineup. But the disgruntled Jones did not dress for either game.
Vaakanainen and Borgen are on expiring contracts; Vaakanainen is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and Borgen is an unrestricted free agent. Though there is still time for each to find his footing in New York, neither has done enough to be assured of a new contract.
Schneider and Adam Fox are the only Rangers defensemen with contracts beyond this season, so the blue line could look completely different come 2025-26. With the way things have been going of late, that seems like a good thing for the Rangers — and an opportunity to try something different may provide better results.
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